April 6, 2001 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
communitygroups
For the first time, four words were heard from a podium
by Linda Malicki
Cleveland-I have often heard that our quest for civil rights will be won through a multitude of small, but significant victories. I couldn't agree more. Let me share with you some of those small victories that have happened here in town.
Bruce Kriete is a board member of the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center of Cleveland. He is a father of a gay son and a
lesbian daughter, and is a past president of Akron P-FLAG.
His son David died of AIDS, which has only served to heighten Kriete's commitment to equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. In that spirit of dedication Kriete was also a co-founder of our safe schools program, which provides training and resources to schools on issues related to the safety and development of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.
Series of events marks Pride! Kent's 30th year
Kent, Ohio-Pride! Kent is commemorating its 30th anniversary with a series of events in April. The Kent State University group was founded as the Kent Gay Liberation Front in 1971, making it the nation's third oldest student organizations of its kind.
On Wednesday April 11, clergy and lay leaders will conduct a panel discussion and forum, "What the Bible Does/Doesn't Say About Homosexuality."
It will be held at 8 pm in
the governance chambers
of the Kent Student Cen-
ter, and is free and open to the public.
On Thursday April 12, at the regular 8 pm meet-
ing of Pride! Kent, Todd E. Mashlan, senior in ethnic heritage and religion studies and an Episcopal lay minister, will present a paper entitled "David and Jonathon: A Biblical Love Story."
On Thursday the 19th, Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) will be marked by the reading of Kaddish in memory of the gay and lesbian victims of the Nazi Persecutions at 7 pm on the plaza of the Kent Student Center. Then, at the regular Pride! Kent meeting at 8 pm, a video about gays and lesbians in the Holocaust will be viewed. This program is free and open to the public.
On Monday April 23—the start of Greek Week at KSU-Shane Windmeyer will offer a presentation on what it means to come out
and be out in the campus Greek system. Windmeyer is co-editor of Out on Fraternity Row and Secret Sisters, and co-founder of the Lambda 10 Project, an organization for out members of college fraternities and sororities. The presentation, from 3 to 6 pm in the governance chambers of the Kent Student Center, is $2 for non-KSU undergrads.
On Thursday the 26th, at the regular 8 pm
Pride! Kent meeting, founding members of the Kent Gay Liberation Front will be available to offer their reflections on the struggles to form the group, which is now the university's longest continuously operating student organization. This program is free and open to the public.
Several titles have been ordered that deal with the topics and issues related to the programs and events offered by Pride! Kent during the month of April, and are available in the KSU University Bookstore.
This series of events is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Departments of Political Science, Sociology and History, the Canterbury Club, Delta Lambda Phi and the Inter-Greek Programming Board.
Any questions may be directed to Pride! Kent program director Todd E. Mashlan at tmashlan@kent.edu or 330-672-2068, or 330-672-6355.
GLSEN founder Jennings to speak at Baldwin-Wallace
Berea, Ohio—This April, for their third annual spring conference, Baldwin-Wallace College Allies will welcome guest speaker Kevin Jennings, founder and national executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, with his presentation "American Dream."
school audience, and One Teacher in Ten: Gay and Lesbian Educators Tell Their Stories, a finalist for the 1995 Lambda Literary Award for best anthology.
BW
BALDWIN
WALLACE
Jennings will speak of his childhood growing up in Appalachia, and the experiences which led him to become one of the most visible people working for gay equality today. His talk addresses the primary issues of prejudice, self-respect, and understanding that affect all people. It will also delve into some of the hidden history of the gay and lesbian community.
COLLEGE
Jennings is a former history teacher and one of the leading figures in the gay equality movement. He has authored several books, including Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay and Lesbian History for High School and College Students, the first book of its kind designed specifically for a high
He has been featured on numerous national television and radio programs and has spoken at many college campuses. He is in his eleventh year directing GLSEN.
GLSEN is the fifth-largest gay civil rights organization in the country, and is the only national organization dealing with the unique issues encountered by sexual-minority teachers and students in our schools.
The conference will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 6 pm to 8 pm in the John Patrick Theatre, Kleist Center for Art and Drama, 95 E Bagley Rd., in the Cleveland suburb of Berea. It is free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged but not required. For individual or group reservations, e-mail Baldwin-Wallace College Allies at allies@bw.edu, or call 440-260-4895.
Kriete was recently honored by the Federation for Community Planning as a Most Treasured Volunteer for 2000. One of only six honorees in the city, Kriete received his award at the 88th annual public luncheon meeting of the Health and Human Services Institute on March 14.
Over 1,200 people from across northeastern Ohio attended this luncheon and heard the words lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender spoken from the podium for perhaps the first time ever. Our community's visibility was increased immeasurably by Kriete's presence on the stage.
Thank you once again, Bruce. You have done so much for us, and we hold you in our hearts:
The very next day two other P-FLAG parents came out to a very dif-
transgender were spoken from a podium for the first time.
These two great victories did not make the six o'clock news, or headlines in the Plain Dealer or the Advocate. But the ripples from these actions will go on and on, affecting people far beyond the two rooms in which they took place.
Folks from the Rotary Club have told the Libbys: "Thank you for taking this subject
The Center
ferent group of folks just across town. Bill and Marie Libby, whose daughter is a lesbian, spoke in front of the Cleveland Rotary Club about their journey of discovery and acceptance.
I was privileged to be in the audience as these two courageous people spoke honestly and eloquently to a group of their peers about a subject that is still very taboo. Once again, the words lesbian, gay, bisexual and
out of the shadows. Now we can begin to have honest conversations about gays and lesbians." Kreite's commitment to equal rights for gays and his visibility from the stage will open up conversations between people that might not have happened otherwise.
These victories took place because our allies, our families, love and believe in us.
Thank you to Bruce, Marie and Bill. Thank you to the thousands of other P-FLAG folks who work towards a future free of homophobia and prejudice. As long as there are people like you, we will one day realize our dream.
Linda Malicki is executive director of the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center of Cleveland.
Forum will discuss options for adoptive parenthood
Cleveland-An evening of information for gay and lesbian people interested in learning more about adoption will be presented Wednesday, April 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Hear from experts in the field regarding Ohio law and adoption, the adoption process, and where to find an agency that is supportive. Information on the adoption process in general, as well as specific contact information for area agencies will be available. A panel of gay and lesbian adoptive parents will also share their experience.
The event takes place at Case Western Reserve University's. Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, at the corner of Ford and Bellflower Rds., two blocks north of Mayfield and Euclid in Cleveland.
There is no cost for the evening. This
FROM OUR
event is sponsored by Adoption Network Cleveland, Bellefaire and the Mandel School, and with the support of Mandel's GLBT Student Caucus. For more information call Adoption Network Cleveland at 216-261-1511.
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HOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE
ARecipe for Safe Schools
PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
provides annual, mandatory training
for teachers,
counselors, librarians,nurses and Title IX
coordinators about sexual orientation and gender
identity, and on anti-gay bullying intervention.
WPFLAG
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Learn more with PFLAG of Greater Youngstown at: 2201 Goleta Ave., Youngstown, OH 44504 Help Hotline (24 hours) 330-747-2696 Email us at: PFlagy@gay.com www.angelfire.com/oh4/Pflagy/