GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE October 13, 2000

communitygroups

Candidates to discuss LGBT issues at forum next Tuesday

Cleveland-Several area organizations have joined to hold a forum where voters can seek candidates' positions on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.

The evening will feature candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the Ohio House of Representatives, the Ohio Senate and the Cuyahoga County Commission.

The forum is set for Tuesday, October 17, at 6:00 pm.

Other candidates will be on hand to meet and greet

enue. The candidates have been asked to speak on issues relevant to the LGBT community, such as employment and housing

The Center

voters, but will not participate in the program. Voters will be able to meet candidates between 6:00 and 6:30 pm; the program will begin at 6:30. Refreshments will be served.

The forum is free and open to the public and will be held at the new Cleveland Lesbian Gay Center at 6690 Detroit Av-

discrimination, hate crime, same-sex marriages, adoption and HIV issues.

This election year we will vote on not only who will lead our country for the next four years, but also those who will lead Congress, our state legislature and our county. We make up an influential voting constituency-the LGBT vote stands at about 5% nationally. We need to make our voices heard.

More and more issues are being decided at the state and local level. For example, this year the Ohio legislature passed a bill that criminalizes HIV transmission, and plans further action next year that would allow

police to subpoena medical records of a defendant suspected of having HIV.

Across the country, state legislatures are making decisions on employment discrimination and hate crime laws. While these issues have not specifically come up in Ohio, this forum would be a perfect opportunity to find out where your state representative or state senator stands. County commissioners have the ability to extend domestic partnership benefits to county employees; how do the candidates for this office feel?

No other election in over 40 years has had as much at stake nationally. The presidency, control of the U.S. House and Senate and the balance of the U.S. Supreme Court all re-

main close. Your vote in this year's election will make a big difference. Please come to the center and hear what the candidates have to say. Show them how much you care about the future of our country, state, county and especially our LGBT community.

This forum is sponsored by the Lesbian Gay Community Service Center, the Stonewall Democratic Club of Cleveland, the Log Cabin Republicans, the North Coast HIV/AIDS Coalition, the Gay People's Chronicle, the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

For more information, contact the center at 216-651-5428.

New Stonewall Democratic

The Berwick Halloween Ball club is now meeting

is at Axis this year

Columbus-Once again the Berwick Ball will be putting on their annual Halloween Ball. For those of you that have been under a rock for the past 35 years, the Berwick Ball is the longest running drag ball in the country.

The annual fundraising event for the gay community in Columbus has donated thousands of dollars to organizations like the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization, Pater Noster House and the Columbus AIDS Task Force, to name a few.

There will be many firsts for this year's ball, set for Sunday, October 29. This year, it will have a new flair, but also have many of the old items that have made it so successful.

For the first time this year the ball will be at Axis Night Club. As a venue, Axis is perfect for the performances this year, allowing the performers to interact with the audience.

The center stage will come alive with color, light, and music for the opening dance. This year there will be a professionally choreographed number by Tim Glen, dance professor at the OSU Department of Dance, entitled "Cirque du Faerie.”

A professional costume maker will be putting the dance troupe's outfits together— bring your camera. Be prepared to see dancers spinning and dancing over your heads! The group will be performing an opening number and a closing number that are much like Cirque du Soleil performances.

The emcees this year are two very talented girls, Charile Brown and Lily White,

both from Atlanta, Georgia.

"If you have never seen these two girls work together, you should," says Axis' event coordinator Scott Neusbom. "Not only are they tops in their field, the energy they create together is wonderful. When they appeared here last year the event was a sell out."

Last year the ball sold out, and this year we expect the same. The upper level of Axis is general admission, with all reserved seating downstairs. Tables this year seat four, and will be sold on a first come, first served basis for $200 each. Tickets are $50 reserved, $30 general admission, and can be purchased at Open Book, Union Station, and reserved on-line at http:// www.outincolumbus.com. Because of the layout of Axis there will not be a bad seat in the house.

For performers this year, the categories are Musical Illusion, Musical Comedy, Costume, Male Illusion, and Couturier. For the performers there will be a tent set up for costume changes and makeup, allowing everyone to look their best. The prizes so far are $500 for the grand prize winner, $300 for category winners, as well as trophies and gift certificates, and hopefully a trip for the grand prize winner as well.

