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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

March 27, 2009 www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

letterstotheeditors

Smoke away the national debt

To the Editors:

The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this month on the "failed drug war and violence... involving 45,000 Mexican military personnel and 6,290 drug-related murders in Mexico last year." A McClatchy Newspapers headline read, "Teen hands out thousands after finding drug money."

It boggles the mind to imagine the amount of money we pay our Border Patrol officers and other law enforcement officials in this failed, life-threatening effort. Legalize, grow, harvest, tax and control the sale of marijuana, now. Smoke away the national debt. Invest hedge funds in stocks of snack food companies ice cream, frozen pizzas, flavored nacho chips, etc. No Ponzi scheme here!

Read the car collision reports in the U.S. I

bet we'd find alcohol use is primarily involved. I have yet to hear of a motor vehicle homicide or accident involving only marijuana-you're too lazy to get off the couch to drive stoned. Yet, we have beer and wine drive-throughs. How stupid is that? Sit in your loaded-gun-on-wheels and buy a mindand reaction-slowing drug, along with a carton of cigarettes (another highly-addictive drug).

Let our government actually do something smart. Take out the middle-man by being the middle-man-we already are with liquor sales. Put farmers to work. Those in Ohio-Meigs County is pot growers' heaven would reap the harvest in a variety of ways. Jobs would stimulate the local economy. The ripple effect would spread. Pot smokers buy pot, tax money is collected. State pot stores pay workers. The workers

communitygroups

have jobs and money to stimulate their local economy. Ripple, ripple, ripple.

Pot smoking has been going on for centuries. It's been found in ancient gravesites. There is enough empirical data to show legalizing marijuana would not increase crime. Those who want pot are already getting it now, via a crime-ridden network and failed drug policy. Others needing medicinal marijuana for glaucoma and debilitating arthritis would also benefit.

Put in place a Phase One Trial (POT for short). Have government control over the growing, harvesting, distribution, taxing and sales for an established period of time. If all goes well-decreased marijuana-related violence and bloated potato chip bellies then POT Phase Two. Keep it in force. Collect the taxes and smoke away the national debt.

Unite and celebrate on June 20

by Jen Beehler

June 28, 1969, Greenwich Village, New York City.

On this pivotal date in history, a determined group of people stood up to the tyrannical raids of the New York police force, and in doing so, ignited the first battle for gay and lesbian rights.

The Cleveland Pride Parade and Festival Committee has chosen to remember this momentous event, reflected in its Equality Through Unity theme for 2009. Reminiscing on the past 40 years of gay rights activism enables us to quantify how far the LGBT community has come in its struggle for acceptance and equality.

Equality through Unity is a reflection of our society. We understand that we are in the midst of difficult times, and if we unify, we can change the tide. We can all fight but it is only when we stand up together that the battle is won. Cleveland Pride hopes to reunite all

branches of the LGBT population in Northeast Ohio so that we may become a commanding force in our city, state and country.

Many significant events have occurred over the years that have resulted in high visibility for the gay community. Most recently:

On February 11, 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declared that allowing certain people to marry and not others was unacceptable. He ordered the clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to all.

On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legally acknowledge full same-sex marriage.

On November 15, 2008, 300 supporters of LGBT rights stood at the Free Stamp in downtown Cleveland in the pouring rain to join a worldwide protest to repeal the passage of Proposition 8 in California which denies gays and lesbians the right to marry.

On December 8, 2008, Cleveland's city council passed a domestic partnership regis-

Robert Toth Cleveland

try. This measure helps LGBT and unmarried people to share insurance as domestic partners. This measure is not marriage and it is not equality, but it is the foundation that will anchor the call for civil liberties in Cleveland.

This is your call to action. Today is a new day a day born out of the blood, sweat and tears of all those who came first. June 20, 2009 is a day to stand up and take what is rightfully ours. Execute your constitutional right of assembly and march through Cleveland, declaring our place in this country. Use your right of free speech to declare justice.

