WILB HQ75 .0971 Out in the Mountai APR 1 1 I997 VERMONT'S FORUM FOR LESBIANS, GAY MEN, BISEXUALS, TRANSGENDERISTS, DYKES, DRAG QUEENS, BUTCHES, FEMMES, HETS, QUEENS, QUEERS, FAIRIES, PRE-OPS, POST-OPS, NON-OPS, TRANSSEXUALS, TRANSVESTITES, TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE, WOMYN, WIMMIN, SISSIES, BEARS, TWINKIES, JOCKS, LEATHERMEN, DRAG KINGS, HE-SHES, HERMAPHRODITES, SHE-MALES, LIPSTICK LEZZIES, AND FEMALE ILLUSIONISTS. (Did we miss anyone?) Volume Xll, Number 2 April Fool’s Edition l997 FREE Coalition Plans Visibility Day VCLGR Coalition Notes by David Gramling, North Central Representative for the Vermont Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights The following words come to you regarding the “where-we—are—now” of the Vermont Coalition for Les- bian and Gay Rights. Since the fundamental goal of_the Coalition continues to be to amplify the presence of gay and lesbian people, organizations, and culture in our towns and state, we will be checking in monthly with you, the readers of Out in the Mountains. Most immediately, Gay and Lesbian Visibility Day at the State House in Montpelier will take place on Tues- day, April 15. This is an important and unique day for our community as the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans people in Vermont move into the foreground of legislators’ attention. A diverse turnout of glbtq folks out- side the legislative chambers throughout the day will galvanize VCLGR’s lobbying work. VCLGR’s Co-Liai- sons to the government, Keith Goslant of Montpelier ‘and Virginia Renfrew of Warren, are at the State House each week checking in with state Senators and Legis- lators regarding their support, non—support, and/or op- position to gay— affirmative legislation. This 1997 legislative year is one of emergence — if not one of emergency — as state legislatures around the United States are quietly organizing and encamping in response to the Hawaii District Court’s pending decision to allow three same-gender couples the freedom of a civil marriage in that state. A m~ini—Defense of Mar- riage Act has already been introduced in the Vermont legislature, and it is important for each of us to contact our state Reps and Senators to voice our opposition to ‘his bl” CONTINUED, page 7 Tartt Takes on Tuttle! Vermont icon and movie star Fred Ttrttle was the guest of honor at a recent . taping of the “Cherie and Yolanda Show.’ ’ The show airs regularly on ' Adelphia Cablevision and ’ _ features media and the ever-ostentatious Yolanda. Another guest. at thetaping of this i show was local poet, musician and DJ cRAIG mITCHELL. Craig appeared to promote his upcoming CD release , entitled Naked. Join them at i i 135 Pearl for tapings. Photo by StaciAnne Visco “The Rape Never Ended”: A Vermont Lesbian Recalls the Effects of Rape As told to ‘Joy D. Griffith, in observance of Sexual Assault Month This is a story that my mother didn’t tell me until my father had died. Although I knew that my mother had a baby before she had me. It wasillegitimate. This is what they termed » a girl who got pregnant. . .it was a real disgrace. My father threatened to kill her if she ever told me the story of this other child. I think she was afraid of my father because he was a violentman, The story was that when she was 17 years old, she was raped. She worked as a waitress. She grew up in this small town. My mother is 93 years old, so we're talking about a lot of years. She said there was a railroad man who used to come in and try to date her, but she never wanted to go out with him. A cousin of hers fixed her up on a blind date one night, and sure enough, the blind date was this railroad man. She still has very, very strong memories ofthat man. She said she thinks they went to a “Tourist Home,” because in those days they didn’t have motels. It was dark, and he raped her. The result of that rape was a pregnancy. Her cousin and her cousin’s date‘ apparently were in collusion with this whole thing. They set her up with this guy and they knew what was happening, but they never came to her rescue. She was so very scared and kept sayinghow awful it was. I asked my mother if she pressed charges against this guy and she said, “Oh no!” He got away scot-free. When she found out that she was pregnant, her family threw her out. They wanted nothing to do with her in spite of the fact that the pregnancy was due to a rape. She went to live with a woman who was an aunt by marriage. This aunt took her in and let her stay with her until she hadthe baby. Actually ‘ e kept my mother and the baby for three months after the birth. ‘ t In the meantime, my mother had met my father and he wanted to many her, but he wasn’t going to have anything to do with this baby. My mother never told my father that the baby was due to a rape; he just knew that she had a baby and he wanted nothing to do with it. He said that she had to give the baby up and then he would many her. So the aunt arranged an adoption and the baby was given to a couple who then subsequently moved away. Then my father married my mother. He was not a nice man in a lot of ways. My mother immediately got pregnant, and I was the result of that preg- nancy. My mother had me about nine months after she gave up the other little girl, whom she had named Ruth. She did not want me. She didn’t want to be pregnant again. And she cer— tainly didn’t want another little girl, because there was no way I could replace the baby, she had to give up. My mother never bonded with me, and we talked about the fact that she didn’t really want me. Consequently, I was my father ’s favorite child, but my mother never really cared that much for me. Shejust could not really accept another girl .‘ This rape never ended. Even now she wakes up in the middle of the night screaming. As soon as it gets dusk, all the shades in the house have to be pulled and all the-doors have to be locked. She has nightmares; she wakes up screaming, “No, no, no!” For 76 years, this rape has affected her, where she has felt forced to stay with this man that she had married because she didn’t know what else to do. She was a tainted woman. She had an illegitimate baby, and this guy took her in so she was beholding. He was violent, he was violent toward her! Later, when my mother gave birth to my younger sister, she was included in the effects of this rape. My mother leaned on my sister and me a whole lot about not trusting men. “Be careful, men only want one thing.” I was taught this all my life and I’m sure that was the result of her rape, too; that was her only experience with men. They rape you, they get you preg- nant. and they’re out of there! They only want one thing...they want sex from women. Certainly it affected me that way, and it also made my sister and I afraid ’ CONTINUED. page 5 tr , maven Cherie Tartt