page 4 - Out in the Mountains

Women's Day celebration set

by Gwen Shervington

On March 8, I857 women garment
and textile workers on New York's
Lower East Side marched in protest of
their working conditions. In I908 on
the same day, women were marching
again protesting the sweat shops, child
labor and intolerable working conditions
which had not improved for women in
the garment/textile trade. Today
March 8 is celebrated around the world
as INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY,
a day of celebrating womanhood and a
time to concentrated on issues that
affect women’s lives.

In I975, the United States declared
1976 to 1985 as the Decade for Women.
The purposes of this delcaration was to
raise global consciousness of the
problems and issues of women, and to
come up with plans for the
advancement of women around the
world. The international conference
during the Decade were successful in
bringing women together to discuss
their needs and in allowing them to
become acquainted with the needs of
their sisters in other parts of the
world.

Bringing women together to discuss
our needs is an important step in the
struggle for obtaining full equality of
women in social, political economic and
health spheres. Although the Decade for
Women has officially ended, the
progress and achievements of the
conference should not be allowed to
lose momentum. Finding and
implementing solutions to women‘s needs
and problems cannot be accomplished in
one decade. This work has to be
continued for decades to come.

A citywide conference is being
planned in recognition of International
Women's Day as a continuation of the
work started during the Decade,
particularly at the Nairobi Conference.
The theme of the week long conference
will be "Sisterhood is Global" The
focus will be on the issues that affect

women around the world. The
workshops will concentrate on those
factors that link and seperate us
internationally.

Women in the U.S. lack

information from and about women in
other parts of the world. By being

Author seeks material

Lesbian Editor seeks material for
book exploring friendships between
lesbians who are not lovers. Discuss
play, work, growing-up, coming-out,
separations, family bonds, commitment,
betrayal, humor, aging, raising children,
affection etc. Send life stories,
drawings/graphics, photos, headlines,
taped conversations, essays, poems,
songs, prayers etc. to Caroljean Pint,
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55401

uninformed we consciously contribute to
the cxlpoitation of our sisters.
Sytematic discrimination is faced by
women everywhere. Women in the U.S.
must take responsibility for the ways in
which this country’s policies affect the
lives of women elsewhere. An example
is the habit of the U.S. to drop
unsafe contraceptive devices in Third
World countries. Our activism must
include organizing against such abuses.
By being aware of common issues
and respectful of our different realities,
we can begin to understand and help
each other. A multi-faceted global
vision is the politics of the future.
Feminism must work beyond national

boundaries and address issues which
affect all women’s lives. We all have
fundamental needs for food, water and
shelter. We are all affected by rape,
sexual harassment, racism, sexism,
occupational hazards, repression of
lesbians, domestic violence, war, and
the denial of reproductive rights. It‘s
time to work towards the elimination
of all forms of discrimination against
women.

This Sisterhood is Global
conference will be a spectacular event
in celebration of international
Women/Sisterhood.

See schedule. 1:. B.

One year ago this month Brendan
Hadash and Alan Hultquist were joined
together in the first official Service of
Holy Union to take place in the New
Hampshire/Vermont District of the
Unitarian Universalist Association. The
service was held at the Universalist
Society of West Burke and was

Couple celebrates one year

officiated by the Executive Secretary
of the district.

Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist
Association voted to officially sanction
union serves for gay and lesbian
couples, the only denomination besides
MCC to do so.

On 28 June I984, the General

Schlafly visits Vermont

by Dian Kendrick

The predictable Phyllis Schlafly
came to Vermont Feb. IE to begin her
attack on the proposed Vermont Equal
Rights Amendment, which will be on
the ballot here Nov. 4.

The Vermont ERA, which has been
passed by two sepatately elected
sessions of the state legislature, states:
"Equality of rights under the law shall
not be denied or abridged by the State

of Vermont or any of its political
subdivisions on account of the sex of
the individual." The language of the
amendment is very close to the
language of the proposed federal Equal
Rights Amendment, which ran out of
time in June, I982, before it could be
passed by the requisite 38 state
legislatures. Recent polls in Vermont
have Shown that a large majority of

continued, page 8