Bun-Iington's unassuming International Icon of Lesbian Mental Health Journals and class texts line the shelves of one office wall. A Pez dispenser collec- tion occupies another. The contrast the decor suits per- A fectly the personality of UVM rofessor and lesbian feminist Esther Rothblum. Rothblum herself is a burst of color amidst the drab uniformity of the university architecture; in fact her international upbring- ing and life experience set her apart from your ordinary na- tive-Vermont dyke. Born in Vienna and later relocated to several different countries to accommodate her father's career, Esther Rothblum experienced child- hood, adolescence and lesbian- ism unlike many Americans do. She spoke German at home, but learned English in British\American schools, and even as far back as first grade she can remember having had crushes on girls. However, Rothblum maintains that it helped to be outside of the US growing up as a lesbian child: ”Growing up in Austria no- body assumed that a girl with lots of close‘ girlfriends could be a lesbian,” she states, say- ing also that there was a lot of permissiveness for her to spend the night with her fe- male friends. ”I didn't date boys in high school and that was absolutely normal in Vienna. Here I think parents always wonder about that.” When it came time to select a college, Rothblum’s father en- couraged her to attend an all- girls school for its ”protective” environment; in 1972 she chose Smith College in Massachu- setts, and ”instantly became a feminist.” Though she was always certain she was a lesbian or ”would at least grow up to be one,” Rothblum didn't really identify as one comfortably until graduate school at Rutgers University four years later. ’ Unfortunately, prior to the strong gay and lesbian movement at Rutgers today, "in those days it was very clos- eted.” Though homosexuality had been stricken from the DSM as a mental illness three years before Rothblum’s ar- rival, copies of the book at" Rutgers still remained un-ed- ited until 1980. ”So up until then you still saw this word homosexuality as a mental ill- ness. And that was my grad. School experience.” Also while _C0mpleting her Ph.D.' program In Clinical Psychology, Rothblum encountered a very II_1ale—dominated environment: most of the students and all of the faculty were male, (except Kerry Slora interviews UVM’sp resident Dyke Psyche, Esther Rothblum lies 1 for one female who worked with children). Interestingly Rothblum now works with graduates at UVM in the same Ph.D. program, though today ”85°/o of the students are women.” After graduate school, Rothblum did a one—year in- ternship in Mississippi, and that was where she could fi- nally meet lesbian students for the first time. Discouragingly though, the post-doctorate work to follow at Yale Univer- sity would also be headed by a largely male faculty. Rothblum wears a wide grin when she talks about her arrival at UVM in 1982: ”It seemed like instantly every les- bian professor had heard about me!” Once having had fre- quent get—togethers, the group of 5 or 6 women still continue to provide a support system to one another—recently they cel- ebrated the 15th anniversary of their gatherings. I Little of Esther Rothblum’s time as a professor is actually spent instructing a class} only 6 or 7 hours a week are reserved for teaching, as opposed to the 50 to’60 used for writing and research. ”Many lesbian psychologists; become lesbian therapists, so therefore there's not .a lot of research done,” says Rothblum. ”I think that again shows how women are not en- couraged to publish or write,. which you have to do to be a professor”. Rothblum goes on to say, ”I think the real genera- tion of lesbian professors is just now getting out of grad school.” Making a point to come out as a lesbian in all of her classes, Rothblum usually per- forms the task early on ”so stu- dents can drop.” Fortunately, though, most of her graduate- level courses already deal di- rectly with issues surrounding sexuality, and many of the graduates are also gay, lesbian or bisexual, or are gay-affirma- tive. And, Rothblum admits, most students just hear it through the grapevine or fig- ure it out on their own. _Much . of Esther Rothblum’s involvement out- __sideofteaching is professional, ' and on a national level. She IS a member of the gay and les- bian division’ of the _AmériCaI1 Psycho1ogical‘_AssociatiO,I1,fifld for the last 15 years she has been editing the national jour- nal Women in Therapy. During the last three years she has also had the opportunity to edit the Iournal of Lesbian Studies for the same publishing company, and during the past year she has been contributing her expertise to OITM-with her Dyke Psyche column. The OITM column is interesting to Rothblum be- cause she is accustomed to writing for professionals deal- ing with clients, and not so much for the general reader. ”I think I have a lot of work to do in learning how to write in a more accessible way,” she con- fesses. Esther Rothblum doesn't think of herself as an activist, though she does consider her- self ’radical’ in the sense that she's really of the first genera- tion to use an affirmative per- spective toward homosexual- ity and not label it as "sick”. Any activism that she has done ”has been more through writ- ing than with organizations.” But Rothblum doesn't hesitate to identify as a radical feminist, and asserts that women's ex- . periences are very different ~ from men's. Being a lesbian effects every part of Esther Rothblum’s life—it has be- come a part of her teaching, . and a big part of her writing . and research. As a lesbian re- siding in Hinesburg (deemed ”The Best Town to Be a Lesbian in Vermont” by Seven Days), Rothblum observes that there is a ”big network of [GLBT] friends, colleagues and ac- quaintances” in Chittenden County and in much of Ver- mont. Though all of her family still lives in Austria, she still remains in contact with them, and her sexuality is ”not really an issue.” When she first came out they were all surprised, even though she had never been with a man; "but when you don't have a frame for it you don't see it.” Neverthe- less, her family remains sup- portive of her work and iden- tity. ”I may have come late to _ the US, but I came to lesbian- ism very early,” she admits, and those influenced by her teaching, her writing and her vibrant personality may very well agree that the physical and spiritual movement of Esther Rothblum has brought her to the right place. Cheryl A. Gibson M.D. Susan F. Smith MD. Announcing... The Lesbian Health Forum had an undci'standing meeting with Vermont CARES on Thursday Evening. March 26. 1998. Vermont CARES has agreed to provide women in need with the Hepatitus B serum at cost. OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — APRIL 1998 — 23 in Franklin oountll. ...BiscxuaI in school? Outright Vermont’s Education and Outreach Program conducts faculty, staff, and student workshops on sexual orientation, gender identity, homophobia, and heterosexism to make Vermont’s schools safe for all. What can lloll llo? Volunteer. Malic a financial contribution. 802/865-9611 You can mile a Iliilcrcncc. PRIMARY CARE ‘IN FRANKLIN Coumv Mara Vijups, M.D. Family Practice Specialist NMC Rural Health Services Caring for Adults & Children Enosburg Swanton 933-583 1 868-2454 East Fairfield 827-3032 .l:eng Shui Harmony Learn to arrange your home and office to create harmony and prosperity in Carol Brown, M.A., LCMHC your life. 802-660-3109 WOMEN’<%vCllOlCE GYNECOLOGIC ASSOCIATES‘ 6. 23'Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, Vermont 05401 802-863-9001 Fax: 802-863-4951 For-more information callVermont CARES and ask for Amy: l—80()—649-2437. 863-2437.