Northeast Ohio March 2011 Vol. 42 No.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

A joint publication of the Akron and Cleveland chapters

Preaching to the choir Inside this issue:

About Us 2
By Ed Kancler, Akron chapter president
Lobby Day 2

Every month that goes
by sees more happenings
in the cause for equality.
Most are good, even
great. Some are not.
The United States Su-
preme Court ruled by an
8-1 vote that anti-gay in-
vective and demonstra-
tions at military funerals
are protected by the First
Amendment. Here, the
lone dissenter was Justice
Samuel Alito, a staunch
conservative, who wrote
that vile speech and con-
duct in such a context
should not be protected
under the guise of free
speech.
The Cleveland Plain
Dealer called for the repeal
of the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA) in a reversal of great thinkers as Newt Gin-
its previous editorial position. grich to say that Congress
Polls are showing that the
40-and-under age group
couldn’t care less about
“protecting” traditional mar-
riage. And the Obama Ad-
ministration, through the De-
partment of Justice, an-
nounced it will not continue
defending DOMA in court
proceedings, leading such
“down the road” should con-
sider impeachment proceed-
ings against President
Obama (later hastily denied).
Of course, he said that dur-
ing a Q&A session after a
speech at Yale University
on February 24. Gingrich,
but the way, was Speaker
of the House when DOMA
was enacted in 1996.
Between all this, the
Maryland Senate passed a
Marriage Equality Act, but
its House is delaying the
vote. The 9th Circuit Fed-
eral Court of Appeals has
delayed a decision on the
Proposition 8 case by ask-
ing the California Supreme
Court to decide if the de-
fenders of Prop 8 have the
right to be in court under
California law.
Why write about all this?
Because equality is in the
news almost every day. A
writer has suggested that
success of our cause re-
quires “preaching to the
choir” so that we stay in-
formed about what is going
on and recommit ourselves
to equality again and again. I
think it’s a good suggestion.
State Meeting Reg. 3
Family, fashion, faith 4
Online news 5
Religion & local 6
CHAPTER MTGS.
Akron PFLAG
Mar. 17, Apr. 21 - 7 pm
N. Springfield Presbyt.
671 N. Canton Rd.
Cleveland PFLAG
Mar. 8, Apr. 12
7:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal
2230 Euclid Ave,, 44115
Alliance PFLAG
Info: a_cromwel@yahoo.com
Wooster PFLAG
Mar. 17, Apr. 21 - 7 pm
Universalist Fellowship
3186 Burbank Rd.
Please call ahead to confirm.
Youngstown PFLAG
Mar. 20, Apr. 17 - 3 pm
Stonewall Comm. Ctr.
1523 Poland Ave.

