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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

January 22, 1993

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

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COUNITY SERVICE AWARDS

THE FIFTH ANNUAL CO

WIR Publications is proud to announce the recipients of the fifth annual Gay People's Chronicle Community Service Awards. These awards, determined each year by the Chronicle's editorial board, recognize the achievements and distinctions of individuals and groups. Last year's awards dinner and ceremony sold out the 50 available seats, so make plans now to join your friends and attend this inspiring event on Sunday, February 21.

This year, the awards dinner and ceremony will be held at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd in Rocky River. The cost is $25 per person to enjoy both the dinner, which begins at 6:00 pm, and the award

The eight awards are:

Man of the Year-A gay man who has made a significant contribution to the community. This year the award goes to Robert Laycock. As past-president of the board of trustees for the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center of Greater Cleveland, Bob steered the Center through troubled administrative waters. Also, in 1992 he saw to it that sexual orientation discrimination protection was included in

ceremony which follows. To attend just the awards ceremony, which begins at 7:30 Women of the Year offer

pm, the cost is $10 per person.

This year's recipients are a diverse representation of Cleveland's lesbian and gay

community, many of whom have been visible and supportive for a number of years. information and community

Seven of the awards are categories the Chronicle has used in the past, honoring men and women, individuals and groups, plus an outstanding event of the year, and a non-gay friend of the community.

Readers may recall that at last year's awards ceremony it was announced that the

by S.K. Bair

Chronicle was halting publication. From that surprise announcement, the energy Having been de

began forming to resuscitate the paper through planning, restructuring and a fundraising benefit. As a special "thank you," for all their hard work, this year's awards ceremony will also include recognition of those who helped us come back.

What She Wants offers a forum for dialogue

by S.K. Bair

Is the What She Wants collective enters

adds to its list of successes the Chronicle's 1992 award for Female Group of the Year.

Since 1973, the What She Wants newsletter has informed the straight, gay, and bisexual women's community about events happening in the Greater Cleveland area.

A member of the collective for ten years, Gayle Crawford recounted how the newsletter was kept alive by a new group of women in 1983 as the original collective had burned out and was ready to cease publication. "We didn't think that [ceasing publication] was a good idea," said Crawford, as the group pared down the full-fledged newspaper to a simpler, four-page calendar format.

Throughout the last ten years, the What

She Wants calendar has grown from four to eight to twelve pages, with last year finding the newsletter changing again to a newsprint format and adding regular articles contributed by Kim Taylor and humorist Anna Baboo.

Another collective member active since 1989, Michelle expressed her desire to see What She Wants broaden its coverage of both political and current event happenings within the women's community during the

coming years. Reflecting on the recent publication of written response to articles being published in the newsletter, Michelle said that she was happy to see What She Wants becoming "a forum for dialogue."

What She Wants is organizing a celebration for its 20th anniversary year and is interested in soliciting volunteer help. The collective can be reached at 321-3054. ▼

Ever active, the Monotones don't just socialize

by Kevin Beaney

ne of our community's most active

One

year for its visibility and philanthropy. Monotones has been named Mixed Group of the Year.

Monotones was formed in May of 1986 by Donn Wolfe and Larry Dolence and three other couples. They decided to start a social group for lesbian and gay couples in monogamous relationships, the purpose being to give couples a chance to refresh their social lives with other couples who shared a common interest of a growing relationship. Within eight months the group grew to twelve couples in the Cleveland area. The couples liked the socializing, especially as an alternative to the bars.

It took about a year before the first female couple joined the group. But soon after, other female couples joined and the divided community started to unite and open the doors to new beginnings.

Through the years Monotones' membership has become a nice mixture of male and female couples, east and west siders, and a wide assortment of occupations and profes-

sions. Monotones became and still is a great way to meet new people and gain new friendships.

