Out in the Mountains established in 199986’ _ ‘r-:ciiior2:i=re2i’»li;ui§r_.. .. , Businesstilanager: j Steven West Staff Members: Hugh Coyle David Grist S Ellen Bruce‘ I-Iowden Bennett Law Moira Paul Olsen Fred Pond Kip M. Roberson Cleland E. Selby Miki Thomas 0 Chris Tebbetts ‘ 1081-5562) is published monthly except for a Ju.iylAu9u§t,, issuef.1he newspaper at 109 South Winooski Avenue in Burfiiglpn. Our ,__PO qibx 177. " ’ . gO,ui§e—mail dféss ‘ ‘ is ‘ “M OutVer- mont@aoI.com. Buk rate postage for the mailing of the newspaper is paid in Bmlington. The ra1ieis$20 Peryearwiitiinthe Unibd Slams. © 1995, Out in tire Mountains. f I 2 Statement of Purpose. The purpose of Out in-ihe,'l_I_4loun- tainsistoserveasavo_ioefories- bians, gay men, bisexuals. and our the newspaper to .a.souro_e of tion. We also see orm'asa any material whieh broadens styles and’ of eaoh":6th'e"r. paper cannot andflnrill not_-”ejn- dorse anye‘_candidates ._an" ac- tions of public '0 "dials" ' gay men,arid bisexuals. L j ‘Z We will not publish any material which is ‘overtly ' racist, »_se’_xist, anti-Semitic,‘ ageist, . gclassist, or homophobic.__’ » ‘ . » p .- mav aPpear.ah§n ' “SW9 - pity will be ob“ we‘ ' out‘ In? The lllrfozuntarns (ISSN - combined . supporters in Vermont Weiwisb I infomiation, support hicle for celebration of tI1e}_§ood— ' ness and diversity of .Ie.sl;ian, .- say. and bisexual 33 Editorial pony ‘ We will considertor pubiiigition = our understanding "of our ifeg and »opinior_is appearing in paper ‘.l0.n6t‘neoessfiirllY:.fi.’4PI9.": sent those of the ,stafl‘."This' sues of importa,nce~‘to 1esbians,.. An. materiaI’sai:’.?sis!5-wiaiiesi; (request, -a‘ri,it:—.s_t,ric_ confide Jiaiésl From the Editor: To Infinity and Beyond Fred Kuhr BOSTON — In August 1994, I sat down to write my first editorial for Out In The Mountains. I called it “Welcome to Fantasy Island Now What?” because I wanted to celebrate the beauty, size, and political uniqueness of Vemiont, elements that make the Green Mountain State a very attractive and liveable place for many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. At the same time, I felt that the rural nature of ourstate makes it that much harder to come out and connect with others. Isolation and the closet were, and still are, our worst enemies. I still believe that communication is the key and that Out In The Mountains is part of the answer. This issue marks two very important milestones in the life of this newspaper. First, we can now officially celebrate 0ITM’s tenth birthday. Yes, if you have been keeping a copy of every issue from the beginning, you now have a decade’s worth. In February 1986, the very first issue of OITM was published with cover stories discussing new legislation introduced in the Vermont House of Representatives that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of HTLV—3 antibody test results and a scheduled meeting for anyone interested in discussing the mere possibility of civil rights legislation for our community. How far we have come. The other milestone, for better or worse depending upon your perspective, is that I will be stepping down aseditor after this issue. As you might have been able to tell from this month’s dateline, my partner and I have moved to Boston — an extremely difficult decision to make since we still both feel that Vermont is a very special place. Although a new editor has not been named as of press time, I hope to be working _ with the new editor on the March issue. In my time at OITM s editorial helm, I have become aware of how the newspaper needs to grow and change in order to survive. Fortunately we were able to accomplish some of those goals, such as switching from a newsletter format to that of an actual newspaper and becoming more aggressive in our reporting. In fact, last year OITM broke two stories that the mainstream press picked up on; that had never happened before. However, many steps on the journey to a more successful newspaper still remain untaken. To twist the words of the characters in Disney’s Toy Story, the newspaper is not really flying at the moment, merely falling with style. Here I would like to offer my thoughts on what needs to be done to insure the future success of 01 TM and what you can do to make it fly. Form a Board As a non—profit organization, Out In The Mountains, Inc., needs a board for a number of reasons. 