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Columbus news

By ROB DAVIS

Gay Alliance recently sponsored a Valentine's Dance on February 11, at the Northend Community Center, Columbus. In spite of low attendance, those that came had a good time and people representing many of the community gay organizations were there. A disco music system was donated by a member of the community and food was donated by many people. A large group of volunteers helped to make this a most festive event.

Gay Alliance now has a telephone answering machine for the Gay Alliance office. This means that the office can be covered when no one can be there. A two minute message tape is played to each caller, explaining what G.A. is and giving the locations and times for meetings and events. The caller may then leave a message, which could include a phone number for G.A. to get in touch with the caller. This service has been in operation for over a month, and the first weekend resulted in over 80 messages, so its importance has been proven in a short time.

News of the Columbus Gay and Lesbian Community has now resumed publication. Volunteers are still needed for writing, typing, advertising, layout, and distribution. To volunteer, call G.A. at 614-4229212. To advertise in this new publication, call 614-299-0027. March 6 will be an important day for G.A. Speakers from the V.D. Hotline and the V.D. Clinic in Columbus will speak at the meeting and free V.D. testing will be available immediately following. V.D. is occurring in epidemic proportions in the gay community. This is partially because people know so little about the subject. Education is very important in disease control.

Other plans for Gay Alliance include a bake sale during March and participation in National Gay Blue Jeans Day in April. For more information on Gay Alliance, call 614-422-9212. Meetings are held Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. Dignity/Columbus

Dignity/Columbus continues its meetings first and third Saturdays at the Newman Center, 64

W. Lane Ave. March 3 will be a liturgy on "Prayer," at 8:00 p.m., followed by elections for the Board of Directors. March 17 will be the Committment Service for Felix and Bob, long-time active Dignity people. Felix has served as president and Bob will be on the Board of Directors.

The Gay Couple's Support Group has been most successful, with much dialogue and sharing. The group is always open and will hopefully continue for a long time. March 26, Rhonda Rivera, a professor of law at O.S.U. and a practicing attorney in Columbus, will be speaking about the law as it pertains to gay couples. For time and location, telephone Dignity at 614-274-1029.

Reservations are now being taken for the Dignity Third Anniversary Dinner-Dance, to be held M a y 19 at Ilonka's Party House in Columbus. To reserve your place at this most special event, call Dignity at 614-2741029.

MCC/Columbus

Chuck Steele has been appointed the worship coordinator for MCC/Columbus. Chuck has been the student minister of MCC/Akron for 11⁄2 years, and he is applying for licensing in May. He will be in Columbus the first and third Sunday of each month, and visiting speakers will come the other Sundays.

A rap group, "Homosexuality and the Bible," will be held February 28 and March 14. For times and location, call MCC at 614294-3026. A Lenten Series is planned for the near future, meeting on alternating Wednesdays.

A spring show on April 21 is being planned by MCC/Columbus. This will be all live entertainment, staged and choreographed. Talent is still being sought for this show. To volunteer in any way for this production, call MCC at 614-294-3026.

Gay Alcoholics

Gay Alcoholics has had many good meetings recently and will be celebrating its second anniversary in April. New to the program schedule will be open meetings once a month, open to

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all concerned people. These open meetings are held on the last Sunday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at the First English Lutheran Church, Main St., and 22nd St. Regular "closed" meetings are held at 5:00 p.m. on the other Sundays of the month at the same location. For information on this program, call 614252-3972, late afternoons. Lesbian Peer Support

Lesbian Peer Support is sponsoring every-week coming out rap groups Thursdays from 8-10. The group will deal with coming out to self, to friends and relatives, and to the women's community. For more information call L.P.S. at 614-291-7756.

