December 1985

Holidaze Dance Benefit

December 15th-

Gay Peoples Chronicle

Page 7

Men and women of the Cleveland gay community will gather at the Civic December 15 for the Holidaze Dance.

The dance is a fundraiser, sponsored by the Discrimination Response System, a joint project of the Black and White Men Together chapters in Cleveland, Columbus, and Youngstown and the Gay Educational and Awareness Resource Foundation (GEAR).

The Holidaze Dance will include entertainment, starring Bill Thomas, who originated and still plays the role of the hilarious butler/maid in the smash Broadway musical, La Cage Aux Folles.

A native Ohioan, Thomas played Jesus and Judas in New York productions of God spell. He was featured in Vinette Carroll's Your Arm's Too Short To Box with God, and recently starred in the PBS series, "American Magazine." Besides taking part in many recitals, he sang the role of The Magician in Menotti's The Consul, and was a soloist in Mendelssoha's Elijah with the Columbus Symphony.

Thomas will sing numbers from La Cage, Godspell, and other favorites.

Holidaze will also include dancing, with a live D.J.

The Midwest Discrimination onse System was set up

Films

By CHARLES CALLENDER

Through December 22 the New Mayfield is showing a series titled Some of My Best Friends, described as the Jewish experience on film. It includes such gems as The Shop on Main Street, The Pawnbroker, and The Great Dictator..

The series also includes the Cleveland Premiere of Drifting, a 1983 film made in Israel, where homosexuality is illegal.

Directed by Amos Guttman, a gay Israeli, the film centers on problems encountered by a gay director trying to

to handle violations of the civil rights of men and women. Complaints about discrimination may be phoned in to the Lesbian/Gay Resource Center hotline, 651-7111 for the Cleveland area, and 1-800-332-2437 statewide outside Cleveland. The DRS refers complaints from men and women to individuals and agencies for possible solution.

The DRS project was granted startup money from the Fund for Human Dignity, administered by the National Gay Task Force.

Arrangements for Bill Thomas' appearance in Cleveland were made by Aubrey Wertheim of the National Gay Task Force.

Holidaze Dance will begin at 7 p.m. and run until 11. Tickets, defined as donations, are $5 in advance, $6 at the door.

Tickets are available from members of BWMT-Cleveland (321-2418), at the Community Center, 2100 Fulton (6511999, 4 p.m. to 11 daily), at the Women's Building Project in The Civic (3213054), from Bill Sterns of EQUALS, and from BWMT members in Columbus and Youngstown.

The Civic Assembly Hall is at 3130 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights, with parking outside Sawyer College.

finance a gay film.

Reviewing Drifting, when it played in the 1984 New York Gay Film Festival, Vito Russo wrote, "In spite of a meandering plot and lack of dynamic focus, the film provies an amusing look at the thought process of a young artist who dreams of Hollywood success."

Like L'Homme Blesse, Drifting has been criticized in the United States as a pegative portrayal of gay life.

In an Advocate interview, Guttman agreed the film is sad, but insisted it "is only representative of the people in the movie."

Bill Thomas, right, in a scene from La Cage Aux Folles.

10 Years Ago

By CHARLES CALLENDER

*The National Gay Task Force announced that as of October 1, 1975, 13 states had repealed their sodomy laws.

*The Free Clinic agreed to make space available for gav counselling and a gay group.

*At its second meeting the Cleveland Gay Political Group agreed that gay rights was its primary thrust but it would also support other groups struggling for liberǎtion.

*D.Y.K.E., the Cleveland lesbian/feminist group, announced it was shifting its strategies to concentrate on feminist issues, and no longer wished to be identified as an organization defined by sexual orientation. It also planned to change its name.

*The Cleveland Metropolitan Community Church held services at 2 p.m. every Sunday.

*Bayou Landing, where Mr. Tiffany Jones was appearing, offered Sunday afternoon tea dances. Godmothers II had a 50-cent Sunday buffet. The

Vault planned to start serving lunch and dinner.

*JoAnne's reopened Decem-

ber

19 as The Zanzibar, announcing it would discriminate only against people under 18.

*Mondays were Game Nights at Gypsy's Restaurant on St. Clair.

CEAR

GAY EDUCATIONAL AND AWARENESS RESOURCES FOUNDATION

Foundation Office

(216) 651-1999 Cleveland Lesbian/Gay Hotline

(216) 651-7111

Ohio Dept. of Health AIDS Hotline 1-800-332-AIDS

Community Center 2100 Fulton Road

(1⁄2 block south of Lorain) Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 6177 Cleve., Ohio 44101 SHANA R. BLESSING

Executive Director

INDIVIDUAL • COUPLE

FAMILY • GROUP

FOCUS-

COUNSELING SERVICES, INC.

DEBRA DUNKLE, A.C.S.W.

NICHOLAS PALUMBO, A.C.S.W.

SUELLEN SAUNDERS, M.S.S.A.

2100 FULTON ROAD

CLEVELAND, OHIO

651-7111 7-11 P.M. FOR APPOINTMENT

1}}

SUSAN M. WEAVER

Attorney at Law

INITIAL CONSULTATION FREE

300 Engineers Building Cleveland, Ohio 44114-1373

(216) 621-8118