WILB
HQ75
.0971

9  TIIE |lllllEllllII|M Mnncn:
 wnars all the righting alloul?

  

nane Ill

 

Illlflfl 13

   
   
     

.. Ear Greats

I 3

"WI V.  ; 4 A_ . L I‘  \4‘.(_:q0

local l’lIllllSlIGI‘ IIIIIIIIIIBIBS

5r‘=‘»-’-“~_-.*»‘:3_; 2'  nan: 21

  
    
 

‘THE 
Hib'§"C‘RY I:

0? 
.°7.¥°W

‘ R

    
 

Z.:

 

UT IN THE MOUNTAINS

 

Reorganization
Begins For
Local Groups

I VCLGR, Pride Vermont
Trying to Build Bridges
Between Groups

BY MAXWELL STROUD

ueer organizations through-

out the state are receiving

phone calls and letters ask-
ing for volunteers as two of
Vennont’s state-wide organiza-
tions strive to become more rep-
resentative of Vem1ont’s gay, les-
bian, bisexual, transgender, and
intersex community.

The Vermont Coalition for
Lesbian and Gay Rights and
Pride Vermont are both trying to
better reflect the needs of the
state’s community by working

‘ more closely with other existing
GLBTQ organizations. A

If the attempts do not succeed,
their signature events may face
significant changes — or worse.

VCLGR has already can-
celled its best-known event, the
town meeting, for this year. It’s
using the energies it would nor-
mally expend on the gathering to
recruit a new board comprised of
representatives from other
GLBTQ organizations through-
out the state.

The coalition has been with-

RECRUITMENT, P3

VOLUME XIV, NUMBER 08

David Curtis Loses Long Battle for Life

I Community leader _
and tireless advocate of
the underdog dies

BURLINGRTON — David W.
Curtis, 61, died on Saturday, Aug.
7, 1999, at Fletcher Allen Health
Care in Burlington, Vermont.

David Curtis was born on
April 15, 1938 in Montpelier,
Vermont. He was a graduate of
the Montpelier public schools. He
graduated from the University of
Vermont in 1960 and from Boston
College Law School in 1963.
After graduation from law school,
he became a member of the
Vermont Bar. He was engaged in
private practice of law in
Burlington through 1977. From
1977 through 1980 he was the
deputy defender general and cor-
rectional facilities defender for
the state of Vermont.

In 1980, David moved to
Columbia, Tennessee and became
senior counsel at Legal Services
of South Central Tennessee. From

_ 1983 through 1985, he was the

director of Dakota Plains Legal
Services in Mission, South
Dakota.

David returned to Vennont in
1985; through 1987, he was the
defender general of the state of
Vermont. He returned to the pri-
vate practice of law in 1987. In
1989, he was a co-founder of the
firm of Hoff, Curtis, Pacht,
Cassidy, and Frame, P.C. where

SEPTEMBER 1999

David Curtis (right) is pictured here with President Clinton during a campaign stop at Burlington is

WWW.VTPR|DE.ORG

  

Oasis Diner, known to be a haven for local Democrats. (Photo provided courtesy of Nancy Cathcart)

he practiced until his retirement in and- Christopher 1. Curtis of ter, Dorothy Lane, of Laramie,

1995 . 7

David was a devoted father
and cared deeply about his three
children, who survive him: David
W. Curtis, Jr. of Burlington, Julia
A. Curtis of Salt Lake City, Utah,

Seattle, Washington. Their moth-
er, Nanci-Ames Curtis, M.D.
resides in Rockport, Maine.
David is also survived by his
brothers, Newell Curtis, Richard
Curtis, George Curtis, and his sis-

Wyoming.
As an attorney, David was a
skillful and compassionate advo-

CURTIS, P9

  

Counter demonstrators out-numbered the Westboro Baptist C
An estimated 250 Vermonters came out to show their distaste for the visitors 'hate-filled message.

2-;

hurch contingent by more than ten to one.

You were there, and You Were There

  

, and You Were There...

I Hate Group From Kansas Elicits Strong

Response from Vermonters

MONTPELIER — The face of hate came to Vermont and was turned

away by the face of pride.

The most hateful, virulently anti-gay preacher in the land decided
to spread his gospel last month in a state that doesn’t take very kindly
to being told what it should do or what it should think.

So, with the music and puppetry of the Bread and Puppet theater
troupe to accompany them, Vermonters of all stripes — gay- and
straight, bisexual and transgendered — escorted the hatemongering
followers of the Rev. Fred Phelps to their cars and sent back them to

Kansas. —

But the demonstration by just 10 members of Phelps’ Topeka-based
Westboro Baptist Church exposed some deep fissures in the ranks of

Vermont’s gay community.

When Phelps announced in a vile flyer that he was coming to warn
of the dangers of allowing same-gender marriage, there was great dis-

sent about how to respond.

' HATE GROUP, P3l