Editors’ note: Ed spoke on February 14 to the newly formed Gay Straight Alliance at
Revere High School. Topics of discussion included PFLAG and current equality issues.
Page 2
PFLAG
Our Mission
PFLAG promotes the health
and well-being of gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender
persons, their families and friends
through SUPPORT to cope with
an adverse society; EDUCATION
to enlighten an ill-informed public;
and ADVOCACY to end
discrimination and to secure equal
civil rights.
PFLAG provides opportunity
for dialogue about sexual
orientation and gender identity
and acts to create a society that is
healthy and respectful of human
diversity.
AKRON CHAPTER
PO Box 5471
Akron, OH 44334
W W W . P F LA G A K RO N . O RG
HELPLINE:
330-342-5825
Executive Board
President-Ed Kancler; VP-Bill Libby;
Secretary-Joe Gardner; Treasurer-Trish
Casserly; At Large-Chris Goldthorpe,
David Horowitz, Marie Libby, Audrey
Kancler, Joy Watts, Jim Lake, Sue &
Chuck Magilavy, Bob Menapace
Committee Chairs
Membership-Trish Casserly; Program-
open; Publicity-Marie Libby; Library-
David Greene; Hospitality-Rada Jenkins;
Newsletter-Audrey Kancler
CLEVELAND CHAPTER
615 Prospect St.
Berea, OH 44017
W W W . P F LA G C LE V E LA N D . O RG
mail@pflagcleveland.org
INFOLINE:
216-556-1701
Executive Board
President-Sharon Groh-Wargo; VP-Jes
Sellers; Secretary-Marianne Buccini;
Treasurer-Art Thomson; At Large-Alan
Cohen, Diana DeForest, Craig Hoffman;
Legislative Coordinator-Tom Roese;
Newsletter-Pat Brandt; Snacks-Gail
Smith; Librarian-Gene Ashley;
Webmaster-Quentin Jamieson
Lobby Day for Equality
“Gays and lesbians don’t live in my
district.”
“Gay rights aren’t important to peo-
ple in my district.”
“I don’t know any gay, lesbian or
transgender people.”
These are actual quotes from state
legislators. We need to let our elected
officials know that LGBT people and
our allies live throughout Ohio and we
support pro-equality legislation. Join us
for Lobby Day for Equality on Wednes-
day, May 18, at the state capitol in Co-
lumbus.
Over the past five years, more
than a thousand Ohioans have visited
their elected officials on Equality Ohio’s
Lobby Day to talk to them about pro-
equality legislation. Lobby Day has
made a difference—for the first time in
Ohio’s history, pro-equality legislation
passed a chamber of the General As-
sembly when the House voted in late
2009 to pass the Equal Housing and
Employment Act. But more work is
needed to make this bill the law in
Ohio.
Earlier this year, 39 new legislators
(or those who are returning after being
out of office for more than 6 years)
joined the General Assembly. These
legislators need to hear from us and be
educated on our issues. We must also
renew our relationships with returning
legislators, whether or not they support
PFLAG hits radio waves
Recently, PFLAG National Presi-
dent David Horowitz, his daughter
Wendy, and Akron PFLAG board
member Church Magilavy were inter-
viewed by Amanda Rabinowitz on
WKSU. The interview provided open
and honest dialogue on LGBT issues.
You can listen to the entire six min-
ute segment on WKSU’s website:
http://www.wksu.org/news/story/27689.
Northeast Ohio PFLAG
pro-equality
legisla-
tion. When
we tell our
stories, we
change
hearts and
minds.
This year, we expect at least two
pro-equality bills to be introduced in the
legislature—the Equal Housing and
Employment Act and the Comprehen-
sive Safe Schools Act, which would
apply to bullying in schools on the ba-
sis of sexual orientation or gender
identity. We need your help to move
these pro-equality measures forward.
Equality Ohio will help you prepare
and provide you with important infor-
mation to make sure that you are com-
fortable and ready to talk to your
elected officials. They will also assign
you a Lobby Day team so that you will
have the support you need and be able
to share the Lobby Day experience
with like-minded people.
Lobby Day will conclude with a
reception where many of our elected
officials and community leaders will
join us. You can make a difference.
Register now at: http://
equalityfederation.salsalabs.com/
o/35026/p/salsa/event/common/
public/?event_KEY=517 or call 614-
224-0400.
March 2011 Page 3

