July 1986

Gay Peoples Chronicle

LETTERS

THE AIDS PRAYER SERVICE

To the Editor:

It was hardly two years ago, May 7, 1986, that I moved into Cleveland with my lover, Bob Navis Jr. Through the highs and lows of these two years, we have survived. But I have changed: I am more wounded after these two years, more pained than I was. I am more bold and more confident, too, of what is true and what is not true.

Within two years' time, our lives have been interrupted twice by discriminatory firings. My lover was twice fired from the Cleve land Diocese in one school year after 17 years of loyal, passionate service to his students and colleagues. Every fair-minded man and woman sensitive to the protection of civil liberties knew in their gut that the Roman Catholic Diocese was interfering with the person al and professional life of Bob Navis--except for Bob's historically closest colleagues, members and leaders of Dignity/Cleveland.

Dignity/Cleveland's membership appeared to become immobilized by events that were peculiarly public for them. They were unable to articulate a compassionate response to Diocesan prejudice. Dignity proceeded to blame the victim in their Chronicle interviews, with contradictory statements such as these: "I don't think the Erieview thing was an issue of gay discriminaation..." [but yet] "Bob basically wanted to bring his personal life out in public for students and faculty to see."

The more Dignity/Cleveland talked, it seems, the they were closing in upon themselves. For in the next few months, they were stating that they were the victims of the gay community's criticisms of their decisions to abandon a brother and protect their Roman Catholic Diocese. Indeed, they were and are the victims of their discompassionate actions toward a brother. Just as the priest Dassed by the victim on the

road to Jericho, Dignity/Cleveland significantly departed from the only Christian and humane response: compassion and support. They refused an occasion grace seeking "credibility" with Church leaderes.

One year later, Dignity/Cleveland and Bishop Anthony Pilla host an AIDS prayer service at St. John's Cathedral. I am there permitting them to lead me in prayer (ironically enough) for the terminally ill. Who are the terminally ill, here?

Bishop Pilla sermonized lustily about compassion for the victim. Was he vindicating himself on less conscious levels? Dignity/Cleveland members were smiling, arm in arm around the Bishop at the final blessing, and they were smiling and greeting me as if nothing had ever happened. All this to the incongruously "militant" song of Holly Near, "We are a Gentle Angry People." Are we? Do we smile with our anger? What do we do with our anger?

Dignity bargained with the Diocese, diffusing their anger and maintaining their victimhood. They have passed by our brother. They have swallowed their anger in a compliant parent-child relationship. They are afraid to sing with animation, lest they get in touch with their anger and have to create something with it as adults.

So we sang without animation! We were not "singing for our lives." No one shouted, "Where's

our an-

ger?" as our gay community did one night on Castro Street. No one dared to feel too much of this choking, insidiously Catholic teaching that you can be a homosexual, but don't be gay.

I later addressed Bishop Pilla on this matter in the reception line, this faceless man who shamelessly aborted my lover's career without once contacting or consulting with us or our families. I said to him that his sermon on compassion did not match the character of his actions toward Bob and my community over the past year. He looked away, and then looking into my he said, "You have to listen hard to the words."

eyes,

In that moment I pitied this man and Dignity/Cleveland as the true victims they are of homophobic fear and prejudice. I wonder how my community buys into compromised ethics at any perSonal and communal cost.

gay peoples CHRONICLE

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Will Dignity/Cleveland publicly apologize to our community for their wrongs? I know that Dignity/Cleveland is still waiting on the Bishop to do a searching moral_inventory, and I know that I am not going to be waiting with them. I want to be singing for my life!

The AIDS prayer service was a well-designed liturgical service. I do commend Dignity/Cleveland, HIT, and the Diocese of Cleveland for realizing this event. However, when our community sells our soul to the Church or any oppressive social institution to achieve an end, we have compromised, not strengthened ourselves. Our political and spiritual vision remains obscured. We carry the mental illness of the closeted homosexual. We will never sing for our lives, this way, Lying to ourselves, we will always be defeatist. Perhaps we have not yet learned to be the gentle, angry people the songwriter envisioned.

Jeffrey J. Gerhardstein

DISCRIMINATION

To the Editor (and the community at large):

Read the quest editorial [page 13] about discrimination at Isis. I am black, and the womon mentioned in the editorial who was not allowed into Isis that night. The basic story is outlined in the editorial.

After speaking to womyn outside Isis directly after this incident, and the next week, it is very clear that there is a systematic policy of discrimination. All the white womyn that we talked to had never heard of the membership policy, or never had any trouble getting in, membership card or not.

However, all of the black womyn either knew about the policy, or had problems getting in, or knew others who had had trouble.

For this to occur at a gay-owned establishment is deplorable. We need to band together to fight oppression, not oppress each other!

I hope that this letter and the editorial open some eyes, and that some constructive things can come out of this unfortunate situation.

Michelle Murrain

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GAY ADOLESCENTS

To the Editor:

I appreciated and was enthusiastic about the article by the Calladines in the Plain Dealer May 25, p. 31.

If the Kinsey Report is credible, there are possibly two "one-in-ten" adolescents in every class who desperately need delicate, compassionate counseling.

Once I knew such an adolescent, who prayed for an early death.

How does such a person reveal such emotions to his confessor, teacher, friends, or family? Who is there to reaffirm the fact that the Creator loves every creature that He creates; to explain in simple, understandable terms why some are destined to bear heavier crosses than most people bear--the blind, the cripples, the orphans, the chronically ill, the minority groups, and, yes, those who live two lifestyles in one body?

Adolescence is a particularly difficult time. My concern and hope is that the "one-in-ten" adolescents may receive support in avoiding the pitfalls of past generations: cross-dressing, effeminate mannerisms, depravity in sex, despair, contemplation of suicide, and revolt against God.

My concern and hope is that, once sexual orientation is put into a stable perspective, there will be no ceiling on creativity and productivity.

My concern and hope is that these troubled youngsters be made aware of other gay people who, having gone through the crucible of pain, came forth with an extraordinary sensitivity

which is reflected in their innumerable contributions to the Arts o to any other area they chose to pursue.

need

The "one-in-tens" this assurance: if one gets an early handle on the problem, it can be handled. The clouds do part, and the sun is still there.

An inconspicuous bulletin in the schools about Dignity, a support group, where-to-write addresses would help the apprehensive. Harry Armstead

Page 14, col. 1

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