1) The organizational structure is very weak. When I announced that I was leaving, people panicked. Why? Because no one is officially in charge of picking a new editor. In fact, no one is ultimately responsible for the newspaper. If this were a for—profit, things would be different; we would have a publisher who owned the newspaper. Technically, as a non—profit, the community owns the newspaper — and the role of a board is to represent the community. 2) A board would be able to help with long~range planning for the newspaper in conjunction with the editor and business manager. I would have loved to have done more long-range planning, but just being editor takes up too much time (especially for a position that is not paid). 3) A board could help raise money. Become a Volunteer Even though the ultimate goal is to pay the staff, we need more people involved with the newspaper on a volunteer basis until that happens — especially outside Chittenden County. Yes, I know that 0ITM is based out of Burlington and it’s hard to make contact with us if you are on the other side of the state. But if you want this newspaper to succeed, you must be proactive. Since we are all volunteers ourselves, we may not get back to you right away simply because we do not have the time. And you must be willing to be flexible. You may want to write book reviews, but we might really need representatives to sell ads. Ask yourself, what are you willing to do? Understand Deadlines The more information we have to put in the newspaper, the better the newspaper serves the community. If you want 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 us to cover an event, be aware that our deadlines are approximately a month before publication. That does not mean that you tell us a month before publication, that means you tell us so that we have ample time to get a story written. Also, be aware of stories that are happening in your local community that may be of interest to the newspaper and its readership. If I find out through the Brattleboro Area AIDS Project Newsletter, for example, of an event that is happening next week, that is a missed opportunity for everyone. Let us know in advance. Pay the Staff I realize that it is not solely up to you, the reader, to pay the staff. However, this is a goal that can and must be attained. The way we do it is by making the newspaper make more money. The newspaper can and must make more money with the help of more volunteers and a newly formed board. But how exactly does the newspaper make its money? Sell Ads and Buy Subscriptions That’s how the newspaper makes its money. How can you help? If you do not already subscribe, send in your form today. Get your friends to subscribe. As far as selling ads, which is where the bulk of our money comes from, you must be aggressive. Do you know businesses in your local community that might want to advertise? We will send you a copy of our ad rates and you be the salesperson. Or maybe you can join the board or the business staff and get more involved in the process. The possibilities are endless. This list of suggestions is certainly not exhaustive, and the answers are not simple ones. If you are a part of our readership, then hopefully you realize how important Out In The Mountains is to Verrnont’s greater g/l/b community. This newspaper was formed a decade ago as something by and for the community, and we are lucky to have it. With your help, and only with your help, OITM will surely fly for decades to come. To infinity and beyond good luck. V Letters to the Editor Unanimously Anonymous I read with interest the series of articles by Bennett Law about leadership in the gay and lesbian community. I was shocked, however, that so many of those “leaders” chose to remain anonymous with their comments. My friends and I ignored the comments of these anonymous individuals and will continue to do so if this trend continues. What good are anonymous leaders, or leaders who are afraid to speak their minds openly? Shame on you and shame on Mr. Law for not insisting that these so—ca_lled “leaders” put their names with their comments. These people have a responsibility to be open with their comments and feelings to speak for those of us who cannot do so. Anonymous Burlington V 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 GIGANT E, PH.D. Psychosynthesis Counseling & Therapy (802) 254 -8032 I5 Myrtle St., Brattleboro, VT 05301 ~ '|]II[IEII|X rising V V ' - spirited jewelry & gifts - " :9 V I04 main street, one flight up monlpelier 802.229.0522 T v ”Il doesn't matter who we love, it matters that we Iove.”