Winooski City Council approves the return of International Transgender Day of Visibility

Outside the Winooski City Hall. Photo by Catherine Morrissey

On Monday, City Council member Aurora Hurd presented a resolution that would declare March 31st as International Transgender Day of Visibility within Winooski.

In 2023, the council approved a similar resolution.

International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual dedication that falls on the final day of March in many cities across the world. It was first created and held in Michigan in 2009.

Now, Winooski City Council revisits the resolution as a display of their consistent acknowledgement of their diversity. Not only is Winooski the most diverse city in Vermont, but it elected the first all-LGBTQ+ city council (with the exception of the mayor) within the state as well in 2023.

The Winooski City Council aims to combat the restrictions of human rights that transgender populations suffer, hoping the returning day of recognition will support a more accepting rhetoric that coincides with the city’s Declaration of Inclusion.

“The national narrative has continued to really focus on restricting human rights of transgender people.” Hurd said. Hurd is transgender, along with being bisexual and nonbinary.

The resolution not only acknowledges the violence and hate genderqueer, gender nonconforming, and transgender people face, but it also calls attention to how these populations contribute to the community. With such a diverse makeup, Winooski offers its commitment to supporting such oppressed populations in promotion of inclusivity and “a sense of belonging for all.”

Winooski City Council met via Zoom (the March 18th meeting was hybrid due to its shorter duration) with all council members attending remotely. Jonathan Rauscher, Winooski’s public works director, was also in attendance, serving as a temporary city manager while Elaine Wang, city manager, is on vacation. Mayor Kristine Lott was not in attendance. 

CORRECTION: The previous version of this article did not include that the mayor does not identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. This detail is now included in the current version of the story.