Out in the Mountains by Terje Anderson As the recently elected Democratic National Committeeman from Vermont and as a delegate to this year’s Democratic national Platform Committee, I had the privilege of being one of Vermont’s repre- sentatives at Ju1y’s National Convention in Atlanta. Conventions are chaotic, crazy, and exhausting: a week of constant meetings and caucuses, receptions and socializing, backroom manuevering and public posturing, and the spectacle of the convention itself. It is impossible to fully convey the feeling of the Atlanta Conven- tion in a short article, but as a gay male Jackson representative from Vermont, there were many highlights worth sharing. At every Democratic National Con- vention, there is a lesbian and gay caucus: this year’s had 98 members, the largest ever. The caucus meets daily to plan strategies for gay issues and visibility,and to build ties which will go beyond the convention itself. This convention marked the highest degree of lesbian and gay visibility on the convention floor itself of any Democratic Convention ever. On Tuesday, the day the Platform was debated and adopted, two openly gay speakers addressed the conven- > Out at the Democratic National Convention tion. State Representative Karen Clark of Minnesota identified herself as a lesbian when she spoke in favor of platform language relating to missile testing. Keith Garm, a Jackson delegate and person with AIDS from Minnesota, presented a sum- mary of the platform language on AIDS, bringing many of the noisy delegates on the convention floor to a halt when he introduced hirnselfas aPWA. His courage and eloquence had a notable impact on many of the delegates in the hall, and is a reminder of the importance of speakin g for ourselves in politics, rather than allowing our cause to be carried entirely by suppor- tive straight politicians. Tuesday night was also the night of Jesse J ackson’s speech to the convention, as always, an eloquent and moving call to progressive action by the most gifted orator in American politics. J ackson’s speech beautifully wove the concerns of lesbians and gay men into his quilt vision of America: he spoke of our needs for civil rights protections, of being included in his coalition of the excluded, and movingly of his visits to AIDS hospices and support organizations. Never before has lavender shown so clearly as a color of the Rainbow. Vermont’s delegation was chaired by BACK TO SCHOOL FUTON SALE! Upstairs - 19 Church St. - Burlington, Vt - 658-4313 Ron Squires, a Jackson delegate from Guilford, Vice—Chair of the state Demo- cratic party, and the first openly gay person ever to chair a state delegation at a national .r convention. He did a fantasic job of ‘ keeping the delegation united and friendly, , divided as it was evenly between Jackson and Dukakis supporters. His performance impressed many, and helped prove, once _ more, that it is possible to be openly gay and V involved in politics without being one-is sue or irrelevant to the process. To me, as a gay man and an AIDS * activist, perhaps the most important sym- bol of the convention was the overwhelm- ing presence of “Silence-—-Death” stickers throughout Atlanta and on the convention floor itself. The ACT-UP slogan was plastered across town by AIDS activists _ who came to the convention from across ' J the country. Thousands of delegates wore the stickers on the convention floor, with many people remarking that, with the ' exception of the Dukakis and Jackson buttons, it was the most ubiquitous symbol at the convention. That so many straight delegates from throughout the country were willing to wear a pink triangle witha fairly radical slogan told me that we have 1/. come a long way in advancing our con- cerns, especially about AIDS, on the na- f tional political conciousness. Moreimpor- ‘ tantly, each timeamember of the lesbian and gay caucus gave a sticker out to a : delegate, we had a chance to explain itto them, to educate, and to make a human connection with someone who helps shape i opinion in their community back home: that more than anything, is the job that . lesbian and gay delegates at a national. convention have. The Atlanta convention was not a watershed in lesbian and gay politics: I10 r dramatic breakthroughs occured, no floor ' fights were won or lost on our issues. The r’ convention was, however, a reminder qf our slowly increasing acceptance in poll- tics and, especially, in Democratic party affairs: pledges for protections of our Civil rights were included in the party platfonjl and promised by every Democratic pres!‘ dential candidate, our presence was IBIS“ A and more visible than ever before, and 01“ own networks and contacts emer£°_d ' stronger and more unified. There is S1111 a great deal of work to be done before our community’s needs are fully addressedbi the political structure in this country.b“‘ A it was a unique pleasure and privilege ‘° part of that ongoing process.