GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE JULY 19, 1996

Self-laudatory

To the Editors:

COMMUNITY FORUM

I understand and appreciate that the Community Forum in the Chronicle is featured as an opportunity for us to express our opinions regarding our community. However, I was surprised that the Chronicle printed the June 21 letter to the editor by Karen Williams in its entirety.

Most of us pay dearly for our advertising, yet Ms. Williams got two entire columns of self-laudatory praise. While listing her inflated accomplishments benefiting the Cleveland gay community, she slammed Brynna Fish, whose seemingly endless energy has served this community long and well.

Brynna's involvement in this year's Pride festivities resulted in the best Pride Day in the eight years of its existence in Cleveland. It is my understanding that in order to accomplish this, Brynna spent over 2,000 hours in the last 12 months, and that is just for this particular event to benefit our community. It was one of many she was involved in over the course of the last 12 months.

I am sure it is unnecessary to endlessly list for your readers the continual effort put forth by Brynna to benefit this community, of which Ms. Williams claims to be a proud member. From what little I know of Brynna, I get the impression that she is doing one thing, thinking about another, all while looking at something else. Thank God we have someone with such energy to coordinate and follow through with these events.

Ms. Williams is a self-proclaimed professional stage performer, and as such, should be acutely aware of the importance of, at the very least, informing the stage manager or the Pride coordinator that she intends to take the stage and for how long. For her and Georgia Ragsdale to unilaterally make the decision to do this is not only unprofessional, it is discourteous to the other performers and speakers scheduled for the event. That, of course, is the very complaint Ms. Williams has against Brynna Fish.

Ms. Williams felt it necessary to make public a conversation she admits took place in private. Seemingly, this was done to take the opportunity to sing her own praises. To demand a public apology for this conversation be printed in the Chronicle begs the question-print it or what?

On behalf of myself and the communitythanks to Brynna for an outstanding Pride Day '96.

Edele Passalacqua

Cleveland

THE OPEN PRAIRIE by Joe Hoover!

MARRIAGE DEFENSE OF ACT

Marriage affirmed

To the Editor:

It gives me great pleasure as a gay man and a member of West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church to send you the enclosed "Resolution of Immediate Witness in Support of the Right to Marry for Same-Sex Couples" from the Unitarian Universalist Association's latest General Assembly which was held in Indianapolis from June 19 to June 24. I was present when the resolution passed almost unanimously, and it made me proud once again to be a Unitarian Universalist. The resolution reads as follows:

"Because Unitarian Universalists affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person; and

"Because marriage is held in honor among the blessings of life; and

"Whereas many states, the Congress, and the President of the United States are acting to void the recognition of same-sex marriages and to deny 'full faith and credit' to such marriages formalized in Hawaii or any other state;

"Whereas debate about extending legally recognized marriage to same-sex couples has

DEFINED LINES

Julie A. Blaine

Stylist Perm Specialist Colorist

Sharon Kinsella says...

Call Sharon Kinsella at 216/932-2400 ext. 329 and I'll make sure you're provided with the service and respect you deserve.

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Ceremonies of Union between members of the same sex; and

"Whereas the Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association have voted their support for the right to marry for samesex couples;

"Therefore, Be It Resolved that 1996 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association adopts a position of support of legal recognition for marriage between members of the same sex;

"Be It Finally Resolved that the 1996 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges the member congregations to proclaim the worth of marriage between any two committed persons and to make this position known through the media and in their home communities."

Unitarian Universalists have long been leaders in granting us the same rights as everyone else in society. UUs have been ordaining gay and lesbian ministers for many years and our clergy regularly perform Ceremonies of Union for same sex couples.

James Hamilton Cleveland

focused on the objections of certain religious Booth fees excessive

communities, while the Unitarian Universalist Association has adopted numerous resolutions over the last twenty-six years supporting equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons, including support for

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HONDA PONTIAC

To the Editors:

I am probably not one of the most learned men on the planet, but I do know when I'm getting the shaft.

I am referring to this year's increase of fees levied on vendors by the committee putting together Dancin' in the Streets '96. In their infinite lack of wisdom, they have decided to up the charges for booth space from last year's $75, to $175 per booth for the one day-event, an increase of $100 per booth.

I have not heard a positive word about these rates from anyone who had planned set up at this function. Even my own parents, who own an antique business in Columbus and set up at some of the larger shows, informed me that the most they had to pay was $90 a day per booth. When I set up at International Mr. Leather (IML), the four-day event cost $400 for two booths (which breaks down to $50 per day). Columbus Pride '96 was $70 per booth, and Mid-Atlantic Leather was $150 for the fourday event ($37.50 per day). I also talked to the IX Center, which quoted me $100 per day.

When I talked to one of the people in charge of vending and vendor space, I was informed that the committee based its fees on the fact that some places charge $500-$800 per booth. To this day, after contacting numerous places, the most I could find for booth space was $114 per day per booth. The person I talked to said to me that $175 was not out of line, but did agree that it seemed to be a large increase for

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Volume 12, Issue 2

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one year. She had tried to talk the committee Small park

into lowering it, but the committee would not budge.

Judging by the booth charges I found, and the figures they gave me, I can only assume that the $500-$800 figure was for an eight-day event, and was not broken down. In any case, for a business as small as mine, the price is too high to take the chance of not making enough money to "pay the rent."

Alan Cones Alan Art, Olmsted Falls

To the Editors:

In view of the Southern Baptists' resolutions to boycott the Walt Disney Company for being "anti-family" and to convert Jews, perhaps Disney could create a new theme park attraction just for the Baptists. They could call it "It's A Small, Small Mind."

Alan L. Light Iowa City, Iowa