BY PAUL OLSEN livia, 13, and Lauren, 15, both chose a very public way to come out of the closet. They arrived early and were responsible for writing gay-friendly slogans on the sidewalks through- out downtown Burlington as part of Outright Vermont’s fifth annual Youth Pride celebration on May 10. Olivia, who lives in Burlington, decided to attend Youth Pride 2003 after recently visiting Outright Vermont’s office. “I came out to my whole school and my family about one month ago and they all told. me about Outright Vermont," she said. “So I went ‘ there yesterday and they told me about this so I decided to come early to help out. We got a bucket of chalk and have been walking for about one mile writing messages on the sidewalks like ‘Queers are everywhere,’ ‘.1 in 10 of you is one of us.’ and ‘I love my queer kid sis- ter.”‘ Until Youth Pride. Lauren, who lives in Williston, had never attended a public event for the gay and lesbian community. “This is the best way to start com- ing out because I’m not out to any- one right now,” she said. After the event, Lauren says she’s ready to start telling her friends and family that she is a lesbian. “I think my parents will be pretty accepting because my mom has two best friends that are gay and they just got married." According to Lluvia Mulvaney-Stanak, a program spe- cialist at Outright Vermont, Olivia Youth Pride2003 Makes Space For Young Queers and Lauren highlight the impor- tance of the annual Youth Pride event. “It is a place where it is OK to be different and OK to talk about your sexuality and gender identity,” she told Out in the Mountains. “There are events all day long for youth. This is important in a rural state like Vermont. It has been incredible to watch the excitement build in the youth who use our services.” An open microphone on the steps of Burlington’s City Hall allowed speakers, surrounded by rainbow flags, to address the crowd of 60 people gathered for the Youth Pride rally and parade. Many young people spoke about the struggles they have had with their sexuality and the role that Outright Vermont plays in their lives. “I came out last summer and started coming to Outright,” said Charles, a young gay man from Isle LaMotte. “That’s when I really stared to become comfortable with who I was. My family isn’t as supportive as most other families could be but we’re working on it and day by day it gets better. Outright has been a really good resource for me. I am so happy to be alive and who I am.” Lillian Venner, a repre- sentative of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) applauded the young people attend- ing the event. “For PFLAG, every day is gay pride day!” she said to a round of applause. “I only wish that when my daughter was your age that Outright Vermont could have existed because it would have made her existence and my existence a -lot easier. I want you to know that there are a lot of moms, even if they are not your own, who are really proud of all of you. Thanks for being you and keep on being you.” The speak out and parade through Burlington marked the beginning ofa day-long series of events for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in Vermont. An afternoon film fes- tival and a series of workshops ' filled the day until an evening Drag Prom was held at Contois Auditorium in Burlington’s City Hall. Kate Jerman, a program specialist at Outright Vermont, says that while many of the young peo- ple will attend Vermont’s Pride Day celebration on June 14, it is impor- tant for them to have an event of their own. “We do it at this time because during Pride Day a lot of the events are at bars and they have an adult focus,” she said. “Youth Pride is a chance to just let these kids shine. While Outright Vermont was guiding force, the youth put this all together. They did it them- selves.” Outright Vennont was established in 1989 as the state’s first organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth. The group’s mission is to “foster sensitivity and_ understanding of issues facing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.” V Paul Olsen also writes for In Newsweekly. Mcc Explores v'r; UCC Has Affirming ccording to a recent press release, a group of lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender Vermont residents connected to the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) is begin- ning to study where they could hold worship services and community serv- ice activities. Led by Robert Wolff of Randolph, they call their project “Your Spiritual Home.” MCC is a Christian church ~ with a special ministry to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community where everyone is w_el- come. Wolff says that the approach in Vennont is to develop a spiritual com- munity where everyone is welcome and- that is open to people of all faiths. He hopes that the new congregation in Vermont will seek to include people of the Jewish and Moslem Faiths, within a church facility that worships Jesus as the Christ. “It is time that all the faiths worshiping the God of Abraham learn how to live in peace with each other, and celebrate each other’s traditions. Perhaps we could model this here in Vermont, and have some impact on peace in troubled parts of the world,” he said. The Vermont LGBT study group will conduct a series of commu- nity meetings during the July and August. These events will give anyone interested an opportunity to meet with others and to discuss their unmet spiri- tual needs. The group has no intention ‘of drawing people from worship servic- es they already attend, Wolff said. “We see our church as having a unique role within the Christian church, standing with the marginalized and oppressed and having an open table where all are welcome.” For information about the study group and the community meet- ings contact Robert W. Wolff at mccvt@innevi.com. Oen& 01:6 In other church-related news, Springfield’s First Congregational Church became the thirteenth member of the Vemiont Conference of the United Church of Christ vote to identi- fy as “open and affirming." The margin was nearly two-to-one. “Open and affinning” is the tenn used to designate churches that welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people as attendees, mem- bers, Sunday school teachers, deacons. and clergy on an equal basis with any other church member. The Vermont Conference voted last year by a nearly three-to-one margin (270-93) to become “open and attinning." The Guilford Community Church, also affiliated with the Vermont UCC Conference, had