Out in the Mountains

‘VERMONT’S FORUM FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAAL AND TRANSGENDER ISSUES

 

' The Pride Parade will leave from Battery Park following a mid—day,

rally, and end up at the waterfront for the‘ afternoon festivities. At
press time, speakers and entertainers were still being finalized. Various
groups and organizations will also be on hand to sell crafts, distribute
information, and offer services throughout the afternoon.

Other Pride Day activities include an ecumenical worship service in the
Unitarian Universalist Church at 10:30 and a benefit concert by folk
singer Carole Eaglehart at 8:00 in the evening. 135 Pearl will also be the
site of a “Dance For AIDS” benefit the following day from 2-6 p.m.

Organizers are still scrambling to find last-nrinute volunteers and
funders for the massive celebration. If you can offer assistance in any
way, please call Bob at 802.865.3734 or Craig at 802.658.1602. V

Bill Restricts Marriage

by Hugh Coyle _
Georgia Republican Representative Bob Barr has introduced
legislation that would strictly limit marriage under federal law to
“one man and one woman.” The bill, still in draft form at press
time, would also allow individual states to disallow marriages
performed in any other state, despite their legality there. Rep.
Steve Largent (R-OK) and Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
are listed as cosponsors of the bill. President Clinton has said that
he would sign the bill if passed by the legislature.

The bill comes in response to Hawaii’s continuing court hearing on
the topic of same-sex unions. It is expected that the Aloha State
will pass legislation within the next two years permitting same-sex
couples to file for legal marriage.

A number of states have already considered legislation which .

would prohibit such recognition of same-sex unions. Though a
number have either struck down the bills or tabled them for further
study, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma, South
Dakota and Utah have all passed such laws. Vermont lawmakers
tabled the issue when it presented itself late in the legislative
session this year.

Barr emphasized that the bill, despite its “Defense of Marriage Act”
title, “does not outlaw same-sex marriage.” It would, however,
withhold federal tax, welfare, pension, health, immigration and
survivors’ benefits, thereby denying gay couples many of the civil
advantages of marriage.

The American Civil Liberties Union has already criticized the bill,
citing its obvious disregard for Article 4 of the United States
Constitution, which states that “full faith and credit shall be given
in each state to the public acts, records and judicial proceedings of
every other state.” Other critics of the billhave called it election
Year grand—standing — blatant attempts to exploit a hot topic for
the purpose of winning campaign dollars. “This is just clearly a
calculated, election-year assault on the lives of gay and lesbian
Americans,” 1 said Kim 1. Mills, a Human Rights Campaign
spokeswoman. Y

Local singer, Tamah, displays three of her tattoos.

{ Fl
Volume Xl, Number 4 June 1996 FREE
I ‘ I
Pride 95- Tattoos and You JUN 7 19%
I
Burlington Without Borders    bundle
(for large—scale
On Saturday, June 15th, Burlington’s waterfront will be home to tribal motifs) is
thousands of gay men, lesbian women, transgendered people, drag common.
queens, radical faeries, bisexuals, leatherrnen, HIV+ people, bull
dykes, and even some homosexually—challenged people as Pride ‘96 The area to be
comes to Vermont. . tattooed is
. cleaned, dis-
This year’s theme is “Pride Without Borders” and echoes the infected, and if
cross—cultural emphasis being promoted in Pride celebrations around , necessary,
the world. (For a list of other area ‘Pride Days, see the calendar shaved. The se—_
section.) - lected design is
. then, transferred
Group-sponsored floats and decorated automobiles will highlight the by one of sever-
parade through town, which willbe led by aBread and Puppet Theater al means, in-
construction. Twenty-five volunteers are needed to assist with the cluding free-
Bread and Puppet float; if you are interested, please contact the Pride hand drawing
‘96 organizers. Peter Thomas will also be assembling a g/1/b/t and a variety
Marching Band; if you’d like to take part, give him a call at of stencil tech-
802.878.1123. ‘ niques

Tattooing isn’t
: gory. If it were
oo bloody, the
, nk would wash
 out of the skin.

After the tattoo
is completed
and bandaged,

Photos and text by StaciAnne Visco

BURLINGTON -- Tlrey’re no longer just for the
bikers and the sailors. No longer for circus freaks,
rock stars and Maori warriors. "Mom" may not just
be tattooed on someone's arm, but may be tattooed
on mom herself.

In its most basic terms, tattooing is the process of
puncturing the skin and depositing pigments under
the surface. The modern method involves an electric,
hand—held tattoo machine, a lightweight metal tool
that looks like a mutant ballpoint pen and sounds
like a dentist's drill.

Tattoo needles are actually fine pins bound and sol-
deredtoformagnoupthatholds inlcThetypeof
design and personal style dictate the number of nee-

'dles used during the process, but anything from a
single needle (used in fine line tattooing) to a ‘

some blood and
ink will normally seep out Within a few weeks
the skin heals completely, and the owner is ready to
flaunt the new tattoo.

The levelof discomfort experienced depends on
both the placement and the receiver’s pain thresh-
old. Soft, fleshy areas like the biceps, buttocks and
shoulders are less sensitive than protected spots like
the underarm and inner thigh. Bony areas like the
ankle and spine are usually more painful. Everyone
has a different tolerance for pain, so reports vary
wildly.

The easiest way to find a reputable and talented tat-
tooist is to ask someone who has a tattoo you ad-
mire. Visit the local shops and look at photos of
completed works to see if they reflect a style you
like. Make sure that the workspace is clean and

Continued on page 10

Supreme Court Supports Gayllights

by Hugh Coyle

WASHINGTON -- On May 20, the United States
Supreme Court voted against a Colorado
constitutional amendment that sought to repeal
and prohibit legislation protecting the rights of gay
people. In a ruling of 6-3, the Justices found in
Romer vs. Evans that such an amendment violated

gay people’s right to equal protection under the

Constitution.

The decision has been hailed as a major civil rights
victory by ’ nearly every gay and lesbian
organization in the country. “We are jubilant,”

[ said Elizabeth Birch, Executive Director of the

Human Rights Campaign, adding, “This is an
outstanding moral victory. All the way to the
Supreme Court the tone of this country has
changed with regard to gays and lesbians...Gay
people are full citizens of this country and have to
be treated as such.” ' ’

News of the ruling quickly spread via phone trees
and Internet posting lists. As if to echo Birch’s
feeling of = elation, spontaneous parties and
celebrations took place in many major cities.

Justice,Anthony M. Kennedy wrote on behalf of

the Court’s decision, stating, “We must conclude ‘

that Amendment 2 classifies homosexuals not to
further a proper legislative end but to make them
unequal to everyone else. This Colorado cannot do.
A state cannot so deem a class of persons a
stranger to its laws."

Kennedy further stated that the Colorado
amendment “identifies persons by a single trait
and then denies them protection across the board.
It is not within our constitutional traditions to
enact laws of this sort...It is a classification of
persons undertaken for its own sake, something
the Equal Protection Clause does not permit,"

Joining Kennedy in support of the decision were
Justices John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor,
David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and
Stephen G. Breyer. Opposing the decision were
Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and
Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

In his opposing remarks, Justice Scalia resorted to
overused and misinformed rhetoric, claiming that

Continued on page 7