UPDATES

By Melinda McGeorge

My involvement with the GEAR Foundation dates back to the beginning. In February, 1977 Anita Zakem and I worked with the initial planning committee to set up the Gay Community Center. We opened the center in June in a suite above Coventryard Mall and, joined by Pat Dorner, ran women's rap groups, established connections with other local women's organizations and introduced at least 150 women to the lesbian community. The Center ran the hotline and offered separate rap groups for men and women until we were struck by the tragic fire that gutted Coventryard (Feb. '78). All our efforts literally up in smoke, the women found consolation at the Three of Cups and the men went downtown. The GEAR Foundation set up temporary headquarters in a basement room next door to New Dimensions in the Spring of 1978, where the hotline and rap groups have functioned since. During this year and a half, the organization maintained those services and, most notably, established High Gear as a major gay publication in Ohio.

As the decade turns we sometimes experience a heightened sense of the passing of time. We look at where we've been, what we've done and where we are going. This decade has been of major significance to us, not only in terms of our personal growth, but also in terms of the changes effected in the larger scheme of things. In the spirit of protest and concern for civil rights of the 60's, the 70's brought us, among other things, the "Gay Liberation Movement.'

We have had victories—the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association said gay was sane and healthy, openly gay people were elected to public offices, ordained in the ministry, and attained positions of prominence in the community and the professions. We saw legislation introduced to congress and historic precedentbreaking decisions made on every level of government regarding our civil rights, our custody rights, our right to exist.

We have also seen the backlash. Anita Bryant. Harvey Milk. The atrocity of assassination, the uproar of a fanatic set us back in our struggle for equality. Bella Abzug's bill of '74 (prohibiting discrimination against gays) still has not been passed. Proposition 6 may have failed in California, but gay teachers everywhere still fear for their jobs. Housing and employment codes in most major cities are still unfair. People are still harassed and held at the borders by immigration. 100,000 of us marched on Washington last year-whether our efforts had any impact remains to be seen.

The 70's saw a proliferation of gay organizations-gaining momentum in some areas, coming and going in others. The gay community is big

business on the west coast. It's a lot less visible in

Zanesville. The "Gay Liberation Movement" cannot die-we are not done yet. The major battle has yet to be won-to educate the straight population and change the homophobia that still pervades society.

The GEAR (Gay Educational and Awareness Resources) Foundation was established in 1977 to research and disseminate information and to provide facilities and services for the gay community. It is a non profit, tax exempt corporation with.a constitution and by-laws. The structure calls for a board of twelve trustees, which oversees the community center, the hotline, High Gear Newspaper, and the countless activities of the foundation.

In the spring of 1979, I began working with John Lehner. We shared a dream of connecting the 70,000 gay people in Cleveland into a single organization capable of effecting the change necessary to make Cleveland a safe, supportive place for gay people. Alone we fear for our jobs and our families-together, in the name of the Foundation, we

Page 10/What She Wants/February, 1980

The GEAR Foundation

can create the clinate, draft the legislation, enact the campaign, and show a strong, united front that wil! have impact on this city.

In June 1979 John and I and a contingent of seven other new men and women were elected to the Gear Board of Trustees. We are a dynamic, diverse group of individuals with boundless energy for the task at hand. In the past 6 months Gear has tripled its membership. We have developed strong working relationships with the Gay Alcoholics Anonymous group, Dignity (gay Catholics), Friends of Lambda (Black Gays), the GCGC (Gay Business Association) and the Buckeye Rainbow Society for the Deaf. We have provided speakers at dozens of high school, college, professional and civic functions, and have conducted hotline trainings for the Free Clinic and "Prodigal" hotlines. We are coordinating support groups for gay parents and groups for parents of gay kids. We are researching local ordinances and investigating the mechanics of legislative change. Our Friday night men's rap has a capacity crowd, and the hotline continues to expand its hours. We have formed a solid women's caucus which runs a coming out group and a rap group for more mature women. We have done full-length TV interviews and occasional news spots to publicize our cause and are coordinating a promotional campaign, printing brochures and bus shelter

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posters to inform the community about the Foundation, its goals and services.

We are in the process of revamping High Gear. After three strenuous years the editor has resigned, and we are faced with the enormous challenge of producing the newspaper. There are more women than ever on the new High Gear staff-the potential is immense. We are also seeking a new office where we can share space with other gay organizations.

The GEAR Foundation is moving. Attend our educational events and social activities. It is a joyful experience to work together for a common goal. You can help by joining the Foundation. Your membership helps us to pay the rent, print the flyers, buy the stamps. It keeps the lights on while we counsel confused parents of gays, confer with lawyers and alcoholism counselors, and court the local councilmen. Your membership allows us to support the groups lobbying in Washington for federal legislation and immigration reform, and form a vital network of local, regional and national organizations.

Your membership is our weight. It enables us to say that we represent a significant portion of the local gay population-that we have card-carrying members who live and work in the city, who vote in the elections, and who care deeply about their futures.

The Gear Foundation Membership Registration

Enclosed please find my check for $ made payable to the GEAR Foundation.

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Membership Rate Schedule $5.00 low income membership

□ $10.00 regular annual membership $15.00 low income membership plus subscription to High Gear

$20.00 regular membership plus subscription to High Gear

$25.00 household membership (two memships and subscription to one address)

Donors

$25.00 Contributing membership $50.00 Sustaining membership $100.00 Lifetime membership

Please (do/do not) include a subscription to High Gear with my donation.

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Please check the appropriate blanks:

The Foundation may contact me by mail. My address and phone number may be shared with other Foundation members. Please keep my address and phone number confidential.

Please mail this form with your check or money order (no cash) to: THE GEAR FOUNDATION

Memberships

P.O. Box 6177 Cleveland, Ohio 44101 All contributions are tax deductible.

Free Afternoon Clinic

The Free Clinic is offering afternoon appointments from now through April in their annual teaching clinic, run in conjunction with Case Western Reserve University Medical School. This clinic has a dual purpose. First, the clinic provides women with pelvic examinations, pap tests, testing and treatment for vaginal infections and venereal disease, family planning, and pregnancy tests. The second purpose is to teach medical students a sensitive, non-judgmental approach to the pelvic examination and to women's gynecological needs. Special emphasis is placed on encouraging students not to make assumptions regarding a woman's sexual lifestyle.

Each woman patient receives two pelvic examina-

tions, one by the student and one by the instructor. : She is encouraged to express her feelings about the exam, and to inform her examiners about ways in which the exam could be made more comfortable for her.

Any woman who feels relatively comfortable with pelvic examinations, and who is interested in influencing the attitudes and practices of physiciansin-training, is cncouraged to call for an appointment in the afternoon clinic. Appointments are available on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, at 12:15 and 1:30 p.m. A typical visit lasts 2 to 3 hours. To schedule an appointment, call the Free Clinic at 721-4010.