' iq:a;retna::qn.Maragen as Out in the Mountains established in 1986 Editor: Hughkcoyle Business Manager: . Steven West » s A . ’.~:D“aVid‘”Gri$;t Layout Artist: ‘ ““°' . Bruce Howden Staff Members: Tom Aloisl Joy Griffith Ellen’ Nat Harrison Moira Paul Olsen Kathie Sawyer Chris Tebbetts Staci Visco Out In The Mountains (ISSN 1081-5562) is published monthly by Mountain Pride,Media Inc. except for a combined JulylAugust issue. The newspqrer rra'n1ar'is offices at 109 South Winoosld Avenue in Burlington. Our mailing adciess is PO Box 177, VT Our e-mail address is ,OlTM@aol.com Bulk paid in Budington. Thesubscrpt:onrateis$20peryear wilhintheunitedstates. ’ ©1996, Out in the Mountains. I suppomersfin Vemiont. We hicle for ‘urine gay. bisex_uatarid’—tran , "E§‘.iA.t°r'a.‘."§'i]?_9 our understanding 0''. our life- and_ opinions appear ng in the tions of public officials on -.is- sues of importance to lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans- gendered persons. " Z We will not publish any material which is overtly-racist, sexist, homophobic. mav'appear‘anonvmouslvtupon ity will be observed. To subrnit‘Artieies . &fl.e’tters ’ » rate postageforthe mailing Statement of Purpose . I The purpose’5ofAf‘Ouf "in Mogun-i rains is to as a voice for"les- ' bians. 93!. gendered :f....:and ‘four 1 thenewspaper’ to be;faf.SOurce of‘ information, suppoitfand tion. We ‘also‘see',OI17Was a ve-. ness’.and;d’nrersity3of We. will consider for publication“ . any ;rn_at_erial_ =;wl1i¢':h'-' broa'dens__ styles_ and ‘Of each ‘at her. ,Vie’w's" paper do_.not necessarily 'repre~“ sent those of the staff. This paper cannot and will not en~” dorse any candidates and ac-‘.- anti-Semitic, ageist, classist__,._or, All materials subrnittecl a‘..s_:_ be.“ signed. However, within thejpag-”" es of the _. newspaper," articles‘ request, and ‘strict confidential- We encourag 'and"irnpl‘ore»'our‘;_: n-_ 1 Letters to the Editor Prideful Thanks Dear OITM: As a member of the organizing committee for Vermont's GLBT Pride celebration (but not acting as a spokesperson), I would like to share a few of my thoughts about what turned out to be a wonderful Saturday in June. By starting out late, with few volunteers, little time, and no money. no one is more amazed than the committee on the success of the day. While we acted as "hosts" — setting the date, obtaining sites and permits, and detennining logistics, it -was the enthusiasm and willingness of the greater community that made everything else possible. It was the people (individuals, organizations and businesses) who got us started financially by responding to the letters of requests for funds. It was organizations like Interweave, the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights, and the Men's Health Project for sponsoring Pride-related ‘events such as the Interfaith Pride Worship, the Carole Eagleheart concert, and the Dance for AIDS, respectively. It was businesses who bought ads in the Pride Guide or came to Battery Park to set up their tables. It was organizations publicizing the day to their members. It was the addition of Bread & Puppet to the march/parade (and they say they'll be back!). It was the carloads from Plattsburgh and Brattleboro, the karaoke carryin' convertible queens, all of the decorated vehicles, the marching band, the women on motorcycles, those carrying banners and signs, and all the other marchers (500 in all according to the Burlington Free Press — yeah, right). It was the speakers and entertainers at the rally before and afterwards. It was anyone who left that day thinking better about themselves or more a part of the greater GLBT community. There were things missing, of course. Signing for the hearing- impaired, opportunities for recycling, first aid facilities and souvenir shirts and buttons are already on the list of how to improve for next year's event. Yes, there are thoughts of next year at this early date. With some money left over, a more realistic view of possibilities, and the energy that comes from success, a core group of this year's committee has already met to brainstomt. At this time, what's needed most is input from those attending this year on what they would like to happen next June. All comments are welcome and should be sent to Vermont Pride, PO Box 5113, Burlington, VT 05402— 5113. Also, when attending this fall's “Our Town Meeting” in Brattleboro, look for the Pride table and sit in on the Pride Caucus. Things can only happen when people do something. Sincerely, Bob Bolyard Burlington Crisis at Goddard Dear OITM: Goddard College in Plainfield, VT, has been destroyed by its President, Richard Greene. Greene has turned this once progressive college into nothing in a matter of the two years since he came into power. As of two weeks ago, all faculty in nearly all progressive areas of study have been eliminated. These include: An, Ceramics, Multicultural Studies, Queer Studies, Music, History, Video/Film, Womyn's Studies, Writing, and others. He fired faculty who were trying to unionize in response to his inhuman policies and treatments. Some