Keeping the Real Love Story Afloat: “Titantic” as a Butch-Fem me Love Affair BY RACHEL LURIE — — — — — — — — —— By the time you read this, ‘Ti- tanic’ will most likely have swept the Academy Awards, probably even bringing home the big one for Best Picture. Normally I’d just shake my head in disagreement, wondering why the selection body is so unable to steer an unpredictable course around huge blockbusters. But I've found a strange comfort in the film's success‘, because to me, the biggest hit of our generation is essentially a butch- lemme love story. Its mega-hit status helps bring to light the outlaw roman- tic chemistry which has shaped my lesbian life. With the movie's initial success, I was amazed at how the world was embracing little‘ Leonardo DiCaprio as a romantic lead. I mean, he's just a kid who can't deliver his lines, what did people see in him? I don’t know if it was intentional casting or not, but his boyish good looks and lack of any secondary sex characteristics are only the first clues that we were supposed to love him for his lad-ness. The sen- sitive, artistic, athletic and world|y—yet- innocent Jack Dawson is standing with arms outstretched on the bow of that boat as a quintessential Butch. It's a butch coming-of-age ritual to sweep a straight woman off her feet. There's a magic to that mix- ing of masculinity and femininity get- ting the formula just right, and it's a ratio that rarely if ever gets fulfilled by biological men. The boyishly hand- -some artist Jack Dawson is a gender queer who has that particular mixture of confidence and vulnerability; of sen- sitivity and rebelliousness, of not be- longing anywhere (especially the home he ran away fromin the country’s midwest), but still being able SUNDAY Pride Benefit DinnerlButfet, $10 at Jeff's Maine Seafood, 3-11pm. Performances by The Sisters LeMay and others. FMI call Jeff's at 524-6135. Faery Circle at Chateau Kopstein in Hun- tington. Call 434 5653 for directions or other info. Goddard Lavender Screen Series: ‘Times of Harvey Milk’ in the Clockhouse at 7 p.m. Screenings are free for everyone. This schedule is subject to change, so I'd rec- ommend people call 802-454-8311x402 before coming out here. MONDAY “H|V/AIDS: A Community Update" Pre- sented by the Franklin Grand Isle AIDS Task Force and a panel of community members to those in the community con- cerned about this devastating disease. Presenters include Cricket La Strada, VT to catch the eye of the hottest babe ion the ship. But alas, it can't be for keeps. Who knows what would have happened if the ship never sank and the couple got to go on fighting for about desire, we can't ignore the heat our two lovers generate. The discretely fashioned sex scene, where our-hero- ine Rose presses her hand against that steamy car window, is about her . pleasure, not his.This orgasm is a long way from the traditional cinematic codes of rockets blasting off a launch pad or a train chugging through a tun- nel, and a long way from the traditional male-centeredness of these clichés. Jack even trembles in Rose's arms when they make |ove—confident enough to bring her pleasure but also vulnerable enough to shake with fear and be comforted by her. We also know that this is a butch-femme love story because of their rightful place in the world. But the wild success of the movieproves that the butch-femme subtext is appealing even to people who don't know that is what you call it. To the folks who are returning to see this movie again and again, here's a guy who shows the girl a love and passion she's never even known to dream about. He gives her permission to be a stronger woman, helps empower her to be true to her own inner strengths. Makes the world a safer place for her. In turn, he gets much of the same, and from someone even more beautiful than he is.This is no ordinary romance. Folks are filling the movie theaters to see a love story that captures the fleeting moment in time when we attain the unattainable, which of course slips away from us in the end. But the memory of that love keeps burning, and we know it’s right even if the world tellstus every day that it’s wrong. And that's unmistakably butch-femme. Because butch-femme is also Cares; physicians who care for those with HIV; and community members affected by or living with HIV. 7 p.m.