7. Marchi”2.l).(l1i |iOut in theiMountains |5 Republican majority in the House, there’s a good possibil- ity that some modification will pass, either this year or next. »That’s what helped get many of the newly elected Republicans to Montpelier in the first place, and they intend to carry out what they say are their constituents’ wishes. ‘‘I’m for the total repeal and nullification of the civil union law,” said Rep. Carl,Haas, a Republican who represents the city of Rutland. “I pledged that I ’d come here and work to repeal and to nullify that law, and anything less would be reneging on the contract I have with the people that sent me here.” Sheltra, who has been one of the leading opponents of civil unions during the past year, delivered the same mes- sage to the Judiciary Committee when she testified on her repeal bill. “I think it’s time we as leg- islators listened to the people,” Sheltra said. There’s disagreement among lawmakers, even those who oppose civil unions, just [what voters think about the law. Even though it was the high- est profile issue in the 2000 campaign, voters re-elected Gov. Howard Dean, who signed it into law, and returned a Democratic majority to the Senate that supports it. Only in the House did Republicans and civil unions opponents take a majority. “The people back home did not do the same thing in the Senate or the governor’s seat,” Flory told Sheltra when she testified. “I’m afraid all of us up here have very mixed mes- sages. How do you deal with that mix of mixed messages?” Sheltra says she believes it’s_ just a matter of time before voters throw out anyone who supports civil unions. “There’s a wave out there,” Sheltra said. “I think it will . sweep into the Senate and gov— » ernor’s office. We can ride that wave or we can sit back.” ,, With the Republican major- ity, opponents of » gay rights appear to be emboldened in their efforts to roll back the gains the gay and lesbian com- rmunity has made since the anti-discrimination law was broadenedjin 1992 to cover sexual orientation. Sheltra has been quite open about her desire to combat what she describes as the “homosexual agenda.” That was the motivation behind her bill on schools. _ The notion that schools were helping to promote an agenda on behalf of gay and Anti-Gay Proposals continued from page one lesbian Vermonters became a prominent issue in the guber- natorial campaign‘ last year. “I think the civil unions issue brought to the forefront that the homosexual agenda is very strongly being brought into the school systems of Vermont,” Sheltra was quoted as saying after she introduced her bill. ' Not only does she not want homosexuality to be discussed in schools, she would make it illegal to suggest that it is a natural orientation. “No employee or agent of a school district shall instruct, counsel or advise a student that A a homosexual or bisexual ori- entation is innate or unchange- able,” the bill states. The flurry of bills that would affect gay and lesbian Vermonters’ lives has put Rep. William Lippert of Hinesburg in the unenviable position of being the community’s spokesman in the Statehouse. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, he has to listen to most of the proposals and to the testimony of their proponents. The news media turned to . him again after Sheltra intro- duced her schools bill. “That bill is built on the premise that somehow the fact that gay and lesbian people are positive, contributing members of society will somehow be a threat to the children of Vermont,” he said. “It’s completely unfounded and perpetuates a stereotype and prejudice that does more damage to the children of Vermont than having them knowlthe positive contribu- tions of the gay and lesbian people of Vermont, including in the schools,” Lippert said. It’s unclear where any of the legislation is headed this year. There’s not a majority in the House Judiciary Committee in favor of repealing civil unions, but there is a majority to modi- fy it in some way. Given that their motivation is because the law is based on sexual orienta- tion, there might be a willing- ness to act on some of the other ‘issues as well. There is a fairlywidespread belief that the House willnot act on those issues until next year, an election year. But there are many conservatives in the House demanding to do something immediately. For the time being, the Senate has not taken up civil unions in any way and only a couple of the bills have been introduced there.‘ divisive nominations in our nation’s history, at a time when our country needed healing from the bitterly contested presidential elec- tion,” said Elizabeth Birch, director of the Human Rights Campaign. “Now is the time for Bush to send assurances that he intends to follow through on his cam- paign promise to serve all Americans.” “We want to know which John Ashcroft will be doing this job,” said David Elliot of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, “the newly reinvented moderate we saw in the confirmation hearings, or the more famil- iar one who sometimes falls to the right of Jesse Helms.” Elliot said the gay communi- ty should be watchful of Ashcroft’s choices as he fills staff positions in the Justice Department and the White House office of Legal Counsel. “There are indica- tions that some very right wing attorneys will be get- ting those jobs,” he said. Another of the Attorney General’s primary functions is vetting of candidates for federal judge positions. “There are hundreds of vacancies on the federal benches now,” said Elliot, “and Ashcroft will play a key role in filling them.” Martin Ornelas-Quintero, executive director of LLEGO, the national Latino gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered organization, is concerned about .Ashcroft’s Justice Department and immigration issues with regard to HIV status. “There are significant travel restrictions on people who are HIV-positive,” said Ashcroft continued from page one Ornelas-Quintero. can come in the country, but must have their passports stamped noting their status, and are restricted to staying only a certain period of time.” Under the Clinton admin- istration, LLEGO was able to easily obtain waivers allowing people attending its congresses to enter the coun- try without having their doc- uments permanently labeled with their HIV status. “The ideal is that HIV would no longer be treated as a communicable disease by the department,” said Omelas—Quintero. However, his concern with Ashcroft is merely holding ground gained under Clinton; he holds little hope of making advances. Not everyone in the gay community sees Ashcroft’s confirmation as unavoidably _ "51,. j .1.‘-.. I How to r. 1 organic foods. The Onion River Co-op has , ,. Wsit a market you can trust to offer truly Z specialized in local organic foods for over 20 years. root vegetables, crunchy carrots, and many other tempting items. You'll see why today's gourmet chefs choose organic foods: they 3 For hearty winter fare, choose from seasonal simply taste better! Auoi-lwev i-empfivtg ld\€d\! A wide selection of organic citrus available throughout _ | the winter months. Check us out weekly for the best variety and selections. 274 N. vwnuoski Avenue Eurlington, Vermont wzasussa Open 9-9 every day. .’.. ..»~:~ ror Irzsh ideas, will the Onion River Camp. A community market /ealuring natural loads, local produce, supplements, and gaurmzt specialties. “They. 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