CommunityCompass
Vermont Cares swings into Marchwith a swing dance, dessert reception and live and silent auction onMarch 8 (International Women’s Day). The gathering will be held atthe Inn at Essex (7 – 11 pm) and a seat at the table (or a space onthe dance floor) costs $15 per person (or ten tickets for $120).Don’t know how to swing – dance, that is? Not to worry! Youcan pick up a lesson that night from Brandy Anderson and Rebecca Guy.All proceeds benefit the HIV/AIDS prevention and support programs ofVermont Cares, of course. Don’t Eat Your HeartOut “Don’t Eat YourHeart Out” is a wonderful opportunity for people to celebratetogether and to benefit the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont. Thanks tomany area restaurants, this is an occasion for fun, food andphilanthropy. “Don’t Eat Your Heart Out” just asks you tohave a good time! Second Chance for Grant Writing Workshop SamaraScholarships for Year 2003 will be processed through the Vermont StudentAssistance Corporation (VSAC). Samara Scholarships are listed inVSAC’s Scholarships (for the College Year 2003-2004). For acopy call 1-800-642-3177. Information about applying is also included atwww.samarafoundation.org,along with a link to VSAC’s website, R.U.1.2?: No Rest for the WickedlyBusy With anothersuccessful Queer Community Summit under their belts, the volunteers andstaff at the R.U.1.2? Community Center are not resting on their laurels.Christopher, Khristian, and the crew are gearing up for a variety ofcommunity organizing events. They have ambitious plans to promote,unite, and increase awareness of the queer community. R.U.1.2? is proudto announce that they have been elected to the governing board of theNational Association of LGBT Community Centers. Executive DirectorChristopher Kaufman will serve a three-year term on the Board, promotingthe work of rural community centers in this national organization.R.U.1.2? is the most rural community center ever elected to the board ofthe National Association. The Burlington Center will be joining peersfrom the New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco Community Centersto help forward the national community center movement Womynetplay Play Games andMore Womynetplay, a programsponsored by the R.U.1.2? Community Center, strives to create socialnetwork opportunities for queer womyn. We meet every other Sunday duringthe women’s social group at R.U.1.2? to plan upcoming events, hangout and socialize. From discussions generated at the Women’sSocial, Womynetplay organizes and plans activities to include on amonthly calendar. Our scheduled activities have included meeting to:attend UVM Women’s Basketball games, ice skating, snow boarding,bowling, discussion groups, dinners, First Friday’s Womyn’sdance, and R.U.1.2?-sponsored events such as Gayme Night, Book Club,Movie Night, the Coffeehouse and the Women’s Social. SafeSpace Has OutreachMaterials SafeSpacecurrently offers services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,and questioning survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and hatecrimes. A vast majority of violence that occurs against and within theLGBTQQ communities is never reported and the survivors remainunsupported. Winter Schmoozefest Want to get rid of the winter blues? Needa place to meet and interact with a diverse group ofgay/bisexual/questioning/queer men in an elegant atmosphere that is freeof alcohol, smoke, and loud music? Up for some delicious food,interesting art, and delightful musical entertainment? Well, you canhave it all and more at the “Winter Schmoozefest” co-sponsoredby the Men’s Resource Center (MRC) of Western Massachusetts andTapestry Health Systems. This will be the second of four seasonalSchmoozefest events that draw men from a wide geographical area. Somemen come on their own, some come with their significant others, and somecome with their cluster of friends to make connection with other GBQguys for socializing and just plain good times. Our Autumn Schmoozefestdrew 86 men from six states! MPM: Old Archives, New Raffle This issue of Out In The Mountainsmarks the start of our 17th year in publication. In 2001 we launchedour OITM Online Archive project. The goal of this project is tobuild a complete online archive of all issues of OITM. A coregroup of volunteers has been busily working to make this dream areality. To date the “Archive Team” has retyped 51 issues ofOITM and 32 have been posted to the archive on our web site. Wecontinue to look for funding for this project as we still have about 6years (volumes) to go. If you are interested in becoming part of theArchive Team contact us at It’sthe heart of winter and the Pride Vermont Committee is eagerly lookingahead to the warmer months and the month of June. The 21st AnnualVermont Pride Parade and Festival in downtown Burlington and theWaterfront is set to take place on Saturday, June 14th amidst a month ofcelebrations and educational events. OutRight Keepin’ On Lights, Curtain, Theatre on a ShoestringAuditions! Theatre on aShoestring, a local non-profit theatre company, will hold auditions forSame Time, Another Year and Crazy and a Half Wednesday -Friday, February 26-28 from 7-9PM in the Merlin Suite at the UniversityInn and Suites in South Burlington. We are looking for a large range ofactors in age and experience. Productions are set for late May and earlyJune. For details on characters and audition times, check out TOAS’website at www.theatreshoe.com.Download an audition form online and bring it with you completed with aphoto to the auditions to save time, if possible. If you would like moreinformation, contact TOAS toll free at 888-212-5884 (*3, if noanswer).
When youmake your reservations be sure to let the restaurants know that yousupport the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont and are pleased that theydo too. Remember, “Don’t Eat Your Heart Out!”
