November, 1975

HIGH GEAR

Page 3

Last MCC Service At St. John's

CLEVELAND On October 26, the Cleveland Community

1975,

Metropolitan

Church celebrated its last service at St. John's Episcopal Church. Due to congregational complaints about homosexuals in the church, St. John's clergy recently withdrew permission for MCC to continue leasing church facilities.

During the sermon, the Rev. Art MacDonald reported that MCC Cleveland is now entering mission status which indicates they are no longer under jurisdiction of the district and may control their own activities. The

next step is chartering where MCC members are permitted to select their own pastor and become completely autonomous from the fellowship. Akron MCC is already in the stages of attaining final charter status.

MacDonald's sermon took on political overtones when he reminded MCC members of their Christian responsibility to "go out into the streets to change the public's attitude about homosexuality." MacDonald implored: "Get out and work for political change so we don't have to worry about being affronted by a man with a shotgun at one of our services as we did last summer, or worry about our brothers and sisters being

CLEVELAND On Thursday, October 30th in the Empire Room at the Shearton-Cleveland Hotel, nationally known Gay activist Mark Segal spoke to a group of about 40 people, many representing various Cleveland area Gay organizations. Mr. Segal, known for his televised "zap" of Walter Cronkite's CBS news program and for his work in helping to form a Governor's Gay Rights Task Force in Pennsylvania, was presented through the courtesy of East Ohio Gay News in the hope of sparking a greater interest in political activism in Cleveland.

Defending his . CBS News "zap," ," Segal claimed that militancy is sometimes necessary to get past censorship of Gay news. He said that "American society has been programmed to not like Gay people." Giving examples of network censorship he asked, "Why is it that when 26 cities in this country pass Gay rights legislation, it's not covered by the national news media? Why is it that when ONE city, New York, fails to pass Gay rights legislation, that is covered by the news media? That's more than censorship. That's propaganda it shows that nobody wants to help the fags or the dykes. That has to end." He went on to blast the representation of Gays in stereotyped roles, and more recently, as bank robbers who can be 'cured.'

brutalized on the mall, or attacked as they leave the bars."

"It is time we get out of the pig sty. We don't have to eat the slop society gives us. We can sit at the finest table with the best of food."

MacDonald said that politics is inherent in Christian philosophy: "It is essential to politicize within the Church, for the Church is responsible for

Photo by Matt Phillips

where gays are today." In an emotional reference to St. John's decision to ban MCC from its premises, MacDonald said, "MCC has pulled itself out of the gutter and we're not going back, regardless of what

establishment churches may think about our activities. MCC is here to stay and will continue to make its presence felt throughout Greater Cleveland."

MCC services will now be held on Cleveland's East Side at 2:00 P.M. every Sunday at 2728 Lancashire in Cleveland Hts. The group is presently in the process of finding a suitable West Side location to hold evening services.

OPINION

Playboy magazine has been known to feature women in mutually intimate poses for the pleasure of voyeuristic males. The current issue has gone further than previous issues in portraying "lesbians" in various acts of lovemaking. The photo feature is quite explicit and is interspersed with verses from the Greek poetess, Sappho. It is doubtful, however, that such exposure represents a newly enlightened Playboy. In view of the magazine's lagging sales, it is more probable that Playboy is taking advantage of revived public interest in homosexuality to promote its own interests.

Mark Segal At The Sheraton

By Peter Alan Barrosse

Discussing the Walter Cronkite "zap," in which he crashed the CBS studios during

a

live telecast, Segal said: "Since that time there have been

ten reports, positive reports, on the CBS evening news on the Gay movement. I think this is positive and shows some

change. It shows what can be done through militant action."

On the problem of police harassment, he said, "Gay people have had problems with police for a long while. I don't think the problem is with us, it's with the police. For some odd reason they think they have to keep up a macho image".

Describing the need for affirmative action on the state and local level, Segal related his experiences with Pennsylvania Governor Shapp. He and a group of Gay activists in Philadelphia had secured promises from Governor Shapp before his recent election. After the election, Segal called Governor Shapp to remind him of his promise for action. "Within a month of that telephone call we had the first meeting of the Governor's Gay Rights Task Force, the first of its kind in the country. Last April Governor Shapp issued an executive order, also the first of its kind, which stated that he was committing his administration to ending discrimination against Gays in Pennsylvania."

