GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE JULY 21, 1995

Why is Cleveland Pride so small?

To the Editors:

COMMUNITY FORUM

I'm sure this letter might anger a few people, especially coming from someone who wasn't born in Cleveland, but if it gets people talking, that's what I'm hoping for.

I moved to Cleveland a year ago from Los Angeles, and although I knew the attitudes would be different from my native state, I had no idea how extreme it would be. This attitude difference was made even more apparent after attending the Columbus Pride Festival just one week after attending (and participating in) the Cleveland Pride Festival.

While I in no way expected it to rival the size of L.A.'s, I thought sure that a city with a metropolitan area of 2.7 million people (Cleveland) would have a decent turnout. San Diego has a metro area a little bit smaller, and yet their turnout is enormous compared to Cleveland's. I was especially surprised after attending "Dancing in the Streets" last July (I moved here a week too late for last year's Pride Festival), and that event was teeming with people having a good time.

When I asked some friends why there was such a short turnout, they told me two reasons: 1) The Pride Festival is downtown, and more likely to get coverage, and 2) they don't serve alcohol at the Pride Festival.

So why did Columbus have five to six times the turnout-downtown, I might add— than Cleveland had? My friends have told me, "That's because Cleveland is a conservative city." Well, I say bull! Cleveland is not a conservative city, it's a closeted one! Not that there aren't a share of people out in the open working for progress every day, and not that there isn't a share of bigots whose minds need to be opened. I find Cleveland to be a very forward, willing to progress, and tolerant city.

I have already experienced my share of the bigotry, having lost the job I was moved here for because of the lies of a supervisor who didn't want to work with someone gay.

I wasn't loud about it (I didn't go around

saying, "Hi, I'm Eric, I'm gay!"), I just didn't

Working for laws that guarantee civil and constitutional rights for all people, regardless of real or perceived sexual orientation;

Informing individuals about efforts to diminish civil and constitutional rights because of real or perceived sexual orientation, and actively opposing any such efforts;

Educating the public on the similarities of all people, regardless of real or perceived sexual orientation, and prompting tolerance of differences when they do exist;

Confronting prejudice, harassment and violence aimed at people because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.

Toledo's diversity is one of its greatest assets, and we want you to know we are part of that diversity. We believe that basic civil rights are not "special" rights. They are rights for freedom and protection that should be afforded to all citizens. Gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens are not specifically called out for protection under most existing laws, statutes and ordinances of our city, county, state and country. GLU is not the only voice in this area, but one of many that would like to count you and your administration among its friends. We want to be part of the solution, not a stumbling block to honest open communication with the City of Toledo, its leadership and its community at large.

Communication is the first step in recognizing and celebrating the diversity surrounding us all. To that end we would like to extend a welcoming invitation to you to attend of

our meetings. We meet the second Wednes-

day evening of each month. Please contact us

at our post office box for additional informa-

tion.

We really are your family, friends and neighbors all working, living and playing in Toledo and Northwest Ohio. Let us be your resource to a part of the gay and lesbian community in Northwest Ohio. We look forward to laying the lines of communication with you and the city of Toledo. We thank you for your time and consideration.

Dale J. David Barb Rowe GLU Co-Chairs Toledo

Homophobia and abortionism are merely two heads of the hydra called bigotry.

Inconvenient people (gays, lesbians, Jews, pre-born, elderly, terminally ill, other minorities-who's next?) are deemed undesirable, dehumanized, and then terminated. But murder is still murder, and don't forget that ten percent of the babies being killed in the abortuaries are our gay sisters and brothers! If there is indeed a homosexual gene, the number of pre-born lesbians and gays will only increase-and it won't be the pro-lifers (fundamentalists, if you like) getting the abor-

tions!

PLAGAL members run crisis pregnancy centers and even adopt babies to keep them from being aborted. What is Nancy doing for women who choose not to have abortions?

Nevertheless, Marcus blithers on, repeating the same mantra of "liberation" chanted by those gays who played ostrich when confronted with a nameless disease that was killing them.

As Randy Shilts wrote, "Gay leaders seemed to favor informed choice when the choices gay people made coincided with what the elite thought proper."

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. And in 1984 +11, rhetoric is wisdom. But sleep tight, friends. After all, Big Sister is watching you.

Jack Isaacks Youngstown

Doing pro-gay work within Right to Life

To the Editors:

Regarding the letter that denounced the Pro Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians as "conservative fundamentalists who hypocritically claim to be pro-gay and anti-choice at the same time" and that "PLAGAL offers nothing new or newsworthy to the Chronicle or to the gay community": I want to share with your readers information that has not yet been reported by the Chronicle despite a letter and call by me to your managing editor and a discussion between her and the director of PLAGAL last spring.

PLAGAL locally has stuck out its neck

make a pointed effort to hide it. And when I Two heads, same hydra with anti-gay and lesbian organizers, includ-

talked to an attorney and the ACLU about it, they both told me the same thing, that in the state of Ohio, you'd have a better chance of filing a lawsuit if you were black or a woman.

If that's true, there's only one way we can change it. Open those closet doors! Show people we are their next door neighbors, their coworkers, their friends, and work for legislation to change the existing laws. But in order to do that, our voices have to be heard. Are we really a bunch of drunks looking for the next party? Or are we proud to have the bravery to be who we are?

