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HIGH GEAR

DECEMBER 1976

Come to HAL'S CORNER for a

Gala

New Year's Eve Party

OPEN BAR

MIX YOUR

OWN DRINKS

All you can drink from 8 o'clock until 2:30

$12.50 per person. Reservations, paid in advance, must be made by December 27 and include booze, food, noise makers, and LIVE BAND.

1432 W. Tuscarawas (Rt 30) Canton (216) 453-5524

Holiday Greetings

THE RAINBOW

Cleveland's Friendliest Club!

2211 E. 9th St. Cleveland, Ohio Phone (216) 621-8667

GRAB IT FOR

$1.00

A LOCKER

EVERY MONDAY

UNDER 21

FREE ON WED.

DEPO

FREE BRUNCH

EVERY SUNDAY

3 PM MOVIES

SUN. TUES. & THURS.

BUSINESS MAN'S SPECIAL THURS. & FRI. 11 am TILL 2 pm ROOM $2.00 4 HOUR LIMIT

SPECIAL

YOUR FIRST ROOM OR LOCKER FEE INCLUDES A MEMBERSHIP CARD TO THE DEPO

Cleveland Dep

Baths

1946 St. Clair in Cleveland, Ohio (216) 579-0634

OUT ON THE TOWN

by Aaron Ross

If I were to write a guide for newcomers to Cleveland (gay ones, naturally) I would endeavor to make it "the best location in the nation" because "the best things in (gay) life are here." And here are my reasons:

1. FREEDOM! Don't scoff Iwe have it good. A few months ago I visited a combination gay movie theatre/book store in the. French Quarter of New Orleans. I got to talking to the young man at the cash register about the dirth of gay book stores and gay I cinemas in this supposedly gay crescent city.

After determining my motives were not "official" he laid bare his soul (damn it, nothing else). and unfolded a story about police harassment that make the Nazi purges a children's story. Stories about police decoys (age mid-20s, in tight blue jeans yet) who invite the attentions of

book browsers and movie watchers in the store and when contact is made, arrest the person for days with a police record on file.

Similar incidents can be Erelated about Houston, Texas. where 125 customers of a popular gay bar were herded

into paddy wagons and held for 24 hours without any contact with lawyers, friends or families.

That this is more prevalent in the gay world than we might think, consider the plot of a recent CBS television play on the Family series where a young man gets "foundout" by being arrested in a California gay bar. It's not unusual to see police cars patroling areas where gays frequent in L.A. and picking up many each evening on some pretext or other.

And even in "small" cities like Norfolk, Virginia gay bargoers are used to the ominous presence of police in their midst with police cars ready to book them at the slightest provocation. Yes we have freedom in this area and let us be thankful.

2. SAFETY! If you're not discreet and you enjoy the risk of a pick-up in public places then Cleveland, or anywhere, is never safe for you. But if you stick to our gay bars, gay baths, you'll find this city to be the safest you'll find. For good (or bad) not as many transients visit us. And those that do would have to be gay to find some of the out-of-the-way places we congregate in.

None are on the main drag. Few ever get written up notoriously in our straight