On June 20, 2009 we celebrate, we unite and we embark on a new wave of civil unity unprecedented in history.

To sponsor or volunteer for pride contact executiveboard@clevelandpride.org. For more information, go to www.cleveland pride.org.

Jen Beehler is a volunteer with Cleveland Pride.

Tickets open for Akron Pride Center dinner

Akron-You can now purchase tickets to the Akron Area Pride Collective's 2009 annual dinner on Sunday, April 4 at the Greek Community Center.

The center, adjacent to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, is close to downtown and the University of Akron at 129 South Union Street.

The evening starts at 6 pm with a social hour and silent auction. A buffet dinner is served at 7p.m. followed by our annual meeting and ending with a dance. An open bar of soft drinks, beer and wine will be available throughout the evening.

The theme for the evening is "Building Pride in Our Neighborhoods." The Akron Area Pride Collective understands how important it is to have a neighborhood that supports its LGBT community and the Pride Center wishes to honor that sense of community togetherness. One of the centerpieces of the annual meeting will be the recognition of a Pride Center volunteer, an LGBT friendly community group, and member of the LGBT community. Join us as we proudly recognize these individuals.

Ticket purchases on the Akron Pride Center

website are for paperless tickets that will be held at the event for you. When you arrive at the event, check in with the name under which the tickets were purchased.

Multiple tickets can be purchased online at www.akronpridecenter.org/apcdinner.html. When you get to the PayPal page, simply change the quantity of tickets that you want to purchase. Tickets are $35, or $60 per couple, or $220 for a table of eight.

For more information, call 330-785-0088 or to go www.akronpridecenter.org.

CSU hosts all-day LGBT Forum

by Maya Simek

Cleveland-Bisexual author and activist Robin Ochs will present the keynote address at Cleveland State University's LGBT Forum on Friday, April 3.

The all-day, free event will introduce participants to the underlying concepts of the LGBT community including terminology and issues inherent in the community. Special focus will include the cost of discrimination; transgender myths and stereotypes; the evolution of local grassroots LGBT organizations and their impact on the nation; LGBT couple dynamics; and the decision to label.

Presented by the university's Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, GLBT Students Services and the Division of Continuing Education, the event, running from 9 am to 5:30 pm includes a number of other presenters.

Mika Major of the Cleveland LGBT Center will present "Understanding Sexual Orientation and the Cost of Bias," while TransFamily executive director Jake Nash will present on transgender issues.

CSU psychologist Bruce Menapace will give a presentation on "Relationships Between LGBT Couples" while Willow Witte, one of the founders of Join the Impact, will

discuss grassroots activism and its uses for the LGBT movement.

Ochs will give her presentation, "Crossing Lines: Identity and the Sexuality Spectrum."

Continuing education credits will be available for $30, although the forum is free to the general public.

It will be held in Fenn Tower on the campus of Cleveland State University, 1983 East 24th Street, Cleveland.

To register, call the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at 216-687-9265 or go to www.csuohio.edu/offices/odama/events/ 09glbtforum.html. Registration is required by March 31.

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Chronicle

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Registry's opening tops new center events Milestones

by Mika Major

Cleveland The Cleveland LGBT Center is abuzz with new activities and events for one and all.

Thursday, May 7 is a day packed full of celebration. That is the "300 Couples" Domestic Partnership Registry Challenge from our ally in City Council, Joe Cimperman.

"This signals an important step for all of

Cleveland and our neighbors," says Cimperman. On May 7 at 9 am, all unmarried couples may come to City Hall and register as domestic partners for the first time. This long overdue chance to be counted and take an important step to protect your loved ones has been hard-fought and is a signal to all other communities that progress is being made.

The center is training the city's registration staff to make your process worry-free, and the

staff and volunteers of the center and Pilgrim UCC will be in red and on hand all day to welcome you.

At 12 noon on the steps of City Hall, a rally will commence with presentations by Cimperman and Coulcilor Matt Zone. Reverend John Tumillio III of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Tremont will announce a new nation-

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