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Volume II, Number 10

VERMONTS NEWSPAPER FOR LESBIANS AND GAY MEN

 pit in the Mountains

January 1 988

Anti-Discrimination Bill in VT Senate

This is the new year, 1988 and
Vennont’s 30 member State Senate will
hear new legislation regarding civil rights
for lesbians and gay men. The bill, whose
lead sponsor is Harvey Carter (D-Benning-
ton), is basically the same bill which moved
slowly through the Vermont House last
year. The House Bill (11-247) is laying
dormant in the House General and Military
Affairs Committee. The Senate Bill (not
yet numbered) is accumulating co-spon-
sors. At this time both Sally Conrad (D-
Chittenden Co.) and Phillip Hoff (D—Chit-
tenden Co.) are co-sponsors and more
sponsors are anticipated.

As a new bill, this legislation will be
introduced and then sent to committee. The
Judiciary Committee, chaired by Mary Just
Skinner, is most likely tobe given the bill to
work on. It must be voted on in committee,

passed on to the full Senate and voted on '

there before it can move on to the House.
All this must happen before the legislative
crossover date at the end of January.

The need for this bill is demonstrated
by recent studies of discrimination and
violence against lesbians and gay men. Last
year’ 5 study in Vermont indicated that 44%
of the lesbian and gay men responding have
been fired, 25% have been evicted or de-
nied purchase or rental of housing, and 80%
have been subjected to harassment and

New NIJ Report on Hate Crimes

The Advocate,

A federally commissioned report has
concluded that “homosexuals are probably
the most frequent victims” of hate-moti-
vated violence and are targeted for assault,
verbal intimidation, and vandalism more
often than are blacks, Hispanics, Southeast
Asians, and Jews.

The study, which deals with bias
crimes against minority groups and the
response of the criminal justice system,
was prepared by Abt Associates, a private
consulting firm, for the National Institute

 

violence because of sexual orientation. A
study of bias crime recently released by the
National Institute of Justice, a division of
the U.S. Department of Justice, concludes,
“homosexuals are probably the most fre-
quent victims” of hate-motivated violence
(see related story).

The Senate Bill would extend the pro-
tections of the non-discrimination clauses
of 12 Vermont laws to everyone regardless
of their “sexual or affectional orientation.”
Vermont law currently protects against
discrimination based on race, sex, age, reli-
gion, national origin, marital status, or
handicap in the areas of jobs, housing,
public accomodations, and credit.

   
  

   

March on v asmngton, cto er

of Justice (NIJ), a division of the Depart-
ment of Justice. It amounts to the first
confirmation in federal government litera-
ture of what gay organizations have been
saying for several years: that violence
against lesbians and gay men is a serious -
and growing - national problem.

“I take it as an enormous affirmation of
the value of the work we [in the gay com-
munity] have been doing,” commented
David Wertheimer, executive director of

Supporters of the measure see passage
in the Senate as very possible. ‘‘I think that
we can make a strong showing with this
bill. I think we have a good chance of
passing it in the Senate," said Tim Mazur,
ACLU legislative director. Sally Conrad
spoke optimistically about the Bill at a
recent UULGC meeting in Burlington (see
related article). Opponents, however, are in
evidence. Michael Bernhardt (R-London-
derry) was quoted in the Burlington Free
Press, saying, “if there were a pressing
need, the Legislature would have acted.”

Still, as the new year begins and with it
a new Legislative Session, public support
(Continued on page 3)

the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti- .

Violence Project. “It’s a confirmation that
the problem we’ve been talking about is as
real as we’ve been saying it is, and finally
people outside the gay community are
admitting it. One of the most
respected...think tanks in the nation has
stated that addressing antigay and mules-
bian violence should be a national priority.
That’s exciting.”

Echoing gay community criticisms,
the study declares that the vast majority of