Statewide
Meeting Report

Discussion of House Bill 247, the sexual
orientation anti-discrimination legislation,
dominated the May 2 statewide meeting of
the Vermont Coalition of Lesbians and Gay
Men in South Royalton.

The legislation, which was sent to the
House General and Military Affairs
Committee in April to avoid a losing vote
on the floor of the House, will remain alive
for the next half of the biennium, beginning
in January of 1988.

Meeting participants, many of whom
were heavily involved in lobbying efforts,
assessed the results of the last few months
of activity.

It was noted by many participants that
few people expected the bill to pass the first
time it was introduced. Instead, the goals
which many expressed for the legislation at
the beginning, a public hearing and
consideration by the Judiciary Committee,
were surpassed. The 7 to 4 favorable vote
from the Judiciary Committee, coupled with
the growing awareness of lesbian/gay issues
by members of the legislature, made the
outcome "a victory." "Because of this year's
efforts," said one participant "we are now
being looked at differently than ever before
by the legislature. They know we are out
there, and that we will be lobbying actively
for our own civil rights. That's an
incredible step forward."

Despite that realization, the meeting
expressed the strong feeling that "next year,
or five years from now isn’t soon enough.
We deserve our full civil rights now, and a
victory short of that is a rather hollow
victory." .

Some voiced frustration at being rather
powerless to influence the direction of the
bill in the legislature; lesbians and gay men
were neither consulted nor involved in the
decision to send the bill to another
committee.

The virulence of the anti-247 lobbying

was discussed. The fact that legislators were
deluged with calls from people in opposition
to the bill, mobilized by fundamentalist
churches and right wing groups, seemed to
observers to have been what buried the bill.
Many of the calls were threatening, even
violent, in nature. They were sufficient in
volume and intensity to sway many
legislators who previously seemed certain to
support the legislation.

Despite,the many negatives which
surfaced during the legislative efforts, the
group found much positive in the activities.
‘One portion of the meeting was devoted Y0
a group discussion of the good things from
the campaign. The list of more than 50
positive things was evidence of the
empowerment which came about through
the lobbying. Many people told moving
stories of personal support or of the bonds
of trust and friendship which grew out Of
the campaign.

continued, page 10

June 1987, Page 5

U

Tues. Ed's $1 Bud Night
Wed. Ladies Night
Thurs. Boys Night Out

         

June 5th, Womyn’s Dance

June 11th, Fund Raiser for L/G Pride. 8 PM
July 4th, Celebration "Puttin’ on the Dog"
July  Womyn’s Dance

August  Womyn’s Dance

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Live D.J. NO COVER

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