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gay peoples CHRONICLE

Gay Peoples Chronicle

Publisher

Cleveland Gay Peoples Press, Inc. A Non-Profit Corporation

THE CANDIDATES

October 1986

Editor-in-Chief

Charles Callender

Writers

Charles Callender Patricia Duncan Martha Pontoni

As strong forces of repression threaten to destroy the progress that lesbians and gay men have made, it becomes even more important that we vote in elections, consciously casting our votes as gay people. In evaluating candidates for office, we can use as criteria their statements, actions and voting record on gay rights and on issues involving AIDS.

Based on these criteria, the recommendaof the Eleanor Roosevelt Gay Political Club for the November 4 election are listed on the opposite page. These are an excellent guide, although we disagree with them on one point. This disagreement is minor, but we wish to state it and to comment on some of the candidates.

JOHN GLENN

Our disagreement with ERGPC centers on the race for the United States Senate. We agree on the facts; but differ on strategy. From the beginning of his political career, Senator John Glenn's relations with gay people and our sympathizers have been clouded by his actions and by statements from members of his staff. Glenn has been charged with explicit homophobia. The best that can be said for him is that he is very insensitive to issues involving lesbians and gays. His voting record generally substantiates these charges.

The only piece of legislation explicitly involving gay rights considered by the U.S. Congress in recent years centered on attempts to prevent the District of Columbia's enforcing a bill that outlawed the use of medical tests by insurance companies to determine risk status for AIDS. Legislation to this effect was introduced by two extreme homophobes, Congressman Dannemeyer and Senator Helms. The House defeated the Dannemeyer amendment. The Senate passed the Helms amendment, with the help of Senator Glenn, who voted for it. This vote is consonant with the rest of Glenn's record on gay issues.

A couple of years ago gay political groups in Ohio talked of running an openly gay candidate against Glenn in the Democratic primary to point up this issue. Unfortunately that plan fell through, leaving as his only opponent a LaRouche person.

We agree with ERGPC that no gay organization can possibly endorse Glenn, given his record. ERCPC's recommendation of him, explicitly less than an endorsement, is based on their belief that his conservaservative Republican opponent would probably be worse. He probably would be, al-

though it's worth pointing out that Barry Goldwater voted against the Helms amendment. But given the strong probability that Glenn will be re-elected, we prefer to make no recommendation, rather than advise gay people to vote for the lesser of two evils.

RICHARD CELESTE

In the race for Governor, the choice is a very clear one. Early in his administration, Governor Richard Celeste issued an executive order banning discrimination against gay people in employment by the state. He appointed Buck Harris as gay health consultant to the Ohio Board of Health, an organization which has adopted excellent policies involving AIDS. Gay people owe much to Celeste, and should vote for him.

Representatives to Congress from this area are a very mixed lot.

LOUIS STONES AND EDWARD FEIGHAN Louis Stokes probably has one of the best records in Congress for supporting gay rights and measures to fund research on AIDS. Edward Feighan's record on AIDS is excellent. Apart from legislation he supported, it includes his co-sponsorship, along with the United Labor Agency and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, of the landmark January 24 Conference on AIDS here. Both have certainly earned the votes of gay people.

MARY ROSE OAKAR AND DENNIS ECKART On the other hand, Mary Rose Qakar and Dennis Eckart share dismal records on gay rights. Both voted against allowing the District of Columbia to drop its sodomy law. However, both of them recently joined Stokes and Feighan in voting against the Dannemeyer amendment. This, we feel, makes them acceptable to gay people, as candi-dates who are recommended rather than en-dorsed and distinguishes them from Glenn. (In recommending Eckart, we are not in disagreement with ERGPC. Jerry Bores tells us they did not consider the contest in the 11th district. Because his record and Oakar's are identical on gay and AIDS related issues, we assume they would have recommended him, as they did her).

TIMOTHY HAGAN

Hagan has earned an endorsement for supporting the addition of sexual orientation to the Cuyahoga County Affirmative Action Plan.

EDITORIALETTE

We gather that some members of ERGPC are upset because our coverage of the Cuyahoga County Commissioners' adding sexual orientation to their Affirmative Action Plan did not mention their organization.

This puzzles us. The Commissioners acted on August 8. Our September issue went to

the printers on September 2, with a story based on information obtained from the Office of the County Commissioners. The first information we received from ERGPC was mailed September 10, over a week after we went to press and over a month after the event itself. It's flattering when people assume we're omniscient. But we aren't. Really.

Photographer & Cartoonist Rob Daroff

Production Staff Charles Callender Mark Kroboth

Circulation Manager Bob Downing

Circulation Staff Bob Downing Ray Davis Jim Price Nick Santoni

Youngstown: Bill Smith Columbus: News of the Columbus Gay & Lesbian Community

Business Manager Martha Pontoni

Columnists Peter Beebe Shana Blessing Christine Burton Jym Roe

Publication of the name, picture, or other representation of an individual organization, or place of business in The Chronicle does not indicate his/her/its sexual orientation or character.

Any materials submitted for publication will be subject to editing. The Chronicle cannot guarantee the return of any such material unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

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