Page 2 HIGH GEAR MARCH 1981

Membership drive set

NEWS

GEAR trustees meet

By Paul Zimmerman

CLEVELAND-The GEAR Foundation Board of Trustees, at its regular February 17 meeting, announced the opening of a membership drive to begin March 15 with 175-200 new memberships projected.

Under the direction of new Trustee Eric Andrews, the membership drive will continue through May 31 at which time, membership rates will be incre ased.

Present membership rates, and those to be in effect after May 31 are as follows:

Current rates

$5 Low income

$10 Individual $15 Household $25 Contributing $50 Sustaining $100 Lifetime

Rates after May 31

$15 Individual

$25 Household

$35 Contributing

$50 Corporate or Organization $65 Sustaining $100 Sponsoring $200 Lifetime

Corporate, sustaining, sponsoring, and lifetime members will receive HIGH GEAR subscriptions with their memberships; subscriptions will be available to other members for $10.

CRASH grant announced

Trustee Earl Korb, during his report on the Foundation's financial status, disclosed the receipt of a $3700 grant to the GEAR Foundation from CRASH Inc. CRASH (Citizens Revolt Against Substandard Housing) was an organization founded in 1964 to promote home improvement. The organization disbanded in January 1981.

Following a presentation detailing GEAR's building needs to the outgoing CRASH board, Rev. Richard Morris, President of the CRASH Board of Trustees, recommended that money obtained from CRASH's January dissolution be donated to the GEAR Foundation.

Trustee Korb, formerly a board member of CRASH, read Morr:s' grant letter indicating $700 of the grant was to be used for immediate needs; the remainder, said Korb, is earmarked for “brick and mortar" building rehabilitation.

After the acceptance of the grant, and a payment of immediate and pressing bills outstanding, the GEAR Foundation has total funds available of $3494.39. Other bills payable amount to $408.

Fundraising events

The Foundation received notice that BWMT (Black and White Men Together) is planning a talent show for the benefit of

GEAR.

The show, set for Sunday, May 10, will include acts from among those to be auditioned at the end of March.

Both male and female acts are being solicited; those interested in performing should call 579-9554.

Help is also being sought in selecting a location and in providing lighting and technical expertise.

A "lavender elephant" sale is scheduled for May 23-24 at the community center. Those burdened with lavender elephants and wishing to offer them to the community for sale should call 283-1465.

The next meeting of the GEAR Foundation Board of Trustees, previously scheduled for March 17, St. Patrick's Day, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Gay Community Center, 2641 West 14th Street.

On the agenda is the filling of the empty board seats of Alexandria Rudin, presently GEAR counsel and ex-officio board member, and Carl Hammond, board member and editor of HIGH GEAR, whose active involvement with the board and paper ends with the February meeting and this issue.

Both seats will be filled; those interested in the vacancies, and all interested members of the community, are welcome and

invited.

NGTF protests treatment of arsonist

Separate telegrams to Las Vegas Sheriff John McCarthy, ABC Senior Vice President David Burke and NBC Senior Vice President Williamn Corrigan were dispatched on Friday, February 13, by The National Gay Task Force (NGFT) protesting the sensationalized treatment accorded accused Las Vegas arsonist Philip Bruce Cline's : sexual orientation by police and national media.

The message from CoDirectors Charles Brydon and Lucia Valeska to the network news executives noted that this information only serves to heighten public antipathy toward

the accused by playing on the unfounded but widely believed notion that the status of being homosexual is against the law." "It is akin to the discredited and largely abandoned practice of identifying the race of an accused," noted Brydon and Valeska. The Co-Directors asked for immediate steps to prevent repetition of the problem.

to the millions of law-abiding gay people in this country was clearly indicated by the unprofessional conduct of police.

On Tuesday afternoon, February 17, NGTF received a telephone threat which the organization believes is directly linked to the sensationalized treatment of accused arsonist's homosexuality. A caller to the office at The message to Las Vegas approximately 1:15 PM stated Sheriff McCarthy discussed the that she had a relative who was in same problem. The sheriff was the Las Vegas fire and "you peoasked to instruct his officers to, ple had better watch out because avoid this kind of prejudicial pub-we are going to get you. An lic commentary. Brydon and experienced NGTF volunteer Valeska further stated that an took the call and immediately by the Las Vegas police notified New York Po

BRSD officers inducted

The 1981 officers of the Buckeye Rainbow Society of the Deaf took their Oath of Office at the Society's "Fourth Annual Inauguration Ball." The inauguration was held at The Lakewood Manor on January 24th, 1981, and inlcuded in the program was entertainment and a dinner party. 1980 President, Sandy Kuzella called the Inauguration Bail to order and the new 1981 President, Jim Stollings, "sung" the Star Spangled Banner in American Sign Language. Numerous awards were presented to active members. A series of skits were performed by

Tony Benvenuto, Susan Jackson, and Don Bangs, professional members of the Fairmount Theater of the Deaf Troup. The new officers were inducted: Jim Stollings, President; Sonny Greger, Vice-President; Gary Hoogenboom, Secretary; Ruth Ann Miller, Treasurer; Danny Nelson, First Trustee; Joe Nagy, Second Trustee; Tim Halupnik, Third Trustee; Tom Smith, Sergeant at Arms; and Barbara Welker, Sergeant at Arms. A champagne toast and lavish dinner followed the induction ceremonies.

1981 B.R.S.D. OFFICERS top row, from left to right: Jim Stollings, Sonny Gerger, Gary Hoogenboom, Ruth Ann Miller, Dany Nelson and Joe Nagy. Bottom row, from left to right: Tim Halupnik, Tom Smith and Barbara Welker.

Congressman arrested for sodomy

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IGNA)

A conservative Republican in the House of Representatives has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted sodomy following his arrest in the men's restroom in the Longworth House Office

Building.

Representative Jon C. Hinson (R-Miss.) was caught with three other men after the restroom was put under surveillance by police officers in an attempt to curtail homosexual acts taking place there.

Hinson was first charged with committing oral sodomy, a felony carrying a maximum fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence of 10 years. But the US Attorney's office 'reduced the charge to a misdemeanor, which carries a maximimum one-year penalty and a $1000 fine.

Deputy Director of Superior Court, Percy, H. Russell, said office policy dictates that homosexual acts between consenting adults be prosecuted as misdemeanors.

Arrested with Hinson was Harold Moore, 28, an assistant at the Library of Congress. Earlier, the vice squad had arrested a lobbyist for Children's Rights, Inc. and a staff member of the Democratic Study Group, an organization of liberal congress men.

Hinson and Moore were ordered to stand trial on May 4

and were released without bail. Hinson, who lives with his wife in suburban Alexandria, Va., has not been available for comment since his arrest.

According to his office, Hinson checked into a hospital voluntarily "in order to have the benefit of professional care, counseling and treatment."

Marshall Hanbury, Hinson's administrative assistant, said in a prepared statement that the treatment was made necessary by a "two-year period of intense emotional and physical exer tion..."

Hinson was re-elected to his second term last fall despite admitting during his campaign that he had visited two homosexual hangouts in Washington, one of them a movie theater that

burned. Hinson was one of four survivors of the fire.

Hinson's arrest was the third homosexual incident involving members of Congress in recent years:

In 1977, Representative Frederick W. Richmond (D-NY) was arrested for soliciting sex from two males. Late last year, Representative Robert Bauman (RMd.) was accused of soliciting sex from a 16-year-old male hustler. Richmond admitted his act and was re-elected. Bauman conceded his Homosexual tendenices and was defeated i his bid for re-election.