Out in the Mountains

 

Letters to the Editor

TIME's there, and understands?

This letter, dated 12/29/87, was sent to an
OIT M reader who wrote to TIME about their
lack of coverage of the March on Washington.
Dear TIME Reader:

Thank you for your letter in which you
express your dismay over TIME’ s failure to
report on the Oct 11 March on Washington
for Lesbian and Gay Rights. We are sorry to
have disappointed you. Certainly, the edi-
torial decisions that go into any weekly
edition of TIME are open to challenge. The
Oct 26 issue was no exception.

A part of the problem had to do with
the fact that the march was held on a Sun-
day. Most weekly newsmagazines close on
Saturday, which means that, unless the
magazine was held open (and this is rarely
done and is reserved for the most extraordi-
nary circumstances), we could not have
reported on the event until the Nov 2 issue.
You should know, however, that the march
was monitored by TIME correspondents,
and information about it has been incorpo-
rated into our research files on gay rights
and on AIDS funding. Perhaps some future,
related coverage will enable us to make ref-
erence to it.

But more important, we want to assure
you that this omission does not reflect on
our views about the gay population or on
our assessment of the tragedy that AIDS
represents. We do not think readers could
easily find another magazine that has paid
such close attention to the gay rights move-
ment or to AIDS in its medical, social, and
legal ramifications. TIME’s readership has
been well served by that coverage, we
think.

Our thanks, again, for letting us hear
from you. The editors appreciate your in-
terest, and send their best wishes to you.

Sincerely,
Amy Musher

   

Veterans Organizing

Dear Folks,

Since the introduction of H247, the bill
to protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian
Vermonters last year, a number of lesbian
and gay Vermonters who are veterans of
service in the Armed Forces have been
discussing the idea of organizing as a
group. Our numbers are small, but so far we
may already represent a cumulative total of
over 150 years of service to the nation.
Being new our goals are not highly defined,
nor is our structure.

Our immediate goal is to organize and
to find new members; to that end we’re
asking your support in passing word of our
existence among your members and
friends, and to help us make contact with
them. Other goals under discussion in-
clude, but aren’t limited to: affiliating with
one of the national lesbian/gay vet groups,
serving as a social outlet, and supporting
the civil rights bill currently in the State
Senate. We feel that if even one of our
members can go before the Legislature and
represent veterans, we can silence the idi-
otic cries that to be gay or lesbian is to be
anti—count:ry We also feel we have the right
to say that we have worked to make this
counuy what it is and to point out that now
our legislators are obliged to return the
gesture by passing a guarantee of our rights
as free people.

It is important to point out that we have
tremendous respect and sensitivity for the
issue of confidentiality, as we already have
people interested who still serve in Reserve
components. In addition, we don't care
how long a person served, whether it was/
is on active duty, Reserve, National Guard,
Merchant Marine or Coast Guard, or what
kind of discharge they may have received;
we welcome all veterans.

O.|.T.M., You’re Looking
Better Than Ever!

187 St. Paul Street, Burlington

863-1884.

 

   

Looking toward the future we see the
opportunity to become an advocacy group
for the rights and needs of lesbianlgayl
bisexual veterans, another social outletil
they so desire, and an additional strong link
in the vital network of support for the rights
of all citizens to live their lives free from
need and fear. Anticipating your support,
we thank you for any help in passing the
news of our existence and look forward to
going back on duty with you in working for
the civil rights bill.

Gene F. Barfield
clo The Vermont Coalition for Lesbians and
Gay Men, Box 1125 , Montpelier, Vt. 05602