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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE July 17, 2009

www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

eveningsout

A child's-eye view, through a cell-phone camera

by Anthony Glassman

Sometimes it just takes the right person in the proper place at the perfect time to take the mundane and turn it into art.

Dana Depew of Asterisk Gallery in Cleveland, for instance, turns children's alphabet blocks into comedic and artistic gold.

Other artists took the humble Polaroid and elevated its snapshots into something more.

Joel Grey, perhaps best known as the Emcee in the movie version of Cabaret,

photography, he found himself in a museum in Florida, longing to take photos of the curiosities he found there, but sadly Iwithout his Nikon.

photos in the collection, which is perhaps the first pocket-sized coffee-table book.

Underneath each picture is the date and time it was taken; there are no descriptions or involved titles, leaving it to the viewer's imagination to fill in the rest of the story.

Because of the vagaries of printing digital photographs, each image is necessarily quite small. Had they been blown up, enlarged, they would have become pixilated and lost resolution.

So, each photo is about 11⁄2" by 2", the

most seemingly inconsequential thing draws his eye, like a child picking out a pretty pebble from among thousands in a vacant lot.

Grey seems obsessed with paint; lines of spray-paint along a sidewalk, blobs of them on a wall, cars with odd coloring draw him like a magpie to a lost diamond earring.

The collection is also interesting in that it either gives one great insight into Grey's mind, or tells absolutely nothing about it, depending on one's interpretation. Regardless of which is true, one thing is obvious: he must be a wonderful person to know.

PowerHouse has issued some magnificent collections, and this is another. Easy to handle, incredibly affordable, any lover of beautiful things absolutely must have Joel Grey's 1.3.

accomplishes a similar feat in his new monograph 1.3 (PowerHouse, slipcased hardcover, $29.95).

After releasing two previous books of

Polls

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polled said they have a close friend or relative who is gay or lesbian.

Quinnipiac also found that Ohioans' support for marriage equality is growing, and that the growth seems to come from those previously undecided.

Between the summers of 2007 and 2009, marriage support increased from 23 to 28 percent. Those who favor civil unions remained at 29 percent, and those who want no legal recognition for same-sex couples tied at 36 and 37 percent respectively. The undecided dropped from 11 percent two years ago to 8 percent.

The idea that same-sex marriage is a "threat to traditional marriage between a man and woman" is fading, the poll showed: 59% rejected it.

But 41 percent of Ohioans believe that being gay or lesbian is a choice, and 50% think society is paying too much attention to the needs of lesbians and gays.

Of Quinnipiac's 48 questions, ten dealt specifically with LGBT equality. The others covered Gov. Ted Strickland's popularity, compared him to possible opponents, and asked about slot machines at racetracks.

The survey also found that age, political party, religion, gender and education are factors in attitudes about LGBT equality. Democrats and independents are sig-

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Being a resourceful person, he used the only tool at his disposal the 1.3 megapixel camera in his Nokia cell phone.

As a reasonable man, he feared about the quality of the photos. He couldn't control the aperture speed, he had no settings he could alter.

However, after looking at them, he realized that giving up that control was similar to "collaborating with a power larger than yourself."

He took eight months to snap all the

nificantly more LGBT equality affirming than Republicans in nearly all categories. Age is also a factor: 18-34year-olds are more supportive of LGBT equality than those over 55.

Women view their LGBT neighbors slightly more favorably than men.

A college degree increases one's favorability toward LGBT equality consistently by 8 to 12 points, but income levels produced little differences.

Consistently, Quinnipiac found that respondents identified as white evangelical Christians are the most hostile to LGBT equality by 10 to 20 points, compared to Catholics and those affiliated with mainline Protestant denominations.

Earlier poll showed 71% support

Many of Quinnipiac's findings track those from a poll commissioned by the Equality Ohio Education Fund last winter.

That poll, conducted by Glegariff Group, surveyed 600 Ohio voters between February 5-7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

The published results of Equality Ohio's poll, which was more narrow in scope that the Quinnipiac one, show a little more support for EHEA. They match the university's findings of a general trend toward LGBT support, compared to 2006.

Equality Ohio's poll showed gen-

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way one might imagine it would be to see through a child's eyes again. And that is a somehow appropriate comparison, as Grey, despite being 77, has a remarkably youthful view of the world. The smallest,

eral support for EHEA at 71 percent, up from 68 percent in 2006.

Differences between the two can be accounted for by the margins of error, and that the two polls asked the questions differently.

Equality Ohio asked if voters would be more or less likely to vote for a legislator who voted for EHEA. Of those, 43 percent said they would be more likely, 23 percent said they would be less likely and 26 percent said it made no difference. These findings show a 3 percent change in favor of legislators who support EHEA over those of 2006.

The February poll also shows Ohioans trending toward LGBT equality in adoption rights and employment benefits.

Both polls strongly suggest that a vote for EHEA is a safe vote for all legislators except for a few in the most

Party

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Scott Stettin and Meredith Pangrace's unique home and terrace overlooking the lake were a constant source of conversation during the day, and when the program started shortly after 4 pm, their comments on supporting the LGBT community in its quest for equality were warmly received.

They were followed by Cimperman and Romanoff, who brought bouquets of flowers for the board of directors, Stettin and Pangrace and other dignitaries, including Councilor Michael Polensek, in whose ward the affair took place.

Afterwards, Cimperman took control of the afternoon, presiding over the live auction. In a mere four items, he brought in $11,700.

socially conservative districts, as described by Qinnipiac's findings.

"In general, all polling is showing that Ohio is changing," said Equality Ohio director Lynne Bowman. “It's a matter of time."

"Since 2004," Bowman said, "the work done by LGBT people and allies to educate their families, co-workers and friends is making a difference."

EHEA, also known as H.B. 176, passed the House State Government Committee on June 17 and is awaiting consideration by the full chamber.

Bowman said she has commitments from House leadership that the bill will be voted on soon-after lawmakers return from summer recess in September or October.

"We can't be lulled into thinking that opponents of the bill will be taking the summer off," Bowman said. “We need to keep the pressure on, too."

One of the prizes in the live auction was a gourmet cooking class with Sferra.

The other three all involved travela trip to Arizona with a week's stay in a house next to executive director Sue Doerfer's parents, a trip to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, and a jaunt to New York City to see David Letterman and

more.

"The 20th garden party was the best yet!" said Doerfer afterwards. "The beautiful afternoon was filled with sunshine and support for the LGBT community center."

Zaller was also impressed that, although ticket prices stayed the same as last year, attendance increased.

In all, the event raised around $30,000 for the Cleveland LGBT Center and its programs for youth, seniors, financial planning, health and other issues.