8 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Codependency with the GOP

To the Editors:

FEBRUARY 10, 1995

COMMUNITY FORUM

I feel it is important to respond to the comments of Gary Bastian, President of Republicans for Individual Freedoms, which were printed in the November 25 Chronicle.

Mr. Bastian's opening statement that "this year's Republican landslide proves that the gay community should no longer put all their political eggs in the Democratic basket" shows just how delusional his point of view is. I would ask him the question, “Why? What has the Republican Party done to accept gays and lesbians and advocate for our rights?" He might answer by citing the same half-dozen examples he used in his letter. That logic would be like saying Jews should have supported Hitler just because he was elected to power.

Groups like Mr. Bastian's, the Log Cabin Federation, and others are tokenized by the Republican Party. Republican leadership strings them along, makes little deals, and when it's convenient, Republicans point to them and say, "See, we even represent gay people." Do you remember the last time you were in a destructive, codependent relationship and everybody realized it but you? Folks, this is the same thing!

I will concede to Mr. Bastian that there are homophobic Democrats. Sam Nunn is a good example. But there's a difference between Democratic and Republican ideals here. Most

Hoover 6 02-70

OPEN PRAIRIE SYNDICATE ©

QUEER

MOVEMENT

dreary, now the sun shines bright every day.

When I met him, I thought he was too perfect to ever want anything to do with me. I was very wrong. And the strange thing is we are both very compatible. It's almost as if we were meant to be together.

Thanks for everything! Many of my best friendships have come as a result of a personal ad in the Chronicle.

Thanks again, and I promise to keep you updated.

Democrats are ashamed of Sam Nunn. His Failure to follow

homophobic views that are considered "radical" in the Democratic Party would be very much mainstream in the Republican Party. Don't ever forget that when Newt Gingrich talks about "putting counter-culture values on the losing end of American politics," he's talking about us! Don't ever forget that at the last Republican National Convention, gay people, in prime time, were referred to as "one of the heads on the three-headed monster plaguing America." Don't ever forget that some of the most active fundraisers and strategists for the Republican Party are some of the most vocal homophobes in history! And don't ever forget that the Republican National Committee blatantly adopted antigay rights planks in its platform.

The list of Republican homophobic atrocities is long, tedious, and grows daily. Yes, Democrats have homophobes on some of the fringes, but there is no reason to have a group called "Democrats for Individual Freedoms!" The Republican Party has homophobia at its core! This is not likely to change soon.

The next two years will be difficult for us on every political front we face. We are already out-numbered and out-funded. We cannot spare folks to be on our fringes or in bed with our enemies. Hopefully, groups like Mr. Bastian's will not grow much beyond the several hundred nationwide members they have managed to scrape up since 1987. We just can't afford them now.

Eric Resnick Canton

Found love in the ads

To the Editors:

I moved back to Ohio in March from Dallas.

After a very traumatic break-up with my first love, I never thought I would meet another guy like him. But I did, and I owe it

all to you.

You see, after four personal ads in your newspaper, I've finally met someone who I've fallen deeply in love with. Someone who treats me with more respect than my own family. He has given me a new outlook on life. Before I met him my days were dark and

Community Forum

the flock

To the Editors:

Shawn Huff

The Chronicle recently printed several opinions which addressed Bob Roehr's analysis of Melinda Paras' appointment to the directorship of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. One piece, written by Judith Rainbrook, executive director of the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center, caught my eye [January 13 issue]. After reading Rainbrook's piece, there are several points which I feel need to be addressed.

While I have never had the pleasure of Rainbrook's company, I would assume that as the leader of a community group, she would agree that leadership carries with it the burdens of responsibility and accountibility. As such, community leaders are given our collective voice to speak, (we hope, on a higher plane) for all voices, spark dialog and champion change.

Unfortunately, Rainbrook's column accomplished the complete opposite.

I am aghast that any leader associated with our community would take the steps that Rainbrook did in attempting to suppress the debate on Paras. Despite what we in Ohio think, the topic is being discussed in other areas. Our community has spent countless years trying to keep dialogues on any number of topics open and flowing, even when the people we were trying to converse with were diametrically opposed to our rights, ideas and place in society. Is Rainbrook saying that it is perfectly acceptable for us to challenge others, but not ourselves? To suppress debate on any issue, internal or external, in an attempt to maintain the visage of a united front sets a dangerous benchmark that I would question in any community leader.

