Page 4. Out in the Mountains  

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brothers; they gave me the strength to sit
‘through more ridicule. We know we’re not
sick, or sinful, or choosing this "immoral
lifestyle".

I burned with frustration mixed with
anger as another speaker accused me of
trying to pull off "a trick to penetrate our
schools, our places of employment." Again
and again I heard rumors of homosexuals
teaching children to follow in this "abhorrent

lifestyle." By now my palms were clammy
with sweat. My checks were on fire--was I
embarrassed or humiliated?

Still the speakers in favor of H.247 kept
marching to the microphone with their
rational arguments--"99% of child
molestations are committed by heterosexual
males," study after study" show that
homosexuals comprise 10% of the
population, emergency room workers need
for incoming patients to be able to speak
honestly of their histories including their
sexual preferences without fear of reprisals.
‘Some bravely told episodes of
harassment--verbal abuse, physical abuse and
vandalism. My heart ached for each of
them as together we relived the pain.

I listened as I was lumped together with
pedophiles, described as lower than dogs,

and told that I "burn with lust in my
heart." (Didn't Jimmy Carter lust in his
heart once?)

I touched my partner’s knee. Maybe I
was trying to ground myself in the storm;
maybe I was just trying to get my bearings
Still the brave friends of H.247 came to the
seat in front of the microphone, some with
prepared texts, some in response to the
hatred aimed at us.

Finally, the last speaker opposed to the
bill finished and the speakers in favor kept
coming forward. "This is not a choice," "We
are not asking for privilege, just our civil
rights." I beamed and the speakers kept
coming. They came from all walks of life,
all religion, all sexual orientations, all parts
of the state. They spoke for me. They
spoke about me (not specifically, of course).

And when the hearing ended we
applauded long and hard; we hugged and
shook hands. I smiled from ear to ear and
my heart hurt. I felt the pain of the
hatred, the realization that there are real
people behind those angry, _vile words. I felt
the pain of love. I love each of you who
had the courage to sit in front of that
microphone and speak for me. I pray to
my loving God that your efforts will be
rewarded by the passage of bill H.247.

Convocation of U.U.L.G.C. Held

by Gilles Yves Bonneau

The third Continental Convocation of
the U.U.L.G.C (Unitarian-Universalists for
Lesbian and Gay Concerns) took place in
Toronto, February 13-15, 1987. Eighty
leaders took part, coming from all comers
of the U.S. and Canada (e.g., Montreal, San
Diego, Edmonton, Swannanoa [S.C.], Boston,
Ann Arbor, etc., etc.); they represented the
thousands who cannot participate more
actively or openly, for a variety of reasons
known to us all. Two delegates (Mike and
this writer) brought Verrnont’s consciousness
to the conference.

The issue at hand was the fostering of
the Unitarian-Universalist movement as a
"welcoming church", one which genuinely
accepts and includes lesbians and gay men in
all facets of its make-up, in its intrinsic

 

fabric. It was a source of great pride for
me to be the first to stand before this
group of dedicated, hard-working, friendly,
sharp leaders during the opening worship
service and state that our Burlington
congregation had already begun to deal with
this and shown its deep and emotional
inclusion of all its membership. (It turns out
that Vermont is also in the forefront of
publications for its lesbian and gay citizens
with "Out in the Mountains", as the
Canadian Gay Archives [Toronto] and
several convocation delegates have attested
to--one individual, from Pittsburgh. made
out a check on the spot to obtain a year's
subscription! And the Archives plan to seek
a subscription as well; they were given my
Feb. issue as a sample).

The recently-appointed Director of the
Office for Lesbian and Gay Concerns of the
U.U.A. (Unitarian-Universalist Association;
U.U. is a free association of independent
congregations) in Boston, the Rev. Jay
Deacon, was present; his quiet, intelligent,
sensitive determination bodes well for ever
more effective involvement of the
denomination in this area of great social
import.

Workshops on Saturday included topics
such as: exploring gay/lesbian spirituality;
creative solutions to homophobia; AIDS and
the congregation; ministry for transformation;
working toward inclusiveness in a
congregation; meditation: an inner journey.
These were followed by a very lively business
meeting, lasting well into the evening.

from page 3 Phlhp
someone based on his/her sexual orientation.

As one of many persons supporting
H.247, I was empowered by the sheer
strength and courage of people speaking out
in defense of lesbians and gay men, or for
themselves as gay persons. Being "out" at
such a public ‘forum where reporters,
cameras, or simply those present could see
you, took a real risk in our homophobic
society. For those who were present but
could not testify, their ysimple presence at
the meeting added encouragement and
strength for all those speaking in support of
this bill.

People speaking against H.247 revealed
once again their fear and hatred toward
lesbians and gay men. The opposition
condemns anything they consider different
from their beliefs. You have to wonder
what it is the people who oppose equal
rights for all of the state’s citizens fear so
much? Why are people so threatened?
"You can’t pass this bill,...you just can’t,"
pleaded one woman testifying against the
bill. I can only surmise that this civil rights
legislation would be one more crack in their
beliefs of God, country and family. If this
is challenged, then so must their other
fundamental beliefs.

At times I felt anger toward those
speaking against H.247. But most of the
time I felt sad. Sad that individuals need to
find one segment of the population to
despise and fear. One thing is certain about

the night of March 10; people supporting
the bill felt energized more than ever. The
verbal opposition to H.247 validated our
resolve to work for equal justice for all
people, including lesbians and gay men. The
House Judiciary hearing was a night to
behold and remember.
 

Entertainment was in many forms, all of
them welcome in relaxing wound-up minds
and bodies. Besides the frequent informal
social and "business" exchanges on a
one-to-one basis among old and new friends,
we were treated to beautiful home-grown
music (including mine) and a great dramatic
monologue; "Track Two"--a powerful
documentary film about the history of gay
life in Toronto, the unprecedented raid on
five baths in 1981, when 286 men were
arrested, the largest mass arrest in Toronto
history, subsequent political upheavals, and
normalization of gay activity into the
present; and forays into the local bar scene,
which is both very much alive and
fun-oriented, at times even spectacular (for
instance, one bar had a "pajamas" contest
going on Saturday night on one level, while
tall-screen X-rated films were shown on
several TV’s on the second level of the
enormous floor-space).

The Sunday morning service, attended
by a friendly congregation, was conducted by
several lesbian and gay ministers from the
conference, notably the Rev. Mark de Wolfe
of Toronto, who gave the intelligent homily
about whether the risky process of love

continued, page 8