14 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE APRIL 16, 1993

EDITORIAL

A new center for the Center

An executive director for any non-profit organization is in some sense a personification of that organization. Their personality not only shapes the organization but is what the public associates with the organization.

For the last five years the Lesbian-Gay Community Center of Greater Cleveland has been the outpouring of Aubrey Wertheim. It was he who created the impetus for a bigger and better Center. It was he who found the money to pay himself and he who spearheaded the profound changes that have come to be the Center. He even continues to shape the Center, literally, by doing all the remodeling practically with his own two hands.

Now we do realize that the Center would be nothing without its board, volunteers and staff, and that Aubrey was not alone in this great renaissance, but it was his vision and his power that directed those volunteers. The combination has been a knockout.

Aubrey's semi-retirement from director

of services to youth services coordinator makes us reflect on the future of the Center. It is time for his dream to move on, but whose will replace it?

The present board of the Center has the power to choose the new executive director and thus the vision and future of the organization. The time has come not only.for all of us to be more supportive of the Center, but for the Center to take a strong leadership role in the shaping of this community.

The new executive director and the new director of services need to be strong and committed to our community. The executive director needs to be more than an administrator, but a fund-raiser and media personality too. The director of services needs to continue Aubrey's strong tradition of excellent programming. And they both need to be able to plan for the future.

The board of the Center will ultimately make the final decision, but it is all of us as a community who will be affected by that decision. We need to encourage, and ex-

SPEAK OUT

pect a professional process for this most important decision.

First, all of us need to be members or supportive in some way. Donations, and time spent volunteering are important. Using the services of the Center is also important. Having your meeting there, recommending the services provided and generally feeling good about its existence all help.

Next, we say to the board to respond to that help. Do not take your task lightly. Your decision is very important to this community. Take your time and really find someone with commitment, drive and energy. Your community is charging you with this important task; please be diligent. Find a doer and a dreamer.

You as the board have all the depth and talent to make the right decision. At no other time in the history of the Center has there been such a diverse and talented board of trustees. That talent and commitment will surely be reflected in your decision; we're counting on it. ♡

The best way to protect our freedom to choose

by Susannah Sagan President Clinton revokes the gag rule and the ban on medical research using fetal tissue.

From South Carolina to Utah, state legislators move to enact new and dangerous anti-choice laws.

Confusing? Certainly. But predictable in light of a stark truth--that November's stunning pro-choice election victories did not secure Americans' freedom to choose abortion. Only by enacting the Freedom of Choice Act can we immediately protect a woman's right to chose whether or not to have an abortion, no matter which state she calls home.

Currently pending in Congress, the Freedom of Choice Act is a simple and straightforward bill that will protect a woman's right to choose abortion against assaults by anti-choice state politicians. The Freedom

of Choice Act will provide the same level

of federal protection for reproductive choice

that the U.S. Supreme Court established in

1973 and applied until 1989. It will not outlaw all parental notice provisions, prevent states from restricting abortion after a fetus becomes viable, force federal or state governments to fund abortion, or compel any person to perform an abortion against his or her beliefs.

Very simply, the Freedom of Choice Act will allow American women to make their own decisions about abortion and childbirth.

Why, then, is there so much confusion about this simple bill?

Because the religious right, led by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, is mobilizing frantically to kill the Freedom of Choice Act. Opponents of choice have launched a major national disinformation campaign of lies and distortions:

The reason is simple. While November's stunning pro-choice victories did not secure our freedom to choose, those victories created a moment of truth for our nation. We can either continue the divisive political battles over abortion, or we can enact the Freedom of Choice Act and move on to adopt a comprehensive reproductive health agenda for the nation. We can either give anti-choice state politicians the power to intrude in our personal decisions about abortion, or we can secure our most fundamental freedom and then invest in the contraceptive research, birth control and sexuality education that can reduce the number of abortions by reducing the num-

ber of unintended pregnancies.

For pro-choice America, a new day has dawned. In January, on the 20th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Clinton reversed several dangerous federal antichoice policies. A week later, the President demonstrated his concern for families by signing the Family and Medical Leave Act into law.

The President has taken the critical first steps. Now it is up to Congress to make the Freedom of Choice Act the law of our land.

