Out In The Mountains : Covernor Kunin Hears Lesbian/Gay Concerns

Governor Kunin Hears Lesbian/Gay Concerns

In a historic first, five Burlington area lesbians and gay men met with Governor Madeleine Kunin and her chief of staff Elizabeth Bankowski last July. The meeting, which was initiated by the Governor's office and coordinated by Vermonters for Lesbian and Gay Rights (VLGR), came about after "misunderstandings" around the Governor's failure to issue a statement for the 1985 Lesbian/Gay Pride Celebration.

The delegation asked Kunin to appoint a lesbian and a gay man to act as co-liaisons to her office. The Governor readily agreed to this proposal. The role of the liaisons will be to help build dialogue with the Kunin administration concerning lesbian/gay issues and to assure community access to the Governor's office.

As of this date, the interim co-liaisons are Beth Dingman of Norwich and Terje Anderson of Burlington. Final nomination of individuals for these positions will, hopefully, be decided at the February 16th lesbian and gay men's statewide meetings (see calendar).

Other issues discussed with the Governor include the high level of violence and discrimination against lesbians and gay men in Vermont, the failure of state government to document this discrimination, and the lack of legal recourse to challenge discrimination.

It was suggested that one avenue to be explored would be the use of the Attorney General's office to monitor and document cases of discrimination against lesbians and gay men in order to gather further information on its nature and extent. This option is currently being discussed with the Attorney General's office.

Those attending felt it was a positive meeting with a very frank sharing of ideas. "I see this as an important step in the long process of making our voices heard and eventually rectifying the lack of civil rights protection for lesbians and gay men in Vermont," commented Howard Russell of VLGR, one of those attending the meeting.