Building queer community can be hard in a place like Vermont. Populations tend to be a bit more spread out and there just aren't as many people overall. It may take some extra time and effort to meet like-minded folks as opposed to a large urban area.
Last week, the Vermont Edition team went to the Barre Social Club to record a live panel discussion with LGBTQ+ business owners and organizers in Central Vermont who are trying to strengthen ties in Barre’s queer community and support vulnerable people there.
Our guests were Liv Dunton, co-owner of Fox Market and Bar in East Montpelier and Foxy’s in Barre, Maddie Cobb, co-owner of Slowpoke Exchange, a buy-sell-trade shop for vintage and modern clothing, also in Barre, Heather Ely, executive director of the Rainbow Bridge Community Center in Barre, a nonprofit that provides support for vulnerable communities and a gathering space for connection, and Lee Baker, a potter and a co-organizer of VT Queer Craft.
The guests also shared their thoughts on making Central Vermont home, the recent Supreme Court decision upholding a Tennessee ban on gender affirming care, and Pride Month, where Barre just hosted its fifth annual pride parade.
Broadcast on Monday, June 23, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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