Annual traditions began to emerge, among them a progressive dinner, kite flying, bike riding, a Halloween party, winter camping, and many more. Perhaps their best-known event is open to the entire gay and lesbian community: the Hayride, with country dancing, pumpkins and good ol' country fun in the hay. This fundraising evening sold out its 300 tickets quickly last autumn and everyone enjoyed the camaraderie.

Monotones has been generous with its treasury over the years. The group has given financial assistance to several causes including the Center, the Pride committee, the Health Issues Taskforce, NOCI, the Cleveland City Country Dancers, and the Sharon Kowalski benefit.

Any group that can raise money, have a variety of activities, a lot of fun for its members, and keep couples together deserves to be noted. Monotones has established itself as a charitable and social pillar of greater Cleveland's lesbian and gay community, and this year is being recognized for its achievements.

longer than any other lesbian-owned storefront business in the Cleveland area, Gifts of Athena bookstore owners Sue Bennett and Heather Thorp have been awarded the Gay People's Chronicle's 1992 award for Women of the Year.

Since Gifts of Athena's opening in March, 1990, the store has grown into being a distribution center for local resource and event information as well as

Heather Thorp and Susan Bennett

an informal meeting place for women. All this in addition to offering a variety of books, periodicals, greeting cards, T-shirts, jewelry, and miscellaneous items to the lesbian

and gay community.

"I really like connecting people with what they need," says Heather Thorp. "Finding a book or finding a resource...it is really exciting." In response to the store drawing women together, Bennett says, "you might have a conversation with a woman here that you wouldn't necessarily start up at a bar, or a party, or at a Pride [celebration], or even at a meeting. [The store has become] an informal place to just get together and talk."

Bennett and Thorp were first able to consider a life change when they inherited money from their parents' estates. Although Bennett had lost her mother and Thorp her father, both women were determined to use their inheritance in a way that would add value to other people's lives while posi-

tively affecting their community. Thorp decided to accompany Bennett on a two and a half-month nationwide tour that she had

already planned and, while on that trip, the

bookstore idea was born.

While touring various cities, the two women found that area bookstores, along with local gay and lesbian hotlines, were where people gravitated to for information about the community.

"[The bookstore in each city] was really the center providing information for what was really going on. Alongside of the gay and lesbian hotlines... [the bookstores] connected us with people throughout the country," Thorp said.

As the two women returned to Cleveland, they talked to Linda Malicki, owner of the West Side's Another State of Mind bookstore, and, although Heather Thorp

Continued on Page 22

the AFSCME labor contract with the City of Cleveland.

Woman of the Year-A lesbian who has made a significant contribution to the community. This year the award goes to Heather Thorp and Sue Bennett.

As partners in Gifts of Athena, Heather and Sue have provided a safe space for lesbian meetings and activities, as well as a bookstore, for almost three years. Their commitment to lesbian awareness and their support of the community in general is exemplary.

Male Group of the Year-A group of gay men that has made a significant, continuing contribution to the community. This year we recognize the North Coast Men's Chorus. Now in its fifth season, the Chorus not only entertains but helps break down the walls of homophobia by reaching out to the greater Cleveland community through performances. Originally taken to task in this paper for hiding in the closet, the Chorus now wears its gay and gay-supportive identity proudly.

Rights are a way of life for the Man of the Year

by Martha Pontoni

Beneath the quiet, almost shy exterior of

this year's Man of the Year, Bob Laycock, beats the heart of a true activist. His involvement in the lesbian and gay community of Cleveland has been extensive. His efforts have reached thousands of people and helped make this a community something to be proud of.

He wins the 1992 award for his effort to get "sexual orientation" included in the City of Cleveland's largest union contract. He accomplished this feat with one small phone call backed by a solid reputation as gay man who will fight for his rights. Laycock has been an openly-gay employee of the city's Department of Community Development for four years. He has never hidden his sexuality from his co-workers and has suffered little from his openness. He realized that not all city workers enjoyed the same situation as he and needed protection under the union contract to totally be themselves at work. After all, a new clause in the contract wasn't going to affect him all that much, but for others the benefits could be tremendous. Laycock, who is active in his local-AFSCME Local 100--called chapter chairman Dwayne Ford and suggested that "sexual orientation" be added to the nondiscriminatory clause in the contract. He got no opposition but had to explain the difference between sex and sexual orientation. When the contract was ratified, for the first time in the history of the City of Cleveland, thousands of lesbian and gay city employees now could not be dismissed because of their sexual orientation.

