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E MOUNTIN-

June 2000 www.mountoinpridemedio.org

   

Volumefi Number 5

Flanagan Announces

Senate Bid

BY BARBARA Dozaros

Vermont State Auditor
Edward Flanagan, a Democrat,
officially launched his cam-
paign for the US Senate on
May 1. Ifhe is successful in his
bid against incumbent
Republican James Jeffords,
Flanagan will become the first
openly gay member of that
body;

Flanagan was the first and
remains the only openly gay
individual in the country elect-
ed to a statewide office. “I’m
proud to be a gay man,” said
Flanagan, “but no one should
vote for me or against me
because of that.”

During the nine years he has
been Vermont’s auditor of
accounts he has developed a
reputation as a keen watchdog,
unafraid of a fight with the
administration. He _character-
ized the auditor’s job as the
“informant within the execu-
tive branch.” He said “I have
never been afraid to stand up
for what is right as State
Auditor.” Flanagan acknowl-
edged that his stance has often
meant having to take on lead-
ers of his political party “in
order to advocate for a more
compassionate, more effective,
and more efficient state gov-
ernment.”

During a press conference at
the Statehouse, Flanagan was
flanked by a large group of
influential supporters, includ-
ing Speaker of the House,
Michael Obujuowski, D-
Rockingham, former Senate
president pro tem Peter Welch,
and Judy Murphy, the head of
the Vermont chapter of the
National Organization of
Women.

Flanagan ticked off a list of
his office’s successes such as
revamping childcare center
oversight, the reorganization of
a mental health care center, and
cleaning up the process by
which state contracts were
awarded. “Every single tax
dollar should be represented,”
he told the crowd. “When the
government doesn’t deliver,

 

Couples to End Baker case July 1

BY BARBARA DOZETOS

he three couples who
I sued the State of
Vermont seeking the

legal right to marry, and who
won a landmark victory in
December, 1999, announced
with their lawyers that they
will not press forward with
their appeal once Vermont’s
civil union law takes effect.

In its landmark Baker v.
State decision, the Vermont

required the legislature to
include same-sex couples in
the marriage laws, we recog-

nize that Vermonters need time

to talk, consider the civil union
law, and come back together as
a state.” '

“This is not the time to press
forward in court.” said Beth
Robinson, another of the three
attorneys representing the cou-
ples. “We know Vermonters
will see that valuing and pro-
tecting the relationships of

same-sex couples only makes
our communities stronger.”

“This decision should in no —

way be interpreted as our set-
tling for almost marriage or
not quite first-class citizen-
ship,” Robinson said, adding
that there are many reasons,
both political and legal, to wait
for before making the next
move.

Robinson said the Vermont
Freedom to Marry Task
F orce’s work is now more vital

than ever. “Between now and
the November election, the
Task Force will continue to
seek out community forums to
educate people about the civil
union law and keep the mar-
riage conversation alive.”p
“We know some people will
never accept us,” said Lois
Farnham and Holly
Puterbaugh, the first of the
three couples to approach their

Bifiitfifi ::»~ 2?

Supreme Court retained juris-
diction of the case while man-
dating the legislature create a
system providing the benefits
and protections of marriage to
same-sex couples. The state
legislature adopted a compre-
hensive civil union bill in
April, and Governor Howard
Dean signed the bill into law
on April 26, 2000.

“We applaud the legislature,
the Governor and the people of
Vermont for making the civil
union bill a reality,” said Susan .
Murray, one of the attorneys (
for the couples from the
Middlebury firm of Langrock,
Sperry & Wool. “As much as
we think the Baker decision

   

above left to right) Peter Harrigan, Ross Sneyd, Bill Lippert, and
Stan Baker were among more than 100 Vermonters who attended
the Millennium March on Washington the last weekend of April.
(Right) Vermont’s newly enacted civil union law was hailed by
marchers from all over the country. See full story on page 2.

   
 

Methodist Bishop Arrested in Pro-Gaynemonstration

BY BARBARA DOZETOS

The ‘bishop of Vermont’s Methodist
churches was arrested last month during a
demonstration in support of gay and les-
bian rights outside a national church meet-
ing. ~
The May 10 civil disobedience took
place at the General Conference of the
United Methodist Church, a two—week-
long gathering in Cleveland, Ohio. The
protestors were arrested when they
blocked a driveway to the convention hall
where the meeting was being held. Bishop
Susan Morrison asked to go to the police
station with the protestors and was told
she could only go under arrest. So she
asked to be arrested.

“It was a response to seeing some of
God’s children in pain,” Morrison told the
Rutland Herald. “I believe it’s an issue of
human dignity and self-worth.”

Approximately 190 people were arrest-
ed, including Yolanda King, daughter of
Martin Luther King, Jr., and Arun Gandhi,
grandson of Mohandas Gandhi.

Inside, members were voting on poli-
cies by which the church will be governed,
some of them concerning the inclusion of
gays and lesbians including -the sanctify-
ing of same-sex relationships.

Rev. Barbara Lemmel, the voting dele-
gate to the conference from Vermont, did-
n’t witness her bishop’s arrest. “I didn’t
participate in the demonstration because I
felt my job was to be a delegate and to
vote,” said the incoming Conference
Minister for the area, “If I had been out-
side, there wouldn’t have been anyone to
vote against the existing church law.”

Lemmel said she has faced some objec-
tions in Vermont to her vocal support of
gay and lesbian rights, but generally does-
n’t expect trouble as she assumes her new
role. She said that not all pastors and con-
gregations agree on the subject. “It’s
important to understand the difference
between what the pastor says and what the
congregations say,” she said.

Rev. Mitchell Hay, pastor of Trinity
United Methodist Church in Montpelier,

also supports full inclusion of gays and
lesbians in the church and said he is proud
of the bishop’s actions at the conference.
“It was a strong prophetic witness for the
working of the Holy Spirit and the power
of the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ
against the myopia within the institutional
church,” said Hay.

Although not all members of his con-
gregation are supportive of the bishop’s
choice to be arrested, or of gay and lesbian
rights, Hay said most people were treating
the incident with good humor. During the
Sunday service on May 14, he made a spe-
cial announcement. “I said we were taking
up a special collection of bail money for
the bishop,” said Hay. “It got a lot of gig-
gles.”

Methodist Church law currently states

-“Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual

unions shall not be conducted by our min-
isters and shall not be conducted in our
churches.” Pastors who defy that edict are
subject to defrocking.V