W 'r.:.y..- ..v.~.- -_v, .. q-F‘i?'*T""V""'?"‘g'r*« ,4. ;v'-1;; ..- ' 4. -3 OuT IN THE MouNTAINs — APRIL 31998 Micllelaury Nafura-l_ Foods Co.‘-op A fa” service, mlfurui foods sfort Spccil/fzin] in ltu/(Ly, mtglg, ,,7;,,,', food: And f>raJggf5 yroducz - vitamins grocery - spices ° !>oJyc.Are baker)! ~ Looks ' gifts cl-ecsef Leverages ~ snacks You can always look to us, for the CD03CDfiCD—«—h—-Q_ N AOT for the newest look in comfort cork latex insole shoes 31 St Ies of NAOT Footwear at: ANFORM SHOES RT.127 . RT.7 Colchester St. Albans s a community, does it feel we are suddenly under greater attack than we've seen since passage of the Anti-discrimination Law in 1992? More targeted than the ERA campaign of 1984? Do you feel at greater risk than you did before the Hate Crime Law was passed in 1987? Since Take it to the People made their first press conference on Feb- ruary 11th, there has been an increase in the number of inci- dents where the rights of GLBTQ people have been questioned and the inclusion of a GLBTQ presence chal- lenged. Have we become too complacent with the political and social gains we have made in the past 16 years? Does it take this type of challenge to remind us that we are still a minority community whose rights can be subject to the po- litical trends of the majority? I believe Vermont has a strong tradition of tolerance and ac- ceptance for all its citizens. As a native Vermonter, and long- time activist, I have always felt welcome here. But we need to stand up and be counted to ensure we are always included here. Our strongest political asset has been our courage to be visible 8: to talk about the realities of our lives. This is a time when our voices need to be heard. " - Keith E. Goslan Co—Liaison Take It To The People (TIP): See article on TIP in this issue of OITM. Both Co-Liai- sons were present at the State- house when TIP made their first public press conference. The Coalition, in cooperation with other community re- sources, have been working closely with state officials and agencies responding to the TIP Flyer and their stated agenda. Of"interest, most people seem to have ignored the TIP flyer as just an other piece of junk inserts, the same as most ad- _ vertisements. Citizen's Intiative: Please see separate article re- garding this bill and its poten- tial impact on our community. Complaint about SRS 8: lesbian foster parents: Re- cently, the co-liaisons were in- formed that a mother wrote to all the legislators blastinggthe Department of Social and Re- , habilitation Services (SRS) for_ placing her child with a lesbian couple. Rep. Nancy Sheltra was overheard in the State House calling for a complete investigation of SRS. The Com- missioner of SRS, Bill Young, responded to key legislators concerning the letter. He de- fended the placement and stated that skill and commit- ment are the most important characteristics of foster par- ents. _‘-_‘ ' ’ Vi‘s‘ib‘ilit{y;,Day:.-If: you NOTES. house or talked with your leg- islator, you will want to mark Wednesday, Aprill15th_, on your calendar. That is the date for this year's Visibility Day at the Statehouse. The Coalition is inviting all community orga- nizations and individuals in- terested in the political process to join us for a day at the State- house. There will be an early morning, approx. 9 a.m., open reception with legislators and a tour of the Statehouse. If you are interested in participating please Contact either the Coa- lition (888-825- 4989) or the Co— Liaisons (Virginia 496-4333, ‘Keith 454-8552). We have al- ready received confirmations from OutRight VT, Freedom to Marry, PFLAG & OITM. Do your legislators know who you are? Do they know they have GLBTQ constituents? Do you want to know their position on issues important to you? Take this opportunity to participate in the legislative process. This is an election year: We have seen the recent an- nouncement of Bernard Rome as the GOP gubernatorial hopeful. Looking at his plat- form it is difficult to believe his candidacy or election would be beneficial to GLBTQ Vermont- ers. Mr. Rome is strongly anti- Act 60. This is where‘ he has achieved the greatest name rec- ognition and public support. _ However, the repeal of Act 60 is not his only political objec- tive. Mr. Rome is strongly op- posed to same-gender mar- riage and has stated he will make citizen's intiatives a cen- tral party of his campaign. He is already campaigning heavily on television so finan- cial backing does not appear to be a concern. He is portraying himself as someone who sup- ports and respects the local voter, something ”those politi- cians in Montpelier” don't. As the election year progresses the Coalition will be interviewing A _ and/ or surveying the candi- dates for statewide office and reporting the results via OITM. As candidates, both local and statewide, solicit your support, ask them where they stand on issues. Do they support citizen's intiatives, same-gen- der marriage, GLBTQ positive - curriculum in schools, funding for HIV / AIDS services? Please let the Coalition know the re- sponses you receive or candi- dates who need more informa- tion on specific issues. Con- sider volunteering for cam- paigns, or consider running for office yourself. Also, remember our political allies and friends who are seeking re- election. They deserve our support for having supported us. Planning has begun for our fall Town Meeting Confer- ence, which VCLGR has hosted for the last five years. -This is a time for our statewide . <éi3in'rniu_nity"to' come together, ‘~21.’-‘§§$.._ai $9..-. _ ‘V ‘==‘«i}’.r=c%;'.t’,1.<.i:e.l%.'5‘tsIt.'s:....:. t§¥.a‘*..tE