HQ75 .097 1 celebrates 15)/ears UT IN 0 NT imnscenoea issues 18 Vo|ume XVI, Number 3 An Electrifying Debut From a New Vermont Author pg 21 WANTED: One Good Leader Pg 11 Inside Out: A ‘fThe Executive Direct_or_ of Shepard Speaks at St. Mike's BY CHUCK FRANKLIN COLCHESTER - The moth- er of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming stu- - dent who was viciously slain in October 1998 because he was gay, spoke at Saint Michael’s College on Thursday evening, March 22. Judy Shepard stepped up to the podium in Saint Michael’s chapel-—-nearly filled to capac- ity—to the thunderous and sus- tained sound of almost 900 people welcoming her. Her talk was sponsored by the cam- pus ALLY group (a GLBT sup- port organization), and the Saint Michael’s Peace and Justice Lecture Series. Shepard gave a particularly personal talk about_what had happened to Matthew and how devastating it was to her and her family. She told the audi- ence in detail about Matthew’s coming out to the family, as well as the family’s experience after learning of the beating. Shepard did not allow Vermont to go unmentioned- “Civil unions should be allowed,” she said. “I’m so proud of you for doing that. My heart sings and so does Matt’s. It was a big step, a giant step, and I hopeit leads to others,” she continued. The rest of her talk focused on possible solutions to hate, prejudice and misinformation. She made it clear that the vic- _ tims of these can never be for- gotten. Although gentle and soft- spoken, Shepard showed just the hint of a steely edge when asked about MTV’s film Anatomy of a Hate Crime. “No one has the right to tell Matt’s story but me,” she said. However, she went on to say that the Matthew Shepard Foundation (www.matthew- shepard.org) was working with Goldie Hawn and NBC on a movie that would tell the true story of his death and would air later this year. MONTPELIER..— Many Republicans in the Vermont House believe they were sent to the Legislature because of the backlash against civil unions, and they’re intent on doing something about it. They took their first step by adopting a bill that would specifically outlaw marriage between two men or two women. They’r'e now looking at a so-called mini-DOMA, which stands for Defense of Marriage Act. Under that pro- posal, they would prohibit Vermont from recognizing the marriages of any state where marriage between same-sex couples was legal. Beyond that, their plans are a little more unclear, but there is a clear desire among some of the GOP that changes need to be made to civil unions, and some even want to repeal the law altogether. ' Rep. William Lippert, a Hinesburg Democrat who is gay, said during the debate over whether to explicitly out- law men marrying men and women marrying women that the initiative was political payback. “I think the message is the Republican Party of Vermont is dependent on an anti-civil unions backlash and anti-gay April 2001 wwwmountoinpridemedio.org "When you grow up gay, you live in fear of persecution, and when you read this, it hits very deep," said Robert Dostis (D), Waterbury, in response to the language of a newly adopted bill that outlaws marriage between’ ‘two men or two women, that, according to House Republicans, protects "traditional marriage." R%p"uicans React to Civil Union Backlash Photo; Barbara Dozetos ,, ‘Vii.’ sentiment to ‘w'rn'c_onti:ol'=back of the Vennont;Hp_u_se;’7 said, A Lippert. “This bi"ll"and others you’re going to see are politi- cal payback to the most con- servative wing of the Republican Party, which con- tinues to have the goal of repealing civil unions and passing a constitutional amendment regarding mar- riage.” The Senate president pro tempore, Sen. Peter Shumlin -of ._W.indham3-.'. County, had a similar"-Lmessgage. He and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Sears of Bennington County said they have no intention of taking up the marriage bill approved by the House. . “I quite frankly don’t see the necessity for it,” Sears said. “Unless there were a groundswell on the committee that I haven’t heard thus far, >4 Annual GLAAD Media Awards Announced Rutland Herald Nominated For _ “Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage” BY CHUCK FRANKLIN RUTLAND—The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced the nomination of the Rutland Herald for one of its 12th annual Media Awards. The Herald is one of five newspapers nominated in the category of “Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage.” The other news- papers are the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and The Salt Lake City Tribune.” The Herald is a relatively small, local newspaper com- pared to the others nominated in this award category. Asked why _the Herald was nominat- ed, Nick Adams of GLAAD said, “This Vermont newspa- per did I commendable‘ work with their coverage of the pas- sage of that state’s civil union law.” . “From its position at the center of the controversy, this paper published numerous, well-balanced, insightful arti- cles that gave Vermont resi- dents a comprehensive look at the groundbreaking events taking place in their state,” Adams explained. The winner _of this award category will be announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles on April 28, according to Barb Dozetos of Above the Fold, LTD. Three other award cere- monies will -be held in addi- tion—New York City on April 16, Washington D.C. on May 12, and San Francisco on June F9. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor the media for its presentation of fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.