Out in the Mountains

  ’p’ “or 0rit”“i’n'the Moun-
jtgzirtsis to serve;as’a‘ voice for lesbians,
.gay"men’, Vbisexiials, and our supporters

in Ver‘rnont.‘\V_'e  "the" newspaper to
be a source of information, support and
‘ aermnauon. "i.Wefj¥'also'  OITM as ‘a

Eyehicle for celebration‘ of  goodness I

andidivertsity o_f"th'_e__’ lesbian,‘ gay, and
bisexual cornrnunitiessi  >
  Ed1tor1al'Pol1cy
I i We will considerfor publication
any material which broadens our under-
standing of our lifestylesand of each
‘other. Views andopinions appearing in
the” paperdo not necessarily represent

will not endorse any candidates and ac-
tions‘ ofpublie of_ficials’on issuesof
importance to lesbians,‘ gay men, and
bisexuals;   V '
We will notpublish any material
which is overtly racist, sexist, anti-Se-
mitic, ageist, classist, or homophobic.

‘ All materials submitted must be
signedso we can contact the author
should we need its considereditorial
revisions. However, within the pages of
the newspaper, articles may appear an-"
onymous1y.upon request, andstrict con-;
fidentiality will be observed. No revi-
sions or rejections of ' materials will oc-‘
cur without dialogue 'with"the‘autl1or.

f"'We. welcome‘-‘ and‘ encourage all

tionand"jto share your "comments, criti- _
cisms, and positivefeelings with us. This
paper is’_here"'for”you.;'Ihe"deadline for
submitting material for eachissue is the
»7th of the month publication.-":1'*

  
 

.._i Materials should _ ,_
Out iu’rhe‘Maun‘ ‘ ins"
; POBox 177 j “
v.:Burlinglb 

sent to:

 

 
 

054°?)

those of the staff. This paper cannot and A

readers tosubmit materials forpublica- 3



 

wé"encburag”ejourjre ders‘jto‘partici-
pate: in bringing hi . blicaticgn-to
gayflesbian, andbjsexual Vermont-
ers. PIease’assisttis’p by Subrnittingar-
ticles ' no .longer than two ‘ ‘double-
spaced typed pages and letters to the
editor no ..tonge,r"’7thari”=' one double
spaced typed page. Your submission
should be received by OITM noilater
than‘ the 7th of the previous ‘month.

  Tha'*l<v°iU!   

    

by Hugh Coyle

Before coming out and becoming edi-
tor of the news-magazine you’re now read-
ing (a rags to riches story best saved for
another issue, perhaps), I used to view
events like Gay Pride Day with some reser-
vations. I didn’t consider myself an activ-
ist; I wasn’ta fan of organized (or disorgan-
ized) marches; and at the time, I felt I had
nothing to be proud about. Getting in touch
with other gay, lesbian, and bisexual people
in this state, however, has changed all that.

I could end this editorial right now
with the strong assertion that I'm now
proud of who I am, but that stops light years
short of the strength and nature of the pride
which I look forward to experiencing and
expressing on Gay Pride Day. That pride is
deeply rooted in our community and in the
many individuals and groups which make
up that community.

Perhaps “takir_ig pride” is the wrong
phrase to use for events like Gay Pride Day,
because the pride many of us feel is given
and earned. It's given by those members of
the community who share their lives and
experiences with us to help make us each
feel stronger, and it's earned by every one
of us on each day we make steps forward in
establishing ourselves as open and vital
members of society as a whole.

For example, a close friend recently
confided that she hadn't felt proud to be a
lesbian in a while until hearing the joy with
which Brian McNaught read a chapter
called “I Like It” from his book Qn_fle_mg
Qa_y_during his recent evening in Burling-
ton. His pride was as infectious as hers is
now, and I felt proud of both of them,
doubling my appreciation of the event.

Another friend was so moved by the
crowd gathered at the April 20 vigil protest-
ing violence against lesbians and gays that

V‘, DESKTOP PUBLISI-HNG STUDIO
TYPE 8: DESIGN/WQRKSHOPS/SELF-SERVICE

Taking Prie in One Another

 
 
  
 

  
  
 

 
  
 

the next day he submitted a signed letter to
the F reg Prg :5 describing the strength and
pride he had witnessed and felt the night
before. Seeing his letter in print multiplied
that sense of achievement; pride passed
from person to person that day.

At the Hate Crimes hearing in Monte-
pelier on April 19, one individual after
another took the stand to tell his or her story
of how fragile yet precious a thing pride is,
of how even in the face of such vicious
reality as the Easter-night beating of Roger
Macomber, pride could survive the retel-
ling of personal honors and grow stronger.

I recall one man in particular who
came out in public for the first time at that
hearing - in front of an SRO audience,
television cameras, and newspaper report-
ers. That man’s self-respect would not be
insulted or defeated any longer, and in the
short space of three minutes he won the
respect and pride of the majority of people
in that room.

Our pride is not some special flag that
we wave as individuals in a crowd. It is a
special gift which we share with one an-
other constantly as we take those further
steps toward freedom and equality.

This Pride Day, come out and cele-
brate not only for yourselves, but for your
friends, families, and supporters. Let the
world know that our pride is not hoarded
like material wealth; it is something we
invest in one another so that we may all
grow to our full potential.

Taken collectively, our pride is an
enormous wonderment worthy of display.
It thrives on recognition and grows with
each instance of expression. And if you’re
still feeling personally deprived of pride,
then that's all the more reason to come out
and celebrate. After all, there should be
plenty there for everyone.

863-1 884

187 ST PAUL STREET