October, 1989

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE Page 3

'Call boy'

Continued from Page 1

Police records show Ashford, of Alexandria, was arrested and released on $5,000 bond. However, police sources said charges are expected to be dropped against Ashford due to lack of evidence.

Evicted from two apartments. Sources familiar with a Dupont Circle condominium called the Webster House, at 1718 P St., N.W., said Gobie created a lesser known scandal there shortly after he moved in sometime in 1986. Gobie, who was invited into a third-floor apartment by a young woman whom he called his fiance, later assumed the woman's lease and quickly began a prostitution service in the apartment.

"The people at the front desk told me all kinds of people were entering the apartment," said the apartment owner, who rented it to Gobie. The owner said he became alarmed when Gobie fell more than $1,000 behind in rent and later when he saw an ad in the City Paper for a massage service listing the apartment's phone number

"He seemed perfectly respectable when he came to me to take over the lease," said the owner, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "He was dressed in a suit, and he said he worked for a congressman."

The owner said that when he confronted Gobie about the prostitution service, Gobie told him he was working in cooperation with D.C. Police to "investigate a congressman."

The owner, who then began eviction proceedings in D.C.'s Landlord-Tenant Court, said he called D.C. Police to report Gobie's activities, but "nothing came of it."

Lt. Roger Jones, supervisor of the D.C. Police Morals Division, denied the department had any relationship with Gobie and said police never would enter into a relationship which would allow someone to break the law.

At one point, the owner said, he was contacted by Chevy Chase Elementary School principal Massaro, who promised he would lend Gobie money to pay his back rent. In a development that added to the landlord's frustration, however, Massaro said he would have to wait "a few weeks" to make the loan because some of his assets were lost in the Oc-

tober 1987 stock market crash.

Court records show Gobie moved out in December 1987, when he did not contest a default judgment against him due to nonpayment of rent.

Shoplifting at Safeway, D.C. court records show Gobie was arrested April 10, 1988, for attempting to remove $27.44 worth of "assorted food items" from the Safeway Supermarket at 1368 Park Rd., N.W., without paying for them.

He was later convicted of shoplifting in connection with the incident and sentenced to a 30-day jail term, a year's probation and a $150 fine. The jail term was suspended. Court records show Gobie failed to meet probation requirements and was ordered to serve part of the jail term.

Letters

Continued from Page 2

However, I have seen nothing from this group other than a recent advertisement for a fundraiser. Before I give my money to an organization that is trying to raise funds toward a goal, I need to know about the organization.

Who are the womyn in Chameleon? What is their statement of purpose? What are their goals? What is the money collected going to be used for? These are all critical questions to be answered before any of us give money to any cause. It scares me that we have become so complacent that we will attend a fundraising dance or other event without asking any questions.

Given that the lesbian-gay community as a whole has a much higher incidence of drug and alcohol addiction than the general population, it seems like a huge step backward for the womyn's community in Cleveland that alcohol will be

Records in Landlord-Tenant Court, meanwhile, show that one month after he was arrested for shoplifting, Gobie was evicted on May 17, 1988, from a second apartment for failure to pay rent. The apartment was located on the same block as the Safeway store.

Gobie's most recent known arrest was last April 19, when he was charged with disorderly conduct at the intersection of 15th and Girard Sts., N.W., a location D.C. Police describe as an open-air crack market. The charge was later dropped, and records do not indicate the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

Sex charges in Alexandria. Much of the news media attention has focused on Gobie's 1982 arrest in Alexandria for engaging in oral sodomy with a 15-yearold girl and with producing obscene photographs of the girl. Court records and a statement by an Alexandria prosecutor indicate the charges stemmed from a consenting relationship between Gobie and the girl, who also lived in Alexandria.

Included in the court records are seven Polaroid camera snapshots that Gobie took of the girl. Most of the photos show her nude. Gobie took one photo of her performing oral sex on him.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Randolph Sengel said this week that the photos appeared to be for Gobie's private use.

At the time of that arrest, Gobie also was charged with possession of cocaine.

He was convicted in a non-jury trial and sentenced to a three-year suspended sentence, three years probation and four months in the Alexandria City Jail. he also was ordered to undergo psychiatric counseling.

At the time Gobie began working for Frank in 1985, his probation officer,

Bigots

Continued from Page 1

officials did nothing The couple was driven out. Bigotry has prevailed."

Brent Pettibone, who filed the charge, claims that between April and August of this year, he and his lover were subjected to daily harassment from several families living across the street from their rented duplex in the Victorian Village section of Columbus. Pettibone said the harassment began in April shortly after he and his lover moved in.

Pettibone's lover, Kevin, and said: "You At that time, Frank Elias confronted faggots will move out of here if I have to kill you." Pettibone said that over the course of four months neighbors slashed windshield, placed used tampons in his his tires three times, smashed his

mailbox, and drew a penis on his front door. He claims anyone entering or leaving his home was called "fag," "faglover," or "cocksucker." Pettibone claims Mr. Elias, who was the apparent ringleader, repeatedly threatened Pettibone, his lover, and his friends with

assault and made death threats.

