news Hate Crimes >> continued from page 1 Skyland,Lodge area, where the women said they planed to set up camp. Family members said Williams and Winans were sched- uled to leave the park three days later, on May 27. A Park Service spokes- woman noted that the murders most likely took place on orjust before Memorial Day weekend, a time when the parkis crowded with visitors. She said hundreds of people, including visitors on ' day trips, employees, and campers were in the section of the park where Winans’ and Williams’ bodies were found. At the time of the mur- ders, those who set up campsites in areas of the park away from comrhrinity can’t expand theiryision beyond the end of their own noses, it’s time to re-evalutate the purpose of your publication which is still Burlington-centric and narrowly focused as evidenced by the marathon writing by the new editor in the April issue. Brian Hunt Townshend, Vermont We are always looking for writers from everywhere across the state. If you would like to volunteer to cover events in Windham County, we'd wel- come your contribution. And just for the record, last month we had icon- tributors and subjects from Chittenden, Franklin, Washington, Rutland, and Windsor counties. — EB Rebuttal to a Response This letter is in response to your response to the letters you printed with regards to the Yolanda “phallus” picture in the March issue. Unless I read wrong, neither of the men whose letters you printed ever mentioned completely eliminating sexually sug- gestive content from your paper. I’m sure there wouldn’t have been such a backlash had the photo spread been on an interior page of the paper, rather than on the back page where I’m sure at least one unwitting gay person opened it in a public place and displayed it to someone who oth- erwise would not want to see it. It’s unfortunate that OITM chose not to admit their placement error and rather chose to place judgments on faithful readers who simply felt com- pelled to express their discomfort. In a community which bends over back- wards to be inclusive of everyone’s differences in the area of sex (when I came out, we were just GLB; now facilities such as lodges and pic- nic areas were asked to obtain a “back country” permit, which records their names, addresses, _ and itineraries inside the park. The registration system is volun- tary. In addition, park offi- cials do not record the names or license numbers of those entering the park by car along the Skyline Drive, a winding highway that runs through the middle of the park, from end to end. There are dozens of places where people can walk into the park along.its boundaries. According to a website that compiled articles and infor- mation on the murders, their mur- we’re GLBTIQA and counting) -it’s very interesting how selective we can be when dealing with differences of opinion. Thank you. David Horn North Troy More Phallic Mail I cannot believe what I read in April’s Letters to the Editor. Mr. Castaldo and Mr. Kleteca’s letters were something I would expect from conservative straight WOMEN living in Oklahoma or Utah. But incredibly it came from two gay MEN from Waterbury! Their tirades were noth- ing more than elitist, puritanical, pro- tect our children, hetero-kiss-ass, Uncle-Tom-apologist B.S. These Phylis Schlaflys of the Green Mountains should do more inquiring on the “dildo-clad drag queen” before they critically judge OITM. I suggest we read OlTM’s Statement of Purpose. Thus it was perfectly legit for the paper to piint the photo for several reasons. First, the photo was taken at the Winter-is-a-Drag Ball in Winooski. The annual fundraiser serves two important purposes — rais- ing money for Vermont Cares and for the community to come (in or out of drag) to shake off the Mid-Winter blues. The Ball has contests, comics, bands and singers. One singer is Vermont’s own celeb-extrordinaire - Yolanda, who has given so much through her spirit and music. The ‘dildo’ is nothing more than a prop she uses for comic relief. It makes us LAUGH! Let’s not forget that trans- sexuals and drag queens play a big part of our community. No matter how ‘outrageous’ they are. If it was- n’t for them starting the riot at Stonewall, none of us would enjoy der was far from being an “isolat- ed incident.” Reports by the Associated Press and the Washington Blade indicated there have been at least four other dou- ble-slayings on park land in Southern Virginia since 1986. One of those four involved anoth- er female couple who, like Winans and Williams, were found with their throats cut and wrists bound. In October 1986, the bodies of two athletic women, also in their 20’s, were found with their throats slit on federal property known as the Colonial Parkway near Williarnsburg, Virginia. There were no signs that the women