JULY 1976

JANET COOPER PLANS VISIT

CLEVELAND Janet Cooper, representative of Susan Saxe's defense fund, librarian, and member of Pennsylvania Governor Shapp's Committee on Sexual Minorities is tentatively scheduled to come to Cleveland on August 4 and 5. Contacts from area gay organizations for a speaking engagement were in the works at press time.

Ms. Cooper, who is also coauthoring an annotated bibliography of women physicians (Scarecrow Press, Library Science Press), is planning on visting lesbian/activist friends in the area. She has been in the

area before as a keynote speaker at the spring Kent Gay

Liberation Front Conference. Those interested in hearing Ms. Cooper speak or in receiving further information on the visit are asked to call (216) 721-8403 for details.

WRAPPING UP THE CANDIDATES

Gay

The Philadelphia Raiders, 8111 Fayette St., Phila., Pa. 19150 recently presented the gay press copies of letters from committee representatives of the three top presidential hopefuls, Governor Ronald Reagan, President Gerald Ford, and Governor Jimmy Carter. The letters were in response to a Raider request for the candidates' stands on

rights. Excerpts

gay follow: Governor Ronald Reagan: "(Reagan) has always believed that a person should be judged by a prospective employer on the basis of his or her qualifications. He is opposed to discrimination of any sort. At the same time, it's his position that an employer has a right to hire the person he considers best suited to the job available."

President Gerald Ford: "Rather than insult your intelligence with a phrase such as 'a person should be judged by a

prospective employer on the basis of his or her qualifications,' we would like to state the absolute truth, which is that President Ford has not taken any position on gay activity at the present time.".

Governor Jimmy Carter: (a personal reply): "I oppose all forms of discrimination against individuals, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. As president, I can assure you that all policies of the federal government would reflect this commitment to ending all forms of discrimination."

On June 7, 1976 Mark Segal replied to the Pennsylvania President Ford committee: "While I can appreciate your honesty, I cannot accept the fact that a person would seek the presidency with the attitude that he can ignore the plight of twenty two million Americans."

GAY PRISONER IN BEHAVIOR

PROGRAM TRIES ESCAPE

By Eddie Sanchez Reprinted from Worker's World

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. On May 25, at the Federal Penitentiary in Springfield, Mo., gay prisoner Bernie Delbert Moore made a daring daylight attempt to escape. Bernie Moore has been constantly harassed by the officials over a number of years for being gay.

driven to attempts at suicide due to mental pressures..

Finally, on May 25, in broad daylight, Bernie ran for the fence. He quickly scaled one fence despite over 11 rounds of gunfire shot at him. He was caught up in the barbed wire of the second fence and pinned down by gunfire.

Bernie is now in the "hole." He faces an additional five years for his bid for freedom.

In 1973 Bernie was one of two gay prisoners subjected to Bernie needs your help and confinement in the infamous support. Please send letters to START behavior modification Bernie Delbert Moore, P.O. Box unit as the officials tried to 4000, Springfield, Mo. 65802. If brainwash him of his gay anyone knows of a lawyer thoughts and life. Over the years interested in helping gay Bernie has resisted all attempts prisoners, please have them to alter his thinking despite contact Bernie. A courageous harassment. On several prisoner deserves courageous occasions Bernie has been support.

HIGH GEAR

Page 3

G.E.A.R. DEFERS SITE CHOICE

CLEVELAND At its recent Board of Directors meeting the G.E.A.R. Foundation estimated funds available from area organizations interested in renting space at the proposed Community Center (The Bradley Building at 1220 W. 6th St). A steady, minimum monthly income of $300.00.. is guaranteed; but other additional monies from benefits, donations, and Foundation memberships would be required to offset the balance.

Rent is set at approximately 250.00 a month plus electricity; however projected rennovation costs appear substantial. A task force has been appointed to study the matter and make. recommendations. It is, however, apparent that most G.E.A.R. Board members though

Dear Editors:

I am a mother of a gay son. 23 years ago Ken was born. He was a sensitive, gentle, loving child and I loved him very much. This was my first child and he spent all the time with me. Ken was a very good baby. 20 months later I had another boy. Ken was a lot of help to me. He was around five years old when his eyesight became very bad. Without glasses he could not see. The children from school would tease him, pick on him, trying to remove his glasses, so he would fight; but he would never fight. back. His brother would stick up for him.

