Out in the Mountains

Vermont Women

Continued from page 1

All four women went to the conference with the
expectation of networking with other women. "I
guess for myself, I never had a lot of faith in
official documents though I wanted to influence
this one (the UN document on women's rights
drawn up at the UN conference)," said Luhrs, "but
for me, the thing was to go and network with other
women." Isgro concurred, "(I) wanted to hear
women's stories and celebrate women's lives."

Betgevargiz attended the conference as part of the
Assyrian—American Federation and so her focus
was on meeting other Middle Eastern women. For
the first time, the conference had a workshop for
Assyrian women at which they were able to
express their concerns about surviving as
Christians in fundamentalist Islamic countries
such as Iraq, where they are indigenous people.

A lesbian dance was held in Beijing -— a first for
China -— which was followed by a lesbian march

.Nearly 400 lesbians marched and sung slogans,

such as "Liberty, equality, homosexuality!" in

English, French, and Spanish. Earlier that day, a

group of approximately 30 fundamentalist
Islamic women held a demonstration denouncing
abortion and gay rights.

 

Luhrs had an encounter with a Chinese woman outside the lesbian
tent who wondered about the meaning of the word ''lesbian'' and if
it was a common word in English. Luhrs explained what it meant
and that it is not only a common word in English, but has
equivalents in other languages such as French and German.
"Lesbian" does not exist in the Chinese language.

Overall, the reaction to the lesbian presence was positive with the
exception of the Iranian government and the Vatican. Although
many African women often debated whether homosexuality existed
in their communities, many applauded during the lesbian march.

A Lesbian and Bisexual Women Bill of Rights was drawn up and I

signed by women representing 47 countries as a means of letting
delegates at the UN conference know about issues affecting the

.lesbian and bisexual communities. The document's demands

include recognizing the "freedom to determine one's own sexuality
as an inalienable human right and a necessary precondition for

equality, development, and peace;" recognizing
and integrating the needs and concerns of women
of all sexual orientations on the platform;
directing government, non-government, and
intengovernment organizations to develop
policies and programs based on the platform; and
pledging a commitment to a concrete plan of
action for women everywhere.

The message of the lesbians at the conference
was that lesbian rights are women's rights which,
in turn, are human rights. Speakers made the
point that women are often the victims of
economic forces, usually manipulated by
multinational corporations and banking interests
where money is often taken from women and
children and given to the white males in power.

In developing countries, this is called "structural ,

readjustment;" in this country, the women said,
"it's called welfare reform." Another concern was
fundamentalist movements that force women into
roles dictated by a patriarchal interpretation of
religion or politics.

According to Luhrs, representatives of different
cultures at the conference agreed that the abuse of
women should not be tolerated in any culture.
"They want respect," said Luhrs, "and to have
their rights be human rights." Isgro discovered
that women all over the world have the same
concerns, "We're all working for equality at the
same level." V

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Gay youth and
Vermont NEA

Cleland E. Selby

SPRINGFIELD -- “Gay kids are
getting hurt bad!” according to
Jeff Lavin, a teacher at Springfield
High School. For the past few
years Lavin and Marilyn Gillis, a
teacher at Milton High School,
have been responsible for
Vermont National Education
Association sponsored workshops
focused upon g/l/b youth issues.
Lavin and Gillis have devoted
themselves to this cause, including
trainings at national conferences,
and bring to Vermont educators a
passion for the issues g/l/b youth

face in our society, most
especially in their homes and their
schools.

When asked about the obstacles
Vermont teachers face when they
advocate for gay youth, without
hesitation Lavin responded with
“people’s religious convictions.”
One way Lavin helps teachers
deal with this issue is by
suggesting that teachers say,
“Let’s put the religious issues
aside for just a moment and let’s
talk instead about how these kids
are getting wiped out.” Lavin
stated that he sees his “role as a
teacher to improve society. Had I
taught in the 60s, the issue would
have been civil rights. This is the
civil rights issue of the 90s.”

Lavin grew up in a Jewish family
and has firsthand experience as a
minority in his community and
school. He readily acknowledges,
however, that being Jewish and
being gay are very different issues.
Jewish kids have the protection of
their Jewish family even if they
live in a predominantly
non-Jewish community. Gay
youth do not have those
protections and support systems.
Lavin also provided statistical
information about the “high risks”
for gay youth in schools toda --

homelessness, and low
self—esteem.

Iavin's and Gillis‘ workshops have
been well attended, reflecting the
growing concern among some
school professionals about the
hatefulness that many g/I/b youth
endure in their homes, their
schools, and their communities.

illegal drugs and alcohol, suicide, ,