Holiday Service Celebrates Our Lives

One hundred and twenty lesbians, gay men and our supporters gathered for an ecumenical holiday service on December 14th. The service was sponsored by the Vermont Interfaith Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Concerns and was held at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Burlington.

The service included musical selections and humorous readings from Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" and Rita Mae Brown's "Rubyfruit Jungle." A short talk by the host minister, Robert Senghas, was followed by reflections on "the basic goodness of lesbians and gay men" from a member of the Burlington women's community.

The lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah at the service symbolized "the continuing struggle for our rights as an oppressed people, and as a reminder of the lessons and hope we draw from other groups who have had similar struggles" said Terje Anderson, a Jewish member of the Interfaith Coalition.

The service ended with a period of meditation and the lighting of individual candles from the Menorah lights.

A member of the group explained that "we tried to make this service all inclusive and non-sexist in an attempt to overcome the patriarchal structure of most organized religion."

The Interfaith Coalition is a group working for religious and civil rights for lesbians and gay men. A program is currently being developed to provide services to other churches in Vermont to help combat religious hornophobia. An ecumenical service is being planned for the Lesbian/Gay Pride Celebration in June. Watch this paper for announcements of other upcoming events.

For further information about the Interfaith Coalition, contact Philip Roberts at 879-1867 (7-C Blair Road, Essex Junction, 05452)