1o — OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS .— FEBRUARY 1999 COALITION NOTES BY VIRGINIA RENFREW AND KEITH GOSLANT We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Visible ach year, the VCLGR orga- Enizes a Visibility Day at the Statehouse. This is the GLBT community’s chance to share cof- fee, bagels, and ideas with legisla- tors and generally let folks on the hill know we’re here and we care. This year, Visibility Day is scheduled for February 16. Everyone is invited to come along. The day will start between 8:30 and 9am with the aforementioned bagels, coffee, and chats with leg- islators. After that, we’ll sit in on committee work, meet with our representatives, and discuss issues that concern us. There will also be a brief mid-moming State House meeting with Governor Dean. This is a great time to come to the Statehouse, be introduced to your legislators, and have a tour around this historic building. Legislative Report As of late January, we have not seen the introduction of a DOMA type bill or a Constitutional amendment regarding the issue of same—gender marriage — but this is still early in the session. What we have seen is the intro- duction of a bill, both in the House and Senate, dealing with HIV test- ing and sexual assault. As drafted, this bill would allow mandatory involuntary testing of anyone con- victed of a sexual assault where transmission could occur, if the victim requests it. The bill and the issues sur- rounding it make any response dif- ficult. Do we want to allow mandatory testing of HIV in any instance? Does disclosure of HIV racism and violence in our schools, Dean has strongly assured on conviction provide any real information to the victim? What if us that he means all the ways in it is the victim who. is HIV positive? What about services to the vic- tim prior to conviction of the offender, such as counseling, testing, and treatment? Who pays for these services? Will we be advocating the use of AZT for victims of sexu- al violence in the same manner we now provide it to health care worker who have accidental exposure? You may have heard, or read. excerpts from Governor Dean’s State of the State address. The highlight of this speech was near its conclusion when the governor gave an impassioned plea for toler- ance and diversity. While the pri- may focus was on the issue of Our community’s lack of interest in the nationwide event th as far is a little surprising. I 9 which we are viewed as different. To the governor, diversity means all of us, as we have seen by his longstanding support of social and civil rights. We will see several bills during this session that will also deal with these issues. The first will likely be THE TASK _FORCE REPORT ' BY SANDI COTE hat should I get Bobbi for our anniversary this year? Two years ago I finally got her an engagement ring — how can I ever top that? After 31 years, I’m running out of ideas. I find myself wonder- ing if a new toaster would be out of line. I know! I could till it with roses! ‘The possibility of civil mar- riage is just making matters _ worse for me. It took me 25 years to remember just what date in February is THE date. When we finally have a real ceremony, if it ’ isn’t on February 3, how in the world will I ever remember it? Bobbi, ofcourse, will be able to tell me the exact hour, minute and sec- ond when it occurs —— no pres- sure there! If we were to get married in, ‘say, July, which date would I celebrate? Both, according to Bobbi, who says February is when we’ll always celebrate the joining of our hearts. The ‘anniversary ofthe civil ceremo- ny would be set aside as a cele- bration of our rights. lt’s strange that two words that sound alike but are spelled differently actually have the same connotation in this instance. The only way we can participate in the rite of mar- ipate in the right of marriage. riage is to be allowed to partic- On the other hand, just because we have the right to participate in marriage; it doesn’t necessar- ily follow that we MUST par- ticipate in the rite of marriage. I consider the right to many oouononoooc-uouoo--nouuonuuooo development. to be analogous to the right to vote — having the right and exercising it are two separate things. Being excluded from choosing for ourselves whether or not to exercise a right is both demeaning and dehumanizing. Not allowing us the option of electing marriage in effect low- ers our community to the level of children and perpetuates the 1960s idea that homosexuals are in an endless state of arrest- ed development. Children, of course, are not allowed to marry because they aren’t yet capable of discerning the differ- ence between hormonal lust and a desire for lifelong commit- ment. Think about it. Isn’t this exactly the way the radical right portrays us? According to them, Must nights Make Bites? I we are ruled