2.1 Out in.th.e Mountains

-|-October 2000

 1-

,Gandidate’s

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BY PAUL OL;si~:N_3" "
A Republican candidate for
state representative whose
campaign .is based partially on
opposition to civil unions and
_ support for so-called “family
values” is being criticized for
ties to an adult video store.
A Winooski building owned
by Joey Purvis, who-won the v
Sept. 12 GOP primary in
Colchester, is "leased to video V
eXpress. The store, incorporat-
ed in 1999 by Daniel Garr, sells
adult ‘movies, magazines, toys,
latex, and lingerie and caters to
both gay and straight audi-
ences. 2 '
Purvis doesn’t consider the
shop pornographic. “I, guess it

.Rep. Mike Vinton,
Purvis is challenging, called‘

carries an adult section.”
City officials would like to

see video eXpress shut down. .

“It is not the type of business
we want in Winooski,” Mayor
Clem Bissonnette said. “We’re
trying to redevelop our down-
town and sex shops and_video
stores don’t attract good clients
for the downtown district.”
Incumbent Democratic state
whom

Purvis’ link to the store “incon-
sistent.” “What is he talking
about‘. for family values?” said
Vmton.

Purvis called discussion of
the lease political “mudsling-

Beiinition or‘
_ is your interpretation of what a’: B A
5 pom store is,” he s_aysj.1“Ev_ery
qfother video store "in Winooski

 

1ng.‘”. “fl 'atn guilty by associa-

1 _’tion,’.’ : he said.- “Nothing about

this is illega‘l:.‘Ifthere’s nothing
illegal, I don’t see how it is an

issue. This is Enquirer-like.

news; it certainly is not issue
oriented.”

In any event, Purvis said, the
nature of the business being

. run on his property is beyond

his control. “The city of
Winooski is responsible for
issuing the permit on that prop-
erty, which locked me into a
lease,” said Purvis. “My wife
and I were definitely lied to in
this‘ case. For four months
(Garr) ran a general video
store, and then he changed it to
all adult videos.”

At least one person ques-
tions Purvis’ lack of control

regarding his tenant. “Two
years ago I notified Joey Purvis
who his tenants were,” said
Jody Harrington, former editor
of the Winooski Eagle. “He has
renewed the lease at least once
in that time.”

Although Purvis does not
own the business, Bissonnette
does hold him partially
accountable for its presence in
the city. “If I was a property
owner and I was concerned
about the welfare ‘of youngsters
I would not be renting to an
operation like that,” he said.

Despite his dismissal of the
issue, Purvis has indicated that
he does not plan to renew the
lease for video eXpress.

Purvis, a children’s enter-
tainer and professional clown,

‘Family values” ouestioned

describes himself as a moder-
ate Republican. His opposition
to granting marriage-related
benefits to gay and lesbian cou-
ples is based on what he
describes as judicial activism.
“(Civil unions) was acted upon
primarily because the Supreme
Court forced it upon the legis-
lature,” he said. “It was not a
well thought-out law. Many of
the laws that the civil union
covers were already in place.
Power of attorney can do most
all the things that civil unions
did. I have trouble understand-
ing what civil unions did other
than make a marriage like con-
tract between two same-sex
partners.” V

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Q.

Funded’Nation'al Movement for the

September 11. ‘

Donna Red Wing led the discussion entitled “Envisioning a Fully '

GLBT Community" with community ,

members atithe Unitarian Universalist Society in Burlington on

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Gaylty 

columns

Alternative 101 

Faith Matters....................15
Stonehenge to 8tonewaIl....12

Proieet Studies GLBT Movement

 

BY JASON WHIPPLE

More than 30 members of
Vermont’s GLBT community
gathered in Burlington on
September 11 to talk about
where the state’s movement
stands now, where it could go
in the future, and what it would
take to get there.

i .. Donna Red. Wing, director

of the, Gill, .Foundation’s
OutGiving Project, moderated
the discussion, entitled
“Envisioning a Fully Funded
National Movement for the
GLBT Community.”

Red Wing explained that the
Colorado-based philanthropic
organization is committed to

. the future of -the GLBT com-

munity,‘ but. wants to base its
funding decisions on reality,

‘rather’ thanassumption. “We V

don’t know . what ‘ our commu-

. . _4. .V . '. . . , I V . I . A V i .. ' I’ V p .- .
, , _— g - 'n'ity looks like,” she said. Gill‘
I _ N    E 0'  ‘designed the‘ Blueprint Project‘
, V , _ ‘- to provide this information to

themselves and other potential
funders. '

The project seeks to answer
the following questions: Why
and how do we, as a -move-
ment, give? What would a fully
funded movement look like?

TTC

Where should we invest
resources? How do we com-
pare to our adversaries? How
do our organizations reflect our
potential?

Researchers are gathering
data from organizations and
communities across the coun-
try to answer these questions.

Impressed by the turnout,
Virginia Renfrew of Vermont
Coalition for Lesbian and Gay
Rights said, “It is evident that
there is a hunger for organiza-
tion from everyone’s willing-
ness to listen. Ideas ranging
from training for ‘fledgling
organizations to some kind of

:”Ve_‘rmont has envisioned the future ond

done something about it.”

Additionally, deep core sam-
plings are being done in five
communities, of which
Burlington is one. _

- “Vermont has envisioned
the future and done something

about it,” said Red _Wing,
explaining why Burlington was-

chosen to bea part of the inten-

sive research.
The meetings purpose was ‘

to brainstorm and discuss pos-
sibilities, not come to conclu-
sions or make plans. The
unusual topic and the opportu-
nity to dream a little was com-
pelling to most of those who
attended.

ORNEYSA

matrimonial and family law

central funding processwere
bandied about.”
‘ “This was really an excel-

’ lent opportunity to get people

together and think about what’s
possible,” said Tim Palmer of

' Vermont CARES.

“In the past 15 years,

I : Vermont’ has accomplished a
lot, but we need to talk about

things that need to be done to
help our organizations to con-
tinue,” said Renfrew. “So
many volunteers were instru-
mental in that success and to
have them paid is what would
be wonderful — to get people

Etififiififiifiriszwfi

 

   

      
 
    

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M '
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