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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
October, 1991
Sistahparty plans workshop on diversity
Sistahparty, an organization for lesbians of color, will offer a workshop on networking and interpersonal communications on Nov. 23rd.
The workshop, “Bridging the Gap: Celebrating Our Diversity," is open to all women, regardless of sexual preference.
The half-day, four-part seminar was intended to help women of color, as well as white women, better communicate their needs and agendas to one another. However, as one member pointed out, "It's not just along racial lines that we aren't hearing each other, but class, preference and even style.'
"Bridging" was set up to help enlighten women about their similarities despite sometimes-differing agendas, and to enable them to understand and respect their differences when they arise. Sistahparty was awarded a $1,200 grant by the Women's Community Fund, $300 of which was set aside to help finance the workshop.
The other funds were allocated to establish a day-long retreat on leadership skills, which was held in July. The skills gained during that retreat were meant to be brought
into play during the current project as well as other activities planned for 1992.
Also helping Sistahparty to put on the "Bridging" workshop was Dagmar Celeste, wife of former Gov. Richard F. Celeste. Through the community fund, Celeste donated the use of her Kelley's Island home for a day-long planning retreat on the workshop. The 150-member Sistahparty organization was begun in February 1990 to share social networking, political concerns and to participate in the various cultures of the nonwhite lesbian community.
Founding members also felt that more
SIST.HPAR
lesbians of color would participate in other Stonewall hosts public hearings
areas of the gay community if they had their own coalition and forum for discussion and socializing with one another.
Sistahparty meets this need through business, social, educational, and discussion groups.
The workshop will be held in the Friendship Meeting House in University Circle.
For more information on Sistahparty or the workshop, call 348-3215 and leave a message.
Kim Taylor contributed to this story.
Changes at the Chronicle
by Kim Taylor
When you're out and about it helps if you have somewhere to go. It's not hard to find out where the bars and the usual stuff are, but what if you want something different?
Well, here comes the Chronicle Infoline to the rescue. Starting in October, you can dial 1-900-446KWIR (at 99 cents a minute) for a weekly update on what's going on in Cleveland, the surrounding area and even down and out of state.
So, if you want to meet the author of a new book or find out where someone's going as bare as they dare, and it's happening anywhere in our immediate universe, you can call us and we'll let you know.
If the first article you look for is Lizzie Borden's Forty Whacks, look no further. Really.
The last anyone's actually seen of La Liz was before the break-in, and we're beginning to think the thief made off with her, too.
Now, along with everything else
we're looking for, we're looking for someone with a nose for news, a knack for picking up little items and an urge to pass them on--OK, a gossip columnist.
Don't let the title fool you. Gossip has an important place in journalism. As the venerable columnist Liz Smith once said, "Gossip is news running ahead of itself in a red dress."
So, if any of you out there think you can fill Lizzie's scarlet frock, call us at 621-5280.
For those of you who have your own problems, the Chronicle will be introducing an advice column next month. It won't be for the heavy psychoanalytical stuff, but it will tell it in a way you wish Dear Abby would.
If you have a burning question, or just want to share an obsession, write to the Chronicle or call us at 1900-446-KWIR and leave a message.▼
The Women's Building Project throws Halloween party
The Women's Building Project Annual Halloween Party will take place Saturday, October 26, 1991, from 8:00 p.m. 'til 2:00 a.m. at the Civic, 3130 Mayfield Road. It is a
women-only event and a fundraiser to benefit the WBP. There will be a 50-50 raffle, a costume contest, and a cash bar. Sober support will also be available. Tickets will be available at the door for $13.00, $10.00, and $7.00.
WBP is looking for two bartenders, a DJ, and a woman to do security for the party. These are paid positions. Please call 371-2814 or 338-4024, if you are interested, or for information on work exchange.
The semi-annual meeting of the Women's Building Project will be held Sunday, October 20th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Society, 2728 Lancashire Road, Cleveland Hts. The WBP's current structure will be an agenda item. The meeting is open to all women. Please bring your ideas, concerns, complaints and most of all your women's energy. Refreshments will be served.
On Thursday, November 7th, and Friday, November 8th, Stonewall-Cleveland and CWRU's Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Alliance will be hosting public hearings. The purpose of the hearings will be to provide Northeast Ohio gays and lesbians an opportunity to voice their opinions on the proposed "gay and lesbian-friendly" civil rights legislation being introduced into Cleveland City Council.
