GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

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

UPTOWN

SPORTS BARCEL

CINDY MARTINEZ

Toledo Pride volunteer Rick Cornett joins Bill Harter, right, on a parade float as two marchers accompany them on foot.

Rock and politics come together at HRC dinner and auction

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-The 18th annual Human Rights Campaign gala dinner and auction brought politicians ock stars together with the LGBT community in a unique way on August 27.

It was the second year in a row that the HRC's Cleveland Steering Committee held the event at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center, which is also I what engendered the event's move to the end of summer. While it is traditionally held in spring, the first available Saturday on the Wolstein Center's schedule was on August 27.

"We supplemented it this year with the Dare2Care event on May 1 that HRC co-sponsored," said dinner co-chair Michael Smithson.

Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of the Pretenders rock band and an Akron restaurateur, was given the Ally for Equality award at the banquet. She is originally

from Ohio, although the Pretenders were formed in England.

Cleveland Ward 3 councilor Joe Cimperman, who has championed and spearheaded much of the city's pro-gay activity over the last few years, was given the Leadership Award, while Progressive Insurance received the Corporate Ally Award.

Instead of focusing on a single keynote speaker and giving out awards, this year instead saw the spotlight on the award recipients, as well as Sen. Sherrod Brown.

"Instead of having a keynote speak for 15 minutes, we broke it up this time," Smithson said.

While final numbers for the evening are not yet available, Smithson estimated the crowd at 630 to 640 people, nearly a hundred more than last year. "Realistically, we probably had about seven extra tables this year," he said.

LEATHERMAN

The Legend of Chuck

Renslow

At the regular ticket price of $175-some paid more, some less-that attendance would raise about $110,000, before the auction and expenses, for the Washington, D.C. LGBT lobby organization.

Smithson also noted that the evening was often quite emotional. "Several times throughout the evening, people were moved to emotion, even tears," he said.

He pointed to a friend of his who was able to openly attend the event because of the end of the military's gay ban.

"As you know, 'don't ask, don't tell' was repealed, and a good friend of mine who sat at my table was able to come to the dinner in his uniform," Smithson noted. "Sen. Sherrod Brown came over a couple of tables and shook his hand."

His

friend received continued on page 2

Volume 27, Issue 6 September 9, 2011

First Pride parade in a dozen years

Toledo procession adds to second annual Pride festival

by Anthony Glassman

Toledo-Northwest Ohio saw its first Pride parade in over a dozen years on August 27, led by grand marshals Hershae Chocolatae and Toledo councilor Steve Steel.

The parade set off at 2 pm from Washington and St. Clair, making its way to Promenade Park on the banks of the Maumee River, where it let out into the Community Connection Carnival.

This year's Toledo Pride saw the first gay pride parade in the city since 1998. The Glass City had a series of Pride parades beginning in 1995 and ending three years later.

Rick Cornett, a volunteer with Toledo Pride who has been instrumental in connecting the Toledo LGBT community with its local media, especially the Toledo Free Press, was almost euphoric following the second Toledo Pride Festival and its first parade in over a decade.

"It was quite long and included schools, church groups, political figures, corporate sponsors, the Toledo Free Press, gay bars, support groups, et cetera," he said of the parade. "The streets were lined with young and old people supporting the local LGBT community. It was so nice to see parents out with gay children and entire families."

"I was honored and proud to take my mother with me to both the parade and festival," Cornett continued.

Perhaps most notably, the parade and festival had no anti-gay protesters, which is almost unheard of in Ohio LGBT Pride events.

Cornett notes that the event's overall success is most certainly due to the people involved.

"I think overall both the parade and festival went very, very well," he noted. "It was well planned out and organized by the committee and all the volunteers who worked it."

Cornett, like many others, volunteered for this year's festival, but wants to take a more prominent role in upcoming events. "I served as a volunteer and

Inside This Issue

Simonese to leave Huma

Rights Campaign

Renslow biography is a fitting

tribute to a pioneer of leather

Page 6

hope to join the official committee soon," he said.

Next year's event will be held on August 25, and planning meetings will begin early in the new year. Anyone interested in being involved, whether it be as a volunteer, on the board, as a vendor or entertainer, can go to www.toledopride.com.

"It was so liberating to see so many people come together as one and celebrate the spirit, equal rights and unity of the Toledo gay community," Cornett said.

The parade and festival showed that unity, put on by the combination of the Pride of Toledo Foundation, Equality Toledo and Outskirts bar. Cornett is no stranger to being involved with LGBT groups and events in the city, having spent years helping organize the Holiday with Heart charity dinners in December.

In addition to the board and volunteers, Toledo Pride's community connection carnival was graced by dozens of entertainers, ranging from internationallyknown singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bitch to drag performers like the Bois with Outskirts and Blayke Shooter, Makayla Sinclaire Styles, Amber Stone, Thunderpussy, Deja D. Dellataro and musical acts Kyle White, Spectrum, No Excuses, the Shiz, What's Next, Arctic Clam and Shelly McWulf.

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the entertainment line-up was the amount of talent on the Pride committee. Headed by Outskirts co-owner Lexi Staples, her friend Torie Thorne served as parade coordinator. Sherry Tripepi, the Community Connection Carnival coordinator, has facilitated support groups and been involved pretty much everywhere the LGBT community has been in Toledo for years.

University of Toledo campus LGBT activist Gina Vidal was the entertainment coordinator, and Kelly Heuss, media and communications coordinator, also runs continued on page 2

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