Ken showed an interest in radio and TV when he was very young and became very good at repairing them. Ken never had a girlfriend. I never questioned this. I always said you have plenty of time for girls. He said they cost money. I told myself he was shy and related this to a broken home. His stepfather called him down all the time.

We had a German housekeeper and he took four years of German and they got along very well. He would take her everywhere, to the store, doctors, etc.

Ken graduated and wanted to go to Florida. He didn't want to embarrass the family, he told me later. I sent him to Florida for a graduation present for two weeks thinking he would get Florida out of his system. I have a sister living there. Instead he came back and wanted to live there. I sold some old coins, gave him the money, and he moved.

Asking my doctor, I had suspicions that he was gay. He told me to do nothing about it and leave him to lead his own life. Our housekeeper died at the

inclined toward the Bradley site are also interested in exploring other possibilities. This is partially due to the present condition of the Bradley Building and the significant amount of work necessary to restore the space. The general feeling is that other spaces should be investigated before any commitments are made.

For a brief time the Cooper School of Art's luxurious, carpeted first floor at 2341 Carnegie was available for only $500.00 a month; but the leasors later insisted on renting the accompanying garage space as well, making the final annual rent an astronomical $15,000. This, of course, would be an impossible payment for G.E.A.R. to make.

LETTERS

age of 74 two years ago and he came home for the funeral. It was then he told me he was gay. That night he left, I felt terrible, my thoughts were confirmed.

A year later, his brother sent him money to come home on vacation for a week. It was then after was around him that I realized my son hadn't changed. He was still the sensitive, gentle person he always was. It was only in my mind. I made excuses for him as he was growing up; but if he were raised any other way, he would still be gay.

Since then, I have a better understanding of my son. Our relationship has always been good, but now it's better. I have met several gay persons since that day and found them to be very sincere, God-loving people. They have a very hard road to lead, hoping some day all gay persons will come out of thei "closet" and their parents and others will accept them for what they are and be understanding toward them. Gay people are. human beings and didn't ask to be born this way. Love your children as they are for you cannot change them.

Sincerely,

Mrs. A. Hammond

(This letter is directed to Aaron Ross who in last month's High Gear wrote a column on alternative forms of local gay entertainment)

Dear Mr. Ross:

Your attack on lip-synck stems from your failure to place it in the proper genre. Lip-synck is a form of pantomime. It is a tradition and folkway in campy entertainment, originating, of course, among female impersonators. Convincing drag

Meanwhile, the Board was informed that it must get an architectural advisor to draw a floor plan of the Bradley Building and present proposed changes to the building commissioner who will in turn send a city inspector to investigate the locale. The Foundation must spell out in detail to the commissioner what functions it wishes to use the building for. Should dances and the like not be permitted, the Board of Directors agreed the space would fall out of consideration.

What had originally been expected to be a quick decision on the Bradley site has now slowed to a careful reflection on the number of financial and other long range variables in-. volved.

coupled with an antithetical baritone voice simply does not make for a successful performance.

Drag shows, however, are hardly the exclusive province of lip-synck. Popular entertainers routinely incorporate lip-synck on national television for one reason or another. In many cases live singing could never duplicate the effect achieved by modern electronic reproduction. Electronic accessories are frequently essential to the totality of a work. Besides, many arrangements require several voices or combination of voices. so that no matter how well a performer perfected his/her voice, that single voice must be only, partly relevant to his/her performance. And quality may not figure at all in a show featuring largely humor.

If someone wants to perform an impromptu act in a bar or anywhere else, why should that person not be allowed to do so, especially if you are not paying for it? Most crowds are delighted by unexpected locat showpersonship.

Native ability is not necessarily a virtue. Many people would not appreciate massacres of their favorite melodies. Some themes are too personal to be tortuously croaked by any half-crocked crooner.

In short, judge lip-synck on it's own merits, and not on those of some alien art form. Otherwise, insist that the Cleveland Orchestra let us dance while it plays, and be sure McDonald's hamburgers are really made of ham!

Sincerely yours,

Joe Krause, Cleveland