VAAP marches in BTV Pride
This week, VAAP was proud to join Migrant Justice’s contingent in the Burlington Pride Parade as we called for Milk with Dignity and immigration justice for ALL.
Many LGBTQ+ migrants are pushed from their countries of origin due to issues of safety, discrimination, and life-threatening danger and pulled to places like Vermont where queer folks can march proudly and loudly. Many migrants come to understand themselves as LGBTQ+ after coming to Vermont for other reasons, and now fear returning to a dangerous or overtly discriminatory situation, or the mental anguish of living a closeted life.
VAAP is proudly queer- and trans-led with a majority queer-identifying staff and several queer-identifying board members. We are fortunate to be able to bring our full selves to our work serving LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and other humanitarian status seekers.
To explore immigration legal options and resources for LGBTQ+ noncitizens, we recommend:
Pride Center Vermont, for community and resources: https://www.pridecentervt.org/
Immigration Equality, for legal guidance: https://immigrationequality.org/
Migrant Justice, for community and resources: https://migrantjustice.net/
Immigrant Legal Resource Center, for legal guidance: https://www.ilrc.org/lgbt-immigrant-rights
National Center for Lesbian Rights, for policy updates: https://www.nclrights.org/our-work/immigration-asylum/
VT Coalition of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, for youth services: https://vcrhyp.org/youth-services-inc.html
VT Network to End Domestic Violence, for protection: https://www.vtnetwork.org/get-help/
