February 1988

Sanders‘ Committment to Gay Rights Questioned

by Jim Morgan

In 1983, Burlington women and men
organized its first Lesbian and Gay Pride
Celebration. Mayor Sanders proclaimed
the day of the march as Lesbian and Gay
Pride Day. In subsequent years, when
asked, the Mayor has issued a letter of
support for the march. In addition, Mayor
Sanders has spoken out twice in support of
Lesbian and Gay civil rights. The first was
at a 1983 Alderperson meeting where
people were debating the issuing of a proc-
lamation supporting Lesbian and Gay civil
rights. The second was at a city housing
committee meeting where the inclusion of
the language “sexual orientation”, to the
city’s housing ordinance was being dis-
cussed. These steps are to be commended
and appreciated.

There are some concerns, however,
around the Mayor’s continued commit-
ment to the civil rights of Lesbians and Gay
men in Vermont. Mayor Sanders has been
invited to speak at every Lesbian and Gay
Pride rally since 1983; yet, the only year he
chose to speak was when his opponent in
the race for Governor (Madeleine Kunin)

Call for a quote.

Take a minute and compare Allstate
for value. You may find we can save
you some mone on your home or
auto insurance. all me today...it’ll

only take a minute.

.. \ Ellen Hetherington
- ‘ ‘ -_4O Malletts Bay Ave.

   

 

also spoke. Mayor Sanders never men-
tioned the words “Lesbian” or “Gay” in his
speech. He preferred to speak about Nica-
ragua and and the oppressive structure and
conditions of that country. Mayor Sanders
did not make the broader connections to
indicate that he understood how ALL op-
pression is related and perpetuated.

On October 24, 1987, the Mayor’s of-
fice was contacted, requesting a written
statement of support for H-247 and its
Senate counterpart. On October 25, the
Mayor’s office requested a copy of the bill
which was sent out the same day with a

copy of the state discrimination study and
other inforrnational/educational xeroxes.
By the end of November there had been no
word from the Mayor’s office. Contact was
made again to inform the Mayor that the
letter of support was needed before the
beginning of the legislative session on
Tuesday January 5th. To date, approxi-
mately two months later, there has still been
no word from the Mayor’s office, again
raising deep concerns regarding the
Mayor’s continued commitment to the civil
rights of ALL Vermonters.

The number at City Hall is: 658-9300.

V Gay National News

V

NGLTF to Elect New Board Members
Eight of twenty—four positions on the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
board of directors will be open for election
this August and September. Board mem-
bers must commit to raising $2,500 for the
organization, serve on committees and at-
tend quarterly board meetings around the
country. Letters of interest should be di-
rected to: Peter Fowler, Chair, Board
Nominations Committee, NGLTF, 15 17 U
Street NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Feds Boost AIDS Money But Limit Use

The 1988 Federal budget contains $950
million to fight against AIDS. In the same
spending bill, the Helms Amendment,
which prohibits the use of funds for mate-
rials which promote or encourage homo-
sexual sexual activity, was modified
slightly. NGLTF considers it a modest
victory; the bill's overwhelming victory ia
a warning of Congressional homophobia.

Writer Kearns Finds Home in Theater

Michael Keams, founder of GALTA
(Gay and Lesbian Theater Alliance) has
produced “AIDS US - Portraits in Cour-
age” and other productions to raise funds
for AIDS.

First Homophobia Conference in May

One hundred and fifty leaders in the
field of homophobia education will gather
in Washington, DC in May. Participants
will share strategies for teaching about
homophobia and plan alarger,public con-
ference for 1989. Planners are collecting
names of individuals or organizations in-
volved in homophobia education, print or
audio/visual resources and, of course,
money. Contact Cooper Thompson, P.O.
Box 819, Cambridge, MA 02139, (617)
868-8280.

ACTUP Producing Vital AIDS Art

The New Museum for Contemporary
Art, located at 583 Broadway in NY City, is
becoming a talisman of AIDS activism.
Window displays of “Silence=Death” and
now “Let the Record Show...”, a testimo-
nial of AIDS war criminals Reagan, Helms,
Falwell, etc., are both created by AC-
TUP—the AIDS Coalition to Unleash
Power. ACTUP has also put together a
video, “Testing the Limits," about AIDS
activism. For information about the video
contact “Testing the Limits” Collective,
P.O. Box 330, Canal St. Station, NY, NY

  4- o'heeye‘:é1ti($1O)ii‘ .
.|.'d liKe1’o”'ge,t‘ involve ’