GAY PEOPLE's ChronICLE JANUARY 12, 1996

Bashing back

COMMUNITY FORUM

The following was sent to Cleveland councilmember James Rokakis:

Mr. Rokakis,

I have decided to keep you abreast of the situation on Virginia Avenue as events continue to unfold. As you will recall from my previous letter [Dec. 22 issue], I am a target of frequent vandalism and verbal abuse by children and teenagers on my street.

Today, Sunday, I decided to leave my home early (10:00 am) to complete some X-mas shopping and pick up a tree. I returned at 1:00 pm (no tree) and proceeded to do some yard clean-up. Before I could get started my neighbor got my attention and asked me if I'd noticed the front of my house. I had not. He then related to me witnessing three teens from down the street throwing eggs at my home and running like hell-just a few minutes earlier. After inspecting the mess, I asked [my neighbor] which house the "kids” inhabited and decided to try to talk to whatever adult might be present, if any! As I knocked on the door, three teens came strolling down Virginia Avenue yelling vulgarities at me and demanding I remove myself from the porch. I surmised that these must be the "guilty" youth [my neighbor] described, having been verbally assaulted by several of them in the past. So-as I thought of cleaning eggs off the front of my home for the third time this weekI lost all my usual composure and grabbed one of the boys, wrestling him to the ground. As he is a very husky youth, I do not believe I hurt anything other than perhaps his pride for not fighting back with more vigor. Now in retrospect, I can hardly believe that I acted out my frustrations in this way. I doubt I have ever been so angry. Continuing, I immediately regained my sanity-walked home and called 911. Before the police could arrive, the adult in charge returned home and got some kind of explanation from the several teens involved. The adult then drove down to my home to ask me what was going on. I explained the situation (eggs, profanities, etc.) and apologized for laying a hand on her son.

A few minutes later the police arrived at my home I gave them a short description of the situation and asked them to accompany me back to the youth's home to try to resolve this incident peacefully. The officers immediately took charge of the situation and proceeded to question the boys. The second officer took the mother(?) aside to fill her in on the ramifications of going to court under these circumstances. The youths did not admit to any involvement in today's vandalism but said they had egged my home in the past. End of story. As they proceeded to their next stop, the officers said they would arrange for a police car to regularly patrol the street to hopefully end this whole ridiculous situation.

I believe that I will be the object of retaliation in the very near future. I'll let you know.

Jeff Kelling Cleveland

Consider Humanism

To the Editors:

I question John O. Young's article "Don't ignore Christianity as a source of inspiration" [December 8] and would like to point out that the secular philosophy of Humanism provides a useful tool in the struggle against oppression. In her struggle for women's suffrage, Elizabeth Cady Stanton said, "The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women's emancipation. The memory of my own suffering has prevented me from ever shadowing one young soul with the superstitions of the Christian religion."

Stanton's statements ring true for many people. Leaders such as Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Paine, Margaret Sanger, Clarence Darrow, Maggie Kuhn, Thomas Edison, and Betty Friedan each set aside traditional religious assumptions and used reason and compassion to make life better in this world.

The countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands offer legal equality and same gender marriages. These countries also have an abundance of Humanists and trends toward secularization.

Humanism values people, emphasizes reason, and focuses on the world we live in. During our November meeting of the Human-

THE OPEN PRAIRIE by Joe Noover!

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ist Community, we discussed the role of Humanism in the celebration of diversity. Humanists have groups in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Those interested in learning more can call our Dial-A-Humanist line at 614-470-0811.

Derrick Strobl, President Humanist Community of Central Ohio Westerville

Cutting Medicaid will hurt PWAS

To the Editors:

The debate in Washington about how to balance the federal budget has devolved into an exchange of caustic barbs and finger-pointing that has now led to the shutdown of the federal government at least twice. The Center for Families and Children believes that lost in the ruckus is the fact that many of the budget components the Congressional leadership maintains are essential to balancing the budget would in fact finance what are clearly misplaced priorities-tax cuts for special interests and the wealthy.

Meanwhile, the beleaguered Medicaid program hangs in the balance. More than 36 million poor and medically needy Americans, including about half of all Americans living with AIDS, could suffer greatly under proposals to convert the program into a block grant to states with drastically smaller amounts of federal dollars.

