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QUARTO
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Bv EUAN BEAR

bout I500 rubberized

lesbians, gays, bisexuals,

trangenders, queers, and
allies walked, sashayed, danced,
drummed, rode floats and other-
wise negotiated the parade route
of the 20th Vermont Pride

Celebration on a soaking wet
June 15th.

As the rain alternated
between downpour and drizzle,
organizations lined up on Lake
Street in front of Union Station
for a shortened speakout led by
Peggy Luhrs, one of the original
Pride coordinators fi7r the first '
celebration.

Pride at Work Organizing

Bv BENNETT LAW

xcept in Harvey Milk’s San

EFrancisco, where unions

_ backed gay civil rights initia-
tives because gay bars boycotted the
anti-union Coors brewery, unions
aren ’t usually thought of as a strong
glbtq ally. But Pride at Work plans to
change all that. And this summer it’s
kicking ofl a campaign to establish a
Vermont chapter, one of ten now

   

S

forming nationwide, adding to the 16
chapters already in existence. The
local group needs five AFL-CIO-
afliliated union members to form a
chapter.

Pride at Work (PA W) has
been a “constituency group” of the
AFL-CIO (meaning it has voting
rights) for the past 5 years. It is com-
mitted to two goals: educating the
LGBT community about the benefits
of union membership for LGBT
workers while building support and

V By 'l_he Power
Vested I1 Me. _
page 10 & 11

Four Vermont Justices of
the Peace share their
Civil Union experiences.

h»/2/a»/2» 9’éec/'a/

next month: experiences in other lands: travel stories

 

celebrants express their pride despite inclement weather on BurlIngton's cherry Street.

At noon, led by two
motorcycle oflicersfiom the
Burlington Police Department,
the parade headed up one lane of
Main Street to Church Street,
through three blocks of the down-
town pedestrian shopping area,
west along the mostly deserted
Cherry Street, and down Battery
Street to the foot of College

Street and back to Waterfront
Park

Volunteers from
Sambatucada kept a danceable,
infectious beat near the fi'ont of
the parade. Nearly every gay, les-
bian, bisexual, transgender and
queer group in the state was rep-
resented by a sign, banner, or
float. Vermonters for Civil

..r'

Unions crafted a surprisingly
water-resistant three-tiered civil
union “cake,” topped with two
“candles, " a pink triangle and two
rings. A few hardy souls carried
signs reading: “This is what a
bisexual looks like. ” At least two
churches sent members to carry

> continued on page ‘ 4

for LG BT Union Workers in Vermont

solidarity for the Union movement in
the LGBT community; and educating
local unions about LGBT workers ’
issues. Its purpose is to mobilize
mutual support between the organ-
ized Labor Movement and the LGBT
Community around organizing for
social and economic justice.
According to the Pride at
Work web site, “We work towards
creating a Labor Movement that
cherishes diversity, encourages open-
ness, and ensures safety & dignity.

V The Sky's Still Here!
proclaim Beth Robinson and
Susan Murray, the lawyers
who argued the case for
same-gender marriage. A
review of where we are and
what’s left to be secured. P.9

V London Calling
One Vermont lesbian registered
her relationship with her
English partner. Story, page 12.

We intend to do this in the spirit of
the union movement's historic motto,
‘An Injury to One is.An Injury to
All. ’ We oppose all forms of discrim-
ination on the job and in our unions
based on sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, race, national or ethnic
origin, age, disability, religion or
political views. ”

Tom Belville, sole stafi"
member of the Vermont State Labor
Council/AFL-C10, said he had heard
about the group ’s plans to organize in

V Holy sh*u
Gal's got a new video out of‘
her latest show and Kristin
Pettit reviews it on page 15

V CD Reviews

new releases by Steph
Pappas (“3 Wishes”) and
Mark Weigel (“Out of the
Loop”) reviewed on page 16.

Vermont, but had no fizrther informa-
tion. Asked whether he thought some
unions would accept a gay and les-
bian organizing initiative, Belville
admitted some likely would not.

“We had quite a debate
over civil unions two years ago, "
Belville said, "that ended up in a 50-
50 split. There were vehement opin-
ions on both sides. We needed a
supermajority to take any kind of

> continued on page 1 2

News 1-3
Editorial 4
Letters 5
Features 8 - 13
Arts 15 - 17
_Views 18
columns 19 - 23
Community Compass 25
Calendar 26 - 27
The Source 28 - 30
Classifieds 31
Les B. Frank 32
Gayity 33 - 35

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