Editorial

Protest, yes; harassment, no

Last December we ran a letter to the editor from David Johns. The letter was a copy of one the he had originally sent to the Plain Dealer's Friday! magazine concerning homophobic comments that Michael Heaton, their "Minister of Culture" columnist, had made in his column. Getting no response, Johns then sent the letter to the Chronicle and to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD included an item about Heaton in their next newsletter.

The Minister of Culture then received many letters from Chronicle readers and GLAAD members expressing dislike over his statements about gays and lesbians (read his review of the Holly Near concert). At this point, Hambone mentioned the controversy in her Edition column, quoting Heaton saying, "I am not an enemy of gay people."

Heaton sent us the letter mentioned in the Edition (see Letters), and he called the Chronicle and spoke with the publishers. He reported several cases of van-

dalism and phone harassment because of the coverage in the Chronicle.

This type of action is not okay! It is wrong and certainly not condoned by the any member of the Chronicle's staff or management. Are we becoming the people we supposedly are trying to combat?

Michael Heaton expressed his opinion in his newspaper column. We expressed ours through letters. Heaton said he learned some things from our letters. From his call to the Chronicle publishers he learned that anti-gay remarks are not the same as anti-dirt farmer remarks. There has never been a report of a dirt farmer being killed for who he or she is, but every day some lesbian or gay man is subjected to violence because of who they are. Some things are not to be joked about carelessly.

(If Heaton had used the black or Jewish equivalent of "nancy boy" he'd be unemployed right now. Or, more likely,

a Plain Dealer editor would have changed it before publication. This shows how far we've yet to go in educating the media.)

Heaton still could use a little maturity: read the way he insults David Johns in his letter. But he learned something; he was given information he didn't have before. That is what we are in the business of doing: educating-gays and straights alike. People can learn, people can change, and you must give them the benefit of the doubt.

Harassing someone and vandalizing their home for something they said does not educate them. Or rather, it does, but with all the wrong things. Last month we ran a story about a Columbus man who used these same methods to drive a gay couple from their home. These are the actions of the bigots we are working against, not what we want to be known for.

Working, living, and playing together

For many years the Chronicle has been an advocate of lesbians and gay men working together to create a middle ground so all of us can exist and grow together. This middle ground should not come at the expense of women-only space or men's establishments, but rather as an outgrowth of those two institutions. The Chronicle has always strived to be a place of communication so the two communities could get to know one another and come together for awhile; there is even a statement of this below the masthead at right.

On April 21 the lesbians and gay men of Cleveland get another chance to create more middle ground; they get a chance to come together not to work or be political but to play. The Women's Coffeehouse will open its doors to men for its April performances of Anne E. Dechant and Mitchell Smith. This is an historic event in our town. There are many who say this is the beginning of the end of women-only space in Cleveland, but we say it is the end of the beginning and represents even further movement toward a more unified community.

Is opening the Coffeehouse to men eliminating women-only space? Yes it is, for one night, in one month. It isn't the end of the women-only coffeehouse or the end of separatism. It is a change, it is something different. It is an assurance that we can have a place together and still have our place apart.

There is security in separateness. But there is strength in togetherness. It is very important that lesbians and gay men have their space apart. Think about it—if any of us wanted to spend large amounts of time near the opposite sex, wouldn't that be heterosexuality? Face it, we aren't oriented to be together. And that is how it should be.

However, there are times that we have need to and have to come together. Many of those times are political. Homophobic legislation is rarely aimed only at lesbians or only at gay men. In order to fight back or to take pro-active stands on issues that affect all of us, we need a strong, united community. It is then we are appropriately together. But oftentimes when we are thrown together to work we don't know each other. Lesbians don't know that there really are gay men who are feminist and are willing and able to be supportive, and gay men don't realize that there are very independent lesbians who are willing to listen to men and build a community with them.

Men are not the enemy, the patriarchy is. Gay men are often the victims of the patriarchy also and many of them know that. It is true that some gay men are part of the patriarchy; they are not feminist, they don't support, or they even hate, women. You might even call them separatist because of their dislike of

women.

Guest Opinion

On the other extreme there are les-

bian separatists. They believe that men are the problem and they have a hard time distinguishing the genital from the political. Yes, they love women more than they care about men and they choose to live separately. They have every right to believe this and live this way and they deserve our support if this is how they choose to live.

But what about the larger majority of lesbians and gay men who do not hate each other, who enjoy each other's company and feel more like a family when they are together? This part of our community deserves as much support as the separatists on either side. It is through this middle group of people that a community will be established which will help the two extremes survive.

A great way to support this part of our community is to attend the Coffeehouse on April 21, whether or not you agree with it. Attend it because the music will be fantastic, attend because you believe in the principle of women and men creating space together, attend because it is a community event we all need to support.

Go for whatever reason, but go!. Let's make this the biggest event of the year (and we will have to work hard to do that). Let all of us that believe in a community of lesbians and gay men go on April 21 to Franklin Circle Church and meet each other. Let's play together now so we can work together later. ▼

Should bisexuals form their own groups?

Should bisexual people form their own organizations and "centers" separate from gay and lesbian ones? Or should bisexual people work within lesbian and gay entities?

