Identity and Orientation Separate Issues This is in response to Lynn McNicol’s call for a new way of describing ourselves (OITM, June ‘06). I agree that neither the alphabet soup of “LGBTIQQA” nor “queer” serves us weH. Part V of the problem is that we’re look- — ing at two aspects of personality - sexual orientation on the one hand, and gender identity and expression on the other - that don’t necessarily have anything to do with each other. Most LGBs don’t identify as transgendered, and some transsexuals consider themselves completely straight ‘ within their preferred gender. It would be good if our terminology recognized this distinction. A second issue is that the gay or lesbian/bisexual/straight model ' is inadequate and outmoded. It assumes that there are only two sorts of people to be attracted to, and- two sorts of people to be attracted. This is fine if you con- " sider yourself a conventional man or woman and take it for granted that the rest of the world also fits into one of those two categories. However, anyone who reads this newspaper even occasion- ally knows that there are many genders, and many ways of ex- pressing them. The G-L/B/S model breaks down when confronted by relationships in which one or both partners are transgendered and/or physically ambiguous. The L—G/B/S model has its use- fulness and is well entrenched, but I’m hopeful that as we rec- ognize its lirrritations, and the transgendered and intersex com- munities gain recognition, more accurate and practical terms will emerge. EVAN LAWRENCE Cambridge, NY Big Tobacco I F Won’t Give Up As the coordinator of the Coali- tion for a Tobacco Free Vermont, I work with certain realities ev- eryday in the course of my work. . I know that in spite of Vermont's excellent Tobacco Control Pro- gram, smoking rates for queer Youth and adults in Vermont are much higher than the state aver- age. I also know that for small nonprofits in Vermont, operat- ing budgets are tight, grants are scarce, and valuable work some- times cannot continue because the frmds just aren't there to support it. Finally, I know that despite claims to the contrary, the tobacco industry has not changed. Big Tobacco continues to market new highly addictive, death- and disease-causing prod- ucts to Vermont adults and youth every day, and they continue to fight tobacco control legislation in Vermont, every time it comes up! I am not surprised to hear that RJ Reynolds has been target- ing Out in the Mountains as‘a desirable place to advertise its products. In fact, despite OI TM’s commitment to not accept adver- tising dollars frombig tobacco to date, RJ Reynolds continues to ask OI over and over again to place their ads in its pages. And why wouldn’t they? With high . smoking rates, Ver'mont’s queer community represents a lucrative market, and OI TM is a respected source that the queer population ‘ trusts. And, even scarier, since OI TM is a valuable resource that is distributed to colleges and youth programs, big tobacco could access an impressionable . and already at risk youth market by advertising in OI TM. Studies show that youth are much more responsive than adults to tobacco marketing. The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont understands OI TMS struggle to secure sustain- able revenue sources. And we applaud OI TM for declining to accept tobacco industry dollars to date. The tobacco industry spends an estimated $100,000 per day in Vermont to market their products - roughly six times that of Vermont's tobacco control pro- gram budget. Big tobacco com- panies like RJ Reynolds invest significant resources to determine who their key markets are and where they should spend their ad- veriising dollars. This is why they continue to approach 01 TM even though it has repeatedly declined their offers in the past! Targeting small, local media is yet another way that big tobacco gets around increasingly strict regulations around tobacco ad- vertising. And, these companies are turning to new, more ‘creative’ advertising schemes like sup- 1} it it Send your Ie AUGUST 2006 l nutlntlie mnuntulns 1 > -.