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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

August, 1991

PRIDE

bridging the

Make way for the lavender dragor

by Joan Rizzo

10:30a.m. Saturday, June 22. Participants in the Lesbian and Gay Pride March in Cleveland gathered at East 9th St. and Walnut Ave. I looked around at the colorful flags, signs and costumes that were growing in number. Metropolitan Community Church, U4ia, Gay Fathers, Chevrei Tikva and several other organizations unfurled their banners. It was not as hot as the 90-degree weather we'd had carlier in the week. The wind was blowing off the lake, and the air was humid. The skies looked threatening for a while, and I thought, "Oh no, you ain't gonna rain on my parade-not on this day of all days!"

While speakers shouted our demands over a PA system, the skies slowly cleared. We posed and waved to the myriad cameras clicking and whirring around us. This was truly our day to be queer.

A young man distributed whistles to the marchers. Aubrey Wertheim, services director for the Lesbian and Gay Service Center, explained the need to protect ourselves from anti-gay violence this summer. The whistles were to be used in case we're attacked-but today, we would use them to tell the world we're not going to take it anymore. I looked down at my new whistle and couldn't help thinking I looked like my sixth-grade gym teacher. She could scare the pants off of any-

WE ARE CAY A ENTITLED TOCUK CONSTITUTIONERI

Marchers line up as Pride '91 March gets ready to step off from Walnut Ave.

one.

At precisely 11:30 a.m., the Cleveland police turned on their lights and moved into position to lead us down the lavender line. (The city painted a lavender stripe on the street the previous night in honor of our day.) A man led the way wearing two pink satin triPhoto by Kevin Beaney angles like a sandwich sign, a purple chapeau complete with matching veil and white shopping gloves.

Stonewall's first reception draws a diverse mix of officials

by Martha Pontoni

Stonewall-Cleveland's first political reception, held at Gordon square Arcade on June 21, was attended by almost 50 community members and 10 public officials.

According to Stonewall President Karen Schneiderman, "For the first one, it was encouraging was that we had a diverse group of politicians attending, from school board reps to judges."

Many of the political attendees were looking for support from the gay and lesbian community. Several of those who attended said they had been looking for an organization to help them reach the lesbian and gay community.

"[It] gave us an opportunity to talk nuts and bolts about our community needs," Schneiderman said. "A collective voice, with different words that showed unity of purpose which is both heart-warming and empowering."

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Call: 354-AIDS

Tuesdays 2-6 p.m.

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Officials in attendance were:

Judy Pyles, representing Services for Independent Living

Joe Zone, candidate for Cleveland Municipal Court

Tim Hagan, Cuyahoga County commissioner

Jack Krummans, representing Mayor Michael R. White

Helen Moffie, candidate for the Cleveland Board of Education

Tom George, a member of Lakewood city council, Ward 4, repesenting Attorney General Lee Fisher

Judge Jose Villanueva, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court JoAnn Boscia, candidate for mayor of Lakewood

Eric Fingerhut, state senator, Dist. 25 Ray Pianka, Cleveland city council, Ward 17 ▼

I helped carry the Chronicle's banner with six or seven others. We were the third group from the front. Eight hundred people were behind us. We took our new whistles in hand, kinks still in the black nylon cords, and began to blow for all we were worth. The man next to me had a cow'bell. We turned onto Euclid Avenue and made the most wonderful, joyous racket I've ever heard!

People poured out of shops and businesses to see what all the noise was about. What they saw was a line of queers, approximately two blocks long and eight people across, carrying lavender and pink signs and banners, and wearing T-shirts that said "Pride '91," "Nobody Knows I'm Gay," "Out of the Closet Experience," and "Pro-Gay 365 Days a Year." I quickly made a hobby of reading people's chests, which isn't a bad hobby if you're looking at the right chest.

We were here at last! We're here, we're queer! We were shaking the shit out of the Saturday shoppers who had emptied

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Higbee's and the May Co. to watch. V rattled windows and rumbled the found tions of the city's venerable buildings we shouted, "What do we want? G rights, now!" As we passed the BP Am ica building, we chanted passionatel "Money for AIDS, not for war!"

I carried the names of friends who h died from AIDS, because I knew if th were still alive, they'd be marching wi me. I dedicated this march to them. I al carried a button I wore in the first March Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights 1979: "Working Women Unite." It w one of several buttons I'd worn on th historic day-the only one I could st find.

As we came into Public Square, thought about how much my world h changed since 1979. Working women a still being cheated out of equal pay a reproductive rights, and my male frien are gone. We hadn't heard of AIDS the We were going to make the world a bet place-a safe place for future generatio of lesbians and gay men.

Have we accomplished that? I look down at my whistle. Perhaps we have gained as much as we wanted, but we' still made progress in legislation, t media, health care and employme We're getting there. Priorities change. Li goes on.

As we marched down Superior Aveni I noticed several gay men and lesbia watching the parade from the sidewa We waved to them. They gave us th desperate look that said, "Don't draw atte tion to me-nobody knows I'm gay."

By the time we reached the entrance the Detroit-Superior Bridge, the march h taken on a life of its own-we had becor one entity. We squeezed into one lane cross the bridge, which made the parad look longer. Motorists sped past us. The either flipped the bird at us or honked an waved in support. I like to think we wer being flipped off only because we wer disrupting traffic on the busiest bridge i the Greater Cleveland area.

As we walked uphill, those of us in fron turned around to look at the rest of th march. We cheered at the sight of eac other. We had become a lavender Chines dragon, twisting and winding its way u the bridge-free of fear and worry, full o love and hope.

We danced above the gray waters of th Cuyahoga River with our arms stretche upward to the white clouds in the sky. W faced forward again. I felt the warm win on my face and the power of 800 sisters an brothers behind me. There was no reason t look over my shoulder in fear, because wasn't alone.

I wasn't walking anymore-I was bein carried across the bridge on a wave o euphoria. I was carried by the strength o our conviction and the magic of our love. thought, "How could anyone hate us? Lov is what we're all about. The right to love. And for this one day, we set aside th differences within our community an found strength in unity.

That Saturday morning at the Prid march felt so much like a new day and fresh start for me that I've decided to begi the year in June, to celebrate New Year' Day during Gay Pride Week, under th strawberry moon. The lovers' moon. S when you ask me if I believe in fairies, I' always answer yes...and dykes, of cours and lavender dragons, too! ▼

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