The Center for Families and Children

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any minimum benefits package. Instead it insures a 50 state patchwork of eligibility definitions. The health care you receive will depend more on where you live than on your need for care.

The current debate in Congress and the shutdowns of the federal government are about more than whether the Smithsonian Museum and other federal offices are opened or closed. It is a profound debate about the role of the national government in taking care of its own citizenry. Fortunately many Americans are beginning to realize that the proposed slashing of Medicaid could indeed affect them, their families and neighbors, and their community as a whole.

The Center for Families and Children believes that now is the time for each of us to contact our elected officials and to tell them that efforts to balance the federal budget can not be at the expense of vulnerable and disabled people. Medicaid must continue to reflect our compassion and our commitment to providing basic health coverage for low-income women, children, the elderly and, yes persons living with AIDS-the commitment that Medicaid has offered Americans for more than 30 years.

Elizabeth Berrey, Ph.D., Director of HomeCare David Campbell, Vice President Center for Families and Children Cleveland

through the AIDS Initiative Project (in colSupport Eric Resnick

laboration with the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland) of our HomeCare Department has been involved in providing care to persons living with AIDS for nearly nine years. We've seen first hand the need for expanded services.. Cleveland was recently designated a Title One city under the Ryan White CARE Act. This will bring urgently needed funds into our area to battle this ever increasing epidemic. This badly needed infusion of federal resources pales though in comparison to what we stand to loose if the proposed Medicaid cuts go through. According to the AIDS Action Council, the Ryan White CARE Act provides $670 million annually for the care of AIDS, more than $3 billion each year in federal Medicaid dollars goes for medical services to the poorest and sickest persons with AIDS.

The Ryan White,CARE Act, which is itself a federal program vulnerable to cuts under the proposed seven year balanced budget plan, was never intended to serve as the primary funding source of health care services for Americans living with AIDS. That is why efforts to preserve Medicaid are so important.

For the one in ten Americans now on Medicaid, the Congressional budget bill would repeal the current Medicaid program and replace it with a “Medigrant” program to the states with very few minimum federal requirements. For example, states would have to cover "disabled" persons, but would be free to define what constitutes a “disability." It is not hard to imagine a situation where a state might choose not to define AIDS or other unpopular or expensive diseases as a disability. The "Medigrant" proposal guarantees to no one

To the Editors:

The Catch 22 of modern politics is that candidates can't raise the money necessary to win an election without credibility, but at the same time, they aren't judged by the news media, endorsement committees, nor large contributors to be "credible" unless they have money. This system immensely favors incumbents, because even derelict incumbents are given money by PACs in order to buy influence on pending legislation.

In Ohio's 16th Congressional District, openly gay Democrat Eric Resnick is attempting to unseat Republican Ralph Regula. For the past 10 months, Resnick has campaigned at county fairs, walked door to door, addressed numerous Democratic Clubs, hired a professional fund-raiser and campaign manager, made thousands of calls for financial support, and visited numerous Washington political luminaries and political action committees. Even more impressively, Resnik recruited Bob Hattoy to come speak at Stonewall Cleveland's annual dinner; Resnick was the featured candidate for the November 29th Congressional Roll Call's article on six openly gay individuals running for the U.S. House of Representatives; and he prodded Ralph Regula from an anti-mass transit stance into spearheading a multi-million dollar congressional allocation for a Stark County transit system.

Nevertheless, despite Resnick's best efforts, the financial spigots to his campaign have barely opened. Furthermore, because state legislators moved up the 1996 primary elec-

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Volume 11, Issue 14

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tion to March 19th instead of its customary first Tuesday in May slot, Resnick has less time than usual to solicit the money he needs to air TV and radio commercials.

Consequently, Ohio's gay-lesbian-bisexual community and its supporters should quickly put our money where our hearts and souls are. To support groups that do political work is all fine and dandy, but candidates who support gay-lesbian-bisexual causes need money even more. (Please do not forget Elizabeth Kelley in the 19th Congressional District and Helen Smith in the 10th Congressional District.) Even though most readers of the Chronicle don't live in Resnick's congressional district, With we can all help him to help us. Massachusett's Gerry Studds retiring, it is particularly important to maintain an out presence in Congress. Please call 216-454-4681 to learn more about Resnick's stands on issues and to pledge support.

your

financial

Richard Oldrieve Westlake