,¢-,, -,3. - ...-_.. ..,-.,V.—..¢ .,.- . . .-. .....,_ ._ -......4,«. C- .. .. .- ..-‘:‘...-1.- ~"»-u:-w.--*.-« _,.,‘,,,..,,,....,,.._--at-«.,..._,,..__‘..-q... ‘z..¢.- \ u \ 4 1 s ’ , a 4 \ I < I I I . "1'J'\ ,.. .- 4.. n. .- .,..». Akl-\|U-1 “»f|‘| ""“ VJ. fl ‘‘'\v '8 — OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS - MAY 1998 C1‘s?.'§“s'i£ieds looking for... WOMEN TO JOIN INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY on 50 beautiful acres of land trust in Huntington. Low expenses, pond, farmhouse and barn, sauna. Land is paid for. Seeking mature, caring women of any race or age. Inclusive spiritual orientation a plus. FMI: HOWL 434-3953 I am interested in joining a sofball league for fun. I'm a 50 yo looking to‘fu||fill a lifelong dream. Please let me know if you hear of any lesbian/womynfs teams. thanks. Jeanne C. 222-9090 My partner and I are interested in vacationing at a ‘Dude Ranch‘ out west — Colorado, Wyoming, Montana - Does anyone know of one owned or run by womyn? We also have friends wh would like to work at one. Thanks. Jeanne C. 222-9090 SEEKING RIGHT LIVELIHOOD: smart, organized, thoughtful, gentle lesbian needs gain- ful employment. I can help you get organized. Which closet do you want to tackle first? Reasonable rates. Local refs. Upper Valley preferred but will travel. ODYSEA 603-298- 8224 email: odysea@quest-net.com living situations GM roommate wanted for 2 bdrm house in Burl, (new north end) has pool, dishwasher, washer + dryer, gas heat and hot water. $400.00 month 1/2 uilt. Call 863-0062 evenings If no answer leave messageand number. Available May 1st. Boulder Lesbian seeks Burlington-area Writing Retreat. I'm looking to swap apartments or find an inexpenstive one month sublet in the Burlington or Queen City Park area during late August, September or October 1998. Apartment or home need not be fancy: just clean, quiet and safe. My apartment is small but sunny, in an old house with lots of lesbian neighbors, near the mountains and pedestrian mall. Leave me (Ellen) a message at the computer lab where I work 303-546-3587 or email me at eor|eans@aol.com. Housemates wanted. Queer gal looking for two people for a beautiful three bedroom house on Henry street in Burlington. Hardwood floors, living room, dining room,basement, back porch, and private yard. I'm looking for responsible, queer friendly people interested in creating a home. Availble May 1st or possibly June 1st. $260 plus 1/3 utilities. Call Bekah at 865-9970. Housemate wanted. Wonderful farmhouse in Monkton. Dyke seeks some kinda queer to share home with me and my dog. Other pets or kids welcome if we all get along. Large room, semi-furnished. Beautiful setting, large yard. 30 mins to Burlington or Middlebury. $300 plus. Call 453-5370 or email HankVT@ao|.com._ Responsible GM looking for an inexpensive living situation in Hardwick area. Seeking sublet or extended house sitting arrangement. Don't smoke, don’t have pets. call 865 0385. ‘ real estate . " HAND BUILT CABIN/RUSTIC HOME on 10+ private acres in Jonesville....only 19 miles from Burlington. Gas lights and fridge. No electric. Outdoor plumbing. Two heat sources. Charming well insulated space for single person or couple. $54,000. Interested call Kris @ 862-9431 or Glo @ 434-3953Cabin and Land . Year round rustic cabin on 10.27 wooded acres in guildhall, VT. 35 minutes East of St. Johnsbury. Cabin is newly finished this fall, no electric, well insulated, on a year round well maintained gravel road. Has low taxes, very private, and safe. $28,900. call Teri Anderson (603) 788 5530 Urban Gardener's Haven - Heated sunroom, large sunny living room, one bath, two bedrooms, and a garden full of perennials, herbs, blueberries and dwarf fruit trees. $97,000. Call Susan at 865-0436. volunteers Help needed. Glitter/Rhombus Gallery need help tuning the video projector. If you are handy with electronics (not the battery operated kind) - the Rhombus Gallery needs you. The equipment is a BARCO Video projector from the mid 19805. Your time would be greatly appreciated and may be considered an in-kind donation for tax purposes. Call Mark Awodey 865-3144 or 865-9063. t - OITM is looking for advertising representatives to sell ads for Vermont's fastest growing ‘Newspaper. Full or part time, no experience neccesary. Must be self motivated, person- able. Does not need to live in Burlington. FMI call 802 865 9294. OITM is also looking for an Arts and Entertainment editor. The Editor will coordinate or