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gay peoples CHRONICLE

Gay Peoples Chronicle

Publisher

Cleveland Gay Peoples Press Associates, Inc.

Editor-in-Chief Charles Callender

DON'T TAKE THE

factors may produce this. Even if you have been exposed to the virus, this does not in itself mean that you have AIDS or that you will develop it.

In this issue of The Chromean exposure, because other nicle, Buck Harris repeats his earlier warnings against taking the HTLV-III blood test. A release from the National Gay Task Force reiterates it. Recently the national gay organizations and publications, like significant parts of the medical community, have advised gay men not to take the test.

Second, the test's purpose is to screen blood and quiet fears of acquiring AIDS through transfusions. As a high-risk AIDS group, gay men should not donate blood. First, it is NOT a test If they crowd into blood for AIDS. Operating with an centers to be tested, they admitted margin of error, will overstrain these facthe test at best shows whetilities without deriving any her you have been exposed to benefit themselves. The the HTLV-III/LAV virus that many believe to be the cause of AIDS. A positive reaction does not necessarily

testing program was not instituted to deal with gay men and offers no counselling.

Business Manager

Bob Reynolds

TEST

Third, there are no guarantees that test results will remain confidential and will not be made available to employers or insurance companies. The Federal government has shown no concern with this problem.

The NGTF blames much of the current confusion about the test and its purpose on the Department of Health and Human Services, which has issued conflicting statements and show. little interest in clarifying the uses or the limits of the test. We agree. The main point, right now, is don't take the test.

Christianity, Social Intolerance, and Homophobia

The local media took note of The Chronicle's existence early in March, when the Plain Dealer, radio station WJW, and Channel 5 described Cleveland's gay newspaper. This recognition was gratifying. Yet one problem rather diminished our enjoyment. The Plain Dealer article included The Chronicle's telephone number. This is the Editor's home phone. It rang continuously for two days.

While this was also gratifying, in its way, a small number of nuisance calls-about 10 per cent--were a problem. A few prank calls the first afternoon, after the high schools let out, were depressing because they showed very little imagination. The more numerous hate calls were even less imaginative, and thus even more depressing.

With one exception, the hate callers were males. Most of them simply screamed "fag" or "faggot." A few were capable of stringing words into short sentences, such as "Eat shit and die, you faggots," or "Is this the faggot hotline?"

Most fag-screamers hung up at once. A few stayed on the line, apparently waiting for a reaction. The response they got was "Welcome, brother." This seemed appropriate at several levels, because the hate some of them were expressing stemmed from doubts about their own sexual orientation. Whether it was politically correct is another issue.

Another result of the Plain Dealer article was letter, printed here verbatim, epitomizing the fundamentalist attitude toward gay people. Two points deserve comment.

Recent Biblical scholarship has shown that most passages in the Bible that have been assumed to den ounce homosexuality are mistranslations or misunderstandings of the original Hebrew and Greek texts. FundamenBoswell's "Christianity, talists should read John Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality," if they dare face a traumatic challenge. Or they might look at "Hebrew Myths," by Robert Graves and Rafael Patai, who show

that the early Jewish commentaries on the destruction of Sodom describe heterosexual orgies rather than gay sex. If they insist on a Biblical text, Ezekiel 16: 48-49 describes the real sins of Sodom. By clinging to these errors, fundamentalists who believe that the Bible is the literal word of God are distorting this word and so are guilty of sacrilege.

Perhaps an even more shocking impiety is involved. Like other fundamentalists who insist that God is punishing homosexuals through AIDS, Wittness overlooks a curious problem. Only those gay people who are males constitute a high-risk group for AIDS. Why doesn't God punish lesbians? Why are male homosexuals so much worse than female? The stereotypical American male, roused to hysteria by sexual intercourse between men, takes sex between women

lightly, finds it rather titillating, and dismisses it as umimportant because he assumes that they could not possibly satisfy each other sexually. Is it possible that fundamentalists perceive God in this image?

ALL OHIO LESBIAN/GAY/FEMINIST CONFERENCE APRIL 19TH 21ST

April 1, 1985

Writing Staff

Rick Berg, Charles Callender, Rob Daroff, Jr., Dora Forbes, Mark Kroboth, Casmir Kuzynski, Sebastian Melmoth Photographer & Cartoonist Rob Daroff, Jr.

Columnists

L. Kolke, Jym Roe, Julian Wilde Production Staff

Rick Berg, Lydia Bohn, Rob Daroff, Jr., Mark Kroboth, Jeff Lang, Joy Medley, Rich Tomei

Policy

Publication of the name, picture, or other representation of an organization, place of business, or individual in The Chronicle is not indicative of their sexual orientation and may not be used as evidence of such Written materials, art work, or photography submitted for publication will be subject to editing. Whether used by The Chronicle or not, we cannot guarantee the return of any such material unless it is accompanied by a stamped selfaddressed envelope.

Businesses or organizations wishing to advertise in The Chronicle may obtain advertising rate sheets and other information by writing to Advertising Manager, The Chronicle, p.o.. box 5426, Cleveland, Ohio #101...

Deadlines for Chronicle publication dates are as follows:

Written material by the 13th of each month.

Advertising by the 15th of each month.

The Chronicle is distributed free of charge in any establishment or with any organization that will per-

mit distribution.

The Chronicle is copyrighted under federal law. Any reproduction of its cotents is prohibited unless either written or verbal permission is obtained.

Published by the Cleveland Gay Peoples Press Ass0ciates, Inc., P.0. Box 5426, Cleveland, 44101 Circulation: Distribution:

Ohio.

6,000

Northern

Anyone interested in working on the staff of The Chronicle should call 9322195