Vermont’s Democratic LGBTQI+ Community Remember Terje Anderson
- Mar 19
- 2 min read
March 19, 2026
This week Vermont’s LGBTQI+ community mourned the passing of Terje Anderson. Mr. Anderson served as Chair of the Vermont Democratic Party from 2017 to 2020. Previously he served as co-chair of the Vermont Coalition for Lesbian & Gay Rights, executive director of Vermont Cares, executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS, and as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Keith Goslant, long-time Vermont LGBTQI+ community advocate from Central Vermont and host of the Vermont-based television program All Things LGBTQ, and a member of the newly formed LGBTQI+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party, said, “Terje was instrumental early on in building the Vermont queer community’s influence nationally, connecting our community with people in power and helping secure a presence in the Vermont Legislature.”“Terje was one of the people essential for connecting advocates with people best able to bring about change,” Goslant said. “I’m still trying to absorb the loss to our communities and to me personally. I’m getting text messages from people across the country about Terje.”
Isaac Evans-Frantz, chair of the LGBTQI+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party, said, “Terje was a pillar of our community. At times like this, when so many of us are under attack, we draw strength from the courage of people like Terje who have gone before us. We give thanks for his tenacity in fighting for our rights and for our lives.”
Former Vermont State Senator Rev. Debbie Ingram, secretary of the LGBQI+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party, said, “Terje was such a wonderful person and a quiet, humble leader. He was party chair while I served on the executive committee representing the senate, so I got to see him frequently. I was impressed that he could get things done, but he did so while treating everyone with kindness. He was just a really good human being.”
“It’s important to remind one another of the people whose shoulders we stand on as a queer community,” she said.
Ian Hefele, of Vernon, in southern Vermont, said, “I remember reading Terje’s Vermont Democratic Party newsletters where he would talk about how we would make it through those dark times. Terje’s words made me want to get involved in Vermont politics.”
CONTACT:
Sen. Rev. Debbie Ingram, secretary,
LGBTQ+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party
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