. V?‘ 3;; 3.; 5-1 - ya - jcfal than 26-OITM july 2001 ,, .,,,.,,i.,, Mountain Pride Media Mountain Pride Media would like toextend our grati- .tude to the Board of Directors and staff of Samara Foundation of Vermont for- awarding us a grant of $4,000 for 2001. Samara’s continued support of our mission‘ to develop and strengthen the community ofigay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender,‘ and questioning (GLBTQ) Vermonters, through the development and maintenance of communication vehicles has been key to our continued growth as an organization. , Mountain Pride Media con- tinued to celebrate Out In The Mountains 15th anniversary in ‘ June. We would liketo thank everyone who joined us for our 3rd Annual Founder’s‘ C¢1ebrat}§n..~ii;E y°u.£° 13 for‘ hosting the“ everitfii ‘his.’ home in Bethel, VT. Thanks also to everyone who stopped bytto see us at Pride 2001 in’ . 0 Burlington, Congratulations to our three “Outfit” Pride 2001 raffle winners. The win- ners will be “styling” in their MPM baseball hat, rainbow rings pin, and 15th anniver- ' sary OITM tee shirt while reading their one-year sub- scription to Out In The Mountains. If you would like to sub- scribe to Out In The Mountains or purchase any of our Mountain Pride Media apparel, you can do so online by visiting our web site - www.mountainpridemedia.org As part of 30 Days Of Pride, Mountain Pride Media hosted an open house on June 19th. We would like to thank The Daily Bread Bakery and Jeff Walt for doing a poetry reading in conjunction with our open house. Specials thanks to Justin Barton-Caplin who organized the poetry reading and open house. .We would also like to thank Alan, Denny, Euan, Roland, Dan, Stephen, Elizabeth, Stina, Mack, Jim, James, Michael, and Bennett for stopping in to help with the June Out In The Mountains “stuffing”. Our August issue “Stuffing” Night is scheduled for Thursday, July 26th from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at offices_ in Richmond, Vermont (above The Daily Bread). Please join us if you can and help get Out In The Mountains out into the community. _ Mountain Pride Media would like to applaud Bennett Law (president) and Kevin McAteer (Fundraising Chair) for their amazing dedication and work over the past 3 years. Kevin retired from the Board of Directors in June. .We would also like you to join us in welcoming two new Board Members: Tom‘ :Anoe Rutland and Esther Rothblum of South Burlington. We are 0111' also pleased to welcome Mack - Roark as-thenew Art Director of-g: O-zit -vIn.»' rThe.l- Mountains. * Finally,‘ ’ congratulations‘ 1 to Mountain Pride Media’s«‘new— officers: Carrie Rampp (President), Roland Palmer (Vice President), ‘Jim Petrie (Treasurer),and Dan Brink (Secretary). , NLGJA Vermont The Vermont Chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association made its public debut at the Pride festivities in Burlington on June 16, two days after receiv- ing a $500 grant from the Samara’ Foundation of Vermont for start-up costs. Barbara Dozetos is interim president of the chapter pend- ing full elections in the fall. In the meantime, the group is planning its web site, which will be a resource for local journalists, as well as a means of disseminating information about the chapter and its activ- ities. The chapter is planning a7 panel discussion exploring the coverage of minorities in Vermont in conjunction with the journalism department of St. Michaels College in Colchester. , The group will meet for brunch on Sunday, July 8. See the calendar for details. The NLGJA works within the news industry to foster fair Both Bennett and H of. Organizations from around the state are encouraged to provide descriptions of recent or upcoming , 1 activities and events. E-mail your submission to I editor@mountainpridemedia.org and accurate coverage of les- _ bian and gay issues and oppos- es newsroom bias toward gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and all V other minorities. The national organization’s web site is www.nlgja.org. Anyone who supports the mission of NLGJA is invited to "attend events or join the organiza- tion. Look for the NLGJA listing in the Source under Professional. Pride VT Many big thanks to every- one who attended and organ- ized June’s Pride festivities and variety of events. The support and coming together of our community was truly a sightvof beauty and inspira- tion. Thank you. The Pride VT Committee will be meeting Tuesday, July 10 and invites any and all folks_ to attend and evaluate this year’s festival and sched- -ule of events.; Refreshments , will be on hand. This will be a .3 great way to getinvolved early . :1-._—‘;al’i_(I; '-,provjde.'’:feedback.: . F or __~i.n:formation="-onfthe ;lo’cationv and‘ time .of the Jmeeting‘, pleasecall Brian at 3802-373- 2237 or check the website at www.pridevermont.org ll.il.1.2? Community ~ Center. Last December R.U.l.2? responded to a great need in our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgen- der, and questioning community of Vermont by starting a “Coming