Bayou, American multiple winners

Unity voted in

at first Ohio East

Lambda Awards

CLEVELAND-An all-star lineup of gay entertainers kept things moving at the first annual

Ohio East Lambda Awards here on Monday evening, Feb. 23. Sponsored by the Ohio East Gay News, the Awards ceremony was held in the show bar of the Bayou Landing, downtown. Awards in 19 separate categories honoring individuals,. businesses and organizations in the northeastern Ohio gay community were presented before a full house at the Landing.

The American Hotel and Restaurant and the Bayou Landing were both multiple winners of entertainment-social awards while many other local personalities and businesses were recipients of single honors.

The Lambda Awards were patterned after similar events in other major east and west coast cities, and were conducted in a style reminiscent of Hollywood's Academy Awards. As well as from every major northeastern Ohio city, men and women from Miami, Indianapolis, Columbus, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh were in attendance. A cohesive crowd of jubilant nominees, their supporters, and less partisan observers cheered. nearly every attempt at humor, award announcement, acceptance speech, and entertainment performance as the mood of the evening soared. Not one incident of ill-feeling marred the evening's festivities.

A first for the Cleveland-Akron area, the Lambda Awards were held "without a hitch," in the words of Gay News Chain general manager Jim Austin. "I've only witnessed this much unity among so many gay people once before in my lie, and that was five years ago amidst thousands of people in a New York City gay liberation solidarity parade," Austin further com-

mented. The Gay News is already committed to making the Awards an annual event, with only minor changes in structure and voting procedures.

In the Gay News issue of January 3, nominatons in the 19 categories were opened to readers, and in the February 7 issue, a lengthy ballot appeared for all readers who wanted to vote. By the deadline of Thursday, February 19, 120 ballots had been received. On Monday afternoon, February 23, only hours before the Lambda Awards were scheduled to begin, the mammoth task of calculating the results of what amounted to at least 22,800 votes was performed by Gay News staff, volunteers, and friends.

Following an overture and opening remarks by Jerry Batal, Bayou Landing president, and David Goodenough, Ohio East Gay News editor, Doug Mowery and host-M.C. Tiffany Jones completed the first entertainment set.

Presenting the first three awards were Jones and Batal. As each of the sealed Gay News envelopes were handed to the presenters by staff member Nick Danger, the familiar "Envelope please?" Now the winner," were and ". reci The first three winners were.

Man Of The Year: Vince Los, Rainbow Cafe

Woman Of The Year: Dolores Noll, Kent Gay Liberation Front Cocktail Lounge Of The Year: Godmothers II

A live performance by singer "Eartha Kitt" separated the first two award sets. The presenters for the second group were Twiggy of Twiggy's Place and Vikki Sinclair, "Miss Gay Ohio 1976." The winners

were:

•

Bartender Of The Year: Roger Sires, Hayloft

Case-Western dean helps get Heights gay bill passed

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS The City Council here, at the urging of a committee chaired by Prof. Oliver Schroeder, dean of the Case Western Reserve University Law School, last month issued a ruling ending discrimination against gays by municipal agencies. The ruling states that homosexuals are to be "protected against discrimination in hiring, promotion, and dismissal." It was drafted by the city's Law Department following guidelines issued last year by the Federal Civil Service Commission.

"Cleveland Heights was a target city," according to Jean. O'Leary, legislative coordinator for the National Gay Task Force. "The

importance of the Cleveland. Heights victory is that it marks a first in Ohio's most heavily populated county," she added. A local gay activist observed that "From now on, it will be much, much easier to get our programs passed throughout the county."

Activist John Kelsey gave much of the credit to Dean Schroeder, whom he called "one of the city's most esteemed and beloved citizens," saying that Schroeder "well understands that municipal government must take. the lead and open employment to all qualified, lawabiding individuals, no matter what minority group he or she may belong to."