Akron chapter Cleveland chapter hosts film at

hosts annual state
meeting
Our Akron chapter cordially invites
you to our Ohio Chapters Meeting on
April 9 at the Fairlawn West United
Church of Christ, 2095 West Market,
Akron.
Our program, “Reach for Equality,”
begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00
p.m. A wide range of speakers are
scheduled, including David Horowitz,
PFLAG national president; Dan Tepfer,
PFLAG regional director; Ed Mullen,
Equality Ohio’s executive director; San-
dra Kurt, Summit County council mem-
ber; and Molly Merriman, Kent State
University professor and director of the
LGBT Studies program.
The cost is only $15 for adults and
$10 for students. Breakfast, lunch,
snacks and beverages are provided. An
optional dinner at participant’s expense
will be held at 5:00 p.m. at Bricco’s Res-
international film festival
PFLAG Cleveland continues
its tradition of sponsoring a film
at the 35th Cleveland Interna-
tional Film Festival (CIFF)
March 24-April 3.
"Undertow" will be screened
on Friday, Mar. 25 at 9:30
p.m. and Saturday, Mar. 26 at
6:05pm. It is a beautiful film
about love, sacrifice, and cour-
age set in a colorful fishing vil-
lage in Peru (Spanish with subti-
tles). one using the code “EQOHIO”
and is good for any festival film
Equality Ohio will also fea- screening. Enter EQOHIO when
ture a film. “A Marine Story” will purchasing tickets online at the
be shown March 31 at 2:15 website. You can also use the
p.m., April 2 at 9:20 p.m., and code when purchasing tickets
April 3 at 2:05 p.m. over the phone (877-304-FILM)
Find more information on or at the box office (Ulmer &
the festival, films and activities Berne Film Festival Box Office
at www.clevelandfilm.org. CIFF in the lobby of Tower City Cine-
is offering a $2 discount for any- mas).

!
taurant in Akron. The PFLAG Cleveland website has received a minor facelift, featur-
ing a "recent news" newsfeed, an "upcoming events" newsfeed, and
A registration form may be found
links to our new social media presence on Facebook and Twitter.
below. Please register by April 2.

OHIO PFLAG ANNUAL CHAPTERS MEETING

Registration Form
Cost: Adults $15 Students $10 (Includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, beverages)

Name(s): _________________________________________________________ PFLAG Chapter: _______________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

City: ____________________________________ State: ________ Zip: ____________________

Phone: _____________________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________

Indicate lunch preference: Turkey ____ Ham ____ Roast beef ____ Veggie wrap ____

Amount enclosed: __________________

Will you attend dinner at Bricco? (5:00 p.m., your cost) Yes ____ No ____

Please register by April 2, 2011. Mail registration form and payment (checks payable to PFLAG Akron):
Sue Magilavy, Treasurer, PFLAG Akron, 3970 Stow Road, Stow, OH 44224
Page 4 Northeast Ohio PFLAG

Art, fashion, entertainment

For families
LGBT Foster Care Fair
The LGBT Community Center of
Greater Cleveland, 6600 Detroit Ave.,
Cleveland, will host a Foster Care Fair
on Saturday, April 2 from 1:00-4:00
p.m.
Join us for timely conversations
and information about foster care op-
portunities for LGBT families.
For more information: 216-651-
5428 or info@lgbtcleveland.org.
Family By Design
Family By Design is a social sup-
port group for LGBT parents and their
children, affiliated with the LGBT
Community Center of Greater Cleve-
land. The group meets once a month
for family events at local venues in the
Greater Cleveland area and approxi-
mately every other month for Parents
Night Out.
For information: familybydesign-
clevelandohio@yahoo.com.
Extr-ABBA-ganza!
A concert with the Northcoast
Men’s Chorus, featuring the mu-
sic of ABBA, will be held April 9
at 8:00 p.m. and April 10 at 3:00
p.m. at Waetjen Auditorium,
Cleveland State University, 2001
Euclid Ave.
Advance tickers $10-$35; at
the door $15-$40.
ArtCares
ArtCares 2011 will be held at
the Battery Park Power House
(in the Detroit Shoreway
neighborhood on Cleveland’s
Near West Side) on Saturday,
April 16 at 7:00 p.m. for VIPs,
and 8:00 p.m. for the public.
ArtCares is a collaboration
between the Cleveland Institute
of Art and the AIDS Taskforce of
Greater Cleveland, arising from
an awareness of the devastating
impact of AIDS on the creative
Dare2Care Gala
Join the Human Rights Cam-
paign to prevent LGBT teen bul-
lying and teen suicide at a fash-
ion and entertainment gala at the
Cuyahoga County Courthouse
on May 1.
Our May Day Gay Day gala
is a call to action...a distress sig-
nal to the Cleveland community
that our children are being
placed at significant risk by bul-
lies and that we all share the
responsibility for their safety and
well-being.
Cleveland-based boutiques
will put on a 20-minute runway
show of the latest spring and
summer collections. There will
also be live entertainment and a
high school poetry award. Be
prepared for an evening of fash-
ion, glamour, outrage, song,
dance, and transformation.
Tickets at http://cleveland.
hrc.org/.
Details of the poetry compe-
tition at http://www.hrc.org/
daretocarepoetry/.

