GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE OCTOBER 28, 1994

COMMUNITY FORUM

Morally correct?

To the Editors:

The sixty seconds of silence in the school is the first step of many to close the gap on the separation of church and state. While this is a small step, there are giant leaps occurring as the general public sleeps.

The lack of efforts to conduct an adequate AIDS program on the local, state and federal level is, in fact, attributed to the narrow gap between church and state. The lack of concern by the general public and politicians on all levels is seen as the morally correct thing to do by the church and the general population.

Most politicians will not endorse the AIDS Cure Project because of the fear that their constituents may view this endorsement as a vote for homosexuality. The false premise that this disease is attributed to the life styles of homosexuals or promiscuous homosexuals, exclusively, is driving this decision making.

It is very ironic for one to take the position that if an individual was not promiscuous then he or she would be at much lower risk. And yet heterosexual males are often judged by the number of women they bed down with. So it is this foolish position of promiscuity that must be qualified.

The fact is, this is a disease that does not discriminate against any persons. The fact that this disease is attacking women at an alarming rate does not seem to change the churches' position on the issue. The fact that this disease is primarily spread by intercourse in one form or another and that the majority of human beings are having intercourse has also not changed the churches' position. In fact it is my belief that nothing is going to change the churches position or public opinion on this issue.

However, if some drastic steps are not taken immediately this disease is going to reach epidemic proportions if it has not already. Does it really make a difference which group of us contacted this disease first? Or is it considered by the majority of people that this is the problem of a minority? While it may be a minority problem now, it has the potential to quickly become the problem of the majority.

Support the AIDS Cure Project.

Ben N. Carroccio

Work as a treatment

To the Editor:

We the staff of Nightsweats & T-cells would like to publicly thank the Cleveland AIDS Walk, and Walk Coordinator Patty Quinonez for engaging our services to print this year's AIDS Walk T-shirts. The commitment that this group of individuals has made to the HIV community is to be applauded.

Nightsweats & T-cells is a full service screen print shop owned and operated by persons living with AIDS. The T-shirts and sweatshirts given out at the Cleveland AIDS Walk helped to provide employment opportunities to persons who are under-employed

options that are available in Cleveland through your support. Thank you.

The Staff of Nightsweats & T-cells

Pay their share

To the Editors:

The queer community, along with feminists and other groups, has missed an important opportunity which may not come around again for years if the Republicans win more seats in this election, as expected.

The religious self-righteous will, apparently, make tremendous strides politically, and yet they'll continue to be tax-exempt institutions while we'll pay to help suppress ourselves, and pay for the salaries of those who make the legislation against us and help arrest us. If they get into power, we can expect more anti-queer legislation.

We've known they're exempt for who knows how long, we've grumbled resentfully, never forcing politicians and the media to make an issue of this. It must be done. Loudly. Does anyone know, any more, why the churches received that exemption? They are, after all, like any other business organization: Competitors trying to expand and self-perpetuate. Many tithe their subjects. We, as second-class citizens, are invisibly colonialized, without that word ever being used, taxed more while receiving less. Force our elected officials to respond, make it a subject in every day's issue of the presses. Let's show that people-power is stronger than christian-clout. We can't, and shouldn't, keep them from taking their beliefs to office; but they ought to be paying taxes, and not receiving privileged status (which we pay additional sums for, to make up the difference) if they want a special voice in the political world.

I hope your readers will kick up a fussand stay with it. Write your papers, both queer and mainstream, write papers you hate. Write your elected officials. Ask them to assertively state whether they're for removal of the exemption, while campaigning; ask them to send you a letter explaining their stand as soon as possible, so you'll know whether to vote for them in November or not. Tell them you'll send a copy to your local papers, both gay and mainstream, or you'll write one saying that they failed to respond. If you don't, you're part of the reason they'll have more clout: That tax money not being collected could be used for education, for elimination of pollution, for ending teenage violence rather than battling us, for many things that we have to pay extra money for— bankrupting us on issues they know are unconstitutional, by keeping money from other causes such as AIDS research-because the wealthiest organizations in the world get off free.

