2 — OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS - FEBRUARY 1999 9 EDITORIAL our IN OITM Hits Puberty, The Damage Appears to Be Minimal Excerpt from the debut issue... . ‘T ‘i--;i-zstaiiiisiediiri 1936 -- EDITOR,/INTCHIEF ,- -_Barbara.;Dozetos ’ — ART.DIRECTOR T psychiatric, religious and legal authorities gained power over us through their ability to name us. The names they called us were neither pretty nor true - "sick, disturbed, immoral and dangerous." Their names kept us isolated from each other, ashamed of our own selves, and frightened of the world around us . Somehow, almost miraculously, that has changed. In the decade and a half since Stonewall, lesbians and gay men have taken power over our own lives by defining our own existence. We have changed our own, and society's, perception of who we are. As far as we have come, however, there is still far to go. Lesbians and gay men still face the challenge of living in a world which is essentially homophobic ,Donald Eggert, , , page 3 . February 1986 Q Out in the Mountains _ 1 _ , T — WRITER/COPY EDITOR -‘~;_ - . . _ . s _'lina Giangrande ’ ,a fl: 0 T — I E, ;_ . . — PRODUCTION ASSISTANT —i _ I C ‘ — OFFTCE MANAGER — Jim Petrie For too long, lesbians and gay men and sexist. The reality of life for most P"°C‘e88 in Vermont. We recognize the EDITOR- have been denied our voice. Our existence lesbians and gay men still involves a special chauenges lesbmns and gay men s . Smith. T ,_ has been defined by others - the medical, significant amount of fear — fear of being face In 3 small” rural state — as we“ as i__ CIRCUIA-I-ION MANAGER- discriminated against, fear of physical violence, fear of being found out. Yet, against that background, there is a significant amount of joy - the joy of being part of a loving and caring lesbian and gay community, the joy of discovering new ways of living and loving, the joy of simply finding and recognizing each other. Our community is full of creative, talented, dedicated and wonderful people. Anything which ties us together is a step forward: a way of fighting the myths and lies about us, a way of building a stronger community, a way of giving strength and hope to ourselves. "Out in the Mountains" looks forward to being part of that community building the special opportunities. We hope that you will think of this as your newspaper -- whether you’re just Kevin Mcaieer ; — PROOFREADER'+_ now "coming out" to yourself or you're T T ‘ ‘Amie .MO0lej nous" on the evening news. As the paper Columnists: Skeeter Sanders; I Sandi Cote; Crow Cohen, Keith i . Goslant, Rev. Christine Leslie, C Susan Murray, Beth Robinson, Esther Flothblum, Miki Thomas, Thomas Henning, Charles Emond, Virginia‘ Renfrew, Esther Rothblum, John Hannah ' ‘ , Contributors: Yolanda, Paul Cook, Hugh Coyle, Tim Tavcar, Lenna Curnberbatch, Anne = s . Moore, Joy Griffith, Cathy Resmer, Maxwell Stroud, Tim Evans, cartoonists; Alison Bechdel, i T . . Robert}Kirby,‘Eric Orner . grows and evolves, it will be up to you to shape and mold it to fit your needs and concerns. We make no special claim to speak for all lesbian and gay Vermonters. What we hope to provide is a mechanism for your voices to be heard. The diversity of our experience is incredible. The voice of our community is not the voice of any small group, but rather a rich and varied, sometimes discordant, cacophony of countless men and women. We hope you'll join with us _ and add your voice to that beautiful 9 BOARD OF. DIRECTORS. Cheryl Carini,Jo_y Griffith, Garrett . chorus. RECONFIRMING OUR MISSION t first glance, our making a big deal out of a 13th birthday may seem like a grandstanding cry for attention. But then, having reached its teens, what else would you expect from our child? The paper has grown by leaps and bounds from infancy to adolescence and is looking quite mature these days. This is the natural progression. Each stage is vital and presents opportunities to develop and grow. Its next challenge will be learning to act as grown-up as it looks. Thirteen is recognized in many cul- tures and religions as the beginning of adulthood. We are confirmed or bat mitzvah-ed. We take charge, at least symbolically, of our lives and our futures at this juncture. We examine the choices our parents have made for us since birth; confirming those we‘ like and fighting like hell’ against the rest. . In that spirit, OITM is renewing the commitment made to the Vermont GLBT community in 1986. It will continue to provide a forum Kimberly, Be_nnett_l.aw,‘J_im, Petrie, . . Floger Mapes, Kevin McAieer,r .. , Rekha Rosha, Joseph A Ryan, ‘ Chuck; Starr ‘ ,_ _. . , g ., ‘ STATEMENT '01? ‘.PURPoss The purpose of Out iifithe Mountains is to serve as a voicvej-torlesbians, gay men‘, bisex- uals,_iransgendered people, and our support- ers‘in—vVermoniI"ll,lIe wish the newspaper to be ‘a so,urce_fof’inlorination, insighi,=a'nd ‘affir- mation. We also see, OITM as a.yehicle,ior the celebration of the cultureand diversity of the lesbian, gay,,'bisexual, and transgendered, oomrnluniiiesliere in:V rmonttand elsewhere. for our collective voice, striving to make sure each of our diverse accents is heard. It will keep an eye on our future, never losing its respect for the past. It will work to overcome the obsta- cles we face as citizens of a rural state I with a scattered population, remember- ing what we like about Vermont’s non- urban and open spaces. It will be the community’s paper, welcoming the participation of all of us.V , , :. ‘EDITORIAL POLICY I We will ’consider_ for publication any material which — broadens; o_ur_undersianding, of our lifestyles and of_each,oiher. Views and opin- ions appearing inihe paper do not necessar- ily represent thoseof Outinffthe Mountains. This papercannol and will notendorse any candidates or actions of piiblic__ officials on issues of imponanoe to _lesb'ians.= gay men, bisexuals. and transgendered persons; , We reserve the right not to publish mate- rial deerned, to be overtly,racisl_. sexist, anil- ' ' ' , classisl,',,xenophobic, or Semitic, ‘age hornophobi Writers.’ guidelines are available on equest: All materials isubrnitied imusliincludes‘ name’ and a contact nuniber, j,l_i,owe'ver, within the pages otthe newspaper, anirgles riiay7appear aiionyinously upon.request; ah rict nfi- ideniiallymlill be ob ii ' i’ publishe.<1i.rnorilli|v—bvMounten-Prid _, . Inc, I ‘newspaper, maint_ain's7 offices; /on Bridge Stree!in'Ridimond;VérmonI .« The subscription rateis $20, pe'r