the Reform movement that includes Gla-
zier’s synagogue, has given a lot of
thought to issues facing homosexual per-
sons and has been highly supportive of
the rights of homosexual people, in-
cluding being openly supportive of the
boycott of Colorado.

Reverend Riggall, like his colleagues
Kowalslci and Chasan, has given the issue
a lot of thought. When asked if he has per-
formed a union service he replied, “No, I
have never done that I don’t think I’d be
opposed to doing it.” He stated that often
the Episcopal Church has been “noted for
riding the fence on issues” and that prob-
ably the local bishop would determine
whether or not Episcopal ministers could
perform “blessing the union” rites. At this
time there is no local bishop. Like Gary
Kowalski, Riggall wants “to argue for
monogamous, committed relationships.”
Essentially he provided a definition of a
valued family when he stated that he
thinks “the gay community has learned to
be committed and to be caring as a result
of being faced with the ADS epidemic.
lt’s a wonderful model to hold up for all
to see.” Like Chasan and Kowalski, he
would support a secular law that would al-
low for homosexual marriages. “And I’d
try to be in the forefront of bringing my
church into conformity with the law.”

Reverend Kowalski says that on the issue
of maniage he has become “more con-
servative because I have a lot of respect
for marriage.” He too believes that Ver-
mont should have a law that provides the

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support for “long-lasting relationships that
marriage provides. That’s the reason I per-
form marriages for gays and lesbians.”

Unlike Kowalski and Riggall, who con-
sider gay and lesbian marriages to be
within the definition of a “family unit,”
the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burling-
ton in its statement retains a more limited
definition: “Underlying all our concerns is
the basic disrespect our society dem-
onstrates for the sanctity of the family unit
and its importance as the bastion of hu-
man relationships, teaching us love, loy-
alty and the ability to live in peace. We
cannot afford to discard or demean the
family unit.”

Without having consciously done so, the
Burlington City Council and Mayor Cla-
velle may have extended the definition of
family when they created equal health care
benefits for “domestic partners” of city em-
ployees. In addition they may also have
provided the  forum for a much
broader discussion of equal rights for gays
and lesbians wishing to be granted the sec-
ular rights of marriage which only the Ver-
mont legislature can enact. V

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March 1993

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