People, get mad enough to do something! And stay mad. If we can't win this time, maybe at the next election this explosive issue will still be hot.

due to their HIV status, and persons who are Intolerant living on disability. Every T-shirt that was printed created an opportunity for us to earn and maintain our dignity!

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the entire community for the support that our organization has received in the last three years. Your support has allowed the number of persons with AIDS employed at Nightsweats & T-cells to steadily increase. It has also brought national focus to a local solution to the limited employment opportunities that persons living with AIDS face.

On October 30, Nightsweats & T-cells will be presenting a program at the National Skills Building Conference in Atlanta entitled "Employment as a Treatment Option." The conference is expected to be attended by 1,600 persons who run AIDS service organizations across this country and several other nations. The conference is sponsored by the National Association of People With AIDS, the National Minority AIDS Council, and the AIDS Interfaith Network.

Our hope is that some day persons living with AIDS in other cities will have the same

An Open Letter to ACT UP:

Mike Varady

The accompanying message was recently included in a local publication. If your intent was to further alienate the general public, you've done a fine job. According to you, no one, except for yourselves, is doing enough to support the issues that you think everyone should be supporting. Rather than concentrating your energy on the causes for which you stand and being satisfied with the knowledge that you are making a difference, you waste it on angry, condemning, self-defeating messages that breed contempt for your organization and cloud over the positive changes your organization makes.

After reading it, your fascist message only reinforced my perception of ACT UP as a group of hostile "dykes and fags" (to use your words), who are bearing a very large pink chip on their shoulders and who are suffering from serious from serious delusions of grandeur.

My first question is: Just who the hell do you think you are? You've stated the Top 10

(more like 30-something) things you "will not tolerate." So, what do you plan to do about it? Rip the red ribbons off the chests of the wearers? Force people to take your flyers? Shred every rainbow flag? Perhaps you'd like to melt down all of the freedom rings and turn them into M-16's to execute the candlelight marchers, lesbian chic, Log Cabin Republicans, Kristine Gebbie, compassionate straights, psycho-Christians, Bill and Hillary, Michael White, me and my "tolerance," and everyone else on the list of those you will not tolerate. You could then burn the dead in the world's largest quilt. It would make for quite a party! You could invite the Neo-Nazis. I'm sure they'd enjoy it. Or would they be exterminated too?

You ask, "Whose side are you on?" As if our community isn't already fragmented enough. We've divided ourselves into butch and femme, top and bottom, pretty and ... not? Older gay men are looked upon by younger men as "trolls." We are not simply gay men and women (or is it womyn?), we are gays and lesbians. What's next? Human and humyn? Or maybe huwomyn. Maybe gays (men, I mean) should adopt a more exotic name as well. But I digress. As far as choosing "sides," what were the choices, anyway?

Ironically, you are just as hypocritical, judgmental, hateful and intolerant as the "Psycho-Christians" and Neo-Nazi parties that you so vehemently oppose. Like them, you have declared "war" on those who don't conform to your ideals.

TOP 10 THINGS WE WILL NOT TOLERATE

10. Dykes and fags who build careers working for community-based and AIDS organizations and think they're doing their part.

Red ribbons. Memorial services. CD-4 Name reporting.

The World's Largest Quilt. Freedom Rings. Gay Games. Candlelight Marches Rainbow flags. Lesbian Chic. Log Cabin Republicans.

Kristine Gebbie. Compassionate straights. Psycho-Christians People who refuse to take our flyers.

8. People who think Mayor Michael White is doing anything

to help Clevelanders living with AIDS and HIV.

Dykes and fags who are openly gay as long

as it's convenient.

President Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the United States Congress, the medical establishment, the pharmaceutical industry. the insurance companies, and the religious right for their total

denial of the worst epidemic in the history of the world as we know it. Anyone who is not an AIDS activist in 1994.

4 The basic fact that all the wrong people are dead and dying. while the real murderers are just

waiting to be assassinated.

3. Dykes and fags who think we're just like

everybody else.

People who are "over AIDS. People who have gotter used to AIDS. People who fail to acknowledge AIDS as a political crisis.

1. You.

and your tolerance.

ACT UP

WE DECLARE WAR! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

war you will not win.

