Page 6 HIGH GEAR-APRIL 1981

CEAR

OPINION

A Publication of the GEAR Foundation

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 6

1981 GEAR

HIGH GEAR 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 distribution. It is a non-profit, federally tax-exempt publication.

The presence of the name or picture or other representation of an organization, place of business or person(s) in HIGH GEAR is not necessarily indicative of the sexual orientation of such organizations or persons.

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

All HIGH GEAR staff members are volunteers except the advertising manager. Anyone interested in working on the staff of HIGH GEAR should contact the paper at P.O. Box 6177 Cleveland, OH., 44101 or by calling the Hotline at 621-3380.

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

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

HIGH GEAR will not publish any material of a racist, sexist, ageist, or pornographic nature. HIGH GEAR reserves the right to apply the same standards to display advertising after notification is given the advertiser.

HIGH GEAR is copyrighted under Federal Law. Reproduction is granted to all other gay publications as long as credit is given to HIGH GEAR. Exception: Photographs copyrighted by Sally J. Mattson may not be reprinted nor reproduced in any way without the written consent and/or fee paid to the photographer. All HIGH GEAR work is original unless otherwise noted.

HIGH GEAR PICTURE POLICY

Recognizable faces will not be printed In HIGH GEAR without the consent of said faces. This is to enable the patrons and entertainers of Cleveland's fine bars, clubs, entertainments and organizations to remain relaxed without fear of their "Images being stolen" when the HIGH GEAR staff photographers are 'at work.

Sally J. Mattson Photographer/Photo Editor

EDITORS-INTERIM R.WOODWARD, JEFF WOBBECKE

ASSOCIATE EDITOR-COLUMBUS ADVERTISING MANAGER

PHOTO EDITOR

LAYOUT STAFF

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER DISTRIBUTION STAFF

BOB ROEHM, JEFF WOBBECKE SALLY J. MATTSON

WIN WEIZER GORDON HATHAWAY PAUL ZIMMERMAN DAVID KELLOGG DIANNE FISHMAN BARBARA LEE GAIL BURLEE. MARCIA PERRY LORIE CECELICH DAN KAHN TRACEY RYAN JERRY BORES

Printed by THE CALL AND POST

Cleveland's

Editorial

Anti-gays, repent!

So called religious leaders who condemn gay men and women usually claim to represent religious and moral standards which are absolute, yet their own behavior, in dealing with gays, is a series of some of the most blatant examples imaginable of compromising morality and religion for the sake of being more easy and comfortable.

It is stated clearly and unambiguously as a fundamental religious principle, by one of the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament, and by words of Jesus and Paul quoted in several places in the New Testament, that it is a grave sin to bear false witness. One of the most serious obligations of any individual claiming to be religious is to make certain that any accusation is based upon careful scrutiny of actual facts and to see that evidence is presented with a minimum of exaggeration and a minimum of fictional embellishment.

The Bible does not quote Jesus or Paul, or any Old Testament

Gay Hotline prophet, as having said, "Be thou the hot-shot prosecutor, more

Cleveland's Gay Hotline does not have all the gossip in town. What we do have is INFORMATION. Looking for a Doctor, Dentist, Counselor who's in tune with Gays? We have their names. Need an attorney who understands you? We have them too. The Hotline is working to expand its current resources file.

Know of someone who would like to be listed with us who is gay or sympathetic to gays? Let us know.

But information goes beyond referrals. Have a question about how gays live that you haven't been able to ask your friend? Give us a call. Want to know where the action is? Call us. Just coming out and need a sympathetic ear? Been out for a while and have a problem you'd like to talk out with someone? Peer counseling is available. Looking for Gay AA or perhaps a Gay Women's rap? We have the information.

A lot of our callers indicate that they didn't know that we offer the services mentioned above.