write reviews, previews, and features about literature, drama, music and other entertain- ment related material. As well as coordinate related advertising. FMI call 865 9294. personals I am a gay white male, 21 years old, bedroom brown eye;s and thick brown hair, 6’1”, 180 pounds, muscualar body. Looking for a mature man, 35 or older. Friendship maybe more. Victor Collett #124804 KSP PO Box 128, Eddyville, KY 42038 My name is Cindy. I'm a transgender. I'm not on hormones, yet. Desiring trusting, loving, tender individual who is open-minded and ready to touch each other's hearts. I'm 45, 5'10”, 157 lb. and I must be treated as a woman. Male or female may respond. Only those that feel they're worth loving should communicate. Soulmate, 31 Brooklyn St., Apt. 2 Barre, VT 05641 GWM, 50, blu/bio, 230, 5'8”. ISO GWM 40-55 forfriendship, possible LTR. Live in So.VT. Interests include: swimming, movies, restaurants,qulet evenings at home. Any race OK. ' .Smokers OK. No drugs! Contact: Bob. POB 222, Bratt|eboro,VT 05302, or call (802 258-2340. ' announcing... “GAY"YARD SALE 50 Maple Street,Winooski, Sat, May 16th and Sun., May 17th, 9AM till 3 PM: desk; word processor; microwave; VCR; luggage; books; kitchen accessories; clothes (GAR Bananna, Gant, etc). Coming from Burlington? Make a left onto Maple @ the VFW (look for the big ARMY tank). Call 654-7665 if more specific directions are needed. OlTM's Classilied section features items for sale, housing opportunities, Personals, help wanted and the like. As a new service to our readers Individuals may place ads for free! Donations are welcome and encouraged. We reserve the right to refuse ads. Responding or placing ads is done at an individuals own risk. Ads must be received by the twentieth ol the previoiis month. Mail ad copy and optional . donation to PO Box 177, Burlington VT 05402 or email it to O|TM@together.net. We must have full 3 name, address and phone number to run ads, however information will be kept confidential. LEGAL BRIEFS Sexual Harassment on the Job In 1964, the United States Congress passed a civil rights law (called Title VII) which prohibits sex discrimination in employment. At least a dozen years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that opposite-sex ’sexual harassment’ constituted un- lawful ‘sex discrimination’ un- der Title VII. However, it wasn't until March of this year, thirty—four years after that civil rights law was passed, that the United States Supreme Court finally ruled, in the case of Jo- seph Oncale V. Sundowner Off- shore Services, that same—sex sexual harassment on the job is also sex discrimination, and violates Title VII. 6 Although this court deci- sion may seem like a no- brainer to us, it's actually a landmark case, for a couple of reasons. First, all nine of the Supreme Court justices were in rare unanimous agreement, and one of the most conserva- tive justices on the Court, Jus- tice Scalia, wrote the opinion; Second, it is the first time the Supreme Court_has acknowl- edged that employees can be sexually harassed by same—sex co-workers or supervisors, whether gay or straight. Ironically, both the Plain- tiff in the case, Joseph Oncale, and the male co- workers and supervisors who harassed him, were apparently heterosexual. Oncale worked with eight other men on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, living on the rig during seven-day shifts. Twice, one of his supervisors physically restrained him while another supervisor placed his penis on Oncale’s head and arm and threatened to assault him; another time, a supervisor attacked Oncale when he was in the shower on the rig, forcing a bar of soap into his anus while a co-worker held him. These same workers repeatedly told Oncale that they were going to rape him. When he reported the assaults and threats, the boss did noth- ing to stop the abuse, but rather ’called him a name sug- gesting homosexuality,’ as the Supreme Court euphemisti- cally put it. Oncale quit and sued, claiming that he had been unlawfully subjected to a ’hostile work environment,’ in violation of Title VII. The Supreme Court first decided that a harasser does not have to be of theopposite sex, but may be of the same sex. The Court then ruled that if the harasser is of the same sex, the victim does not have to prove that the harasser was homosexual, or was motivated by ’sexual desire.’ Rather, the Court ruled that the victim BY SUSAN MURRAY ‘general hostility’ toward the victim because of the victim's sex. The Court was careful to point out that Title VII does not prohibit- ’innocuous differ- ences’ in the way employees interact with members of the same or opposite sex, and does not require ’asexuality [and] androgyny in the workplace.’ Title VII only prohibits conduct that is so objectively offensive, so severe or pervasive, that it creates a hostile or abusive work environment for the vic- tim. Ordinary socializing in the workplace, such as ’simple teasing or roughhousing among members of the same sex,’ is not sexual harassment under Title VII. In Vermont, workers are protected not only by the fed- eral Title VII law, but also by Vermont's Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA). This law, which the Vermont Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights and other gay rights advocates successfully lobbied. for, in 1992, prohibits sexual orienta- tion discrimination in employ- ment. The Vermont Supreme Court has never specifically held-that FEPA outlaws same- sex sexual harassment, but if it is ever presented with such a case the Vermont Supreme Court is very likely to follow the lead of the United States Supreme Court in Joseph Oncale’s case. If you feel you have been the victim of sexual harass- ment in your workplace, you should contact an attorney to discuss your rights. Vermont's FEPA is a very strong law for gay and lesbian employees, and the federal Title VII, while not as strong a law as Vermont's FEPA, just got a whole lot better for g/l/b/t workers, thanks to the Oncale case. Susan Murray and Beth Robinson are attorneys at Langrock Sperry Er Wool in Middlebury, Vermont whose prac- tices include employment issues, family matters, estate planning, personal injury and worker 5 com- pensation cases, and general com- mercial and civil litigation. This column features timely informa- tion about legal issues of interest to our community. We hope to provide information about.-impor- tant laws and court cases that may affect our rights, as well as prac- tical nuts and bolts advice for pro- tecting ourselves and our families. If you d=like tosee us cover a par- ticular topic,‘ please feel free to write OITM or call us at 388- 6356. The faces behind T.l.P. continued from page seven American Legion Hall in Northfield. It was called by Michael Rake, a pastor of an evangelical church in South Northfield. The session was led by Nancy Sutton of Family First in Medfield, Mass. She went on at length about the dangers of same—sex unions and how to fight them. She also passed out materials about the importance of sodomy laws and ex-gay ministries. So TIP is led by Vermonters, although it is heavily affili- ated withreligion, despite the warnings to keep it secular. Catho- lic Bishop Kenneth Angel has said he would support anti—gay marriage groups ”providing, of course, that such organizations in no way harbor motives, overt or covert, which would encour- age disrespect, insensitivity, bigotry, attacks or abuse against our brothers and sisters of homosexual orientation.” Another right-wing movement that has found itself a com- munity with TIP is the ex—gay movement. Craig Benson, who is one of the officers of TIP, is also the only board member willing to be identified from New Journey. In a September 3 ”In Religion” editorial in the Free Press, Benson spoke at length about the New Journey movement. He‘ states: ”Another risk [to ex-gay ministries] is the potential for harassment by the politically aggressive part of the gay com- munity. Ex—gay ministries are very upsetting to many in the gay community. The very existence of ex—gays contradicts the myth thathomosexuality is genetic.” ' Benson's siege mentality has exhibited itself also in the reply to e—mails asking for more information: ”We have experi- enced some problems with individuals from the other side of the issue seeking to ‘go undercover’ by volunteering. Therefore, we’ll‘be doing phone contacts to sign up volunteers.” Of course the irony is lost that Benson, who decries the ”politically -aggressive part of the gay community,” is now teamed up with Dick Trudell, who was accused of committing an assault for his political beliefs. Not surprisingly, either, a voice that has come out in sup- port of TIP is that of a longtime opponent to various education bills. Jerry Smiley has come out as a member of TIP. In a series of rr.Ier..e.1x 113.5. IQ .5ll9W Ihfil lb? .. .’l.e.tf;e.rs he.wrote.at.tac.king.Ross.Sneyc1,— Afireporter» and -former - harasser was motivated by mama