Both hearings will be held from 8:00a.m. to 9:30p.m. The November 7th hearing will be held at the Gay People's Chronicle office, on Superior Viaduct Rd. The November 8th hearing will be held in Hatch Auditorium, at Case Western Reserve University.
The purpose of the hearings will be to provide gays and lesbians an opportunity to provide their opinions on what should be included in the proposed changes to the Fair Housing, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Ethnic Intimidation laws as well as to tell their stories of discrimination as gay and lesbian people. Opinions will also be solicited on the proposed Domestic Partnership law.
The hearings will be open to all northeast Ohio gays and lesbians, as the Cleveland legislation will likely be used as an example for similar legislation in other communities.
Country Dancers host first "Fly-In"
The Cleveland City Country Dancers, the local gay and lesbian square-dance and linedance club, is hosting its first "Fly-In" called "Load the Boat", on Oct. 4th, 5th and 6th.
A Fly-In is a dance convention--no meetings, just an invitation to all other gay squaredance clubs to come to Cleveland and dance for a weekend to live callers. Each Fly-In picks a theme based on a square-dance call. "Load the Boat" seemed appropriate for a city on the North Coast.
The Cleveland City Country Dancers have been around for more than three years, and the group is a member of the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs, as are the other clubs that will be represented at the Fly-In.
Gay and lesbian square dancers from across the country and Canada are expected to arrive Friday night, register, and start dancing at the Franklin Circle Christian Church to caller Bill Eyler. Later that night, the action will move to the Mix Drinkery for an open western dance.
Saturday features a full afternoon and evening of square dancing to the calls of Eyler and national caller Paul Waters from Los Angeles. Starting at 11:00 p.m., another western dance takes place at Ohio City Oa-
Stallion
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While Molnar said that there are some men who do not want women in the bar, he denies that it is a management policy to keep women out after 9:00 p.m. "I've only told employees to try to remember that you've got some of the old guard in there and they may feel uncomfortable (with women in the bar)."
Molnar said the after-9 rule was created by a bartender who no longer works at the Stallion, "because late at night it got disruptive. No one ever challenged that rule".
Molnar suggested that women come in around cocktail hour to check out the Stallion "because the crowd is a little bit different then."
He wanted it known that the Leather Stallion supports "a lot of gay and lesbian causes with dollars... but people don't want it crammed down their throats. I don't think a bar should be used as a political platform".
Shepherd said it is unlikely that there will be any mass protest of the Stallion's policy, similar to the one at U4ia that she helped to organize.
sis. The Fly-In package concludes on Sunday with a brunch and then several more hours of square dancing, led by the two guest callers.
The Cleveland City Country Dancers have grown in popularity over the last year, with their weekly dance lessons (Wednesday evenings at the Center) and performances at numerous gay events, including the Pride festivals, We Are Family Picnic, and Monotones' Hayride. Members of the club also dance and perform Sunday nights at Oasis and Tuesday nights at Mix.
The number of CCCD members and their level of experience recently reached the point where Cleveland could represent itself proudly. The gay square-dance clubs of many cities sponsor Fly-Ins throughout the year. Cleveland members have danced in Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Denver, Albuquerque and other cities, and are excited about finally being able to welcome dancers to their home.
Look for lots of western wear and tired feet the first weekend in October. Newcomers--men and women with or without any square-dancing or line-dancing experience-are always welcome at the western dances and every Wednesday starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Center.
"One of the reasons women in the leather community don't organize against the bar is because we know we won't have the support of the women's community. The bar owners know that, too." She also said that it also is not worth jeopardizing the jobs of the bartenders, many of whom are friends of the
women.
Since the Chronicle article last month, Zucker has been released from his job at Memoirs. Zucker says that he was contacted by a lawyer and informed that he had been "blacklisted" by the Cleveland Gay Bar Owner's Association.
Molnar, however, said, "That thing about him being blacklisted is ludicrous. The CGBOA has basically been dissolved."
Adding to Zucker's woes, the Rangers, a uniform-and-leather club, expelled him from their group in July, saying that he is not authorized to speak for the club. In last month's story, Zucker noted that he was a member of the group and that they do not discriminate against women. Zucker attributes his expulsion to the Rangers' unwillingness to be associated with a political issue or campaign such as Cleveland Unite.▼