— 0 Good legal advice can make all the difference. 1 Langrock Sperry & Wool offers the services a of 22 lawyers with over 500 years combined experience in all areas of the law —- including two lesbian attorneys with special expertise serving the legal needs of the g/l/b/t/q community. _ SUSAN MURRAY & BETH ROBINSON With offices in Middlebury and Burlington Middlebury (802) 388-6556 Burlington (802) 864-0217 smurray@langrock.com btobinson@langrock.com Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP ATTORNEYS AT LAW interfaith Minister "Ii. {$03} 453-3373 mw'a:ene..‘§Z\s'Lsi(l5ng:>fmitisct Weddings Cfiviiiinions Re-C‘ommitm<:nts Memorials Baby Naming www.wcddingofsoulscom Laurie S. Rosenzweig Attorney at Law I Real Estate Law, Wills, Family & Civil Union Issues ‘PO. Box 1455 General Practice Rutland, Vermont 05701 2 Phone & Fax: 802-786-2251 Free initial consultations ‘ Sabu234@AOL.COM 5163 V Gar/,5 90* 2.‘ g(°/7 9-0‘ . s\‘° <90; '4/r wxo BLACKWOOD ~e63 0540 9° .Assc;<;p£¢;1;§;s, PC. ‘ $7) 9 blackwood.|aw@verizon.net faxi 3°2‘353'°252 Concentrating in Employment, Special Education and Civil Rights Law. Also Wills, LGBT Issues, Estate Planning, Personal Injury, other litigation and mediation. Elizabeth C. Campbell, CPA, PC Certified Public Accountants 15 East Washington Street, Rutland 05701 802-773-4030 / liz@rallyCPA.com Tax specialists serving individuals and small businesses The Waiting ‘ E I got tired of waiting,” my friend Neil . whined. “So, I quit.” Neil had been at his previous job for nearly ten years. He figured that, at some point, his company would add domestic partner coverage to his benefits package. It was an issue that he considered very important, though, he never articulated it to his boss or any- one else at work. He just waited for it to happen. And waited and waited some more. And rather than trying to change the situation where he worked, he decided not to work there anymore. He’d rather switch than fight. Chase, a youthful acquaintance of mine, recently moved out of his frat house into an apartment with one of his buddies. He’s gay. His friend-is straight; Chase’s sexual orienta- tion has never been a secret and he considered himself lucky to have found a roommate who had been, the night before. Yet, in the morning, Chase’s room- mate told him that he didn’t want him bringing guys home and subjecting him to that kind of perverted sex. Did Chase protest the double standard? Did he assert his rights as an equal contribu- tor to their shared rent and other expenses? No, he’s abiding by his roommate’s request and waiting for him to have a change of heart and change his mind. We live in a world where we spend a lot of our My partner Martin often lacks patience and perspective. His notoriously impulsive purchases and unnervingly unedited, reckless remarks have flung feces in the fan more times than I'd care to recall. didn’t seem to care who he slept with, as long as he didn’t share the details with him. The two of them rented an upscale one-bedroom apart- ment and partitioned off the large master suite into separate sleeping-cubicles for each guy. Chaseand his roommate had a party to celebrate their new digs and the collection of revelers was a mix of straight, gay and any-hole-will—do kind of folks. That night, Chase’s roommate and a buxom brunette named Autumn christened his cubicle with a bang, so to speak. The following evening, Chase brought home a guy from the gym and they proceed- ed to break in Chase’s new bed. They were no more raucous than their hetero counterparts time waiting for things. We wait in interminable, serpentine lines to take a two-minute thrill ride. We wait for pre-deter- mined times for meals,frather than eating when we’re hungry. We’d rather wait for /something to come to us instead of going out and getting it for ourselves. My partner has never been good at waiting. Martin often lacks patience and per- -spective. His notoriously impul- sive purchases and unnervingly unedited, reckless remarks have flung feces in the fan more times than I’d care to recall. If there is something to buy or something to be said, Martin’s credo has usually been, “Why wait? There’s no time like the present.” While I am the first to testify that Martin’s mouth and wallet have a tendency to open too easily and too often, I am also aware that there are times when his brand of impatience definitely has its place. Recently, the gay motorcycle group he’s a mem- ber of was conducting an out- reach effort. Their goal was to increase community awareness about their organization and, also, to sell raffle tickets to fund their operational‘ expenses. Martin can be a master in the meet-and-greet millieu. He’s a salesman, party host and spokesperson, in equal portions. In his daily life, the fact that he seems more comfortable getting acquainted with strangers than maintaining relationships with friends can be a challenge. But, in an outreach situation, that challenge becomes a major bonus. ’ So, while the majority of his fellow group members diligently avoided Contact with the crowd, Martin threw him- self into the throng. While most _ of the others waited for prospective members and ticket buyers to approach them, Martin reached out to men and women of all ages and types. Sometimes, waiting compromises one’s goals. It’s like that with our rights. How long have we wait— . ed for our elected officials to grant us rights equal to those enjoyed by non-gay people? How many times have we been told that we must wait for the right time for same-sex mar- riage or openly gay service in the military? How long are we" pre- pared to wait? Why should we have to wait at all? a Different people have different strengths and not everyone is good at small talk and schmoozing' but none of us should be complacent about waiting for civil rights. It’s time to re-energize our resolve and take action in whatever way we can. Why Wait? There’s no time like the present. V D. Scott—Bush is work appears throughout the country. E-mail may be directed to him at NakedCuri0sity@a0l.c0m. ©2003