v I ‘. J. . 5. 9. s 6 — OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — SEPTEMBER 1997 Leah Wittenberg Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Psychotherapy for Individuals and Couples Lesbians Considering Parenthood Body Centered Psychotherapy 2 Church St. Burlington (802) 865-4568 Associates in Recovery Janet K. Brown, C.A.D.C. LiCENSED*-PSYCHOLOGIST - MASTER ' . CERTIFIED ALCOHOL AND onus couwsaon Jean Townsend; M.A., L.C.M.H.C. 5‘ UCENSED CUNiCAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR Buriington. Vermont (802) 8o3~8Eo2 Milton, Vermont (802) 893-4816- Snsan.McKenzie MS. Licensed Psychologist-Master Experienced therapist specializing in the Endivfduai and relationship issues of Lesbian Women and Gay Men Quechee Montpelier ,ss2 295-5533 Insurance Accepted-Sliding fee Scale . Norwich WoMEN*s7CHo1CE GYN/ECOLOGIC Assoctmss 3‘, 23 Mansfield Avenue, . B ’ Cheryl A. Gibson MD. 'umngt°n' V§g2% : 1 Susan F. Smith MD. Fax:802-868-4951 A Compreliezzsfive Obsfctricczl 8 C_z;twcoIogz'cai Services in a Sun!!! Pr:3cf'icc Setting Since 1972. VERMONT WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTER 336 North Avenue Burlington Vermont 05401 802 0 863 0 1386 Carol L. Thoyer, M.D. Family Physician PERMANENT}? ‘... Community 'HealthP|an NORTHEAST DIVISION Georgia Health Center RR#2, Box H60 Fairfax, VT 05454 Tel: 802/524-9595 Fax: 802/524-2867 KAISER Crime With the July 15 slaying of Gianni Versace, one of the nation's highest profile gay se- rial murder cases began draw- ing to a close. Authorities quickly identi- fied Andrew Cunanan as their most likely suspect and a mas- sive nationwide manhunt fol- lowed. That ended on July 23 when police surrounded a Miami Beach house boat and eventu- ally found Cunanan inside. He was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The FBI linked Cunanan, 27, ‘ with the murders of Versace, Jeffrey Trail and David Madson in Minnesota; devel- oper Lee Miglin in Chicago; and cemetery caretaker Will- iam Reese in New Jersey. 7 Comics Queer content on the comics pages is causing contro- versy again. Universal Press Syndi- cate notified its 1,700 newspa- pers that the ”For Better or For Worse” would devote a four- day sequence to a gay relation- ship and several editors imme- diately said they would not run the strips. , > Comic strip creator Lynn Johnston created a controversy in 1993 when a 17-year-old character, Lawrence, revealed he was gay. From Aug. 20-23, the comic strip focused on Lawrence and his boyfriend, Ben, who is considering mov- ing to Paris to study piano. Universal Press said at least 20 daily newspapers told it they would not run those strips and would use syndi- cate-supplied reruns from 1995, instead. ”It is a decision that took a lot of thought on our part,” said John Goossen, publisher of The Topeka (Kan) Capital- Journal. ”We kind of looked at what we feel the standards of the community are.” Officer dismissed A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army was dismissed one week before he would have retired because he was gay. The Army concluded that Steve Loomis, 50, of Killeen, Texas, had engaged in conduct unbecoming an officer. Loomis received and ”other than honorable dis- charge” after an Army board of inquiry concluded that the 20- year veteran engaged in gay sex and use of ”force, coercion or intimidation.” Loomis said he was tar- geted simply because he was gay. ”In my case, it was pri- vate relations with another sol- dier, off-post, off-duty, not in my chain of command and they say conduct unbecoming — read that ’sodomy’," Loomis said. ”But how many single soldiers or married soldiers do exactly the same thing? And how many of them have it held against them?” Pastor convicted A Baptist pastor who gained notoriety going after the Walt Disney Co. for its gay- friendly policies got into trouble with the law himself. A jury in Fullerton, Calif., convicted the Rev. Wiley Drake for breaking zoning laws by housing the homeless at his church. Drake, 53, faces a maxi- mum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each of the convictions. The pros- ecutor said he would seek pro- bation. ' About 30 people stay on the property of the First South- ern Baptist Church in Buena Park, CA, which is in a com- mercially zoned area. Hun- dreds of other poor come each month for food, clothes, coun- seling and help in finding jobs. Drake led a boycott against Disney for its gay poli- . cies. Don’t ask The Pentagon says it's reviewing enforcement of its ”don’t ask, don't tell” policy. The regulation has been criticized by gays who say they continue to be targeted for punishment and dismissal. The Pentagon began the review in May because mili- tary discharges for homosexu- ality reached a five-year high of 850 in 1_996. The military is looking into how the policy was applied in those cases. ”We’re reviewing the en- forcement of the policy, not the policy itself,” said Defense Department spokeswoman Monica Aloisio. ”We think the policy works fine. We have no intention of changing it.” Vermont Lesbians Win Twice Over very June, Golden E Threaders and their women friends con- verge in Provincetown, MA, where they clelebratevwhat they are and their ages. GOLDEN THREADS is a worldwide friendship network for lesbi- ans over 50, and younger les- bians — no woman is excluded because of age — lesbians through their eighties and be- yond enjoy the celebration. The Eleventh annual GOLDEN THREADS Celebra- tion took place at the Provincetown Inn on June 27- 29, 1997. Provincetown, affec- tionately called ”P-town” by the many lesbians and who live and visit there, is known for its charm and its history. It is a town where we can openly be ourselves. The streets are ours, the town is ours — free to be who we are. The Golden Threads Cel- ebration included a Thursday night party in the P-town Inn, Fore and Aft Room. This is where Vermont lesbians began to take charge. We planned a BY Joy D. GRIFFITH singles activity ”get ac- quainted” session, under the expert guidance of Vermont's Maryann Parrott, psychothera- pist / counselor, for Friday and on Saturday. Those ”singles” really got into the fun and games-of meeting each other r- r-r-ight away! On Saturday morning, 45 lesbians came running into The Porch Café Room carrying their pillows to follow direc- tions from Vermont's very own Susan Hollister (anatomy mas- sage expert) and Anne Sheehan (muscular therapist supreme). Susan and Anne showed (that's right...HANDS ON!) all those lusty wimmin how to reduce their muscular tension in their necks, backs, and shoulders. The wimmin spent the next two hours prac- ticing new massaging tech- niques to use with partners, friends, and family. We learned how to help our loved ones RELAX! 0 Not to be outdone by this warm—up, a Vermont lesbian internet whiz swayed her par- ticipants into why the internet is the way to go. Yep, you. guessed it — it was Kathy Saw- yer and her helpful partner Charlotte who whiz-wisened the audience into computer fun procedure, lore, and gave a listing of the best lesbian urls in the country. But the work- shops were not the only way in which Vermonters took the lead. Between the Saturday night banquet dinner and dance, the membership totals from the celebrants states (and countries) were read over the microphone. The highest numbers from the 170 lesbians in attendance were: 26 lesbi- ans from Vermont's popula- tion of 550,000, 35 lesbians from Massachusetts’ 7,000,000 population, and 36 lesbians from New York's 18,000,000 population. The ratio per capita showed Vermont Lesbi- ans as the winning group for the 11th Annual GOLDEN THREADS Celebration!