by lust — jumping from bed to bed indiscriminate- ly, living solely for the moment, and for what feels good. This describes nearly every teenager I I’ve ever known -— both gay Not allowing us the option of marriage lowers our community to I the level of children and perpetuates the 1960s idea that homosexuals ' are in an endless state of arrested and non-gay. The radical right, however, believes that gays never grow up. We are stuck in perpetual childhood, incapable of making adult decisions about our own futures. Before the 1960s, our African— American citizens were treated the same way — as chil- dren who weren’t capable of understanding the importance of the right to-vote. Many adher- ents of the radical right back then genuinely felt that allowing blacks the right to vote would erode our democratic system. In their minds, we might as well have given t'ive—year-olds the right to vote! Since the civil rights era, all the radical right has done is transfer that belief from African-Americans to the gay community. . whether or not to participate in remembering the date! Yes, there are those of us who won’t choose to exercise the right to marry just as there are African-Americans who don’t choose to exercise the right to vote. However, once we have the option of making the choice for ourselves, we will instantly “grow up” in the minds of many of our neigh- bors. We will suddenly acquire a co—equality with the rest of the adult world and the dignity that we are entitled to as com- petent members of society. The right to marry will not be a panacea for everything that is wrong in the gay community, but it will be a start toward our inclusion as active members of the American citizenry. I am looking forward to being acknowledged as a grownup, capable of deciding for myself the rites of marriage. Mind you, I’m sure I’ll still have trouble, If you would like more information about events or meetings or would like to invite representatives from VFMTF to speak at your place of work, community of faith, civil orga- nization, etc, contact Wendy Beinner (802-652-0723), Roberta Garr (802-223-7620), Bari Shamas (802-387-5788) or Sandi Cote (802-362-2959). You can also email VFMTF at info@vtfreetomarry .org or visit our web site at www.vtfreetomarry.org. V llisiliilitil. lenislation. 8. Ellllalilll a bill supported by the Office of the Attorney General to amend Vemiont’s existing hate crimes statute. As drafted, the amend- ments will allow victims of hate/biased crimes to obtain restraining orders preventing fur- ' ther contact by perpetrators. There are also several propos- als asking for the creation of a full- time position in the Department of Education to provide assistance and training in schools on the issue of diversity and violence. One pro- posal includes creation of a posi- tion ' in the . Human Rights Commission for monitoring and enforcement. I Equality Begins at Home Begins Here As you’ve probably all heard by now, March 21 through 26 has been designated Equality Begins At Home Week, when GBLTQ groups all around the country will be hosting events and educating their neighbors. Coordinated nationally by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the cam- paign’s purpose is to show that we are everywhere and we care about our issues. VCLGR is planning events for- this period. Among the sugges- tions received from NGLTF was that we organize regional “Town Meetings.” VCLGR has jumped onto this idea. Town meetings will be an opportunity to organize on a local basis and look at regional needs. These events could also help get people ready for the Supreme Court decision on same- sex maniage — because if the decision is positive, it could turn very ugly in our beautiful state. As before, we invite everyone to get involved in proposing and organiz- ing these and other events. Our community’s lack of inter- est in the nationwide event thus far is a little surprising. Last year when Take It to the People placed flyers in newspapers around the state, there was an outraged response from our community. Where are all of you who were so offended by the flyer? Do you think that TIP has gone away? They have not. They are planning what to do if the court finds in favor of same—sex marriage. We need to be prepared as well. By organizing a town meeting in your local area you will have a better ' idea of what concerns GLBT in your area. Whether or not you sup- port the mam'age issue, you will be affected by the attack we could all come under. Please get involved. If you’re interested in organiz- ing or proposing EBAH events, looking for more information, about Visibility Day, or concerned about the legislation mentioned in this column, please contact us. You can reach Virginia at (802) 496- 4333 or renfiew @sover.net or Keith at 454-8552 or kgoslant@ddmhs.state.vt.us. We want to hear from you. V I