Food this year will be provided by Kelly's Eclectic Bistro in downtown Columbus.

After the Berwick Ball, attendees will be invited to stay and dance.

The show starts at 8 pm Sunday, October 29 at Axis Night Club, 775 N. High St, Columbus. Dress is formal, or costume. Call 614-679-1747 for further information.

Joy B. Savren

Attorney at Law

Divorce & Dissolution ~ Custody & Support

Personal Injury Accidents

Wills ~ Probate of Estates ~ Real Estate ~ Bankruptcy

Personal attention to provide individual solutions for issues faced by same sex couples

717 Hanna Building, Cleveland 44115 (216) 771-6597

Savren & Caley LLP

Cleveland-Over 150 Northeast Ohioans have organized to form a new lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender political group to help elect pro-gay Democrats throughout greater Cleveland.

The group will serve as an affiliate of the National Stonewall Democratic Federation, the national organization of LGBT Democrats that was formed in 1998. Its 10,000 members and 55 affiliate clubs are committed to improving the record of the

The group will also seek to work closely with the Ohio Democratic Party, the area county Democratic parties, and local Democratic groups across Northeast Ohio.

The group will focus on get-out-the-vote efforts for the next five weeks. While emphasis will be placed on the presidential race, club members will work with the Coordinated Democratic Campaign to ensure that

STONEWALL DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF CLEVELAND

Democratic Party and educating voters about the vast difference that exists between the two major parties on issues of importance to the LGBT community.

"We will work to elect Al Gore as our next president, but we will also work with the Ohio Democratic Party and area Democratic organizations to ensure that pro-gay candidates will win statewide and local races," said group organizer Patrick Shepherd. “Al Gore has been a great friend to the LGBT community as vice president—and he supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Hate Crimes Prevention Act, increased HIV and AIDS funding, and the elimination of the military ban on gays and lesbians."

One of the primary long-term goals of the Stonewall Democratic Club of Cleveland will be to create a power base from which Northeast Ohio's LGBT community may help enact policy and legislation that will gain equal rights and protections for all Ohioans.

area

pro-

LGBT candi-

dates are elected at the local, county, and state level.

Cuyahoga County Democratic Party executive director Cindy Marizette is scheduled to speak at the next meeting for the Stonewall Democratic Club of Cleveland. The meeting will be held on Monday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center, 6600 Detroit Ave.

Other club events are scheduled: Campaign 2000 Candidates Night, 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 17, Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center, 6600 Detroit Ave.

Presidential Debate Watch Party, 9 p.m. Tuesday, October 17, Snickers restaurant, 1261 West 76th St., Cleveland.

Club meeting, State Sen. Eric Fingerhut invited to speak, 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 30, Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center.

Club meeting, Election Day planning, 6:30 p.m. Monday, November 6, Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center.

Second youth leadership summit set for October 21

Cleveland-Spectrum, the North Olmsted gay-straight alliance, invites all students from area high schools who are interested in addressing the issues of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students through gaystraight alliances and other tolerance clubs to attend the second Northeast Ohio Youth Leadership Summit in Rocky River on October 21.

The first Youth Summit, held last March, was attended by over 30 students from eight area school districts.

All students, whether gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, transgendered, undecided or unlabelled, are welcome to attend, as long as they are interested in ending antigay bias and working for respect and equality in your own high school. This event is by and for student activists. Adult advisors may attend with a student.

Among the activities at the summit will be reports on happenings in local schools, workshops on effective ways to handle

homophobic comments and people, information on starting and maintaining a gay/straight alliance, and activities to keep members involved and interested.

The summit will be from 9:30 am to 4pm Saturday, October 21, at West Shore Unitarian Church, 20401 Hilliard Rd. in Rocky River. It is free and includes lunch, but pre-registration is absolutely required.

Το register, e-mail no_spectrum@hotmail.com or send to Spectrum, P.O. Box 226, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070 the following information: your name; your grade and school; the names of the people coming with you, and your email or phone number where we can reach you.

The deadline for pre-registration is October 17.

Spectrum's web site is www.geocities .com/westhollywood/park/3568/

spectrum.htm.