July, 1990

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

'Dancin' in the Streets' festival to be held on July 22

by Lois Lane

On July 22 the Health Issues Taskforce will be sponsoring its largest fundraiser the annual Dancin' in the . Streets.

This year's fund raiser marks the fifth annual Dancin' in the Streets, which grew out of an idea by Jeff Swindler and some of his friends in 1985. "We first decided to have a barbecue in my back yard to raise money to fly a sick friend's mother to Cleveland. They wanted to see each other and didn't have enough money to do so." Instead of the barbecue, Swindler and his friends took to the streets for the first Dancin' fundraiser.

"The first year we did this, we were independent of HIT and raised about $6,000, which was donated to HIT," said Swindler.

Swindler's friend was reunited with his mother and so the tradition of Dancin' in the Streets has continued. After the first year, HIT, Swindler and friends joined forces for what is now known as a benefit for the fight against AIDS, with all proceeds going to HIT. HIT currently depends on Dancin' as its primary fundraiser of the year. (HIT's current yearly budget is $250,000.) In 1989, Dancin' attracted over 4,000 people and drew $33,000.

However, this success is not without hard work and expenses. Swindler reported that HIT expenses ran about $11,000 for last year's Dancin' and approximately 150 volunteers turned out to help.

Swindler said the event is run by a committee of 15 volunteers who are all recognized as HIT volunteers. "The money raised helps provide support towards educational programs, food and clothing banks, salaries and support of the organization. We also provide transportation to PWA's to the hospital or home if they want to go."

This year's event will have a tropical theme, according to Swindler. “We plan to have the street decorated with a nautical flavor-like straw huts on a beach and life preservers hanging. We also plan to give out life preserver key chains at the entrance to promote a safe sex message." HIT plans to have plenty of entertain-

ment including female impersonators:

Melissa Ross, Ashley Brooks, Cricket

Ann Knight and Miss Gay Cleveland

Brittany Fox.

There will also be live entertainment

which will feature Micki Evers, Rainsong, Bobby Beach, Vicki Shephard from California, and Paul Zone from New York. Spinning the tunes all day long will be DJ's Kenny Coss, Greg Whitback, Sue Steele, Robin Harris and

GAYS & LESBIANS SHOW OFF THEIR QUILT IF ROCK WOULD HAVE ROLLED OF SHAME LIKE THESE VICTIMS SHOULD BE IN WITH RHONDA INSTEAD OF ROGER A HALL OF FAME. THE REAL TRAGEDY IS THAT HE'D BE DRIVING HIS GTO TODAY THE TAXPAYERS ARE BEING FLEECED OUT OF A BILLION OR TWO TO CURE A DISEASE THAT IS CAUSED BY THEM. BEHAVIOR OG AS

LIBERACE SHOULD HAVE TICKLED THE NORIES INSTEAD OF THE ORGAN

HARRY X. SYSACK SIGN CO.

HAND LETTERED BI

WINED LETTERS

**** OF BELIONAIRES SINCE 1940

Complaints nix offensive sign

by Brian DeWitt

This large billboard, put up June 12, was removed only ten days later by its owner, Russell Sysack, after lesbian and gay community protest reached a level Sysack hadn't experienced before. "I never met a minority that was so organized," he said.

The sign, in front of Sysack's shop at 4306 Pearl Rd. in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood, had also drawn fire from city officials. Ward 16 councilman Patrick O'Malley, whose ward the sign is in, had personally encouraged Sysack to remove the sign. The sign was replaced with one bearing the Serenity Prayer.

Fifty people picketed at Sysack's shop as part of a protest rally on Saturday, June 23, the day after the sign had been removed. Behind the picket line, Names Project volunteers held up a section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which the sign had ridiculed. The rally was attended by Councilman O'Malley and officials from the Cleveland safety and community relations departments.

Martha Pontoni, one of the rally organizers, commented, "This billboard was anti-gay and lesbian hatred reaching a new low. Libelling people struggling with, or lost to, AIDS is the act of a person with no claims to compassion,

GAY TODA

GONE TOMORROW

integrity, or simple human decency."

Pontoni, who is also publisher of the Chronicle, went on to say that the sign's condemnation of government AIDS funding was "a hateful, genocidal statement."

"To depict this in a mockery of the Names Project Quilt is an act of in-credible heartlessness," she said.

Sysack told the Plain Dealer that he had recieved about 60 phone calls about the sign, most against it. "They're a very militant group," he said. "I was very surprised." He also said he had recieved a number of threats.

Sysack had earlier offered to sell space on the sign to anyone who wanted to reply to it. Lesbian-gay community leaders refused to pay him, comparing the offer to a ransom. However, one of the bar magazine publishers has agreed to pay Sysack $250.00 to put up a gaypositive message. Sysack has said he would put a disclaimer on it.

This billboard is used by Sysack to comment on current affairs, and he frequently defames minority groups in a grab for publicity. The sign company was charged in April, 1989 with promoting racial prejudice on one of its signs, but the charge was dropped. Last year at about this time, Sysack put up a sign ridiculing lesbian and gay parents.

