Page 4 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Women's group seeking funds for anti-violence billboards

by Lois Lane

A group of Cleveland women are currently in the process of trying to carry a message through billboards to thwart violence against women.

According to Woody Blue, one of the organizers, "The reason we got together was because of the recent murders in Montreal. It was another example of semicide. We were angry about it and decided we wanted to act, not react, and to make a statement."

It was then that the group was formed and an idea was developed to carry a message in an attempt to thwart violence against women. Woody also stated, “we want to make a statement not just to men but to society."

A flyer was distributed throughout the Cleveland area stating the message, which has since been changed. Below is the revised flyer and message:

"On December 6, 1989, Marc Lepine, with an assault rifle and a hit list, went hunting through the engineering department of the University of Montreal. He left 14 women dead and 13 wounded. His stated reason was that "feminists had ruined his life." Millions of women in the U.S. and Canada were enraged by this. This anger doesn't begin with the Montreal tragedy; it doesn't end with this week's rape and murder.

"Along with this rage is sadness and grieving for these women who are our sisters, our mothers, our lovers, and our daughters. These Canadian women exemplify women the world over. Lepine's brutality towards them exemplifies the male violence pervasive in our society.

March, 1990

"Hating and blaming women for failures and problems is age-old reason to perpetuate violence against women. Violence in the form of rape, verbal as-

Speakers set for

that need to be addressed in Cleveland today so the future of our lesbian and gay community is assured.

Kathleen Stoll will we speaking about

sault, battering, objectification, murder, Pride '90; march the National Family Registry Project of

impoverishment and hunger, harassment, unfair laws, etc. is acceptable and commonplace. This violence not only touches women but men, children, the Earth, and the various species on it. The recent murders in Montreal are newsworthy only because they so clearly indicate what continues to go on.

"This violence is male-defined in that it is women-hating at its core. Women who resist and/or speak out against male violence become its targets. Those who submit becomes its victims.

"Nevertheless, we continue to identify male violence and to speak out against women-hating. We urge both men and women to do so.

"However, we won't wait for threat, an insult, a rape or a murder in order to begin to change women-hating. By changing our attitudes now, we can stop male violence.

"A group of Cleveland women would like to put this message before the public. We decided a bold way of doing this would be to rent two billboards in a prominent location in Cleveland and print our message on them. The message will read: 'Murdering and raping women is unacceptable. We will fight back.'

"To rent two billboards for one month will cost $2000. We ask all of you to donate a dollar or more. In putting our dollars together as a Cleveland women's community our voice will be heard. Donate now!"

If you are interested in donating funds you can send them to: Labrys Acct. B., P.O. Box 18714, Cleveland Hts., OH 44118

According to Woody Blue, "We are looking for feedback and would like to talk to other women about their feelings about this."

If you are interested in joining this group of women or have further questions you can contact Woody at 249-2886 or Susan at 321-2653. ▼

'Anything Goes' tour group gives Health Issues Taskforce benefit

by Kevin Beaney

The "Anything Goes Against AIDS" benefit, held on January 26, netted $4,700 which was split between the Health Issues Taskforce (HIT) and the New York City-based group Equity Fights AIDS. The event, staged by members of the touring cast of Anything Goes, followed the regularly scheduled performance of the play on that Friday.

The benefit, held at the West Rehearsal Hall of the State Theatre, was a combination of entertainment, a silent auction and a bidding auction of theater memorabilia. Mitzi Gaynor, the star of the play, opened the late-evening benefit and introduced the first act. The cast members performed individual numbers to entertain the mixed crowd before and during the auction.

"Anything Goes Against AIDS" was the idea of the touring company cast, who were seeking to raise money for Equity Fights AIDS, an actor's support group. Equity Fights AIDS uses touring shows as a way to bring fundraising into local communities. After performing in three other cities, the group sought the assistance of Broadway Cares to deal with the touring logistics. Broadway Cares is a two-year-old nationwide nonprofit fundraising organization based in New York. It provides support to those connected with the theater who are in the HIV spectrum. Colleen Dewhurst is its general chair.

One of Broadway Cares' achievements was creating a quilted panel containing the logos of many Broadway shows, which was printed as a poster and sold for fundraising.

Cleveland was the first city where the Anything Goes cast performed in a public theater. In the three previous cities, the benefit was held in gay bars.

In late December, Broadway Cares contacted the Health Issues Taskforce to ask for local assistance in arranging the benefit. Even with that short notice, HIT responded with a volunteer committee that contacted suppliers, found the space and generated publicity. The location was provided through the generous cooperation of Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Ballet. Every effort was made to keep the expenses low, including donated sound and lighting systems and minimal rent. The Cleveland Ballet also cancelled its rehearsal scheduled for the hall on Friday afternoon to allow the cast to rehearse.

A core committee of seven members oversaw the activities leading up to the show and auction. An additional 15 volunteers worked the night of the performance, assisting with setup and tear down of sets, tables and chairs. The auction of memorabilia, including autographed posters, netted $2,350 each for HIT and Equity Fights AIDS. According to Jeff Swindler, treasurer and chair of HIT's fundraising committee, "this surprise event was welcome revenue for the Taskforce."

