4 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE MARCH 19, 1993

OutVoice works to counter religious right in Ohio

by Kevin Beaney

Over the past several months Christian "family values" activists have altered their tactics to include both subtle appeals to "normal" family living, and frontal-assault propaganda against gays and the lifestyle they supposedly lead.

The leading weapon, which first appeared in Oregon and Colorado shortly before last election day, was a videotape called The Gay Agenda. This slickly produced, persuasive, 19-minute video documentary was so inspiring to fundamentalists that it made headlines by being duplicated and circulated among top military leaders in the Pentagon and members of Congress when the gays-in-the-military debate was at its emotional peak. Recently a videotape response was prepared by a lesbian and gay group and is being distributed.

On February 20, a meeting was held at the Center to introduce Cleveland area gays and lesbians to Out Voice, a Columbus-based state gay political group, and to show The Gay Agenda.

Jerry Bunge, Out Voice's chair, explained that the group has been operating for about a year and has had moderate success in influencing state legislation. Due in part to Out Voice's lobbying efforts, a bill which would have made having sex a felony for many HIV-positive people, Ohio House Bill 713, died in committee. Ohio House Bill 419, which began as a mandatory HIV reporting bill, was changed so that HIV reporting wasn't even mentioned; the bill, now law, requires all doctors and hospitals in Ohio to use universal health precautions to reduce the spread of HIV.

The group did not have success changing Ohio Senate Bill 249, which passed, requiring public colleges and universities requiring public colleges and universities in Ohio to permit recruiting by the military, FBI and CIA, even though they actively discriminate against gay people.

Bunge urged attendees to join and financially support Out Voice so that more monitoring and lobby time can be spent in Columbus. The latter part of the meeting was taken up with election of officers for the Cleveland region.

The Story of a mother's courage and acceptance of the truth about her dead son.

Could Angels Be Blessed

A warm wonderful play by Nancy Kiefer that will touch your heart.

Could Angels Be Blessed is a

drama set on the Near West Side of Cleveland in the time after World War

1

II has ended. In this neighborhood, lives and relationships overlap as tightly as the backyards

do. When a young soldier visits this neighborhood,

the home of his friend who has died in Paris, the women who meet him the dead man's mother, aunt, cousins are anxious to share their grief and open up their homes. However, the young man brings with him some startling revelations which challenge their understanding of love and courage. The play deals with contemporary social issues such as homosexuality, the rcle of women in society, small town values and tolerance.

Presented by John Carroll University Department of Communications

Kulas Auditorium March 26, 27 April 2, 3 at 8:00 p.m. Advanced Tickets $5.00 $6.00 at the door Phone 397-4428

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Providing tax, and accounting services to individuals and small business.

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Bunge introduced the video by pointing out how effectively the producers planned its impact. There is no mention of religion or religious affiliation; there is no mention of lesbians, the only time women are shown is dancing with exposed breasts; and suppositions and lies are extended from a small grain of truth. The video was produced by the Springs of Life charismatic Christian church in Lancaster, California, and has regularly been sold on Pat Robertson's 700 Club cable show.

The video's most sensational visual scenes, filmed largely in San Francisco, are those of vandalism during the riots protesting the governor's veto of California gay rights legislation, and debauchery during the Gay Pride parade. Scenes with nearnaked men on floats writhing in sexually suggestive poses and are mixed with shots of small children staring into the parade. It seems that all the men are naked sexual perverts, and all the women are barebreasted vixens or Dykes on Bikes.

This "unbiased" footage is mixed with interviews. You never see the interviewer, just the expert explaining how the gay lifestyle is. Once expert is a medical doctor who "has studied homosexuals" and begins quoting unsubstantiated, and questionably high, statistics about the number of sexual partners gay men have each year, and the percentage that participate in acts such as anal sex and fisting.

Among the experts are two gay men who saw the error of their ways and converted back to a "normal" heterosexual lifestyle. There are also opinions offered by a psychological professional who helps cure gay people. Narrow references to the Bible are casually presented to define what normal

means.

Bunge explained that the effect of the video to an unsuspecting audience is profound. To those people who don't know anyone gay and only familiar with sensationalist news coverage, it reinforces their opinions about the misguided gay agenda. To the gay men and lesbians who watched it during the meeting, it provoked laughter

at the stereotypes. As realistic as the nowcult movie Reefer Madness was at explaining the dangers of marijuana, The Gay Agenda struck this reporter as distorted, biased and dangerous propaganda.

To counter the effect of the pseudodocumentary, a new gay group, the Gay and Lesbian Emergency Media Campaign, produced its own video, Hate, Lies and Videotape. This video compares The Gay Agenda with other hate propaganda films such as The Eternal Jew, produced by the Nazis in 1940, and Ku Klux Klan tactics. It also contains dramatic footage of gay bashing victims and their attackers. Copies are being distributed to television networks, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and members of Congress.

This is just the beginning of the "religious war" predicted by Pat Buchanan, according to Bunge, and it's already in Ohio. "Just look in your local newspaper at the letters to the editor. Letters have started popping up all over Ohio complaining that news articles are 'mis-labeling' the Colorado constitutional amendment. The writers are trying to seize control of the discussion by claiming that the Colorado amendment just prohibits 'special' rights for gay and lesbian people," he warns.

"Are your local fundamentalist churches growing and getting more media attention? Have the letters to your local newspaper editor started talking about 'special' rights and the need for morality to be part of government?" Bunge asks. "This is exactly how the right wing started its campaign in Oregon and Colorado, by trying to control the discussion, naming civil--equal-rights as 'special' rights," he reports. The time to get organized against this crusade is now and Out Voice is leading the statewide effort in Ohio.

For information on Out Voice, call Jerry Bunge at 614-464-1700, or Cleveland contacts Al Trethewey (651-8338) or Rick Kirk (237-2879). For information and to obtain a copy of Hate, Lies and ideotape, contact GLEMC, 39 W. 14th St. #402, New York, NY 10011; 212-229-2863.

Calling all cowboys and cowgirls: Roundup in Cleveland

Polish up your boots and dust off your hat because Cleveland's Second annual Spring Roundup is coming to town. The Spring Roundup is a weekend benefit full of country western dancing, entertainment, and fun. All money raised during the weekend will be divided between the Maryann Finegan Project and the Rick Fuller Fund. The Maryannn Finegan Project helps to combat homophobia and anti-gay violence through police sensitivity traingin, hate crimes reporting, and educational programming. The Rick Fuller Fund, originally set up by the North Coast Men's Chorus and administered by the Health Issues Taskforce, provides financial assistance for peole with AIDS to participate in various social activities.

Friday, April 16: Mix Drinkery, 9208 Detroit

10:00 to close, Country Western Dancing, entertainment provided by Rob Miller, sensational door prizes. $1.00 donation at the door.

Saturday, April 17: Detours, 1281 W. 9th 2:00 to 5:00, Square dance with the Cleveland City Country Dancers, live calling by Jeff Barth, no charge.

5:00 to 8:00, Happy hour and country western dance, buffet included, entertainment provided by local performers, no charge. Saturday, April 17: Numbers, 620 Frankfort

10:00 to close, Country western dance, show at 11:30, Prizes for best country western outfits (M/F), fabulous door prizes. $3.00 at the door

Sunday, April 18: Ohio City Oasis, 1402 W. 29th

8:00 to close, Country western dance, live entertainment, incredible door prizes. $1.00 at door.

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