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Volume V, Number 6

Out in the 

   

VERMONT'S NEWSPAPER FOR LESBIANS, GAY E‘«.’!E:|‘»a", AND BISEXUALS

5 1990 

October 1990

Coming Out Celebration Planned

This year, gay, lesbian, and bisexual
Vermonters will have two chances to take
the next step in their coming out processes
(or, for those who prefer a good challenge
when the opportunity comes along, will
have a chance to take the next two steps in
their coming out processes).

National Coming Out Day occurs on
Thursday, October 11, across the United
States. Participation involves each and
every one of us doing what we can to
increase gay/lesbiari/bisexual visibility in
our society. That could mean anything
from wearing the emblematic pink triangle,
taking your loved one out to an overtly
romantic dinner at a public restaurant, or
proclaiming for your first time to anyone
the powerful statement ‘‘I AM GAY!”

Let whatever you do for Coming Out
Day strengthen your spirit and sense of self,
and let those feelings carry over to the
weekend, when a Celebration Event will
occur in Montpelier to commemorate
Coming Out Day 1990.

Sponsored by the Vermont Coalition
of Lesbians and Gay Men, the Celebration
will consist of a number of daytime work-
shops on relevant topics and conclude with
what is sure to be a memorable concert in
the evening.

Registration for the daytime work-
shops will begin at 9:00 a.m. on the mom-
ing of Saturday, October 13th. All work-
shops will be held at the Christ Church
Episcopal on State Street in Montpelier. A

sliding-scale fee of $5 to $10 is requested at

the time of registration.

From 9:30-10:30 in the morning,
workshops will be presented on “Spiritual-
ity and the Movement,” “Coming Out to
Your Family,” and “Personal Safety.” Fol-
lowing that, from 10:45-11:45, presenta-
tions will include “A History of the Lesbian
and_ Gay Community" and a workshop on
racism. The members of OUTRIGI-IT Ver-
mont will also present a panel discussion
focusing on youth-related topics.

Everyone is invited to share lunch with
the Vermont C.A.R.E.S. Cabaret Players.

Members of the Rutland Area Task Force
will be offering lunch at the church; a
nominal fee will be charged.

The afternoon will start off by separat-
ing the men from the women as “Safe,
Sexy, and Sane” workshops are held for
each from 1:00 to 2:30. The middle of the
afternoon features a discussion of “Homo-
phobia,” or, for the more musical-minded,
a percussion workshop with Kwanzaa.
Should the rhythm become too intoxicat-
ing, there will be a Waltzing workshop
following that at 4:00, as well as a talk on
legal issues affecting gay, lesbian, and bi-
sexual people.

The workshops will conclude with a
reading by Sarah Dreyer from 5:00-6:00.

At press time, some of these workshop
were still being finalized, so be sure to
check at registration for actual offerings.
Also, a number of artisans will be present to
display and sell their crafts. Any lesbian or
gay artisan wishing to reserve table space

should call Claire at 229-0109. Arrange-
ments can also be made with Claire to have
an ASL interpreter present at the work-
shops; such arrangements should be made
by October 5 by calling 1-800-545-3323.

To cap off the day, Montpelier City
Hall Auditorium will be the site for Edwina
Lee Tyler and A Piece of the World. The
concert begins at 8:00 p.m., with tickets
available for $10 in advance, $12 at the
door. Advance sales are being handled by
Chassman and Bern in Burlington, Bear
Pond Books in Montpelier, and Everyone’s
Books in Brattleboro.

The Coming Out Day Celebration is
being sponsored and assisted by a number
of Vennont groups includingtlieMansfield
Bucks, Vemiont C.A.R.E.S., Women of
the Woods, the Rutland Area Task Force,
the Northern Lights Metropolitan Commu-
nity Church, OUTRIGHT Vermont, and
Kwanzaa.

Russell Wins Primary

In an impressive finish, Howard
Russell won the Democratic nomination
for State Senate in the Chittenden Senate
District. Russell, an openly gay man who
has never before run for office, was one of
six candidates nominated in the September
lltli Democratic primary. He will now go
on to compete in the November general
election.

Among the candidates Russell de-
feated was conservative incumbent Tom
Crowley, a veteran of over twenty years in
the Senate and a consistently anti-choice,
anti-gay Senator. Many political observers
credited the Russell campaign with bring-
ing out the voters necessary to defeat
Crowley. Also losing was Peter Freyne, a
former newspaper reporter who was fired
as Governor Kunin’s press secretary after
making lewd comments to a female re-
porter‘. ,

Popular incumbents Sally Conrad and

Doug Racine ran first and second in the
September voting. The remaining four
winning candidates finished in a vimial tie,
with fewer than 150 votes separating third
frorri sixth place. Russell appears to have
finished in fourth or fifth place (final, offi-
cial totals were not available at press time),
running even or ahead of such figures as
former Burlington Democratic Chair Caryl
Stewart, former House Democratic whip
Althea Kroger, and former legislator and
gubernatorial candidate Ed Granai.
“Running tied for third place, particu-
larly in such a strong field of veteran poli-
ticians, bodes well for November,” said
Russell campaign manager Terje Ander-
son.
Russell was likewise buoyed by the
results of the primary, saying that “it was a
gratifying and encoiuaging win, the first
step to victory in the general election.”
(continued on page 21)

gig printed on recycled paper