I've been lucky. I've gotten a better job, and opened a few doors for other people. Let's make this a progressive community, not one as a friend of mine once said, “Gay community? There is no gay community in Cleveland! Just a gaggle of cliques that sort of hover around each other, and occasionally break off into other cliques!" Let's have a voice as loud as Columbus already has.

Eric Oswald Lakewood

Greetings to City Hall

The following open letter was sent to the mayor of Toledo and all city council members:

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. We are Gays-Lesbians United (GLU), a politcal action and educational organization of gays and lesbians of Toledo and Northwest Ohio. We are writing to you as part of our ongoing campaign for greater visibility in the community and to offer ourselves as a resource for you and the city administration. Listed below is our purpose as stated in our articles of incorporation:

The purpose of this corporation is to promote basic civil rights and to defend constitutional guarantees afforded to all citizens of the United States. To this end Family, Friends, and Neighbors United for Justice, doing business as GLU, is committed to:

To the Editors:

Coming out at any age is always scary; more so when you're in your mid-40s.

The surprising acceptance from my straight friends has been heartwarming. But I've discovered a great paradox: the dogmatism that exists in the gay community! "Celebrate Diversity" is the spoken motto, but the unspoken half goes, “As long as you're just like everybody else."

The deadly danger of the doctrine of PC über alles is one of the themes of Randy Shilts's magnificent book And the Band Played On. Early in the '80s, many gay leaders suspected that the disease then called "gay cancer" and "gay pneumonia" was sexually spread, but their attempts to urge moderation in sexual behavior were shouted down by a chorus of, "Anti-sexual, homophobic, self-hating moralists! You're destroying the freedom we gained in the gay liberation movement.” Fifteen years later we see the results.

Nancy Marcus (“Same moralistic talk," July 7 Community Forum) continues this great tradition., using many of the same words. Who appointed her-or others like her-to decide who is a politically correct queer? (By the way, she misuses the word "fundamentalist." Is "liberal fundamentalism" automatically better? Totalitarianism remains totalitarianism.)

As an organization, the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) sees elective abortion as a violation of human rights, in particular the rights of the pre-born child to live. Gays, lesbians, and the pre-born are considered less than human by some people, and therefore unworthy of life. It follows then, that gays, lesbians, and the pre-born can have all their choices taken away by someone else!

The difference, of course, is that we can fight back! And if we are to protect our own rights, we must protect the rights of other oppressed groups, including the pre-born.

ing Dr. Sam Nigro of Cleveland Heights and Lakewood, Right to Life organizers in Geauga County and radio homophobe Bob Larsen. PLAGAL's director Cecilia Holesovsky has been able to have local, state, and national Right to Life organizations denounce Nigro's and Geauga Right to Life's anti-gay and lesbian diatribes as unacceptable activity counter to the charters under which they pledged to operate for the movement. Additionally, her work has resulted in the PLAGAL national organization declaring it a priority to oppose anti-gay work within the nationwide Right to Life organizations. She now sits on PLAGAL's national board.

Pro-choice voices, funding, and actions never resulted in a Right to Life group censuring its own members for anti-gay activity. This is precisely why the Chronicle should have reported this activity to its readers. The ability to establish working relationships with organizations who do not share our view-

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Volume 11, Issue 2

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their individual rights to hold their views. I hope someday they may moderate their own view... they hope someday I will moderate mine. We do agree, however, that anti-gay and lesbian organizers must be opposed, and so we encourage each other in that work! That is what "building bridges" is about and what we hope the Chronicle will pay more attention to bring to its readers as it is accomplished.

Bill Henderson, Coordinator Out Voice/Fairness Federation Cleveland

points is the essence of what "building Helms altered facts

bridges" is about. Just look at the new Congress and the new Ohio Senate and House! Unless you have the power to turn and keep homophobes out of power, you must learn to gather people who have that ability to your cause... regardless of your personal views on their other issues. It is the old truth of selecting the proper messenger to deliver the message to the proper ears. Anti-gay forces won't be swayed by liberals like you or me who try to do so.

Because such actions as Cecilia's and PLAGAL's go unreported, Chronicle readers can remain unaware that there are indeed capable conservative voices in our diverse community who will stand up to homophobes like Nigro, Pastor Ernie Saunders of Geauga County, and Bob Larsen. We need more of them; we need them better organized; and we need them more to clearly spell out that lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender folks are not to be harassed or denied full rights in America.

PLAGAL knows I do not agree with their views on abortion at all, but that I do support

To the Editors:

Senator Jesse Helms is quoted (New York Times, July 5) as wanting to reduce the amount of money spent on AIDS patients. His reason is that their "deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct" is what is responsible for "a disease transmitted by people deliberately engaging in unnatural acts." Since they caused their disease, less money should be spent on it.

Millions of Africans, especially in Uganda and Zaire, who are HIV infected or are dying of AIDS, might be curious about Dr. Helms' diagnosis. The “unnatural acts" the doctor refers to are, for most HIV victims, sexual intercourse. This "disgusing... unnatural act' is engaged in by virtually every adult human. Dr. Helms himself has probably engaged in this act.

Helms, who is GOP senator from North Carolina, stated that the federal government's AIDS financing is greater than for heart disease and cancer. However, Public Health Continued on facing page