had struggled against their killer(s) and no sign of drug or alcohol use. Their bodies were firlly clothed and there were no signs of sexual assault. The three other “isolat- our freedoms today. From the Log Cabin Republicans to the Radical Faeries, OITM is a voice and celebration for Verrnont’s LGBT community. And yes, John and Chuck, most “rep- utable, professional” gay men I know love sex, porn and cock, and couldn’t give a damn what Sheltra and her ilk think about our Fab Diverse commu- nity! Michael S. Luna Jericho _ As I read the recent April 2002 issue of OITM I am shocked, SHOCKED, at the letters condemning the photo of Yolanda at the Drag Ball proudly sporting his/her massive strap-on. My reaction to the photo was just the opposite. It made me smile. It made me laugh. It brought back wonderful memories of an enchanted evening at the 2002 Drag Ball. And it made me miss Yolanda, an activist entertainer who has been such an intrinsic part of our Burlington community and who has left us for the bright lights of New York. May he/she find fame, fortune and love in the big city. As for those in our commu- nity who complain that children may see this photo or that right wing big- ots may use this against us as ammu- nition, these are probably the same people who think the gay pride parade is “too gay” and who want to hide, if not outright ban, the sight of fairies and drag queens and leather studs and those members of our com- munity who do not fit the mold of what a “socially acceptable” homo- sexual is. We are not all the same. And we are not all “just like every- one else.” OITM has the right, and the duty, to represent all members of ' our community. I thank you for pro- viding the forum to do so. I hope this paper will continue to foster and ed” double-slayings each ‘ involved a man and a woman, who were found murdered in somewhat similar circumstances in the eastern Virginia area in 1987, 1988, and 1989. The Human Rights Campaign said that the FBI Uniform Crime Reports for 2000 — the latest year for which statis- tics are available — showed that overall serious crime decreased slightly nationally, and the Crime Index at its lowest level since ' 1978, while at the same time, reported hate crimes have contin- ued to rise and increased 2.3 per- cent from 1999 to 2000. Reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation have more than tripled since the FBI began collecting statistics in 1991, and comprise 16.1 percent of all hate crimes for 2000 at 1,299. Hate crimes based on sex- showcase the diversity within" oil)’ community. And to those who object to the Yolanda photo, I have one thing to say. Lighten up and have some fun! Sincerely, Richard Thorngren South Burlington I feel that I must respond to the ver- bal queer-bashing that occurred on OlTM’s Letters page last month in the form of letters from John P. Castaldo and Chuck Kletecka. While Mr. Castaldo and Mr. Kletecka state that they are offended by drag queens and penises, I must admit that I am offended by self-loathing and inter- nalized homophobia. I am especially offended when the parties involved feel inclined to throw their queer-fear calls for censorship out at the rest of us in the name of protecting “the community’? from Nancy Sheltra and TIP. Drag queens, bull dykes, and leather fags started the Stonewall Revolution and we would all do well not to forget that simple beautiful _ fact. Those of us whom Mr. Castaldo and Mr. Kletecka would cast aside as pornographic and outrageous are the very people who have stood on the front lines of this movement for decades. “Professional gay men” reap the benefits of our radical queer com- mitment to individuality, affirmation of positive sexuality and the freedom to express ourselves. The penis-clad drag queen in question, Yolanda, has achieved more in her career as an artist and activist then most of us could claim in a dozen lifetimes. Her work has inspired thousands to live more freely and positively. She has volunteered hundreds of hours.with people living with HIV and AIDS, at the transgen- der support group, Genders R Us, at Faerie Camp Destiny and with young ual orientation continue to make up the third highest category alter race and religion, which make up 53.8 and 18.3 percent, respective- ly, of the total, 8,063. For 2000, the greatest percentage of hate crimes took place in a residence or home or on a highway / road / street / alley, according to the FBI. FBI statistics give only a glimpse of the problem. It is widely recognized that hate crimes on the basis of sexual ori- entation often go unreported due to fear and stigmatization. Additionally, federal reporting of hate crimes to the FBI by state and local jurisdictions is volun- tary, resulting in no participation by many jurisdictions each year. V pe