Gay fiction I writers reveal their stories AIDS Still here, Still spreading, still.;».killing Crow meets Ellen on parenting WILB HQ75 ’ .0971 t I UT IN THE MOUNTAINS Volume XIV, Number l0 Scholarship Fund Created for GLB T Students, Family Members, and Allies BURLINGTON—- A Vermont GLBT philanthropic organiza- tion is planning to offer schol- arships to graduating high school seniors in the spring of 2000. The board of directors of the Samara Foundation of Vermont I voted last month to establish a scholarship program that will recognize students who have worked to eliminate discrimi- nation and prejudice, specifi- cally homophobia, according to Executive Director Bill ”We see this as a tangible affirmation for GLBT students, the children of GLBT parents, and their allies." —Bill Lippert, Executive Director, Samara Foundation I Lippert. An anonymous donor has pledged funds for two inau- gural awards of $500 each. “We see this as a tangible affirmation for GLBT students, the children of GLBT parents, and their allies,” said Lippert. Pointing to the opportunity to create a visible positive pres- ence in high schools all over the state, Samara sees the scholarship program as a natur- al step in its mission of sup- porting the gay, lesbian, bisex- ual, and transgender communi- ty of Vermont. “Imagine a poster on a bul- letin board in the guidance department of every high school announcing this schol- arship,” said Lippert. “It will be another step in breaking the isolation — not just tolerating, but welcoming.” The program is still in the planning stages. The Samara Foundation welcomes input, support, and contributions for the scholarship. V November 1999 www.vtpride.org Presidential candidates weigh in on gay marriage ay marriage is prov- ing a politically unpopular idea among the major presidential candidates as they campaign in New England. New Hampshire, site of the first primaries next February, is attracting the most attention from the candidates. But sever- al of them have made forays into Vermont, as well, where they are invariably asked about the lawsuit pending before the state Supreme Court that could legalize gay marriage. None of the candidates so far has said he would support marriage. Democrat Bill Bradley, who has been courting the gay vote heavily, ‘said he would support giving gay and lesbian couples all the rights currently con- ferred on straight couples. But he says it shouldn’t be mar- riage. He was asked about the issue during a campaign stop in Hartland in August. Since then, he has expanded on his views in other speeches elsewhere around the country, but has not changed them. Using the word marriage for same-sex unions between gay couples would be a mistake that would keep states from approving such unions, Bradley said in a recent speech to the Human Rights Campaign. “I will not call gay union marriage, but I will respect them and I will work to see that same-sex couples receive the property, insurance, immigra- tion, tax and rights enjoyed by various others,” he said. ’That’s far more than the Republican candidates have endorsed during their cam- paign swings through New England. Texas Gov. George W. Bush is the leading contender for the Republican nomination and he made it clear that he would not support gay marriages. . No matter what the Vermont Supreme Court rules on the pending case, Bush said, he opposes “it: “My opinion is we should not have same-gender marriage,” he said. “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.” ’ Bush was pressed on the issue by reporters during a brief news conference at Burlington International Airport before a campaign appearance at the annual Vermont Republican fall din- ner. But he refirsed to say more, simply repeating his answer. Arizona Sen. John McCain, who increasingly is rising to be the chief challenger to Bush, addressed the issue during a town meeting-style event at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. A woman in the audience, Andrew Sullivan: Friend or Foe? BY ERNIE MCLEOD ne of the first things 0 Andrew Sullivan stated in his well-attended talk—titled “Who is a Bigot?”—— at Middlebury College was that the further you stand back from hate, the more complicated it seems. No single, simple definition suf- fices, which makes focusing on it problematic. We’ve all hated. Clearly, some forms of hate are more damaging than others. Yelling an epithet at someone who’s cut you off in traffic is different from killing someone because he’s a “nigger” or a “faggot,” though both acts might be trig- gered by a form of hatred. Sullivan, closely mirroring his September 26 cover article for The New York Times Magazine, went on to break down hate into three basic types (obses- sive, hysterical, and narcissis- .'7- during a question-and-answer period, told McCain that she believed the American family is under increasing pressure. She pointed out that the issue is pending before the Vermont court and she urged him to oppose gay marriage. He did. “I would not want the same privileges and rights extended to gay marriage as to tradition- al marriages,” he said. He went on to say, however, that he wanted to make clear that he opposed discrimination based on sexual orientation. And he said that, unlike some other candidates, he supported Andrew Sullivan, openly gay and often controversial former editor of the “don’t ask, .don’t tell” poli- cy in the US military. Under that policy, the armed services are not supposed to ask servicemen and women about their sexuality. But mili- tary men and women also are not supposed to disclose their homosexuality. McCain, a former Navy pilot who spent more than five years in a prisoner of war camp, said he supported the policy simply because it was developed by former Gen. Colin Powell. V photo Peter Huoppl The New Republic, spoke to a near-capacity crowd in Middlebury Co|lege’s Mead Chapel on October 7. tic), offering examples of each before delving into the hot topic of “hate crimes.” After pointing out that the president has declared ‘hate’ the great issue of our time, Sullivan questioned the wis-g dom of labeling only certain crimes ‘hate crimes.’ As an example he cited the fact there were two other brutal murders in Laramie, Wyoming within a year of Matthew Shepard’s killing. All were conceivably inspired by hatred, yet these other crimes—because they did not meet the definition of a hate crime—got little media attention, while Shepard became an “intemational leg- end.” Are we to consider these other lives less important because their killers did not target a specific ‘group’ with their hatred? Sullivan $§§§.§.§¥§¥*3 2:» ?§§§‘i3 differentiates