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LYNDONVILLE — The Lyndon State College Gay-Straight Alliance and the Student Activities office are hosting a three-week showing of Love Makes a Family this month.
The traveling exhibit of photographs by Gigi Kaeser of Amherst, MA, features 20 families of all races with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender moms, dads, grandparents and/or youth. Each photograph is accompanied by text edited from interviews with family members.
Used to help promote acceptance of all kinds of people and family structures, Love Makes a Family has been endorsed by organizations such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. It has already been exhibited at various universities, churches, businesses, community centers, and schools across the country.
The exhibit was also the subject of controversy in Amherst, where five families unsuccessfully sued to prevent the exhibit from being shown in local elementary schools.
Love Makes a Family will be at Lyndon State College from April 21-May 7 in the Alexander Twilight Theater Lobby and will be open to the public during regular business hours. For more information, contact the Lyndon State College Gay-Straight Alliance or Student Activities Office.
BURLINGTON — The University of Vermont's largest undergraduate department is tackling problems of prejudice and discrimination with a week of free workshops, films and seminars.
"Psychology Challenges Biased Behavior" runs from March 28 to April 2. Chaired by Professor Sondra Solomon, the event stems from concern about graffiti, verbal slurs and other continuing racist and anti-gay incidents at UVM.
Department chair Professor Justin Joffe says the initiative is intended to expose the evils at the roots of biased behaviors and spark change.
John Dovidio, Ph.D. and James H. Sidanius, Ph.D. will deliver keynote addresses on unintentional bias and the links between gender and ethnic discrimination. Workshops will address cultural competence, strategies for challenging racism and homophobia and cross-cultural mental health challenges.
A number of films will also be presented, including Straight from the Heart, about parents of GLBT children struggling with homophobia, and The Way Home, in which women from a variety of races talk about experiences with oppression.
In addition, psychology faculty have scheduled activities in their classes that week that will focus on challenging biased behavior.
All events are free and open to the public. More information and schedules are available from the psychology department.
Solomon says she hopes that other departments will follow the psychology department's lead in combating discrimination and prejudice.
RUTLAND — Rutland native Steve Howard announced plans last month to run for the office of State Auditor of Accounts being vacated by Ed Flanagan.
Elected to the Vermont House of Representatives at age 20, Howard served six years before becoming the chair of the state Democratic Committee. He now works as a political consultant.
Out publicly since 1995, Howard intends to "build on what Ed Flanagan has done in the office." He believes the auditor needs to be an experienced leader unafraid to take on the fights. His priorities for the office are the protection of health care and childcare consumers and the elimination of corporate welfare.
