Men convene

Twenty-five gay men from around
the state gathered in Montpelier on
February 16th and discussed issues
which had been brought up at the
December l5th statewide meeting of
lesbians and gay men. Ideas were
exchanged on a variety of issues
ranging from choosing a gay man as
liaison to the Governor's office to
brainstorming on the needs of the gay
community in Vermont.

Considerable time was spent
discussing the history, current status
and projected role of the liaison

positions. Terjc Anderson, a Burlington
activist who had been serving in the
position on an interim basis, was
unanimously chosen to continue in the
post. The appointment will be
reconsidered annually by a statewide
meeting of gay men.

Discussion also focussed on the
publication of "Out in the Mountains”
and the potential uses of the paper as
a statewide organizing tool.

Participants outlined what they felt

to be the major needs of the
community. _Among the areas which
drew considerable attention were

continued. page 7

Campaign launched

National lesbian/gay and AIDS
organizations are organizing a grassroots
effort to lobby Congress for restoration
of a $51 million cut in AIDS program
funding propsed by the Reagan
administration for the 1986 fiscal year
budget.

Reagan's proposed cuts include $14
million from research at the National
Institutes of Health, $15 million from
health care development projects, $10
million from alternative HTLV-3 test
site funds, $2 million from the Public
Health Service AIDS Hotline, and $10
million of other across the board cuts.

"We can prevent the Administration
from making these cuts if we reach our
representatives," said Victor Basile,
Executive Director of the Human
Rights Campaign Fund. "People in
Washington must hear from thousands
and thousands of people across the
nation that this is a matter of life and
death for us."

Tom Chorlton, Executive Director
of the National Association of Gay and
Lesbian Democratic Clubs said thai "the
proposed cuts are just one more
demonstration of the Reagan
administration's shocking, callous and
continuing unwillingness to deal
effectively with the AIDS crisis." He
}”'8cd lesbian and gay organizations and
individuals to "organize and get
involved in efforts to restore the
funding cuts."

Senator Patrick Leahy and Robert
Stafford can be written at the United
States Senate, Washington, DC 20510,
and Rebresentative James Jeffords can
be reached at the House of
Representatives, Washington, DC 205I5_

 

300170359

For the majority of gay men, AIDS
has completely overshadowed many
other health issues. A number of these
issues should be of major concern to
gay men, yet have been given little
attention in light of the medical and
psychological impact of AIDS. This
month BODYWORKS turns its attention
to an infectious disease which is at
epidemic levels in the gay male
community - hepatitis B.

The hepatitis B virus is transmitted
via body fluids (blood, semen or saliva)
which enter through broken skin or
mucous membranes such as in the
mouth. There are many ways to catch
hepatitis B: needles used for such
things as acupuncture or drug use,
toothbrushes or razors, and sex. For
many gay men infected with this virus,
symptoms will be either minimal or
non-existent. And a large number of
those infected will not be active
carriers of the virus. But 5% to 10%
will become chronic carriers of the
disease and remain at high risk for
development of liver complications.
Unfortunately, many of those who are
carriers are not aware of their status.

For more than two years, a vaccine
has been available to protect one
against this virus-caused disease which
can lead to permanent liver damage
and in some instances, death. Yet the
gay male populations has been slow in
using the vaccine. Health experts
report that hepatitis B has risen 68%
since I978. After healthcare workers,
gay men represent the second largest
populations at risk for contracting this
disease. Studies report that up to 80%
of the gay men tested for hepatitis B

March 1.986 - page 3

Hepatitis B epidemic

show signs of having been infected.

Given the serious nature of this
disease, why haven't gay men taken
advantage of the vaccine’? Part of the
answer related to the demands AIDS
has made on the attention of gay tllcll.
What once may have been considered a
serious disease by many, now pales next
to AIDS. Also tied in with the AIDS
issue is the fact that the vaccine is
manufactured from the plasma of
hepatitis B carriers, many being gay
men. Thus some candidates for the
vaccination are concerned that they
may contract AIDS via the vaccine.
Health experts stress that the vaccine
manufacturing process inactivates the
virus believed to cause AIDS.

Another reason for lack of response
to the vaccine appears to be the cost.
The current price of the vaccine is
approximately $100.00, which includes
the three recommended doses. The doses
are given over a six month period.

We urge our gay male readers to
give the above information some
thought. One hundred dollars may
seem a hefty amount, but like health
insurance, it can pay off in the long
run. One word of advice - have a
screening done to determine if you
have already come into contact with
hepatitis B. If so, taking the vaccine
will have no effect. You may want to
talk with several medical providers to
check on costs for screening and
administration of the vaccine.

As promised, but a month late, our
next column will discuss how to choose
and evaluate a counselor or psychologist
using a new publication, "The Lavender
Couch".

Discrimination/violence discussed

by Jim Morgan

On Tuesday, January 14, five
members of the Burlington area Lesbian
and Gay community met with Brian
Burgess, Vermont's Assistant Attorney
General. Representatives were present
from the Burlington Council on Women,
Vermont Gay Democratic Caucus,
National Association of Social Workers
Lesbian and Gay Issues Committee, and
area helping professionals. Issues
discussed included: patterns of
violence/discrimination related to
patterns of oppression; the role of the
Attorney Generals office in soliciting,
recording and investigating complaints
of discrimination/violence directed at
Lesbians and Gays. The tone of the
meeting was positive with honest
exchange among all.

Brian Burgess agreed to review an
information form being developed by
VLGR (Vermonters for Lesbian and
Gay Rights), for use by his office
when documenting calls of Lesbian and
Gay violence/discrimination. Mr.
Burgess also agreed to contact Scott

Skinner of the Vermont ACLU, to
discuss networking possibilities.
Burgess also stated that there is the
possibility that the Attorney Generals
office may be able to investigate one
or two complaints per year.
In a February 20, I986
this writer, Burgess states that:
"Because of logistical problems and
shortage of clerical staff, we are not
able to run a ‘hotline', so called, for
such issues out of this office...our Civil
Rights Division will not in, and keep a
record of, complaints pertaining to

letter to

discrimination on account of sexual
preference."

Mr. Burgess reports that there
already exists some information
regarding sexual orientation
discrimination in Vermont. An effort

is presently being made to review these
documents.

Anyone who has experienced
homophobic discrimination/violence is
encouraged to call the Civil Rights
Division of the Attorney General‘s
Office or the Vermont ACLU.