Sponsored by Women's Music Union, Holly Near will be performing in Columbus, March 14. Holly Near is a lesbian-feminist singer who has become well known, especially in the women's community. Her appearance is but one of the many concerts by feminist sinjers sponsored by the Union. For more information, call Women's Music Union at 614-267-1270. GAY Peer Counseling

Gay Peer Counseling, at the Open Door Clinic, has taken several important steps recently in implementing many new services to the Columbus Gay Community. First, Peer Counseling is offered by appointment by male and female counselors who

counsel on one-to-one basis. The Gay Peer Support Group is another one-to-one program, where clients are paired with "advocates" who are familiar with the community. Advocates take clients to places that the client may be afraid or reluctant to go alone. The main focus of this program is to help people new to the community or recently out become familiar with the gay community.

Men's and women's rap groups are held Monday nights at 7:30 at the Open Door Clinic, 237 E. 17 Avenue. Plans now call for the men's and women's group to meet jointly once a month, pending group approval.

A group for gay parents, meeting Wednesday nights, deals with the needs of parents who are gay. A Lesbian Couple's Support Group is beginning March 13, with every-Tuesday meetings dealing with many aspects of coupleship, including communi-

cation skills and biofeedback.

A program, known as "Cleaning House" is just now getting under way. The purpose of this program will be to link gay people together, who are of some common interest. For example, a softball team might be started if a large number of people express interest. In this program, a person would telephone and leave name and phone number and some special outside interest.

Anti-gay quits

"It's not the homosexual's fault he's homosexual. I just want a stigma attached. I don't want them accepted." Thus saith New Jersey State Senator Joseph Maressa (D-Camden), reluctantly abandoning his fight to have sodomy re-criminalized in the state of New Jersey.

Maressa sponsored a bill which would have made homo-

sexual acts between consenting adults punishable by five years in jail and a $7,500 fine. He withdrew his bill from the state's Senate Judiciary Committee on January 24, before it could vote on it.

By making no mention of homosexual acts between consenting adults New Jersey's criminal code in effect decrimi-

Then all others who call in with this same interest would be referred to this person. The purpose of this program, in other words, is to form small cluster groups of similar interests in the community.

Volunteers are needed to make many of these programs work. Gay Peer Counseling may be contacted at the Open Door Clinic, 614-294-6337. Outdoors Club Named

The Outdoors Club, still under formation, has been named Club Apollo. It will feature a variety of outdoor activities for gay and bisexual Ohioans. More information on the Club may be obtained by contacting Rick Cooper, 1711 Summit St., Apt. C, Columbus, Ohio 43201 or by calling 614299-0484.

Workshop Scheduled

A workshop, "Homosexuality and the Church" is being sponsored March 31 in nearby Athens, Ohio. The workshop will focus on biblical-theological perspectives, psychological aspects and education in local churches. Church leaders from Protestant and Catholic churches, as well as gay church members will speak at this workshop. For more information, contact United Campus Ministry in Athens at 614-593-7301. Some information on this workshop may be available through the Gay Alliance Office in Columbus, 614-422-9212.

nalizes them.

Maressa said that he withdrew the bill because of a recent decision by the State Appeals court that prosecution of such acts is unconstitutional. Others around the State Senate said that the bill would have never gotten out of committee and that at least two senators had asked Maressa to withdraw it.

3rd World gays publishing

NEW YORK CITY Moja, a newspaper for Third World gays has published its second issue. Articles in the paper inciude "The Reality of the Black Lesbian" by Diane Bogus and "Blacks and Gay Liberation" by Jon L. Clayborne.

An editorial calls for the formation of a national association of Third World gays, because of

"growing evidence that discrimination against gay people is still a strong element in American society."

The editorial continues: "The established gay political and activist groups have consistently failed to attract significant numbers of Third World gays. These groups are not structured to include a Third World pers-

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pective. The issues that they confront only have a generalized, abstract relationship to Third World gays. We have no voice that can speak to our particular needs."

Moja may be contacted, in care of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop, 15 Christopher St., New York, NY 10014.

A subscription costs $2 for four issues.

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