6 — OUT IN ‘THE MOUNTAINS — AUGUST 1998 "I buy‘ all m_\_~' stun at the t'v.u‘c &_tusticc Store. wltcrc‘ else!" —lnis. [')'t‘\\/OF Peace"& Jusli 1lCluIrchSt..Bur-Iingztun 863-8326 Om-n7Da_\s 260 North Main Street Barre, VT 05641 Jewelry Repairs Custom Design Fine Handcrafted Jewelry , phone: 802-4 79-1496 Patricia Palumbo vt tollfree: 877-55 7- 7236 Designer ~ Jeweler email: pat@/ewelers-bench.com web: http.'/{jewelers-bench.com Quite Simply. . . The finest collection of Furniture, Carpeting & Accessories in Vermont Rutland House Ltd. 162 south main street ruttond. Vermont 05701 (802) 775-291 I rtes H/30 - in the heart of monchester center, vermont (802) 362-2001 from all over Vermont: (800) 649-2911 * * phuenixrising* , -spirited jewelry & gifts - Wk lll'l.‘iIIllS HIT necessary ll] lllf. — tlllillfi Nil! 104 main street, one flight up montpelier 802.229.0522 PROGENY ' Erin Gluclzman: One of Our Daughters—Qut: and Proud ~t-.=»!ta-M r!'I-I'l~!‘i *-t!l:!r:v Imu'=t=H This month I went off in search of an adult child of a queer parent to chat with. I connected with several, but one in particular stands out. Erin Gluckman, a Rutland na- tive, is a promising, articulate star in the future ofour com- munity. Erin was ten years old when her mother came out to her. Soon after that her mother's partner moved in with them. Rather than feeling deceived up until that point, Erin says that things suddenly got clearer. "It made some sense out of why my mom and dad got divorced.” Now a student at Hamp- shire College, Erin recalls a dis- tinct dichotomy in her daily life, "I was closeted until I was sixteen years old. I didn't in- vite any friends over and rarely did I talk about my home life around my peers at school.” She remembers being torn be- tween a loving supportive family and a culture that said that her family was evil and perverted. Since she has come out about her mother's sexuality, her friends haven't always un- derstood why she felt it neces- sary to hide it in the first place. ”I tell them about how, when my mother marched in the Halloween Parade under the banner of the Rutland Gay/ Lesbian Alliance, people threw The Mostly Unbabulous Social Lite ob Sthan Green A Mee'riNG on the Phone Liuss Leavs 1'oA movie ofThe uienr Shitfs Passny... ”~ , I aawo.-.v«v¢/.w-axaasvnamvzh-.u.. M in— Person renxezvous AT a vowurowu I-loTeL._ ’; . ANYONE CAN STAND... , :1’ usunn ts_- excerr Fol'_WheN 1'iM's,or ' cArLos 7: FAMILY are vi's:'1'me. A MaIr'l1A6E i Be1'weeu 2 Men Ther cm Hamne-_BeTweeN ». 3 men is A Li'|'TLE M0r¢ " PI"o6r€§SIVe""rHau So... 1'» kmtfa H°Me- ‘ eggs and how none of the ‘fag’ jokes that circulated in my high school shed a particularly posi- tive light on homosexuality.” Erin was caught between what she knew in her heart to be correct and images she en- countered on a daily basis. "We learn fear fiercely. I couldn't equate my mother and her lover with those fag jokes but I also couldn't stand up to them.” The moment of truth ar- rived when a conservative group challenged the place- ment of the book Daddy's Roommate in the Rutland Free Library. Erin was 16 and had left the public school system to self—educate by this time. Her self confidence and self-aware- ness had increased to the point where she was able to take ac- tion. “I understood how close the issue came to my family and that to not speak would do a disservice to the community and the women who raised me." At the public hearing held to discuss the placement of the book, Erin made herself heard. She came out in front of the Board of Directors of the library and a room full of the general public. She proclaimed herself the daughter of a les- bian and began the integration of the dichotomy she had been living. ‘That feeling was like water after so many years thirsty." Erin notes that one time just doesn't finish the job where coming out is con- cerned. Time and again she has to tell the story of her family and the more she does it, the more comfortable she becomes with the task. "T hey say that the very act of defining who you are is political, so I guess I am a fiercely political crea- ture.” jt V ., R * ‘-j“s. . Less uurn. suumw Ni1'e when The shouts: ; '~.‘-till In the years since that fateful hearing, members of the lesbian community that raised Erin have adopted two Chi- nese babies. She met the new Vermonters at a baby shower when she was home after her first year in college. "It felt like a rite of passage to me, to leave that community for a bigger one and to be present to usher these two young girls into this life." She is both nervous and happy for these children at the same time. She knows first hand the love and care that these women she grew up sur- rounded by are capable of. “T hey took care of me when I couldn't give anything back, they have taught me the power of good food and laughter and perseverance in the face of ad- versity. I owe them my life." Erin is spending this summer in San Francisco as an intern for COLAGE (Children Of Lesbians And Gays Every- where). This fall she returns to college, but her long-term plan is to return to Vermont, prob- ably Rutland. "Rutland didn't feel‘ like a safe place for me to grow up, but I also love it and feel very attached to the place and the people." She wants to put her own experiences and the training she is receiving into development of services for youth. She envisions a safe space for families, queer youth and children of GLBT parents. This winter Erin intends to investigate the organiza- tions and agencies that are al- ready in place around the state in the hopes of making some more concrete plans about her future. There are executive di- rectors and volunteer coordi- nators all over the state just waiting for this young woman to look their way. by Eric Orner ..._/[N& 80. Abmwouedl I2gpTheir SiGNif- ICANT o1'hers. howeVer TeMPorarA'I-y. The ours choose The crux OPTION I-eFT t/tvAil.abLe...