Taylor Small

Taylor Small (born March 26, 1994) is an American politician. Small was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 2021 until 2025. She was the first openly transgender legislator elected in Vermont and the 5th elected in the United States.

Early life Small was born in Portland, Maine to Canadian parents. She lived in Johnson, Vermont, and then Western Massachusetts as a child. Small returned to Vermont with her mother upon her parents' divorce and attended Colchester High School and Burlington Technical Center. Small then went on to graduate from the University of Vermont in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Sexuality and Gender Identity Studies.

Career Small was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in the 2020 general election after the incumbent Diana Gonzalez retired and is the state's first openly transgender legislator, and the fifth in the nation. Small ran on both the Democratic ticket and Vermont Progressive Party ticket and won with 41% of the vote.

Small is the education manager (and former director of the Health and Wellness program) at Pride Center of Vermont and has worked with the Vermont Department of Health. Prior to that, Small worked in mental health at Howard Center and Northwestern Counseling and Support Services and supported homeless and runaway youth with Spectrum Youth and Family Services. Through a drag persona, Nikki Champagne, along with colleague Emoji Nightmare, Small has promoted local libraries and youth literacy and hosted fundraisers to help support Vermont’s non-profit organizations. Small retired from the House in 2024 in order to focus on her work at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Personal life Small lives in Winooski with her partner, Carsen, and their dogs, Theobroma and Charlie.

2022