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The best way to buy tincture: ‘ 0 neuse your bottles * purchase the quantities you need « I ‘O9 4,‘. ° custom mix your own blend 9 .’ : 9 . I‘ W $0‘/<(0)\¢0 I-nod For Ivmplgy No! for 11;-pflr, A ‘é\ Q °.,T“"3/ 77$ 1‘-I H |l'|"!"\. !“.li{\ 3.).‘-.'i’ 3:?‘ .-23 90 274 North Wlnoosld Avenue. Burlington 863-3659 Mon-Sat 9:30-8:00 - Sun 1I~7. VISNMASTERCARD ACCEPTED Redefining Civil Marriage corztirmed from page ten the most comprehensive ”re— ciprocal beneficiaries” legisla- tion in the country—— far more sweeping than even the most ambitious domestic partner- ship legislation gay and les- bian activists dared to dream about five years ago. That leg- islation was a direct response to the ongoing struggle for the freedom to marry in Hawaii. 4. This is about improving marriage. The participation of gays and lesbians in marriage can only improve that social institution for everyone. Recognition of our marriages would mark an important shift in the public conception of marriage: mar- riage is not necessarily about gender roles and heterosexual procreation; marriage is about love, commitment, and fami- lies we choose. 5. This is about enormous practical protections for many in our community. Theory aside, under our cur- rent laws, the practical benefits of marriage are undeniable. The laws provide family medi- cal leave for us to care for our ill spouses, ensure that we can make the important medical decisions concerning our spouses if they cannot do so themselves, assure that we, and not the in-laws, will be entrusted with the remains of our spouses who predecease us, allow us to file our taxes jointly with our spouses, and presume that if our spouses die without a will, then we are the beneficiaries of their estates. The laws ensure that if a mar- riage does end, the more eco- nomically vulnerable party to the marriage isn't left without any financial support. GLBT Vermonters, and our allies, face the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to transform our state into one of the first to fully respect its gay and lesbian citizens under the law. Regardless of what hap- pens in the courts, we can ex- pect an enormous backlash. We can expect an intense, well- funded media campaign at- tacking us and our families; a well—organized legislative ef- fort to enact laws prohibiting us from marrying; thousands of post cards from fundamen- talist churches throughout the state and country urging our political leaders to stand up for second-class citizenship for GLBT citizens. We must be prepared, and our passion and commitment must equal that of those who seek to deny us and our families equal protec- tion under the laws. Please, Contact the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force (PO Box 1312, Middlebury, VT 05753 or E-mail Deb Lashman at dljvb@a0l.com), and join the struggle for all of as. Demanding More Than Marriage continued from page eleven bit deeper? Desire to prove we really are normal? That we are not those awful unloved lonely pathetic people everyone said we would grow up to be? When homophobia is driving the bus, it's time for Miss Endora to get off. What hap- pened to being different and lovin’ it? That's what I wanna know! Where's that sassy gay spirit that nursed me? But I digress. I brought up Rev. Leslie's article prima- rily to point out that the fight for gay marriage is not about our right to have religious commitment ceremonies. That is a matter of a couples’ faith, their spiritual choices. I do agree with Rev. ‘Leslie that queer folk too often give up our spirituality as part of reject- ing ”straight culture.” But, de- pending on which synagogue, mosque, church, meeting, fel- lowship or coven we go to, we already can join in the reli- gious / spiritual blessing of our relationships. I support that choice as one possible choice. However, Gay Marriage has nothing to do with commit- The Lowdown on DOMA continued from page eleven Our struggles toward le- gal acknowledgment of our unions remains essential, re- ment ceremonies. Rather, it is about accessing a "special right” of governmentally sanc- tioned relationships and the legal protections and privi- leges it entails. Which gets this spinning queen to her point. YES! We should be fighting, but not for the right to marry. Rev. Leslie muses at what a ”delightful thought” it would be if the powers-that-be changed mar- riage laws to include gays and lesbians. Why is that thought so damned delightful? Iwould be much more delighted if those powers-that-be changed the laws so that no one gets any special benefits because that are legally married , and so that everyone, straight or gay, would be treated as an indi- vidual. Instead of beating L down the doors for inclusion in the FAMILY VALUES CAM- PAIGN, we should unite with our non-gay nonmarried allies and fight for the following breathtaking list of demands: * easily accessed legal structures that allow us to name our family (how ever configured) and for that to hold up in court. * better laws to protect living-wills when they go against the wishes of the blood family. gardless of these current re- strictions. The court proceed- ings in Hawaii, or any that may be in Vermont could well end up in the Supreme Court, and DOMA may eventually be struck down. The primary state interests noted by Con- gress in passing DOMA were * better laws to protect our will against blood relatives who come and demand the house, or tell us how to bury our loved ones. * restructuring laws to treat us as individuals, not to give us special benefits when we are part of a couple. Though it may be said of- ten, I am not without a heart. I have also had terrible things happen to dear friends because they weren't married and so the estranged blood family had all the rights over the dying and burial process and a lover of years had none. I know the need for legal protection. But the right to marriage is not the only, or best way to accomplish our goals. And by fighting for the right to marry, we validate an institution and a society which has denied us our basic dignity and rights, and which is founded on patriarchal, sex- - ist and classist notions of own- ership, possession, and privi- lege. By fighting for the right to marry we fundamentally undermine our right to make a full range of choices about how we create family. We nar- row our vision. We can be anybody that we want to be. We can love whomever we will. Gay lib now! All Acts of Love and Plea- sure are Her Rituals! Stay Free! Bless Aunt Bea! to preserve ”traditiona1” mo- rality and uphold what they overtly expressed as Christian moralities. As the idea of same sex marriage is more critically examined by the general pub- lic and law makers, an evolu- tion in thinking, reminiscent of the decision to legalize interra- cial marriages, may come. Out in the Mountairrs is looking for volunteers in Southern Vermont to help expand our coverage into your area. We need help with distribution, out- reach, writing. If interested, please call Chris at 658 6008.