Ir‘:

.: -
u
2.:
\

v'a'-''‘{‘t“v'‘v>'\+v~« ,._ .«,.~,;,,;-.

   
  
  
  
  
  
 
    
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

EDITORIAL       

Too Little Too Late

ast week Howard Dean sent a long awaited letter to the
principals of the state's high schools. This act comes at a
time when one of the state's high school's is on the verge
of a law suit for failing to protect the child of a gay parent from

A harassment, and at another the administration bowed to right-

wing pressure to allow the director of an ex—gay ministry to
spread his homophobic and factually incorrect message of gay
conversion to the students. _i

The letter is quite simply too little too late, in fact it even
includes this disclaimer: ”This is not a question‘ of encouraging
any kind of lifestyle or sexual orientation.” If that isn't enough
of an insult, he minimizes not only the extent of the violence,
but neglects to mention the impact it might have on these kids:

As we travel the state, we have heard disturbing accounts
of gay and lesbian students in Vermont schools who have been
subjected to various kinds of harassment including name-call-
ing, taunting, pushing and shoving, graffiti on lockers and desks,
and other indignities. This is to encourage you to do all you can
to make sure this kind of misconduct does not occur in your
school.

Misconduct? According to the Vermont Department of
Health, who commissioned a Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Gay
and Lesbian students were ”four times more likely to attempt
suicide, and nearly seven times more likely to be threatened or
injured with a weapon at school.” This survey was released last
year and yet, it doesn't get mentioned in the Governor's letter,
funny the words ”suicide” and ”threatened or injured with a
weapon”.don’t come up at all. These kids are finding no sup-
port in the school and are attempting suicide, are dropping out,
are more likely to get involved with drugs and risky behavior.
This is a very serious situation. When I asked the Governor's
Press Secretary Sue Allen what else he was going to do, she said
he had ”nothing planned,” and that this isn't his top priority.

Lets take a look at what happened when a Republican
Governor from Massachusetts showed some leadership on the
issue of safe Schools. Bill Weld, when confronted by the fact that
the schools in Massachusetts were often the scene of anti—gay
violence acted swiftly by setting up a commission to study the
problem. The committee came up with a number of proposals
including sensitivity training for all teachers and requiring all
high Schools sponsor Gay / Straight alliances. He then acted on
the proposals. He did this despite the fact that it didn't make
him any more likable to the anti—gay right which is consider-
ably more active in Massachusetts. He did this because it was
the right thing to do.

The question is, What else is he going to do about a very
serious problem? In the upcoming election he faces a well—funded
Republican candidate. Will Deanshow Weld-style leadership
or Clinton-style back peddling. It should be an interesting elec-
tion

‘The Return of the AIDS Ride

he Boston New York AIDS ride has begun their advertis
ing Blitz for their huge money maker with about three
thousand dollars worth of ads. Last year this fund-raiser
accounted for more than 60,000 dollars leaving the state. Not

only did that money leave the state but theumajority of it never
saw a single person with AIDS. AIDS Rides, which has been
trade marked by Dan Pallotta to insure he has a monopoly on ‘it

has, in the past, kept as much as eighty percent of proceeds for '

PR, Advertising and Pallotta’s reportedly $250,000 dollar sal-
ary.

The three thousand plus that AIDS Ride spent on adver-
tising in Vermont is more than all of Vermont's AIDS agency
spend annually on advertising combined. If you want to do
something about AIDS, please donate money to Vermont CARES,
or The Brattleboro Area AIDs Project or ACORN. Keep it local,
and don't give your money to people who profiteer from a dis-

ease.