Christine Hallquist: There is work to do to protect our state

This commentary is by Christine Hallquist of Burlington. She was the Democratic nominee for Vermont governor in 2018, and was CEO of the Vermont Electric Cooperative for 13 years.

I am Christine Hallquist, a proud and out transgender woman now living in Burlington. I am deeply concerned about the potential impact of the future leadership in our country on civil liberties, particularly for marginalized communities. Vermont has been my sanctuary, and I believe we need to start preparing contingency plans now. We have a tremendous amount of work to do to protect Vermont from fascism.

While in office, the president-elect threatened to block aid to California if the state did not back his proposed water policies. He made it clear he will withhold funds from sanctuary cities. He blocked aid to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. He will block federal dollars to Vermont if we do not comply with his agenda. Our first order of business is to pass legislation that ensures our leaders will not surrender Vermont values when the federal government threatens to withhold federal funds.

Specifically, we need to ensure that Vermont does not compromise its values in the face of these threats. This may involve passing legislation to safeguard our state’s autonomy and our Vermont values.

Additionally, we should consider stockpiling abortion pills, strengthening the right to protest through new laws, proclaiming Vermont as a sanctuary state, and collaborating with other blue states to bolster our collective resistance. Joining with other states and providing strong state support for public media are also crucial steps.

In these challenging times, we can draw inspiration from stories like that of Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved children during World War 2. Watch the film, “One Life,” where Anthony Hopkins does an excellent portrayal of the work to save 669 children from certain death in Nazi concentration camps.

I am so proud of our state and feel safe in Vermont. There are not many places in our country where this is the case. I am grateful for all those who fought before and allowed me to be the first major-party transgender candidate for governor in the country.

I am afraid for people who are not in Vermont and those who cannot speak for themselves. I am grateful for the opportunity to join you in our fight for civil liberties. We cannot remain silent. Silence is complicity.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Christine Hallquist: There is work to do to protect our state.