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HIGH GEAR/JULY 1978

THOUGHTFUL READING...

Sir:

Last month's GEAR Board meeting ended up kind of stormy, at least in part because of some things I had to say. As one member put it, I "stepped on a lot of toes without even standing up." But what I had to say was intended constructively, as most members noted, and hought it might provoke some thoughts for your readers as well.

It's easy to get caught up in day-to-day activities. and it's easiest in the gay movement where so few people have so much to do. But I think we need to step back occasionally and ask just why we need a gay movement and what our goals ought to be.

I think the movement properly has three kinds of goals: personal-consciousness raising to make every gay man and lesbian feel good about being gay; socialproviding low-pressure meeting places and activities comparable to everything straights have without even thinking about a bar; and political educating the general public out of homophobia and getting discriminatory laws repealed and civil-rights laws passed.

There's no denying we've lost ground in the last year, both nationally and here in Cleveland, although there have been a few successes too. Some specifics: the 1978 Gay Pride

March never happened (although we had a permit), the community center burned down, Radio Free Lambda was allowed to die, rap groups dwindled and finally stopped, the hotline went unanswered, the calendar and social listings disappeared from High Gear, and on and on. (As I say, there have been successes too. The newly tax-exempt GEAR Foundation is in the process of furnishing the reopened community center downtown, for instance.)

In the rest of this letter I'd like to talk about two things for the future: focusing our goals, and getting more people. In terms of our goals, I can't think of two more important activities than the rap groups and High Gear. The rap group is a place for everybody to meet: people who are just coming out (or maybe not sure whether they want to), and people who have been out for twenty years or more. The meetings are a great way to talk about what's important to you without worrying about somebody putting you down for what you think, and they're a great place for meeting other gay people in a low-pressure setting.

High Gear's services in linking the community are obvious, and the paper is a good way to reach sympathetic straights and people who may be gay but don't know about gay

WE NEED YOU!

By Dennis Highland

Over the past few months, this newspaper has been filled with stories of the successes accomplished by the G.E.A.R. Foundation and Cleveland's gay community. It has appeared that all is going well, that total liberation is just around the corner, and all we have to do is let our past accomplishments carry us into a bright future. THAT ISN'T SO.

Reverses are occurring with increasing frequency. The hysterical mindless tirades of Bible-thumping (not Bibleunderstanding) fundamentalists have created an impact upon the American electorate. A distressing trend in denying us our Constitutional rights threatens to cost us our employment, housing, and way of life. The closet door may close once again.

For us to counteract emerging prejudice requires a greater commitment of everyone to help forward the cause of gay civil rights. In Cleveland, the G.E.A.R. Foundation definitely needs people in all sorts of capacities. We must have more people work for this newspaper in writing, distribution and other duties. The Hot-Line and Gay Community merre Woefully understaffed. There are plans to expand in social and political

activities which cannot be undertaken because there simply aren't enough people available to participate in them.

And it isn't that there aren't enough gay people here. Using the most conservative estimate in Kinsey's report on sexuality as a guideline, there could very well be 350,000 gay people in the greater Cleveland metropolitan area, from central city to distant suburbs. And it would be reasonable to assume that at least 10% of these, or some 35,000 men and women, are in some way involved in an aspect of gay life. So where is everyone?

Go to the bars, baths, parks and restaurants. Attend the gay picnics on holiday weekends; there will be plenty of men and women there, all for a good time. But people, apparently, don't want to make a commitment, even when it comes to safeguarding their rights to enjoy themselves and live their lives as they wish. So what if gay civil rights laws are repealed in Kansas and Oregon? Who cares if the Supreme Court of the United States rules that we can be prosecuted for physically expressing our affectional preferences? Why bother being upset when an ignorant candidate for public office babbles.

activities in the state. Like the rap groups, High Gear staff work provides some good consciousness raising and a good way to meet people.

My proposal, quite simply, is that given the shortage of volunteers we should go all out in trying to build up High Gear and the rap groups. Not only are they both really worthwhile activities, but they have also served as recruiting ground for a lot of people who are now involved in the movement in other ways as well. Then as people can be found, other activities can be added.

This movement (probably like most movments) has always suffered from not having enough workers. There seem to be people, who want to get involved, and goodness knows there's work to be done, but somehow the two don't match up much of the time.

Specifically, i think people who are asking for help need to be a lot more specific, a lot more persistent and a lot more jazzy about it. It's just good common sense to know that the more specific you are in asking for something you want, the more likely you are to get it. Any call for volunteers should include the specific job, how long it will take, and when. It's especially important to put a time limit on weekly or monthly jobs. Somebody may take on a job

"Homos should be hung on Public Square"?