Noticing the few women in the audience, Segal said, "Un-

fortunately there aren't many women here tonight. I think that in the movement we must develop a unity between Gay women and Gay men. It's something we must do and do quickly. We're all victims of the same sexism." He went on to decry the polarized maculine and feminine roles. "What we have to work for is an equal line somewhere where there isn't such a thing as masculinity and femininity, where all people can be similar. Aside from the biological difference, there is no need for people to be so different."

Moving on to the subject of psychiatry, he gave the audience some insight on the American Psychological Association's move to remove homosexuality from its list of illnesses. "What the American Psychological Association did was take the word "homosexuality" out of their nomenclature, their book of mental disorders. But they did something more important. They put in another clause in their book, called 'Sexual Orientation Disturbance.' Instead of one word, we're now three. 'Sexual Orientation Disturbance' stands for Gay people.'

He then launched into a history of the Gay movement, saying "The Gay movement is in its heyday". He closed his talk on an optimistic note, asking that those present go home and say to themselves that they were

NOW GIVES FULL SUPPORT TO GAYS

PHILADELPHIA The National Organization of Women at their recent convention celebrating International Women's Year voted overwhelmingly to support federal legislation banning discrimination against homosexuals. Strong support of lesbian sisters brought about the important vote and will positively affect gay males as well.

SECOND AF MAN CONFESSES HE'S GAY

HAMPTON, VA. A second enlisted man at Langley Air Force Base declared his homosexuality October 16 and said he would challenge military regulations banning homosexuals.

Sgt. Richard Hicks, 22, a musician in the 546th Air Force Band wrote a letter to his commanding officer, Capt. Ronald W. Carl, stating his preference for a gay lifestyle and seeking waiver of discharge procedures.

beautiful, "because if you say you're beautiful, that's going to rub off on other people and then we can really get to work."

After his presentation, Segal responded to questions from the audience. He also expressed the desire to see the development of a new, politically oriented Gay organization in Greater Cleveland,

--Peter Alan Barrosse

Italian Gay Activist Brutally Slain

ROME Pier Paolo Pasolini, 53, a leading film director and writer who championed the cause of minorities including gays, was found brutally murdered Sunday, November 2nd. Police charged a 17 year old with his slaying.

The youth told investigators he beat Pasolini in the head with a piece of wood after refusing Pasolini's sexual advances. Pasolini apparently fought his assailant.

Gieuseppe Pelosi, the youth, was quoted as saying Pasolini waved him into his car in Rome while the youth was in a coffee shop about 11:00 p.m., Saturday, took him to a restaurant, and then drove him toward Ostia. He said a fight broke out and Pasolini struck Pelosi in the head with a stick.

Pasolini was a prominent Marxist intellectual. His poems, essays, novels, and films often depicted violence among the rich and poor. His 1964 film of Jesus Christ's life, "The Gospel According To St. Matthew" was among the best known of his works in America. Other films in cluded, "Oedipus Rex," "Manna Roma," "Canterbury Tales," "Theorema," "Medea," and "Decameron."

SIPPLE HONORED AT LUNCHEON

SAN FRANCISCO Oliver Sipple, 32, the gay ex-Marine credited with deflecting the guri pointed at President Ford in San Francisco, was honored Thursday, October 16, at a luncheon sponsored by the city's construction unions for "outstanding courage."

NBC Shows Human Gay

NEW YORK -On Wednesday, October 29, at 9:00 p.m., NBC (Channel 3) aired its popular series, "Doctors' Hospital," with a homosexual as one of the main characters and the decided hero of the episode. Almo, a young orderly, played by Cliff DeYoung, is the only hospital employee who is able to handle Jackson Taggert, an obstinate movie magnet played by Robert Loggia. Taggert, in the hospital because of a brain tumor

that is eventually diagnosed malignant and not operable, initially accepts Almo's firmness, his expertise, his perserverance and determination, his humanity and his compassion. But when the orderly admits, quite casually and unashamedly, that he is gay, the critically ill Taggert attacks Almo with every conceivable diatribe.

Almo's insistence on his

homosexuality being a perfectly logical expression of his love for another human being and his equally logical view of death finally break through Taggert's the final obstinacy. With recognition of his impending death and the truth of Almo's view of love, Taggert takes Almo in his arms in a warm, natural and tender demonstration of his gratitude and affection.

The program was tastefully done and is probably one of the media's most genuine, lowkeyed and effective efforts to present the humanity of gays to be aired since "That Certain Summer" over three years ago. NBC should be encouraged to re-run the episode and to continue providing programs that dispel the erroneous image of the homosexual. WRITE:: National Broadcasting Company, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, 10020.