about anti-Gay/Lesbian violence on Monday, June 24th, at 7 PM, at The Ohio State University's Law School Auditorium, 1659 North High Street. It will be followed by a reception for Brenner. The talk will be ASL interpreted, and the auditorium is wheelchair accessible. The presentation is free; we do ask for a $5 donation for the reception. Both events are sponsored by Stonewall Union. For more information, call the Stonewall office at 299-7764.
teach how to lead these workshops. Schenck will present skills-building lessons, and provide updates on federal legislation that will likely demand Gay and Lesbian response. Those who attend the second workshop should attend the first one as well.
This Midwest Lobby Days workshop is sponsored by Stonewall Union, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Columbus NOW, and ACT UP/Columbus. Both parts of the workshop will be ASL interpreted. The YWCA is wheelchair accessible. For more information about this event, call Mike Dittmer at Stonewall Union, 299-7764.
9
CLAUDIA BRENNER Keynote Speaker
Claudia Brenner hadn't intended to become an anti-violence activist. Fate stepped in with a sudden terror that turned her life around.
In 1988, Brenner and her lover of three years, Rebecca Wight, were stalked and attacked by a rifle-toting assailant as they hiked the Appalachian Trail. Wight died at their campsite. Brenner--shot in the face, head, upper arm and neck-managed to walk and crawl nearly four miles to get help. Rebecca Wight's killer was convicted of first-degree murder, but not after a lengthy trial in which the killer claimed that the two women, strangers to him, somehow provoked his attack merely because he believed them to be Lesbians.
Brenner has become outspoken on the issue of anti-Gay violence, travelling the country to get the word out that Lesbians and Gay men are being attacked, assaulted, and murdered in appalling numbers. Last November, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force recognized Brenner's work and honored her at the Third Annual National Gay/Lesbian Conference in Minneapolis.
In recent years, assaults against Lesbians and Gay men have increased dramatically. The attack on Claudia Brenner and Rebecca Wight was only one of 7,248 anti-Gay incidents reported to the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force in 1988. Studies conducted in Pennsylvania and New York, and by the Federal Department of Justice, have shown that Lesbians and Gay men are the most frequent targets of hate crime. Current statistics indicate that, with the growth of organized hate groups, these numbers will keep on increasing as well.
In an interview last fall with Ms. Magazine, Brenner said, "Nothing about who we were or our love for each other could be considered motivation for the outrageous, inhumane violence perpe-
trated against us." Thousands of Gay men and Lesbians find themselves the victims of anti-Gay hatred and violence, not for anything they have done, but merely for who they are. At the Rally after this year's March, Brenner will speak address this violence, how it affects us and what we can do to try to stop it.
Brenner will also lead a discussion
ART SCHENCK Midwest Rep., NGLTF
Chicagoan Art Schenck was recently named Midwest Representative for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. His appointment by NGLTF represents that group's recognition of the political organizing going on here in the heart of the country, and recognizes as well the work Schenck has done for the Gay/Lesbian community in Illinois.
Schenck has been a board member of the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force for several years, and works to coordinate national lobbying efforts for the state of Illinois. He was chosen by NGLTF to serve as one of their representatives at the White House when President Bush signed into law the National Hate Crimes Statistics Act. Schenck has been a guiding for with the Association of Great Lakes Gay and Lesbian Organizations (AGLO), and serves as a liaison between that group and the national lobbyists in DC. Schenck has run up an impressive record in setting up letter-writing campaigns and voter organization. He brings these skills with him to Columbus as part of the Gay/Lesbian Pride celebrations.
On Saturday, June 22nd, Schenck will present a two-part workshop on how to lobby. It will begin at 1 PM at the YWCA, First Floor Members Lounge, 65 South Fourth Street. There is no charge for this event; refreshments will be provided.
The first part of the session will focus on how to lobby elected officials. Schenck
PAMALA STANLEY
Entertainer
Singer/songwriter Pamala Stanley will perform at the Rally following the 1991 Gay/Lesbian Freedom March and Gayfest. Stanley has made a name for herself through her many dance hits, particularly Coming Out of Hiding, which reached #2 on the national dance charts and has become a staple at Gay and Lesbian dance bars since its release. Other top 10 national hits include I Don't Want to Talk About It, If Looks Could Kill (from Arnold Schwarzenegger's Raw Deal film), and an electrifying dance version of Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon. Stanley writes much of her material. Her newest album, Coming Out of Hiding...The Sequel (on Chameleon Records), contains several songs she wrote with James Lee Stanley. Her success has come through hard work; she's recorded on small labels, including her own Kommandeer Label. Pamala's been a long-time supporter of Gay/Lesbian rights, and has performed at many Gay rights and AIDS benefits. Her concerts have taken her around the world, and she proved to be a favorite in South America. You may have seen Pamala recently as the opening act at sev-
eral of Madonna's concerts.
You can catch Pamala Stanley in concert at the Columbus Eagle, 232 North Third Street, the night of the Gay/Lesbian
will describe how to write an effective letter, and how to set up and carry on a sucPride March. The show starts at 8 PM, cessful meeting with a legislator. He will and will be ASL interpreted. Tickets also discuss when and how to make should be purchased at the door ($3 phone calls. This is a hands-on workshop, Stonewall members, $4 non-members). and those attending will finish by writing This is a benefit for the March; the cover letters in support of the federal Lesbian will go towards paying expenses. For and Gay Civil Rights Bill. more information about this concert, call The second part of the workshop will 228-2804 or 299-7764.
CRAIG COVEY Stonewall Co-founder
Craig Covey, a co-founder and the first Executive Director of Stonewall Union, will return to Columbus as a speaker at the 1991 Gay/Lesbian Freedom March. Covey left Columbus in June of 1985 to become Executive Director of Michigan Organization for Human Rights. He is currently AIDS High Risk Education Consultant for the Michigan Department of Public Health. He is a boardmember and President of the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, and chaired the March on Lansing for Lesbian/Gay Rights committee in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990.
Covey returns to Columbus to talk about what it was like in those "olden"
days, and how the activism that was so vital in getting Stonewall Union going is still that we never dreamed of in 1981. vital today. We face challenges today
Covey's words should inspire us to take on the new and continue the old struggles as well.