Taylor Small

Rep. Taylor Small is an incumbent Progressive / Democrat candidate seeking to represent Winooski in the Vermont House of Representatives. Rep. Small is a strong advocate for marginalized Vermonters in both her professional and personal lives and seeks to continue to bring this work to the Vermont legislature. She knows and understands that by creating systems to support the communities among us who face the greatest barriers and needs, we can truly uplift all people. Rep. Small also holds the position of Education Program Manager at Pride Center of Vermont, a statewide non-profit organization serving the needs of LGBTQ+ Vermonters. In her role, she works closely with health and human service professionals to navigate health disparities impacting the LGBTQ+ community. She has conducted training sessions for thousands of providers across the state of Vermont and aims to increase cultural competency statewide. Her activism has taken many shapes and forms over the years, but the most notable is her drag persona, Nikki Champagne. Alongside her business partner, Emoji Nightmare, she has had the opportunity to provide Drag Queen Story Hours across the state promoting local libraries and youth literacy, host fundraisers to help support Vermont’s non-profit organizations, and create safer spaces for LGBTQ+ community members to come together. In her first term, Rep. Small was successful in passing two bills in which she was the lead sponsor: banning the use of the LGBTQ+ Panic Defense as well as simplifying and expanding options for gender marker changes on birth certificates.