All things photographic 206 Coi/ege St. Burl 863-1256 Tafts Corners Wi/liston 878-0417 JUSTICE osveasirv commumrv CHARITY FAm-c , TRUST Gensaosrrv STEWARDSHIP www. thephotogarden. com “Your Spiritual Home” “When I attend MCC wc,‘:rship services my heart brims with joy. 1 am. in a place where I arr: weieomed and accepted I 10% --»- my service to the ‘least . among us’ is valued and c-etch-rated --- my uniqueness seen as a gift." -- Bub Woiff c Hetp decide where the first Metrapotttan community Church in Vermont is rotated. . - Attend :3 Community Meeting near you I during late mlyjaoriy August 2003. information: MCCVT @ innevicom Metropol.iian Community Church is it denomination with 2: special ministry with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community where everyone is welcome. 1,.-.1 New £:.>g:'.1n.~2' r I'.r!rar»2'z’i::.',zr;i _7 01' .-"7'«'.'»- Hu»:;r.~.-I; We oflar you: pl.-xxzvnm sen-zca lime 'l'lll~. l’R(Jl=‘l‘.S;\Zl{}Z\’Al. ELEGx‘\i\':T TOUCH. - l’t‘.?‘.s< :ii7x\‘l:\ru'ic<:xi1§yEe§v - Fllli sum-':-re: liquor l':a'.i:.’$x." gun nun "‘\II‘f.....\‘:z_l»I y,’ \-Via l)LA}\" U?\=‘F(‘)R.GEI'T,-'\RLE Extras-"rs will: unn'nmprunxi.ving ullmlir.-rt (:2 riduil prep;1=‘eur:rL :nriI:;r: .s:x. ma spat: selection. glorious .~:wi.'llE1!:.'tf.', pnol. ;u>el SIG iziali\'id:z.z]‘:_v decorated guest rooms. , THEINNAT ""\ I T éareerist ho among us lesbians has not longed for the dashing figure in tails and riding boots, the untamable gothic hero who dashes across the moor on a handsome white steed, for once, to be a woman? Whether we dream of possessing such a lover or of being her, let’s face it, she does- n’t really show up in the roman- tic media the way the male heroes do. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or a Bronte novel such as Jane Eyre would surely be far more enjoyable if the feisty heroine found that her mysterious lover were actually another woman. : , Luckily, we have our own dashing figure from that era, and she was not the creation of a writer’s pen but was an actual contemporary of Jane Austen. She was Anne Lister of Shibden Hall in Halifax, England. Anne was born in 1791, the second of six children. She had four brothers who would cer- tainly have inherited the family estate of Shibden before she did, but they all died young, and Anne, the older and more intelli- gent of two sisters, inherited Shibden from an uncle who had himself never married. She is an interesting study because lesbians today can recognize ‘traces of ourselves and friends in her. She had a ‘butch’ job: she was the owner and mis- tress of her family’s estate. She flirted and pursued women, had long-term relationships — girl- friends — and remained in touch with them long after the affairs were over. What she really want- ed and sought out was a life com- panion: However, her lovers tended to many men despite their fondness for Anne. It was almost the only way for a woman to make her living at the time. Anne’s family and neighbors knew perfectly well what she was although there was no way to politely describe — and therefore no way to accuse some- one of — lesbianism. In her jour- nals Anne mentions having con- versations about it, albeit circular and coded conversations. Her friends considered her ‘odd’ and her proclivity for women was her particular oddity. Of herself Anne wrote: “[1] preferred ladies’ company to gentlemen’s. Did many things ladies in general could not do, but did them quiet- ly On my uncle’s death [I] should come in for my uncle’s estate He had no high opinion of ladies Were I other than I am, would not leave his to me.” For most of her adult life, Anne recorded her day-to- day life in ajournal. The reading of personal journals can be dull going no matter how fascinating the person keeping it, and much of Anne’s journal concerns the weather, mending her clothes, what she read and ate, how much money she spent and so on. When Anne’s diaries aren’t dull to read, they are difficult to deci- Anne and Marianna determined to wait it out, hoping against hope that Charles would die an early death...-. pher, for much of it is ‘written in a coded alphabet, which looks a lot like algebra, that she devised to use in letters to her married lover Marianna Lawton. Anne met Marianna when they were in their early ‘twenties. They had an intense affair and, although Marianna had little wealth or social stand- ing to offer, they considered _ becoming life companions. Four years later, in 1816, Marianna married Charles Lawton, a wealthy associate of her father’s and much older than Marianna. Undeterred, Anne and Marianna determined to wait it out, hoping against hope that Charles would die an early death. In the meantime, they continued writing back and forth and main- tained their sexual relationship whenever they could. Their plans were discovered when Charles found a letter that discussed their hopes. He became jealous and began to intercept Marianna’s mail, prompting them to write in Anne’s algebraic code. Anne was also involved with a previous lover, Isabella Norcliffe, whom Anne called ‘Tib.’ Tib came from a socially prominent family (definitely part ofAnne’s ambitions), and Tib _ had wanted to become Anne’s life partner before the arrival of Marianna. Ironically, it was Tib who introduced Anne to her rival. But despite the social advantages an alliance with Tib could >>