sched- uled a vote for May 27 after taking a year to explore the issues and the thoughts and feelings of its parishioners (see “To Bless and Atlirm Or Not" in the July, 2002 edition of OITM). The vote in Guilford is a choice between four proposals and one motion to table the issue and continue current practice. One proposal “wel- comes all who seek to be transfonned“ and requires that civil unions not be performed on church property. Two identify the church as “open and wel- coming,” but with different emphases: one limits civil unions on church prop- erty to members; the other welcomes all, “whatever their race, national ori- gin, gender, sexual identity or disabili- ty” and authorizes the pastor to perfomi ceremonies for all “who wish their weddings or civil unions blessed in this community.” The fifth proposal is worded more affirmatively, embracing “those brothers and sisters” who have histori- cally been barred from full participa- tion as “equal partners in the Body of Christ with full access to every oppor- tunity to serve God.” V Three states — Minnesota, Rhode- lsland, and New Mexico — nine counties and 48 cities currently have nondiscrimination laws that include gender identity and/or expression. Bill Lippert, the lead sponsor of H.366, and Beth Robinson discussed interpretations of existing anti-discrimination. law that might include gender identity under either sex or sexual orientation and whether there’s a need to add specific terminology to educate the public that trans-discrimination is illegal. Robinson said that there are “multiple pillars of social change,” including “education, legislation, and litigation.” She suggested that there are “ways to argue that gender identity is It already covered in existing law,” but granted that there is an educational value to naming gender identity as a protected status. She credited GLAD attorney Jennifer Levi with taking the lead on gen- der identity litigation in New England. In a later clarification. she explained, “Transgendered victims of discrimination have successfully relied on laws prohibiting sex dis- crimination and disability discrimination, and some transgendered people may experience dis- crimination because they're perceived to be gay, regardless of whether they are.” She acknowl- edged that “all of these legal arguments have their limitations.” Using sex discrimination laws has been successful in court in certain cases, she said, even Summit continued from previous page though some early lower court rulings in favor of that interpretation were overturned on appeal. Robinson later cited Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut as states where lawsuits involving transgender discrimination were decided favorably based on sexual discrimination. Using disability discrimination laws for gender identity protection may be difficult because of a specific exception saying that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to transsexu- als. In a later email, Robinson explained that some states have their own disability nondiscrimination laws that do not exclude transsexuals, and that in those states there have been positive outcomes for transgender folk using disability law. A third approach is based on transgen- der folk being protected under sexual orientation nondiscrimination provisions. Transgender people are often perceived as gay, and many laws would cover transfolk under that perception, regardless of the reality that not all transfolk are gay or lesbian. “It’s important to talk openly about dis- crimination, to hear the real stories of real people,” Robinson concluded. A transgender participant who did not want to be identified related a history of discrimi- nation within Vermont that has had a severe effect on the person’s life: “The worst part of discrimina- tion is what it does to people. I turned it on myself; I thought I was a bad person Bigotry and hatred are immobilizing. You have no self- esteem, you have nothing left.” A number of representatives talked about what they were doing to make their organi- zations trans-friendly, and much of that effort focused on gender-neutral labeling of single-seat bathrooms. “Transfolk are just trying to stay alive out here. Bathrooms are so far beyond what we need right away,” said the anonymous transgender participant, who cited isolation as the most diffi- cult issue facing transgender Vermonters. “Where are you? Where’s the outreach?” Kara DeLeonardis reported that a quar- ter to a third of the monthly callers to SafeSpace identify themselves as transgender individuals who have experienced bias-related incidents. Other efforts included networking with organizations, finding ways to use innovative and inclusive curricula at the elementary school level, educating administrators and teachers, sponsoring “trans nights” for transfolk and their partners and allies, adding classes to college and university offerings, and training social and medical service providers. Vermont Unity Proiect: Big Money for Our Groups ennett Law and Bill Lippert announced that A the Vermont Unity Project has raised more than half the money it needs to be eligible for a $100,000 match from national funders. The project has raised $128,000 on its way to $200,000 in new money for the gay and lesbian community. “This is big money,” Law said. “What do we do with this money, and how do we decide who it, goes to?” V The national funding consortium is pre- pared to release the first half of the matching funds, making a total of $178,000. Of that amount, $25,000 will be set aside for a future endowment. When the project reaches its goal, another $25,000 will go into the endowment. Another $10,000 will be given to the Vermont Community Fund for administrative expenses. Several of the attendees suggested that the funds should be invested in real estate, a build- ing in which many of our groups could share office space or at least hold meetings. Other sug- gestions included “infrastructure,” rural outreach, satellite offices, and mobile staffs. The funds should go into something that’s “sustainable,” because it’s a one-shot deal. No one had specific suggestions to make regarding the “how do we decide” process, except that it should be inclusive and have some relation to the needs assessment the Unity Project Advisory Board has conducted. e’ve got a long way to go from here, more mountains to climb, but most of the dele- gates said they felt empoweredgor encouraged, or at least more connected and hopeful than when they came in the door. V more news continued on page 5 . . .