Lavender Starship/Page 8/May 10, 1972

CLEVELAND GAA LOOKS BACK-AND AHEAD

by Judith Cady

This is a retrospective analysis of Cleveland GAA's progress in accaplishing their goals. Hopefully, discussing some of the hassles weve had can help other Ohio chapters avoid similar ones. It is now several months since the Cleveland chapter reactivated after an ortive beginning last summer, and it is a good time for us now to take a long look at our objectives and programs.

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Last summer the GAA was geared toward street action; it was impos5ible to get media coverage, and organizational problems were at a naximum.

No gay women were to be seen; no professional people were out. In Cleveland at any rate, the tine was not yet for a cohesive gay movement.

January 17 of this year GAA folk cane together to discuss trying it again. The weaknesses of last sumner were discussed, and a new, more broadly based structure was formulated. Participation by professionals, third world gays and sisters were actively sought to augment the street people image that had plagued the previous organization. From the new beginning GAA members attempted to become an organization responsive to the needs of the large, mostly submerged Cleveland gay community.

Writing the organization's constitution and election of officers occupied nearly two months. The administering body of Cleveland GAA is a nine-member executive board comprised of the Men's and Women's Co-chairmen (each a non-voting member); the chairmen of the Political Action, Social, Legal, Publicity Committees; one delegate each from the Women's and the Third World Caucuses; and one delegate elected at large from the nembership.

The process of incorporation as a 1on-profit Ohio corporation is now Imost complete.

he next step was formulating the welve-point program (below) of the leveland GAA. The platform deals ith each gay's individual orientati1; and the societal interaction of traights and Gays, on religious, edcational and psychological as well political and legal levels. atform may be examined to evaluate

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what has thus far been accomplished. (The entire program, it should be not noted, was vorded in a general manner to allow considerable leeway in organization activities.)

The first point deals with education and is related to almost all the other points. Education is the prime requisite in building gay pride; in integrating the gay elements into the straight society; certainly in coun seling on an individual level; bringing about changes in the law requires To date massive public education. GAA in Cleveland has attacked this primarily by offering speakers to college classes (thus far mostly to Cleveland State University), and by having the recently re-christened

"Gay Care Line" available for information exchange and for emergency counseling. (Both these activities are specifically called for in the orGanizational Point 12.)

Also in the realm of education are the efforts of the "Cleveland Gay Media Network" --F.M. radio station WMMS (100.7MHz) and the "Great Swamp Erie da da BOOM" WMMS runs a 15-minute Gay news program at 12:05 p.m. each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the programs dealing with both hard The "da news and feature stories. da BOO's" coverage is a regular gay news column, a guest column written by an area gay, and any gay news culled from the alternative services such as, Earth News, Liberation News Service, Unicora News, and Alternative Features Service.

The importance of dealing positively with the media cannot be overemphasized. Before public education can be accomplished, public awareness must be established. In our global village, the media are indiopensible. There is no time to waste.

In the area of building gay pride the GAA held a "Gay Community Gathering" which, due to insufficient publicity and general untogetherness was The second not totally successful.

of this series is planned for after Gay Pride Week, with questionnaires placed in the bars well in advance of the meeting.

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The problem of planning activities far enough ahead to do adequate promotion has plagued our organization oince its inception, and a generous dose of "getting our shit together' io definitely in order. Every organization in victim of the same syndrone--all the work done by only a few of the members. Somehow the organization must work to involve all ito membership. We believe this will be helped by establishing a bi-weekly newsletter (also called for in the twelve point program), which has been one of the significant lacks of the group.

As far as political action youn, e Cleveland GAA granted an endorsement to the Abortion Project Coal1tion for their Abortion Week Activitico. GM oisters and brothers marched as a GAA chapter in favor of a woman's right to her own body, and the APC gave a reciprocal endorsement of the Gay Pride Week celebrations in Cleveland. GMA also leafletted and spoke on the platform in recent antiwar activities on Public Square. Though these activities are crucial to this country's well-being, it is still the concensus of the group that political action on gay rights is the first priority. Leafletting has occurred on various campuses in the area, and as the rites of spring progreas more is planned.

The Cleveland GAA Tegal Defence Committee has sponsored two cases in the courts. The first Involve! a CBEC 0x0ure and public chocenity la o dantim hotel, en te still pending. The most antennt victory occured in an extrapment case in an cast side suburb. The case was thrown out of court because of lack of evidence, and seven similar cases were also dropped. GAA is fortunate in having at its disposal an old-time movement person and friend of the Cleveland alternative community, and the only deficiency in our legal defense program at this time is lack of funds.

On the level of legal reform, GAA did an informal political zap on many of the Democratic Party's candidates in the recent primary election for Ohio senatorial and House of Representatives delegates, as well as candidates for Cuyahoga County Sheriff. cont. on page 9

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ther be a living proof of the fact that the new Gay consciousness has found its roots in Mid-America and not only in the large cosmopolitan cities on our east and west coasts -or the Gay movement will not and cannot flourish.

Join us. Discover Gay Pride. Come together as a people for Gay Pride Week, May 15-21.