Rainbrook goes onto to perform on Bob Roehr what she herself chastised Roehr for: character assassination. Does Rainbrook, whose article did not contain any type of documentation regarding Roehr's character, have any professional qualifications to make her diagnosis that Roehr is homophobic? To level a charge of homophobia based solely on her premise that "Roehr doesn't value the wisdom of our national leadership" displays

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) or 614-253-1367. Include your address and phone so we may contact you to verify the letter.

Listen, just

because No Queers of Color showed up to OUR Movement doesn't MeAN its our fault. We invited them!

what I see as contempt for failure to follow the flock. I find this type of stereotyping appalling, especially when it comes from any person who should be fighting to destroy those same stereotypes.

Finally, at the end of her column, Rainbrook pleas that we should all work together and keep from jumping to unfounded conclusions. Am I to understand that a community leader, who has expressed her disdain for debate and discussion, and who just applied one the most negative labels available to us based on a one-time encounter, is now asking us to keep a level head? Does Rainbrook think that she is above another member of our community by lowering her standards on conduct? If this were the case, then I believe that Rainbrook needs to reexamine her call to public service.

Public officials, whether they represent the public at large, community groups, or other various leadership capacities have always and should continue to always be held to a higher standard.

Disrespectful

To the Editors:

Stu Koblentz Columbus

On a recent Friday night, I went to Numbers as did several of my brothers and sisters; we call ourselves "family" in the popular parlance. The clientele of that club is almost 100 percent children of the African diaspora. 620 Frankfort in Cleveland was where I thought I could relax somewhat, dance and socialize until the wee hours.

At one point in the night my sister companion asked a friend of hers, who was staff and officially at work, to put our jackets into safekeeping. These jackets were promptly taken to an "in the house" (more of that talk we talk) location; this place being historically safe in that on several occasions my companion's jacket or coat had been left there without a problem. The coat-check option was therefore not given priority.

The end of the club night arrived quite rapidly and as we prepared to leave, our garments were requested. It was then that it was discovered that one of fine leather worth several hundred dollars and purchased in December was missing-stolen.

I tried to speak to one of the men in charge; simply to ask where the woman was who had put my coat away, only to be growled at about the club not having any responsibility for my jacket, and that the club was closed. As a reminder: I never asked the man about

my garment once. As he relentlessly denied responsibility, the same uncouth fellow steadily drove clients towards the door with his voice in a manner I have only seen used in animal herding.

My feelings on what occurred on that Friday night at Numbers lead me to share this with the Cleveland community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and heterosexuals:

The treatment received by me, my companion and the staff member of Numbers at the club by the ostensibly white and notably male management has again confirmed for me the need for the African-American community to cease to support businesses where our hard earned money is continuously taken

GAY PROPLES CHRONICLE

Volume 10, Issue 16

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Next Chronicle comes out Friday, February 24

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and where we are disrespected in even the most minimal way.

This time in the history of the U.S.A., as far as I am concerned, needs to be no less revolutionary than any other since we were brought to this part of the world. It is understood by several of us in this city that racism and all it breeds is part of our day-to-day reality.

As individuals in this community, be we African-American or otherwise, we will either decide to take action as a result of the occurrence I have just chronicled or not, but let it be known I shall not spend a penny in Numbers again. The disrespect is intolerable. This is part of the history of the gay community here.

The 'F' word

Karen Job

Dear Fags, er, I mean Gays . . . That was nothing more than an unintentional mispro nunciation.

The number one ranking Republican calls women "bitch." The number two ranking Republican in the House calls gays "fags." Now let's see here-is this truly unintentional? Has House Majority Leader Dick Armey not known Democratic Representative Barney Frank for many years? Does Armey have a college degree? Is Armey a Christian? (If yes, he would never have used the term fag even as a slip of the tongue!) Was it a mispronunciation? Did Armey Continued on facing page