November, 1989

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE Page 9

The American Civil Liberties Union

This space has been donated to the ACLU by the Chronicle, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Chronicle staff or management. by Loretta Mikolaj

In the past few weeks, the Gay Rights Project has been very busy. All of the trials of the gay men who were arrested on West Sixth St. in July turned out favorably. In each instance the defendant was either found not guilty or the charges were dismissed altogether. If any other gays or lesbians experience harassment from any police department (Cleveland or the suburbs), please call me at the ACLU office, 7816276.

Hate Crime Survey. The Gay Rights Project is trying to gather statistics on incidents of gay-bashing in the Cleveland area. To this end, we have prepared an anonymous survey dealing with crimes against and harassment of gays and lesbians. Some of these surveys were filled out at the We Are Family picnic in September, and we are currently tabulating the results. More survey forms are at the Center. Please take a moment to fill one out.

The surveys are very important for they demonstrate to our legislators the need for sexual orientation anti-discrimination ordinances. I have other copies of the survey here at the office. If any group or individual would like copies, please let me know.

House Bill 317. When the Ohio House of Representatives originally passed House Bill 317, which would provide substance abuse treatment to a variety of "under-served" groups, gays and lesbians were listed as a group that need services tailored to their special needs. When the Senate voted on this bill, they removed gays and lesbians, stating that we should not be given that consideration. The amended bill will soon be before the House for another vote. Please write to your state representative and ask that he or she not concur with the changes made in the Senate. If you do not know who your representative is, you can call the Board of Elections at 443-3200 to find out.

Face to Face. A date to mark on your already over-crowded calendar-December 9, 1989. That day, there will be two events taking place in Columbus. First, during the day, Face to Face, a statewide meeting for gay and lesbian political activists, will take place. We need representatives from Cleveland to be at that meeting. That evening, the ACLU of Ohio Annual Dinner will be given. The dinner will be honoring Eileen Roberts, the executive director of the Cleveland ACLU; Arnold Applebaum; and Rhonda Rivera. Rivera is a professor of law at Ohio State University, and is one of the pioneers in the area of gay and lesbian law. George McGovern will be the keynote speaker. For further information on either of these events, please call me at the office.

The ACLU Gay Rights Project meets the third Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the LesbianGay Community Services Center at 1418 West 29th St. All interested persons are invited to attend. ▼

HEALING OURSELVES

by Fern Levy

Is sex necessary?

Browsing through a bookstore recently, I came across a copy of Is Sex Necessary? by James Thurber and E.B. White (who just happens to have written my favorite book, Charlotte's Web, with a girl named Fern as the main human character).

Anyway, as I picked up the book to browse through it, two thoughts raced through my divergent mind: how absolutely appropriate for this book to be in the humor section, and how I wish I had written it first.

As it was written during the 1920's and published in 1929, the year of the Great Stock Market Crash, before my parents had even met each other, clearly I didn't ever have a fair shot at beating these two great writers and humorists to it. But what I really want to discuss further is my first thoughtabout this book being a satirical, funny look at sex. I mean, is sex funny? Or, is it possible to have a sense of humor about sex? Especially for us, especially now, 60 years later?

Well, let's start at the beginning, that is, with Woody Allen who said, "Sex is the most fun I've ever had without laughing." When I first heard that Woody said this, I was amused by his concept of sex

This space has been donated to the Center by the Chronicle, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Chronicle staff or management.

by Robert Laycock

Each month in this space, we present a sampling of the many events and groups happening at your Center--the Living Room, Men In Touch, PRYSM, It's A Stage, Centertainment, Friday night raps, potlucks, workshops, weddings, the Women's Coffeehouse, Pride '90, No Sweat Bodyworks, Cleveland Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays, Lesbian Mothers, the hotline... and so much more!

The Center today reflects the variety and the vibrancy of our community. As soon as you arrive, there are interesting people to meet. The walls are covered with notices and flyers revealing the exciting activities and diversity of our people.

For many, the Center is where they take their first steps from the shadows of homophobia to pride and self-acceptance.

Now over 14 years old, the Center offers ten programs made possible by our 85 volunteers and 5 paid staff (two part time). In addition, over ten independent organizations regularly meet here.

You know what we do, but many readers may not realize that the Center is a membership organization. Everyone is served, but our strength and growth is only possible through the generous contributions of our members and supporters.

We think the Center makes a difference, and you can make a difference, too! Join today, and together we'll build a stronger Center and a stronger community.

In November, your membership will help support these activities:

as fun but what I wondered was how Woody did it without laughing. I mean, and maybe it's tacky to revise someone else's quote, but shouldn't it really be, "Sex is the most fun I've ever had with laughing? If sex is supposed to be so much fun, then how come he doesn't laugh a little? Next time I see him, I guess I'll have to ask him.

Now I'm not proposing that sex is a laughing matter, exactly. Just that it's not only a subject to tell jokes about, but also a part of human behavior that we must have the ability to be amused by, have a sense of humor about, and the capacity to laugh at ourselves about. For me, just having four elbows, four knees, and two

LESBIAN GAY

Community Service Center

OF GREATER CLEVELAND

Workshops. Our workshop series continues Monday, November 13, with "All You Ever Wanted to Know About Insurance, But Were Afraid to Ask." On Monday, November 27, Chronicle columnist Fern Levy will speak on "Celebrating Ourselves at the Holidays."

Both workshops start at 7:30 p.m. Donations are requested: $2/members, $4/non-members.

Scary Radio Hour. The Shadow knows the fun of gathering around the radio for a scary story, and so do we. The Scary Radio Hour series continues Saturday, November 4 at 8 p.m. Bring a pillow, and a friend, to hold on to! A donation is again requested: $2.00 for members, $4.00 for non-members.

Centertainment. Groups are now being organized to attend theatre parties, sports games, and other special events. If you'd like to be included in the fun, call the Center to get on the mailing list.

It's A Stage. Our monthly showtune sing-a-longs continue with Cabaret on Monday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m.

Finally, the Center welcomes two new staff members we would like to introduce. Marion Colbeck joins us as Administrative Assistant, and Sharon Thomas is our new Case Manager in the Living Room. Stop by to say hello.

noses all together at the same time is pretty funny. Add four breasts and anything else you'd like to and the possibilities for entertainment continue to grow. Make it the first time and who knows what to expect?

Oh, we try to be so serious about our passion, our love-making, our expression of libido, of lust. We feel we have to do it the right way. We have to be perfect lovers, always know what our partner wants, always be completely pleasing in performance and appearance or ... Or what? What about potbellies, pimples and ingrown toenails? What about thinning hair, stubble, morning breath and snoring? What about it?

Continued on Page 12

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