EDITORIAL Boycott U4ia

In yet another insult to Cleveland's lesbian and gay community, the staff and management of U4ia nightclub once again discriminates against lesbians and other women. Their behavior is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated any more. The Chronicle has many times, in many ways tried to educate the management of U4ia. We have printed positive articles about them. We have told them repeatedly how their "ladies must wear dresses or skirts" policy is discriminatory to lesbians, but it seems that they know better.

Manager Rob Farinacci is firm in his belief that he does not want lesbians in his bar. His attitude and policy is an insult to all men and wonen in this community and will not be taken lightly from this moment on.

Don't go to U4ia. Just don't go. Instead, you need or want to go to a nightclub, go to one owned and operated by members of our community. People who listen and won't discriminate.

Go to Numbers. A few months back

we received reports that discrimination was going on there. We haven't received any reports lately. In fact, upon a visit to the club recently the crowd consisted of men and women of all races. Spend your money there.

Go to the Leather Stallion. Brian and Norm have been in business in this community for 20 years. They are supportive of our events and have given a lot back to the community. Beside that they're nice guys; support them.

Go to the 5 Cent Decision. Word has it that in the next few months there will be some wonderful changes. Patty and Connie have bent over backward to support this community. And you don't have to wear a skirt to get in.

Go to any of our many wonderful clubs here in Cleveland, Akron, and Lorain. Keys. The 1504. The Interbelt. Attraxxions. These are but a random sampling.

Don't go to "U-phobia," as some are calling it. U4ia is not owned by a gay or lesbian person. In fact, it isn't even a gay bar. It is a bar for trendy straight people

Frank should stay in office-

Yes, it has reached the point where most of us, while concerned, are rather tired of reading about the Barney Frank affair. The gay press and the mainstream publications all have something to say on the matter. However, much of the discussion has been positive to gay issues.

Some notable coverage came from Newsweek magazine, which in 1987 chose not to cover the National March on Washington of 600,000 gay people. Newsweek's September 25 issue had a drawing of Frank on the cover. The sensationalist-like headlines read, "BARNEY FRANK'S STORY: A Congressman Talks About His Double Life," and "A Newsweek Poll on Homosexuality and Politics."

Featured inside is a five-page interview with Barney Frank, which gives fairly positive coverage. Following the article is a two-page feature entitled, "Gays in Washington: Voters aren't as alarmed as politicians think." This article lists other gay politicians who were thrown out of the closet for one reason or another, but were reelected by their constituents: Rep. Fred Richmond, Rep. Jon Hinson and Rep. Gerry Studds.

A point was made in the article that it may be harder to stay in the closet in Washington now than it was in the past. The press in the past "would almost al-

ways shy away from the subject, even amid the baldest hypocrisy.” Examples were Roy Cohn, J. Edgar Hoover and Terry Dolan. Newsweek summed it up with: "Most people believe being gay should not keep someone from holding many public jobs."

An editorial in the October 9 issue of the Nation, headlined "Trials of Barney", outlines Frank's outstanding record as a representative. "More's the pityas he freely admits he did a dumb thing...but we are unable to join the chorus calling for his resignation. And that's not just because some of the conservative voices in it represent political opportunism of a particularly ugly sort and are using Frank's fall for a carnival of gay-bashing. . . His personal judgement was bad, but his political judgement on hundreds of issues, large and small, tactical and substantive, has never been needed more."

The editorial concludes: "As usual, when the matter of homosexuality comes up in America we get, in the mainstream media, either titillation in the tabloids or tight-lipped tolerance in the Times. Meanwhile, nothing gets said about the intolerance ingrained in our culture that makes life hell for those like Barney Frank who discover they are different, about the legacy of persecution and

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to go and stare at the “freaks”: namely,

us,

"Don't protest, don't write letters, don't try to get in. Just don't go. Don't spend your money there, don't have your events there.

When one segment of our community is discriminated against, we all are. If you are a man and don't think this discriminates against you, think again. If they can keep women in pants out, who is next? A racial quota? Why support a straight man who won't support us?

Many people in the community, including the Chronicle, have tried to support U4ia and make them welcome, but the management of U4ia has thrown it all back into our face, all of our faces. We won't take it any more.

Unless U4ia changes their "dress code" and admits women in pants-lesbians-the lesbian and gay community will not support them. Tell them this with your wallet. Don't go, don't spend your money there. Go to the other Cleveland and Akron gay and lesbian bars. Support your own, support yourself. ▼

humiliation of thousands of gays and lesbians, about the occasional physical attacks and the deeper unremitting assault on their

nse of self-worth faced by those who choose to lead a gay life in America. Barney Frank came out, but as Andrew Kopkind has written, 'Gays come out into repression, not liberation.'

