Beth Robinson, first openly LGBTQ+ woman confirmed to the federal US Court of Appeals
On November 1, 2021, the US Senate voted 51-45 to confirm Vermont Supreme Court Judge Beth Robinson to the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd circuit. Her confirmation is historic - making her the first openly LGBTQ+ woman in a federal judiciary position. This is huge! And you will hear me repeating this over and over again: representation matters. Apparently, out of the 870 federal judgeship positions that are nominated by the President of the United States of America and confirmed by the US Senate, only 13 are fulfilled by individuals who are openly gay or lesbians. Only 1.5% of our country’s federal judges are openly LGBTQIA+. Why is this important? I’ll say it again: representation matters. Repeat it with me: Representation Matters. Once again, for those in the back: REPRESENTATION MATTERS!!! Judges, especially those in federal positions, have the capacity to shape the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals across the country. It’s important that the judges making these hist...