Manager Of The Year: Steve Skrobot, American Hotel and Restaurant

Businessperson Of The Year: Randy Herbruck, Randy Advertising

Regular Bayou performer Tiffani Middlesexx entertained next, followed by Vince and Mary Los, who presented these awards:

•Imagemaker Award: John Nosek, GEAR Foundation

Humanitarian Award: Rev. Stan Roberts, MCC/Akron

Unity Award: Jerry Batal, Bayou Landing

Following a twenty-minute intermission, 'Eartha Kitt" performed for a second time, warming up for Tiffani Middlesexx and Jack Camp-

Ohio

1976

East

حا

Sambda

AWARDS

bell, president Of the Club Baths Chain, who presented:

Restaurant Of The Year: Gypsy's Restaurant

Non-Profit Organization Of The Year: MCC/Akron

Most Original Promotional Event Of The Year: Slave Auction For Charity, American Hotel and Restaurant

Entertainer Of The Year/Comedy, Tiffany Jones, Bayou Landing

Vikki Sinclair moved the festivities along for the fifth pair of presenters, Steve Skrobot and David Nighman, co-owners of the American Hotel and Restaurant,

who announced:

Best Show Production Of The Year: Babes In Boyland Revue, Bayou Landing

Entertainer Of The Year/General: Dennis Cox, American Hotel and Restaurant

Health Club Of The Year: Club Cleveland (W. 32nd St.) Baths The final set of awards was presented by Nancy of Godmothers II:

Cabaret/Show Bar Of The Year: Bayou Landing

Entertainer

Of The Year/Female Impersonator: Tiffany Jones, Bayou Landing

Discotheque Of The Year: Bayou Landing

Local gay disco operator, DJ

participate in Billboard confab

by Nick Danger

NEW YORK Billboard magazine, the international music, record, and tape weekly, held its first Disco Forum Convention here from January 21 to 27 at the Roosevelt Hotel. The purpose of the Forum was to get the people involved in the disco music industry, from record promoters and producers to talent agencies, together with discotheque owners and DJs.

The convention featured lectures and discussion sessions in the areas of product supply, DJ techniques, disco parties, mobile discos, programming, and equipment. Live disco rock bands were showcased each night.

Photo by Studio Two

Steve Skrobot

Two area people attending the meeting were Steve Skrobot and Dennis Cox, respectively the owner and DJ of the American Hotel and Restaurant in Akron. Skrobot said that many of the convention's participants represented gay-oriented establishments from across the nation.

in-

Communication problems between discos and record companies supplying them were a main topic of discussion. according to Skrobot: "The record companies are very hard to get hold of for promotional records and formation... discos need some way of communicating with the record companies because, after all, discotheque means a place where you come to hear the hottest sounds out. It seems that the radio stations are being treated special, and are on a higher level than the discos for promotional records, whereas the discos promote the records just as much if not more than the radio stations."

INDEX

The record companies seemed to be listening to such complaints and arrangements were made for legitimate discos to receive the current hits. The companies themselves will benefit from this, Skrobot contended, since discos. provide much more immediate and reliable audience response to record than radio play does. Disco audiences "let you know if they like. (a tune) or not," he said.

The role of the DJ in the disco scene came in for a lot of attention, since "if the DJ wasn't there, the disco would be just another bar," as Cox put it. "The DJ is actually the entertainer; his whole aim is to bring you out of the everyday humdrum world and to lift your spirits into enjoying yourself through the feeling of disco music."

"Queen of the Discos" Gloria Gaynor finished off the convention, receiving a standing ovation after such songs as "Real Good People," "Jive Time," "Never Can Say Goodbye," and "Reach Out."

Unity voted in at first Ohio East Lambda Awards Doonesbury saga: gay muscles flexed at Cleveland Press. Case-Western dean helps with gay rights in Heights MCC/Cleveland gets new pastor from Phildelphia. Future sex: the science fiction connection

Job Corps backs down on anti-gay manual, promises cooperation Analysis: Goodstein vs. gay lib-the honeymoon's over Anti-gay crusader swings both ways?...

Judge Gesell grants delay in Matlovich case.

Psychiatric Association supports Shapp gay rights stand

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813

Calendar

In The Slammer

Classified Ads

B15

On Record

812

Critic's Choice

811

People, Places & Things.

Editorials. Letters.

A12

Section X Classifieds, Mail Order

B16 X2-X11

Entertainment Feedback

811

Smoke From Jeannie's Lamp-

ETC.....

Social Scene.

Gabby's Got The Scoop

A16

Top Disco Hits

A14-A15 812

Gay Blades..

Twenty Questions Feature

A13

Gay Resources. HQ 76.5

All

Versiera.........

B13

Views & Opinions (op-ed)

A13

OHIO EAST GAY NEWS-Saturday, March 6, 1976-Page A3