Out in the Mountains outintheuouniains established in 1986 * Editor; Fred'Kuhr Business Manager: Steven West Staff Members: Hugh Coyle David Grist Ellen Bruce Howden Bennett Law Moira Paul Olsen Fred Pond Kip M. Roberson Cleland E. Selby Miki Thomas Chris Tebbetts Out In The Mountains (ISSN 1081-5562) is published monthly except for a combined July/August issue. The newspqaer maintaiis ollices at 109 South Winooslci Avenue in Btrfingliort Our mailing adiiess is PO Box 177, Burlington VT 05402. Our e-mail address is OutVer- mont@aoI.com. Bufit rate postage for the mailing of the newspaper is paid in Bin-Iington. The subscription raieis$20Perveamiihintheunrted Stabs. ©1995, Out in the Mountains. Statement of Purpose The purpose of Out in the Moun- rains is to serve as a voice for les- bians, gay men, bisexuals, and our supporters in Vermont We wish thenewspapertobeasouroeof information, support and affinna- tion. We also see OITM as a ve- hicle for celebration of me good- ness and diversity of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual cornmunities. Editorial Policy I . we willeonsider“i§i:»pubiie¢iiionI any material .Whl.°h" broade our understanding {of ou life; gay men, and bisexuals. we win ,notI'publIshfV_any infaiegriai ; which is overtly racist, .s'e_xist, 1 anti-Semitic, ageist, classist, or homophobic. ' ‘ 4 All materials submitted signed. However, within theipag-, " es of the newspaper, articles‘ may appear anonym'ously,gu'pon request, and strict confidential- ity will be observed. To Submit Articles . 1 I & Letters We encourage and implore our readers to do whatwthey can to make OITM a paperboth for and by gay, lesblanyand bisexual’ Vermonters. Please ‘assist us by typing, your articles and letters double-spaced and including your name and phone number in case we have any’.ques_tions. Thank you for helping out Materials should eisen Out in the Mo "rains" If you would I ‘ 01.77"» r APl°F5°. rates, ‘ iies,-. A 6399 or _BruceC' _ _ design at(802) 658-1556. ; g Read aim I Montchly A . From the Editor: Anatomy of Our G/LIB Press Fred Kuhr WINOOSKI -- "Are we publishing to keep g/l/b/t‘s in the state of Vermont (and surrounding rural areas) in touch with each other and the relevant happenings in Vcmionl, or is its purpose to ‘clcanse‘ our real lives of enough detail in order to make them palatable to those we hope to 'educaIe'?" The above was written by a New Hampshire reader concerning last year's Dykes T 0 Watclz Out For controversy. After OITM printed a Letter to the Editor from a Rutland reader who claimed the comic strip was in "poor taste" and "not appropriate" for this newspaper, we received many more letters in support of Alison Bechde1's work. Most of those letters echoed the same sentiment —- asked simply, "What is the purpose of Out In The Mountains?" This question, however, reaches far beyond whether or not to publish a particular cartoon. Take an extreme case as an example. Let's say that in our very safe state, a slew of murders were committed up and down the Green Mountains, from Derby to Dummerston. Of course, any Green Mountain Serial Killer would be considered news by the likes of the Caledonia Record and the Brattleboro Reformer. But would the story make OITM? Probably not, unless the victims were mostly gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Well, what if the GMSK, once caught, turned out to be gay? How would our community react? What would our community do? And how would OITM, our community newspaper, cover the story? Would it become a page one headline, a small feature story inside, or a noticeable omission? Recently, Out In The Mountains has come up against criticism for covering, or just merely mentioning, certain aspects of Vermont's g/l/b community because they reflect negatively upon the community. The most obvious example is (yes, dare I mention it again) Babsgate. When OITM ran the story back in June of last year detailing the Pride Committee's decision to invite and subsequently 'disinvite' Lieutenant Governor Barbara Snelling to speak at the Pride Rally, 0ITM received criticism not only for the positions taken on the editorial pages, but also for the decision to run the story. Readers told me that the story made our community seem unorganized and politically naive —— just the kind of A ammunition for which our enemies in the Religious Right are looking. . In one Letter to the Editor, OI TM was labelled "sadly out of touch." More recently, OITM has caught flack for other mentions of community dark spots, including scuffles at Vermont CARES, the state's largest ADDS service organization, and the Vermont Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights (VCLGR). Frankly, I am confused by some people's anger with OITM when we cover or make references to our community's conflicts and failures. Is our community really that perfect and blemish-free? As gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, are we so special that we are above questioning and scrutiny —— even from each other? On this topic, three aspects make for a successful g/I/b newspaper, or any newspaper for that matter. 