HIGH GEAR interview

Where Rick Berg is coming from

By Katharine Gibbins HIGH GEAR-How did you first get involved in politics?

BERG-I have been involved in politics all my life. During the 1964 presidential campaign i was a Goldwater enthusiast and bought conservative Republican ideals hook, line and sinker.

My ideas changed, however, in 1968 when I was assigned to contact both parties for a high school civics class. I found the Democrats more willing to listen and ended up changing party loyalty.

HIGH GEAR-How did you get involved in gay political issues?

BERG-I came out in 1970 and moved to Cleveland in 1972. I joined the old Gay Activist Alliance and started coming out more and more to peers and acquaintances.

I noticed that as people found out I was gay, their tolerance increased for all gay people. Consequently, my interest in gay activism increased although there wasn't anything in Cleveland I found for focusing my new found interest.

Then, in 1979, I read about the National Convention Project in the National Gay Task Force Newsletter.

HIGH GEAR-What was the National Convention Project?

BERG-The Project was formed to get gay people elected as delegates to both conventions and to support pro-gay planks in the party platforms. The Republican Convention was my trial run. There were only two gay delegates and it ended up being a valuable learning experience.

At the Democratic convention I was one among twenty NCP staffers working with seventy-seven openly gay delegates. One of the most thrilling moments of the convention was when Melvin Boozer, an openly gay delegate, announced his candidacy for Vice-President.

I was one of the two staffers responsible for collecting the three hundred delegate signatures required for support of a VicePresidential candidate.

HIGH GEAR-How was the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club formed?

BERG-From my experience at the conventions, I realized that this kind of national achievement was made possible by political organization at a grass roots level. On December 15, 1980 the first meeting was held of what later became the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club to achieve that kind of grass roots organizing in Cleveland. -HIGH GEARNot all gay people are Democrats, so, why emphasize the Democratic party?

BERG-We, meaning the originating group, felt that the Democratic party had taken some courageous

steps in supporting rights of gay people. The party deserves the support of gay people. Democrats have traditionally supported the interests of oppressed groups be they workers, Jews, Catholics, blacks or gays.

However, you must understand that the club is not affiliated with the Democratic party. If the Democrats ever reneged on their commitment to gay rights, I would certainly encourage deemphasizing the Democratic orientation.

HIGH GEAR-Gay political groups have received a lot of press attention recently, most particularly, the article run last month in Newsweek magazine about the Houston gay political group. Why hasn't Cleveland's gay community been able to attain this kind of political clout.

BERG-I am very impressed with the advances made by the Houston group. In Cleveland we have not reached that point politically. Although I believe that it is entirely likely that we will, in say, the next five years.

I believe that Houston is ahead for several reasons.

Firstly, Houston has a large highly concentrated gay ghetto which does not exist in Cleveland. This kind of population concentration allows analysts to isolate the community to find out what the community thinks. It is also important that population concentration makes it more likely that openly gay persons will be elected to public office, e.g. city council.

Secondly, the Democrats are not as powerful in Houston as they are in Cleveland. Therefore it is easier for a gay group to gain power within the existing organization.

Lastly, Houston is a new community. It is part of the upcoming sun belt and generates more pride in the community. Hence there is greater local political activism than in an industrial northern city like Cleveland.

Clevelanders tend to be second and third generation natives and have a less positive perception of their community.

Houston is only an example of the political power gay groups can attain locally. Similar situations exist in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

HIGH GEAR-How does the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club plan to organize Cleveland?

BERG-The first step is to launch voter registration drives.

The second step is to endorse candidates with strong civil rights positions.

The third step is to communicate with politicians to make them aware that we are here, we are strong, and we have political aspirations.

The fourth step will be to encour-

age openly gay people to run and support their candidacies.

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Hunter for Judge in Cleveland Heights. As a result Cleveland

our participation in top level decision making.

HIGH GEAR-A lot of gays are politically conservative once past the issue of gay rights. How do you plan to attract these people?

HIGH GEAR-What kind of reac-Heights Democrats are welcoming tion has the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club received from the Cleveland gay community? BERG-Cleveland has not been particularly receptive to political organizing. However I understand this reaction. All people are turned off with politics, largely due to the Vietnam war, Watergate, government infringements on privacy rights, ABSCAM, and the failure of our politicians to solve economic problems. Television has made people think that national elections are what politics is all about. However, Presidential elections do not really touch our lives directly.

The elections which determine how our garbage is collected do touch our lives. These "garbage elections" are small enough so that one voice really can be heard. One person licking 100 envelopes may change 20 votes in these elections. The club is taking advantage of this idea and concentrating on small local issues and candidates. For example, we endorsed Judge Sara

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BERG-The Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club focuses primarily on gay civil rights. We welcome anyone who shares that concern. I personally believe in the tenets of the Democratic party and feel that most of our members do too. I would hope the club would also embrace a liberal political philosophy. However notwithstanding my political views, the politics of the club will be formed by its members.

The gay community must be made aware of the overwhelming importance of the gay issue above any other consideration. Being gay touches our lives politically and legally every day of our lives. Together in a group like the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club we can make our voices heard.

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