M...‘ ‘ .\—v'i7, fr 0 2 ° OlTl"l september 2001 N EWS New Leader to Headvermont CARES BY PAUL OLSEN BURLINGTON ~ Vermont’s ‘largest and oldest AIDS servic- es organization, Vermont CARES; has a new leader. David Hooks recently took over as Executive Director of the agency and his tenure marks the first time an openly HIV positive person has led the 15-year-old organization. At a press conference intro- ducing Hooks, Vermont CARES Board Chairman Joseph Boisse said that the nationwide search for a new Executive Director resulted in — the hiring. of a Vermonter. “Over the past many months we went through an intensive search process, with national advertising, and we ended‘ up finding the diamond in our own backyard,” he said of Hooks, who lives in Pittsfiel Vermont. -» Hooks, 46, is an attorney who has previously worked in public relations and the finan- cial services industry and served on the Vermont CARES board of directors for 2 years. He replaces Tim Palmer who served as the Executive Director of Vermont CARE for5 l/2y_ears. y Us “I look upon my new role at CARES as an evolution‘ of my commitment to the agency and its mission and the struggle against all the lingering myths, misinformatiorlgribarriers and stigma that twenty years into this battle still surround indi- viduals living with HIV,” Hooks said at a July 26 press conference marking his formal introduction as ‘Executive Director. “As a past Vermont CARES board member and as a volunteer in the Rutland area, I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in the agency’s work from a range of perspectives. I’m fortunate in that I am able to bring these experiences to my new role from day one.” Hooks outlined two key ini- tiatives — oral HIV testing and a return to work program — that he plans to pursue as the leader of Vermont CARES. “Oral HIV testing breaks down many barriers toegetting tested,” he said and “as more individuals see _ improvements in their health and are able to return to work, it is our duty to assist them in getting the skills and confidence necessary to do so.”. _ As an HIV positive man, Hooks does not minimize the significance of his HIV status in his new role as Executive Director. In fact, he believes it A may help him do a better job. “I hope that this will allow me ’ tobring a new perspective to the work,” hesaid. “Working with the staff on a daily basis and being HIV positive is totally different in terms of the personal experiences» that I bring to the ‘job. During the interview process I met with a group of peers from the agency and they expressed apprecia- tion for the fact that Vermont CARES would give this oppor- tunityto a peer of the agency.” Representatives of the Vermont Health Department welcomed Hooks to his new role and expressed enthu_siasm about working together in fighting HIV in Vermont. “Vermont CARES is a very important part of our response to the epidemic in Vermont,” said Guy Weston, Vermont’s HIV/AIDS Program Director. “We’re looking forward to a long and collaborative rela- tionship as we continue to for- mulate strategies to challenge this disease that has challenged us.” Established in 1986, the Vermont Committee for AIDS Resources, Education & Services (CARES) provides services to ten Vermont coun- ties through offices in Burlington, , Montpelier, Rutland and St. Johnsbury.. Last year, CARES served over 150 Vermonters living with HIV/AIDS, provided educa- tion and training to over 8,000, and operated an e1even—unit ~ affordable housing project for people living with HIV/AIDS. Paul Olsen is the Vermont correspondent for in newsweekly. _ Massachusetts Marriage Case Advances BY PAT ROBINSON “It’s time for "our Commonwealth to live up to the . equality guarantees of our state Constitution,” were some of Mary Bonato’s remarks during a ‘ press release by NewlEngland’s Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) in Boston, _August, 20, 2001. GLAD has filed a 69 page motion for summary judgment with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office as the next step in a case filed by seven same-sex couples in April 2001, in Suffolk Superior Court, Boston, Mass. The seven gay and lesbian couples from five different coun- ties in the Commonwealth have all applied for and been refused a marriage license. On this basis, the attomey’_s for the plaintiffs brought the suit based on similar actions used as the cornerstone of _the Baker vs. State landmark_ Vermont case and decision. Ms. Bonato, GLAD Civil Rights Director and an attorney for the case, will argue that: “any interpretation of the marriage laws as prohibiting civil mar- riage between same-sex couples is unconstitutional.” Among the many arguments laid out in the brief, were the following: “deny— ing civil marriage to gay and les- bian couples violates the plain- tiff’s rights to equality; that access to civil marriage is a fun- damental right; and