On faith arts community. The ArtCares

Love is an Orientation
A day-long conference presented
by Andrew Marin on building bridges
between the LGBT and faith commu-
nities will be held at First
LOVE
event celebrates contemporary
art with both silent and live auc-
tions of donated work. All pro-
ceeds from the event directly
support the AIDS Taskforce.
Councilman Joe Cimperman
will serve as auctioneer, and en-
tertainment will be provided by

Baptist Church of Greater

Cleveland, 3630 Shaker
Blvd., Shaker Hgts. Three
sessions with lunch $55;
without lunch $45; evening
session only $15. For info
call 216-932-7480 or
www.firstbaptistcleveland.
org.
the always fun and irreverent
Lounge Kitty, and DJ Misterbrad-
leyP.
Ticket prices are $100 VIP
and $50 general admission.
Contact Rebecca Strong at
rstong@atfgc.org or 216-621-
0766 x.232.
March 2011
CDC launches LGBT web page
The Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention (CDC) has
made available a web page on the
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-
gender Health section of their web-
site which includes advice and re-
sources on how teachers and
school administrators can prevent
bullying in schools, and what par-
ents can do to support their chil-
dren.
The site is available at: http://
www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm.
Some listed information:
Group for Bisexual Women
If you are a bisexual or bi-
questioning woman in need of sup-
port and direction, Sue Doerfer,
MSW, LISW-S, is offering a new
therapy group at the group practice
of Antone Foe, PhD & Associates.
24500 Center Ridge Road in West-
lake.
Topics to include: self-
identification, dealing with internal-
ized bi-phobia and heterosexism,
2011 C.A.U.S.E. Conference in Columbus
Equality Ohio invites young
LGBT and allied leaders to Colum-
bus State Community College for
the 2011 C.A.U.S.E. Conference
April 1-3.
The CAUSE conference is a
two-day summit designed to inspire,
empower, and support students and
young leaders ages 18-24 working
hard for equality in their communi-
ties.
Tentative schedule includes an
Compared with LGBT young
adults who experienced very little or
no parental rejection, LGBT young
adults who experienced high levels
of rejection were:
− Nearly 6 times as likely to have
high levels of depression
− More than 8 times as likely to
have attempted suicide
− More than 3 times as likely to
use illegal drugs, and
− More than 3 times as likely to
engage in unprotected sexual
behaviors.
finding the
love that you
want, and
coming out.
Group sessions will be held for 6
weeks on Thursdays at 6pm be-
ginning March 17th and ending on
April 21st. Cost is $55 per session or
$300 pre-paid. Pre-screening re-
quired. Call 440-899-1300 to in-
quire.
invitation to attend Fusion
Friday at The Ohio State
University on April 1, con-
ference sessions Saturday
and Sunday (ending at
noon), and an optional
group outing to Gallery Hop
in Columbus’s Short North
Saturday night.
Contact Equality Ohio
at cause@equalityohio.org
or call 614-224-0400.
Page 5
FACEBOOK ADDS
LGBT OPTIONS
TO PROFILES
Facebook now offers 'In a
Civil Union' and 'In a Domestic
Partnership' as profile options for
user in the U.S., Canada, the
United Kingdom, France and
Australia.
"Today, Facebook sent a
clear message in support of gay
and lesbian couples to users
across the globe," said Jarrett
Barrios, president of the Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defa-
mation (GLAAD). "By acknowl-
edging the relationships of
countless loving and committed
same-sex couples in the U.S.
and abroad, Facebook has set a
new standard of inclusion for
social media.”
GLAAD was among the or-
ganizations that met with Face-
book to advocate for this
change. In October 2010, Face-
book partnered with GLAAD and
other national LGBT organiza-
tions to create "Network of Sup-
port," an educational initiative
