GAY PEOPLE's Chronicle OCTOBER 10, 1997

Running to the mall

To the Editors:

In the beginning of September, the publicists for author Patricia Nell Warren called Body Language to ask if we would like Miss Warren to do a book signing at the store in October.

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Volume 13, Issue 8

Founded by Charles Callender, 1928-1986

THE GAY PEOPLE'S,

KWIR

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Twenty years ago, Patricia Nell Warren wrote The Front Runner, which was the first non-pornographic gay novel in modern literary history. Twenty years ago the field was zero and ther was no competition. Gay men all over the world bought and devoured her books. This book was followed by a few others. Her new book is due out in November and this was a publicity tour to cities around the country.

On September 23, the same publicist called to tell me that the ACLU was sponsoring this trip at their expense and they did not want Miss Warren to appear at Body Language,

Gloover fro

but that she would be at Borders instead (and Where are the books?

a local library!)

I find this an affront on many counts. First, gay men and women who shop at stores like Body Language made Miss Warren the success she is today, not the customers who shop at Borders.

Second, stores like Body Language have always carried gay and lesbian books because this is what we do, not because it's suddenly fashionable and a money maker.

Third, Body Language, while being a full line lesbian and gay department store, sells a complete line of books for lesbians and gays, it is a major portion of the business and most likely sells more gay-lesbian books than a single Borders store.

Fourth, her books are about fighting bigotry from the straight community, but now she is a partner in bigotry within our own community.

Fifth, the letter confirming her appearance at Body Language states, "we have always supported the independent gay and lesbian bookstores." What happened to that support?

And last, the ACLU is supposed to be the champions against bigotry but through some contractual arrangement with Miss Warren it seems that they can look the other way concerning the rights of a small, local, gayowned and operated store.

Unfortunately, there are some local people in our community, who think they speak for the entire community, who have told Miss Warren that Body Language is not the kind of store for her to appear at, that we sell other merchandise. So does Lambda Rising, A Different Light and a few other large gay and lesbian book stores. Miss Warren should have made the judgement call instead of listening to other people.

I suggest that anyone who feels strongly about this kind of bigotry but still want to read her books, they are available at the public library for free.

Paul Zeitzew Cleveland

Paul Zeitzew is the owner of Body Language.

To the Editors:

On a recent trip to Sandusky, Ohio, I tuned in to WCPZ-FM 102.7 when I heard the disc jockey, Ron Hug, in a skit commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of I Dream of Jeannie, make an allusion to the actor Larry "Fagman."

This is not the first time homophobic slurs have been uttered on the airwaves at WCPZ. A friend told me she has called on several occasions and talked to both the station manager and this disc jockey about remarks made against gays.

In the future, when you travel to the Sandusky area to spend the day at Cedar Point or the weekend boating on the lake or visiting Lake Erie's islands, be sure to bring your own music.

On a similar note, I've also just learned that the only bookstore in the city of Sandusky, Waldenbooks, has caved in to pressure from fundamentalists and has done away with the shelf that was the "Gay and Lesbian Interests" section.

What I find curious is the fact that when I went to the Franklin Park Mall in Toledo for the first time in almost 20 years, I could not help but notice that both Waldenbooks and B. Dalton had very few books in their "Gay and Lesbian" section.

At the Southwyck Mall in Toledo, B. Dalton did away with its "Alternative Lifestyle" section, which was formerly located between "True Crime" and "Current Affairs." The few books they now carry are buried among the others. The Waldenbooks store at this mall has even fewer, and they've stopped carrying Frontier.

Is this a chain-wide move to cease selling books for us? And then magazines? While Out and the Advocate are usually in stock, Curve, Genre and others are not.

I've cut up my discount Booksavers cards and am mailing them, to B. Dalton and Waldenbooks. For there is a bookstore worthy of the name in Toledo: Thackery's. It is also the only bookstore in Northwest and North Central Ohio.

http://www.visi.com/-oprairie

Web Site:

Finally, while driving north on Ohio 250, between Norwalk and Milan, I passed a sign in front of a church that read: “There is no union in Christ through diversity."

I think that speaks for itself.

Rich Bansh Fremont, Ohio

Conditional love

To the Editors:

For me, the Sept. 30 statement by the U.S. Catholic Bishops [for parents to love their gay offspring, who should remain celibate] truly does "ring." It rings hollow.

How can those that profess a higher understanding of a "Higher Power," simply and power-fully put conditions on Love? It's not their Love to "give.” Aren't we all made in "his" image-in every Infinite Way? Acceptance can't be less than 100%, or it isn't acceptance. Love with conditions? Not for me, the price is too high!

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