Cleveland's Gay Hotline, now in it's sixth year handles approximately 700 calls a month. Callers range from heterosexuals looking for answers regarding the "Gay Lifestyle," or how to deal with a friend or family member who has come out to them, to the gay individual who has been out for a while and is looking for places to go or wants to talk about a relationship problem.

What makes it all work are Hotline volunteers. Men and women who give of their time to be there in case you need them.

Want to volunteer to work the Gay Hotline?

Hotline training consists of 4 classroom sessions covering the GEAR Foundation, Women Services, Gay Life in Cleveland, the Mechanics of working the Hotline etc.

All trainees are also required to complete 3 shifts of monitored calls and 2 shifts of supervised calls before activation as a full volunteer. Call the Hotline and leave a message for one of the Coordinators (Tom or Win) if you are interested.

Hotline hours are from 7 to 11 p.m. nightly.

The Hotline is a service of the GEAR Foundation.

If you don't have the time to

(Continued on the next page)

interested in furthering thy career than in serving justice, twisting some facts and suppressing others, inventing lurid details, and employing innuendos, all to sway the jury with the theatrical impact of thy dazzle."

Usually involved with the grave sin of bearing false witness by so-called religious leaders in their dealings with gays is violating the Commandment which says, "Thou shalt not steal." (Sometimes they do the actual thieving themselves, and sometimes they serve as accomplices and encouragers of others).

Enthralled by making easy use of inclinations of fallible human beings towards what is evil, and ignoring their obvious duty to cultivate and strengthen inclinations of fallible human beings towards what is good and holy, these so-called religious leaders ignite and fan fear, jealousy and malice. By shrieking and squealing that gays are grabbing special privileges, they try to drown out voices which make the suggestion, surely not entirely unprecedented, that several million of your fellow citizens should actually possess what they have always owned. Such so-called religious leaders are trying to prevent a large group of American citizens, who happen to be homosexual, from claiming, using, and sharing basic rights which legally belong to all American citizens.

If the religious and moral standards of these so-called religious leaders are as absolute as they claim they are, proof that gays are sinful would not excuse their own behavior.

Even if it could be shown that homosexuai acts per se are sinful, employing untruths in dealing with gay men and women would still be a malignant evil. Pointing out that gays admit to homosexual acts would be all that would be needed. There would still be no benefit whatever to religion, morality, or justice from the continual spewing forth of casual slanders based on idle superstition and on getting perverted kicks out of automatically thinking the worst of people. So-called religious leaders would still have no excuse for being too lazy to do any careful observing or deep thinking.

According to their own self-proclaimed absolute standards, if these so-called religious leaders regularly treated only Satan himself the way they regularly treat gays, they would deserve to be regarded as being damned eternally for being habitual thieves and liars, who absolutely refuse to repent.

Opinions in HIGHGEAR

The opinions expressed in any piece of writing which appears in HIGH GEAR with a by-line are those of the writer. They are not necessarily those of the GEAR Foundation or HIGH GEAR, unless it is specifically stated that the writer is representing HIGH GEAR or the GEAR Foundation.

No matter where a piece of writing with a by-line appears in HIGH GEAR, it is not a HIGH GEAR editorial unless the word "Editorial" has been placed above it.

A HIGH GEAR editorial is not an official policy statement by the GEAR Foundation.

The GEAR Foundation (GEAR being short for Gay Education, Awareness, and Resources) is non-profit éducational institution, of which HIGH GEAR is one division. Other divisions are the1

Gay Hotline and the Gay Community Center.

The relation between the board of directors of the GEAR Foundation and HIGH GEAR is similar to that between a board of education and one of the larger schools in its system.

Writers for HIGH GEAR are something like school teachers and guest speakers. A HIGH GEAR editorial is something like comments from a principal.

At times HIGH GEAR will run a piece of writing containing opinions which no one on the staff agrees with to remind the reader that there is no such thing as an opinion shared by all gay men and women. We feel that it is important for us to get across that the gay population is a cross section of the entire population.

"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." JONATHAN SWIFT