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NORTH COAST MEN'S CHORUS

This space has been donated to the North Coast Men's Chorus by the Chronicle, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Chronicle staff or management.

by John Mancuso

Things are busy as usual for the North Coast Men's Chorus. The Coastliners have had two performances the past few weeks. The first was for more than 800 people at the Red Cross Ball. The second was as a participant in the Talent Show for the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center, for which we won second prize! Congratulations to the organizers of both events on hosting such successful evenings.

The Coastliners are not the only ones who have been busy. Along with their rehearsal schedule, everyone in the Chorus has been preparing their favorite recipes, which are being previewed this month. We're now announcing our new cookbook, "Cooking with the North Coast Men's Chorus." If anyone is interested in finding out what we like to eat, just ask any member of the Chorus about it. A special thanks to John Dellamanna for making the book available, and to Neil Giewont for working on distribution.

Race in Your Face

This space has been donated to the Racism Forum by the Chronicle, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Chronicle staff or management.

by Larry Webb

As I prepared for this article, I doubted I had something to say. Don't get me wrong, I always have something to say, but rarely to so many people and rarely is it published. Yet here was an opportunity to speak to the gay and lesbian community of Cleveland and i found myself "tongue tied" (forgive me). Then it dawned on me, I would speak about what is so often on my mind and that of my "closest black girlfriends' "--the mask.

You may have never referred to it as such, but you know what it is. It's the mask you put on with your parents so they won't suspect you're gay or lesbian. It's the mask you put on at work, so the secretaries in the office won't start to talk. It's the mask you put on in your fraternities and sororities, and the one some of you wear even when you're out at the bar. It is the mask that denies you freedom and protects you at the same time. But, finally it is a mask.

What it is my "closest black girlfriends" and I find most interesting is how often we, as black gay men, must also wear masks to make our white counterparts more comfortable. With these masks come their own brand of oppression, beyond that of blatant racism.

We are now in our final weeks of rehearsal for our Holiday Concert, “Joy to the World." The concert is at the Metro campus of Cuyahoga Community College on Sunday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m. Check out our advertisement in this issue of the Chronicle for complete details and a map. Many hours of hard work have been put into preparing an enjoyable evening for all who attend. We hope to see you there.

To those who are interested in performing or working with the Chorus, our rehearsal schedule for the spring concert season starts Sunday, January 12. With our March Invitational Concert and our June Pride Concert with Romanovsky and Phillips, it will be a fun and exciting season. There are also many social functions we schedule, such as coffee houses, movie nights (thanks, John, for letting us use your recreation room), theatre outings and other activities. Come check us Qut.

The Chorus welcomes the opportunity to perform and work with other groups. A variety of arrangements are available, including either the entire Chorus or the Coastliners. Feel free to contact us for your event.

For information on membership, tickets to the upcoming season, ad space in our program, becoming a patron or general information, please talk to any member, call 473-8919 or write to the Chorus, P.O. Box 15181, Cleveland, Ohio 44114.▼

The mask that so many whites within our community would have us wear is one of invisibility. Others would have us wear the mask of dark sex toys, to be played with, but never seriously pursued. Yet another mask, and one of my favorites, is the mask of modest intelligence; a black man cannot appear too intelligent or too independent, for this tends to intimidate. Finally there is the mask of restraint. Never lose control, don't be too flamboyant and please never get angry.

The first question that comes to mind is: Why wear the mask? Well, for the same reasons so many wear their mask of heterosexuality: It's sometimes easier. As black gay men we face blatant racism and homophobia, and no, I did not forget my lesbian sisters who face sexism on top of that. The point is, the haven for many of us is around our gay brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, black gay men are asked to leave many of our best qualities, those qualities that make us unique and special, at the door. However, everything must change and one of the first to go is the mask. For me and my "closest black girlfriends," it's just not enough to play the role of young gay man. For us, it is going to have to be young black gay man. And with that comes all the beauty and heritage of both groups. So prepare yourself, Cleveland, because we are on the move. We expect a lot and plan to give just as much.

The next time you see me, I won't be wearing a mask.

December, 1991

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