GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

Ohio's Newspaper for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community • www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com Volume 24, Issue 4 August 15, 2008

ERIC RESNICK

Bar increases security

after man is attacked

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-An attack on a stalwart of Cleveland's LGBT, HIV and leather communities on August 2 led to calls for a boycott and increasing focus on security in and around the city's gay bars.

Jon Brittain, whose annual food drive collects thousands of dollars worth of donations for the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland Food Pantry, survived an attempted carjacking after leaving the Tool Shed/A Man's World nightclub at 11:30 pm.

While walking to his car, parked at the southwest corner of West 29th Street and Church Avenue, he passed two young men, who he believes are around 18 to 20 years old.

After getting in his car, he fastened his seatbelt and turned the engine on. Before he could shift into reverse, which would have automatically locked his Chevrolet HHR, the door was yanked open and a gun was put to his head.

"I turned off the engine and pulled the keys out," Brittain, a long-term survivor of HIV, said. "He yelled at me to leave the keys in and the car running, which means he wants the car too. So he told me to get out, they want my money."

Brittain complied, getting out of the car, but then kicked his assailant in the stomach and hit him twice in the head before the young man pistol-whipped him.

"After a while I got away from him and I went one way," he continued. "He tried to take something out of my car but there was nothing in there so they went the other way."

The former florist, who this year organized the Friday night "CLAW Rocks the Big Top" carnival event for the Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend, ran to a nearby store, Dean Rufus' House of Fun, where the police and an ambulance were called.

ANTHONY GLASSMAN

Jon Brittain received 16 stitches after a carjacking attempt.

It took half an hour for the ambulance to arrive, and the police still had not responded by 1:30 am.

At the hospital, Brittain got at least 16 stitches in his left temple and eyelid area.

"And then somehow I got a slash in my neck," he noted. "The nurse said if they had gone any deeper, I would not have made it."

Brittain got out of the hospital on August 4, and on August 6 he filed a police report.

Less than 14 hours after the attack, Gregory Erickson, another community member who worked on CLAW with Brittain, was calling for a boycott of the Tool Shed, A Man's World and their basement bar, Crossover.

Early e-mails called for the boycott to continue until owner Richard Husarick, sold the bars and the block-long building that houses them. In later missives, a cooler head prevailed and Erickson outlined a plan for increasing security at the bar and ejecting alleged hustlers and drug dealers.

Dean Rufus and Tom Bayne, who own Dean Rufus' House of Fun in the same building, joined in calls for increased security. They received a handwritten letter informing them that Husarick was ending their month-to-month lease

Continued on page 10

Inside This Issue

Equality Ohio's Kim Welter lists the group's high points this year in a "welcome circle" at the Equality Federation conference. Behind her is development manager Adam Leddy, deputy director Peter Caborn, and Garden State Equality director Steve Goldstein.

Little-known but influential group has Columbus conclave

by Eric Resnick

Columbus-One of the least commonly known but most influential organizations of the LGBT movement held its summer meeting in Columbus earlier this month.

This was the second time the 11-year-old Equality Federation had its annual conclave in Ohio. Ten years ago, a small group, including one of its founders, Mo Baxley of New Hampshire, gathered in some dormitory rooms at Ohio State University.

Columbus man seeks to be Ohio's second out judge

Page 2

Letters to the Edtion

Charlie's Calendar

Comics...

Saved by the Boyz

Page 8

Classifieds

This year's event was held at the Columbus Convention Center.

Throughout the four days from August 6 to 10, more than 120 LGBT activists from 34 state organizations and 21 allied groups were represented, making it the largest gathering of leaders of the LGBT movement.

"And there are funders in the room today," said Baxley. "There weren't any ten years ago."

"Collectively, we represent 3 million people," Baxley continued. "That's exciting stuff."

The federation provides resources for statewide organizations like Equality Ohio in fundraising, building capacity, peer support, data management, mentoring, and building professional relationships.

With its $1 million budget, the federation employs seven staffers.

Changed how the movement runs

Baxley said the existence of the federation has changed how the LGBT movement is organized. "As long as the states were alone, the national organizations could strong arm them," Baxley said. Baxley added, "People speak the truth when they say that the most important things happen at

the state level, not the national level."

Equality Ohio, a federation member, hosted the other groups. Its director, Lynne Bowman, has been a federation board co-chair since last year, and was re-elected for 2008-2009 at the meeting.

Other officers elected were Equality Federation Instititue chair Howard Bayless of Birmingham, Alabama, Federation vice chair Deon Young of Center Advocates of Wisconsin, Institute chair Alexis Blizman of Equality New Mexico, Secretary Ross Levi of Empire State Pride Agenda of New York, and treasurer Paul Scott of Equality Texas.

Federation executive director Toni Broaddus delivered a stateof-the-federation speech. She told the group that state organizations have grown to the point where their median budget is $200,000 and the average number of employees is four.

Broaddus said that next year, new software will be launched to build voter databases in all states.

"The federation's job is to help states find the resources to do their work and to make them more visible," Broaddus said. Broaddus said that during the Continued on page 5