Out in the Mountains

Editorial

Putting together a monthly newsletter is
both challenging and frustrating. The
monthly cycle means that there are some-
times long delays between the time
something happens and the time we re-
port it. We are frequently in the position
of either reporting on something that is
going to happen, or deciding whether to
run an article on something that may be
“old news” to many of you. In the case of
ongoing stories, there may be a 2-3 week
gap between the time the story is written
and the time it is read. This is particularly
relevant in the case of the cover article
on the incidents of violence against les-
bians. The attacks occurred in late Au-
gust and mid—September and you are
reading about them here in early No-
vember. At press time, mid—October,
both cases are still under investigation,
with the outcomes uncertain. We felt the
severity of the alleged attacks was im-
portant enough to merit an article, despite
the time lag.

We don’t always have a running theme to
the newsletter, though this month there
are several articles on the ways we create
families. The “traditional” American
family is a minority these days — recent
census data indicates that in 1988 only
27% of families fit the definition of two
straight parents living with their children.
The even more “traditional” definition in
which a husband is the “breadwinner”,
and mother stays home with two or more
biological children fits only 7.1% of

Name

households. We sometimes feel we are
on the forefront of change; the reality is
that there are as many types of ways to
create families as can be imagined and
they are in the majority. Just the re-
sponse to the formation of Vermont Les-
bian and Gay Parents has been phe-
nomenal; in the 9 months since it started
over 20 families have called for in-
formation and many have become regu-
lar participants. As my partner and I tell
our sons, and as beautifully described in
Moira’s article, what makes a family is
who you choose to live with and love.

As the only statewide paper serving the
lesbian, gay, and bisexual community,
Out in the Mountains relies on you, our
readers for leads on what is happening,
good and bad in our community. If you
know of something, please contact us
through our co-chairs Larry Wolf (563-
2938) Cheri Goldstein (229-0109) or
write us c/0 OITM, PO Box 177, Bur-
lington, VT 05402, so that we can pro-
vide as complete coverage as possible.

Deborah Laehman

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2.3

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