GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE... November 1999

communitygroups

Faith communities lift voices for tolerance

by Janet V. Black

Akron-Increasingly, our nation is rocked by the news of actions which are fueled by prejudice, bigotry, and hatred. Malevolence against any given group of people takes a variety of forms, including graffiti, racially charged rhetoric, rape, gay bashing, and murder.

Northeast Ohio regularly witnesses its

share of bias based activity. Klan rallies in Warren and Cleveland, cross-burnings in Parma, and the intimidation of lesbian and gay youth at numerous area high schools are just a few examples. These events are an affront to the principles and values that most in our society hold dear.

When a wrong must be righted, peaceloving people are called to action. Answering this call, the members of Emmanuel

Fellowship Church in Akron are reaching out to encourage other people of faith to lift their voices for tolerance and inclusion.

Plan to attend the Community Prayer Service for Love, Peace, and Unity. The event is cosponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron and will be held Saturday, November 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the UU Church, 3300 Morewood Rd., across from Summit Mall in Akron. It is

open to all, regardless of religious affiliation or non-affiliation.

For more information, call Emmanuel Fellowship Church at 330-376-8725 or the Unitarian Universalist Church at 330836-2206. ♡

Janet V. Black is chair of the membership and outreach committee at Emmanuel Fellowship Church.

Sexline is now open; offers workshops, training

Columbus-Sexline Information is a grassroots social service providing free, anonymous, sex-positive information and referrals about sexuality to the public, funded entirely by private donations, and volunteer-

run.

We are a non-political organization and in the process of becoming a registered 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.

The Sexline was conceived in August, 1998 by founding mothers Jane Sumner and Crista Underwood. Sumner and Underwood have backgrounds in social work and activism, and share a passionate interest in sexuality.

The first class of volunteers started answering the phones on Valentines Day, 1999. Volunteer Sex Specialists receive over thirty hours of training in sexuality and communication issues, along with regular workshop skill updates.

We provide Columbus and Central Ohio with accurate, non-judgmental sexual health information. This is provided for people of

all genders, sexual orientations, ages and Looking for a few good donors

abilities regardless of their racial, ethnic, or economic backgrounds.

We are currently organizing a series of monthly educational sex workshops starting this December with topics ranging from flirting to fisting to flogging. The workshops will be a great way to learn new sex skills or brush up on your old ones and meet people.

The event's cost is minimal, with suggested donations on a sliding fee scale basis. We will eventually extend events to twice monthly, are also organizing a calendar of Central Ohio's sexuality-related events, conferences, and workshops and will be opening a library of sexuality resources.

We believe strongly that sex can be a vital and life-affirming force in everyone's lives, and that we all have a right to accurate, nonjudgmental, sex-positive information about sex. Through the hotline, workshops and other events, and library we hope that we can form a thriving, productive (and fun) sex activist community in Columbus.

You can help us by donating goods, space, or money. We are currently looking for wheelchair-accessible space in Columbus for workshops and an office, a computer and printer, office supplies, bookshelves, and a desk. We also need books, magazines and magazine subscriptions, and other sexuality materials.

We are in the process of building a database that includes kink/sex-positive physicians, therapists, and other resources (including vendors) and would appreciate any suggestions you may have for inclusion in our resource manual. We also need cash donations for training and promotional material, and to keep the phone line up and running.

You can also volunteer at the Sexline by signing up for the next training class and becoming a trained Sex Specialist. We hold volunteer training twice annually. Our next training is on two weekends in March, 2000. Training is approximately 32 hours and takes place during the evening on Friday, March

10 and 17, and during the day on Saturday, March 11 and 18, and Sunday, March 12 and 19.

By donating goods, space, or money to the Sexline you can help work to end ignorance and promote awareness about sexuality throughout Central Ohio. Send cash donations or write us at Sexline Information, P.O. Box 82540, Columbus, Ohio 43202; 614262-3556 voice and TTY; or www.angelfire.com/oh3/sexline.

Community Groups

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the Chronicle at free 800-426-5947, or e-mail editor @chronohio.com.

outreachout

2000

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian/gay political organization, works to end discrimination, secure equal rights and protect the health and safety of all Amata dis

Co-chairs Anne Duli and Frank November announce the

7th Annual Cleveland HRC Dinner

Grand Reception • Auction

•

Dinner/Program

Location, Date & Time:

Landerhaven Grand Ballroom

Saturday, May 13, 2000 at 6:00 pm

Equality Award Recipients:

PFLAG Akron & PFLAG Cleveland Keynote Speaker & Special Guests TBA

Tickets ON SALE NOW!

$150 per person. Tickets are available from your table captain or by contacting Box Office Tickets directly at 1-800-494-TIXS. Membership is included with your ticket purchase. Ticket price increases to $175 per person on April 1, 2000. VIP Tickets are available for $300 per person.

Payment Plan

We will continue to offer our payment plan ($25 per month, until the dinner is paid in full) this year. To sign-up for the payment plan, contact your table captain or the hotline listed below.

Seating

HUMAN RIGHTS

CAMPAIGN

•

Dance

We anticipate a sell-out crowd this year. Full tables (10-12 seats) will be organized surrounding the podium, on a first-come, first-placed basis. Tables with seats sold via the payment plan will be placed in the ballroom when their first payment arrives.

Table Captain Sign-up & More Information To sign up as a table captain and/or obtain more information about the dinner, visit our website at www.hrc-cleveland.org and/or call our hotline at (440)779-6444.

This advertisement has been made possible by REALESTATEMORTGAGECORP. "Your Partners in Lending"

Local HRC website: www.hrc-cleveland.org

Local HRC hotline: (440)779-6444