Pettibone claims that appeals to the police yielded nothing. The police cited a lack of proof and the shortage of jail space as the reason for their inaction. According to Pettibone, Elias violated a no-contact agreement the day after it was established by the Columbus city prosecutor, and was never arrested or even reprimanded by police.

Pettibone has also complained that when he finally brought charges against Elias on August 7, the staff at the city

Cheryl Johnson, wrote in a letter to the Pride

court that his adjustment to probation was "marginal at best."

"He has frequently been in violation," she wrote, "by failure to participate in treatment as required, failure to seek and hold employment, failure to advise this office of his true address, failure to report as instructed, and by his ongoing use of marijuana.”

Escort horror stories. Gobie's apparent willingness to turn against his clients is a trademark of his career as a male prostitute, say those who know him.

"I would hear horror stories from some of my clients who called him," said one former escort operator who told of Gobie's "run-out" schemes with customers.

The former operator said Gobie sometimes placed ads using the same names as other, well-established escorts as a means of gaining business.

"He gave us all a bad reputation," said the former operator.

The Washington Blade discontinued Gobie's classified ad for his escort service in early 1988 after receiving.complaints about him from customers.▼

Reprinted with permission from the Washington Blade.

ble to le

the focus of Chameleon's future efforts. The rumors I have heard is that it is in this group's plan to open a bar in Cleveland which would also provide central and "safe" meeting space for various activities. Politically, this is where we were at the time of Stonewall twenty years ago, when bars were the only gathering places available to lesbians and gay men. It seems to me a major regression that plans are being made for a community center to exist in a bar environment. One use of meeting space in this community is for 12-Step recovery programs. This certainly would not be appropriate nor "safe" in an alcoholic environment. Chameleon's plans by nature exclude clean and sober dykes, a large segment of our womyn's community.

Speaking of politics, I seem to remember that feminism used to be the raison d'etre of womyn only space. Weren't there reasons besides drinking and

Continued from Page 1

The Cleveland Pride Committee meets at 7:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center.

The Cleveland Pride Committee Pride '89 Celebration

prosecutor's office did not present him with the option of filing ethnic intimidation. He claims they were encouraging him to file charges of simple disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing which carry milder penalties than ethnic intimidation. He claims that if he had not been aware of the option himself, ethnic intimidation would not have been mentioned.

Pettibone contacted Stonewall Union on July 25. Stonewall Union recommended that he file the charge of ethnic intimidation. Stonewall Union also organized a 35-person picket in front of the couple's home on August 5, the day they finally moved.

During the protest about twenty-five neighbors stood on their porches and on the sidewalk and yelled anti-gay and racist slurs. Police were called when one of the neighbors pushed a demonstrator and threatened him. The protest received wide local media coverage.

McFadden said that Stonewall Union is monitoring the case and also initiating talks with various city officials about antilesbian and gay violence. "Right now, the police aren't protecting us and the city prosecutors aren't presenting lesbian and gay people with their strongest legal options. We're not sure whether it's a matter of homophobia or just plain incompetence. We do know that the bigots are having a field day in Columbus and that this has to change."

McFadden said that in the past two weeks the Stonewall office has received complaints of three separate instances of anti-lesbian and gay harassment. In two of these, the victims are intending to move.▾

Security Printing

Port-A-Potties

Posters Mugs

Insurance

375

Supplies & Decorations Sound

372

350

307

261

250

237

224

Income Sponsors

Interpreters

214

3,300

U-Haul Truck Rental

165

Cash/Other

5,166

Supplies

117

Total Donations

8,466

Fish Bowls (Pennies for Pride)

Postage

Expenses T-shirts

1,616

Bank Service Charges

Pride Breakfast

635

537

Food Operating License

Miscellaneous

201

486

451

Total Expenses

7,491

413

Income in excess of expenses

975

Entertainment Buttons Advertising Programs Tables/Chairs Rental

socializing that we needed to separate from men?

Perhaps we have obtained all of the rights that used to inspire us to action. Now we are safe in a world where we have equal access and there is no more violence and we can get down and party. We used to be proud of ourselves and our work and we named our womyn's centers for womyn we admired and respected.

Now, our newest group has named itself after an animal best known for it's desire to become invisible by taking on the characteristics of its surroundings. That is what I have been working against all these years in the Womyn's Liberation Movement and the Lesbian-Gay Rights Movement. Does the word "Progressive" in the name refer to a style of dance music? It certainly doesn't refer to political ideals.

Maybe the name, "Chameleon, Let's Get Regressive" would be more appropriate. The direction in which this community seems to be heading is a dangerous one.

Name withheld by request

After Nine closes

To our valued customers and friends:

It is with regret that we inform you that we have closed our doors. We cherish all the moments we have spent with you and have certainly appreciated your support and patronage.

if we should once again locate a good We will maintain our mailing list and location where we can be more ourselves and reopen, we will certainly notify you.

Our reason for closing was the result of a lease problem and also the proposed sale of the restaurant.

Hope to see you about and around.

John and Dan After Nine

P.S. We hope that the many new friendships we made will continue. We will certainly miss the fun times we encountered.