May 13, 2005

A year of milestones

People of All Colors Together to honor ten long-lived groups and businesses

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland--At their 25th anniversary celebration, People of All Colors Together-Cleveland will honor ten other northeast Ohio groups and businesses that have milestones this year.

The celebration is May 20 to 22, coinciding with the Spring Midwest Regional Conference and 25th anniversary of the National Association of Black and White Men Together.

The ten lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations will be honored for their longevity at the opening reception at the Wyndham Cleveland Hotel on Friday night.

These are the groups being honored:

10 years

TransFamily. The support and social group for transgendered people and their friends and family was formed in April 1995, starting with six people at their first meeting. Having increased their size ten-fold, the group still holds monthly potlucks, enabling people to have frank discussions about gender while providing support for the difficulties involved with not fitting stereotypical gender roles or transitioning.

GLSEN Cleveland. Formed a decade ago, the Cleveland chapter of the national Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network work to create a safe atmosphere in schools for GLBT students and their allies, as well as provide resources for students and educators seeking to foster an environment of respect on their campuses.

Asians and Friends. Cleveland�s chapter of the national organization held their tenth annual Chinese New Year celebration in February. The group has spent a decade building bridges in the gay community, fostering respect and understanding of Asian cultures.

Insight. Northeast Ohio�s leading LGBT business networking group celebrated their tenth anniversary last October. Their monthly dinners, held in various locations around the area, often host business and community leaders as speakers.

The Grid. Starting on West 9th Street in the Warehouse District before the area became gentrified and home to dozens of upscale, trendy clubs and restaurants, the Grid dance club brought a healthy infusion of patrons to the area before moving to its new, larger location on St. Clair Avenue and East 13th Street.

20 years

Snickers Tavern. One of Cleveland�s longest-lasting predominantly queer dining spots, Snickers has been feeding the city�s LGBT community for two decades, tucked away on a small side street on the West Side.

P-FLAG Cleveland. Meeting at 7:30 pm on the second Tuesday of the month, the Cleveland chapter of the national Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays was an offshoot of the Akron chapter, started in 1983. Two years later, the group started holding meetings in Cleveland as well, and has continued to provide valuable guidance to people learning to support their loved ones as they come out, and LGBT people in the process of coming out.

Gay People�s Chronicle. Founded by Case Western Reserve University anthropology professor Charles Callender in 1985, it is Ohio�s oldest and largest weekly newspaper for the LGBT community.

25 years

PACT-Cleveland. Founded in 1980 as the Cleveland chapter of Black and White Men Together, the organization changed its name to People of All Colors Together in 2003 to reflect a greater openness. Working to end racism, sexism and homophobia while fostering understanding and knowledge, the group now has male and female members, lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual and transgendered, black, white, Latino and Asian.

30 years

The Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center of Greater Cleveland. Formed three decades ago as the Gay Education and Awareness Resources (GEAR) Foundation, the center changed its name in 1988, but not its function: to provide resources to the greater Cleveland LGBT community, as well as serving as a meeting place for dozens of other organizations.

35 years

The Leather Stallion. The oldest continuously operating gay bar in Ohio and the Midwest, the Leather Stallion opened on January 10, 1970, less than seven months after the Stonewall Riots, commonly seen as the beginning of the modern gay civil rights movement.

The reception is $20 and is from 7 pm to 10 pm at in the Wynham�s Palace Ballroom East, located at 1260 Euclid Avenue at Playhouse Square. For more information or to reserve tickets, which are $35, e-mail info@pactcleveland.com, call 216-8313884, or log onto www.pactcleveland.com.

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