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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE May, 1990

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

Survey Results

The Cleveland Chapter of the ACLU of Ohio will be holding its Annual Benefit Concert on Sunday, May 20, 1990, at the Natural History Museum. This chamber music concert is a part of our annual fund-raising campaign. Tickets to the actual event are free. If you would like tickets, please call me at the office (781-6276).

This is the second of a two-part column detailing the results of the survey that we conducted regarding discrimination and violence against gay men and lesbians in the greater Cleveland area.

Although thirteen people reported that someone had tried to blackmail them because of their sexual orientation, none of those persons had allowed themselves to be blackmailed.

A few incidents of near police entrapment or being forced by a law enforce-

ment agency to participate in an investigation by threatening to expose one as being gay or lesbian were noted. Several people had been harassed by some law enforcement agency for being gay.

Over half of the respondents said that they had been subjected to verbal abuse because of their sexual orientation. Most of these incidents occured on the street, at school, or in a public establishment.

Most of the respondents were not afraid to let men and women under the age of 18 into their homes. Those that were worried about this felt that they might be unjustly accused of child molestation.

A few people reported that they had been denied housing or been forced to move because of their sexual orientation. Also, a few individuals have been denied jobs because they were a gay man or a lesbian.

Approximately 15 percent of the respondents had been fired from jobs because of sexual orientation. Another 15 percent reported that they had been subjected to harassment on the job. Very few people stated that they had been denied promotions or raises on the job specifically because they were a gay man or a lesbian, or that they had been denied some sort of insurance for this reason.▼

WBP looks at short-term goals

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

by Kathy Snyder

The newly elected Board of Trustees of the Women's Building Project (WBP) met on Sunday, April 1 at the Gifts of Athena bookstore to discuss business, direction and strategies. While the ultimate goal of the WBP is the acquisition of a women's building in the Cleveland area, the short-term focus is on attracting new members, ongoing participation in community events, and sponsoring fundraisers. Board members volunteered to head committees appropriate to their in-

terests.

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The WBP is also endorsing the Pride '90 celebration in June and plans to staff a booth and sponsor a raffle. Members interested in helping on any committee are encouraged to call the Women's Building Project for more details.

The board has announced plans to meet every three to four weeks, and has scheduled its next meeting for Monday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Gifts of Athena bookstore (2199 Lee Rd. in Cleveland Heights). All board meetings are open to members or those interested in becoming members. Memberships are available on a sliding scale basis; however no one will be denied membership because of inability to pay.

For more information, call the Women's Building Project at 321-3054. ▼

THE GOOD NEWS

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

Representatives of the North Area Committee of the Great Lakes District of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) will be in Cleveland to present the Academy Award winning film Common Threads on Saturday, May 5, 1990 at 6:30 p.m. at the church. This film won for best documentary of 1989.

The 80-minute film, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, tells the story behind the names on the AIDS Quilt. The film makers, Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman, also have to their credit the film, The Times of Harvey Milk. Please beware that the film is a tear-jerker so you may want to bring some tissues.

The Area Ministry Team will hold a discussion following the film and the evening will conclude with a short candlelight memorial service. The Area Ministry Team will also be conducting the following morning service, Sunday, May 6, 1990 at 10:45 a.m. Please join us for this special service.

The Homecoming Dance held on March 30 was a huge success. Over fifty people, new faces and old, enjoyed dancing to a wonderful blend of fast and slow music presented by a DJ while dining on delightful hors d'oeuvres prepared by volunteers from Emmanuel MCC. Some of the profit will be used to purchase sound equipment for the church.

Emmanuel has applied for charter status within UFMCC. This new status will give us more autonomy within the denomination. Emmanuel submitted a formal application in March to the Great Lakes District Committee. This process will take several months to complete. We will keep you updated.

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Emmanuel MCC Pride '90 Committee has been very active in the preparation of the Pride '90 march for gay and lesbian rights. We will be staffing a booth at the festival held on June 16 at West 29th Street and Detroit which will offer a variety of gift items, souvenirs, bakery delights and homemade beverages. We are also sponsoring a weekly raffle held during the Sunday morning service to help cover the cost of the booth. The weekly prize is $25.00. Tickets are available weekly at the church up until the weekly drawing.

With our continued growth, our monthly newsletter, Good News, now has an editorial staff and we are accepting paid advertising. For more information, please contact 651-0129. We hope to soon increase our circulation to 1000 copies a month.

The Deacon's Pantry is continuing to be a huge success. We have in the last month been able to help five individuals or families who were unable to receive help from traditional sources. We have also been able to help with emergency shelter, bus transportation and medical needs. Donations of food items, supplies or cash may be dropped off during regular business hours: 10:00a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday or brought to the church during any service. The first Sunday of every month is Deacon's Pantry Sunday and donations will be accepted before, during or after service. Emmanuel wishes to thank Linus of Body Language for his generous donation to the Deacon's Pantry.

Emmanuel is looking for someone who would be interested in volunteering their services as a sign language interpreter for members of our congregation. If anyone would like to volunteer, please contact Ruth at Emmanuel.

Emmanuel is a church that believes in God's all inclusive love. We believe that God loves you whether you are gay, bisexual, non-gay, or somewhere in between. God loves you whether you are physically challenged, emotionally challenged, or totally healthy. All people are welcomed at Emmanuel. Come share God's all-inclusive love with us.▼

The Ohio Lesbian/Gay Freedom March and Festival

Columbus, June 24, 1990

The largest, loudest, proudest lesbian/gay event in Ohio. Ever.

Join with thousands of lesbian/gay people and their friends to honor that spirit that cannot be demoralized by discrimination, or intimidated by violence, or defamed by myths and stereotypes. There will be marching, rallying, music, dancing, food, gorgeous women, gorgeous men, pride, strength, unity and parties all night long.

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Keynote Speaker: Albany Alderman Keith St. John, the first openly gay black elected official

Emcee and musical guest: Suede

Assembly: Goodale Park, noon; Rally and Gayfest: Bicentennial Park, 2:30 PM

Stonewall Union. PO Box 10814, Cols. OH 43201 Phone (614) 299-7764