GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

You're out!

Ohio's Newspaper for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community • www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

CHRIS NELSON

Eddie Lucarelli of the Cleveland Pro Refine team tags out a Cincinnati Shooters runner during the Midwest Invitational Softball Tournament on Labor Day weekend in Cincinnati.

Cleveland Pro Refine took the C-Recreational Division title in the tournament, held in Cincinnati for the first time this year. Shooters came in second in the division, followed by the Chicago Force. In C-Competitive, Toronto Fury took the title, followed by the Cincinnati Stray Cats and the Toronto Playmates.

D-Competitive saw Detroit Big Gay Dan's Animal Sanctuary team walk away with the win, followed by the Nashville Stars and the Detroit Lugnuts.

Finally, the Detroit Liberty Bar Rebels clinched the D-Recreational championship, with the Chicago Lucky Charmers and Toronto Nu Gladamens nipping at their heels.

Cincinnati Blue Bar won "Best Team Fans," while the Nu Gladamens won the Team Spirit award. Traditionally, the tournament has rotated between Cleveland, Columbus Detroit and Pittsburgh, but an increasing presence from Cincinnati led to the Queen City's inclusion as a host site. Next year's event will be in Detroit.

The following week, Cleveland players returned to the field for the North Coast Athletic Association's softball All-Star game, the last one of their season. Below, Mike Eging slams one out of the park for a home

run.

ROBERT OLAYAS

Inside This Issue

-Anthony Glassman and Robert Olayas

A single donor covers half of the National Equality March's budget Page 3

Community Groups

4

Charlie's Calendar

5

Drag and Tupperware go together with a snap

Resource Directory .......

8

Classifieds .....

11

Page 6

Volume 25, Issue 7 September 25, 2009

Equality bill passes

House in historic vote Measure may have a harder time in Senate

by Eric Resnick

Columbus-The Ohio House passed an LGBT equality bill on September 15, the first time any measure like it has come to a vote in either chamber of the General Assembly.

The Equal Housing and Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed 56 to 39. It was the first bill the House took up after returning from summer break.

The measure would bar discrimination by sexual orientation and gender identity in public and private employment, housing and public accommodations.

Governor Ted Strickland supports the bill and would sign it into law.

EHEA now moves to the Senate, where it may have a more difficult time.

Twenty-one states have similar laws on the books, 14 of which include gender identity. Sixteen Ohio cities and all but two of its public universities also have such

measures.

The House vote ended months of behind-the-scenes drama and negotiation that included Democratic Party in-fighting over when the time was right for the vote and how it might impact future races in swing districts, plus Republicans working to keep the bill from coming to the floor at all.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce also tried to add amendments to weaken Ohio's existing anti-discrimination laws and advance their tort reform agenda, which would have led many Democrats to vote against a measure they otherwise supported.

In the end, House Speaker Armond Budish of Beachwood

prevailed against conservatives in his own party and brought the measure to the floor, keeping his promise to the LGBT community last summer.

Every Democrat present voted for the bill, joined by five Republicans.

"This win would not have been possible without years of hard work and dedication to change from activists across Ohio," said Equality Ohio director Lynne Bowman.

But Bowman also warned, "We're just at the bottom of the third inning. The even harder work of passage in the Senate, and then possibly concurrence and conference committee, begins now."

Senate leader sees no need for bill

Senate President Bill Harris of Ashland has made conflicting statement about his intentions with the bill.

In May spokesperson Maggie Ostrowski told the Gay People's Chronicle that Harris will "refer it to a standing committee" once it arrives, and would comment no further.

A few days later Ostrowski updated the statement, after discussing it more with Harris.

"He said that he will consider HB 176 when it is in the Senate," Ostrowski said.

Because of Senate procedures, the change was thought to be a small move by Harris to allow hearings and a conscience vote by Senate Republicans.

If all Senate Democrats vote for the bill, only five Republicans need to join them to pass it.

But after the bill cleared the House, Harris told the Columbus Continued on page 2

City to grant $700K if Games come here Selection to be made September 29

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-The city's bid to host the 2014 Gay Games got another boost on September 14 when Cleveland City Council approved a $700,000 grant to assist the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission in putting on the event.

The money comes from the repayment of city loans made to development projects in the 1980s and 1990s, primarily large downtown sites.

It will only be spent if the Federation of Gay Games selects Cleveland as the host city for 2014. That decision will be made during the organization's annual

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meeting in Cologne, Germany, from September 26 to October 2, with the vote on September 29.

The Cleveland Synergy Foundation is working with the city of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga County commissioners, Positively Cleveland and the Akron-Summit Convention and Visitor's Bureau to bring the Games to northeast Ohio.

Cleveland's $700,000 comes in addition to $1.3 million in inkind donations, such as police and other logistical support, plus facilities like Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Supporters of the bid believe Continued on page 11