GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

Ohio's Newspaper for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community • www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com Volume 24, Issue 23 May 8, 2009

ANTHONY GLASSMAN

International Ms. Leather Lamalani, left, talks with Mid-Atlantic LeatherSir Andy Liu before the Titleholders' cocktail reception on April 25 at the Wyndham Hotel.

Leatherfolk have a ball at the eighth CLAW gathering

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-Many events have found themselves behind the proverbial eight-ball during these rough economic times.

The Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend, however, used that ball as its logo, celebrating the eighth installment of the event.

With its host hotel fully booked months before the event and guests finding rooms in other nearby hotels, CLAW started off hot and heavy and stayed that way all weekend long.

The entire third floor of the

Wyndham Hotel was occupied by the Vendor Mart, registration, and a workout room with exercise equipment and free weights, which was new this year.

Throughout the weekend, trips to local attractions introduced the Cleveland Police Museum, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Progressive Field and other local sights and events to visitors from across the United States and Canada.

The parties also spread out across the city, at venues including Cocktails Cleveland, the Shed, the Leather Stallion

Inside This Issue

She keeps going, and going, and... Page 8

and the warehouse facility at Flex, which also hosted skills workshops.

Other educational programs and the BD/SM art show were held in the grand ballroom of the Wyndham, which also hosted a Saturday afternoon interview and discussion with International Mr. Leather Gary Iriza, who will step down at the end of this month, handing his title over to the winner of the Memorial Day competition in Chicago.

Iriza is the first Latino person to hold the title. He came to United States from Venezu-

Continued on page 4

Full marriage bills pass in Maine and New Hampshire

Page 4

Community Groups

Charlie's Calendar

Resource Directory Classifieds

6 11 ............. 12

Registry vote may not happen this year

by Eric Resnick

Cleveland-The city's new domestic partner registry opened May 7, and it appears it will stay open without challenge, at least until next year.

While one church is still circulating petitions to force the measure before voters, the black ministers who began the initiative effort seem to have backed away from it.

Cleveland City Councilor Joe Cimperman, who sponsored the ordinance, said the deadline has passed to submit signatures to put the issue on the September 8 city primary ballot. Registry foes are close to missing the November 3 election deadline, too.

According to the city's charter, once 5,000 valid signatures are turned in, council debates the matter and gets a chance to re-affirm its original vote before sending the initiative to the ballot.

Cimperman said that in June, council goes on its summer meeting schedule, which will further slow the already flexible pro-

cess.

Registry opponents, calling themselves the Cleveland Coalition of Churches, vowed to stop the measure shortly after council passed it in December. But they failed to turn in the 10,228 signatures needed for a referendum to halt it by the January 7 deadline.

They continued gathering signatures for a repeal initiative, which requires only 5,000 sig-

natures.

However, in late January, the registry got strong endorsements from the Cleveland NAACP, the Call and Post newspaper, and black community leaders including former council president George Forbes.

After that, the black ministers leading the opposition started

to back away. Organizer Rev. C. Jay Matthews of Mount Sinai Baptist Church said publicly through early February that signatures would be turned in "soon." But they never were, and he stopped making the declara-

tions.

Matthews was asked this week if rumors that the petition drive was over were true, and that there would be no ballot initiative.

"I am not sure. Will let you know," Matthews replied in an e-mail.

The registry opponents who still appear to be active are white anti-gay activists who have been at odds with Cleveland's LGBT community in the past.

They are, however, not as organized as the politically savvy black ministers.

Cleveland Families Count, one of two groups organized to preserve the registry, coordinated the events at City Hall for the registry's opening. They will now change their focus away from the registry to forming alliances with other community groups working for social justice, said LGBT Center director Sue Doerfer, the group's spokesperson.

"It doesn't look like we will need a campaign to save the registry this year," Doerfer said.

The group raised $1,200 to $1,500, according to Doerfer, some of which was to be spent on a May 7 rally for registering couples at City Hall.

Doerfer said 50 couples signed up to register on opening day.

The other group working to save the registry, Ask Cleveland, is continuing to identify LGBT positive voters throughout the city and raise money.

Ask Cleveland has at least 1,000 pro-LGBT voters, and raised $10,300 from 120 donors Continued on page 3

Two lesbian law profs on high court list

by Eric Resnick

Washington, D.C.--Two lesbian Stanford Law School professors are in the running to replace U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who is retiring the end of June.

The White House is being coy about names they are considering, refusing to confirm or deny any, but lesbian law professors Kathleen Sullivan and Pamela Karlan are considered contenders.

Within hours of Souter's announcement, the Gay and Les-

bian Victory Fund posted “Out lesbian a contender for Supreme Court" on its website, floating Sullivan's name. The group has been screening LGBT applicants and recommending candidates for admin. istration posts since election night 2008.

The New York Times and the National Journal also place Sullivan on a "short list."

Later, the online political magazine Politico reported that Karlan was also in the running.

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