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VERMONT'S VOICE‘ FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY,
BISEXUAL 8: TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

 

BURLINGTON - More than a year
after giving up federal funds
for refusing to compromise the
confidentiality of the people it
serves, Vermont CARES has
nearly recouped the loss with
new funding. I
Vermont CARES decided in

l 2004 to forego $100,000 in fed-

eral funding that would have
“seriously jeopardized the integ-
rity of its programming through
invasive and overly personal
participant "surveys and track-

Service to People in Prison Will Expand

ing,” said Anna Swenson, devel-
opment program specialist at
Vermont CARES.

Now, a new grant from
Vermont’s Department of Cor-
rections (DOC) will expand
Vermont CARES’ current work
in state prisons; and another
grant will finance the rapid-re-
sult HIV testing program for
two years, allowing Vermont
CARES to provide the tests to
Vermonters free of charge for
the first time.

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“These are great opportuni-
ties," said Peter Jacobsen, ex-
ecutive director of Vermont
CARES, Verrnont’s oldest and
largest organization that serves
people living with, or at risk of
contracting, HIV and AIDS. “I
think we’re moving HIV preven-
tion far forward in Vermont with
this funding.” .

An $80,000 grant from DOC
will cover expanded services to
prisons over a 20-month period.

Erlc, Penni and Peter

1 ti ilalslllllvi - '~’ ‘ i‘  ‘ in
Vermont CARES staff L to R: John, Anna, Mary Kathryn, Jose,

 

PHOTO: DONNA IVERSON

bines HIV prevention presenta-
tions with one-on—one counseling
and rapid-result testing at six of
Vermont's correctional facilities,
while using private donations
to support the work. Jacobsen
noted that, while the organiza-
tion has long been serving people
in Vermont's prisons, the need is
great.

“It (rapid testing) works so
well in corrections and substance
abuse treatment,” Jacobsen said.

Vermont CARES currently com- “Folks are so transient they might

WILLISTON -— In late March,
many Williston middle school
students eagerly" anticipated
the anti-bullying workshop to
be held by Kate Jerrnan, co-ex-
ecutive director ‘of Outright,
Vermont’s statewide organiza-
tion that supports gay youth,

students to be the first of the
series because a survey showed
that this populationis harassed
most often in school and that in-
cidents have worsened recently.
McFadden often accompa-
nies’ Outright to talk to young
people about his experiences in

Wha_t happened in Wiliiston is as I
perfect example of the buflgring
that exists not only in our 
but in our comenmnities.

LLUVIA MULVAN EY-STANAK,

CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Ol.JTRlGHT VERMONT

and Connor McFadden, a gay
high school student from Bur-

, . lington. The workshop was to

_ be the first in a new'“Safe and
Z}.,Supportive Schools Speaker
,_‘Series,” developed in. response
to Vermont's anti-bullying and
harassment legislation that was
enacted in 2005.
‘ Harassment of students by
their peers, especially on the ba-
sis of sexual orientation or gen-
dér expression, has escalated in
recent years in Vermont schools.

-3 The disuict plannedthe work-
‘shop around bullying of LGBT

coming out to himself asgay in
middle school, and why he was
not able to come out to others
at that time. Studies show that
young people who identify as

.lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans-

gender are far more-likely to feel

» very isolated and to attempt sui-

cide than are other youth.
Parents had been given two
weeks’ notice by the school
and had the option to have
their child not-attend‘the ses-
sion. About 20 of 260 students
had already opted out of the
session, school officials said.

However, at a breakfast
meeting where the workshop
was explained to parents of the
students participating, two par-
ents in particular strongly ob-
jected to the workshop and the
principal abruptly canceled the
session. Many students and par-
ents were upset by the cancella-
-tion, while a few were pleased
with the decision.

The issue drew attention
from newspapers as distant as
Georgia and Texas, according to
the “Wi]liston Observer.”

“I am very disappointed that
a very small minority of parents
prevented Thursday's work-
shops from happening," Jerrnan
said. “The students were well

_ aware of the‘ topic of our work-

shop and canceling it sent the
message that it’s not. OK to talk
about LGBT issues."

Outright’s other Co-Execu-
tive Director, Lluvia Mulvaney-
Stanak, echoed J errnan. A hand-
ful of vocal parents were able
to use fear and intimidationto
bully the district principal into
canceling the day.” I

After the parents objected
to the session, it was canceled
about half an hour before it
was to begin. Wrlliston school

  Outright’s Talk Rescheduled at Williston Middle School

officials later announced the
school would hold two sessions:
one with J errnan and McFadden,
and the other to be led by school
counselors.

Following an hours‘-long
forum April 3rd during which
many “community members
spoke on both sides of the issue,
the school board decided to go
back to its original plan. Many
of those who spoke, including
several current and former stu-
dents, urged the board to hold
the workshop with Jerman and
McFadden as speakers.

I W1llistonCent1alSd1ool District
Principal Walter. Nandelli empha-
sizeddurlngtheforumthatOut1ight
received “impeccable” references
byallthe school districts where the

‘organization had previously held

workshops. J emlan later said there

‘ hasn’t been this much opposition

to Outright’s eflbrts since the civil
union debates.

Other workshops at the school
will focus on preventing bullying
of youth belonging to the other
protected --‘categories of national
origin, creed, color, race, sex,
marital status and 

School officials have resched-
uled the workshop on sexual ori-
entation for early May. V

not be able to get their results in
two weeks,” he said of conven-
tional testing procedures.
The new grant will enable
Vermont CARES to visit; prisons
more frequently and educate
prisoners about STDs and the
growing problem of hepatitis in
much more depth, Jacobsen said.
Inmates of Vermont prisons in
2005 were nine times more like-
ly than the general population
to be HIV-infected, according to
Vermont CARES.

“Our goal with (this) funding
is to reduce HIV infection rates
by focusing on people's risk
behaviors, both in prison and
beyond," Jacobsen said. “HIV is
absolutely preventable."

Vermont CARES will also re-
ceive $30,000 a year for the next
two years from the Jessie B.
Cox Charitable Trust in Boston
to maintain its rapid-result HIV
testing program.

“We felt strongly enough about .

rapid testing that we decided to
pursue private funding,” Jacobsen
said. The new procedure is not
yet available through the Health
Department, although the state is
looking into it, he said.

The rapid-result testing, which
before cost $40 per test, will now
be offered for free. Results from
the oral-swab test are available in
about 20 minutes.

Vermont CARES started its
rapid-result testing program in
December 2005, with no false
positives to date, unlike the
false readings the testing has
experienced in other locations.

“The test has proven remarkably
accurate,” J acobsen said.

Testing is available at Ver-

mont CARES in Burlington, St.
Johnsbury V and Rutland. Ver-
mont CARES also partners with
Health Department programs in
Newport, St. Albans, Montpelier,
Ba.rre, Johnson, Middlebury, and
other locations. V

S;talnldliim>g,:  E-'~‘o»r' R in-bow’ Families