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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

August, 1991

With unsafe sex on the rise, here comes the HIT Squad

by Joan Rizzo

tive group norms that support individual choices for safer sex. Long-term changes in behavior happen when people feel that their peers support them in this decision. It's very hard for someone who feels isolated, and in a minority around these attitudes, to make changes. We want to make use of friendship networks in the community to build a group concensus around maintaining safer sexual behavior.”

"We Got You Covered!" is the slogan for a new peer education campaign developed by the Health Issues Taskforce in response to a study that shows an acrossthe-board increase in unsafe or risky sexual practices among gay and bisexual men in Cleveland. Funded by a grant from the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), HIT surveyed 800 gay and bisexual men in local bars, health clubs, social organizations, and community events. Between July 1989 and September Designer Wear 1990, men of all ages, races, ethnic groups, educational and income levels, were asked to report whether or not they maintained safer-sex practices.

In his report on the survey's results in HIT's spring 1991 newsletter, executive director Joseph Interrante concluded: “In spite of what media coverage may lead you to believe, the epidemic among gay men— the so-called 'first wave'-is not over. All of us in the Taskforce know this: gay men continue to test positive and to be diagnosed with AIDS. If the patterns of risk behavior is found in this study continue, the incidence of new infections among gay and bisexual men will rise again."

AmFAR was enthusiastic about HIT's proposal due to a pervasive lack of information on safer sexual practices among gay and bisexual men in Midwestern cities. Innumerable studies published about behavioral patterns in the major costal cities don't always represent what's happening in the Midwest. The greater Cleveland study proposed by HIT answers that need. The results were surprising, and in many cases, disturbing.

Men of color constituted over 20 percent of the respondents, while 13.5 percent were African-American. Overall, 17 percent of the total respondents were bisexual, and the rest were gay-identified. Yet, the most significant results from the survey concerned younger men from all subgroups. In their study, HIT researchers found that Cleveland men under 25 years old were "twice as likely" as the older men to report risky, unsafe sexual behavior.

In addition, of all the men surveyed, over 19 percent admitted to having had anal sex without a condom within a twomonth period prior to the survey. Over 19 percent also reported having oral sex without a condom to the point of climax during the same period. Overall, between 30 and 40 percent of the repondants answered that they would be willing to practice or had practiced such risky behaviors.

The study also shatters the myth about safety in monogamous relationships. Many men who were surveyed were practicing unsafe sex early in their relationships without knowing their partner's HIV status.

To Joe Interrante, the message was clear. This wasn't happening only in New York or San Francisco. It was going on here in Cleveland. It was time to get away from the workshop format and return to outreach in the gay social world. Younger men, especially, were either not getting the word about safer sex, or they found it more difficult to maintain safer sexual practices and needed more support to reinforce safer behavior.

After a six-month study of all the data, Interrante and HIT's gay education coordinator, John Beres, met with their staff to develop a multicomponent safer-sex education campaign. One component would involve a non-traditional approach reminiscent of the bar "zaps" of the early 1980's, where volunteers went into the bars to distribute condoms and talk more directly with patrons about safer sex. The HIT Squad is a new version of the “zap” approach to peer education.

As Interrante explained, "We Got You Covered" has an intentional double meaning: "One is to focus on condoms for safer sex. The other is to emphasize the notion that changes in the community are a group process the notion of 'We,' and the idea of covering someone in the sense of supporting them. We want to develop collec-

The HIT Squad wears specially-designed T-shirts with "We Got You Covered" under their logo-a Herculean superhero holding two lightning bolts crossed like swords. With the help of designers, entertainers, and volunteers, the HIT Squad was officially launched at Dancin' In the Streets on July 14, where Safer Sex Central also made its debut. The eight-foot tall copper tower holds brochures on safer sex, free condoms, and dental dams. Brightly-colored banners wave above the tower on fout-foot poles that surround a mannequin's torso dressed in a HIT Squad T-Shirt.

Designer J.L. Cox, creator of the HIT Squad logo and Safer Sex Central, explained the concept of the superhero, lightning bolts, and copper towers. "It's to create the vision of youthful vitality, strength, and fun. We want to get the message out that we are vital and strong, and that we're having fun while educating people through the program. The availability of literature on the sides of the tower lets people wander up on their own for information."

John Beres, project director for the HIT Squad, emphasized the approach to a new kind of educational programming, saying that after ten years of coping with an onslaught of information about the epidemic, "People are burned-out on AIDS. The message needs to be taken into the community in a new and positive way. We'll have all the glitz and hoo-ha, but there will be a serious message, too. Our focus will be on diversity."

Yofreakka brings message home

The HIT Squad has enlisted the help of Cleveland's own house diva, Yofreakka, to develop an Afrocentric component to "We Got You Covered" Yofreakka Diekka and Company will perform at special "House of HIT Nights" in area clubs. The troupe of six dancers and singers created a real sensation at Dancn' in the Streets. The crowd rushed the stage when they came on at 7:00 p.m. and opened their act with a power-packed version of Madonna's "Like a Prayer."

After the opening number, Yofreakka told the crowd, "Gotta get back to love! You know we've spread some nasty things out there. It's time to stop doing that and get back to love, because love is what we're all about!" Backstage, Yofreakka told the Chronicle why she agreed to lend a hand to HIT's campaign. "I love helping people, and I love performing, and I wanted to make a difference. We've got to stick together as a people, you know, and take care of each other."

