COMMUNITY VOICE HIGH GEAR/APRIL 1977

MORE ON COLUMBUS

AND ABDON

Editors:

Re: February High Gear, "The People of Columbus" by Jay Abdon. I am inclined to say a person who writes a character damaging article like Mr. Abdon did, did so out of revenge and not from a clear and objective viewpoint. To me Mr. Abdon is .not an authority on the gay life of Columbus. I say this, as an independent gay and not as a member of G.A.A. or any other organization.

I have not been out that long (9 months to be exact) so 1, myself, an not an authority on gay life in Columbus. But those I have met and the gay scenes I have been to and seen show me that the gay life in Columbus is

your area.

For gays to achieve equality we must work together: I'm asking for support for a badly needed organization to bring about change. Local groups can do much with their communities, but we must get together and change state legislation also. OGRC is the tool we need to begin work at the state level.

Along with legislation we also need to educate the populace. Education of both straight and gay society, is one of the goals of OGRC. OGRC's statement of purpose is: to attain gay civil and social rights. Through education and legislation OGRC can fulfill its purpose. Your help and support though is fundamentally needed. Contact me and let OGRC start functioning on a truly state-wide basis. I can be contacted at the following address and phone number:

Marc Kopacz

2446 Shore Blvd., W. Columbus, Ohio 43227 (614) 864-6296

rapidly growing both socially OPEN LETTER

and politically.

A person just coming out and reading an article like the one by Mr. Abdon would surely be discouraged. I feel Mr. Abdon had no authorization to write representing G.A.A. or its members, or for that matter, the people of Columbus. And I think your readers should know that his article was biased and seemingly vengeful.

I hope there is a favorable response to this and other letters you may receive.

Yours truly Columbus, Ohio

OHIO GAY RIGHTS COALITION

Bill

High Gear has reported the formation of a new organization in Ohio, called Ohio Gay Rights Coalition. As a member of OGRC I want to add my voice to what has been said.

My name is Marc Kopacz and I'm the member-at-large for the new organization. As memberat-large represent any gay person that is not affiliated with a gay organization.

All organizations in Ohio can be represented, if they so choose, but the non-affiliated gays also need representation. For OGRC to function for all Ohio gays, it needs input from everyone. All meetings are open, but with floating meetings and sites it may be difficult to attend all meetings. I voiteered to represent those people who wanted to work for equal rights and had no organization or group to work through. Let me. know how you feel, what you think, and what is happening in

Open Letter:

I have been told that my article in last month's High Gear on the bar scene of thirty years ago ruffled a few feathers. All I can say is that I had no intent to hurt anyone, particularly a fellow survivor.

Very Humbly Yours Codger

C. Maquet, Heidelberg und Berlin W..

Charlottenstr. 63. Bade-Einrichtungen, Bitzund Fusswannen, Dampfbäder, Zimmer-

Closets and Bidets in grosser Auswahl.

WITH A LITTLE HELP

A year ago, I was tired and depressed. I hated living in Cleveland. I hated my job, and I hated myself. I had to escape.

Since I have a friend in San Francisco who was willing to accommodate me, I decided to move there. When the lease to my apartment expired, I packed my VW Beetle with all my belongings and headed west.

to the same life I had left.

For the first time in my life I decided to deal with myself as a gay man. Because of silly fears of the unknown, it took me six months to muster enough courage to attend the Gay Rap Group at the Free Clinic.

What I found there was both more and less than I had expected. The kindness and concern of some members of the group were helpful in alleviating tension, and after three meetings I said something more than my first name. However, I also found that coming out is something that does not happen quickly. It is an ongoing process. It is never complete.

As my self-worth began to grow, so did my confidence. I told my parents about my gayness. They were understanding. What a relief. I also told my sister. She was supportive, too.

I also volunteered to help with layout for HIGH GEAR and I've met some nice people to whom I owe a great deal.

I've made a lot of progress in one year, but I'm not where I want to be, yet. I'm taking night courses in hopes of finding a job I will like. I've moved to a new apartment in cosmopolitan Cleveland neighborhood. I respect myself more than I used to. I give myself permission to enjoy myself. I like myself now.

a

All is not perfect. I may not spend the rest of my life in Cleveland and I still get depressed sometimes; but, at least, I am heading in a positive direction. I am a survivor. The process goes on.

Anthony Scafaro Cleveland, Ohio

WAGES DUE LESBIANS

Continued From Page 11

convenience: Because their wages are higher they can afford to keep a house-slave on whom they depend for their daily reproduction. We stay in the closet we are those houseslaves because we cannot afford to leave. Leaving a marriage, for us, usually means leaving behind our children or the possibility of having children. For us lesbian women,, wages for housework means wages against heterosexuality and for lesbianism, against the power that all men have over us, both straight and gay.

We cannot say it enough; although men are also exploited by capitalism, they are the instruments of capital against us. Men will dominate us unless we are strong. They will use us as long as we are weak. We will be weak as long as we are not an autonomous force in both the women's and the gay movements. Only to the degree. that we develop our own power I will we be able to set the terms of the support that the men give us. When we aren't autonomous of men, we fail to undermine their power over us. When we are autonomous of men, we demonstrate how in support our fight for power, they gain power over capital.

We urge the gay movement to take a clear stand for lesbian autonomy. Unless we lesbian women can build our power we will always risk gay men building their power at our expense. Our fight is to end the system which commands our work by keeping us weak and penniless, and which deforms our sexuality and our relationships with one another. Lesbian autonomy is a power in that struggle. And it is a power to all those lesbian or straight, female or male, who are struggling

Cacao 2

Yero

HARTWIG&VOGEL Dresden Bodenbach

The power differential between men and women that we experience everywhere in our society we also experience in the gay movement. Through our struggle we have gained a measure of independence from men, along with the possibility of living with other women. We don't want to forfeit that independence within the gay movement. We know that gay men think it's hard for them to "come out" on the job, but lesbian women have a hard time finding and keeping the lowest paid jobs even when we stay in the closet. And gay men who are in a crisis have men friendsto turn to, which means more access to money, job possibilities, professional advice, etc., than lesbian women, who invariably turn to other The trip was worthwhile. It women. It also means that many made me examine myself and gay men choose to remain my values. I decided to come married to women, to be back home to Cleveland, but not weekend homosexuals, out ofol bner-fest arily

San Francisco is a beautiful city and the trip across the country was overwhelming. But I soon found that what I had tried to run away from was not Cleveland. It was myself. I thought the change of scenery would change my life; but, instead of being tired and depressed in Cleveland, I still had all of my problems, only now I was in California.

Chocolade

PAGE 25

against their own exploitation at the hands of the same system.

*"... the difference between men's and women's wages is increasing. In 1971 the average man earned 44% more than the average. woman. By 1973 it was 45.1% more. In Ontario in 1974, women waged workers earned $1 billion less than if they were men.

2/3 of all women below the age of 25 have annual incomes of less than $5000. Almost 50% of mother-led families had an income of less than $4,000. 23% of single father-led familes had less than $4,000. A male head of family has a 9.3% chance of living below the powerty line. A. female head of family has 40.1% chance."

Wages Due Lesbians P.O. Box 38, Station E Toronto, Ontario

Wages For Housework Box 5482 Cleveland, Ohio 44101

IN LIMBO

I want to burn our love in effigy:

Comedy-tragedy masks going up in smoke; Two women entertwined inside an hourglass ablaze;

A bleeding heart swallowed up by a big

neon p-r-i-d-e engulfed in flames.

If these are not the symbols of what we had

and what happened,

Then why am I in limbo?

Lady O.

1st) word, is dow

mulere s, driw, qimenovale, s