Burlington Women’s Council The goal of this organization is to bring women's perspective to public policy and raise the health, safety, and economic status of women. The organization runs various education workshops; the current one will end in May with a workshop called Posi- tively Lesbian II. The Council also runs self defense workshops for women and girls. Burlington Women’s Council strives tohaverepresentation from allareawomen’s groups. Any woman who endorses the mission statement is welcome to attend montly meetings, held the 3rd Wednesday of the month at Burlington City Hall. Con- tact the Council at the Burlington City Hall, Burlington, VT0540l (802) 658-9300x125. Human Rights Commission, State of Vermont ' The Human Rights Commission has jurisdiction to enforce Vermont’s laws against discrimination in housing, places of public accommodation, and state employ- merit. If a person believes he or she has been subjected to discrimination in any of these areas on the basis of a protected category, ie race, color, national origin, sex, age, handi- cap, marital status (in housing or place of public accommodation), having minor children (in housing). receiving public assistance (in housing), or having a positive HIV-related blood test, a charge of dis- crimination may be filed with the Commis- Sl0ll. Although lesbians, gay men and bi- sexuals are not currently included as pro- tected groups on the basis of sexual orien- tation under any of the above- mentioned state anti-discrimination laws, people are encouraged to contact the Commission in order to record their complaints. This will assist in the effort to achieve passage of gay rights legislation. The Commission also acts as a referral service. The Commission is presently pre- paring a private attorney referral list spe- cifically for people who allege discrimina- tion on the basis of their sexual orientation. The Human Rights Commission can be reached at PO Box 997, Montpelier, VT 05601 or by calling (802) 828-2480. 5 NEVGALR - Northeast Vermonters for Gay & Lesbian Rights NEVGALR was founded in 1987 around the time the first civil rights bill was introduced in Vermont. The group strives for social as well as legislative change. The grpup is open to any member of the gay, lesbian, bisexual or straight community interested in obtaining civil rights for gays and lesbians. Regular meetings are sched- uled for the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Meetings are held at Umbrella in St. Johnsbury, VT. Contact Umbrella at 1 Prospect Ave., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 (802) 748-8645. Peace and Justice Coalition The Peace and Justice Coalition is a non-profit, tax exempt educational organi- zation, representing over a dozen Burling- ton area groups, who are convinced that a just and peaceful world is possible. This coalition of people strives to create a more caring and trusting society by working collectively to infonn and empower selves and the community at large. It was formed in 1979. The Coalition provides three pri- mary resources. The Peace and Justice Center (and its resource library) serves as a resource for participating groups, individuals, and or- ganizations interested in peace, justice, and education. ' The Peace on Earth Store is a cus- tomer-friendly,non-profitventuredesigned to support the activities of the Coalition by selling products that promote social re- sponsibility and cultural understanding. Peace and J ustioe News is published and distributed 10 times each year. It con- tains ideas and information not easily found elsewhere, including a calendar of upcom- ing area events. The Coalition states the following in its statement of unity:”We stand for eco- nomic and civil justice, and thebasic human rights of all people to enjoy adequate hous- ing, employment, health care, food and other needs. We recognize the equal worth of all persons and reject discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, physical challenge (disability), age, and religion.” , The Peace and Justice Coalition can be contacted at 186 College St., Burlington, VT 05401 or by calling (802) 863-8326 or 863-2345. , March 1991 Special Resources Section Vermont Coalition of Lesbians and Gay Men The Vermont Coalition of Lesbians and Gay Men is an organization whose aim is to advance the civil rights of lesbians, and gay and bisexual people. Attendance is open to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and non- gay people whom the group chooses to welcome. In order to maintain this ‘meeting as a safe place for lesbians, gays, and bi- sexuals to participate and share openly, non-gay people are asked to identify them- selves at the beginning of our meetings and to state their particular agenda items in ,. approximately three minutes. If an item is goingtotakelongerthanthat,arequestmay be made to the group to have this added to the meeting agenda. Continued presence of any non-gay person at this meeting is to- tally at the discretion of the lesbian, gay and bisexual attendees. The Vermont Coalition of Lesbians and Gay Men canxbe reached at PO Box 1125, Montpelier, VT 05602 or by calling the Co-Liaisons from the gay and lesbian community to the governor; Holly Perdue at (802)229-0109 or Keith Goslant at (802)454-8552. Co-Liaisons, Statewide Coalition for Lesbians & Gay Men to the Governor Holly Perdue (802) 229-0109 Keith Goslant (802) 454-8552 ACT-UP Vermont PO Box 1607, Burlington, VT 05402 Rainbow Coalition of Vermont 15 Barre St., Montpelier, VT 05602 (802) 229-0800 Representative Ron Squires (D- Windham) Vermont House of Representatives 1-800-322-5616 R3 :