-J72 7 wt3~::~.-'.3r«:a<1:/gm‘rtscou. I 1. . . ..Ic.rI est»: a:'.'»;.*m. .-.3 J ' ‘ . .:'I- 3-.'C\. -'7'.‘-.I '‘'-'’.i 1 I I GCONTINUED FROM PAGE ‘I plished, and for what their future has in store! PETER JACOBSEN » BURLINGTON congratulations on your 20th a.nniver- sa.ry. it brings me great joy and pride to read yourpaper online. i was raised in winooski verrnont gay pride move- , ment back in 1970. i moved to spring- I field mass. in 1972 and live springfield for 5 years. i move again in 1977 to san francisco and still live in sf. i left vt when there was not even a gay bar .and now look at everything now. it has meant so much to be able to keep up in what happening in the gay life of vt from your paper. it is so well written. happy 20th anniversary and looking forward to my continued reading of your great paper. DAN COLLINS SAN FRANCISCO OUT in the Mountains has been the way that I could keep up with the news inthe GLBT community both locally _and nationally, thanks largely to the editor Euan Bear. I look forward to continuing to receive it in whatever form it takes! _ ALVERTA PERKINS SOUTH BURLINGTON My mostsignificant memory of OI TM is when Ellen DeGeneres visited UVM in October 1999. I was agrad student at the time and somehow ended up being the coordinator for her visit, thus I.h.o$t,esi .EJIe.n (and Anne Heche) for sever hours. I remember riding in the limo with them to the venue and being unsure of what to say or talk about. They asked questions about how many people would be at the performance, and what people would be like. It took me a while to realize that they had no idea what the‘GLBT climate was like here because every time I explained something, they said, I “Wow. This place is really liberal.” I told them everyone in the audi- ence was wearing pink Freedom to Marry stickers: “Wow. This place is really liberal.” Yolanda popped her head into the backstage and gave a flamboyant “Hellooooo.” After I explained who really liberal.” , I told them the Burlington mayor and UVM’s president wanted to give a welcome and that’s why we were waiting so long before going on stage. Again, I heard “Wow. This place is really liberal." And finally, I showed them their “green room" which was outfitted with modest amenities, including the most recent edition of OI TM I showed them the paper and they said something like, “You have a whole paper focused just on gay stuff‘? Wow. This place is really liberal” Sadly, I don’t remember fliem actually reading it, but I do remember it contributing to their amazement with our accepting clilmate. JILL HOPPENJANS BURLINGTON I will never forget the first time I found 01 TM. My partner and I were living in Manchester, V'I‘, where we owned and operated a small motel (it was 1986 or 87). We were very clos- eted and knew no other lesbians in the area I clue as to how I could have a life in I _ in the Mountains. Euan has she was, they said “Wow, 'I‘his place is I ' a flyer talking about an effort to Imagine our delight when we found several copies of Out In the Mountains at the local Northshire Bookstore. We devoured the contents and looked forward to every issue. OI TM helped us through a very lonely time in our lives. Thank you 01 TM and here's to many more birthdays!!! BEV YOUREE RICHFORD When my partner and I first moved to Burlington (1999), 01 TM was a great _ resource for me. Like an anthropologist, I pored over every new issue, eagerly learning as much as I could about a community that I hoped to be a part of. Everything seemed to contain some Vermont. I began to find familiar names and faces. Later, OITM has served as a way forme to reach out to the com- munity for projects that are important to me. These days, I might still seek out the latest issue, but I comfortably turn the pages to something that grabs me, whether it's a column, a book review, or the comics. Perhaps I have become less serious as I've gotten older. It may _no longer be my primary resource (it can't represent every viewpoint in the community) and there have been times when I have disagreed with what I have FEBRUARY 2006 I out in the mnuntulns is TM: I years 0 [Til//I looks lm,c‘I{ zit. two (I 9 0 ll. (I 9S 0 E‘ C D to 1111111 ‘oml CI in in 0 I‘ mo n i‘ I how to connect with each other. It _ . . ' I ' ‘ became the vehicle by which we came to define our comrnunity and take control of our lives. When we embarked on an ambi- tious political joumey, 011! in Hue Mountains became our organizing tool and the means to keep our com- munity informed on the work ahead, who were our allies, and the schedule for those endless legislative hearings. What; has Out in the Mountains meant to me over the past 20 years? It was the catalyst that has allowed me to be able to define my life on the terms that are true and right; for me, and to flnd the community and family for which I had been searching. read, but OI TM is still something to be come to know and love Out done a tremendous job as edi- tor (and same for Michel in his job). And that's important. OITM plays a pivotal role in building our communities. It connects us, whether we live in walking distance to the Queer Com- munity Center, or live i.n small villages sprinkled throughout the state. 01 TM nurtures, welcomes, and celebrates our community. Thank you to Euan, the staff, board, donors, volunteers, and advertisers of 01 TM for 20 years of award-winning work and service to our communities. Out in the Mountains isn’t just a source of information; it’s a source of pride. REP. JASON LORBER BURLINGTON As an openly gay youth growing up during the 19605 in Vermont I got used to feeling isolated, thinking I was the only one who felt like this. I spent most of my youth waiting to hear the person in the front of the room say the words that acknowledged they knew I was in the room. Eventually I stumbled upon organize Ve1mont’s gay community. It was at that first men’s caucus meeting in White River Jet that I also stumbled upon Out in the Mountains. Here was the voice that Ihad been looking for, the connec- tion to other people who felt like I did, who did not want tomove away, but wanted to create a home, a safe community here in Vermont Out in the Mountains became that connection to a larger, and as yet still hidden, community that truly stretched from St Albans to Benning- ton. It became the fomm where we talked about our sense of isolation, our personal and public needs, and f——— ‘ ’appreciatied. KEITH GOSLANT MARGARET M. “"35 TAMULOMS Keith Goslant is one of two ' communities to the Governor He Over the. last few yems’ Ih'aVe has held that ofiwc sinw 1.986. From inception, Out in the Mountains has been a clear voice, speaking up and speaking out on behalf of so many across the state. Sometimes pushing, sometimes pulling, always direct, always honest, many staff and I boards have worked very hard and usually more for love than for money. Twenty years of deadlines and cliff-hanger budget crunches have aged more than one editor, but the results have been rich: a sense of community, knitted together through the sheer force of will and love. With a deep sense of gratitude, thank you. SAMARA FOUNDATION BOARD AND STAFF BURLINGTONI NORWICH Out in the Mountains provided a connection to the community when our daughter Elizabeth Hane moved to Richmond, Vermont. She made many friends through her volunteer work with the organization. Follow- ing the civil union between Elizabeth and Stina Bridgeman in 2002, Out in the Mountains provided both sets of parents an opportunity to publicly express our love and support to both of them through a “pa.rents’ perspec- tive" article. CARL AND NANCY HANE, (AGES 62 AND 60) NORMAN, OK I want to add my voice to the inevi- table chorus of praise for Euan as her editorship comes to a close. She has done a splendid job with the hardest job in our community, and we will all her perspective. Best of luck as Euan and Out in the Mountains move forward into new eras! u I Top to bottom: OITMers Carolyn Ashby, Barb Dozetos, 8: Tina Giangrancle; Liaisons Keith Goslant & Heather Wishik; Cherie Tart BENNE-IT LAW 8: the bo s in blue' lois Farnham 8: Holl Puterbau h‘ then-Auditor BEIHEL I y . k ’ " _ _ y 9 ' -Benncttlawisafonrwr Ed F anagan, Dy es on Trikes ‘I998, Kate Jerman. president 0fMPM