were gay or lesbian, some were merely outspoken. He handed them a letter and gave some of them only a half hour to pack up and leave. He banned three of the fired sixteen from campus (these were the union organizers). One of the tired faculty foundout that she was terminated through reading the local newspaper. Goddard is a very small school with limited resources. With all of these firings we have nothing. Greene stole Goddard from us. It seems that his wishes are to make it something it is not. Goddard was created to be a place to practice Democracy, a place where community meant something. We have new students coming in September who haven't even been told that there is no one left to teach in their programs of interest. They are advertising a place that no longer exists. I have only been here for one semester and I know that if they had told me the truth about Goddard when I was a prospective student, I wouldn't have to be looking for another college to attend; I would have seen that Goddard did not have what I needed from the start. Richard Greene uses intimidation and threats to keep the students, faculty, and staff silent. I can't stay silent any longer. Greene, hates me as a young lesbian of the Goddard community and he wants to take away my freedom. We no longer have freedom of speech here. If we speak, we get stepped on or fired. This is not the Goddard they advertise. This is not the Goddard that so many people care for and love. This is not Goddard. Pam Ungcr Plainfield, Vermont Harassment Coverage Incomplete Dear OITM, We were angry and appalled to read your article “Teen Charges Lesbian Teacher with Harassment.” Cindy Smith happens to be a dear friend of ours and you did Cindy and all other gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people an incredible disservice by merely repeating the misinformation you received. The incident which you report, when thoroughly researched, is clearly not about sexual harassment — it is about homophobia. In your lack of attention to covering the accuracy of the information, you perpetuated and promoted more stereotypical, homophobic myths. This is outrageous from a paper for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. Quite honestly we would have expected such a biased article from a more traditional paper. In fact, the Burlington Free Press offered a more balanced and accurate story several weeks after your debacle. While there is no way to make up for your shortsighted choice, we feel you owe Cindy Smith and all of us a more accurate reporting of this case. Faith 1. Brown Jennifer F. 5iIpe Underhill, Vermont Editor’s Response: News of the harassment story came in just as OITM was going to press for the May issue. Care was taken to ensure that we reported on QQQ of harassment, not on harassment itself To insinuate that we treated Ms. Smith as guilty of the charge is a harsh misreading of the story. Without detailed infomiation, OITM can not and will not ofier any judgment on this matter, innocent or guilty. Hence, our limited, objective coverage. Since every news station and paper in the state had covered the story, we felt we needed to address it as well. I am pleased that the mainstream press was able to present its own balanced coverage weeks after the story became known to us. OITM apologizes for its own limitations as a volunteer-run monthly publication. We deal with many controversial issues and expect that occasionally we will touch a nerve in our community. To vent anger and frustration at the paper and not at those who truly perpetuate homophobia in our state, however, seems quite misguided. We stand by our original story, and hope that it may serve as a call to action for those in Ms. Smith ’s community who can be of greatest assistance. T Dear OITM, I’d like to provide readers with another perspective on the story about the lesbian teacher in Barton who is being sued for sexual assault. Before the incident became big news, a student from the school described it to me. Her version had a very different, tone to it: Several students and teachers were joking around about the current teen style of wearing baggy pants low on the waist. One student was dressed like this, and a teacher said to her, “You’d better watch out or someone’s gonna give’em a tug,” and teasingly did so. To everyone’s surprise, the pants fell down. The teacher’s “I just couldn’t resist” comment was a sheepish, apologetic one about baggy pants. ' While this incident may constitute sexual harassment in a strict sense, it apparently was not the sleazy assault some have made it out to be. Homophobia is a powerful force. Sincerely, Gwen Gifford Burlington, Vennont Susan McKenzie MS. Licensed Psychologist—Master Experienced therapist specializing in the individual and relationship issues of Lesbian Women and Gay Men Quechee Montpelier Norwich I 802 295-5533 Insurance Accepted-Sliding Fee Scale 2 Arcadia House.V Elegant Accommodations PO Box 520 VHyde Park, VT 05655 V802-888-9147 John Towne VEd Pepe Vlnnkeepers A’ 4-e." _ 25 acres Vpond Vmeadows Vtrails Vriver ipece & privacy. _