Community Relations Board an advocate

for Cleveland lesbians and g s

by Kevin Beaney

he Chronicle's "Friend to the Community" award this year goes to the City of Cleveland's Community Relations Board (CRB). The CRB has had a distinguished history, created in 1945 as the first agency of its kind in the country, dedicated to protecting the rights of minorities. Its original goals were to prevent racial disputes and provide discrimination protection in post-war Cleveland. Over the years it has done this and more, intervening in the Hough riots and developing better police

relations in the 1980s. It maintains a working relationship between the community and government, and educates the community on the need for fairness and equality. Today the CRB has expanded its human rights programs to represent many groups in our sophisticated society. It intercedes in

conflicts, provides education and forums, and is a strong mediating force in support of all minorities: ethnic, racial or gender. Most recently the CRB has taken sexual orientation issues under its wing and remains a staunch supporter of lesbian and gay rights in the city.

Recent examples of the agency's gay and lesbian advocacy include being a co-sponsor of the Chronicle's fundraising benefit; annually preparing the mayoral proclamation of Gay Pride Day; speaking at Stonewall-Cleveland dinners; and working with Stonewall to ensure that sexual orientation protection is included in the city's human rights laws.

The CRB has a 17-member board which includes Mayor White; Mary Adele Springman is the board chair. Its 22-member staff is headed by Executive Director Sam

Thomas III.

The Community Relations Board maintains five programs: youth and education; human relations training for the public and for police cadets; a police community relations program to promote better relations through communication; the fair housing department; and complaint services. It is Complaint Services, with Pat Purdy as its program manager, that has moved most visibly to respond to and support gay issues. Purdy serves as the de facto liaison to the lesbian and gay community, and fosters proactive human relations programming and outreach to the general population. Receiving the "Friend to the Community" award is another opportunity for the CRB to educate Clevelanders that gays and lesbians are a welcome part of our society deserving respect, not discrimination.

Robert Laycock

This was not the only generous thing Laycock has done for fellow lesbians and gays here in Cleveland. Laycock was board president of the Lesbian and Gay Community Service Center from November 1989 to July 1992. During that time he wrote the "mega-grant" that enabled the Center to hire Leigh Robertson as executive director and moved the Center from mostly a volunteer organization to a professionally-run enterprise with of budget of over $250,000. Laycock also helped establish the Lesbian-Gay-Bi Pride Committee and served on that committee for the first two years of

its

Female Group of the Year-A group of lesbians that has made a significant, continuing contribution to the community. The recipient this year is the collective of What She Wants. What She Wants is now celebrating 20 years of feminist and lesbian dialogue, nurturing, and support. As the rallying point for Cleveland's lesbian community, this publication deserves recognition for its major milestone. Mixed Group of the Year-A group of gay men and lesbians that has made a significant, continuing contribution to the community. This year we recognize Monotones. For many award choices we tend to overlook the reliable in search of the spectacular. Monotones, a social group for lesbian and gay monogamous couples, has been a part of the community for many years. Not only does the group come up with varied social events, including the very popular Fall Hayride, it makes significant financial contributions back to the community. Many other groups have benefited from Monotones' generosity.

Event of the Year-A particular event that highlights the significance and energy of the gay or lesbian community. During this past political year, a highlight was the Eric Fingerhut fundraiser, held by Greg Levine and Howard Epstein. As a continuing supporter of the community, Eric Fingerhut needed to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The money raised was over $10,000, more than any of the candidate's other fundraisers.

