gay people's

HRONIC

L E

November, 1990

Volume 6 Issue 5

AIDS Housing Council gets NOCI hospice funds

by Kevin Beaney

On October 18 the Northern Ohio Coalitic, Inc. (NOCI) formally donated their Hospice Fund to the AIDS Housing Council (AHC) to secure the purchase of a group home. The $51,716.23 check represented the entire balance of the Hospice Fund which NOCI started collecting. in 1986 through fundraisers and donations.

According to NOCI president Gene Witts, "We never touched any of the money in that fund until we wrote check number one for the current balance, and then closed the account."

The fund was started in reaction to the lack of any long-term housing for persons with AIDS who could not live by themselves. One of the NOCI members became seriously ill in early 1986 and other members looked for a place where he could stay. "We talked to HIT [Health Issues Taskforce] but found they could only provide temporary housing-two weeks-for our friend. That really struck us when we found that no program was available. So we started the Hospice Fund with the goal to purchase a house and somehow come up with a way to provide long-term housing," said Witts.

Separately, in that same year, the AIDS Housing Council was being formed (see

story page 3). Its board recognized the same need to provide housing assistance and referral services for people in the HIV spectrum. The AHC screens applicants and evaluates their living arrangements, assisting them through agency red tape, referring them to the Health Issues Taskforce when they need supplementary housing funds, and offering rooms on a limited basis for those who have no financial assistance.

The AHC also had a goal to purchase a group home. Executive Director Louise Valentine notes, “Since I joined the AHC in March of 1989, we looked at three different buildings. The first did not meet our needs when we really studied it. The second would have been ideal but it was in a non-accepting community and was 'too close to a school' according to the residents. We could not think of moving into that type of hostile situation."

The third building, which presently serves as a rooming house, is in an acceptable, convenient location, close to health care

and other services. The AHC has solid local

political and community support for this

site, since the proposed hospice is in Ray

Continued on page 3

Cincinnati gays fear reprisals. after homophobia-fueled trial

by Robin Kane

The key law enforcement official responsible for the infamous Cincinnati Mapplethorpe trial once remarked that he felt sympathy for two parents who had been charged with hiring several men to kidnap and rape their daughter in order to "deprogram" her from "lesbian mind control."

Simon Leis, current sheriff for Hamilton County who was county prosecutor during that notorious rape "de-programming" case, granted immunity to the parents in that trial, saying that he needed their testimony to get at the "de-programmers" who raped their daughter. In a 1982 interview with the Cincinnati Inquirer he acknowledged that, as the father of three daughters, he felt sympathy for the parents in the case.

Those statements, as well as other actions and comments over the years, have convinced gay activists in Cincinnati that there was a motive beyond concerns about the "obscenity" behind the police raid of the Cincinnati art museum in April for showing the controversial exhibit of the works by gay artist Robert Mapplethorpe. As sheriff, Leis di-

The Gay and Lesbian March Activists and ACT UP/Cincinnati organized a protest for September 24 to coincide with the beginning of the obscenity trial. Scott MacLarty of GLMA said the protest was intended to draw attention to the issue of homophobia surrounding the trial-an issue he said was being downplayed by the media and the attorneys defending the Arts Center and Barrie. Five of the photos charged as being obscene feature images considered to be homoerotic.

"We believe the whole prosecution was wrong in the first place and was motivated by anti-sexual attitudes in general and by homophobia specifically," MacLarty said. "We believe homophobia was a major motivation for the prosecution."

Sheriff Leis, who is outspokenly critical of unmarried people living together, openly states his abhorrence of homosexuality. As prosecutor, he unsuccessfully attempted to prosecute radio station WAIF-FM and the

rected that raid, which led to the Settling in

trial of the Contemporary Arts

Center and its director, Dennis Barrie. It was the first trial in

history in which a museum was charged with pandering obscenity.

The Arts Center faced $10,000 in fines and Barrie faced a $2,000 fine and a year in jail for obscenity charges based on seven of the 175 Mapplethorpe photos in the "Perfect Moment" exhibit. On October 5, they were found not guilty.

Publishers Robert Downing and Martha Pontoni, with about 150 guests, toast the Chronicle's new offices at the open house held October 13.

Photo by Brian De Witt

Continued on page 9

Cleveland, Ohio

An Independent Chronicle of the Lesbian & Gay Community

Marty Webb and Debra Dunkle show off thier medals

TWO Clevelanders win three medals in the Gay Games

by Faith Klasek

Clevelanders Marty Webb and Debra Dunkle took part in the recent arms ex

III held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Webb won a silver medal in the women's 1600 meter relay. Dunkle took the gold in both the 100 meter hurdle and the high jump. The games proved to be as much a cultural event as an athletic one.

Dunkle was a returning athlete, having competed in the very first Gay Games. The games were started in San Francisco by Dr. Tom Waddell in 1982. This year's competition was the first ever to have taken place outside of San Francisco.

Gay Games organizers hope to see the event become truly international. Holding the games in Canada helped to achieve that goal. The 1990 games had over 7,000 registered athletes from 26 different countries. Spectators are estimated to have numbered over 7,000.

Athletes competed in 29 different sporting events, ranging from the martial arts to badminton and croquette. The Games are designed to encourage everyone to participate. "The whole thing is around personal best rather than out and out competition," said Webb. This year, for the first time, every athlete received a medal. And, those who placed last received as much applause as the gold medalists.

Photo by Pat Young

In addition to athletic competition, the Gay Games provided entertainment and cultural events. Entertainment included one or paygay and lesbian films, comodi"plays, ans, and choral and band performances. Jane Rule, Ferron, Robin Tyler, and Kate Clinton were among the most well-known performers. A large craft area was open daily.

Webb and Dunkle enjoyed the opportunity to meet participants from all over the world. Large groups of athletes from Berlin and Australia were most notable. The games opened with the reading of telegrams from gay and lesbian athletes in the Soviet Union who hope to attend the 1994 games held in New York (see story page 9).

In 1982 only two athletes from Ohio took part in the games. This year there was a group of more than 20 athletes from the Cincinnati area alone. Five athletes from Cleveland were present. Webb and Dunkle accepted an informal challenge from Cincinnati participants, hoping that Cleveland will make an impressive showing in the 1994 games. Dunkle and Webb are especially interested in seeing Clevelanders organize in order to compete in the many

team events.

If you would like more information about participating in the Gay Games, please contact Marty Webb at the Center, 5221999. ▼

Editorials..

CONTENTS

page 2

Letters...

Armistead Maupin

page 3

page 4

Pride is in the black

National notes

page 5

P-FLAG scholarships

page 7

page 8

page 10

Queer Nation....

Navy wants money back.. page 12

Personals.

Charlie's Calendar

Resource Page.

page 15

page 17

page 16