2 — OUTIIN THE MOUNTAINS — JANUARY 1998 vgjces ot9ur'comm1;zilne$;, I Materials should be sentto: . I Outinthe Mountains ' I P0 Box-177 . I ~ ‘ Burlington,VT05402-017Z phone: (802)865-9294 email: oitm@together.net ‘CIITM now available in I braillefformatll ;Contac_t Chris Moesi . 1 at (802) 865-9294 for _; it-I ,:rnorep.infcirmation. I » EDITORIAL: Why I Do hen I took over this paper, I was struck by the challenges that it faces. I felt as a community run Non-profit, this paper should represent the entire community. An enormous challenge in an opinion- ated, diverse community that often is only a community out of political expedience, or from the fact that we often share an enemy. This community may encompass people I don't particularly like, and some of its members may rep- resent values which I am against. But the bottom line is this is my community. We are in this for a reason, and I believe in this community. Particularly I believe in this community in Vermont, and I have chosen to be a part of it for a reason. No where else where we find a diversity of opinion, a willingness to come together and understand each other. In Vermont the shallowness of the urban queer culture is a distant theme park we can visit on summer weekends. Vermont's gay community is a place where when someone dies or leaves there is a noticeable loss — this does not happen in Boston or NY. The one generaliza- tion I feel I can make about this community, is that I don't think anyone, even the most enlightened activist, truly knows how huge it is. The Gay Press has a responsibility to its community, and it is a barometer of the health of this community. I have envisioned OITM to be the ”Forum” of the GLBT commu- nity in VT. What ”Forum” means to me as opposed to ”newspaper” is that We communicate with each other, we are not merely communicated to by a group of people who have decided to go into the newspaper business. This to me is sacred, as is this community. This is why this paper exists as a nonprofit. I want this newspaper to encompass all our voices. From the 16 year old sending petitions, around his high school to a man who slips it into his bag I at an adult book store. To Lesbians on a commune, to bi- sexual women in relationships with men. To any of the thousands of lives we have found ourselves in. I believe in this community, and this paper, and the power that puttingall of our voices in print for each other to read can mean in this world where we still are denied Very basic rights. ‘ ‘ But we are not there, we are far from there, and we need a lot of things to get there. Take a minute to think about all of this. This is your paper. In the next month we will be asking you to donate money to help us buy a computer, please donate money, or equip- ment if you have it. We need Macintosh equipment spe- gWhat I Do cifically. We also need software. If you have picked this paper up at one of our drop off sights, you are most likely not on our donor list. Please consider making a donation, just the same. Donate your time, we will always need volunteers. Write for this paper. We all have something to say, and all have something that even needs to be said. I have found that the greatest detriment toward getting people to write is confidence, nothing else. All writing has value, all voices deserve to be heard. It does take courage to put yourself out there, and that simple act is overlooked by our wordy culture. Advertise. The wealth of our community is not just ab- stract. Our advertisers have chosen to be a part of our com- munity. But the irony is that advertising here pays off, it is a lucrative waylto increase your business, to cultivate a clientele of people that are part of your community. People tend to think about advertising in OITM as a donation, as nice thing to do. However, many of our advertisers know it pays off.,You actually win twice over, because people see you supporting an organization which is a commu- nity based nonprofit. Being a part of a community and supporting it are two different things. Talk to me. This is your paper, what do you want it to do for you? How do you want it to support our community? I have heard it said that people are afraid to make sugges- tions like this, because then the next question is how will you help. Well, be prepared to be asked how you are will- ing to help, but even if you don't have time, give your feedback. The future of Out In The Mountains. The paper has had a great deal of luck with volunteer editors, and a great deal of people have donated their time, because this paper is something we believe in. However, as our community flourishes and becomes more expansive, so do its needs. The organization which runs this paper has always been one that has been confronted with a great deal of work and demands. It is becoming less feasible to have this pa- per run as a volunteer-based organization. To have a dy- namic paper that reflects our voices, and our community, we need to have stability. As I write this I wonder if I am making too great a de- mand on this paper or on this community, I hope not. I want to leave this paper as a working forum for the Ver- mont community, and one that we can all be proud of. (802-865-9294 — oitm@together.net)