HIGH GEAR, PAGE 2

VANTAGE POINT

Vice President of Publications

A Word Of Explanation-As I sit down to write this column for the first time, warnings from friends and associates are still ringing in my ears. They say no one reads anything in HIGH GEAR but "Ears on Wheels" and the "Community Calendar." Bullfeathers! As the publisher of this paper, I believe there is a place for a serious news and criticism column.

Here I intend to praise those individuals and items that deserve praise and point the finger at those that deserve it-without pulling any punches. For the record, especially to those of you who criticize the GEAR Foundation for views expressed on previous pages of this paper, I hereby state the following: views expressed in this column are those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect those of the GEAR Foundation or its Board of Trustees. If you, the reader, disagree with anything stated herein, you have the right and the responsibility to make those views known either through an article under your own by-line or in a letter to the editor.

Face Lift-Policy Lift Unlike many products advertised as "new" and “improved "(and in reality are not), I believe the changes we have made to HIGH GEAR and plan to make in the future are a decided improvement. We have selected a new typeface that is easier to read; changed the column design and organization; and, we have published a new logo that reflects the forward thinking and planning of the staff of HIGH GEAR and the GEAR Foundation. We have reorganized the arrangement of the advertisements in an effort to make them more appealing and provide our advertisers with an improved format.

There have been many unseen changes as well. The staff has been reorganized and specific lines of responsibility established. Our advertisers may now be assured their problems and needs will be dealt with in a businesslike and professional way. Organizations who may have felt in the past that our coverage of news and other events was spotty and unreliable may be assured we are developing a team of reporters and writers who will cover the news in a timely way. In short, we are shifting HIGH GEAR into high gear.

This Month's Kisses-Congratulations are in order for Pattie Baskin, former Services Vice President of the GEAR Foundation. Ms. Baskin was recently elected International Secretary for Dignity, Inc. Her thoroughness and attention to

detail in the performance of her

responsibilities at GEAR will be

missed by all. We know it will be

hard to find anyone to follow in her footsteps... Due to changes in the cataloging procedures on calls received by the HOTLINE, it will now be possible to determine how many callers were referred to which business or organization in a given month. Thanks for this needed improvement go to Win Weizer and Tom O'Brien...Praise also goes to Chuck and the rest of the staff at the 620 on their Thirteenth Anniversary on Frankfort (See the special interview section for a closeup on Joe Bruno and his experiences over the years in the Community)... Finally, in the I'm-a-sucker-for-a-beauty-

contest-department, congratulations go to Andy "B" for winning the Tenth Annual Mr. Club Cleveland Competition held at New Dimension on September 20. Apparently persistence pays off, Andy has been in six of the past competitions.

Remember

This Month's Kicks-go to a cer-, tain mayoral candidate who used to frequent TRAXX several evenings each week. Not afraid to socialize with members of the community and identify himself by name when he was not seeking citywide elective office, hizoner-to-be has yet to say word one about any substantive issues that affect gays and lesbians in Cleveland. Guess what, Mr. Candidate, we vote too and would hate to think we've been had.

And finally, an especially big boot in the tail goes to a certain straight West Side real estate developer who attempted to stir up trouble with the Gay Community by spreading rumors in an effort to further his own greedy ends. We're on to you and it won't be so easy the next time. We've learned to cross-check all the sources.

BWMT Announces Anniversary

The Cleveland Chapter of Black and White Men Together (BWMT) announces the celebration of its first anniversary. Events have been planned around the weekend of of November 6th to include: the Anniversary Dinner held on Friday evening at That Place on Bellflower in University Circle; a theatre performance on Saturday night, November 7th, following which members and guests will join in an after-theatre party; and a brunch is planned for Sunday, November 8th, at Stouffer's Inn on the Square.

BWMT-Cleveland held its first meeting on November 20, 1980. The impetus for BWMT was started in San Francisco in January of 1980. Since that time BWMT has grown into an international organization for gay men who enjoy relationships

with men of different colors. BWMT is committed to fostering supportive environments wherein racial and cultural barriers can be overcome and the goal of human equality realized. In numerous cities across the country there is a need to provide a forum for discussing and confronting issues and problems related to interracial dating, and to help raise the consciousness about problems of racism in gay communities and establishments.

A year and a half after the first group met in San Francisco, BWMT is now going strong in most large American cities as well as growing international in scope with chapters in Great Britain, Europe, and Canada. In June of this year BWMT held its first international convention in San Francisco with

almost 300 black and white men

attending. Program presentations included "Color and Mate Selection". "Facilitating Communication Processes", and "Why Don't My Friends Like My Lover-Why Doesn't My Lover Like My Friends".

Inquiries about BWMTCleveland are welcomed. Reservations for the First Anniversary festivities as well as information about BWMT-Cleveland may be obtained from James at 662-8303.

LAVENDER ELEPHANT SALE PART: NOVEMBER 7 through NOVEMBER 8, 1 GEAR COMMUNITY CENTER

2641 W. 14th Street Cleveland, OH 44113

Donations Needed. Call Hotline 621-3380

Receipts for Tax Purposes Available for Donations. Pick-Up of items can be arranged. THIS IS A FUND RAISING EVENT OF THE GEAR FO TION COME ON DOWN AND JOIN THE FUN!!

FURNITURE, CLOTHING, MUCH MISCELLANEOUS APPLIANCES. DEALERS WELCOME.

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