January 1986

Gay Peoples Chronicle

page 3

LA Times Poll Shows

BY ROB DAROFF

AIDS Fear

In a nationwide poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times last month, more than half of the adults in the United States favor quarantining AIDS patients, nearly half approve of testing job applicants for AIDS antibodies, and one in seven would support such radical responses as tattooing people with the disease.

According to Times political writer John Balzar, the survey of 2,308 people "sought to measure support for a range of proposals, some serious and some extreme, that have been suggested in the public debate for controlling the spread of AIDS."

Here are some of the results:

* 71% would support a law making it a crime for gay men or others in higher risk groups to donate blood.

an

* 51% would support a law making it a crime for AIDS patient to have with another person.

sex

* 51% would support quarantining people with AIDS.

* 48% would support identification cards for those who test positive for AIDS antibodies. Only a small percentage of those who test positive will develop the disease but all can transmit the virus through unsafe sex or donating blood.

* 48% would support withholding federal funds for cities that allow gay bathhouses to remain open.

* 45% would support testing job applicants for AIDS antibodies:*

* 42% would support a law closing gay bars.

* 39% would support a 1cent on the dollar national sales tax to finance greater

ERGPC meeting

The Eleanor Roosevelt Gay Political Club has changed its next meeting to January 15 7:30 p.m., at Exedra.

The meeting will include nominations for officers. So far, Jerry Bores has been nominated for President, Win Weizer for Vice President, and Alan Holcer for Secretary.

The membership will also vote on changing the club's meetings to the third Wednesday of each month, and on a proposed change in name.

GEAR Funds

From Page 1

Rapid Rabbit Printers filed suit against the Foundation, Ohio Pride, and Cleveland Coast Advertising. Responsibility for the debt was later divided between GEAR and Cleveland Coast. While the Foundation was trying to work out a method of payment its account was attached.

AIDS research (one of the few welcomed responses). * 15% would support tattooing those with AIDS.

In some areas, AIDS-hysteria has affected public opinion of homosexuality. For example, when asked two years ago if they were sympathetic to the gay community, 30% of Americans said yes, whereas now the figure has risen to 41%. Nevertheless, the public's general disapproval of homosexuality has not changed significantly since 1973 when the Times rán a similar poll. In both cases, about three of every four Americans said they disapproved of homosexual relations.

In response to additional questioning, half of those polled said they would hire a known gay person, and a third said they would not. By a 51 to 40% margin, the respondents supported laws to protect gay people from employment discrimination whether they had AIDS or not.

An incredible 28% still believe that AIDS is "God's punishment to gays, and 23% said "they are getting what they deserve."

Overall, it made little difference if the respondent was a resident of an urban area with a highly visible gay population. In addition, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents generally expressed the same kinds of views about the politics of AIDS.

Here in Cleveland, Randy Gearhart, Executive Director of the Health Issues Taskforce, reacted strongly to the results of the poll. He said, "Hearing the responses gives me knots in my stomach because it brings home all the work still needed to be

New Mayfield Ends

The New Mayfield Repertory Cinema, an important Cleveland cultural institution since 1975, closed December 22.

Sheldon Wigod, founder of the New Mayfield and its artistic director since 1978, attributed its closing primarily to declining audiences and a $28,000 debt.

He told Roxanne Mueller, movie critic for the Plain Dealer, that the increase in VCRS is contributing to the demise of revival houses throughout the country:

Besides showing classic ssic Hollywood films and, more recently, foreign and recent films as well, the New Mayfield frequently scheduled offerings of particular interest to gay people. The feature with which it closed was Drifting.

"La Cage" actor Bill Thomas entertained at the Holidaze Dance last month.

done." Gearhart added "It's a typical example of people's inability to deal with situations because of fear and it really underlines the general population's lack of education around AIDS. It's about time people started seeing this disease as a medical issue, not a moral issue.

The poll reported that 54%

of the participants said they did not know any relatives or associates who are gay. Twenty-four percent said they did know gays and a full 21% said someone close to them was gay. Ten percent were gay themselves. The survey has a reported plus or minus 3% range for

error.

Akron Students Organize

By MICHAEL BELUSKO

The University of Akron, for the first time in its history, has officially recognized a gay student group, the University of Akron GayLesbian Task Force.

The University, which has never recognized gay concerns, has had its foundations shaken by the presence

of the Task Force.

When the formation of the Task Force was announced, the campus newspaper, The Buchtelite, featured a serles of anti-gay articles as well as some letters of support. Angelo Massino, its opinion page editor, took it upon himself to contradict experts in sexuality-related research by declaring in his column that gays "are abnormal from both a social and biological standpoint." His other attacks included allegations that gay people are on campus to recruit children. His anti-gay guest_columnist, Alan Andrew Grna,

has blatantly accused gays of everything from destroying family life to purposely spreading AIDS.

The Task Force spent the first semester of its existence working for social equality for lesbians and gays on campus, and providing support for lesbian and gay students. It is currently working with other minority groups to bring about social change. effective

Among its many activities, the Task Force has worked on a list of up-to-date materials on gay/lesbian lifestyles for the University library. It also provides a Gay Student Help-line. The group has sponsored a gay lesbian theme display in the University's student center and has provided speakers on gay/lesbian issues for several classes.

At recent student demonstrations against apartheid, students spoke out for and