Yofreakka and Company's manager, Johnny, explained how the group originated. "Yofreakka and Company organized to open doors to the community. Numbers of brothers and sisters started to disappear before our eyes, so we decided to do something to help. Our target is the black community, and our message is: Have fun. Have safer sex. Live long!"

Networking

The need for a community-based program like the HIT Squad became evident when HIT researchers found that, after brochures and the gay press, friends were one of the highest sources of information on AIDS and safer sex. Beres and Inter-

rante want to tap into that source by saturating community networks with accurate information. So far, Beres has encountered excellent cooperation form local health club and bar owners. He arranges HIT Raids, Club Nights and Video Nights with managers and owners. Club Nights and Raids are arranged in advance with bars and clubs, but not always announced to patrons.

The two-year "We Got You Covered" campaign is funded by AmFar for one year with a matching grant for two years from Community AIDS Partnership Project (CAPP), for a total of $97,000 for two years.

In addition to direct individual contacts, which Interrante estimates will number over 9,000 in two years, HIT hopes to boost

that number to a total to 24,000 to 28,000 reached through other components of the campaign like the Mythology Series-a series of ads, posters and broucheres addressing the myths and misperceptions surrounding safer sex.

As Interrante emphasized, "There are only so many times you can say 'Don't do this, you can't, you can't,' until people stop listening to what you have to say. We want to turn that around, into a positive framework that says safer sex can fun. The campaign starts witht he premise that gay sexuality is worthwhile sexuality; that gay sexuality is something to be valued."

For more information on "We Got You Covered," or if you would like volunteer to work on the campaign contact the Health Issues Taskforce at 621-0766 ▼

Western Reserve Historical Society opens gay archive

by Martha Pontoni

Cleveland's lesbian and gay community will finally have a history. Starting in August, the Western Reserve Historical Society will begin collecting books, manuscripts, photos and films that represent lesbian and gay history in Cleveland.

John Grabowski, the society's director of manuscripts, said that the society asked the Lesbian and Gay Community Center to be part of the Cleveland Regional Ethnic Archives Project because “Anyone coming into the library should be able to do something on anything in Cleveland history." Grabowski sent letters of inquiry to all members of Community Shares and the Center was the only one who responded.

The society will be looking for newspapers, photographs and manuscripts dealing with lesbians and gays in the greater Cleveland area. Arrangements have already been made to start the collection with the records of the Center, the Chronicle and the Pride committee.

All unrestricted manuscripts and photos will be available for public use as soon as Grabowski can get the donations cataloged. Grabowski said that the Lesbian and Gay Archives will be given priority so they can be available as soon as possible.

Some documents will not be available for public use. Those documents include those that are restricted by donors and can only be used by permission, and those records which will be sequestered. Sequestered records will be papers and other items containing the name of someone not out of the closet, to protect anonymity of the individual. Groups and individual donors can arrange with Grabowski which category their donations would fall under. Typically, sequestered documents are kept for fifty years.

that

way

All gay and lesbian groups and individual are encouraged to donate their papers to the Historical Society. "We are particularly interested in pre-Stonewall items. We can't find any information," commented Grabowski.

The Center's archive committee is helping collect items and will be starting to contact groups and individuals for donations. The committee, headed by Dick Pohl, is also interested in starting an oral history project since much of lesbian and gay history is not written down.

To make a donation contact either Dick Pohl at the Center, 522-1999, or John Grabowski at the Historical Society, 7215722. ▼

Leadership and networking forums are now under way

A new program sponsored by the Lesbian and Gay Community Service Center is intended to encourage greater networking and leadership opportunities. Organizations throughout the gay and lesbian community of Greater Cleveland are encouraged to send two representatives to the monthly forum.

Representatives from many organizations have been in attendance. Participation includes both large and small groups, those that have been existence for some time and those who are as new as a month old.

To date, two meetings have been held.

can achieve greater cooperation and expedite any disagreements as they occur.

1 Development of methods to assist new organizations, current leaders and potential leaders within each organization and the community at large.

The next meeting, which includes a lunch potluck, is scheduled for Saturday, August 10, at 11:00 a.m. at the Chronicle. Every lesbian-gay organization is encouraged to send two representatives. ▼

NOCI picnic

At the first meeting, each individual who slated for Sept 8

attended and his or her organization was introduced. Several people said they learned a lot from just this simple exercise. The main agenda item was to list what each participant considered to be a need of the community, a specific organization or a personal need.

The most recent meeting focused on putting priorities on the list of needs. Three major objectives resulted:

I Inclusion of as many segments of our community as possible, specifically avoiding sexism, racism, ageism, ableism and

more.

1 Encouraging intercommunity awareness of our organizations, our calendars and a common set of beliefs that can act as a common code of ethics. In this way we

Preparations have begun for NOCI's annual "We Are Family" picnic scheduled for Sunday, September 8 at Wildwood Lake. Advance ticket sales will be available for purchase at local establishments on approximately August 1. Any organization or individual desiring concession space should call 521-9338 for a contract which must be returned to NOCI no later than August 31.

At the July meeting, the membership of NOCI approved grants of $2,500 to the Living Room, $900 for conference expenses of PRYSM and a $2,000 grant to the Northeast Ohio Task Force on AIDS in Akron.▼