Anti-transgender event held at Vergennes Union High School leads to hundreds of protestors
A controversial discussion was held inside Vergennes Union High School Tuesday night. It was a discussion on transgenderism with a well-known guest speaker
By Tyler Boronski
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VERGENNES, Vermont (WPTZ) — A controversial discussion was held inside Vergennes Union High School Tuesday night.
It was a discussion on transgenderism with a well-known guest speaker, whose sex reassignment surgery didn’t work out for him.
The topic and speaker led to hundreds deciding to protest outside on the school’s green in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Event organizers called this an education seminar for adults and children with questions about the gender transition process.
Protestors viewed the discussion as a hateful act toward the LGBTQ+ community, especially taking exception to the location with it being held inside the school.
“It’s very deliberate they want to send a message by hosting this type of event at a public school,” said Maddie Labreg, a protestor and recent graduate of Vergennes Union High School. “It’s showing the trans kids at our school that they’re not safe and they’re not accepted. We want to make sure that they know there’s a whole community out here who loves and cares for them.”
State leaders, like Treasurer Mike Pieciak, also attended the protest.
He said it hurts seeing the event take place inside the school.
“I think a lot of youth here view this school as a place where they want to feel safe, where they go to get encouragement and education. Not where they go to worry about who they are, so it was a little disappointing,” Pieciak said.
The school district’s superintendent shared that the facility request was made by a parent in the district. It met the board’s policy criteria for approval. They said it’s illegal for the district to discriminate based on viewpoint.
The event was called “Transgender ‘Care’ – Helpful or Harmful?”
It was put on by Parents’ Right to Education.
The featured speaker Walt Heyer spoke about how he transitioned from male to female in the 1980s.
Complications led him to de-transition back.
Heyer said he gets regular messages from people also regretting going through the transition process.
“Some of the most heart-wrenching de-transition stories are the girls that took hormones for years and are in the process of de-transitioning,” Heyer said. “They have tons of body hair. Their bodies change. Their voices change. They are far more depressed and distraught after going through this, because no one really told them the consequences.”
Claire Clark, a protestor going into her junior year at Vergennes Union High School, said she views these types of conversations as more harmful than good.
“What is causing you to feel the need to come into a public school, go through a loophole, and have this conversation?” Clark said. “The adults in this community are supposed to be the ones that protect us. It feels like they are the ones attacking us.”
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