GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

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August 28, 2009 www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

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13 groups receive money from CLAW

by Donn Wolfe

Cleveland-The CLAW board of directors is proud to announce it has distributed the $30,000 profit from the eighth Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend, held this past April, to 13 very worthy charities.

Recipients are:

• The Cleveland LGBT Center

The AIDS Taskforce of Cleveland

•The Jon Brittain Food Pantry at the Taskforce

• Metro Health Pride Clinic

• Camp Sunrise

• Violet's Cupboard

•

Equality Ohio

• The Leather Archives and Museum

• Mama Reinhart's Emergency Breast Care Fund

• Leather Leadership Conference, Inc.

• Leather Leadership Conference XIV (in Detroit next April)

• The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom's Institute for 21st Century Relationships

• P-FLAG, Parents Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, national

To date, CLAW has donated over $185,000 to community charities.

CLAW also elected Steve Tompa of Charleston, W.V.; and re-elected Jim DeLong of Cleveland and Jeff Willoughby of Chicago to its board of directors.

All three have played significant roles in CLAW's success over the years, as sponsors,

coordinators, educators and fundraisers. Each will be coordinating part of CLAW 9 next year, along with directors Dennis McMahon, Tina MacCay, Richard Randa, Jack Galileo,

The CLAW 8 executive committee enjoys a moment on the Leather Stallion's patio August 16, after the group announced donations from the 2008 event. From left are Bob Miller, Tina McCay and Dennis McMahon.

John Beckman of Columbus, Dave Watt of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Randy Wrisinger of Detroit, Mike Zuhl of Pittsburgh and CLAW

Chairman Robert Miller, who is from southwest Michigan.

The group also elected its corporate officers for 2009-2010: President Dennis McMahon, vice president John Beckman, secretary Donn Wolfe and treasurer Jack Galileo.

Wolfe, who runs Leather-Links.net and was webmaster and convention services manager for CLAW 8, was elected to the CLAW 9 three-member executive committee, joining MacCay and Miller. He will again be in charge of overseeing the planning and operation of all of the activities and events, participant registration, volunteers, and the information/database services for the executive committee.

CLAW 9 will be held at the Wyndham Hotel and surrounding areas in downtown Cleveland on April 22-25, 2010. Tickets and hotel rooms will be available in mid-October. Book your room early if you want to be at the Wyndham.

All these formal votes aside, most of the planning and work of CLAW is done by the coordinators of the annual event. Please consider joining us! Many talented people in the community are already on board, but we are looking for additional coordinators and other volunteers to help plan and coordinate CLAW 9. For more information, contact CLAW through their website,

www.clawinfo.org.

Donn Wolfe is the secretary of CLAW.

March on Washington is a go for October 11

by Loch Powell

Washington, D.C.Equality Across America, a new grassroots network calling for federal action to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, has moved forward with plans for a national march on Washington on Sunday, October 11.

Major national LGBT organizations including the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches have endorsed the march, as have local and state grassroots organizations like Join the Impact Chicago, One Struggle One Fight and Freedom Democrats of Miami-Dade.

October 11 has been observed as "National Coming Out Day" since 1988. As well, this year commemorates the 30th anniversary of the first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979.

"We're marching this October to demand action from the federal government to protect our rights in all fifty states," said Kip Williams, one of the organizers. "Real equality can only come from the president, the Congress and the Supreme Court."

Equality Across America brings together veteran movement activists such as David Mixner, Torie Osborn, Cleve Jones, Anne Northrop and Nadine Smith, with new organizers like Williams and Robin McGehee, who lead the successful "Meet in the Middle" rally in Fresno, California following the California Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8.

"We've got people from the Stonewall generation to the Facebook generation working together to win real equality," said

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McGehee. "We're tired of compromises and delays."

The march in the nation's capital is necessary to help supporters of equality focus their attention on the federal government after decades of work at the state and local level, according to Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

"The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law, but LGBT Americans are still denied that protection, now is the time to push for real equality, in all matters governed by civil law," he said.

Lt. Dan Choi, also a member of the march steering committee, is working to ensure a strong presence by LGBT and straight veterans at the march. "The majority of Americans reject discrimination in the armed forces, it's time for Congress and the Administration to move on this and all issues of equality for LGBT Americans."

Equality Across America pledges more than a march and has begun recruiting volunteers in all 435 US Congressional Districts to pressure members of the House of Representatives.

"We want to bring together all the different groups that support equality: young and old, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, people of all races, faiths and backgrounds from every corner of this country" said Corey Johnson of New York. "We want every member of Congress to know that there are LGBT people and our allies in every single district."

Equality Across America has also reached out specifically to HIV and AIDS activists, interfaith leaders and youth organizers to create independent events during the weekend in DC,

as well as to state equality associations to build local actions throughout the US in conjunction with the march for those who cannot travel to DC on October 11.

"The, LGBT struggle for equality is the civil rights movement of the 21st century," says pioneer activist and City Commissioner Nicole-Murray Ramirez of San Diego.

Ramirez, who has been a part of every national march for LGBT rights since 1979, says, "History has proven for us to achieve full equality we must be engaged in the suites of political power and the streets of activism."

The National Equality March is scheduled to begin at 12 noon on October 11. The exact route of the march is still being negotiated with the D.C. authorities. Organizers are building partnerships with other groups to create workshops, trainings, seminars and teach-ins throughout the weekend.

Parties, concerts and other entertainment are being actively discouraged.

"It's not about another party, it's about getting to work," said Kip Williams.

The march and district lobbying campaign are directed by a national steering committee of over 60 members from throughout the nation, reflecting the diversity of the LGBT community. Operating under the auspices of the Tides Center, Equality Across America is a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization. For more information, go to www.nationalequalitymarch.com. ✓

Loch Powell is a member of the executive planning committee of the National Equality March.

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