8 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 21, 1997

COMMUNITY FORUM

Spiritual birth defects

To the Editors:

Let me begin by stating that your article "Pastors protest new job bias law" [January 24] was great! It's interesting to me that most religious media celebrities like "Radio Pastor Ernie Sanders" proudly proclaim that they are "born again." If this is indeed true, then I would suggest that he and those who paraded to [Cleveland] city hall to protest this law and shared comments on the radio program are suffering from severe spiritual "birth defects."

More hatred and harm have been brought upon the Church and God's children "in the name of Jesus" than many of us wish to remember. All one must do is tune into one of the "I love Jesus but hate those who are different from me" television or radio programs to experience first-hand the destruction that is being preached by those who claim to be God's prophetic voices in this world of "sin and despair."

I wish to extend my sincere thanks for the kindness they show in assuming the "Christian burden" of my personal salvation because I am a gay man. Honest, Pastor Ernie, my world isn't so dark and desperate that I can't manage myself. I respectfully decline your insistent invitation to lead me on a spiritual journey to be . . . just like you!

May I say to those who subscribe to these messengers of hate and discrimination, those who listen to and accept the call to divide and conquer His church, those who would say that our gift of sexuality is worth less than their gift of sexuality: There will come a day when all will be called into account for the life they have led, not the life of their neighbor. I frankly find myself far too busy tending to my own relationship with Christ to be so preoccupied with someone else's.

It is sad that some religious communities have participated in segregating those who do not fit into their ideals of what Christian-

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ity entails. History is filled with people affected by such actions. God's gay and lesbian children are just others on an endless list that some church communities have singled out as targets of discrimination and alienation. Women, African-Americans, American Indians, Catholics, Protestants, those who dare to think for themselves and make decisions concerning their lives or civic responsibilities-all have felt the painful tonguelashing and ultimate ostracizing from an insensitive, and yes, sinful religious community. All of this in the name of Jesus. Praised be their God, not mine!

Community Forum

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Email: oprairie@visi.com

I call upon God's children, both gay and straight to share in what can be a healing power in the midst of the brokenness found even within the Church walls and the people who call it home. Let us fervently pray for those who would not work to heal but seek to divide and conquer God's kingdom on Earth. Let our prayers call upon the Lord to change our lives and the hearts of those who would separate any from the love of God.

Rev. Tom Begert-Clark, Pastor All Saints Community Church Cortland

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.

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CWRU conferences were a major gay event

Ten years ago, KWIR Publications took over the Gay People's Chronicle, which had ceased publication following the death of founder Charles Callendar. These are some of the stories appearing in Februaries since then.

February, 1988

The Chronicle, then a 12-page monthly newsletter, led with these stories:

Cleveland's lesbians and gays got ready for the seventh Case Western Reserve University Lesbian-Gay Conference. The annual Case weekends were a major event in the city's lesbian and gay community in the 1980s. This one featured Cleve Jones, founder of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, which made its first visit to Cleveland later in the year; lesbian photographer J.E.B.; and Romanovsky and Phillips, a gay male singing duo.

President Ronald Reagan visited Cleveland, and was greeted by a group protesting his administration's weak response to AIDS. Reagan and U.S. Senate candidate George Voinovich

OF PUBLISHING

THE GAY

PEOPLE'S

KWIR

A DECADE

CHRONICLE

ignored the protest, but the mainstream media gave it sensationalized coverage.

After seven months of publishing, the Chronicle decided to print explicit language in safe sex educational material. The paper had been criticized for not running a safe-sex

The Cleveland Task Force on

GRAY PRIDE Gay & Lesbian Aging

presents a free series of workshops for Lesbians and Gay Men over 60 Bisexual and Transgender people over 60 and their partners, friends and supporters

•

Wellness Issues Resources Recreation & Fun. Socializing Mark your calendar for one of our introductory workshops: March 1: First Unitarian Church, 21600 Shaker Blvd, 1-4 pm March 8: Archwood United Church of Christ, off Pearl Rd, 1-4 March 15: Women's Pavilion, in Lakewood Park, 1-4 pm

Free Box Lunch. Call 216-621-7201. You do not have to leave your name, but we need to know how many lunches to order.

Grants administered by Fairhill Center for Aging. Funded by Aging under Title 111 of the Older Americans Act, and a grant from cooperation with the Benjamin Rose Institute, and the Wester

Prese

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column written by Buck Harris, then the gay health consultant to the Ohio Department of Health.

The first Gay Business Owners Fair was held at the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center on February 18. Organized by Linda Malicki, then owner of Another State of Mind bookstore, the fair metamorphosed into the city's Pride celebration the following year. Malicki is now the Center's executive director.

February, 1990

The 20-page tabloid Chronicle carried these stories:

The 1990 census includes two questions intended to count unmarried couples. These will also count same-sex couples, but the U.S. Census Bureau keeps this very quiet. Aubrey Wertheim of the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center and Denise Jackson of the Women's Coffeehouse collective win the Chronicle's 1989 Community Service Award.

February 1993

The Chronicle, which had grown to a 40-page, two-color monthly, had these sto ries:

National lesbian and gay groups were caught "asleep at the switch" by the furor over newly-elected President Bill Clinton's campaign promise to end anti-

GAN POPLES CHRONICLE

Volume 12, Issue 17

PUBLISHI

THE BAY

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KVIR

A DECADE

CHRONICLE

Published by

KWIR Publications, Inc. ISSN 1070-177X

Publisher:

Business Manager: Managing Editor:

Associate Editor:

Martha J. Pontoni Patti Harris Doreen Cudnik Brian De Witt

Reporters & Writers: Bob Boone,

John Graves, Nels P. Highberg,

Eric W. Hunter, Kaizaad Kotwal, Dawn Leach, M.T. Martone

Photographers: Barbara Bodemer, LeeAnn McGuire,

Art Director: Production Asst.: Advertising Manager: National Advertising:

Christine Hahn Lynn Williamson David A. Ebbert Rivendell Marketing 212-242-6863 David A. Ebbert 800-426-5947

The Gay People's Chronicle is dedicated to providing a space in the Ohio lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community for all of its members to communicate and be involved with each other. This means that every Chronicle, to the best of its ability, will be equally dedicated to both men's and women's issues, as well as issues that affect the entire community. This balance will provide lesbians and gay men with a forum to air grievances and express joys.

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Next Chronicle comes out Friday, March 7

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gay discrimination in the military. Clinton later backed down, creating the present "don't ask, don't tell" rule intended to allow lesbians and gays to remain in the military if they stay closeted. The number of gays and lesbians discharged since the new rule went into effect, however, is now slightly more than under the old total ban on gays.

The Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center holds a meeting to discuss the low turnout at their Center Stage II show in November. The show was intended to be an alternative to Oven Productions' women-only variety show in February, that would raise money for the Center.

A demonstration against a gay-studies course, sponsored by a conservative Kent State University student group, turned ugly when 300 students began jeering and throwing trash at each other.

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