Friend to the Community-A non-gay individual or group that has demonstrated solidarity with the gay community. This year the Chronicle recognizes the many contributions of the City of Cleveland's Community Relations Board. Headed by Sam Thomas III, and including Complaint Services' program manager Pat Purdy, this city agency has diligently provided its services to overcome bigotry and endorse many gay and lesbian causes.

Special recognition honoring those who worked to help get the Chronicle back on its feet after it ceased publication last spring. ▼

The North Coast Men's Chorus sings a gay tune

by Kevin Beaney

The

he North Coast Men's Chorus has emerged this past year as a gay and proud Cleveland organization, worthy of the Male Group of the Year award.

In previous years the Chorus was very nervous about being labeled a gay group. Gay members hid behind internalized homophobia, claiming that other non-gay

men reputed to be in the group would take offense. All of this has passed. Calling itself a "not-for-profit group of over 40 gay and gay-supportive men" and joining the international Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, the North Coast Men's Chorus has stepped to center stage in Cleveland's gay community and deserves the recognition.

The Chorus opened its fifth season with

the traditional December holiday concert (reviewed in this issue), making it quite clear that this is a year of growth and experimentation. It was not that long ago when a Cleveland performance by the Detroit Men's Chorus inspired the idea for a local group to be formed, with much of the energy coming from the late Rick Fuller.

Chorus president Robert Taylor is pleased both with the group's progress and direction. He noted that the latest concert was the most ambitious and difficult that the group has attempted, and deemed it an artistic and financial success. He confirms the observation that the Chorus has made a lot of progress, evolving steadily since 1988, and is more professional than ever. Robert Bellisario has been the Chorus' Continued on Page 22

existence. He is active with the Lambda This political fundraiser

Amateur Radio Club, a gay "hams" club

which has members in over six countries. He

was involved in GayWaves from 1984 was a Cleveland first

through 1989.

Activism began in college for Laycock, with involvement in the Kent Gay Liberation Front (now the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Union-Kent) from 1975 till 1979, where he was the office manager and on their board of trustees, serving a time as male co-chairperson. He also helped organize at least three of

their annual conferences, bringing such gay celebrities as Rita Mae Brown and Peter Fisher, author of The Gay Mystique. It is rumored that Laycock is trying to start a gay

Backers." The club's motto would be "We're Queer on the Browns."

Browns Backers club called the "Lavenders

He is the past director of Tremont West Development Corporation where he also instituted a non-discriminatory policy among the employees of the organization. He has also been active in the ACLU.

Laycock has been retired from "public life" for the last six months, citing burnout and a need to focus more on his personal life rather than on the community. He intends to rejoin the movement soon and continue to make a difference in our community. ▼

by Martha Pontoni

The Event of the Year is usually given

to a unique event in the community. This event is unusual, spectacular and given in the true sense of making a difference in the community.

This year's winner truly fits all those qualifications.

When Greg Levine and Howard Epstein started to go to fundraisers for congressional candidate Eric Fingerhut, it occurred to them that the gay community had done nothing monetarily for a candidate who had already shown his support for the community and was poised to help even further.

With that thought in mind, the couple set about doing what has never been done before in Cleveland: have an openly-gay fundraiser for a candidate who openly sup ports the community.

At first Levine and Epstein were not sure how many people would be interested in coming. After all Fingerhut's east suburban

district does not include some of the more heavily gay-populated areas in the county. But they decided to take the chance anyway. With the help of few friends a list was drawn up, and a letter was sent out to a few hundred people asking them to pay $50 come to a party at the couple's home to support Fingerhut. Nearly everyone on the list came. The fundraiser was the most successful one for Fingerhut's campaign, raising over $10,000 to support his win of the U.S. House seat.

Both Levine and Epstein have been active in Chevrei Tikva for many years, and have both started to be more open about their sexuality both within the community and without, smashing stereotypes and contributing to the financial support this community sorely needs.

Greg Levine and Howard Epstein took a chance for something they believed in and in the process help the fight for full civil rights for our community become more of a reality.