GAY PEOPLE'S
Chronicle
Ohio's Newspaper for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community www.GayPeoples Chronicle.com Volume 25, Issue 2 July 17, 2009
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Bringing the Gay
Games to town
Bid to host 2014 event features Frivolity' at the Rock Hall
thony Glassman
Cleveland-The effort to bring the Gay Games to northeast Ohio in 2014 has one last hurdle to leap before the decision is made in September.
The site selection committee will visit Cleveland and Akron in the last days of July, with a gigantic celebration at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as the centerpiece of the visit.
Of the five cities originally expected to bid on hosting the 2014 Gay Games, only Cleveland, Boston and Washington, D.C. remain. London never submitted their letter of intent, and Miami withdrew their bid.
The site selection committee will fly into Cleveland on Thursday, July 30. At Cleveland Hopkins International
Airport, they will be met by airport administrators before going to the hospitality area to be greeted by the Cleveland Synergy Council.
The council is the group of people organizing the bid, coordinated by the Cleveland Synergy Foundation.
A private rapid-transit train, filled with Regional Transit Authority directors, will take them to Tower City and the Ritz Carlton.
Over the following two days, they will see the "Cleveland +" area, primarily Cleveland and Akron.
The biggest event, designed to truly impress them, will be Frivolity, a free party for the community involving some of the area's best and brightest LGBT and allied performers. Continued on page 2
Ohioans favor equality bill, two polls show
by Eric Resnick
Hamden, Connecticut-A new poll shows strong support for the Equal Housing and Employment Non-Discrimination Act now in the Ohio House, and a general trend of Ohio voters toward LGBT equality.
The results echo those of another poll done last winter.
The June Quinnipiac University poll found that 57% of voters support EHEA, with 35% opposing it. When the question was changed slightly to explain that the bill bans discrimination "against gays and lesbians just as the law bans such discrimination based on race, gender, national origin and religion," support grew to 59%, with 32% against. In both cases, the percentage of
undecided voters was 8.
The measure also prohibits discrimination by gender identity. It covers public and private employment, housing and public accommodations.
Quinnipiac, which has become a respected and reliable public researcher, surveyed 1,259 Ohio voters between June 26 and July 1 on LGBT equality, among other statewide issues. It has a margin of error of ±2.8 percent.
When asked if EHEA would create "special rights" for gays and lesbians, voters said "No" 57 to 33 percent with 10 percent undecided, casting doubt on the viability of a top antigay talking point.
Fifty-nine percent of those Continued on page 6
Inside This Issue
SANDRA BERNHARD
ANTHONY GLASSMAN
Councilor Joe Cimperman, right, and his wife Nora Romanoff present flowers to the Garden Party hosts, Meredith Pangrace and Scott Stettin.
Lake setting adds charm to center's 20th garden party
by Anthony Glassman
Cleveland-For any nonprofit organization, having an event reach the 20-year mark is a major accomplishment.
Having the 20th anniversary of a fundraiser be one of the most successful, despite an economy in recession, is almost as miraculous as a second year of clement weather and sunshine for an outdoor gathering.
Both feats, however, were accomplished by the Cleve-
Fourth of July attacks send 3 Columbus men to the hospital
Community Groups
Charlie's Calendar
Classifieds....
Who you know Page 5
Resource Directory.............
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land LGBT Center's Garden Party on July 12, returning for the second year to the backyards of the Shore Acres neighborhood in North Collinwood, overlooking a glittering Lake Erie.
With a host committee comprised of 50 people, including Cleveland City Councilor Joe Cimperman and his wife Nora Romanoff and Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, the event was paid for before the first ticket was purchased, so the 200 people who expressed their support by attending were immediately benefiting the cen-
ter.
Chef Bob Sferra of Culinary Occasions provided the feast, replete with salmon, vegetarian sushi, fresh fruit and 20th anniversary cupcakes, among other delicacies.
Outside of the "Pagoda House," sponsor and donor relations coordinator Mary Zaller greeted guests dressed in her finest chinoiserie, an elegant silk dress purchased in Toronto's Chinatown and baubles to match.
Behind the house, the backyard, and that of the neighbors
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on either side, was given over to the celebration, with a large canopy covering the silent auction items.
Artwork, gift baskets, services and other items were laid out on tables, and the bidding was fierce. Around $6,800 was raised on 25 items.
A new feature this year was a list of items that the center needs, along with their amounts. Guests could donate
to a specific cause instead of the more abstract notion of the center's general operating fund.
Among these concrete needs are folding chairs for the meeting rooms, bean bag chairs for the youth space, training in the database management software and other such necessities.
Flanking the silent auction were two bars, one providing soft drinks and wine, the other slinging martinis.
Behind it all was a stairwell leading to what was once a boathouse, now an escape for the owner of the home when his wife wants some peace and quiet.
Continued on page 6