l by Carrie Coy _
I Is is political suicide to back gay n ghts
1 in Vermont? The primaries are over and
f members of the Statewide Coalition for
1 Lesbians and Gay Men are sifting through
t the results trying to get a fix on how pro gay
[ and lesbian incumbents fared. The results
[ are , in a sense, very significant because
this is the first time Vermont incumbents
I have gone before the voters with a position
: on gay rights - and the first time voters have
had a chance to register their approval or
disapproval.

While the results are being tabulated,
two races stand out among the rest. Both
moderate Republicans, Vi Luginbuhl of
South Burlington and Anne Batten of Hard-
wick outspokenly supported H.247 while
serving on the House Judiciary Committee
in the 1987 Legislative session. Luginbuhl
is currently running for reelection unop-
posed both in the primary and in the general
election; Batten, who resigned her House
seat, was roundly defeated in the primary
race for the Senate, finishing third in a field
of four. V

It seems important to understand why

 ’Beware- Who is the Real Enemy?

 

the outcomes were different, and if, in fact,
support for gay rights was a decisive factor
in Batten’s defeat. Luginbuhl had worried
about efforts to unseat her in the primary.
Very visible in the debate on H.247, she
made a forceful presentation of the bill on
the House floor. In February, a local Catho-
lic Church in her district called for her
ouster due to her work on the bill. Calls
from angry constituents were common-
place. One short year later, it seems almost
shocking that no one emerged to oppose her
in the primary. Luginbuhl, while pleased,
was not surprised. “In general I think I do
a very good job of representing my dis-
trict,” she said, noting that, in retrospect,
the angry calls actually came from a very
small minority of people.

Batten’s undoing was clearly her op-
ponent, John McClaughry, a former senior
Reagan advisor and founder of the Ver-
mont Republican Assembly (V.R.A.), a far
right splinter organization that vehemently
opposes gay rights. ln candidate forums
and letters to the editor, McClaughry sup-
porters pounded Batten for her support of
H.247 and the ERA. The local gay commu-

Best Costume Prize at Midnight.

October 7th Women's Dance

October 1988

 

nity mobilized to help her. Sue Aranoff, a
resident of the Northeast Kingdom, said
many gays and lesbians phoned Batten to
say they were voting Republican for the
first time in their lives. Cindy Watson, of
Umbrella Women’s Center in St.
Johnsbury, acted as Batten’s liaison to
NEVGLAR (North East Vermonters for
Gay and Lesbian Rights), distributing Bat-
ten bumper stickers and flyers. She noted
McClaughry had been preparing for this
race for several years, marshalling support
and money. In the end, Batten won 1244
votes to McC1aughry’s 1703.

Why the radically different outcomes?
Clearly South Burlington voters are less
conservative than those in the North East
Kingdom. And a John McClaughry/VRA
type has not emerged to complicate
Luginbuhl’s life either. As she herself ob-
served,Luginbuhl’smoderatepositionsare
generally more in line with those of her
constituents than were Batten’s. Watson
and Aranoff both suggested that the “gay
rights” issue was just one of many
McClaughry supporters used against her,
and was not her sole undoing.

In the end, it is obvious that well-

(Continued on page 10) -

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