-830 p.m. North- western Medical Center, Conference Rm. 1 , St. Albans. Free of charge. Call 524-1227 Dyke Talk $ 2.00 donation Women's din- ner. Topic: Love stories. Fight back office. Call Crow FMI 864 5595 GLITTER ‘When Night is Falling‘ Camille, a classical mythology professor at a Chris- tian college is engaged to Martin, a fellow theologian. However, when she meets Petra, a flamboyant and daring circus per- former, she finds herself under Cupid's spell and falls deeply and magically in love. (Haven't seen it -sounds good though...) For details see April 6 listing. ' TUESDAY Middlebury College —— Free Speak: read- ings about gayllesbianlbisexuall transgender unity and difference. MOQA and Earth Week featured speaker, Letta Neely, performs and reads. Gamut Room, Gifford Hall, 9:30 p.m. the premise of secrecy: that for more than 70 years, the surviving Rose told no one of her precious boy lover, with the perfect hair, perfect teeth, and per- fect touch. She never revealed that there had been someone who brought her to a place she was definitely for- bidden from, but her desire and de- terminedsense of who she really was drew her there anyway. And then it slipped away in that computerized doomsday night because, as transfor- mative as that innocent love my be, forbidden love is ultimately and tragi- cally lost. At least in Hollywood. In real life, we're fighting like hell to make the transgressive love the one that works. Magically. Forever. Flight. The writer is hoping that the Best Pic- ture award will go to this years movie that really captures how men deal with their vulnerability in times of adversity: The Full Monty. - - WEDNESDAY Middlebury College — Standing in the Trenches A talk by Letta Neely Observa- tions on class, race, gender, sexuality, ecol- ogy, and liberation in the United States, and advice on how to proceed. Chateau Grand Salon, 4:15 p.m. '- ‘ } FRIDAY Middlebury College — ABFAB Nightclub with comedian Mug Wright (Boston), Yolanda and the Plastic Family ' (Burlington), Weird Sisters (Middlebury), and singer Katherine Quinn (Burlington). McCullough Students Center, 7:30-10 p.m. $1 for non-Middlebury Students Middlebury College — GENDER BENDER Dance Party. All house music by Dean Matt Longman. McCullough Stu- dents Center, 11 p.m.-3 a.m. "Br Sponsored by lllclranfs Special Vanmml Pizza Saturday. April 11 at 8 pm Smoky torch ballads, funky hard blues, and intensely musical scat: Grammy Award—winning jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater "electrifies the air" says The Village ‘Voice. A frequent vocalist with Sonny Rollins, Thad Jones, Max Roach, and Dizzy Gillespie, Bridgewater also is a Tony Award—winning actress who starredin The Wiz. On an extremely rare U.S. tour, this American-born resident of Paris pays tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and other jazz greats with her powerful voice and enticing stage presence. FREE Meet the Artist: Si! in on the pre—perlormance sound check and ask questions abouflier career Saturday April 11 at 4 pm Media Support from ‘ oi 1'53 Main St. Burlington. VT 802.863.5966 A in eoV- ‘- e?°“‘ 9;/(,0V\6 P‘ THE VERMONT lZf\lN%O\N CONNECTION me T.V. snow av, Foiz AND ABOUT VBIZMONTS L/we/T communnv AND ouiz suwoizreizs ! “Become a Sponsor and show your support !" call or write for rates and Sposorship/Donor information: (802) 541 -2737 Lavender Visions Produdions, Inc. P0 50:: 307 Saint Albans, VI. 05475 email: Iavondorelogofhmnoi Lavender Visions Productions, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and all contributions are tax deductible HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW THAT $UPPDKT$ YOU ! The Wizard of 02 presented by the Lyric Theater. April 24 - 26 and April 30 - May 3. 8 p.m. (Thurs., Fri., & Sat.),1 p.m. ( Sun.), 2 p.m. (Sat. 5/2 only). $17, $14, $2 ' SATURDAY L Stuffing for OITM at 10 a.m. Mountain Pride Media board meeting at 1 p.m. SUNDAY Film — ‘HappyTogether’ 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dana Auditorium. Call 388-0750 for de- tails. Flight to Privacy: Homosexuality & the‘ Constitution panel Trinity College Mann Hall Auditorium 7 pm. Amelia’s highway cleaning day. Meet at the Northern States Tire parking lot (off I 89, exit 17) 10:00 am. FMI Mary Lou 603-632- 7480 or Mandy 603-632-7146. Goddard Lavender Screen Series: ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert‘ in the Clockhouse at 7 p.m. Screenings are free for everyone. This schedule is subject to change, so I'd recommend people call 802-454- 8311x402 before coming out here. ' MONDAY GLITTEFI ‘The Sum of Us.’ How is a guy ever supposed to find Mr. Right when his father won't stop trying to help? Boisterous widower Harry Mitchell and his easy-going gay son Jeff enjoy a comfortable life in suburbia. But there's trouble bubbling when Harry decides that it's time Jeff braved the journey toward true love _ whether he's ready or not. (I liked the play - Steven) For details see April 6 listing. CALENDAR : CONTINUES, [I14