page 2 - Out in the Mountains
Commentary by David Curtis

What ERA means for Vermont’s lesbians, gays

In November, I986, Vermonters will
have the opportunity to vote in
referendum to determine whether the
Equal Rights Amendment will become
part of the Vermont Constitution. The
amendment, if approved by the voters,
will provide that the State of Vermont
will not discriminate against any person
on the basis of sex.

I suggest that it is incumbent upon
lesbians and gay men throughout the
state to support and work toward
approval of this amendment with
enthusiasm. I do so for two basic
reasons. First, it is essential to support
any effort that will end discrimination
of any kind in our state and, second,
because the issue of gay rights is
becoming a part of the ERA discussion,
and that issue should not be allowed to
sidctrack the fundamental question of
whether the ERA should be adopted.

As persons who have been
subjected to overt and subtle forms of
discrimination for centuries, lesbians
and gay men must be particularly
sensitive to discrimination against other
groups and must work to prevent that
discrimination whenever it occurs. This
should be true whether the
discriminatory act is against blacks,
orientals, Jews, women or any other
groups. It is through making common
cause with other groups and minorities
that lesbians and gay men will be able

Purpose

The purpose of ‘Out in the Mountains‘is to serve as

a voice for lesbians, gay men, and our supporters in

Vermont. We wish the newspaper to be a source of

information, support and affirmation for lesbians and

ay men. We also see it as a vehicle for celebration of

t e goodness and diversity of the lesbian and gay
community.

Editorial Policy

We will consider for publication any material which
broadens our understanding of our lifestyles and of
each other. Views and opinions appearing in the paper
do not necessarily represent those of the staff.

This paper cannot, and will not endorse any candi-
date for public office. We will serve as a vehicle for
informing our readers about the views of candidates
and actions of public officials on issues of particular
concern to lesbians and gay men.

We will not publish any material which is overtly
racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, ageist or homophobic.

All materials submitted must be signed and include
an address and/or phone number so we can contact the
author should we need to consider editorial revisions.
However, within the pages of the newspaper, articles
can appear anon mausly, upon request, and strict
confidentiali , will a observed. No revisions or reject-
ions of materials will occur without dialogue with the
author.

We welcome and encourage all readers to submit
materials for ublication and to share your comments,
criticisms, antrpositive feelings with us. This paper is
here for you.

The deadline for submitting material for each issue
is the I5th of the month prior to publication.

Materials should be sent to ‘Out in the Mountains,’
Box 438, Hinesburg, VT 05461.

‘Out in the Mountains’ is published by the Out in the
Mountains collective: Elizabeth Mae, Howard Russell,
David Ryan, Suzi Shira, Philip Roberts, Linda Wheeler,
Terie Anderson, Gilles Yves Bonneau, and Antonio
Baio.

to deal with the discrimination based
upon sexual orientation.

Some (primarily those opposed to
the ERA) have suggested that adoption
of the ERA will legitimize the "gay
lifestyle" and will, in effect, be a gay
rights bill. While I certainly think
that would be a positive result, the
fact is that the ERA is gender based.
It is intended to prohibit discrimination
on the basis of sex (gender) and not
sexual orientation. The issue of sexual
orientation is a “red herring‘ created by
the opposition to the amendment which

appeals to the homophobia in our
50501)’ and is solely a device to defeat
the ERA. Gay men and lesbians have
an obligation to the women in our
society to prevent that from happening.

Women have been struggling for
centuries to achieve equality. The
Vermont ERA will not be the solution
to that problem, but it will be a step
along the way. It is important that
the ERA pass and become a part of
our constitution. Gay rights must not

continued, page 9

Living positively, living gay

By DaveL.

As gay men and lesbians we have
two options: we can buy into much of
what society believes about us or we
can recognize and act upon the freedom
we have to be individuals and define
our lives in our own manner.

A study of lesbian and gay
psychologists revealed some disturbing
data -- the gap between one's awareness
of homosexual feelings and the
acquiring of a positive gay identity was
15.7 years for gay males and l5.9 years
for lesbians. If we buy into society’s
negative views of us, we pay the heavy
price of loss of identity or integrity.
All the drugs and/or alcohol will not
make us non-gay or non-lesbian. All the
prayers in the world will not change
us. An inability to accept ourselves
makes it difficult or impossible for
others to accept us, and we expend
tremendous amounts of energy trying to
be someone we are not. For most of us,
our homosexuality is not a choice -- it
is a discovery.

Being positively gay begins with
self-acceptance, self— understanding and
knowledge. It is perhaps best explained
by looking at three areas of our lives
-- the physical, intellectual and
emotional. In the physical area, do we
accept ourselves as we are or do we
buy into the media and the advertisers‘
presentations of who we should be? If
we do the best we can with what we
have physically, we're taking steps
toward self-acceptance and
self-confidence. Do gay men know what
safe sex is and do we practice it? If
we do not have this information, do we

Correction

The caption under the photograph of
Euan Bear and Phyllis Schlafly had
several ommissions. It neglected to
identify Bear as a Vanguard Press
reporter and Glenn Russell as a
Vanguard Press photographer, and it
should have said that Schlafly denied

supporting capital punishment for
homosexuality, not capital punishment
per se.

 

‘know where to get it? Do we have the
latest information on AIDS? Do our
‘personal physicians (especially, for
:women, gynecologists) know we are
llesbian or gay?

In the intellectual area, how much
do we really know about
homosexuality? What are our legal
rights? What were the Stonewall Riots
and what do they mean to us? How
well would we score on a gay/lesbian
IQ test? There is an ignorant world out
there waiting to put us down; what do
we do to counteract this ignorance? Do
we keep up to date on what is
happening locally and nationally in gay
and lesbian issues? Do we discuss these
issues with friends? Are we familiar
with the wide variety of excellent
lesbian and gay literature available?

In the emotional area, how do we
deal with our anger? Anger at hiding,
at the ignorance that surrounds us, at
not being able to be who we are
because of a very real fear -- of losing
jobs, friends, family. Do we have
emotional support systems? Do we talk,
lfeel, trust? How do we deal with our
own homophobia? As a gay man, I
must learn to say, "I am what I am. I
am not a faggot; that is a stick of
wood. I am not a queen; that is a
female monarch. I am not a sissy, a
fairy, a queer. I am a man who is
attracted physically, intellectually and
emotionally to other men, and that's
OK."

Sclf~acceptance allows us to accept
others and to be accepted by others. If
we carry negative se1f—images into a
relationship, we will eventually destroy
it. We need to look at our lives closely.
Are we positive about our bodies, our
minds, our emotions? If not, what can
we do? We can join support groups,
create reading groups to stay informed,
participate in lesbian or gay events,
think. To us, homosexuality is not a
problem. We are not sick, perverted, or
any of the other negative adjectives a
non-gay and non-lesbian world
sometimes assigns us. We can be -- and
many, many of us are -— healthy, well
informed, happy people who are lesbian
or gay. And we like it!