22 4 OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — AUGUST 1998 MONTPELIER, VT (802) 229-5071 MAGGIE F RAMPTON MSW ACSW LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER PSYCHOTHERAPY - CONSULTATION ADULTS - ADOLESCENTS PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENTIAL 802.660.8396 Diane M. Felicio, Ph.D. mediator relationships . organizations higher education constructive conflict resolution with an emphasis on encouragement, clarity, and support. Sari K. Wolf, RN, CCRN, IMP, CAP, Reiki HI Release Fatigue and Pain Massagel Myofascial Therapy Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy Acu-Pressure By appointment only 802-223-47! 5 KAISER PERMANENTE sit Community mscn r>c.rwn~v;~n: wfleallh Plan NORTHEAST DIVISION PHONE.‘ 802/524-9595 FAX: 802/524-2867 Carol Thayer, M.D. PO Box 1160, RD2 ' Fairfax, VT 05454 (802) 254-8032 Michael Gigante, Ph.D. Psychosyiztlzesis " Counseling 6:‘ Therapy 15 Myrtle Street, Bmltlelmro VT 05301 I"~ l: -I.‘ ii‘cl icr Sliding fee scale Burlington 860-6360 }(f.)SlE JUHASZ, .‘.«l..»=.. Lic. Psychologist - Master LYNN GOYETTE, M.S.. M..-\. Lic. Clinical Mental Health Counselor insurance accepted sit COl_..‘e\.-'5t'l.l\i(§: CIENIHI or NORTHEILN VEIIMONT *1! -”',.'.‘—" .’If"' " 7 vi. . _¢‘.a_.,.._..-.........._.........._-..... = ——-»-~A-———--~»~——~‘ 1.\ 20.5 Pride, A Deeper “We by Thomas llenninn The height of the gay sea- son is over. Pride has come and gone and, once again, left most of us with a few great stories to retell throughout the year. I had a blast late night Burlington Pride. Loved the boys, loved the music, loved the mood. I thought having so many options was amazing and everyone was in such fabulous spirits that it was hard not to enjoy oneself. It was a big gay party and I felt like Ms. Holly Golightly her- self. That brings me to my first point. Stand back, kids, be- cause boy is getting on his soapbox once again. I can't help but feel a little guilty with all the celebration when I think that we might have lost sight of what we are celebrating. Now I understand that people don't always what to be in- volved in the political aspects of things. That it can be taxing and unpleasant. Well, as my Iowa-raised daddy used to say, ‘Tough titty, said the kitty, but the milks still good.’ (I will ad- mit that I'm never quite sure what daddy's ditties mean but I'm banking on that meaning tough patutees). The way I see it is that being gay, whether we like it or not, is political. We are a minority that is oppressed, dis- criminated against, and tar- geted by many right—wing groups. My mother always says, ‘take care of you, because if you don't who will?’ We, here in Vermont, are fortunate (to date) to enjoy a rather lib- eral environment to grow in. That is not necessarily a gift. If comfort breeds complacency, that makes our community a perfect target and make no mistake, we are a target. The right—wing Christian groups like Operation Front- line have targeted, what they call, ‘The Gay Agenda’ as their next focus point. What better place to focus than theonly state that has an openly gay state official and best chance for same gender marriage leg- islation to be passed. We are only a hate crime away from losing ground, in my humble opinion. 1 think this is what we have to learn from the larger gay community. I don't know how many of we ‘twenty- somethings’ know who Bell ellbeing bution to Gay Rights was. Do we know what Stonewall was all about or who really was re- sponsible for getting President Reagan to admit there was an AIDS epidemic. Maybe it is just me, but I feel it is irrespon- sible to lose touch with that part of our history when it is fundamentally that part of our 0 history that allows us the com- forts we enjoy today. I would love to hear other twenty—somethings’ thoughts on the matter. I think that it is important to know one’s history and those who have contributed to that his- tory. I admit to knowing very little gay history and that con- cerns me. This is just my opin- ion. I don't presume to be the voice of all twenty-some- things. As if. I have a love—hate rela- tionship with being gay. On the one hand, I absolutely love be- ing gay. I love the unique op- portunity I have to form my own culture and to truly de- velop, as a person, without conventional society bound- aries. I love the adventures I have that my straight siblings would never even think of en- gaging in because it is so against their ‘norm.’ Lastly, I love the opportunity that be- ing gay has given me to look inside myself and see what I am about and what is impor- tant to me. It has given me the strength and power to look at society and say ‘I don't want a place at your table, sweetpea, but you just may want a place at mine.’ I hate being gay, at times, because I constantly have to remind people, or be reminded by them, that I am not equal in Uncle Sam's eyes. I can not identify as gay and give blood. I can not be openly gay and teach, at any level, in Okla- homa (they just passed that law), and I am continually told by the media, family, society, and so forth that I am in Search of special rights when they are in fact the same rights the ma- jority enjoy. It is hard not to engage in self—loathing when this is a clear message sent to me, sometimes from people in our own community—sometimes from people in our own fam- ily. Ultimately, if given the choice I would not ‘go straight’. Not on your queer young asses would I even think about it. I would not be the person that I am today, and darlings, I am fabulous, if only in my own mind. I equate my gayness to my being Greek (easy pump- kins I’ve heard all the jokes before). I was born in Greece. It is my first language and, until a few years ago, I had dual citizenship. I have had b°ti‘£?.9§i$iY€f§'I4;f!¢3€1tiV¢;;§X? i:= Z_f_ periences around my ethnicity. I enjoy and treasure my ethnicity. The challenge I have is that the more that I remove myself from a Greek—centric environment the more tradi- tions and heritage begin to dis- appear and I start to lose my connection with that part of myself. Now I am not saying that ~ I need to live in a Greek neigh- borhood or anything like that. What I am saying is that my experience growing up in a family that cherished the Greek perspective and rein- forced the Greek culture is valuable. When I get together with my Greek peers we have similar experiences and beliefs that allow us to relate on a more personal level. The less I speak Greek the harder it is for me to engage people in my native language. In short, the more I stray from my ’Greekness’ the more I lose touch with that culture and community. I think the same holds true for my ‘gayness’ and me. That is why I love Pride. Ilove the visibility, the sense of a larger identity, and that con- nected feeling. All the friendly boys who are working what their mamas gave them are not an unpleasant bonus, either. The Moldavian Brunch was a perfect example.‘ The Sunday following Pride 20.s and Vermont CARES’ MHP sponsored a post-pride brunch with a Dynasty theme. It was an event. There were over 25 people, at the Radisson, dining on cous-cous and cheddar tortellini soup while sipping mimosas and bloody marys. Yolanda and Cherie Tartt were present to greet people dressed in their favorite Dynasty garb. It was two snaps and around the world. The Radisson staff was great and the people stay- ing at the hotel were intrigued to say the least. It was a great gay brunch _ with D] Martin, who we love, donating his services to pro- vide great tunes to dance off that brunch. Everyone loved it. So much so that people even called in to the Cherie and Yolanda Show to tell them that they loved the event. Those‘ who attended where fierce, proud, and full of gay spirit. Thanks go to Adam,‘ Will, Cherie and D] Martin for all ‘ their hard work and time. We ‘ hope to have more events like this and if anyone is interested in helping to plan the events they should give me a buzz. Another great thing hap- pening with 205 is that we are in the process of developing a website for 205. That's right, we are going on the web. The site will have a chat room so .i /1): I 5 1'1 ,. r: i-‘ x."Jt’-:36" "W. 4- ..\t