MAY 5, 1995

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 15

COMMUNITY GROUPS

This time, it wasn't the same old story

On Thursday, April 20, the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center received an anti-gay discrimination call from two gentlemen in Lakewood who were forced to call the police when a neighbor became abusive. Later that evening, the incident escalated and the police again had to be called. One of the two men has written the following about the incident:

You've heard it before. You live in a community. You own your own home. You try to integrate into the neighborhood. You think you have. Then you have a misunderstanding with your neighbor. You think it is just a misunderstanding; a dispute over a dog or a parked car. Then it happens: "You faggots! You

"But officer, I'm mad too, and did I call him names?"

The officer says, "No you did not, but I can't understand why you are so upset."

"Well," we say, "those words are hate words. They are really not socially acceptable any longer, are they?"

LESBIAN GAY

Community Service Center

queers!" Where did this come from? Was the issue all along the fact that you are gay? You and your partner have worked hard to buy your house. You made many improvements. Your house shines with pride of ownership. The American dream.

The fight with your neighbor escalates and you have to call the police. When they come they hear your neighbor calling you "faggot" and "queer." You don't know what to say. You look to the police to make them stop it. You feel threatened. You want to know, “Can they talk to me like that?”

Well, yes they can. Besides, the officer says, "We think you're making too much of it. Your neighbor is just mad.”

OF GREATER CLEVELAND

They officer says something like, "They should not have said those things to you, but why can't you overlook it?"

We can't overlook it because those words are hate words. They are words that carry a darker, more sinister meaning. Those words are meant to hurt. You don't want to feel hurt, but you do. They're

very effective words. They accomplish their deed.

The police leave. You are alone. You want to know, why am I feeling this way? Are they right? Am I overreacting? We begin to question ourselves. We say, "This is the 90's. This can't be happening. This is wrong. I

can't let them threaten me."

You don't really know what to do, but you know you need to talk to someone who understands what you're going through. You go to the phone book. You see a listing for the Lesbian and Gay Community Center. You've never called on anyone for help before. Somehow this is different. You have been threatened in the sanctity of your own home. This

is serious. You make the call.

It could have been the same old story, but you talk to someone from the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center. They are professional. They are smart. They know what you are saying and how you feel. They say, "You have a right to feel the way you do. Those neighbors are homophobic. Here's what you can do. We'll help you, guide you, lessen your burden. We'll help you think more clearly. Follow this plan. We'll stand by you and comfort you."

You do what they say. You follow their advice. You begin to feel better. You're doing something positive. You don't know

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how to say "Thank you." It is bigger than that. There aren't enough words that exist in the dictionary to define the way you feel about them.

You tell them, “I'm no activist, I don't want to be exposed." They don't judge you. They say "That's okay." They ask you, "What do you feel like doing?" You say, “I think I could do this." They say, "Good."

It could have been the same old story, but...

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Volunteers honored at Taskforce dinner

by Jeff Hirst

Volunteers received a heartfelt "Thank you" at the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland's annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner, held Saturday, April 29 at Our Lady of Peace Church on Shaker Blvd. Eighty-five people attended the event, which coincided with National Volunteer Appreciation Week.

Randi Ross was named 1994 Taskforce Volunteer of the Year at the dinner.

Volunteers contributed over 12,000 hours of service to the Taskforce in 1994.

If you want to help out but can't attend the planning meetings, call Sue at the Taskforce, 621-0766.

Dancin' Fete. "Dancin' in the Streets," the 11th annual Taskforce-sponsored block party, is set for Sunday, July 16. The location will again be Erieside Avenue behind Cleveland Municipal Stadium (the Browns' stadium).

AIDS

TASKFORCE

OF GREATER CLEVELAND

Second Party on Deck. June 10 is the date for "At the Boat," the second Taskforce benefit on the steamship William G. Mather. The Mather is a floating Great Lakes maritime museum permanently anchored at North Coast Harbor in Cleveland, where East Ninth Street meets Lake Erie.

If you'd like to help plan the boat party, you can attend planning meetings scheduled for every Wednesday night at 7:30 between now and June 10. The meetings will be at the Taskforce office at 2250 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.

If you'd like to help out with Dancin,' mark down these dates set for planning meetings: May 10 and 24; June 7, 21, and 28; and July 5 and 12. All meetings will start at 6:30 pm at the Taskforce office.

Can you provide a golf cart for use at Dancin' in the Streets? If so, call 216621-0766.

Talk Among Yourselves. All area gay and bisexual men are invited to a discussion set for Thursday, May 18 at 8 pm at the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center, on West 29th Street just off Detroit Avenue on Cleveland's West Side. This will be a wide-ranging session on current events in the community of gay and bisexual men. For more information, call Jan Cline at the Taskforce, 216-621-0766.

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