The two largest gay and lesbian advocacy and political organizations, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign Fund, issued a joint news release September 21 in support of Representative Frank's

decision to remain in office and to allow the House ethics committee to conduct its investigation. "Barney Frank is a crucial advocate for lesbian and gay causes, as well as many other important issues such as broad civil rights, arms control, civil liberties, elderly concerns, housing

and child welfare."

The Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Gay People's Chronicle urge Representative Frank to stay in office.

Barney, just think how devastating this problem would have been if you were still in the closet. You have always been there for us, and we are behind you now! Stay in office and continue to serve your country and community. ▼

Is AIDS a lesbian issue?

Jinx Beers, founder and former publisher of the Lesbian News in Los Angeles, published the following as her farewell column. The Chronicle invites the lesbian and gay community of Cleveland to comment on the issues that Beers raises. Although Beers is referring specifically to Los Angeles, some of the issues raised here also apply to our community.

by Jinx Beers

This is my last column in the Publisher's Space, and after many years of carefully maintaining fairhandedness, I'm abdicating my neutrality to speak to an issue that I see as tearing our community apart.

As publisher and managing editor of the Lesbian News for the last 14 years, I have heard a lot of comment in the community, some of which the speaker was afraid to say publicly for fear of being put down. AIDS is one of those fearful topics, not because lesbians are afraid of contracting AIDS, but because there

does not seem to be acceptance in the community today for a dissenting voice.

But the fact is that not everyone in the lesbian community believes the AIDS problem is a lesbian problem. After all, to this date there has never been one fully documented case of lesbian-to-lesbian transmission of AIDS without the inclusion of one of the parties being either a drug addict (sharing needles) or bisexual (contracting AIDS from a male, then passing it along to a female partner).

This is not to say that we shouldn't be sympathetic to gay men in our community who have contracted AIDS or who are HIV positive. This is not a disease we would wish on anyone. However, there are certain lesbian "leaders" in our community who have taken on the AIDS issue and pushed it in the community as a lesbian issue. They have been smart enough to see that as male leaders succumb to AIDS, a power vacuum will be created that they can step into. That is, espousing AIDS as a lesbian issue gives

them a foot in the door for taking over additional leadership roles and expanding their personal power base.

And that is exactly how politics works, both is the "real world" and our lesbiangay community. Find an issue, make that issue yours, build your power base around it. The AIDS issue, however, cannot compare to, say, the Briggs initiative [to fire lesbians, gays, and anyone ‘advocating homosexuality' from California schools] which truly would have affected both men and women. AIDS doesn't affect women negatively, unless they have personal friends and relatives dying from it. The AIDS issue does affect some women positively because it expands their political power base.

The bad news, however, is that embracing AIDS as a lesbian issue has indeed devastated many sectors of the lesbian community. Massivę amounts of both women-energy and woman-money has and continues to hemorrhage out of the lesbian community into the men's community. Again, in this society where

gay people's

HRONICLE

Vol. 5, Issue 5.

Founded by Charles Callender 1928-1986

Published by KWIR Publications Co-Owners:

Robert Downing Martha J. Pontoni

Editor-in-Chief:

Martha J. Pontoni Associate Editors:

Carlie Steen, Brian DeWitt. Sports Editor:

K.D. Mahnal Reporters & Writers:

Martha J. Pontoni, K.D. Mahnal, Dora Forbes, Don S., Faith Klasek, Robert Laycock, Douglas Braun, Susan Tabell, Steven Hurt. Columnists:

Antone Feo, Fern Levy, Joe Interrante.

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Jan LaRosa

Art Director:

Christine Hahn

Artists:

Pat Hughes, Tom Zav, Dawn Fritz.

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Robert Downing Database Consultant: Computerized Radio Software

The Gay People's Chronicle is dedicated to providing a space in Cleveland's lesbiangay community for all women and men to communicate and be involved with each other. This means that every Chronicle, to the best of our ability, will be equally dedicated to both men's and women's issues,as well as issues that affect all of us. Striving for this balance will not only provide the community with a forum to air grievances and express joys, but will also help all of us achieve this balance in our lives.

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men are taught to be all-powerful and women are taught to be subservient to men, we are supporting men to the detriment of our own established service organizations. The Lesbian News found itself in a great financial trouble this summer and had to pull back its services, dropping San Diego, charging more fees and decreasing pages. Connexxus, a women's organization in Los Angeles, is in dire financial trouble right now, moving to smaller quarters, having to reduce staff and reduce services, and still unsure if they can continue. Southern California Women United has found their membership and financial base significantly reduced, requiring a reevaluation of their services to the lesbian community. The Alcoholism Center for Women, providing a residential service unlike any other, always needs money.

Are all these lesbian institutions obsolete and need disbanding? Should all lesbians simply give up the attempt to run

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