And like theirs, it is a

Whose side am I on? I can tell you this; not the side of any extremists. If that makes me "tolerant," then so be it. You have no choice but to tolerate me and my intolerance.

Community Forum

R. Wagner

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Volume 10, Issue 9

ISSN

Publisher:

Martha J. Pontoni Business Manager: Patti Harris Managing Editor: Doreen Cudnik Associate Editor: Brian De Witt Columbus Editor: Brad Burget Reporters & Writers: Keith Arnold, Cesar Chaves, Barry Daniels, Brynna Fish,

Joe Graham, John Graves, Charlton Harper, Taylor Hart, Jeff Hirst, Jerry Kaiser, Stu Koblentz, Troy May, Diane Moor, Keith A. Oliver, Carol Patzkowsky, Timothy Robson, Paul Schwitzgebel, Jerry Semas, Steven St. James, Rich Warren Photographers: Barbara Bodemer, Sandra Grotsky, Lee Ann McGuire, James Stennies Jr., Pat Young Art Director: Production Artist: Sales Manager: Account Executives:

Christine Hahn Gina Adkins Patti Harris

David A. Ebbert, Lisa Pruett, Tami Turner

The Gay People's Chronicle is dedicated to providing a space in the Ohio lesbian-gay community for all of its members to communicate and be involved with each other. This means that every Chronicle, to the best of its ability, will be equally dedicated to both men's and women's issues, as well as issues that affect the entire community. This balance will provide lesbians and gay men with a forum to air grievances and express joys.

The Gay People's Chronicle is copyrighted under federal law. Any reproduction of its contents is prohibited unless permission is obtained.

Any material submitted for publication will be subject to editing. The Chronicle cannot guarantee return of any such materials unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

The Gay People's Chronicle is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. We reserve the right to reject advertising which is unsuitable for our publication.

P.O. Box 5426 Cleveland, OH 44101 216-631-8646

Fax 216-631-1082

P.O. Box 12235 Columbus, OH 43212 Voice and Fax 614-253-4038

E-mail chronohio@aol.com

Next Chronicle comes out Friday, November 11

The Gay People's Chronicle is published every other Friday, except the first January issue. Display ad and article deadlines are 10 to 12 days before an issue comes out. Call for specific dates and times. Calendar, Classified, and Personal deadlines are earlier, and are shown in each of those sections. Advertisers:

Call for rate sheets and information, in Cleveland, 216-631-8646; in Columbus, 614-253-4038. Or, write the Chronicle at Box 5426, Cleveland, OH 44101; or Box 12235, Columbus, OH 43212. Subscriptions:

Subscriptions are 13 issues for $15.00, and 25 issues (1 year) for $30.00, sent in a plain envelope. (For faster first-class delivery, add $6.50 for 13 issues, 12.50 for 25 issues to cover extra postage.) Mail check or money order with your address to the Chronicle, P.O. Box 5426, Cleveland, 44101.

The Chronicle encourages everyone to write and express your opinion about the community or the paper. Please, however, keep letters constructive, and avoid name-calling and personal attacks. Please be brief. We reserve the right to edit letters. We will print your name unless you specifically ask us not to.

Address letters to: Chronicle Editors, P.O. Box 5426, Cleveland, Ohio 44101; or P.O. Box 12235, Columbus, Ohio 43212; or e-mail chronohio@aol.com; or fax to 216-631-1082 (24 hours). Include your address and phone number so we may contact you to verify the letter.

OBFAA

BURLLAR & * ALARM ASARCIATIO

..་。-, BURGLAR B FIRE ALARM

Memo

E.R.C.

24 HOUR

TECHMAN

SECURITY

STATE OF THE ART SECURITY SYSTEMS HARDWIRED AND WIRELESS SYSTEMS SALES AND SERVICE

SMOKE DETECTION (STATE CERTIFIED) PANIC ALERT DEVICES ELECTRONIC VOICE ALERT

Jerry Szoka

TEMPERATURE SENSORS

WATER DETECTORS SECURITY SCREENS

5611 HOUGH CLEVELAND OHIO 44103 Residential and Commercial

MONITORING 391-9813