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VERMONT'S VOICE
FOR THE LESBIAN,
GAY. BISEXUAL &
TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY
SINCE 1985

Inthe

IIIIIUIIIIIIIIIS

    

EDITOR Euan Bear, Lynn McNico|
editor@mountainpridemedia.org

ASSISTANT EDITOR Susan McMillan

ART DIRECTOR Don Eggert
don@mountainpridemedia.org

CLASSIFIEDS Michel DuBois
cIassifieds@mountainpridemedia.org

CALENDAR Dan Brink
calendar@mountainpridemedia.org

SOURCE EDITOR Michel DuBois

source@mountainpridemedia. org

CONTRIBUTORS: Steven Baines, Euan Bear, Alison
Bechdel, Merle Exit, Stuart Granoff, G. Hanson & A.
Neuwirth, Will Holden, Kevin Isom, Robert Kirby, E. Lynn
Lemont, Arlene lstar Lev, Peggy Luhrs, Lee Lynch, Linda
Markin, Lynn Martin, Lynn McNicol, Nat Michael, Paul
Olsen, Libby Post, Jay Schuster, Leah Wittenberg.

PHOTOS: 1A, 1, I4, 16, 17, Euan Bear; 1A, 16, Mary
Bouvier; 1, 4, Courtesy Faerie Camp Destiny; 15 except
Goslant & Vlfishik and Flanagan, Scot Applegate; 20,
photos.com; 22, Lynn McNico|. v

AD MANAGER Michel DuBois
ads@mountainpridemedia.org

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Rivendell Marketing Co., Inc. (212) 242-6863

MOUNTAIN PRIDE MEDIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ron Bernard, Brian Cote, Shawn May, Dana‘Anderson,
Tom Fleury, Greg Weaver

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The purpose of Out In The
Mountains [OITM] is to serve as a voice for lesbians, gay men,
bisexuals, transgender people, and our supporters in Vermont.
We wish the newspaper to be a source of information, insight,
and affirmation. We also see OITM as a vehicle for the celebration
of the culture and diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender communities here in Vermont and elsewhere.

EDITORIAL POLICY We will consider for publication any
material that broadens our understanding of our lifestyles and
of each other. Wews and opinions appearing in the paper do
not necessarily represent those of Out In The Mountains. This
paper, as a non-profit organization, cannot and will not endorse
any political candidates. We reserve the right not to publish any
material deemed to be overtly racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, ageist,
classist, xenophobic, or homophobic.

Unless otherwise specified, all submissions of articles,
photographs, graphics, and advertisements hereinare the
property of Mountain Pride Media, Inc. and any re-publication

or broadcast without written permission is prohibited. We

are not responsible for the return of unsolicited materials. All
contributions are donated to Mountain Pride Media, Inc. for our
use including, but not limited to, publishing in print and electronic
(Internet, Web, etc.) versions, advertising, marketing, and archival
purposes with appropriate attribution to the original author. No
assumption should be made about the gender, gender identity,
or sexual orientation of any contributor or any person named

in these pages. OITM is not responsible beyond the printing of
corrections for errors in any submitted materials.

OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS (ISSN 1081-5562)

is published on the last Wednesday of each month by Mountain
Pride Media, Inc. It is printed by BD Press of Fairfax, VT. The
paper maintains offices at 34 Elmwood Ave in Burlington,
Vermont. The bulk mail subscription rate is $29 per year within
the USA.

WWW.MOUNTA|NPRIDEMEDlA.ORG is updated to include the
current issue of OITM, generally by the 10th of each month, in
our online archive. OITM is available in alternative formats upon
request. OITNI is printed on recycled newsprint containing 30%
post-consumer and using 100% soy-based inks.

PO BOX 1122, Burlington VT 05402

_8.02.861_;6486 802.860.0705 (f)
.2editor@mountainpridemedia.org
;.w‘wv’v.mount'ainpridemedia.org A
I t In The Mountains, All Rights Reserved

A _ ,_.~ ‘:3.

    

 

The Long and Short of It

appy 20th Birthday to OITM‘.

Twenty years is a long time

for any publication to survive,
and for one that was begun, for a long
time was staffed, and is still sustained
by volunteers, it's a lifetime.

In I986, 01 TM reported it when
K. Micque Glitrnan introduced a
bill hr the legislature to prohibit
discrimination on the basis of “HTLV-
3 antibody test results.” Vermonters
for Lesbian and Gay Rights (VLGR)
was soliciting support for the bill
in our first issue. Lesbians and gay
men were holding separate caucus
meetings in Noble Hall of what was
then Vermont College in Montpelier
to discuss whether and how they
could work together and to choose
the first community liaisons to the
govemor’s office (interim liaisons
were Terje Anderson and Beth
Dingrnan). Peggy Luhrs wrote
“Breaking the Taboo Against Women
Loving Women,” and OI TM reprinted
an article I wrote for the weekly
Vanguard Press about the suicide of
Dan White, the man who murdered
openly gay city Supervisor Harvey
Milk in San Francisco. I

Also that year, Phyllis Sclglafly g
came to Vermont to oppose the
state’s own version of the Equal
Rights Amendment, Vermont Law
School first banned military recruiters
from campus because of their
discriminatory policies, Integrity (an
organization of gay Episcopalians)
celebrated its eighth anniversary at St.
Paul's in Burlington, and 500 people
showed up for the “No Turning Back"
Gay Pride rally and march (at which
Governor Madeleine Kunin and Mayor
Bernie Sanders — then a gubernatorial
candidate — spoke). 01 TM surveyed
statewide candidates, and Deborah
Kutzko (aka “Gooch") was hired as the
state's first AIDS coordinator. And in
the December issue, OITM printed the
first of many fundraising appeals.