1) Responsibility —— As reporters and editors, we are ultimately responsible to our readers. You depend on us for accurate and complete infonnation, even more important in our most rural and isolating state in the nation. 2) Accountability —— Not only are we accountable to you, our readers (for the work we do is always "in the news"), but we help keep our community's leaders accountable to those they lead. 3) Truth —— If we neglect to report the truth, or if we choose not to report the truth for the sake of eliminating the negative and whitewashing our image, then we perform a grand disservice to the community. If this were the case, then why even bother publishing? Jeff Yarbrough, Editor in Chief of The Advocate, once wrote, "In presenting a scrubbed version of gay and lesbian life to the world —— and especially to ourselves -— we're only damaging our movement in the long run." We will only win our struggle for basic human rights once society at large accepts us for who and what we are —— both the good and the had. We cannot expect others to accept us, however, until we first learn to accept ourselves. V Susan McKenzie MS. Licensed Psychologist—Master Experienced therapist specializing in the individual and relationship issues of Lesbian Women and Gay Men Quechee Montpelier Norwich 8 0 2 2 9 5 - 5 5 3 3 Insurance Accepted-Sliding Fee Scale Letters to the Editor Life's a Party In past issues of this paper references were made concerning the lack of political activity of VGSA (Vermont Gay Soc] l Alternatives). First in the whimsical "Vermont Trash TV" (Polit_Yc'al,A_/GSA " ', ’ * 7; .-e Members) and then in the fantasian, "A Queer Holiday List" .(V;G,SA_: _ . .«. Political Activity). Thank you, Paul Olsen, for the affirmation. As a member of the Steering Committee of VGSA, I'm writing to concur, "Yes, we are non—poli[ical." As our Article of Agreement proclaims, "The purpose of our group is to provide occasions for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals to meet in comfortable, non—threaiening surroundings." No mention of a mission to change the world nor push an agenda, just an opportunity for individuals in our community to get together —— to meet, to exchange ideas, and to share like experiences. Many of our members, including Mr. Olsen, are politically active. They don't need VGSA to speak for them (or to them) concerning things that don't involve our organization's purpose "to provide occasions for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals to meet, etc." But if Paul or any other member would like to organize a monthly political discussion group for members of VGSA, I'd be one of the first to sign up. VGSA connects people with like interests, skills and hobbies. Over the past five years hundreds of people have met through VGSA ~- establishing friendships, discovering new interests and widening their network of acquaintances While I do believe we need political activity within the g/1/b community, I also know that we need bowling nights, brunches, discussion groups, hikes, dining out and movie nights, New Year's Eve—nts and cruises. The word "party" needn't be reserved for political affiliation. 5017 Bolyard Burlington ***** Life's a Drag It was with great surprise and pride that I discovered that one of the Sisters LeMay was selected "Best Drag Queen" in your paper's annual "Best and Worst Of Gay Vermont." Having long been an admirer of Mr. Olsen's tastes and sensibilities, it was even more flattering that he singled out one of our outfits in the acknowledgment. Credit for our marvelous wardrobe must go to my dear sister, Marguerite. As our fashion designer, she continues to allow us to look our best. Being the larger boned female-impaired variety of drag queens, it's difficult for us to look as good as we sing —— but she pulls it off. As a matter of fact, Margucr1'te's fashions have become so popular that there's a special "LeMay Way" line of clothing being featured at Peggy's Plump and Proud located in the Ethan Allen Green Mountain Champlain Valley Maple Apple Tree Farm Commons strip mall on Route 7 just outside of Milton Amber LcMay Burlington V /44¢aa'a.€e¢ 6» zecaaeuy Janet K. Brown, M. A., c. A. D.C. LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST - MASTER_ CERTIFIED ALCOHOL AND DRUG COUNSELOR Jean Townsend, M.A., L.c.M.H.c LICENSED CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR Milton, VT (802) 893-4816 Burlington, VT (802) 863-8162 MICHAEL GI GAN TE, PH.D. Psychosynthesis Counseling & Therapy (802) 254 -8032 15 Myrtle St., Brattleboro, VT 05301 Lesbian , Gay (5 épiritcd dCWCll'y 6 Gifts Dhocnlir Dlilll 104 Main Street 0 Montpelier 05602 Susan K. Lawrence - Proprietor - 802-229-0522 is, it