Out” support group for adults. The group meets the sec- ond and fourth Thursdays of every month at the Peace and Justice Center (21 Church St.) in Burlington from 6:30 - 8 pm. The group is free, confidential, open, and ongoing. Among other things, it is a place where people» can feel comfortable to question their sexual identity, access resources, build friend- ships, and find support while they are coming out to long-time friends, family, and co-workers. If it were not for Nancy Ellen Brownsword M.A.C.P. and Sean May M.S.W. there would not be a support group to speak of. These two committed R.U.l.2? volunteers have worked tireless- ly in the creation and implemen- tation of this much needed pro- gram. Nancy Ellen is very excited by the support group’s success. “Sean and I leave every group feeling elated. The group provides awelcoming and supportive environment for peo- :-xaround Vermont. ,_ ’ Beginning August 9, the sup- --‘portgroup will be moving to ple who may not be sure where they fit. That can be a very scary place. I see the group as a gateway for people to start to work through issues of coming out and get connected to the LGBTQ community.” The "group is not only serving Chittenden County, but many support group attendees are traveling more than an hour from Washington, Franklin, and Addison Counties as well as the Northeast Kingdom. Although things are going very well, R.U.l.2? plans to put a lot of energy into this program in the coming months. There are a variety of ways that mem- bers of the community can get involved in the coming months. We are looking for group facili- tators who would like to take on the role of leading support group from time to time. Please con- tact us for an application. One of the challenges of running a support group is getting the word out to the right people! R.U. 1.2,? is looking for people to help with. the promotion of this ‘ valuable program. We are look- ing for several people to develop mailing lists, press releases, and put. up posters in locations R.U.l.2? Headquarters on the Burlington Waterfront. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to call 802-860-RU12 or email thecenter@rul2.org. For directions to HQ, a listing of volunteer opportunities, and information on becoming a donor check out our web site at www.rul2.org. Samara Foundation Samara Foundation announced that four Vermont high school seniors will be receiving $1,000 scholarships for 2001. The Samara Scholarship was established in 2000 as an investment in the future of Vermont students who oppose discrimination and prejudice and who stand for the elimination of homo- phobia in our society. Samara Foundation would like to thank the members of the Samara Scholarship Advisory Committee for all their hard work and dedica- tion: Natalie Brennan, Dummerston; Chris Chambers, Lebanon, NH; John Crane, White River Junction; Pam Macy, Lyndonville; Roland Palmer, Hinesburg; Tom Robinson, Colchester; B.J. Rogers, Shelburne; Susan I \_ Sussman (Chair), Middlesex and; David Wales, Winooski. In addition to the four scholarships, Samara also awarded grants totaling $30,000 tofrfteen Vermont organizations serving the GLBT community (please see accompanying article and our ad in‘ this issue for grant specifics). Samara would like to thank the Grants Advisory Committee for the time and « effort put into reviewing and evaluating the grant proposals: Maggie Hooker, Montpelier; Howard Russell (Chair), Hinesburg; Mary Alice Schatzle, Starksboro and; Richard Wizansky, Guilford. Samara Foundation is com- mitted to diverse community involvement in our grant mak- ing process. Community members interested in partici- pating in year 2002 Grants Advisory Committee should call the Samara Foundation office at 802-860-6236. llermoni Frlecilomwo Marrv Task Force ‘ * ‘*3-til)"-~i 1’ mar*l@s“tl”re"-"‘<.=tne‘_f-year ‘ anniversary of Vermo’nt’s‘civil union law going into effect. This month’ alone, p 117 Vermont couples — from 71 towns and-all L4. counties — will ‘celebrate their first - anniversary of being joined in civil union. Their love and commitment have enriched our society. The sky has not fallen. For many, the sun is _shining brighter than ever. Nonetheless, the civil union law was under assault in our legislature January through May. Words such as the fol- lowing were spoken on the floor of our Vermont House again this year: “Homosexual acts compromise health and well-being through interaction of uncomplimentary and dis- similar organs constituting behavior that is both disor- dered and unnatural” (May 23, 2001, Rep. Carl Haas, Rutland). H.502, a civil union repeal bill, (narrowly) passed the Vermont House. The backlash is far from ' over. We MUST continue to increase public understanding, which in turn reduces fear, which will pull the rug out from under the backlash. Everyone can play a part: the magic is LOTS of one-on-one conversations. With the gen- erous help of the Samara Foundation, we’ll be at the fairs all over Vermont again this summer, with a new look - hope to see you there! I