Letters to the Editor
Letters
to the Editor
Out in the Mountains welcomes your letters. Although we will withhold names from printing upon request, the letter must be accompanied by a verifiable name and address in order to be considered for publication. We try to print every letter we receive, but reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. Letters are also subject to the editorial policy stated in the masthead.
Elect Edward Flanagan
It is not often that a person with qualifications and imaginative talent emerges to run for elective office. This year, Ed Flanagan is such a person. I endorse his candidacy for U.S. Senate and will vote for him.
Flanagan will work for all America as he visits with thousands of Vermonters at local meeting and parades, fairs and festivals, and various campaign events. These grassroots efforts will lead to victory at the polls in the Democratic primary election on Spetember 12, and again in November.
The priorities he has articulated are universal health care as a matter of right, a prescription drug benefit under Medicare, and fair and equitable tax policies as well as the preservation of the Social Security and Medical trust funds.
As Vermont’s State Auditor, Ed Flanagan stood up to the establishment when necessary. He fought for more effective ways that work for taxpayers and for those who must rely on government services to survive. He does not depend on special interest PAC money to finance his campaign. That is a vision he wants to bring to the U. S. Senate – a government that works for the common good, not only for a priviliged few.
He’s counting on individuals who share his commitment to issues of fundamental fairness and who understand the need to send someone to the U.S. Senate who’s not afraid to take on the extablishment and provide a voice for responsible policy priorities. Let’s elect Ed Flanagan!
Marie Baldwin
Middlebury, VT
Where’s the Support for Outright?
This is a very difficult letter for me to write. As a 21 year old who uses the much needed services of Outright Vermont, I am disgusted and horrified by the various attacks on the organization. However, it is not just the misinformed hate wielding groups that I have to take issue with.
Unfortunately I am also forced to take issue with the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, and this upsets me because it seems like a very easily remedied situation. I definitely support the work that VFTMTF has done in the past year, but I am deeply disturbed by their lack of regard for the repercussions. As a young person still searching for their place in the LGBT community, this situation has been tearing me apart for months.
I have seen the enormous media resources that VFTMTF has been able to pull together to support their cause. I have also seen the very few letters to the editors of various newspapers written in support of Outright.
The young people of this community have written letters to editors in support of VFTMTF. We have stuffed envelopes, talked to people, registered people to vote and given them rides to the poles. All of this has been done for the sake of civil unions. We have given time and energy that we did not necessarily have for the sake of our community.
And now that our biggest support network in the state is being attacked, we have been forgotten. Maybe it is just me, but this hardly seems okay.
Remember that we are here and that as a whole we will get nowhere if we do not support each other. I am not asking you to give up your causes, but maybe it is time to examine the effect.
Name witheld at author’s request
New Face at CARES
I am writing on behalf of Vermont CARES (Committee for AIDS Resources, Education and Services) to introduce myself as the new Men’s Health Project coordinator for the greater Burlington area.
My interest in coordinating a men’s health project stems largely from my recent experiences in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. During my time there, I studied at the University of Amsterdam and participated in a seminar on issues related to sexuality, gender and identity. In addition to my academic work, I spent a lot of time in the field getting to know my surroundings.
These included the (in)famous Red Light District, the gay bars and baths of Reguliersdwarstraat and Warmoestraat, as well as the once radical Dutch Society for Sexual Reform, the Netherlands Institute for Social Sexological Research, and the Cultural and Recreational Center, a leading gay rights institution in Holland. In getting to know these organizations, I learned much of the history behind the Dutch gay and lesbian movement. I studied their successes and failures on the political front and their attempts to build a “community” in what was once a very conservative and religious society. I participated in discussions on creating gay space and learned how the Dutch police became supportive of public sex areas. Although not all discussions were as positive, I gained a sense of empowerment from studying the Dutch experience and recognized the possibilities for bettering the lives of GLBT Vermonters.
In returning to the United States, it was my hope to use some of my Dutch experiences to assist in creating new social and educational opportunities for men who have sex with men in the Burlington area. As I have settled into my new position at CARES, I have talked with various organizations and individuals within the community to see how I can support their efforts, but I would like to hear from more voices. To those of you reading this: What do you need or want from the local GLBT community that is now absent? What can I do to fill these needs? I would welcome the opportunity to talk with all of you! Please feel free to contact me via e-mail (dechen@vtcares.org) or phone at 800-649-2437 or 863-2437.
Dechen Albero