12 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
April 5, 2018 - May 2, 2018
The Network/La Red’s annual fundraiser “Paint The Town (La) Red” happening this month The event is a celebration of survival that raises awareness of LGBQ/T partner abuse and its impact on our communities BOSTON—On April 19th, The Network/La Red (TNLR) will host its annual gala, Paint the Town (La) Red at China Pearl Restaurant in Boston. The event, which will raise money for vital domestic violence services, will feature local drag performer JP as emcee, performances by Violencia Exclamation Point, the all transgender youth acapella group, Transpositions; as well as a silent auction. TNLR will also release its powerful new video, Surviving with Wild Tongues. Surviving with Wild Tongues is part of an ongoing campaign, Survival and Resistance, Power With Survivors, Power For Communities, and centers the lives and experiences of survivors of partner abuse who are queer, transgender, Black, Indigenous, working class and people of color. The fulllength short film will be released through The Network/La Red’s social media on April 5th, and clips will be shown during the event. "For many survivors, our identities and experiences shape how we exist and live in our communities," said The Network/La Red's outreach and education associate, JP
Delgado Galdamez. "Survival and Resistance gives a platform for us to share our truth, and to make the connection between partner abuse (domestic violence) and oppression. What more effective way is there to teach others about survivor experience?" "The video beautifully weaves survivors’ stories with music, art, and dance to create a multidimensional depiction of their lives," said Sabrina Santiago, Co-Executive Director at The Network/La Red. LGBQ/T people experience partner abuse in their lifetime at the same alarming rate as heterosexual, cis-gender women, 25-33%. Unfortunately, the potential support for LGBQ/T survivors can be reduced by the lack of seriousness attributed to the issue. Paint the Town will raise awareness about partner abuse and raise money to fund supportive services for survivors and their families. "Paint the Town (La) Red is a celebration of survival. This is our annual opportunity to celebrate accomplishments, uplift the voices of survivors, ensure another year of
See TNLR on page 23
Vermont from page 10 I was able to achieve this because our company attracts great employees who are committed to a great mission. The reason for this is that I do not believe in command and control leadership. Command and control leadership is fine during power outages and fires, but the rest of the time you have to engage people in a compelling vision using distributed leadership so people can have the power to carry out their ideas. People will give their emotional energy when they are engaged. I think this will work very well for my leadership for the state. Q: If you had to pick the top 3 issues of most importance to you, as they relate to running the state, what would those issues be? A: Those top issues would be 1. Rural economic development—which would include connecting every home and business with fiber optic communications to enable connectivity at the speeds urban dwellers enjoy. This goal also includes continued improvement of Vermont’s excellent education system; 2. Continue to work towards single-payer health care. The U.S. spends 18 cents of every Gross Domestic Product dollar on health care while European countries spend 8 to 9 cents and get better results; and 3. Continue [to] accelerate Vermont’s great work on solving climate change. Q: You’ve mentioned that you would take Vermont in a different direction than the current administration. What does Vermont under the direction of Christine Hallquist look like? A: As CEO of Vermont Electric Coopera-
Christine Hallquist PHOTO: CHRISTINE FOR VERMONT
tive, I personally met with every one of our 107 employees once a year so they could review me on my performance. I told them I was responsible for three things—the reputation of our company with Vermonters; making sure we are secure financially and have the money we need to do our jobs, and [enrich] the company culture. How does it feel to work here? I carved out 30 percent of my time to spend with our employees. While I cannot meet every person in the state, I would continue with a similar practice. We will be the most transparent and accessible administration that Vermonters ever dreamed of. Hallquist aims to oust sitting Republican Governor Phil Scott in the state’s gubernatorial election on November 6, 2018. To learn more about Christine Hallquist’s candidacy, visit christineforvermont.com.