52 letters OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — DECEMBER 1998 —'3 Every batch made from scratch... Sweet Rolls ' Muffins ' Granola Bars Cakes ' Cookies —including low-fat, naturally sweetened & vegan selections And Bread Too! 0ITM, Pl] Box 1078, Richmond, IIT 05477-1078 Ill‘ nitIII@tugetIIeI-.net ' BAKERY OPEN: M-F 66 Sat & Sun 6-4 Bridge Street Don’t Can the Conference, Energize It Editor: First, I want to express my thanks for the November issue. It is best that I have ever seen from Out in the Mountains. Chris [Moes] took OITM a step up when he assumed editorship, mainly in layout, and now Barbara [Dozetos] seems to be taking it another step forward, with concentration on improved content. A I want to comment on the - VCLGR Conference story, since I was one of the hordes that stayed away this year after attending for several years. The location was not at all an issue for me, since Vershire is, time- wise, equidistant from Brattleboro, Rutland, and ' Burlington. Nor were the Faerie gathering or the Black & Blue, party strong draws for me. In fact, I had hoped to orga- nize a workshop for the confer- ence on outdoor activities for GLBTQ Vermonters. But there seemed to be no way to organize such a workshop. Although I have paid dues to VCLGR for several years, I never hear from them except for conference announcements and all I get then is a list that has been put togeth- er already. As I looked at the list this year, my reaction was “why bother.” The list was essentially the same as last year and there was nothing that interested me that I had not already done. There were several potential workshops that would have interested me, either as a partici- pant or an organizer, including “outdoor recreational opportuni- ties,” “gay life in really rural areas,” “using the web to stay in touch,” and “organizing to the election‘ of favorable candidates in a critical election year.” These come to mind just sitting here typing and I am sure there are many more that I alone could come up with, never mind what the whole community would cre- ate if asked. It bothers me that VCLGR made no general effort to broad- en the conference and then talks about not doing it again when very few responded to their “family values” agenda. I have done much organizing within the gay community myself, going back to 1970, and know that it can be a thankless task, but there is more energy out here to be tapped than has been reflected in the last couple of conferences and I hope that it can be chanelled into better conferences and more activities during the rest of the year. Bob Bland Vershire Horizontal Hostility in November “Voices” Editor: Kathleen Kalina’s “Voices From the Mountains” in your November issue is one of the most ignorant, horizontally hos- tile pieces I have ever had the displeasure of reading in a queer publication. Her comments on bisexuals and transgender people are so exclusive, so arrongant, and so uninformed that I will not waste time trying to present an alternative view. Instead I would suggest that she educate herself by reading the works of Leslie Feinberg and Minnie Bruce Pratt - a “real” les- bian (excuse me “gay female”) - and by subscribing to Bi Women’s Voices from Boston. Ignorance can be cured. Stupidity can’t. There may be hope for Kalina — or there may not. Yours in struggle, Susan Jordan, Editor The Empty Closet Rochester, NY “Queer” Umbrella Covers Many Editor: I found Kathleen Kalina’s thoughts regarding the ways in which various groups have come under the queer umbrella over the past twenty years interesting, "but I also felt that it ignored some of the fimdamental reasons those groups have been added. A case in point is that of bisexuals. I was surprised to see the argument that bisexuals are included when they practiced homosexual acts, and don’t real- ly need protection or inclusion when they practice as heterosex- uals. This argument fails to acknowledge something that the queer community stresses often — that sexual orientation is about feeling a certain way, not necessarily acting a certain way. Thus bisexuals are bi whether they are sexually active with members of the opposite genders or with members of their own, and also when they aren’t sexu- ally active at all. The support needs of bisexuals are different from those of homosexuals, and it is for this reason that they are included under the umbrella. The same is true of lesbians and gay men; the needs and wants of each group often differ, often in terms of political objec- tives. How many lesbians have a need for the abolition of sodomy laws? That’s only one example; there are many more where the needs of the two groups differ. The fundamental change that has happened, and which Kalina ignored, is the growth from groups focused solely on homo- sexuality to groups focused on issues of gender identity; those issues include homosexuality, bisexuality, and trans-' issues. The umbrella has grown to include more groups because we as a community have come to realize that all of these issues are related, and we can all support and protect each other as we fight for many of the same goals. Thus the tenn “queer” has become more popular as it includes all of these various issues, as well as other issues of gender identification, and rather than weakening our force it has instead strengthened us we become as inclusive and non- divisive as we are trying to make society. Sincerely, Russell Plato Middlebury College An Open Letter of Thanksi Editor: The sun shown down on a sea of hopeful eyes as the Vermont Supreme Court heard oral argu- ments about why Vermont should or shouldn’t allow gays and lesbians the right to marry. Although the Court had gone to extraordinary lengths to accommodate the spectators, only about 100 people were able to crowd into the court house during the hearing. The overflow supporters congregated at the nearby Unitarian Church to attend an Inter-Faith religious service led by VOWS (Vermont Organization for Weddings of the Same gender). Time after time, participants of every faith stood to quietly light a candle and explain why they had felt compelled to wit- ness the hearing. Personal sto- ries, personal tragedies, personal beliefs, personal hopes and dreams spilled from the diverse group. Their voices shook with emotion as they tried to convey how deeply personal this case was to each of them. “I want to be able to tell my children that I was here” was the overwhelming sentiment as the service ended with a quiet prayer, a joyful hymn, and 100 shining candles held high in hope. A jolt of electricity flew through the crowd as the plain- tifs and their lawyers came through the front door of the church. Pandemonium broke out as Beth Robinson, the lawyer who presented the oral argument for the plaintifs, tried to speak. MORE LETTERS, page 9 Breakfast Mon-Fri 6-11 Richmond Brunch Sat 8: Sun 8-1 Lunch Monesat 11-4 434-3148 CG) CG?) CE-3@©@@@© New England‘: largest Children‘: Department Store! SMAIDT Toys! 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