Out in the Mountains OITM Roundup: State, National and World News Briefs compiled by Kip M. Roberson 01 TM Staff Pro-gay bishop charged with anti-gay bias SHERBURNE —- One of the most outspokenly pro—gay bishops, who is also the first female diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church, has been accused of discrimination based on sex and sexual orientation. The Rev. Richard Lacava was removed as Vicar of the Church of Our Saviour in Sherburne, VT, by his bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mary Adelia McLeod, on Palm Sunday, 1995. He had been at Our Saviour since late 1992. He was replaced by a woman. In May of last year, he filed a lawsuit against Bishop McLeod and the diocese for $2.2 million. He alleged discrimination based on his being male and being openly gay. Thomas Little, an attorney representing the diocese, denied that sex or sexual orientation had anything to do with the removal. Little said the priest was removed because of “very serious concerns among the members of the (church) over his abilities to fulfill his obligations as an Episcopal priest.” You don't get it from coffee cups. You ps in a school I don’: get it from .8‘ The obvious irony is that accusations of bigotry have fallen on a bishop whose installation was hailed as a triumph for equal rights. Fifteen hundred people cheered joyfully at McLeod’s consecration in Bur1ington’s Flynn Theater on All Saints’ Day in 1993. Lacava has a history of mental illness and is being treated for depression. He said, however, that his own therapist and a psychologist hired by the diocese had both indicated that he was capable of returning to work and that he was unclear why he was removed. According to Lacava, he was told in conversation with the bishop about six months before his_removal that he didn’t “recognize boundaries” and had violated unspecified confidences of parishioners. “For me now, it’s an issue of justice and righteousness,” Lacava said. “It’s not an issue of anger anymore. I’ve cleansed myself of the anger.” (The Voice of Integrity/Valley News) Gaying the Olympics ATLANTA, GA —— If gay advisers to Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell get their way, the city will set up a welcome center for gay and lesbian athletes and tourists at the 1996 Olympic Games. The idea came from a panel of lesbian and gay advisers who meet monthly, reports the Atlanta gay newspaper Southern Voice. The panel wanted a way to reach sexual minorities visiting Atlanta for the games. hands, kissing, sneezing. w3ré,sfit~ngo; dancing. ‘ N , x _ According to the Surgeon Generavlg your best pro‘ ection against AlDS,‘ ‘A i h the air or Main Street, R0. The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) has agreed to allow the sale of gay and lesbian publications at a newsstand inside the Olympic village where athletes will be housed. ACOG declined to make arrangements for gay and lesbian tourists, however, stating that hospitality is the responsibility of local and state tourism boards. The panel hopes to outfit a space with an automatic teller machine, information about Olympic events, community information, a concierge service for visitors and, perhaps, housing assistance. (Prism Newsletter) Disney offers benefits for gay partners BURBANK, CA — Gay employees of the Walt Disney Company learned in October that they will soon be able to put their partners, and the dependent children of their partners, on their employer health insurance plan. The announcement triggered criticism from religious figures such as the Rev. Lou Sheldon, a prominent foe of gay rights, and fifteen Florida legislators. “With the understanding that the homosexual agenda has penetrated Hollywood, it should come as no surprise that Disney now supports anti-family values,” Sheldon said, ' according to an Associated Press report. “Disney is no longer Walt Disney; it is a secular anti—fatnily corporation.” Health Resources AIDS HOTLINESZ Vermont 800-882-2437 New Hampshire 800-752-2437 New York State 800-541-2437 Massachusetts 617-522-4090 Maine 800-851-2437 National 800-342-2437 Canadian 613-563-2437 AIDS Community Awareness Project (ACAP) PO Box 608 St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 (802) 748-1149 AIDS Community Resource Network (ACoRN) PO Box 2057 Lebanon, NH 03766 (603) 448-2220 Bennington Area AIDS Project PO Box 1066 Bennington, VT 05201 (802) 442-4481 or 1-800-845-2437 Brattleboro AIDS Project PO Box 1486 Brattleboro, VT 05302 _ (802) 254-4444 (Helpline) (802) 254-8263 (Office) Franklin-Grand Isle AIDS Task Force P. O. Box 241, St. Albans, VT 05478 (800) 524-7742 - (802)638-7834 Gay/Lesbian Alcoholics Anonymous GLAA, PO. Box 5653 Burlington, VT 05402 (802) 658-4221 Lesbian Cancer Support Group (802) 660-8386 North Star (Holistic Health Care) RR2 Box 3255 Morrisville, VT 05661 (802) 888-2858 Vermont AIDS Council PO Box 275 Montpelier VT 05601 (802) 229-2557 Vermont C.A.R.E.S. (Committee for AIDS Resources, Education, and Services) PO Box 5248 - 37 Elmwood Ave., Bur- lington, VT 05401 (802) 863-2437 (Burlington) 1-800-649-2437 (VT) Vermont Department of Health 1-800-882-2437 (AIDS Hotline) or (802) 863-7245 (AIDS Program office) VT PWA Coalition PO Box 11 Montpelier, VT 05452 1-800-69-VT-PWA or (802) 229-5754 Vermont Women’s Health Center 336 North Avenue Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 863-1386