It is precisely this attitude of indifference that may eventually cause us to fail in attaining our goals of freedom and acceptance. We run the definite danger of going back into the "dark days." If we don't work to keep our social alternatives open, then there may soon be no more such alternatives at all.

The G.E.A.R. Foundation desperately needs you to volunteer your services in helping the gay community preserve what it has attained, and accomplish what it has yet to attain. The Gay Community Center is conveniently located downtown and the Hot-Line is a local telephone number, 621-3380. Please contact us if you feel you would like to further your interests and those of your brethren as members of the largest misunderstood minority in society.

Nero played his fiddle while Rome burned. Don't let a similar situation occur by confining your gay life to the bar scene while the future of gay rights is precariously at stake. It is a matter of survival, and only you can help save the gay community from sliding back into oppression.

with a three-month limit, get to like it and keep on. Even if they do leave after three months, at least for those three months the job got done.

People need to be asked again and again when there's work to be done. People will try and ad for months to sell something why then do we get discouraged when people don't answer the first ad for volunteers, or the second, or even the fifth? Vary the ads, maybe split a job that might be scaring away people because it's too big and try again

We need to get more imaginative more publicrelations oriented, not only in publicity in general but specifically in asking for volunteers. I'm told that the Advocate, and news people in this town, have free High Gear subscriptions. That's great, but we don't realistically expect them to read our paper every month looking for things to publish, do we? I'm afraid, given human nature, that if we want any coverage we've got to hand them press releases on a silver platter until the movement gets big enough to be as interesting (to the Plain Dealer, say) as robberies and tax abatement.

The same thing applies to getting volunteers. We've got to catch people's interest by doing something out of the ordinary. Since the GEAR Foundation is

tax exempt, it's a natural for public service announcements -free on radio stations like WMMS, WRUW, maybe even WCLV. We could get into those community calendar spots on the TV stations, especially WVIZ. Is it too late for a gay presence at the Coventry Street Fair? That would be a good place to line up volunteers.

Is all this a lot of work? Of course it is. But the choice is between allowing one or two jobs to slide for a month or so while the people who were doing them set up volunteerrecruiting plans and having dozens of jobs never get done because we can't find the volunteers.

This struggle really is a matter of life and death, you know Even if you don't think about the people who have been murdered just for being gay, how many of us have lost a job. or a place to live or a friend, or the companionship of parents, just for being gay? The only way to turn around that prejudice is to build up our own movement and our political efforts. Let's get to it.

Stan Brown

P.S. One way to start is to come to the rap groups that three of us are leading on Friday nights at the community center.

SUPPORTS MCC

I have been a housewife, mother, & divorcee. I am a lesbian, I have never been particularly "church oriented." In September of 1977, after months of talking about it, my spouse and I went to MCC Akron...just to "see what i vas like." Truthfully, more out of curiosity than anything else. It is now almost May of 1978, and we have only missed two Sundays. We are now members of MCC and proud of it!

of any denomination, for twelve years, since my son was killed. I have found that MCC fills a need within my own personal life and the life of my spouse as well. As I said before, I am not a "churchy" person, primarily because there was no church

where I felt totally at ease and with peace of mind.

I am one of the "old gays", middle aged and set in my ways, but I found that Christ in my life is necessary more than just in a silent prayer when I go to bed.

We are a family at MCC with a total caring and understanding for each other. We welcome any and all of you to come once, stay for the social hour, circulate, make friends, renew old friendships, share!

When we attended that first Sunday, we were surprised that there were not one, but two female ministers, who have over the months, proven that they are equally qualified and totally proficient & dedicated in their jobs. I had been away from church, ANY ANY TAKERS? WANNA RIDE?

Dear High Gear':

With the summer soon to be upon us and many of us traveling through the U.S. Why not make a day at Cedar Point Amusement Park? am a resident and employee of the "number one fun capital of the midwest," and as of the past five seasons that I've worked I have yet to see a day set aside for the Gay Community to gather at its high. I would like for all readers to consider making a communal day of fun and games at a great amusement park. It would be a day to show your colors and

stand for and be who you are.

Why not try for July 22 as "Gay Day at Cedar Point." The weather conditions for that day are suppose to be pleasant and warm. If there is a day of such please notify me and the many others that I'm sure who would make the day.

Be advised that there are group rates available for groups over 25. All that one needs to do is write or call-Cedar Point, Inc. Sandusky, Ohio 44870-419-6260830.

Tony Dee Sandusky Ohio -