~r~ >. tters to: editor@mountainpridemedia.org porting the Miss Teen-America pageants, developing new youth- oriented products like fruit-fla- vored cigarettes, and rolling out hip, trendy, grafflti artist-inspired promotions to market their new products to youth. The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont urges OI TM to con- tinue to say “no” to Big Tobacco and to protect queer Vermonters from the tobacco industry's on- going, underhanded marketing efforts. NICOLE LUKAS, COORDINATOR, COALITION FOR A TOBACCO FREE VERMONT Williston Vermont Needs Venue of Gay Solidarity Last week my paitneriand I made our yearly trip to Stowe, where he has maintained a timeshare for . over 20 years. One of the events we were anticipating_eagerly was the Pride in Burlington. In prepa- ration, we went to Burlington earlier in the week, hoping to get more details at Pearl’s. We parked across the street, and ate at a cafe on Church St., expecting to visit Pearl’s after dimer. Of course, as we discovered, there was no activity at the bar. Surprised, we drove back to Stowe - where we finally found your newspaper - and the news that Pearl’s was closed. I found it incredibly ironic that the front page news was shared with the story of the gov- emor’s veto of transgenderrights. Frankly, I was not at all surprised: the two stories most certainly go hand—in—hand. Gay rights were earned through the tireless work of many, many people in all states. However, by the mere fact that the gay population of Vermont cannot sustain one bar in the state is a tacit admission of weak- ness in the gay community - like it or not. And it would only fol- low that opportunists, like your Republican governor, would seize that moment of weakness to pounce - and attempt to reverse the progress that has been made. Surely I am aware that the real, inclusive gay community goes well beyond the bar scene; however, it is important to have one showcase of unity for all to see. I would hope that SOMEONE in Vermont is able to reopen a venue of gay solidarity in Ver- mont. It need not be merely a bar: many gay bars here in Connecti- cut have survived by adding cafes, which have provided good, rea- sonable food for those who would not care to limit their socializing to drinking. I hope your entire community unites on this issue, and does not become blase, as seems to be the case of many who were inter- viewed for the Pride article in the newspaper Seven Days. I wish you all luck! STEPHEN M. MARTIN Meriden, CT Editor's Note: Fortunately for members of our community, a number of people have been busy organizing new gathering places and. venues. Please see the article about Queer Social Space on page 3, and check out the Community Compass for the new location of Womyn’s Night. Press Missed Real Story Most notable about this year’s Pride was the lack of press cov- erage of our legislative priority: the gender identity and non-dis- crimination bill. Simultaneously, messages of divisiveness seemed to be the theme in the media cov- ering Pride, topped off with false accusations about Freedom to Marry members regarding their contributions to the community and passing this bill. For nearly two years, ’I‘ransAc- tion, a small group of committed organizations and community members, have joined together to ensure that Vermonters are not discriminated against based on their gender identity and sexual expression. The Vermont Free- dom to Marry Task Force is one of the organizations that worked diligently to pass this bill. VFMTF dedicated two weeks of staff time to help 'IransAction respond to the governor's veto, and acti- vated its members throughout the state to contact their legisla- tors, to write letters to the editor and to educate others about the importance of this bill. VFMTF‘s members, board and staff have or Out in the Mountains, PO Box 1122, Burlington, VT 05402 contributed greatly to the success of the gender identity bill and we applaud their contributions. Other members of TransAc- tion include the R.U.1.2. Queer Community Center, Safe Space, 0utRight Vermont, and several community members. Each or- ganization has organi'/.ud its vol- unteers, communities, and board members to focus on passing the gender identity and non-discrimi- nation bill. With a combination of our work and thanks to many throughout the community who have acted when we have asked you to, it passed this year with tri-partisan support. We remain disappointed by the governors disgraceful veto, however, this has only made us stronger. We will continue to work together to ensure that we win so that all GLBT individuals are treated equally. As we prepare for the next legislative session, we urge you to join us. Email any of the organiza- tions of ’I‘ransAction to flnd out how you can help. Together, we can win!!! MEMBERS OF TRANSACTION including Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, R.U.l.2? Queer Community Center, Safespace, and OutRight Vermont Student Government Association Also Sponsored Ad In July's Out in the Mountains, a number of University of Vermont offices sponsored an ad celebrat- ing LGBT community and pride. Inadvertently, the Student Government Association (SGA) was left off the ad. Please know that the SGA joined with 33 other UVM departments and groups in sponsoring this ad and supporting LGBT peoples. Our apologies for this mistake. DOROTHEA BRAUER AND ELI CLARE LGBTQA Services University of Vermont Correction Martin Hyatt wrote A Scarecrowis Bible, which was reviewed in the July issue of 01 TM.