Two Years and Counting

by Philip Roberts

“Why don’t you write something about
your involvement with the paper? You’ve
been here since the conception of Qitirrjtlre
 .” These words delivered two
messages. One, I'm one of the original
players involved with QIJ1/I and two,
somehow I get the uneasy feeling of being
the ‘'01’ man" when people say I’ve been
here from the beginning. I’m not sure if
these are compliments, or if I should have
realized by now the pitfalls of a volunteer
paper and left long ago! But two years isn’t

_. very long ago.

A brief history of the newspaper may be

9, in order. In the late winter of ‘85 ’ , members
 of “Vermonters for Lesbian and Gay
 Rights,” (VLGR), while working for edu-
 cational and political goals, were stymied
f by the lack of written information for lesbi-

i

9- -u zm-11¢) u

ans and gay men from around the state. A
vehicle was needed to help the lesbian/gay
community develop a method of sharing
what was happening in our political, social
and personal lives. Members of VLGR
applied for a grant from the Haymarket
Foundation of Boston. Lo and behold, we

 received a start-up grant of two-‘thousand
 dollars! Thus came the birth of QIEM.

We’ve seen many changes since our

 first issue. There have been frustrating
5' times such as delayed printings, haphazard
 distribution, lack of articles, not enough
2 volunteers, advertising problems, personal
 conflicts, not enough money, etc., etc. I

 

What better time to kick off our annual
fundraising appeal than on the anniversary
of our second year of publication? Two
years ago (and just yesterday, in fact) we
couldn’thave imagined we’d be here. Your
support in the form of letters, subscriptions,
ads, articles, and donations have kept us
going. We couldn’t have made it this far
without you.

There have been many very visible
benefits which have come about either di-
rectly orjndirectly as a result of this paper.
Three years ago, Vermonters for Lesbian
and Gay Rights (VLGR) conducted a poll
of candidates before the November elec-
tions and got virtually no response. Last
year the poll was conducted by OITM. It
was noted in the survey that the results
would be published in OITM and that fail-
ure to respond would be duly noted. Virtu-
ally all the candidates responded. OITM is
making it politically costly to keep silent on
ISSUCS of concern to lesbians and gay men.

think anyone who has been involved with a
volunteer newspaper knows the story.

Then there are the good times. Seeing
issues being published monthly, successful
fundraising after the first year, excellent
articles, the joy of working with dedicated
individuals, and hearing from people from
around rural Vermont telling us how good
it is to receive OITM.

I find it exciting that the paper has
brought people together from all types of
backgrounds. We share our varied skills,

' as well as stories of our daily lives and we

have fun! One of the difficult aspects of the
paper has been the coming and going of
people. Many long hours have been and
continue to be put into publishing Q1.
Those that have and those that continue to
volunteer are deeply appreciated.

Sometimes I ask myself, why keep
doing this? I think the reason can best be
found from the “Purpose” on page two of
ELEM. The purpose of Qi.rLjrr_tl_r_<A/Iszun;
13133 is to serve as a voice for lesbians, gay
men, and our supporters in Vermont. We
wish the newspaper to be a source of infor-
mation, support, and affirmation for lesba-
ins and gay men. We also see it as a vehicle
for celebrating the goodness and diversity
of the lesbian and gay community.”

I’d like to believe that this paper has in
some small way provided a better sense of
“community” than before g QITM existence.
This paper is here for you.

Out In The Mountains Needs Your He|p...Again

When political people know that we have
the means of spreading information across
this state, they listen to our concerns and
they think carefully about their responses.

Another area where OITM has had an
important impact is in breaking down the
isolation of lesbians and gay men in this

OITM is making it politi-
cally costly to keep silent on
issues of concern to lesbians
and gay men.

state. We have gotten numerous letters
from people just beginning the process of
coming out. OITM is an important part of
breaking through some of this isolation and
offering hope and inspiration to many who
are in the midst of a struggle.

OITM also provides a mouthpiece for
the many diverse aspects of our commu-

February 1988

OITM Vital to Gays

by Eileen

Last year I returned to Vermont after
several years in graduate school. The
women’s community in the town where I
had been studying was very strong and
active. When it came time for me to return,
I was a little apprehensive about leaving the
politically active and socially aware com-
munity I had come to value. Imagine my
delight when I found a copy of OITM at
Pearl’s one night.

The paper contained articles on the
legislative bills to end discrimination on the
basis of sexual preference. That news was
certainly not easily found in the local small-
town paper I was reading. And OITM
showed me that Vermonters were acting on
the issues I find so pressing and important.

Having been away fora few years,I was
delighted to discover the many resources
listed in “Vermont Area Resources.” The
humorous letters and columns add depth
and enjoyment to an already valuable
undertaking.

But perhaps the most important role
OITM has played for me is to remind me
that we aren’t alone up here. Sometimes I
think there’s a tendency, particularly in the
winter, for many Verrnont_ gays and lesbi-
ans to hole up at home with their lovers and
close friends and ignore the larger social
and political issues raging around us while

(Continued on page 15)

 

nity, helping us to understand and support
one another better and helping us to see our
common goals.

We want this paper to continue for all
the above reasons and many more. We
need your help. We have a lot of dreams for

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