PAGE 6 HIGH GEAR JULY 1980

CEAR

OPINION

A Publication of the Gear Foundation VOLUME 6, ISSUE 10

1980 GEAR

HIGH GEAR journal is a publication of the Gay Educational and Awareness Resources (GEAR) Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio It is distributed free of charge in any establishment and with any organization that will permit dis tribution We are a non-profit, federally tax-exempt publication

The presence of the name or picture or other representation of an organi zation, place of business or person (s) in HIGH GEAR is not necessarily in dicative of the sexual orientation of such organizations, businesses, or per

sons

We welcome all contributions of written materials, art work, or photography by members of the gay community. All materials submitted for publication are subject to editorialization. We cannot guarantee the return of materials submitted for publication, whether used by HIGH GEAR or not, unless they are accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope.

All HIGH GEAR staff are volunteers. Anyone interested in working on the staff of HIGH GEAR should inquire by calling (216) 621-3380 or by writing to HIGH GEAR, PO Box 6177, Cleveland, Ohio 44101.

Businesses or organizations wishing to advertise in HIGH GEAR may obtain advertising rate sheets and other information by writing to the above address.

The deadline for HIGH GEAR publication is the 15th of the month for ad. vertising and written material. News items accepted until the date of public. ation

HIGH GEAR will not publish material in which graphic or verbal represent ations of an ideal or idealized human body appear except in the case of a performer or work of art which is the subject of the material. We also will not publish material of a racist, sexist, or pornographic nature. We reserve the right to alter and or edit material to conform to the above standards, in the case of display advertising, after notifying the advertiser

HIGH GEAR is copyrighted under federal law. Reproduction is granted to all other gay publications so long as credit is given to HIGH GEAR. All HIGH GEAR work is original unless otherwise noted

EDITOR

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Columbus

ASSOCIATE EDITOR-News

BUSINESS MANAGER

ADVERTISING MANAGER

ADVERTISING STAFF

LAYOUT STAFF

Technical Consultant

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER DISTRIBUTION STAFF

Cari Hammond Bob Rothm Bill Gerard Bob Kovach Bambi Fontaine Paul Charles Cliff Gbur

J. David Armstrong Rick Snyder Michael Prunty R. Woodward Paul Zimmerman Frank Wurm John Lehner

David Kellogg

Dan Mlecznikowski

Dianne Fishman Barbara Lee Kevin Smith Jeff Wobbecke

Gall Burlee Heda Costa Lori Cocellch Dan Kahn

Mailbag

Dear Sir:

I picked up the June GEAR the other night, and leafing through, I was somehow startled by the bland face of "Marcella, Miss Gay Cleveland" staring out from page 10. Later on I was regaled with 2 full pages of photographs of the 1980 Miss Gay Cleveland Pageant.

Now, I grant that (1) a news paper is obligated to print matter which is of interest to its readers (2) some men are interested in drag and in women impersonators: (3) some of them read GEAR. The fact remains, though, that neither I nor anyone I knew have the least interest in such activities. 2 full pages of the 1980 Miss Gay Cleveland Pageant seem disproportionate.

It is almost as if the editors of GEAR have assumed that their readers should be interested or enthralled by men, dressing up in women's clothing, as if this had anything at all to do with being a Gay man. It has something to do with a certain Gay style, true enough. But neither I nor anyone I know identifies with that style. Sincerely,

Stephen Slottow (Ed.) It is not the Intention of HIGH GEAR to give undue weight to one gay preference over another. Nor is it the Intention to dictate taste. However, female Impersonation is a legitimate form of entertainment and does have a sizeable gay audience in and around the Cleveland area.

The two pages of pictures referred to above were taken at two different shows in two different Cleveland bars.

In light of this fact and while considerable space was given to Impersonators' photographs, the coverage given that contest does not seem disproportionate.

It has been and will continue to

4th of July editorial

Anti-gay, anti-American

Anti-gay activity tends to be anti-American activity as well. What those engaging in anti-gay activity often accuse gays of, they themselves tend to be guilty of gross self-indulgence and a blatant disregard for the good of society in general.

A classic example of such gross self-indulgence and such blatant disregard is HR 166, that anti-gay bill introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Larry McDonald from Georgia and now co-sponsored by Congressman Ron Mottl.

Apparently giving little thought to how destructive the consequences could be, those responsible for this bill are trying to force a particular set of religious notions on everybody in the United States HR 166 would express the "sense of Congress that homosexual acts and the class of people who advocate such conduct shall never receive special consideration or a protected status under law." It calls for Americans to turn their "hearts back to God and away from the secular humanism that has led us to this day in our history."

In refering to gays and anybody who might speak in their behalf, HR 166 says "A man's abomination against God may very well be at times a matter solely between his maker and himself." (Notice that the wording gives "a man's abomination" as an absolute fact and only concedes that it may be an individual's own private business at times.) Another sentence in HR 166 reads, "It can also be stated that no man should ever hold malice toward another based upon this irreconcilable conduct," wording which presents the irreconcilability of the conduct as a fact and gives the idea that no man should hold malice only as something that can "also be stated."

HR 166, like any other "sense of Congress" resolution, would not have the force of law if passed, and would merely express the concensus of opinion in Congress. Being what it is, however, a rallying point. for religious intolerance, it is extremely dangerous.

There is no greater threat to the fabric of American society and to basic American values than having politicians creating, intensifying and exploiting suspicion and hatred between different people with different religious outlooks.

It was to keep this threat to a minimum that the Founding Fathers made sure that the principle of the separation of church and state was expressed in writing in the United States Constitution.

(The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, which were ratified in 1791, are what is known as the Bill of Rights. The first of these amendments reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech; or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.")

Since religious views are often very strongly held, and since it is impossible for any one person or group to do justice to the religious views of everybody, it was thought best to not have the government promoting any particular religious outlook. If a government does not seem to be promoting any particular religion, people with different religious views are more likely to regard it as being their government and not somebody else's government that has been forced upon them.

America has always been made up of different groups with different outlooks and the well being of Americe has always depended upon peaceful relations between these groups--peaceful relations which are not fostered by those responsible for HR 166 trying to shove the notion of "irreconcilable conduct" down everybody's throat.

An example of manipulated religious intolerances getting out of hand is the 30 Years War which took place in Germany in the early 1600's. Caused by various leaders exploiting religious differences for their own particular political aims, this war between different Getmans was so destructive, that out of 48 million inhabitants of Germany, fewer than 14 million were still alive when it was over.

Separation of church and state and respect for the basic rights of one's fellow citizens are the two main pillars of American society. Introducing or co-sponsoring something like HR 166 in the United States Congress shows a lack of respect for these pillars for America itself. R. Woodward

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