AUGUST 20, 1993

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

11

COMMUNITY FORUM

to ridicule, including myself. I share your outrage over the content of this sign and others that have been displayed.

My administration has been, and will continue to be supportive of the goals and concerns of the gay community. The Community Relations Board (CRB) has worked to provide gay and lesbian sensitivity training for police officers and supported efforts to ensure sexual orientation is included in hate-crime and fair housing legislation. Also,

show and as much as I feel that his show is morally and socially destructive, the deed done to my sign would be the same as someone sabotaging the radio station from where he broadcasts-an act that I consider barbaric and unfit for men who profess to be civilized.

Heterosexually Yours, Russell Sysack

they have worked to include gays and lesbiBetter offensive than

ans on city boards, publicly supported events and programs sponsored by the gay community, and spoken out against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation.

There have been repeated complaints and follow-up investigations by CRB regarding Mr. Sysack's signs, as well as much media attention. The consistent results have been that Mr. Sysack is within his legal rights to display these signs, as distasteful as they are. The signs do not fall into the category of shouting "Fire" in a crowded theater. As long as he does not directly threaten to do physical harm, he has the legal right to express his views.

Mayor Michael R. White

Sysack condemns violence

Edward Boyle, of the Center's Maryann Finegan Project, sent a letter to Russell Sysack complaining about his anti-gay sign. The letter noted that "signs such as yours encourage verbal harassment and physical violence against gays and lesbians." Following is Sysack's response.

Dear Mr. Boyle:

I do not see how the billboard that I displayed during the beginning of July encourages violence against Gays in any way. The text of the sign does not even imply that violence should be used against Gays. What the sign does say is that I believe that Mr. Harris' show is gross in the extreme. The message on my sign was my way of expressing this.

I have listened to Mr. Harris' show, and I disagree with it. But I think that he has every right to have his program heard and its value judged by those who choose to listen and also by those who do not.

Your argument that because my sign is not pro-gay it encourages violence against gays is as absurd and intellectually weak as me saying that because Mr. Harris' show is not pro-heterosexual that it encourages violence towards non-gays.

silent

To the Editors:

Hi, I just wanted to add my two cents worth about the religious music letter in the July 9 edition of the Chronicle. We seem to go in and out of periods when it is popular to put down religious groups, especially Christian groups.

Right now, thanks to the nasty right-wing religious groups, it is so easy to hate and put down anyone who calls themselves a Christian. The right-wingers do not care. They are full of hate and fear. That is why I am glad that there are religious, sincere people out there who are not afraid to display their faith. I get a kick out of it. And I know that bottom line, if I have a problem, I can usually get some kind of help or advice from a Christian. They seem to listen a little bit longer than others I have talked to. So I am always glad to see and hear from Christians on or off stage.

Did you know that at the March on Washington, there were so many different religious groups that if you had piled them all together they formed the largest group of people there? You can bet that Jerry Falwell is not going to share that with his congregations.

Also I have a friend that attended the Womyn's Variety Show with me in February. She is not a Christian, but she was brought up in a household that practiced ritual abuse. This involved ceremonies that included drums. While I thought the drumming [during the show] was awesome, she did all she could to keep herself from freaking out. It brought back horrible memories for her. All too often she is not believed when she talks about what happened in her family. So you can never tell what is going to affect another person.

I would rather experience something offensive than silence. I have written this note with the gratitude that I too can and will freely express myself. I love the diversity of our community and their expressions. Thanks for allowing me to express myself.

Janet Allison

The tone of your letter and its diction Another witness

(words such as bigotry, hatred, brutal, harassment, and violence) paint me as the aggressor, as the villain who likes harming other people.

As I am sure you well know, my billboard was vandalized, presumably by people with whom you associate. Vandalism is not only an act of violence, but it is also a violation of my property rights and of my right to expression; so, it seems that it is your group and its little tabloid that encourage violence, hatred, and an intolerance for any idea that does not conform to your own. As much as I disagree with Mr. Harris'

To the Editors:

In response to the letter to the editors dated July 9, regarding the musical performance by the group from Emmanuel M.C.C. "Trilogy" on Pride Day 1993, I have some comments which are positive and fair.

We as humans are entitled to our opinions and sensitivities, so let us be real honest about the situation at hand. Christian gay people have the right to witness and perform on that stage, as does a gay comedian or anyone else that will make obscene comments or jokes.

HATE CRIME UPDATE

Compiled by the Maryann Finegan Project of the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center The following reports of hate crimes were made to the Project in the past month: July 26

19-year-old Cleveland gay male, while walking on Detroit Ave., was sexually assaulted by three males in a field across from the Big Egg. Police not called because victim could not identify perpetrators. Victim referred to Rape Crisis Center.

July 27

Lakewood gay male verbally assaulted and threatened on RTA bus by a woman and her husband. Homophobic language used. Bus driver did nothing. Police called but no report made.

EMCC is made up of a very diverse and rainbow group of Christian gays, with a strong family orientation sharing many things, with an outreach to this community. This is a non-denominational group and we have members from all walks of life. We recognize commonality and are all inclusive.

One of our goals is to teach this community that you can be Christian and gay, and be comfortable with your personal lifestyle, not to give fellow gays a bad name or target anyone for vicious attacks.

Back in 1974 and 1975 the Christian gays began a rap group, crisis center, first hot line, and the original publication for the gay community of Cleveland entitled High Gear, and I was an active member of that group.

EMCC is a member of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, which is worldwide with hun-

dreds of churches and thousands of members and friends. The UFMCC will celebrate a 25 year anniversary this October.

At the March on Washington the Christian gay groups made up the largest contingency... This proves that Christian gay people are visibly active and no one will ever put us back in the closet.

"Jan" Mackly

The Chronicle encourages everyone to write and express your opinion about the community or the paper. Please be brief. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. We will print your name unless you specifically ask us not to.

Address letters to the Chronicle, P.O. Box 5426, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101, or fax to 216-621-5282 (24 hours). Include your address and phone number so we may contact you to verify the letter.

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