that there is simply no legitimate secular jus- tification for excluding qualified same-sex couples from the insti- tution of state-created civil mar- riage.” Some of the specific items the law would do: Protect the confi- dential and intimate nature of the married relationship, such as hospital rights; respects the ‘fam- ily as an economic unit, i.e. obli- gation of support, pensions, social security, and death bene- fits; interdependence of family members, i.e. family leave, workers compensation, etc.; cre- ate and. maintain parent/child relationships, i.e. custody and support. The plaintiff couples involved in this landmark case are: Hillary and Julie Goodridge of Boston, parents of a five year old daugh- ter; Michael Horgan and Ed Balmelli of Boston and from large families in Central Mass.; Maureen Brodoff and Ellen Wade of Newton who share a twelve year old daughter; Gloria Bailey and Linda Davies, a cou- ple for thirty years; Richard Linnell and Gary Chalmers of Nofthbridge, parents of an eight year old daughter; Heidi Norton and Gina Smith of Northampton .. with two young sons; and Robert Compton and David Wilson of Boston, each parents of grown children, and David is a grandfa- ther of four, also. More information regarding this case, and the plaintiffs can be found at GLAD’s website at wvvw.glad.org or by calling (617) 426-1350. Copies of the summary judgment filings are available on request, Goodridge v.‘ Dept. Suffolk Superior Court No. 01- 1647-A. I I A 20 people at the New Ipswich Post Office, New Ipswich, N.H. and 16 people at a meeting in the Episcopal Divinity School Library, Radcliff College, Cambridge, Mass were asked the following question on August 21, 2001: “Massachusetts Superior Court is about to hear a case regarding same-sex civil marriage/unions. You are A.) for B.) against C.) undecided?” The breakdown is as follows: Mass. residents, 14 for; 2 undecided. N.H., 11 for; 2 against; 7 undecided. Vermont fLeglSlators( Oppose CU Recognitiolnin Georgia Lawsuit Sixty-nine members-of Vermont’s House of Representatives filed a friend of the court brief in a Georgia child custody case « involving the legal recognition of civil unions outside of Vermont. Urging the Georgia Court of Appeals to reject the claim of the lesbian plaintiff that her civilunion should be rec- ognized for purposesof her child visitation rights, the Vermont lawmakers wrote: “tothe extent that Appellant’s argument is based on the idea that in Vermont a civil union is a marriage, ' Appellant’s argument‘ is mistaken and should be rejected by the of Public Health, « Court of Appeals.” . _ . _ » Lawmakers signing the brief include: I Steven Adams (Hartland) David Allaire (Rutland City) ‘ George Allard (St, Albans Town) Joseph Baker (WestRutland) A‘ Jason Barney (Highgate) J David, Bolduc (Orleans) Donald Bostie (St. A Johnsbury) Stephanie Bourdeau (Hyde Park) David Brown (Walden) Erron Carey (Chester) David Clark (St. Johnsbury) William Cleland (Northfreld) Judith Crowley (West Rutland) Virginia Duffy (Rutland City) Margaret Flory (Pittsford) Avis Gervis (Enosburg) Kevin~Goodridge (Albany) Henry Gray (Barre Town) Carl Haas (Rutland City) John Hall (Newport City) Robert Helm (Castleton) Constance Houston (Ferrisburgh) Richard Howrigan (Fairfield) Richard Hube (Londonderry) Cola Hudson (Lyndon) William Johnson (Canaan); Sylvia Kennedy (Chelsea) Duncan Kilmartin (Newport City) Linda.‘Kirker (Essex J unction);;,_. ’‘ Thomas Koch (Barre Town) U Albert Krawezyk (Benriingtbin)' " Leigh Larocque (Bamet) J Joseph Larose (Richford) _Stev‘en Larrabee (Danville) - Kathy Lavoie (Swanton) Ward Mann (Leicester) Fred Mas1ack(Poultney) Frank’Mazur (South Burlington) Thomas McGrath (Ferrisburgh) A Mary Morrissey (Bennington) ’ Kevin Mullin (Rutland Town) Patricia O’Donnell (Vernon)- Harvey Otterrnan (Topsharn) Allen Palrner_,(Pownell) Ira Park (Mendon) _ Janice Peaslee (Guildhall) Richard Pembroke (Bennington) Neil Randall (Bradford) David Rogers (Castleton) Carl Rosenquist (Georgia) Henry Schacfer (Colchester) George Schiavone (Shelburne) ' Craig Scribner (Bristol) Loren Shaw (Derby) Nancy Sheltra (Derby) Harvey Smith (New Haven) Robert Starr (Troy) r-Matthew’ Stevens (Essex Junction) Ruth Towne (Berlin) “ ~' Leo Valliere (Barre City) ; _Steph,en’.Webster. (Randolph) _ '1 7': - Robert Weeks (Wallingford)" James Willett (St. Albans City) ,_ John Winters: (Swanton) - Philip Winters (Williamstown) _‘ , if Robert Wood (Brandon) 1 ' Kurt Wright(Burlinigton) ‘ Mark. Young (Orwell). .:. - Harry Monti (Barre City) . , ‘ your advefliisilngljon target? Contact V f,adsif@mountainpridernediaprg, and get the best results for you "advertising do|lars_f..~ ' ’ Summer‘ is coming to an end, but the fun has just begun! Grab a copy of Out In The Mountains, and find out what’s happening. Can’t find a copy? Check out our- distribution points online at www.mountainpridemedia.org