It's a regular topic of discussion among bisexual groups and at the annual East Coast Bisexual Network convention (there have been at least five of them in the past seven years; the last one was held in May 1989 at Harvard University).

It will also be discussed at the upcoming International/North American Bisexual Network conference June 20-24 in San Francisco (see below for information).

In a series of interviews with national lesbian and gay leaders, the Journal on Bisexuality found almost universal acceptance and support for bisexuals but with the added admonition that bisexual people must define their own agendas and needs, and in all likelihood form their own organizations. Why is this?

The most obvious answer is that gay and lesbian organizations already have their hands full with issues such as pas-

sage of civil-rights legislation, legal and court battles against discrimination, AIDS, how lesbians and gays work together or separately, and so forth; bisexual groups can more easily and logically focus their attention and energy on their unique concerns.

But should they create their own bureaucracies as well? Many bisexual people feel very much a part of their local lesbian-gay communities and want to continue working within them. If these bisexual people form their own separate organizations, do they in any way deplete or fragment the energy of the gay and lesbian organizations they have worked for and supported? Does this divide and conquer? Or contrarily, does including bisexual people within the framework of lesbian and gay organizations actually divide and conquer the lesbian-gay movement? Does including bisexuals in lesbian-gay groups diffuse and blur the issues?

Jeff Levi, former director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said succinctly, "The concerns [of bisexuals.

gays and lesbian about discrimination] are essentially the same... there has to be a merging of . . . agendas." But he wasn't sure that it should occur within the framework of lesbian-gay organizations.

Robert Bray, now with the NGLTF and formerly a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign Fund, asserted in the past to the Journal on Bisexuality, "I think I can speak for the entire national gay political movement." But he, too, said that bisexual people must “empower" themselves by coming out as bisexual and must determine for themselves and with other groups whether they are or should be a subset caucus within lesbian-gay organizations, or should have their own, separate structures.

He and others note that when anti-discrimination legislation is written, it almost always does not use the words "gay" and "lesbian" but instead refers to "sexuality" or "affectional preference" in other words, the laws are for everybody: gay, bisexual, straight, asexual, polysexual, you name it. (An exception to this, the journal was told, is

gay people's

HRONICLE

Vol. 5, Issue 10.

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. Copy Editors:

Jeff Wobbecke, Kevin Beaney, Barb P. Sports Editor:

K.D. Mahnal

Reporters and Writers:

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

Columnists:

Antone Feo, Joe Interrante. Art Director:

Christine Hahn Artists:

Pat Hughes, Tom Zav, Dawn Fritz, Bob Boone, Nathan Gwirtz.

Assistants to the Editor:

Dan Postotnik, Dave Volk. Distribution Chief: Robert Downing Office Manager: Ray P. Triggs Account Executive: Steve VanGuilder Editorial Board:

Martha J. Pontoni, Robert Downing, Carlie Steen, Brian DeWitt, Christine Hahn.

The Gay People's Chronicle is dedicated to providing a space in Cleveland's lesbian-gay 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.

Publication of the name, picture or other representation of an individual, organization or place of business in the Gay People's Chronicle is not indicative of his or her sexual orientation or character.

Any material submitted for publication will be subject to editing The Gay People's Chronicle cannot guarantee the return of any such materials unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Advertisers may obtain rate sheets and other information by writing the Chronicle, Box 5426, Cleveland, OH 44101. Our phone number is 216-321-1129.

The Gay People's Chronicle is distributed free of charge in any establishment that permits its distribution.

The Gay People's Chronicle is copyrighted under federal law. Any reproduction of its contents is prohibited unless either written or verbal permission is obtained.

The Gay People's Chronicle is not responsible for claims made by advertisers.

Next Chronicle comes out May 4.

The Gay People's Chronicle is published on the first Friday of the month; or the last Friday of some months with five Fridays. Items must be recieved by deadlines; mail takes several days. Call 321-1129 to inquire about hand delivery.

Deadlines:

Typed copy (second Monday) April 9 Copy on disk (third Monday) April 16 Display ads (third Monday) April 16 Camera-ready ads (fourth Monday) April 23 Classifieds, Personals (second Monday) April 9

Obituaries (fourth Monday) April 23

Subscriptions:

Yearly subscriptions are on a sliding scale starting at $15.00. The Chronicle is sent by first-class mail-faster than the usual secondclass-in a brown envelope. Mail check or money order with address to the Chronicle, or G.P.C., P.O. Box 5426, Cleveland, Ohio 44101.

Massachusetts' new anti-discrimination law which specifically refers to bisexuality as well as heterosexuality and homosexuality.)

Another issue that arises is whether creating their own organizations reinvents the wheel. After all, lesbian-gay organizations are now 10 to 20 years old or more: they have funding, formats, offices, personnel . . . why not support what already exists by expanding their scope or augmenting it? But, again, the question arises: Where should lesbian and gay organizations draw the line? Or should they draw a line?

For more information about the International/North American Bisexual Network conference in San Francisco contact: NABN, 584 Castro St. #422, San Francisco, CA 94114; 415-775-1990.

For more information about bisexual groups or the newsletter, contact Gibbin Publications, P. O. Box 20917, Long Beach, CA 90801, 213-597-2799.

Extrapolated from the pages of Bisexuality-News, Views, and Networking/The North American Journal on Bisexuality