HIGH GEAR/OCTOBER 1977

Page 10

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THERE'S A PARTY BREWIN'! ! ! "HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL"

OCTOBER 29th AT 540 CLUB 8PM

17

540 WALNUT N.E. CANTON, OHIO

phone 216-456-8622

Gaslight Inn

638 W. Main St. Springfield

Ohio

"Serving your favorite

cocktails"

Join us for our Halloween

costume party Sat. Oct. 29 all evening.

early

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Open Daily at 1:00 P.M.

Open Daily a

Til 2:30 A.M. Eecept Sunday

FOR GAY CATHOLICS

... and non catholics too

DIGNITY-CLEVELAND

P.O. BOX 18479 CLEVELAND, OHIO 44118

791-0942

By Dennis Highland

A greal deal has happened since last month; so much so, in fact, that I find it too difficult to write about just one topic this month and ignore all the others. So I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some impressions of recent occurrences and try to relate the implications of these occurrences to our gay culture.

First, I noticed in last month's High Gear that one of my readers out west wasn't exactly enthralled with my article on "Gays vs Homosexuals" (8/77 issue). Now, I'm not going to use a lot of valuable space answering the Homosexual Information Center after all, I have more important things to write about. But I will say that I welcome all criticism formulated with some degree of intelligence or critical thinking, so if Ms. Ursula Enters Copely ever utilizes these standards in making her remarks, she should let me know.

Now, the more important things to write about. Over the Labor Day weekend I went to the "Summer's End" picnic in Erie, Pennsylvania. Since I was at the same place for the July 4th picnic, I afforded myself the opportunity to compare the moods of the picnickers between the two holidays. There really was a difference: the "Summer's End" crowd was more mellow, almost pensive with a few glaring exceptions. Perhaps the muddy grounds from a heavy rain a few days before contributed to this. I suspect, though, that people

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were reconciling themselves to an end of the warm weather and summer vacations, and preparing themselves for school, work and cold, drizzly days ahead. I regarded this mood with a bit of sadness on my part; after all, it was a hot summer for me, too, and I really hate to see it go.

While at the picnic I met some people from pleasant Charleston, West Virginia. We hit it off well and I went down to Charleston a couple weeks later to enjoy their company and sample their gay life. What I found was a place where the people are warm and loving and the scenery is magnificent, but where the hostility of a conservative, straight society has contributed toward the development of a stereotypical gay subculture. There are no public bars in West Virginia, only private clubs, as an example. But I was impressed by the fortitude of those I had met there, and I hope they continue their struggle for full equality. I left Charleston, not only with a greater sense of appreciation for Cleveland than I had before, but also with a good feeling inside that happens when I make new friends. I hope to have some of my Charleston friends up to Cleveland soon; their warmth should help melt some of the ice a few of us harbor in our personalities.

Along with beautiful autumn colors and dismal weather which personify northern Ohio this time of year, we have politics. More so now than any other year, the outcome of the November elections will have a

powerful impact on the gay community of Cleveland. Here is one fantastic opportunity where we can break the "faggot stereotype" of political ignorance and noninvolvement and VOTE. We all know who we should vote for, and who to vote against; the tax money wasted on witch hunts and garbage polls of the past few months have resulted only in polarization and potholes. Cleveland is a cosmopolitan city which demands a competent administration. We haven't had such a thing for so long a time; wouldn't it be nice if we could put one into city hall now?

Like I said at the beginning of this ditty, much has happened in the past month, to all of us. We have laughed, and cried, fallen into and out of love, grown a little older and, hopefully, more mature. I hope that I will be able to continue to provide some barometric measure of the little storms that create occasional tumult in so many of us. It isn't easy for some people to accept the possibilities of men loving men and women loving women, so I hope that my contributions to this paper help foster such acceptance. After all, I have somewhat of a personal stake in seeing High Gear continue and prosper; it was this journal that helped bring me out, and I want to see it help bring out others.

As long as there are people afraid to express their true feelings, afraid to live their life as they wish, gay liberation must be present and thriving. It's my impression that we all have to be part of this liberation for it to continue.

CARTER COUNTRY

By Marcus of Loxley

The September 29 airing of "Carter Country," a situation comedy on ABC, dealt with the subject of homosexuality. The main character, Chief Roy, had scheduled a fishing trip with Peterson, his best friend of twenty years, when Roy discovered that Peterson had lost his teaching job because of his homosexuality, through no misconduct. The writers and producers of "Carter County," kept the program in very good taste, reality, and factuality, from the explaining of homosexuality, to Chief Roy, to the clarifying of the fund raising concert for Peterson's court case against the school board. Of course, the old myths of "recruitment," and "mass orgy" came up from the weak-minded and unenlightened, and were quickly and tastefully dispelled by the well informed, educated

characters on the show.

Although the last few minutes of the program lost the audio, the intelligence of the plot had already been transmitted to the viewers.

I can't say that I'd watch this program regularly-it's just not my style. But thanks to Carter Country, and the American Broadcasting Company, for their commitment to realistic accuracy on the issues of the day.

We, as a collective American people, need to erase the misconceptions of yesterday's society, that are ignorantly promoted as "fact" by such people as Ms. Bryant and her cast of shallow minds.

Television is the most powerful means of communication in this country today. I urge you to I support the advertisers of such programs that attempt to enlighten the public of minority stands, such as homosexuality.