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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE May, 1990

New Cleveland lesbian and gay computer bulletin board opens

by Bob Boone

When a Cleveland man called Bill (not his real name) was visiting another city two years ago, he picked up the local gay newspaper and saw an advertisement for a gay computer bulletin board system. He returned to Cleveland and signed on board. With the support of the other people on the bulletin board, Bill came to terms with being gay and found a new group of friends at the same time. He also discovered other boards and soon subscribed to half a dozen of them.

Since these bulletin boards were centered in other cities, Bill's long distance phone bills skyrocketed as he would access them two and three hours a night. His first long distance bill was some $300. Bill thought that Cleveland's gay community deserved its own bulletin board.

When a man called Bob from across the country responded to a personals ad Bill had put on the bulletin board, the idea of a Cleveland board moved one step closer to reality. After getting to know one another through the board, Bob moved to Cleveland to be with Bill about a year and a half ago. From that point, they decided to bring a computer bulletin board to Cleveland.

The two men invested hundreds of hours and thousands of their own dollars to create Bill N' Bob's Place, Cleveland's own multi-line bulletin board system. With seven lines open 24 hours per day, the system received over 1,000 calls in the first week. After only two months there are about 400 validated members on board, mostly from the greater Cleveland area but also ranging through Boston, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Hawaii.

The members of the board are currently about three-fourths male, but the number of women is growing. New users fill out a questionnaire on personal data that allows other people to find out basic traits of any member. Anyone 18 and over is eligible as long as they do not use vulgar language on the public boards and they follow the system regulations which are clearly spelled out.

System operators or 'sysops' Bill and Bob validate each new caller, who must give his or her real name, address, and phone number, all of which remain con-

Since 1984

fidential. Each person is designated by a handle and a number so that only the sysops know anyone's real name.

After being validated, the caller can gain full access to the system. Its features range from private chats with individual callers to an open forum with up to six others. A caller can browse through the questionnaires and essay questions of others to find personally interesting callers. The board will also display the handles of callers when restricted to parameters of age, gender, and declared sexual orientation. Individuals can also gain access to about twenty public rooms including personals and classifieds as well as listings of current news. Fifty other bulletin boards around the United States and the world can also be accessed from Bill N' Bob's Place. Two new features, being developed in cooperation with the Gay People's Chronicle, are a community calendar and expanded classifieds.

Bill N' Bob's Place is a non-profit organization and any fees charged are used solely to continue the system. The highest charge is $60 a year for 260 minutes a day. An individual can use the board without cost 25 minutes a day with some restrictions. The board is free of censorship as long as nothing illegal transpires and all system rules are observed. All warnings are clearly listed. The system operators will disconnect anyone abusing the law or rules as well as anyone who falsifies their address and telephone number for the official records.

SysOp Bill considers Bill N' Bob's Place to be "not just a bulletin board," but a social service to the gay community. Recalling the support and friendship he found on similar boards that enabled him to come out, he describes his board as a free space "for anonymous expressions of emotions." Along with Bob, he has worked create a board which welcomes both women and men, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and straight.

To access Bill N' Bob's Place, set your modem for 8-N-1 at 300, 1200 or 2400 baud. Then call 451-9242 for access. Further information can be received from : Bill N' Bob's Place, P.O. Box 08036, Cleveland, Ohio 44108.

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We Are Everywhere

by John Hubert

Iran According to Amnesty International, at least three gay men and two lesbians were killed in January, 1990, as a result of the Iranian government's barbaric new policy calling for the execution of homosexuals.

On New Year's Day three accused gay men were publicly beheaded in one of the city squares of Nahavand and two accused lesbians were stoned to death in Langrood.

Iranian Chief Justice Morteza Moghtadai said that, "The religious punishment for the despicable act of homosexuality is death for both parties."

Five options for the executions of homosexuals are available to the judge. "They are either to be beheaded by a sword, stoned to death, thrown down a height such as a mountain or tall building, die under the rubble of a wall demolished on their head, or burned alive."

Letters of protest can be sent to Secretary-General, Javier Perez de Cuellar, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, asking him to direct a United Nations inquiry and to apply pressure to stop the executions of lesbians and gays in Iran. You can send copies to the ILGA Action Secretariat, GLF-Koln, Bismarckstrasse 17, D-5000 Koln 1, West Germany.

Thailand-The Fraternity for AIDS Cessation in Thailand (FACT), the Thai AIDS activist group, has opened an office in Bangkok to handle AIDS information and gay counseling. Located in the 71 Sport Club building, FACT's office also plans to host meetings and discussion groups for gay men and lesbians. Their new publication, called F.A.C.T. Sheet is 16 pages, in Thai and English; about 50 percent each. Besides AIDS information and news and pictures of FACT events, 20 or 30 Thai businesses have ads, supporting the publication and FACT programs.

In December, 1989, FACT presented their first Golden Condom Awards to six businesses in Bangkok and Pattaya that have given outstanding support to the anti-AIDS campaign.

For more information, a copy of F.A.C.T. Sheet, or to make a contribution, write to FACT; 100/28 M. 14 Soi Charoenpatana; Pattanakarn Road, Suanluang; Prakanong, Bangkok 10110; Thailand. International money orders should be made out to Natee Teerarojjanapongs, the founder and director of FACT.

Peru-Contramano is the name of a new group in Peru that has formed to work for the well-being and integration of the gay community of Lima. They hope to contact similar groups in all parts of the world. Write to Contramano,

Apartado Postal 11-0541, Lima 11, Peru.

Japan The Japanese lesbian group Regumi Studio Tokyo now has an office and a monthly newsletter in Japanese called Regumi Tsushin. Subscriptions are 7,000 yen per year. Write to Regumi Studio Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Araki-cho 23, Nakazawa Bldg, 3 Fl., Tokyo, Japan.

Switzerland-The International Lesbian & Gay Youth Organization (IGLYO) will be holding their annual International Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Youth Conference July 29 to August 5 in Zurich, Switzerland.

The theme is "Working ApartTogether", focusing on the issues which divide us as a community and those which bring us together. There will be a variety of workshops and other events, with the key-note address to be given by Joyce Hunter, director of social work services at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York City (formerly the Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth).

Participants must be under the age of 26. For more information write: IGLYO Regional Office for the Americas; Suite 108; 4410 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.; Washington, DC 20016.

Persons of any age may subscribe to the IGLYO quarterly, Speak Out, by sending an international money order for $10 (US) to: IGLYO Secretariat, LHJO, P.O. Box 542, 1000 AM Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Subscriptions are free for youth and student groups.

Arabic origin The Gay and Lesbian Arabic Society (GLAS), the first such oup in the world, has now opened a chapter in San Francisco and started a publication GLAS News. Chapters in Detroit and Boston are in the formation tage.

Issue #2 of GLAS News reports that they have received memberships from all ver the country, from Maine to San Diego and have also heard from people as far away as Morocco, France and England.

GLAS welcomes new members of Arabic origin or descent, as well as nonArabic friends. For more information write to GLAS, P.O. Box 4971, Washington, DC 20008.

Denmark-The Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende reports that over 400 lesbian and gay couples were legally joined during the month of October, 1989, when gay marriages first became legal in Denmark. Several thousand couples have since taken the step.

The governments of The Netherlands, Sweden and Norway are presently working on legislation permitting same sex marriages.

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