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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE Pride Guide 1997
Pittsburgh Asians and Friends to join Cleveland's at Pride
by Evan Howard
Cleveland-Pittsburgh and Cleveland may enjoy rivalry when it comes to sports. But when it comes to socializing between two gay Asian groups, there's nothing but camaraderie and a lot of celebrating for Cleveland's Pride parade and festival.
Asians and Friends-Cleveland, the local chapter of a national gay Asian group, has invited its neighboring chapter from Pittsburgh to march together for Pride Weekend '97.
"We're really looking forward to about a dozen of Pittsburgh's members to join us and help us show-off Cleveland's evergrowing gay Asian community," said
Cleveland chapter president Rollie Santos. In sharp contrast to last year's Pride parade, when only two members of Asians and Friends marched while holding the chapter's banner, this year's event will feature a multi-sectioned group. The contingent will be headed by both chapters' "Lotus Queens" and followed by, according to Santos, "the hottest Asian and nonAsian men and women from Pittsburgh to Cleveland."
The Asians and Friends presentation will climax with the traditional lion dance, where men and women will maneuver a giant papier mâché lion dragon down the parade line.
"Usually you'll find this kind of gay
Pride benefit set for first
Rockers basketball game
by Tom Rappa
Cleveland-The Browns football team may be temporarily absent, but Cleveland now has a Women's National Basketball Association team. There are only eight cities in the country that received a franchise for a WNBA professional women's basketball team, and Cleveland is one of them.
Rockers knew that lesbians are going to be buying tickets, and that if lesbians are buying tickets, let's do the right thing and have the Rockers be supportive and open to that, and they have been," Fish added.
When asked about speculation on the individual players' sexual orientation Fish responded, "Why is it pertinent? If there is a player who is out, we can make that a celebra-
Cleveland
ROCKERS
On Saturday June 21, at 7 pm the Cleveland Rockers will take to the court for their inaugural game at Gund Arena downtown.
On this inaugural evening, the lesbian and gay community will be celebrating a benefit for the Pride committee, Pride Family Night Out.
Rockers tickets for this game, purchased through Cleveland Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Pride will directly benefit the Pride committee.
"I see this as an opportunity to celebrate our culture with this professional sporting event" said Pride coordinator Brynna Fish. "I knew that a very large number of women in our community would be supporters, and when I found out the opening game was going to be in June, the connection to Pride lit up."
"It was important to me to know that the
tion. On the other hand, if there are lesbians that are not out that's okay too. People are in different places for a lot of personal and professional reasons. I would never stand in judgment of that."
One of the goals of Fish and her planning committee is to make the Pride festival an event that all people can attend, gay or straight. If this goal is achieved it would make the event easier for people who are out as well as those who choose to remain closeted.
"If a straight basketball player wants to come to Pride and say 'Rah-rah, we are glad you exist,' that's going to make it easier," she said.
Although not an admitted sports fan herself, Fish said, "Lesbians love sports and we are going to be in full force at Rockers games."
When tickets are purchased through the Pride committee they receive a portion of the proceeds.
Tickets are $15 for the game, $25 for the game and a reception afterwards, where there will be a door prize, a signed team ball. If season ticket holders would like to attend the reception they can pay a $10 fee through the pride committee.
The Pride committee can be contacted at 216-556-5070.
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Asian presence in festivals and parades for cities like Toronto or New York," Santos said. "Certainly there won't be anything like it in the rest of Ohio-Columbus and Cincinnati included."
Pittsburgh and Cleveland chapters of Asians and Friends have shared several weekend mini-confer-
ences.
"Unfortunately, there are no other chapters in the region-not in Detroit or even Buffalo," explained Santos. "We try to get together with the Columbus chapter, but they have no regular meetings or officers, because the group is so small and largely dependent on the Ohio State enrollment."
Comic Margaret Cho recieves a T-shirt as an honorary Cleveland-Asians and Friends member.
The Pride weekend for Asians and Friends includes a special night on the town Friday at a local downtown club, a picnic dinner for Saturday and dim sum (Chinese brunch) in Cleveland's growing Chinatown for Sunday.
"This will be a good rehearsal for our giant event for 1998-hosting hundreds
of Asians and ‘rice queens' from Los Angeles to New York to London for an international Asian and Friends conference for Labor Day weekend," Santos said.
For membership inquiries for Asians and Friends-Cleveland, call 216-2266080, ext. 3.
Evan Howard is vice president of Asians and Friends of Cleveland.
A thanksgiving of pride
by Bob Boone
Cleveland-Chevrei Tikva, a Cleveland synagogue with an outreach to the lesbian and gay community, will once again host this year's Pride Interfaith Shabbat Service.
The June 27 service will begin at 8 pm at The Temple East, 26000 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood.
Giving the sermon will be student rabbi David Burstein of Cincinnati's Hebrew Union College.
Burstein has been a part of Cleveland's Chevrei Tikva for just under a year now and Vice President Barb Margolis said the group is thrilled to have him. She exclaimed that Burstein has reached out to learn about the lesbian and gay community and that his kindness and understanding have earned him a warm welcome in the group.
Chevrei Tikva's president, Mark Wieder, ex-
pects a "wide representation" from other congregations in Northeastern Ohio as well. He hopes again this year to see faces from groups like Liberation United Chuch of Christ, the Episcopal group Integrity, and Dignity, the gay and lesbian Catholic group.
Among the hymns and other music, the Interfaith Service will include a performance by the men's and women's chorus Good Company.
New
Attitude!!
HAIR DESIGNS
An oneg, or coffee hour, follows the service and provides time for the 100 or so expected worshippers to chat.
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Chevrei Tikva is a member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations. The group is aligned with the Reform movement of the Jewish faith, which along with the Reconstructionist movement accepts and ordains gay and lesbian rabbis and supports civil same-sex marriage. In early summer, Chevrei Tikva will
send two members to the 15th World Conference of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Jews in Dallas. The theme of the July 4-6 conference is "A World of Difference."
The first appearance of this conference in the southwestern U.S. will mark the 25th anniversaries of three of the World Congress members and the bat mitzvah, or 13th year, of host group Congregation Beth El Binah of Dallas. Chevrei Tikva meets at 8 pm on the first and third Fridays of each month at the Unitarian Society in Cleveland Heights, 2728 Lancashire Rd.
The group comes together for conversation and food at 6:15 pm-before the first meeting of the month. On June 6, the Nosh of the Month will be at ¿Que Tal? at 1803 Coventry Rd. in Cleveland Heights.
For more information on Chevrei Tikva, call 216-932-5551.
19136 Detroit Rd.
Rocky River, Ohio 216/331-4407