.\,—. The Primaries: Why It’s Important to Support Oursupporters BY SUSAN MURRAY Summer has come and gone. Now it’s time for to‘ think about the upcoming primary and general elections, and how their outcome will affect the GLBT community. No matter how you feel about “gay mar- riage,” no matter whether you support civil unions or disdain them as separate and inherent- ly inferior to marriage, you cannot deny that the passage of the civil union law was his- toric. Gays and lesbians around the country are singing legislature. Every single sup- porter of civil unions needs to vote, both in the primary on September 12 and in the gener- al election on November 7. The freedom to marry commu- nity (which has fought so long and hard for the right to marry, and supports civil unions as a good first step toward mar- riage), has formed a political action committee called Vermonter for Civil Unions, Inc., to help get people to vote. VCU’s goal is to elect pro- civil union candidates: sup- porting pro-civil union incum- If anti-civil union candidates win, it will kill any and all efforts to pass civil unions or similar laws in other states. Vermont’s praises. Here at home, we’re seeing reactionary fallout: threatening, divisive “Take Back Vermont/ Remember in November” signs, and vicious and distorted attacks on Outright Vermont. We’re also seeing the fallout in the number of anti-civil union candidates running for election. Many of the legisla- tors who voted for civil unions are in danger of losing their seats. And if they do lose to anti-civil union candidates, our community will face a wrench- ing battle in next year’s legisla- ture. There will be certainly be efforts to repeal the law alto- gether, which, if successful, will throw into doubt the valid- ity of all the civil unions that have already taken place. And even if they don’t succeed in repealing the law, they could succeed in watering it down by imposing a residency require- ment, allowing town clerks to discriminate, or eliminating the ban on incestuous civil unions, so that the law will just be about “benefits” and not about loving, committed same- sex couples. If anti-civil union candi- dates win, it will kill any and all efforts to pass civil unions _ or similar laws in other states. Politicians will run for cover, not wanting to suffer the same fate as the Vermont pro-civil union legislators. The entire country is watching to see what happens here. Our community cannot let this happen. We cannot be complacent and let anti-civil union candidates take over the bents, new candidates who are trying to oust anti-civil union incumbents, and pro-civil union candidates who are run- ning in open seats. Its time, money, and energy is going into the legislative races, not the governor’s or lieutenant govemor’s races. What can you do? First, if you’re 18 or older, you can register to vote: go to the town clerk’s office in your town and fill out the form. You can regis- ter for the primary until September. 2, and you can reg- ister for the general election until October 28. Second, vote in the primary on September 12. The follow- ing civil union supporters, in the following towns, are facing tough primary challenges and need your vote: Malcolm Severance, R-Colchester; George Cross, D- Winooski/Colchester; Tom Little, R-Shelbume; Mark Larson, D-Burlington (new North End); Al Perry, D- Bakersfield, Berkshire, Enosburg, Richford; John Edwards, R-Alburg, Swanton; Cathy Voyer and Richard Marron, R-Stowe, Morrisville, Morristown; Marion Milne, R- Tunbridge, Vershire, Washington, Williamstown, Chelsea, Orange; Bill Fyfe, R- Newport City and Town; Bob Kinsey, R-Albany, Barton, Craftsbury, Glover, Greensboro, Sheffield, Westmor'e, Wheelock; Carolyn Partridge and Michael Obuchowski, D-Grafton, Rockingham, Springfield, and Windham. If these supporters lose their primary elections, it will set the tone for the general. elec- tion in November. Whoever wins the primaries will have huge momentum for the gener- al elections. Our opponents keep claiming that a “huge majority” of Vermonters oppose civil rights for gay peo- ple. We need to show them that they are wrong. How does the primary work? Both Republicans and the Democrats are holding pri- V maries -to winnow out some of the people in their parties run- ning for various seats around the state. If you vote in the pri- mary, you can still vote for Progressive Party candidates or independents in the general election in November. You don’t have to declare yourself as a Democrat or Republican to vote in the pri- mary election. Whether you vote by absentee ballot or in person on September 12, you will receive two blank ballots, ' one for each party. You can choose which ballot to mark and which one to leave blank. The town clerk and voting offi- cials will not know which party ballot you choose. In other words, even if you nor- mally vote in one particular party, you can choose to vote on a different party’s ballot for the primary. In some primary contests, you can vote for more than one candidate. Please vote only for civil union supporters, even if that means leaving one or more boxes blank. Remember, you can vote by absentee ballot in the primary, any time between now and noon on September 11. You do not have to be .sick or out of town to vote absentee! So if you are working or have other plans, please, call, write, or visit your town clerk’s office, and vote by absentee ballot NOW! The ballots are already available. So, please: if you live in one of the towns listed above, please vote as soon as possible in the party primary. If you do not live in one of the towns listed above, make of list of your friends and relatives in those towns, and call them to urge them to vote, or give the list to us and we’ll call them. Susan Murray is a Middlebury attorney and chair of Vermonters for Civil Unions. VC U can be reached at (802) 899-2930 or email us at info@vtcivilum'0npac.org.V September 2000 I Out in the Mountains I13, $\ C 2 . O J The R.U.1.2? Community Center is a charitable organization with the purpose of providing venues for the social, cultural, artistic, and educational endeavors of our Gay/ Lesbian/ Bisexual/ Transgender and Allied communities through visibility, awareness, and community building. www.ru12.org thecenter@ru12.org 8o2.86o.ru12 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 7:30-11PM Stone Soup Café, 211 College St, Burlington R.U.1.2? presents an evening oflocal entertainment at Stone Soup Cafe on College Street in Burlington. This is a bi-monthly all-ages event and promises to draw large crowds eager to soak in the talents oflocal poets, comedians and musicians. For $5 (more if you can, less ifyou can't) refreshments will be provided. This event is made possible in part through a grant from the Samara Foundation and is sponsored by R.U.1.2? Community Center. R.U.1.2? Sunset Potluck WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 6-8PM Battery Park, Battery Street, Burlington Watch the sun set over the Adirondacks with friends during the last R.U.1.2? potluck ofthe summer! Look for the large rainbow flag and follow the yummy scents of home cooked (and store-bought) goodies. Beverages and desserts are welcome in addition to salads casseroles and bags of chips! Free. 5 O m CI I‘ O foundation of Vermont The Samara Founda charitable foundation , ‘ose, mission is -to - support and strengthen Vermont's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities today and build an endowment for tomorrow. . .¥arox‘t ‘:burtii”'gten," Vermont :0540;2-1263 g ‘ p. iae2~sso~s23s , f. 802-860-6315 - infpfisamarafoundationorg www.sarn‘a:rafour3da,tion,org