Samara will offer a general grant writingworkshop on February 12, 2003 in Burlington at the R.U.1.2? CommunityCenter from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. To pre-register, call Ted at 860.6236 oremail:
Current plans for the center in Burlingtoninclude pursuing new programs and growing established ones. Thewomen’s social group, Womynetplay, has put out its own calendar andhas begun seeking cosponsors for events. The Vermont Diversity HealthProject is preparing for a second edition of their guide toGLBT-friendly healthcare and creating programs to train medicalprofessionals. The Center is sponsoring two community members’attendance at the national True Spirit conference this month. This is agreat opportunity for R.U.1.2? to support FTM transgender members of theCenter. Upon return from the True Spirit Conference, the center willhost a regular transgender social/support group meeting on Friday nightsat Headquarters.
So stop and say hello to the gang at theirHeadquarters in the Wing Building at 1 Steele Street in Burlington.There are a variety of opportunities to help by volunteering on one ofthe program or event committees. Or drop them a note at
Womynetplay seeks to build a community of queerwomyn by connecting womyn with each other, to Vermont resources and theR.U.1.2? Community Center. We invite women to attend our events, bringtheir thoughts and ideas to planning Womynetplay activities and to enjoythe Vermont queer community. For more information about Womynetplaycontact R.U.1.2? at (802) 660-7812.
We are available to present avariety of trainings and workshops that address violence in the livesLGBTQQ people in your community free of charge. To order outreachmaterials please call Mike Bensel at 802-863-0003 or email
Our WinterSchmoozefest will have catered hors-d’oeuvres and desserts, acappuccino bar, and a display of art by several area GBQ artists. Duringa part of this event there will also be a live musical performance. Thisis a great opportunity to meet a lot of men with common interests and toperhaps make new friends or meet men to date. It’s also a great wayto find out about other venues for meeting like-minded individuals andabout events and organizations that draw GLBTQ people.
Advance tickets are $10 and can bepurchased at: T.H.E. Men’s Program in Brattleboro, VT; World EyeBookshop in Greenfield, MA; Beyond Words Bookshop and The GLBT CommunityCenter, both in Northampton, MA; Tapestry Health Systems in Springfield,MA; and the Men’s Resource Center in Amherst, MA. Tickets can alsobe purchased at the door for $12; there will be reduced fee tickets atthe door as well. If you are an artist who would like to have your arton display at the gathering, call Carl Erikson at the MRC (413-253-9887x13) for information. While the art will not be on sale there, it is agreat way to have people become familiar with local artists and to getcontact information for viewing or purchasing art at other times. Forany other information about the event, call Allan Arnaboldi, at thenumber above (x10) or email him at
TheStonewall Center, the LBGT Graduate Student Organization, and the MRCwill also be co-sponsoring a performance of the Kinsey Sicks,America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, at 7 pm the sameevening at Bowker Auditorium, Stockbridge Hall, at UMass in Amherst. Formore information about that event call (413) 545-4824. Why not have apleasure-filled day by attending both events? We hope to see you at theGarden House.
During the reorganization of theoffice hardcopy archive at the OITM office, we discovered that weare missing some issues. If you have a copy of any of the followingissues that you could donate to OITM to complete our officearchive we would be very grateful. The missing issues are May 1988,January 1989, February 1989 and October 1996. Issues can be mailed toOITM – Attn: Archive Project – POB 1078 –Richmond, VT 05477.
Each month, Mountain Pride Media acknowledges theindividuals who help get Out In The Mountains out into thecommunity by coming to our monthly stuffing night. This month we sendout our thanks to Roland, Tania, Euan, James, Michael, Stephen, Paul,Marsha, Daryl, Rick, Dan, and Susan. Our February “Stuffing”night will be on Thursday, February 27th at our offices in Richmond(above The Daily Bread) starting at around 5 p.m. Please feel free tojoin us.
We currently have two routesthat are in need of new distribution volunteers: Bennington, Kenne NH,and Plattsburgh, NY. We are also looking for couriers to deliver papersthroughout the state to our distribution volunteers. For moreinformation please contact us at
Have you entered Mountain Pride Media’s 2003Think Spring Raffle yet? Look for our ad and entry form in this issueof OITM or download one from our web site. Tickets are just $25or five for $100; only 300 will be sold. The prize drawings will be heldon the first day of spring, March 21st. Get your tickets today; like thesnow, they won’t last much longer.
This month Pride Vermont will be hosting afundraiser in Burlington to benefit the 30 Days of Pride events heldaround the state and the Waterfront Festival in June.
On Friday, February 21st join the Pride VermontBoard and community members for an evening of fine cuisine and dancing.The evening will kick off at 6 pm at Parima Thai Restaurant, 185 PearlStreet, Burlington with dinner being served at 7 pm. The evening willalso include a silent auction with many great gift packages availablefor bidding. After dinner and the auction, everyone is invited to movedown the street to 135 Pearl for a lovely night of dancing with dj CraigMitchell. Tickets for this fundraiser will be $20 and include the dinnerand entry later to the club. For more information on purchasing tickets,please contact Brian Cina at (802) 859-9238 or log onto