Cookie Banks. MC's for the day will be Mark Daugherty and M. J. Giovenetti.

While enjoying the entertainment, area merchants and groups will have booths on display from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Some will include: Gifts of Athena, Women's Building Project, Stonewall Union of Cleveland, Body Flex, and BASIS (Brothers and Sisters in Sobriety). HIT will also have an educational booth providing free condoms and dental dams as well as education about the HIV spectrum and referral resources. An additional fund raiser will be a raffle in which area gay merchants will be donating their services.

Dancin' in the Streets is held on W. 9th Street between Lakeside and St. Clair. HIT chose this area because it is historically a gay area with Water Street Dan's and Traxx formerly there.

“We thought that people would feel

Metzenbaum

to back lesbian-

gay rights bill

Senator Howard Metzenbaum (DOhio) has agreed to become a cosponsor of the federal lesbian and gay rights bill, according to an announcement made by the Human Rights Campaign Fund, a Washington-based lesbian-gay lobbying organization.

The bill, formally known as S. 47, the Civil Rights Amendments Act, would amend existing civil rights laws to include protection from discrimination due to "affectional or sexual orientation" in a range of areas, including housing and

Church votes to welcome gays and lesbians

The Ohio Conference of the United Church of Christ voted June 12 to encourage local churches to be "open and affirming" of gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

Delegates at the meeting in Tiffin, in northwestern Ohio, also voted to welcome people into the church regardless of their sexual orientation.

The delegates voted 262-108 to endorse the resolution. The UCC General Synod, which helps inform national church policy, had voted in 1985 in support of a similar resolution after which the Ohio Conference resolution was patterned.

The resolution encourages 504 churches in Ohio, northern Kentucky and West Virginia; the five associations; and the organizations of the conference "to study the issues of discrimination in local

Page 3

safe and comfortable in this area since many people frequented the gay bars in the area and we get the support of area merchants," Swindler stated. "We appreciate all the support we get and since we're a non-profit organization we can't run without the support of volunteers."

Dancin' in the Streets will be held on Sunday, July 22, 1990 from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. HIT will ask for a donation of $5.00. However if a person has HIV, ARC or AIDS, they will be admitted for free. Swindler added, "if a person does not feel comfortable identifying themselves at the gate with their diagnosis they can call the HIT office and pick up a pass."

If you are interested in volunteering or want further information about Dancin' in the Streets you can call the HIT office at 621-0766. ▼

employment. Versions of the bill have been introduced in every session of Congress since the mid 1970s.

Metzenbaum and Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, who also intends to co-sponsor, would bring the number of Senate co-sponsors of the bill to 12. The House version of the bill, H.R. 655, now has 79 co-sponsors, including Ohio representatives Louis Stokes, D-21, and Mary Rose Oakar, D-20, both from the Cleveland area.

Sen. Metzenbaum's office did not return a reporter's calls by Chronicle press time.

The bill had 10 Senate and 71 House co-sponsors when the previous session of Congress closed in 1988. Legislation not passed must be reintroduced in each session of Congress. ▼

church employment, volunteer service and membership policies with regard to sexual orientation."

The resolution also calls them "to covenant together to be open and affirming and pastorally sensitive to persons of gay, lesbian, and bisexual orientation, their families and friends, intentionally reaching out and welcoming them within the community of faith, affirming and recognizing in Christian love their personhood, standing with them against fear and discrimination and in advocating for justice."

In addition, the resolution called upon the Ohio Conference "in all its structures and practices to acknowledge that it is indeed an open and affirming conference" and to publicize this information in church periodicals.

Under the resolution, the five associations would study the ordination and placement of clergy with a lesbian, gay or bisexual orientation.

The main resolution was prepared and presented to the Conference by the United Church Coalition for Lesbiangay Concerns in Ohio.

Hahn wins GLPA design award

by Marne Harris

The Gay People's Chronicle has been honored with the Outstanding Achievement Award in Advertising Design for 1989 from the Gay and Lesbian Press Association. The Chronicle was also nominated for a Photojournalism Award.

Christine Hahn, the Chronicle's art director, who is responsible for ad design, was shocked and pleased at the award. "When they were sending in the submissions for the awards, I didn't think I had a chance to win and when I heard that I had won I was very honored. I hope it gets me more chicks," she commented jokingly.

Chronicle publisher Martha Pontoni said, "Besides getting Christine more dates, I hope this brings us more recognition for being the fine that we paper are."

Both Pontoni and co-publisher Bob

Downing report feeling frustrated with the process of having to compete with newspapers from larger cities that have paid staffs and budgets twice that of the Chronicle's. "We are a small paper with a mostly volunteer staff. To be even in the running with some of huge papers is quite an honor, but I feel we could have done better if we had competed against papers of our own size and circulation." Pontoni expects to enter the awards again for 1990. “We will keep entering every year and compete as best we can. I am hoping that the Press Association institutes some award categories for smaller presses."

The Gay and Lesbian Press Association has been handing out awards for the last eight years. They report receiving hundreds of submissions for the awards and plan to double the number of judges for the 1990 awards to handle all the work. ▼