that works to combat anti-LGBT
cyberbullying.
Page 6
Members meet with local law
enforcement
On March 1, Akron PFLAG board
members, David Horowitz and Bill
Libby attended a diversity program
presented by the Akron Police Depart-
ment at the Mason Community Center.
Lt. Charles Brown, commander of the
community relations/COPS/ gang/street
crime units, was the facilitator.
Other community groups present
were Community Aid Network/ Akron
Pride Initiative , the Islamic Society of
Akron, Haven of Rest, St. Bernard
Catholic Church and another Akron
police officer, Sgt. Erik Wells.
This diverse group discussed the
Momentum for gay marriage no longer deniable to opponents
Excerpted from a blog entry posted by Josh Bell; Written by Freedom to Marry's media intern Joe Girton
Albert Mohler has something to
say. The prominent evangelical and
president of the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary is telling his
people to get ready: the freedom to
marry is coming.
Speaking on the Focus on the
Family radio program, Mohler’s
words seemed, if not to endorse, to
fully acknowledge the growing accep-
tance of the marriage for gay couples
in this country. “I think it's clear that
something like same-sex marriage is
going to become normalized, legal-
ized and recognized in the culture,”
he said. The man has a point—
Mohler’s alignment with the truth of
the marriage movement's ascent in
recent years is telling of the times.
His statement comes at an ap-
propriate moment: this week the Pew percent today.
Center released new poll data again
showing rising support for the free-
dom to marry among voters from all
age groups. And notably, the per-
Yo u a l way s h ave a h o m e a t P FL AG !
various issues that relate to problems
within their communities and how the
police may be involved when offenses
occur. Some attendees were very spe-
cific as to their concerns and interaction
with local police officers. It was sug-
gested the group reconvene at least
quarterly for further discussions.
Lt. Brown stated that a training
program was being held in April with
police officers on some of the subjects
we discussed and that an email was
being sent out to all participants.
We are very pleased that these
communication efforts are taking place.
centage of independents in favor of
ending marriage discrimination
jumped from 37 percent in 2009 to 51
Yes, Mohler’s acknowledgment
of the inevitability of marriage is pro-
gress, but he doesn’t go much further
Northeast Ohio PFLAG
Bishops pen
letter
Thirty-six retired United Method-
ist bishops have called for the removal
of discriminatory language pertaining
to homosexuality from the authorita-
tive discipline of the UMC.
Their public stance is hoped to
influence a vote to enact this change at
the General Conference in 2012.
“While we work very hard to
change policy, we realize that change
often occurs one story and one heart at
a time,” said Joy Watts, an Akron
PFLAG board member who also
serves on the national board of the
UMC Reconciling Ministries Net-
work.
than an objective recognition of the
reality. Because Mohler is unable to
reconcile the freedom to marry with
his own personal [religious] princi-
ples, he makes the assumption that
supporters have no principles them-
selves.
But ending marriage discrimina-
tion...would reinforce the very values
that he and other religious people
cherish. That’s why more and more
clergy are coming out in support of
the freedom to marry: because they
realize that protecting families and
ensuring dignity through government
recognition are concepts endemic to
the religious pillars they adhere to.
On his website, Mohler praises
marriage as a “liberating, God-given
institution for human flourishing.”
While marriage isn’t religious for eve-
ryone, he seems to hit the nail on the
head by describing it as a cradle for
human happiness.