GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

May 21, 2010 • www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

letterstotheeditors

Boy Scout ban cuts a wide swath

To the Editors:

In a May 7 News Brief, "Court: Boy Scouts are a religious group," you said, "The Boy Scouts of America bar gay men from leadership positions."

I would like to remind your readers that they also disallow the membership of gay and atheist children. They have also barred lesbians from being Cub Scout leaders.

Let us all work toward making the Boy Scouts available to all America's youth. Thomas Reke Akron

Why is bareback porn at CLAW?

To the Editors:

Last month, I attended CLAW, the Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend, for the first time in three years.

I had been involved in the past, doing photography for the event, participating in the art shows donating my work to the auctions.

At that point, the prevalence of booths selling bareback porn bothered me, not the fact it was being sold in and of itself (everyone has the right to do as they wish) but that an event raising money for HIV and AIDS charities would raise money in that manner. It seemed a bit contradictory to me. At that point I withdrew my support as the chairman of CLAW, Bob Miller, whom I contacted at the time, could only see it as a censorship issue and nothing else, and at that time there was little to no safe sex education present at the event.

I went back this year hoping things had changed, but the event was not only selling booth space to vendors of BB porn, it passed out bareback DVDs in the registration packets, and gave them away as prizes.

I again contacted Miller, and again it was characterized as a censorship issue. I was told that in receiving the donations, they had to be used or given out, or it amounted to censorship.

This makes no sense to me at all.

I realize bareback porn doesn't cause HIV, nor does it force one to go out and have unsafe sex, but I do feel it in many ways legitimizes it to a generation that hasn't seen the horrors of the past.

Giving out bareback porn to unwary, or even unwilling, participants amounts to promotion of that sort of sex, in my opinion. In speaking to others at the eventthose who enjoy watching BB porn-there was a feeling that it was a very odd thing to do.

even

I was glad to see that CLAW does provide space at this point for safe sex booths, and has signage around the bathrooms saying CLAW supports safe sex.

If that is their view, why the contrary message in allowing the booths and the gifts? Why not stand up for what one believes in?

This makes no sense to me either.

Even with the education booths present at the Recon-sponsored evening parties, bareback sex could be seen in abundance.

I realize there are many pros and cons to this issue, but if you feel strongly one way or the other, please take the time to let your views be known. CLAW board members may be contacted https://secureagent.net/claw/

via

contact.php.

I personally choose to continue support my charities of choice, but will not do so any longer via CLAW.

I would also wonder about vendors, supporters of CLAW such as Mr S Leather,

I applaud CLAW for doing something

To the Editors:

I'm writing in response to Paul Kubek's letter [also sent to CLAW].

The topic of bareback porn is bringing out pervasive dialogue around a pervasive disease. People are talking more about HIV and what is behind the continued high HIV rates among men who have sex with men. And that dialogue is great!

Working at an HIV health organization, I initiated conversations about bareback porn with passionate, educated people who work in the HIV-related field. The replies were all over the map, from "Banning BB porn will help lower HIV transmission rates much like banning smoking from television lowered smoking rates," and "The message of banning BB porn won't reach everyone-what are we doing to reach everyone?" to "Banning BB porn will just add more shame to what puts people at risk for HIV and that historically just creates more problems."

So what should CLAW do? Honestly, I'm not sure, but I will continue to listen, brainstorm and come to the July CLAW board meeting with ideas. But I do hope that CLAW continues to push the envelope as to

Leatherworks, Recon.com, Square Pegs what a sex-positive, pro-kink leather event

Toys, the Steel City Bondage Club, the Hellfire Club, MAUL among others, and the charity recipients including the Cleveland LGBT Center, the AIDS Taskforce of Cleveland, the Jon Brittain Food Pantry at the AIDS Taskforce, MetroHealth Pride Center, Camp Sunrise, Violet's Cupboard, Equality Ohio, the Leather Archives and Museum, Mama Reinhart's Emergency Breast Care Fund, Leather Leadership Conference, the NCSF's Institute for 21st Century Relationships and the national P-FLAG organization are they aware of this policy?

Their e-mails are all available on the web should anyone wish to ask them their feelings directly. I have.

Please spread the word. Perhaps with the right communication CLAW can step up to this issue even more than it has and open the lines of communication to all, not just the board of CLAW who feel it's a simple censorship issue.

WENDY S. ROSETT

Paul Kubek Detroit, Michigan

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Windsong

Cleveland's Feminist Chorus.

A 30-Year Journey Karen Weaver, Artistic Director

Spring Concert Comin' Into Our Years

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.

The Church of the Covenant 11205 Euclid Avenue in University Circle (Free parking in church lot and Ford Ave. garage to the east)

Advance tickets: $12

Students & Seniors: $10, advance only

Available from any Windsong member, or on our website: www.windsongchorus.org or call 216-952-6294.

At the door: $15 (all)

can be and that the topic of BB porn doesn't diffuse the energy it takes to put on this

event.

With everything in mind, I applaud CLAW for doing something. A 100% volunteer organization as large as CLAW is extremely vulnerable to critique. I intend to focus on solutions: Offer more HIV education in unique ways; provide play spaces that encourage exploration of kink over simply a place to fuck; more demos at our many supporting bars so we can provide a safe setting for learning hot ways to explore safer sex. and raise money! (FYI-CLAW has now raised over a quarter of a million dollars for important community charities, including over $40,000 for the AIDS Taskforce of Cleveland.)

I also applaud Paul Kubek for doing something. He is clearly passionate about HIV. The real solution to the growing HIV epidemic is for all of us to do something: talk to our friends who might be at risk for HIV, treat everyone with respect regardless of status and encourage testing for HIV. Until there's a cure-and beyond.

Dave Watt Mr. Friendly's Dad CLAW Board of Directors Kalamazoo, Michigan

Nancy Marcus, S.J.D.

Attorney at Law

Berkman, Gordon, Murray & DeVan

Constitutional Law and Civil Rights

Criminal Defense Trial and Appellate Practice. Personal Injury Medical Malpractice General Civil Practice

Free Initial Consultation

(216) 781-5245 nmarcus@bgmdlaw.com

55 Public Square, Suite 2200 Cleveland, OH 44113-1949

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