BAlLEY/HOwt=_ L I B R A R Y NOV 15 1997 Movers 8: Shakers — our community at-ganiizers speak our, 1112) WILB 1 V E D, HQ75 .0971 RMONT'S FORUM FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, ANHD TRANSGENDERISSUESH UT IN THE MOUNTAINS VOLUME XII, NUMBER 8 NOVEMBER 1997 FREE nside OITM , F EATU RES: 7 Employee benefits in domestic partnerships 8 Grassroots needle exchange program begins SPECIAL REPORT: 12 Movers & Shakers SECTIONS: 14 arts & entertainment 18 health & wellbeing MONTH LY COLUMNS: 2 around Vermont 3 letters to the editor 4 voices from the mountains 5 the source 6 faith matters 14 Constance craving 19 resurrecting the body politic 19 dyke psyche TH E FUN NIES: Ethan Green — 4, 7 DTWOF—21 | Curbside — 9, 11, 20 1 AttorneyGenera| Sorrell Speaks BY KIM HOWARD MONTPELIER — The Ver- mont Attorney General’s office is expected to file its response this month to the lawsuit by three Vermont couples who were refused marriage licenses because their partners are of the same gender. The couples — Stan Baker and'Peter Harrigan of Shelburne, Nina Beck and Stacey Iolles of South Burlington, and Lois Farnham and Holly Puterbaugh of Milton — filed their suit against the State of Vermont in ]uly of this year. Susan Murray and Beth Robinson, from the law firm of Langrock, Sperry 8: Wool in Middlebury, and Mary Bonauto, of the Boston- based law firm Gay and Les- . bian Advocate and Defenders, are the attorneys representing the couples in the case. V In a September interview in his office in Montpelier, At- torney General William Sorrell said that both he and the couples’ attorneys are inter- ested in having ”a Vermont- style lawsuit where there's not a lot of personal animosity and not a lot of running out to the media and making this some kind of 0.].-type trial circus.” ”I have no desire to get on ‘Larry King Live’ because of this lawsuit,” he said. Sorrell, who is respon- sible for representing the State of Vermont any time it is sued, mentioned that his office had received offers from outside re- ligious groups to assist him with this case, but that he de- clined them. ”Our inclination is to handle the litigation our- selves,” he said. A 1975 Attorney General opinion is the reason for the state's refusal to grant mar- riage licenses to the same-gen- der couples, according to T Attorey Genet William Sorrell Sorrell. In 1975, two persons of the same sex applied to the Plainfield town clerk for a mar- riage license. The clerk re- fused, believing that Vermont law required a marriage part- nership to consist of one male and one female. When the is- sue was brought to the Attor- ney General’s office, the office issued an opinion that the nder a high canopy of bright red autumn leaves, a large fire blazes in a circle made from the stones of an old farmhouse. The waxing moon beams through. The woods are filled with the primitive pounding of beating drums. Around the fire dance naked men, drag queens in flashy negligees, and yes, Super Yolanda is there! Sex is all around. Chants in honor of ancient Goddesses repeat over and over. A giant red paper phallus hot air bal- loon is filled by the fire and rises up into the trees. I/Vhat the hell is going on here and why is it going on in Vermont? What's going on is the first Radical Faerie Gathering at the newly purchased Faerie Sanc- tuary near Grafton, Vermont. Four years of hard work, fundraising, and land search have finally paid off. The old -Northfield Destiny Lodge is now replaced by Faerie Camp Destiny, a permanent Faerie Sanctuary located on 150 beau- tiful acres abutting a stream and crowned with a 360 degree mountain top view! What is Sanctuary? Sanc- tuary is communally-owned queer land’ where queers can go and find, well, sanctuary from the homophobic hetero- headecl world outside. Sanc- tuary where Faeries go to for- Faerie Camp Destiny: A KOOKY PLACE FOR KOOKY KWEERS BY ENDORA get how society defines what is normal and healthy. In Sanc- tuary, faeries aim to remem- ber their truer more authentic selves, unfettered by confor- mity. They create their own context and paradigm. And as the root of the word suggests, faeries find in sanctuary the roots of their sanctity and their spirituality. In Sanctuary, Faeries create whatever selves and society they can envision... and that vision can get pretty wild. But being wild and kooky and outRAGEous is only part of what the Radical Faeries do. The Radical Faeries began in the late 70's, when gay men began to explore the question of our own sacred nature and holiness. Gather- ings of Faeries (however self- identified) took place, first in Arizona, and then all over the country, and now all over the world. ' It is impossible to really de-scribe what happens at a gathering. Anywhere from 20 to 200 faeries may attend. They SORRELL, p7 last from a few daysto over a week, and are mostly un- planned. There is no schedule, and it is up to whoever attends to create the experience. Unpredictability is part of their essence. Faeries try to open themselves to ride a wave of spontaneous creativity that can lead almost anywhere. One faerie defined the gathering as ”Where you go to practice be- ing who you really are. Most of the time is spent just hang- ing around, talking, touching, walking around. This ubiqui- tous hanging around is punc- tuated by talking circles. By rituals honoring Nature and the Gods and Goddesses of nature. By drag performances and ’no—talent’ shows. By dances in every hue and pat- tern that polyester comes in. By ‘grieving rituals. Beautiful Moon rituals. Throbbing drumming circles. Orgies. Nail polish circles. All accom- panied by healthy tasty veg- etarian Cuisine. (If you want to know more about Radical Faerie history and culture, try reading GAY SPIRIT: MYTH AND MEANING, by Mark Th- ompson.) Although the Faerie’s public persona (when they let us out in publicl is usually as zany clownlike drag creatures who run around, making noise WELCOME, p10 - Howard Announces Bid for Secretary "of State Vermont is likely to have two openly gay men running for statewide office next year. State Rep. Steve Howard, who also has been the state Democratic Party chair- man for the past two years, announced last month that he was running for secretary of state. And incumbent State Auditor Edward Flanagan also "is expected to run for re-elec- tion in 1998. Howard's political plans have been the subject of a great deal of speculation for the past several months, fueled in part by himself. He disclosed his sexuality in May and_ quickly got noticed by national publi- cations and groups. In an issue of The Advo- cate, the national gay and les- bian news magazine, Howard was cited as one of the leaders of under-30 gay and lesbian politicians. He said then he was interested in becoming secretary of state, which could lead to the governor's office and, potentially, the White House. He has since tried to downplay the talk of running for president and now is try- ing to distance himself from any thoughts of the govemor’s office, as well. ”All I've said is someday maybe I'd seek another office,” he said. Winning the secretary of state's office will not be an easy task for Howard. First he’ faces a challenge within the Demo- cratic Party; Deborah Markowitz, a lawyer who for- merly worked for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, already had made clear before Howard's announcement that she intended to run. And incumbent Secre- tary of State James Milne, a Re- publican, also is expected to seek a third term. Howard said he recog- nized the race would be diffi- cult. ”I’ve been in tough fights before and I know what it takes to win,” he said. , Howard said he would give up his other political of- HOWARD, p 11