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BY KERRY SLORA
OITM Intern

n one room there is a cir-

cle of faces formed on

the red university carpet.
There are the eyes and voices
of pre-op and post-op and the
inquisitive, and they are all
talking about gender. At the
same time, there is a group
gathered nearby questioning
the government, inviting in
socialist political views as a
new alternative in the struggle
for gay liberation.

Later, in another room,
twenty women are leaning into
each other with laughter,
shouting words like “pussy”
and “dildo,” and downstairs,
there are men gathered for
their own safety lessons in
latex, lube and love. Next door,
a lesbian mother is speaking of
her struggles and is met with
understanding, and simultane-
ously those perceived as “old”
or “young” are sitting together
and learning how to bridge the
generation gap.

Everyone then gathers in a
rally to Stop The Hate, where
the overlooked crimes commit-
ted against trans Americans are
finally read aloud, and where
students from UVM,
Middlebury, Goddard, Trinity
and area high schools
exchange ideas and connect.

As night approaches, there
is a gathering again on the red
carpet, and the women there
are feeding their desire to slam
through the words of Alix
Olsen. There are women bind-
ing their breasts and giving
each other 5 o’clock shadows,
and soon there a.re queer folk
songs and queer poetry, and the
words of George Michael’s
Father Figure spouting from
drag “priests” in compromis-
ing positions.

This was thejoyous scene of
gay visibility at the February 4

and 5 Vermont State Queer

Conference held at UVM, and
is the brainchild of UVM stu-

Arbor was key in organizmguthe Vermont State Que cofrence e

dent and activist Kellie Arbor.
“There aren’t enough loud
voices at UVM,” says Arbor, a
fourth-year English/Art major
with a concentration in queer
activism. “I am always looking
for ways to motivate people to
instigate . . . and I love to put
on kick-ass programs!”
Originally from Rumford,
Maine, (“a small town so
everybody knows”), Arbor’s
ultimate goal is to be the voice
for underrepresented groups in

April.2000 Out in the Mountains . 19

but our effort is making a dif-
ference.”

Upcoming events for cele-
bration of Gaypril at UVM,
including a lecture by trans
activist and author Leslie
Feinberg, are now the work-in-
progress for Arbor and her fel-
low organizers. As for her final
semester, in the Fall of 2000,
Kellie Arbor hopes to expand
her knowledge and practice of
queer activism one step further
by studying abroad in

’’If I were a
princess of

girl, I'd be
the Queers!”

the queer movement. With help
from other members of the
Conference Committee, she
organized the gathering “to
stop the hate in Vermont. . . in
a fun, educational forum.” The
committee itself was recently
formed in the interest of hav-
ing a queer radical group on
campus that focuses on visibil-
ity, and its formation coincides
with Arbor’s queer program-
ming requirements through
Workstudy. “They pay me to
be queer,” she jokes, “which
works out nice.”

Through involvement with
the UVM Free to Be GLBTA
and the Vermont College
GLBT Coalition, Arbor has
noticed the impact of such
groups and their involvement
over the last few years.
“Visibility at UVM has gotten
much better . . . the out popula-
tion of gays, lesbians and trans
is increasing, and people are
much more receptive.” Though
she recognizes that the fight to
instigate change has been met
with its share of backlash at the
university, Arbor remains
motivated. “ There’s been a lot
of hate thrown back at us . . .

 

    

at University of Vermont in February.

 

Amsterdam. “If I were a girl,
I’d be princess of the Queers!”
she laughs, but truthfully
admits she just wants to con-
tinue to being visible, and
encourage others to strive for
the same. V

3rd Annual

Pride Silent Aucrtioin

ENJOY AN

  

A BENEFlT FOFl PRIDE VERMONT 2000 if

     

EVENING OF
FRIENDLY
BIDDING.

DELICIOUS

Sundaq, April I6
Jeff's Maine Seafood
440 p.m.

FOOD, AND
FABULOUS

ENTERTAINMENT!

Entertainment hosted bu
Dreampartq Productions .
featuring maniq special guests!

M’

65 North Main St.

St. Albans, Vermont  Sm at deer

 

To donate an item to the Pride Silent Auctionlor for
more information call Robert Simpson at 985-3155 or
Sarah Harrington at 482-2995.

Vermont 

For more info about Pride Vermont 2000 contact ‘
the Pride Committee at 802-859-9822 0 PO. Box 1433
Burlington, VT 05402 0 pridevti @aol.com