ITORIAL

Parade anyone?

It's June and that could only means one thing -Gay Pride Week! For Clevelanders, this means long trips to Columbus to participate in their Gay Pride March.

The Chronicle would like to know why Cleveland doesn't have its own Gay Pride Week celebrations? Is Columbus more organized than Cleveland? (Columbus was turned down to display the Names Project Quilt because they didn't get their request in on time.) Are there more Lesbians and Gays in Columbus? Do they care more than we do? October 11th is National Coming Out Day. Are Clevelanders going to celebrate in Columbus for that, too?

These are all tough questions with answers that could be far more complicated than it would seem. But for what ever the reasons are that Greater Cleveland doesn't have its own parade and celebration, it is time to lay them aside and go on with establishing our own community here in Cleveland. That means celebrating our pride, participating in national events, and making our presence more known to our elected officials. The CWRU All-

Ohio Lesbian/Gay Conference and the Names Project Quilt speak for themselves about our community's ability to organize and successfully present an event for our community, as well as the straight community. Not to leave out Dancing in the Streets, the organizing the March on Washington, the AIDS Vigil at Trinity Cathedral, The Cleveland Chapter of ACT UP, GALA, and many, many others.

There are many myths about living in Cleveland, one of which is that the Lesbian and Gay community is not organized. Well, the above list just blew up that myth, so why don't we join together and celebrate our pride here in Cleveland where we have a say in how the festivities are organized and have a share of the money that is raised? (Many groups, including the Chronicle, could use some additional funds).

Somewhere in Cleveland there is a group called the Coalition, or something like that. Supposedly this group consisted of the heads of many of the Lesbian and Gay nonprofit groups, who meet to organize and keep each other informed of the events each

=GUEST EDITORIAL Shopping for home

By Bryna Fish

What is community.

It's all Marty Webb's fault... That I came to be involved in The Community. I had just decided to return to school to get my master's degree in social work (community organization) and my lover (ex) and I were going our separate ways, so I was looking for a place to live. I had come out to myself in the seventh grade, but not in the Community. I had inklings of what the Community is about, but I was complacent not knowing so I didn't make the effort to find out. Some acquaintances I had tried to get me to come to something called the Variety Show--some women's thing held in a church basement--but no thank you, I said. I'd heard Chris Williamson in concert once (went kicking and screaming, loved it and bought all her albums) but I still wasn't interested in finding out more. (The why to that is another story.)

That was before 1981. Now I am facing the picture from the other side. I DO know The Community and now that I know and love our Community I will probably be leaving soon. Some opportunities have come up that led me to recently start shopping for a new Community. Now, I have my MSW and the one thing I learned in school is that there is no universal definition of Community. Community is what it's members value. I have three basic criteria.

1.) Where can I work where I can be doing my life's work? and not just a job? 2.) Where can I live where there will be support for us to raise our family? and 3.) Where can I live where there is a Community that has the resources, the organizations, the culture, the politics, the process, and the proximity on which I thrive?

So, what has Marty Webb got to do with it? Seven years ago, someone suggested I talk to Marty about sharing a place. I did and we started Compton House. Marty was in OVEN. A concert came up and OVEN needed a performer friend for Ferron and a place for her to stay. The rest, as they

say, is herstory. I quickly got involved in OVEN. I breathed in as much as I could about THE Community. I helped found and later served a term as co-president of Chevrei Tikva, Cleveland's Religious and Social for Gay and Lesbian Jews. I started to go to women's music and culture festivals and have worked on the stage crews at NEWMR, Southern Women's and Comedy Festival, National Women's Music Festival, Michigan, Sisterfire and for the October March on Washington. I have not been able to get enough of The Community. learned that our Community extends internationally as I met people at each of the festivals I worked and as I became involved in the Association of Women's Music and Culture, an international organization born three years ago at the Bloomington National Women's Music Festival. So, now I have friends, contacts, and resources in many Communities. But that hasn't made shopping for a new Community to call home any easier.

Did I want a more political community? Let's face it, Cleveland is a conservative town and our Community, though full of passionately politically involved people, does not rank high on the list of gay/lesbian communities with active politics, gay/lesbian politics or otherwise. Maybe San Francisco would suit that bill, maybe Los Angles, maybe Washington D.C.

Did I want a Community with an active Women's production company? There aren't very many "OVEN's" around anymore. I started Bluefish Productions over a year ago and I could and would produce wherever I go, but it would be nice to go somewhere that this is already in place. We have proximity in our favor here. OVEN just produced the OLIVIA RECORDS 15th Anniversary GALA concert and when we negotiated home hospitality for the artists a concern was expressed that the artists not be too spread out. This is a San Francisco state of mind. No offense to you West Siders, but it's a luxury and something I am proud of, that we have a large

organization was planning. Last the Chronicle heard of this group they were fighting about whether the Chronicle (old) should be able to attend meetings.

If this group does still exist, what do they do? Maybe they could organize a parade for 1989. Maybe they could lead the way to a better understanding between the Lesbians and Gays of Cleveland. Maybe we could all work together toward a common end while at the same time promoting our own interest. And maybe if this happens we won't have to travel south to celebrate who we are.

Anyway, where ever you celebrate this year, play safe and remember that we aren't going back. Do celebrate by doing something, even if it is just putting your lover's picture on your desk at work for one day. It is important for ourselves to acknowledge this special week. Much too often society encourages us to feel shame about who we are or tries to make us pretend we aren't Lesbian or Gay. Well, for one week let's ignore those who would have us hide and come out of the closet and show some pride. ▼

populus in Cleveland Heights and could take care of everyone in our neighborhood. Can't do that many other places.

Work? Well, my work has become women's culture. I need to be in a Community that is large and active enough to support my habit on a local basis, supplemented with my national involvements. Sure, my national involvements keep me busy, but I "grew up in OVEN" and thrive on the involvement, the collective energy and consciousness that comes from participating in that process. Won't find that many other places either.

Fact is, I've checked out quite a few cities and not one matches what I think we have here in our Community. What we do have here was summed up for me in a conversation I had after OVEN'S recent show with Judy Dlugacz, president of OLIVIA Records. We were wondering if there is a difference to the Community, to the audience, whether the show is produced by the Community, in our case OVEN, or commercially. Think about it. A show is a show. Well, here's the difference. Over 150 women volunteered or worked on parts of the show. Afterwards, several people called me and OVEN and wanted to "get involved." One woman wanted to help OLIVIA with a project. This is called "accessibility." Because we put on a Community-based show, the network is more accessible than it would have otherwise been. And, of the three other cities, (Boston, San Francisco and Los Angles) where the OLIVIA show is touring, not one is being produced by a local women's production company. This says quite a lot for us. This makes it harder to shop for another Community when what we have here is so rich.

Don't get me wrong. We're not perfect. Even though we did open the Judy Chicago Dinner Party. Even though we were one of 8 cities to get the Holly/Chris tour in 1986 and one of four cities to get the OLIVIA 15th tour. And in June the Names Project will be here. There is still a lot of

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apathy. Still a lot of work by the few for the benefit of the many. Still a problem with organizational burnout, lack of funding, sometimes lack of audience, and seemingly lack of support. But, those challenges are universal. I have never heard anyone be down on our Community for many of these reasons. What I have heard are the accolades, the thank-you's on the street corner, the praises and pride that emanate throughout Community where we are privileged to have fine gay and lesbian organizations, men and women risking to do new and challenging things, (Remember the Radical Thought Conference?), and a hell of a lot of fine people.

our

Thank you Marty Webb. I hope wherever my new home will be that there is someone there with your name. But even so, Community could never be the same for me outside of Cleveland.