Some things change, and some
things stay the same.

The long part of my tenure as
editor is that my four years here are a
fifth of the paper's existence. My stint
here began with controversy: the
outgoing editor ran a photo montage
from the Drag Ball on the back
page of the March 2002 issue that
included Yolanda with an outsized
fake phallus. We got letters and
subscription revocations for months,
some of them from men. I wrote two
news stories and an editorial for that
“overlap” issue.

During these four years, I've
written 261 articles (a handful of
which were co-written): short and
long, news, features, profiles, and
reviews. I’ve explained, exhorted,
pled, argued, celebrated, mourned,
chastised, and pontificated in 36

editorials (the other 12 were written
by guest editorialists), 8 “Editors
Notebooks,” and 8 “Squibs” columns.
Together that's a total of over 300
pieces. We have published the work
of literally hundreds of talented
writers who wrote as a labor of love
for the paper and the co_mmunity.

The short of these four years is how
fast they have gone by, from the panic
and determination of the first six months
to my current confidence that our pages
would be filled with worthwhile and
entertaining writing Seven months alter
I became editor, my dad died. It feels like
a few months ago.

Over these years I have been
privileged to witness how our
communities have grown — and
grown together — showing a maturity
that allows all our groups to work
together politically and socially. Our
communities and organizations have
supported both the newspaper as a
whole and me personally as its editor
with occasional praise, growing trust,
and rare but heartfelt criticism.

Likewise I could not have done
this job without the daily support of
talented and committed colleagues:

QITM’s first Operations Manager,   _ 

(and current webgoddess) Tania”

 

Kupczak and her successor (also
Advertising Manager) Michel DuBois;
Art Directors Pete Gershon and his
successor Don Eggert; Assistant
Editor Susan McMillan, who cares

as much as I do about the right

and wrong of commas and clauses;
the unsung heroes of publishing,

the sales staff (currently including
Roland Palmer and Miguel Bemard-
Rivera); and Calendar Editors Sandy
Reeks and her successor Dan Brink.
Finally, without the Board members
who since 1995 raised the frmds, kept
the books, held the vision, talked the
talk and walked the walk, we would
not exist at all. The Board currently
includes Ron Bernard, Shawn May,
Dana Anderson, Brian Cote, Greg
Weaver, and Tom Fleury.

I Andnowitistimetopassthetorch,
tosaygoodbye inrnyofiicial capacity,
and to urge you all to offer your support
to incoming editorlynn McNicol.

With gratitude and respect (and a
certain amount of relief),

r;v...;...».

01 TM is Future Is Yours

the Mountains. Collectively, we will all help determine what happens

I t’s the start of a new year and the beginning of a new decade for Out in

in our community and our world this year, and in the next 10 years. In
just a few short years, we have almost gotten used to the idea of civil unions
and gay marriage. So much has happened, and in such a short period of time.
What seemed impossible came to be. I'm writing this on Martin Luther King
Day, and think of King’s dream, and of the changes inspired by his words.

We all have dreams, no matter who we are, What label we go by, What age
we are. What seems impossible now may someday seem almost ordinary - a
world where every person in his or her uniqueness is celebrated and free.
This World will not be given to us. It Will take the involvement of every one of

us to bring this future about.

I hear that young people in our community are not so interested in the
right to marry; their priorities lie elsewhere. This paper fortunately received
a grant for the new Youth Project starting this year, providing a platform for
this new generation. As I am beginning in my new role as editor at the same
time, I am eager to learn what their dreams are, and feel honored that I can
take part in fostering the growth of this new focus. '

Three years ago, I came on board as a new writer for Out in the Moun-
tains with much encouragement and support from Euan Bear.

In writing for OI TM, I have met many wonderful people in our community
and learned more about the issues we face. As editor, I will miss working with
Euan in that role, and at the same time I look forward to being more deeply
involved in spreading the news that affects our community. .

This is a year when many political choices will be made that will no doubt
affect us all. From the mayoral race in Burlington to Congressional races
in Vermont and other states to a new Supreme Court justice, OI TM will be

watching closely.

There is also room in these pages for humor and personal stories, and
your take on sports, spirituality, education, health and entertainment. I look
forward to hearing from people in all walks of life from all corners, to sharing
your stories and wisdom and dreams. Out in the Mountains, after all, is here

so we can hear your voice.

Lynn McNicol, Editor

 Bé”a”i-“:"EditoiT‘