GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE MAY 20, 1994

Everyor

III

Invited

The Third Annual

Stonewall Cleveland Pride Dinner

Sunday, June 5, 1994

Stouffer Tower City Plaza Hotel • Grand Ballroom 6:30 pm Cash Bar • 7:30 pm Dinner

Speaker: Toric Osborn

Consultant, Lecturer, Featured Columnist:

The Advocate'

Formerly Executive Director of the NGLIE

$50.00 per persoit treated scholarships, aveiluti

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COMMUNITY GROUPS

The Grand Ballroom is ours

by John Nolan

By now you've probably heard friends talking about the Third Annual Stonewall Cleveland Pride Dinner. Either they received their invitation, or they wonder why they didn't receive an invitation, or they worry that their invitation went to the home of the person they were living with last year at this time, and whether or not that invitation will be forwarded is a big question. In any case, here's the basic information:

The Stonewall Dinner will be held on Sunday, June 5, to kick off Pride Week

STONE

brought their parents, friends, co-workers, relatives and neighbors. Many of the area's elected officials were there and, as Mayor Tillery of Cincinnati said, it was an event not to be missed.

Where are we in Cleveland? At the first dinner in 1992 we had 125 guests, and about three elected officials. Last year the number tripled to 375, with almost a dozen elected

CLEVELAND

A lesbian/gay political organization of Northeastern Ohio

in Cleveland. We'll be in Stouffer's Tower City Plaza again, but this year we're moving to the Grand Ballroom. Pretty grand, huh? The cash bar will open at 6:30 pm, with dinner around 7:45 pm. Tickets are $50, and some scholarships are available. For more information, to receive an invitation, or to make reservations, call 741-9105.

Our speaker this year will be Torie Osborn, the former executive director of the Los Angeles Lesbian-Gay Center and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. You may recognize her name from the featured article that she writes for the Advocate. I've heard Torie speak several times, and I've always found her to be inspiring. I spoke with her last week, and she's very excited about coming to Cleveland. I think you'll find her interesting.

Now the real question: Why the Stonewall Cleveland Dinner? Well, it wasn't an original idea. Stonewall Cincinnati began their annual dinners about 12 years ago. They've grown from a group of 10 the first year to more than 1,400 last year. And what's the purpose? I think there are several.

One thing that struck me when I first attended the Cincinnati Dinner was that it was held in the early evening (imagine, daylight hours!) in the center of town (not on some dark, forgotten street). Men and women dressed up (though it's not formal, so don't worry about renting a tux or pulling your old tux out of the closet and checking for moth bites). The group was diverse, the mood was upbeat and, most impressive to me, the dinner was an event for the whole community-not just the lesbian-gay-bisexual community-for everyone. People

officials. Now, I don't

expect the number to triple again this year (though I wouldn't complain if it did), but I am hoping to continue to grow. I think that the gathering sends a message to elected officials and others that we, as a

community, are here, and we can't be ignored anymore. I know that many politicians are aware of the vote potential in the lesbian/gay/bisexual community, and they have taken notice of us and our gatherings in recent years.

Last year we said that if everyone who attended the dinner would return this year with one other person who didn't attend last year's dinner, we'd double in size. Not a bad idea, I think, and I'd like to ask all of you who were there last year to think about it.

Some of us brought our parents last year, and I can tell you that, without exception, they had a great time. Why not think about asking Mom and Dad or your brothers, sisters, etc. to join you this year? It's clear that we will need the support of more than just the estimated 10 percent of the population that we represent to make advances in our efforts to regain our rights from those who would take them from us. The Stonewall Dinner is a great place to introduce those who are unfamiliar with our community.

Many of you don't know me, so you have no good reason to believe my review of the dinner. I invite you to ask anyone who attended last year's dinner. My guess is that you'll hear positive remarks and some encouragement about attending this year. If you don't, I'd like to know about it, and you can leave a message on the 741-9105 number explaining what wasn't successful last year. Our hope is to not only get bigger each year, but to get better as well.

I guess I've gone on long enough. I do hope to see many of you at the Dinner on June 5. And thanks for reading this far.

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