page 4 0 Out in the Mountains

Kunin questioned about liaison appointments

Responding to a pointedl)’ h0Sl”¢
question in a public forum, Governor
Madeline Kunin stood her ground
recently, publicly stating that she
believed she showed ’good judgment’ in
appointing liaisons to the lesbian and
gay male communities in Vermont.

Governor Kunin spoke in
Middlebury, on March 10, at the weekly
Addison County Legislative Breakfast
sponsored by the Addison County
Chamber of Commerce. Her speech was
to a crowd of several hundred which
included many Addison County
legislators, business and community
leaders, as well as Vermont Secretary
of State Jim Douglas.

The governor's question and answer
period started with a sharply critical
question, and the governor defending
her support for controversial piece of
legislation. As the governor turned to
field a second question from the
breakfast crowd, another man
immediately stood up, this time within

Montpelier men organize

By Bob Mundstock

Fifteen men from around central
Vermont met at the Unitarian Church
in Montpelier on March l6 to organize
monthly activities.

The men decided to host one
social event each month, plus take on
several projects of interest to members.
One group will take over the
responsibility of collating and
distributing "Out in The Mountains". A
support/coming out group is in the
process of forming, and several
members indicated an interest in
working with the Vermont AIDS Action
Committee (see Calendar ~ April 20).
Plans were also discussed for the group
to sponsor a dance in Montpelier to
celebrate Gay Pride in June.

The next social was scheduled for
April 13th in Montpelier. For further
information about the group and its
activities, send a SASE to Box 741,
Montpelier, VT 05602.

Interfaith Coalition
Planning June service

The Vermont Interfaith Coalition
for Lesbian and Gay Concerns is in the
process of planning an ecumenical
service for Lesbian/Gay Pride Weekend
in June. The Interfaith Coalition
coordinated the service at last year's
Pride Celebration and the Holiday
Service in December.

The next meeting will be held on
Tuesday, April 8, at 7 p.m. at the
Unitarian/Universalist Church in
Burlington. All interested in organizing
and/or taking part in this important
event are urged to attend the meeting
or to contact the Interfaith Coalition
by writing to: Vermont Interfaith
Coalition, c/o Philip Roberts, 7-C Blair
Road, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Beth Dingman and Terje Anderson, the
lesbian and gay liaisons to Governor
Kunin are interviewed on pp. 5 and 8.

just a few feet of the governor's
podium.

Recognizing her questioner by
name, Governor Kunin smiled as she
acknowledged that he was ‘famous.’
The governor's questioner was Mr.
Frank Cutler, a Bridgeport resident,
well known throughout Vermont for his
Drolific newspaper letters espousing
right wing criticisms of all things
"humanist" or "liberal."

Mr. Cutler proceeded to lament the
governor's ‘lack of good judgment."
demonstrated most recently, he said, by
what he "had heard" was the governor's

appointment of liaison to "two different
groups - the homosexuals and the

lesbians in Vermont."
Governor Kunin proceeded to

acknowledge and to support her
decision to appoint liaisons to the
lesbian and gay male communities. "l
l_~t_gy_e_ made these liaison appointments,
as I have to many groups throughout
Vermont. I intend to have open
dialogue with all Vermonters and I will
continue to do so. I believe this
demonstrates ’ m nt!" Applause,
‘throughout the audience, greeted the
governor's firm response to Mr. Cutler's
criticism. No other response during the
‘governor’s twenty minute question and
answer period drew spontaneous
audience applause.