22 — Our IN THE MOUNTAINS — OCTOBER 1998

_.. healt

 

Practice limited
to male clientele

 

THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE
William Coil, NCMT

 

802°658-2390

 

802.660.8396

Diane M. Felicio, Ph.D.

organizations

higher education

mediator constructive conflict resolution with
an emphasis on encouragement,
relationships clarity, and support.

Sari K Wolf. RN, CCRN, TMP, CAP,lReiki lll

Release Fatigue and Pain

Massage/ Myofascial Therapy 5
Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy 
Acu-Pressure

802-223-47 l5

3.
.

By appointment only

MAGGIE FRAMPTON MSW ACSW
LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER

PSYCHOTHERAPY ‘ CONSULTATION

members of the Crones, a
group for old lesbians in
Vermont. ”We were at a dance
one night,” said Alverta, ”and
I asked the woman I was with,

I recently met with three

zllbeing

   

 

in a personal ad and got almost
no responses. ”It’s even hard
for older lesbians to meet
someone to be a friend or just
someone to hang out with,”
said Alverta. ”Where do older

go off to socialize together and
don't include old lesbians. But
the women did feel that they
have become more outspoken '
as they have become older.
The women reminisced
about living through ex-

TIDE WBIIIEII ZHPEEU that discrimination
due 10 30¢ W38 IIIUFB SEVEPE man
. discrimination due T0 being 3 lesbian.

. where are all the lesbians our

age?” They put an ad in the
local lesbian newspaper, and
had to drop the minimum age
to 40 because there were so few
lesbians Older than that who
were out in the community at
that time. They started as a po-
litical group, but it quickly be-
came a social grou p because so
many women wanted just to
meet someone their age.
"And even now,” added
Mary Wallmyn, ”here we all sit
together in your living room
and wonder where are the les-
bians in their 605, and 70's“ like

us.” The women agreed that -

tremely homophobic times.
They talked about being in the
military and working as school l
teachers. But now, as older
women, they were living in
times that were more affirming
of lesbians, but hostile to old
women. Yet everyone agreed
that ageism was worse in the
gay male and in the hetero;
sexual community.

For more information
about the Crones, write to 143
Rollin Irish Road, Milton, VT
05468. ‘

lesbians disappear to?” the
women wondered. Perhaps
some leave to take care of fami-
lies of origin, they thought.
The Crones talked about
interacting with younger lesbi-
ans. When older and younger
lesbians become lovers, people

  DYKE PSYCHE I 
Being an old Lesbian

by Esther Rothblum

may assume that one is the
other’s mother. It's hard to go
to the health care center and
have a 20-year old woman do
the intake exam.

Old women are called
wise, said Alverta, yet they are
ignored in meetings that in-
clude younger women. Joy
found that the younger women

Esther Rothblum is Professor of
Psychology at the University of

Vermont and Editor of the [our-

mzl of Lesbian Studies. She can be

reached at Iolm Dewey Hall, Uni-'
versity of Vermont, Burlirzgton,
VT 05405 and
estlzer.ratl1lzlum@uum.ed14.
DYKE PSYCHE is a monthly col-
umn. I

some of these older lesbians
are extremely closeted or out

to only one other person. They ' 

lived through times that were « _ j
continued from front page

ADULTS - ADOLESCENTS

MONTPELIER, VT PROFESSIONAL

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(802) 229-5071 CONFIDENTIAL

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‘ meme: 802/524-9595
FA\‘: 802/5242867

.., Miser! PERMIINGNTI2 Health Ptan

NDRTIIEAST DIVISION
1.

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Carol Thayer, M.D.

3--ix» PO Box 1160, RD2 -5 Fairfax, VT 05454

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.:’lvi'lTt7lltl£l Gigante, Pli.D.
1353/c*lIi).s_witl2t*5is
Cor/rzscliiig fr 'I'lzernpy

{W33} 35-‘I—8ll3Z 15 ;\'l_I/rill’ .’5lrt~'i"f, l3'I'IIllli-‘tiara VT 0530.1

 

'A'ru‘!(‘ u

very hostile‘ to lesbians and
aren't willing‘ to be too out, ;

even to otheryold lesbians.
Many don't even use the word
”lesb_ian”—they refer to them-
selves as ”that way” or use

_ other euphemisms. j.

I asked what._Alverta,
Mary, and Joy thoughtthe ma-

jor issues were facinglejsbians 5
over 60. Getting a job and fac— 3
ing ageism, Said A1V€1”ta-LeaV’-  not tow the line on ”traditional family “values”. They are work— i
ing a husband, coming out as T
a lesbian, and being thought
too old for full—time work yet ‘
not old enough for social secu- ‘
rity, said Mary. Being closeted 1
on the job and needing to move ‘
in order to live near a lover,
said Joy. Working for a non— I

profit organization that has no

sick in old age.
In fact, the women

to age was more severe than

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ll‘S{lx‘J1‘.R‘A‘A‘lK'l\‘A‘J|‘A'A3 s-. In n. n

: motivated and they. will vote. The question is will we? ‘
retirement benefits. Getting ,

rights, reproductive freedom, equal educational opportunity, 
environmental protection, and a system of representative de- 1
mocracy with judicial review are working together to make cer- I
tain that their commonviews are victorious this November. They

j want to make sure no matter what the Supreme Court decides ll

on same gender marriage, that the legislature wi1l_act to ensure I
that lesbian and gay couples have no legal rights. Their stated 
mission is to repeal the inclusion ofsexual orientation in ‘_
Vermont's human rights statute. They also want to use the j'udi- I
cial retention process to remove Supreme Court judges who (10 :‘

ing for a system of voter initiatives that would permit referenda '

on issues that the legislature must address or on legislation thfit 1.

has been adopted. They see that as a vehicle to overturn the .
state's new system of educational financing (Act 60), to repeal I.
the sexual orientation clause of the human rights law, and to

.',compel actions to limitia woman's reproductive choices am0“8 I
 other things. ' I

Theyare organized and they are focused. Their votersar? ‘

In September, Rep. Barney Frank (D—MA) warned hlsi

 Burlington audience that we are at risk of losing the W31’ 3?‘
f equal rights even though we have won the long battle of pl1l?11‘E
agreed IhatdiSCl”iminati0n due 1 opinion. Most Americans now believe that sexual orientatl0_“
; should not be the basis for someone to lose their job or the"
discrimination due to being a 3
lesbian Mary had Y10tiC€d that  states have enacted laws that establish such rights. Those righ“
even the personal ads in the ‘
local newspapers had ”se- I
niors” under a special section. y
They mentioned a lesbian .

friend who had stated her age Q

home. Yet, we do not have any federal protection and only ten

have also been repealed in several states and cities. The block to
those rights is no longer publicopinion - it is political p0W€T_-_
Political power emanates from voter registration and palm"

WHY VOTE, 92??
2; .2I-u;e»iI  .2 )    '2'-D‘-‘I ‘

   
 
 

   

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