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Kathy Bouton
Marks 15 Years at Peace & Justice Store
by
Jessi Burg
BURLINGTON - During her fifteen years
as co-manager of the Peace and Justice Store, Kathy Bouton has come to
see that all things are related. For her, sexuality is not a defining
part of her personality; it is simply another aspect of herself.
The struggle for gay rights
is important, but also intertwines with women’s rights, human rights
and ideas of peace and justice. The store adjoins the Peace and Justice
Center at the top of Burlington’s Church Street. Kathy’s idea
of the interrelatedness of issues fits in perfectly with the Center’s
current focus on campaigns ranging from living wages to human rights to
the struggle between Israel and Palestine.
The Center’s mission statement
reads that it is committed to “creating a just and peaceful world.
To this end we work on the interconnected issues of economic and racial
justice, peace and human rights through education, training, advocacy,
nonviolent activism, and community organizing.” With such a broad
goal, Kathy has found her place to fight for her ideals. The hard part
for the Center, however, is deciding where exactly to put its time and
money. Right now, the focus is on livable wages, racial justice and peace
and human rights, specifically conscientious objection and counter military
recruitment.
Though the center does not focus directly
on gay rights, Kathy, a lesbian, feels her presence has kept the issue
of gay rights alive.
“We don’t focus on civil
unions and the marriage issue because other groups are specifically devoted
to that. But that doesn’t mean gay rights aren’t important,
and I think my presence helps remind everyone of the issues. Everyone
supports me, and so in turn I support their causes.”
Even when the center is not
focusing on a given cause, it is nearly always represented in the store.
The Peace and Justice Store sells a variety of goods related to struggles
around the globe, from fair trade products to Pride merchandise, and is
constantly evolving to keep on top of the issues.
There are guidebooks on gay parenting
along with anti-Bush everything. In five years, the shelves will be completely
different, but the messages will remain. Kathy remembers her arrival,
“when (they) were one of the only places selling Pride stuff, and
all (they) had were pink triangles. Now, there are rainbows in all shapes
and sizes, along with several other displays of Pride.” This evolution
is important in maintaining the goals of the center.
Over her fifteen years at the center
and fifty-odd years of living, Kathy has remained a social activist committed
to ensuring that everyone has a right to live according to their beliefs
and principles. She has found her home at the Center for Peace and Justice,
which encourages her to support not just one cause, but as many as she
is able. Her strong belief that all things are connected has found a home
here, where struggling for peace in the Middle East and hoping for local
alternative sources of power are equally important.
Jessi Burg is a student at St. Lawrence University in New York. She
spent the summer in Burlington, where she volunteered at OITM.