The Health Issues Taskforce is using its portion of the proceeds to add to its general fund for administrative, educational and support projects. While HIT receives a number of foundation and government grants, these do not cover the administrative expenses such as of-

set for this year

by Marne Harris

The Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Pride Committee has announced that the keynote speakers for the the Pride '90 celebration will be Kathleen Stoll, director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund's Lesbian Issues and Outreach Project, and Reggie Williams, of Black and White Men Together.

Pride '90, the second annual Cleveland lesbian-gay pride celebration, will take place Saturday, June 16, 1990 from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in front of the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center at West 29th and Detroit. The event was moved to Saturday this year to avoid conflict with Father's Day and other events on Sunday.

Also planned is Cleveland's first March for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights in over 15 years, which will take place the same day, just before the fair at 12:00 noon. The march will begin at a downtown location, and proceed through Public Square to the fair site.

The theme of this year's Pride celebration will be "Look to the Future" and with that in mind organizers have selected speakers to talk about issues

the HRCF. The project is a way for lesbians and gay men to identify their closest relationships in a formal way. The registry is designed as a major educational tool to inform the rest of society of the strength of lesbian and gay partnerships and relationships.

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Reggie Williams, former Clevelander, is director of BWMT's AIDS Project. He will be speaking on racism within our community.

Organizers of Pride '90 are expecting to annouce a major entertainment act for the celebration sometime during the month of March. The offical publicity kickoff will take place at the All-Ohio Lesbian-Gay Conference at Kent State University on April 28.

The business fair that took place at Pride '89 has been expanded into a street fair which will fill the two-block area around the Center with a carnival atmosphere. A commitment ceremony for couples and families is planned again for this year, and the Center will be having a "lavender elephant" sale in their courtyard during the event.

Anyone wishing to help with the production of Pride '90 is welcome. The organizing committee meets every second Monday of the month at the Center, at 7:30 p.m.; the next meeting is March 12. Phone 321-1129 for details.▼

Tormentor of Columbus couple not guilty of ‘ethnic intimidation'

by Bob Boone

A jury in Columbus has found Frank Elias not guilty of violating that city's Ethnic Intimidation Ordinance, which is designed to increase the penalties for crimes driven by the victim's national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. Elias had been charged under the law as being the leader of the neighborhood effort to drive a gay couple from their Columbus home.

When Brent Pettibone and his lover Kevin moved into a duplex on Second Ave. last spring, Elias had allegedly threatened, "You faggots will move out of here if I have to kill you." The couple tells of subsequent harassment, including verbal abuse and some $1,200 worth of damage done to their property. After four months, the couple moved from the house in August, 1989.

Overruling the defense's motion to dismiss the case, Judge Marvin Romanoff decided to hear the case, but to observe the proceedings from the back of the courtroom. He explained that he wanted to prevent his facial expressions from unduly influencing the trial.

The defense team, led by Clarence Gordon, used a variety of claims to argue its case. According to the Ethnic Intimidation law, motive can be attributed to remarks, in this case anti-gay slurs, made before, during and after the of fense. Gordon argued that the law does not clearly define the limits of time in which such remarks are relevant to the offense. He questioned whether minutes, days or weeks were implied by the law. On this point, Gordon argued for a narrow definition of the law,

The defense team also hired a special investigator to discredit the witnesses for the prosecution. Using such facts as those concerning their credit histories, Gordon painted damaging portraits of

fice, rent and salaries. HIT's budget for 1989 was $235,000, which is also met by individual donations, memorial contributions, business funding and money from solicitations.

HIT's main fundraiser of the year is "Dancin' in the Streets." The sixth annual "Dancin' in the Streets" is tentative-

key prosecution witnesses. Gordon also attempted to prove that Brent Pettibone Union in Columbus and that Frank Elias was acting as a puppet of the Stonewall was just the victim of a publicity stunt to draw attention to gay civil rights. Gordon pointed to the presence in the courtroom each day of the Stonewall Union, which fairness. The defense also pointed out had promised to monitor the case for

that the Stonewall Union had made Pet-

tibone aware of the Ethnic Intimidation law and not the city prosecutors.

In an interview with Michael McUnion. McFadden told of how the Fadden, executive director of Stonewall make victims aware of their rights under Columbus prosecutor originally failed to

the Ethnic Intimidation law. The situation has apparently improved following dialogue with such voices as the Stonewall Union. McFadden expressed his disappointment in the verdict as well as the decried homophobic remarks made by the defense, such as Clarence Gordon's statement referring to Petweren't men enough, excuse the pun, to tibone and his lover that, "maybe they defend themselves against an old man.”

McFadden stated that he felt "failed

by the city of Columbus.” Citing such instances as the prosecutor's failure to call all the witnesses provided by Brent Pettibone, McFadden said that the Ethnic Intimidation ordinance is "a show of

good faith by the city, but that's it." He called for further serious dialog with city officials and for a demonstration in front of City Hall in Columbus on Valentine's Day to attract attention to this need. Brent Pettibone is considering a civil suit, but McFadden said the city needs to

intervene before events reach the courts and hereby send a message that anti-gay violence will not be tolerated or ignored. This was not the message conveyed by the Elias case, where in McFadden's words, "every gay person leaving the courtroom felt less safe that day."

ly scheduled for Sunday, July 22, from 1:00 to 10:00 p.m., and will be located on West 9th St. between Lakeside and St. Clair. Last year there were more than 4,000 people attending. A committee is currently planning this year's celebration. Volunteers are needed both for the committee and on the day of the event. Call the Taskforce office at 621-0766. ▼