6 - OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — JUNE 1998

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Custom Design
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Bane, VT 05641

(802) 479-1496

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ppalumbo@nfld.tds.net

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BY REV. CHRISHNE LESLIE

everal weeks ago I

watched an interview of

Ellen DeGeneris on a
national TV prime time maga-
zine show. This took place just
two weeks before the last epi-
sode of her show, ”Ellen” was
to air on May 13th. Ellen talked
openly, honestly, and some-
times tearfully, about the grief
she was feeling due to the can-
cellation of her show by the
chieftains of ABC. She was also
able to speak eloquently about
what doing this show has
meant to her, and why this last
year has been the most mean-
ingful and worthwhile to‘her
personally and professionally.

- She.talked without remorse or

regret about why she had
opted to have her lead charac-
ter explore the impact of com-
ing out on her life in 13 out of
21 of this last season's shows.
* Like many of those who
have pioneered new inroads in
our culture before her, what
Ellen DeGeneris opted to do
came at a great price to her but

snot one that cost her her dig-

ni_ty,integrity, or self-worth‘. In
fact,._what sherdid seemed to
strengthen her newly won

M healthy gay pride. Because of

this, I have . fullest» confidence
that Ellen will continue. to
bring light to the path-that
many still travel in the terror
of their sexual—identity. In fact,
I look forward to seeing how
she will work this out and pray
that this huge homophobic
slap in the face will not deter
her.

While listening to Ellen
speak, I was moved by the
depth and breadth of what she
had to say, but most all I felt
immense pride in her and what
she has accomplished on be-
half of all of us. I felt exceed-
ingly grateful to her for the
courage and commitment with
which she has decided to live
her life. The healthy pride with
which she spoke reminded me
of just how much healthy pride
matters to the well-being of all
g/ l/b/t/ q&q people.

I have long believed that
healthy pride begets healthy
pride, which is what Ellen was
able to do for so many while
she had the opportunity. But
since our culture doesn't do
much to instill a healthy pride
in g/ l/b/ t/ q&q people, and,
in fact, does what it can to rob
of us of our healthy pride, what

1 ‘ ‘ts’,th.e.. source. 9f..o.un healthy

pi;ide_?_=Where.did~Ellen get the

strength and courage to do
what she did? I think a big
source of her ability to do what
she did came from all those
who have gone before her who
have risked personal safety
and professional security to
stand up against the Goliath of
homophobia.

For example, we cel-
ebrate and observe g/l/b/t/
q&q Pride in Iune each year
because inlune of 1969 a group
of drag queens in NY City's

village decided they were no '

longer going to accept pas-

sively the violent raids by NY

City police on the gay bars. But
where did those drag queens
get the courage and strength to
riot in the street? I think the
Stonewall Rebellion took place
because that group of drag
queens tapped into an under
utilized river of faith in them-
selves, each other, and ac-
knowledged or not, in the Holy
Creator of us all, that inspired
them to stand and fight rather
than turn and run. And such
faith is the foundation upon
which healthy pride can be
built, and stand tall and strong,
as it did that lune night in 1969.
As we observe g/l/b/t/
q&q Pride this month in Ver-
mont and around the country,
it is my hope that more and

Faith Matters & Pride Matters

more g/l/b/t/q&q people
who live in prisons of shame,
guilt, self- loathing, self-de-
struction, and fear (especially
those prisons perpetuated by
crazy religious dogma) will
find hope and healing in what

'- the Ellen's of the world are

doing. But most of all I hope
those in these prisons can be-
gin to find their way home to
themselves, freed by the
knowledge that healthy pride
matters a great deal, and rests
on the development of a
healthy faith in ourselves, each
other, and the Holy Creator
that matters.

Rev. Christine Leslie, the first
openly ordained lesbian in her
denomination, is founder and
director of Triangle Ministries,
A Center For Lesbian 8: Gay
Spiritual Development near
Burlington. Rev. Leslie is avail-
able for individual and couple
counseling, spiritual direction,
commitment ceremonies, and
retreat leadership. She special-
izes in the integration of
sexual-identity with spiritual
development. She can be
reached at 802—860— 7106 or
email at revcsl@aol.com. Visit
the TM web site http://
members.aol.com/ revcsl

SAM Folds After Seventeen Years

confirmed from front page

self as Bill Hensely, a businessman from out of state. As the con-
versationeprogressed, it bec-ame apparent that, as a result of his
job, Hensely had recently moved into the area and, like
Robichaud, was eager to establish a local’ social group for gay
men within the Upper Valley.

'. Several days later the two met for lunch and formulated a
plan for beginning SAM. ”Between us we came up with a list of
fifteen people we knew were gay. We published a newsletter
and sent it to them,” recalled Robichaud. "We announced that
we were having a weekly meeting, and... we had a party on Sat-
urday night [to officially inaugurate the grqyp.]”

Although only a small number of people had received the
actual letter, the party was a great success, and many men at-
tended. The idea for a social group was overwhelmingly popu-
lar and soon after, the group began to meet regularly on Tues-
day evenings. As years passed and the gay rights movement
continued to evolve, so did the functions of SAM. Founded as
an alternative to the bar scene, the organization served as a sup-
port group during the first several years of its existence. "I re-
member some of our first meetings centered around how to deal
with being gay in society,” said Robichaud.

The group continued to evolve and eventually fulfilled
more of a social and educational role in the mid—1980s. ”Particu—
larly considering the period... we did an awful lot of AIDS edu-
cation. We were right on the cutting edge of knowledge and had
the latest informationthat was available.” Additionally, different
group activities were held throughout the years, such as moun-
tain climbing, skiing, snowmobiling and picnics along the river
during the spring and summer.

According to Robichaud, parties were frequent, and those
held at the Sheraton Inn ballroom in Lebanon, NH were often
the most successful, as they ”drew awareness [to the fact] that
there were gay people’[_in the area.]” Thegroup was a major
contributor to the ‘Toys for Tots’ program for several years, and
even was featured in the Valley News, a local newspaper.

However, times have changed and it no longer seems nec— .

essary for a gay men's group to continue to operate in the Up-
per Valley. After several months with virtually no active mem-

3
F; SAM, p8