The Freedom of Choice Act is one part of the pro-choice agenda--we must secure federal funding if the right to choose is to be

a reality for poor women, we must assure that women and medical personnel have safe access to clinics, and we must fight aggressively against anti-choice efforts to restrict young women's access to abortion.

It is up to all of us to tell the representatives we elected that we expect them to secure our freedom to choose, work to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, and support healthy childbearing and healthy families.

Sagan is executive director of the National Abortion Rights Action League of Ohio.

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Volume 8, Issue 10

Publisher: Martha J. Pontoni Business Manager: Patti Harris Managing Editor: Kevin Beaney Production Manager: Brian De Witt Reporters and Writers: Martha J. Pontoni, Dora Forbes, Marne Harris, Kevin Beaney, Timothy Robson, Barry Daniels, Joe Morris

Akron-Canton Bureau: Ted Wammes, Richard

Artist:

Sales Manager: Editorial Board:

Simonton, Jerry Kaiser, Paul Schwitzgebel,

Heather Steenrod Christine Hahn Patti Harris Martha J. Pontoni, Patti Harris, Kevin Beaney, Brian De Witt

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COMMUNITY FORUM

AIDS Housing Council about her work and spent almost an hour

piece was one-sided

To the Editors:

Reference to the article in the March 19° issue by William Harris, highly critical of the AIDS Housing Council:

Mr. Harris' article, although well written, was completely negative about an organization that does more good than Harris would let us believe. He made a major point of one case that went wrong, then continued to dwell on the problem of finding housing, without really dwelling on the

telling us of the projects accomplished on a limited budget. She also mentioned the Chronicle article and told of problems of housing. Mr. Harris mentioned in passing the limited staff, the case load, but certainly gave them no credit for a job 99 percent well done. The Chronicle is not the Plain Dealer. Sensationalism should not be their forte. True journalism is what we should expect each month. Although the article was true, it was highly one-sided. Foul Play!

Paul Zeitzew

obstacles that face the Council in finding School persecutes

suitable and affordable living quarters for PWAS.

This article was highly unfair to an organization that has achieved more positive results than anything else. It also is not fair that the Chronicle printed it without challenging the completeness of the piece. On Mr. Harris' behalf, perhaps he was trying to point out to the community that the AHC needs some help in this area from our community. If that were the case, it did not come out very clear in his article.

Louise Valentine, director of AHC, spoke to the members of Chevrei Tikva, Cleveland's synagogue with an outreach to the lesbian and gay community. We invited her since the AHC will be one of the two recipients of the sale of the AIDS Awareness Pins that is currently our outreach program

for the year.

Ms. Valentine was very enthusiastic

gay man

To the Editors:

Anyone who has participated in the Northern Ohio Chapter of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns will recognize Jeff Smeltzer. Since our chapter's inception three years ago Jeff has been an energetic advocate and continuing presence in the PLGC. On occasions several church gatherings have been moved to break through walls of homophobia by the sincere candor and passion of Jeff's testimony.

During those same three years Jeff has worked hard at Ohio State University's Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, Ohio to achieve his life-long dream of attaining a college degree. Because attitudes in that city (as well as school) make

the KKK look like a hotbed of liberal inclusiveness, Jeff has not only had to contend with the usual hardships of a college student (financial or otherwise) but with an undue amount of isolation, vandalism, harassment, and discrimination. In spite of many attempts to interfere with his studies, Jeff has managed with desperate determination to hurdle each obstacle put in his way.

Until now. With less than three weeks to go before Jeff's classes and degree were completed. and being thwarted in each of their attempts to force Jeff from the school, the administration of ATI has "encouraged" another student to file charges of sexual harassment against Jeff. Although the allegations made against Jeff in no way constitute what is defined as sexual harassment, the administration has made it clear that neither truth nor logic are relevant to their agenda. Their threats of incarceration and other intimidation tactics having failed to frighten Jeff into abandoning school and his degree, the administration has scheduled an official hearing for April 7. [Date changed to April 15.] It is their desire to send a message to other potential students that "if you're out of the closet you're not welcome here." They intend to do this by using these charges to bar Jeff from completing his classes, or simply withholding his degree if necessary.

The Northern Ohio Chapter of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns has established a defense fund to help alleviate Jeff's legal fees (already in the hundreds). A similar discrimination case in Wooster