As a feminist, I know the reasons men
wish to label me unnatural and erase my
existence. It is much harder to experience
the same treatment from women, when
one knows they are acting against their
own ultimate self—interest and the selves
of all women.

Recently I read the following:

"From the beginning of the women’s
movement to the present day, a
significant number of homosexual women
assumed the leadership in the numerous

struggles and..through their energy
awakened...the average woman to
awareness of their human dignity and
rights. Considering the contributions made
to the women’s movement by lesbians for
decades, it is amazing that the large and
influential organizations of the movement
have never lifted a finger to improve the
civil rights and social standing of their
numerous (lesbian) sisters."

The date of this quote is 1904!

It could be Vermont and the current
ERA struggle, the situation is the same.
Lesbians have done so much of the work
in the women’s movement and every
struggle for women's rights, yet their
sisters have usually not responded in kind
and, worse yet, have denied or censured

lesbians out of their own fear.
I  

in of lesbians
e to which women
akept down. ”

The right is waging a homophobic
Campaign against the passage of the ERA.
Representing male supremacy, they use
the same tactics. Homosexuality is a
scapegoat issue, trotted out to obscure
their real agenda, which is economic. The
money behind STOP—ERA is right wing
money protecting its interest in the cheap
labor pool that women provide. This is
the real issue that so far neither side has
addressed.

Some of the women in the pro-ERA
forces are so lesbian-phobic as to give the
right a real advantage. If we are to be
beaten with the club of homophobia and

our own side holds the same club, are we
not aiding and abetting the opposition?
The right functions on fear and the
antidote to that is not defensiveness, but
courage. I'm proud to be an unnatural,
selfish, strident woman. I recognize those
epithets as misogynist censures and
tributes to my effectiveness. I’m proud of
lesbians. It takes courage to live a life
with so little social support and many
economic and social sanctions against it.
Lesbianism represents one way of
replacing the woman bond that patriarchy
has done its best to destroy. It is a real
achievement.
If lesbians can have the courage to

live our lives and support the women's
movement, surely our sisters in the fight
for women's rights can have the courage

to support lesbians.

page 7 . February 1986 . Out in the l\1ount:1ins

Bodyworks

by Elizabeth Mae and David B. Ryan

Welcome to "Bodyworks." In the
months ahead we will provide you with
lesbian and gay male health information
and insights. This will be done by
utilizing the most current information,
from both a national and local
perspective. We look to our readership for
input, comments and topics for possible
discussion.

For this issue, we are sitting in front
of a computer terminal trying to figure
out what "gay health" is. As usual, the
deadline is tomorrow and this is only
sentence five.

"Gay", at least here, refers to one who
loves those of the same sex. "Health"
doesn’t seem to be affected by the
adjective gay. Despite homophobic beliefs
to the contrary, there is no inherent

(continued on page 8)

Civil rights protections lacking

by D avid Curtis

Civil rights have been defined as
those rights that belong to every citizen
of the state or country. They include,
according to the Black's Law Dictionary,
the rights of property, marriage,
protections by the laws, freedom of
contract and the like. Civil rights are
also sometimes referred to as those rights
capable of being enforced or redressed in
a civil action.

In recent years, our governments, both
State and Federal, have recognized the
need for specific legislation to enforce
many of the civil rights of their citizens.
As a result, laws have been enacted to
enforce civil rights of persons who
otherwise would not have had a judicial
remedy for violation of their rights.
These are the statutes that prohibit
discrimination in the areas of housing,
voting rights, employment, etc., based
upon an individual's race, sex, religion or
national origin.

Vermont provides significant protection
for the civil rights of its citizens. It has
been unlawful for schools, restaurants,
stores or other places of public

accommodation to refuse service to people

based upon their race, creed, color or
national origin since 1957 (13 VSA 1451).
It is also illegal to refuse to sell or lease
real estate to an individual because of
his or her race, religious creed, color or
national origin (13 VSA 1452). Other
statutes protect persons from
discrimination based upon sex or marital
status in areas such as bank credit cards

(8 VSA 1302), bank loans (8 VSA 1211),

or retail installment sales (9 VSA 2410).
Discriminatory employment practices based
upon race, color, religion, national origin,
sex or ancestry are also prohibited ( 21
VSA 495).

Vermont does not protect the civil

rights of lesbians or gay men in any of
these areas. It is quite legal for a person

to refuse to sell or lease property to a
lesbian or gay man. It is not illegal for

an employer to refuse to hire a person or

to discharge an employee because of that
person's sexual orientation or preference.
There is nothing to prohibit a business
establishment furnishing public
accommodations from refusing to provide
those accommodations to persons who are,

or are perceived to be, homosexual.

Referring then to those rights which
(conllnuedonpagea)