by Carrie Coy ‘ This June is the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, consid- ereda watershed in the present day gay civil l rights movement. In our brainstorming ‘ meeting for this issue of OITM, we puzzled l over the best way to commemorate the ,' anniversary in Vermont. Our ideas ranged ' from interviewing someone who was there, i to writing a historical perspective on what I happened. Eventually we hit upon the idea of interviewing older Vermont gays and lesbians about where they were in June of 1969, whether they were gay, whether they I remember Stonewall as it happened, what gay life was like, and where they are today. Unfortunately, as it tums out, I ended up only interviewing women. In speaking with the four women I interviewed for this article, most of them relayed their stories almost apologetically, sure that the facts of their lives would notbe ’ suitable material for a Stonewall com- gr the suburbs of Washington, D.C., none of these women was radically out. One was married to a man raising nearly grown children. Another was recovering from a “four year attempt at marriage” to another woman. The third was in a small Vermont town, seven years beyond the death of her partner of seventeen years. The fourth was living in Pennsylvania in a closeted rela- tionship with another woman, working for Bell Telephone. Anne Peters, who today is retired and‘ 75 years old, moved to southern Vermont from Connecticut after World War H in 1945 to be with another woman. They were together for seventeen years until her part- ner’s death in 1962. The following year, 1963, Anne moved north to the town where she’s been ever since. No one in town knew she was a lesbian and she had no more than suspicions about who else mightbe gay. “In some ways it was easier for women,” she L/G Pride June 24th I see page 13 and Calendar says, “you could live together and people wouldn't necessarily assume anything." During the years they lived together, Anne didn't work and recalls that in 1969, “I was really just getting back into the workforce.” She worked as a purchasing agent for a “major manufacturing concern” in Connecticut during the war, and _man- aged to find employment as an accountant] bookkeeper. (Continued on page 8) "I Believe in Faeries": The Governor's Liasons Discuss Their Work by Carrie Coy Four years ago at the urging of former l Vennont CARES Director Terje Ander- , Son, Governor Madeleine Kunin created the position of Liaison from the Gay and lesbian Community to the Governor. The Govemor’s action established her as the gay and lesbian community’s most promi- nent supporter at a time when a gay rights gill had yet to be introduced into the legis- ture. We spoke recently with the current Govemor’s Liaisons, Keith Goslant and Holly Perdue, about their thoughts on top- 108 ranging from the legislative battle over $3)’ Fights to the difficulties of networking . “Hlmral state. _Goslant and Perdue, by the nature of llleir work, are among the state’s most Visible gays. Goslant refers jokingly to Self as “the state faggot.” Perdue is, l more subdued. They readily admit that L their personalities are very different, yet they work closely together. During the legislative session, Keith spends many hours wandering the State- house, cornering legislators to discuss, among many things, AIDS legislation, AZT funding, and gay rights. Holly prefers the behind-the-scene organizing work. Her voice is the one many of us have heard on phone, arranging testimony for the public hearings, starting phone tree messages, and helping plan Pride Day activities. To- gether, they are the ones to whom the Governor tums for the gay and lesbian community's opinions and reactions and ideas. Their efforts are entirely volunteer. Both Goslant and Perdue were encour- aged by the Legislature's recent vote and debate on the gay rights bill. When I ques- tioned them about how many surprise votes we received, Perdue replied, “About 22.” The moming of the vote, a quick poll by Rep. Micque Glitman (D-Burl), produced only 32 representatives willing to commit themselves to supporting the bill. 55 even- tually did. , Asked to single outa particularly satis- fying turnaround vote, Goslant cited Carolyn Yamell (D-Colchester). “She stood up and said, ‘I was driving home and asked myself, why am I really opposing this?’ Goslant said, “Once she acknowl- edged it was her own individual prejudice, this was the way Citizen Yamell felt, what was Representative Yamell going to do? She had no other choice. The only way laws work is if you respect the law." Keith credits Ronnie Bancroft of Montpelier with making it difficult for many legislators to vote no. Bancroft, a well-known, outgoing Statehouse security guard, received statewide media attention after her house was burglarized and life threatened following her testimony on the (Continued on page 9)