OCIAL SCIE

gay people's

December, 1991

PUBLIC LIB

CLEVELA

Cleveland, Ohio

An Independent Chronicle of the Lesbian & Gay Community

Volume 7 Issue 6

Seattle woman is first black lesbian elected to office

by Nick Bartolomeo

With a margin that surprised even her most ardent supporters, Sherry Harris ran away with the Seattle City Council election last month, and became the first black open lesbian to win a political office in U.S. history.

"Well, I'm very pleased to be the first," an obviously jubilant Harris told the Washington Blade. "It wasn't a difficult [election] as much as it was energetic and very long, because I challenged an incumbent and started my campaign very early. The strategy was to start small; steadily build up momentum. That's what we did."

Nadine Smith, the only other black open Lesbian known to have made a run for office this year, lost her bid for a seat on the Tampa, Fla., City Council in early October.

Harris trounced her opponent, 24-year Council veteran Sam Smith, during the September primary, receiving 45 percent of the vote to Smith's 37 percent. But Harris and Smith, both Democrats vying for the Position 4 seat, were then forced into a Nov. 5th runoff election, because neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote.

If Smith, with his eleventh-hour rush of support from Seattle's business community, had hoped for a reversal of the primary vote, he was sorely mistaken. As the vote from the elections were counted. it became clear Harris had not only beaten Smith, she had bulldozed him. According to Seattle election officials, Harris received 96,083 votes--about 67 percent--to Smith's 48,132 votes, which amounted to about 33 percent.

Harris's campaign attributed a sizable part of the election outcome to support from the D.C.-based Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which helps coordinate contributions to openly gay candidates through a nationwide network of donors. Fund Executive Director William Waybourn said the group raised about $10,000 for Harris's campaign through three mailings to its members.

"She had a very good campaign staff,” said Waybourn. "They phoned 3,000 voters in the gay community last weekend. It obviously paid off, because the turnout in gay precincts was extremely high. It does appear she was able to mobilize the community in Seattle." Harris said that while she "certainly did not hide" it, her sexual orientation was really

never a campaign issue.

"There certainly has been adverse and negative reaction, but it's never been a campaign issue," said Harris. "We have met, as a campaign, that percentage of the constituency out there who are anti-gay, who would vote against me because I am gay. It never became an agenda or issue as far as niy campaign is concerned."

As for her upcoming term in office, said Harris, "Seattle is a big community, very progressive as it applies to gay and lesbian issues and rights. We certainly have a lot of protection and rights already. There is going to be a lot to do on that agenda. It's not a priority to me, because it's not a priority issue facing the city, but I'm a staunch supporter" of gay rights.

Reprinted with permission from the Washington Blade.

Season's Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

60 cents

Happy Hanukkah!!

Have an Enlightening Winter Solstice....

Happy New Year!!!

Center talent show shines

by Martha Pontoni

For weeks the place was buzzing, "Do you think will come?" anyone "I hear the separatists called for a boycott," "What is going to happen?" Every time I picked up the phone someone else had a comment or a concern about the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center's First Annual Talent Show.

Women were concerned that the rumors of a separatist boycott, or in this case, womyncott, would keep the women away. Men were concerned that there were too many women judges and the prizes would all go to women. Everyone involved was afraid that no one would show up, and Center Director Leigh Robertson had daily heart attacks about the costs.

Well, it turns out that everyone was wrong, except Robertson, of

course, who deserves a few heart attacks every once in a while. The 'womyncott' didn't take, in fact there may have been more women than men in the crowd. There were more women judges, but all the prizes

went to men and best of all there were close to 900 women and men packed in the Civic for one of the best nights of entertainment this community has ever seen!

It almost brought tears to my eyes seeing all those queers in one room--and it wasn't even June!

Now, on to the entertainment and the winners. First place went to Rich Salamone, billed as a New Age artist and who played a wonderful piano, clad in a Chronicle T-shirt, second place went to the North Coast Men's Chorus' Coastliners, a '50s doo-wop group, who were not only cute, but fabulous. Third place went to Mitchell Smith, an exciting vocalist. Some of these choice I agree with, some I don't, but that doesn't really matter because I wasn't a judge. Just for the record I wouldn't want to be one--too hard.

Hate crime, job problems head bias testimony

by AI Tretheway

On November 7 and 8, Stonewall-Cleveland and the Case Western Reserve University Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Alliance held public hearings on the issue of discrimination against our community in the city of Cleveland. These hearings represented the formal beginning of the data collection process needed to bring legislation before Cleveland City Council to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

About 20 people attended the first session in the offices of the Gay People's Chronicle, and about 35 attended the second session at Case Western Reserve University. Of these people, 25 gave formal testimony and everyone joined in general discussions of tactics, the need for coalition building with other minority groups and the work that has been done so far.

No one was required to give any personal identification. However, from the identifica-

tion given, there were seven women and 18 men who testified, ranging in age from 19 to 50. Most were from Cleveland proper, but five people came from Lakewood, and others came from as far as the Akron-Canton area to speak.

Stonewall had suggested a set of topics that people might want to give testimony about. These included hate crimes, housing discrimination, employment discrimination, employee benefits problems and the need for domestic partnership legislation. These represent the most common problems that are being addressed in legislation nationally. However, moderators of each session emphasized that other problems could be discussed, and as the meetings went on, people testified about a wide range of subjects.

The most common stories were of hate

crimes and employment discrimination,

including stories of some very polite discrimination that those of us in relatively accepting employment settings can

encounter.

Housing and domestic relationship issues were the next most common topics. People also gave testimony on police insensitivity, the difficulty of working with city prosecutors on lesbian and gay related crimes, the special problems of bisexuals and the need to work on a regional basis to include everyone in the greater Cleveland community.

One of the moderators noted after the two sessions that many people appeared hesitant to speak, not because of fear or lack of experience, but because they didn't feel that their stories of being called "queer" or having rocks thrown at them were sufficiently important to relate. As the hearings progressed, however, and they heard other

continued on page 6

Since I wasn't a judge I thought I would give my own awards.

The I Have Enough Ovaries To Be Myself Award goes to Melissa Foor, who appeared in a sheer purple shirt and a purple bra and stretch pants. I think she did fat dykes everywhere a great favor by just being herself and really belting out those tunes. I also think she should have won a prize, but I don't think anyone in that auditorium knew how to react to Foor when she first came out on stage. Thank God for the rowdy crowd of dykes in the front that started screaming. They helped everyone appreciate her.

The He Is Actually Funny Award! goes to Vince, the Great Pretender. If any of you have seen Vince Morvath around town you know he is never seen out of uniform. He was continued on page 6

CONTENTS

Is this the last Chronicle? Letters...

Election results for 4 gay issues Police abuse in Cincinnati. Treatments available faster. Cleveland gay archive opens. In Living Color Awards... Ethan Green-new cartoon!. Sir: On the leather experience . . . 9 Local organizing for '93 March Forman Brown at 90... Charlie's Calendar Personals....

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