Northeast Ohio February 2011 Vol. 42 No.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

A joint publica-

\Ç ÅxÅÉÜ|tÅ By Rabbi David M. Horowitz, PFLAG National President

I still remember walking meetings and a sage voice in

Inside this issue:

About Us

Events

Government news
2

4
into the educational building our educational process. Gay rights 5
at the North Springfield Pres- I change hats now for a
byterian Church, and being Family 6
moment, and write as the
greeted by people I had president of PFLAG National.
never met before. It was in I couldn’t have imagined be-
September 1990. I had re- ing a part of this national
cently learned that my movement had I not been CHAPTER MTGS.
daughter, Wendy, was a les- tutored by Art. But more than
bian and I wasn’t handling that, Art was truly a pioneer Akron PFLAG
the news very well. I needed Feb. 17, Mar. 17 - 7 pm
of this movement. PFLAG Board mtg. 6 pm
help. Art Kaltenborn
was only a few people who N. Springfield Presbyt.
Among the people at that loved their children back in 671 N. Canton Rd.
meeting was the co-founder families. I know of many those difficult days. As an
of the PFLAG Akron chapter. young people that he sat with organization, we are grateful Cleveland PFLAG
A seemingly quiet man, Art and helped over the years. I for Art’s vision that brought to Feb. 8, Mar. 8
commanded the respect of know how he helped me and our community and our na- 7:30 pm
those in the meeting. those like me to better under- tion the voices of families
Trinity Episcopal
stand my lesbian child and 2230 Euclid Ave,, 44115
I later learned that Art and straight allies to the
rid myself of the myths I had struggle for gay, lesbian, bi-
was a giant of a man. Along learned over the years. Alliance PFLAG
with Anne Beebe, Art sexual and transgender Info: a_cromwel@yahoo.com

brought one of the first chap- Art was more than just a equality. Because of his ef-
presence in Akron PFLAG. fort, the entire landscape of Wooster PFLAG
ters of PFLAG in the world Feb. 17, Mar. 17 - 7 pm
into being. He knew, perhaps For years it was Art who kept the movement changed. The
Universalist Fellowship
by instinct, that there was a track of those who were at- most meaningful words I can 3186 Burbank Rd.
need for a group to help peo- tending our meetings and write are that “Art made a Please call ahead to confirm.

ple understand their gay and making sure they received difference.” We, as a national
follow-up material from us. organization, are committed Youngstown PFLAG
lesbian relatives, and that his Feb. 13, Mar. 13 - 3 pm
own experience could help. I He was surely a tie to our to continuing to build on that Stonewall Comm. Ctr.
can’t imagine how many gay past, but also a vibrant part solid foundation. 1523 Poland Ave.
people were helped by Art as of our present and our future. Rest in peace, Art, and
they went through the proc- He wasn’t simply a name may those who love you
ess of “coming out,” first to that was mentioned, but as know that your legacy is for-
themselves and then to their long as it was possible, a ever.
physical presence at our
Page 2 Northeast Ohio PFLAG

PFLAG National offers scholarships

PFLAG National’s 2011 scholar- the Education and Programs tab. Stu-
PFLAG ship is now open, but deadlines are dents must submit the completed ap-
looming. plication and release forms, a one-
Our Mission Scholarships are awarded at the page essay, a high school transcript,
$5,000, $2,500 and $1,000 levels. and one letter of reference.
PFLAG promotes the health
and well-being of gay, lesbian, LGBT students and straight allies who Students are encouraged to apply
bisexual, and transgender are graduating high school in 2011, online, print supporting documentation
persons, their families and friends have applied to an accredited higher and review biographies of the 2010
through SUPPORT to cope with education institution, have demon- scholarship recipients.
an adverse society; EDUCATION strated an interest in service to the
to enlighten an ill-informed public; Please share this information
and ADVOCACY to end
LGBT community, and are U.S. citi- within your community and schools
discrimination and to secure equal zens may apply. and encourage students to apply early.
civil rights. All completed applications and Last year PFLAG received over 1,000
PFLAG provides opportunity supporting documents must be post- applications, and we anticipate greater
for dialogue about sexual marked by Friday, Mar. 11, 2011. Win- interest this year.
orientation and gender identity ners will be notified in March with For additional information, contact
and acts to create a society that is checks disbursed directly to schools in
healthy and respectful of human
Mekina Morgan, Safe Schools and
August. Diversity Outreach Coordinator, at
diversity.
To apply, simply visit PFLAG’s mmorgan@pflag.org or 202-467-8180
website at www.pflag.org and click on x. 212.
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
Equality Ohio selects new director
Executive Board Equality Ohio LGBT activism and extensive experi-
President-Ed Kancler; VP-Bill Libby;
Secretary-Joe Gardner; Treasurer-Trish
is pleased to an- ence in lobbying and civil rights law,
Casserly; At Large-Chris Goldthorpe, nounce Ed Mullen following a national search.
David Horowitz, Marie Libby, Audrey as its new execu-
Kancler, Joy Watts, Jim Lake, Sue & Mike Castle, Chair of the Board for
Chuck Magilavy, Bob Menapace tive director. Equality Ohio, said “Ed brings with him
Committee Chairs Mullen is a civil a proven track record of leadership in
Membership-Trish Casserly; Program- rights attorney, GLBT activism and advocacy. His ex-
open; Publicity-Marie Libby; Library- 20+ year veteran
David Greene; Hospitality-Rada Jenkins; tensive experience in lobbying and civil
Newsletter-Audrey Kancler LGBT activist, and rights law will be a valuable asset to
Ed Mullen recently a Victory Equality Ohio. He is an extremely
CLEVELAND CHAPTER Fund-endorsed smart, engaging, energetic and an all-
615 Prospect St. candidate for state representative in around delightful person. I am thrilled
Berea, OH 44017 Chicago, Ill. that Ed will be on our team to help cre-
W W W . P F LA G C LE V E LA N D . O RG In 2010, he worked on several po- ate ‘an Ohio where everyone feels at
mail@pflagcleveland.org litical campaigns critical to passing civil home.’”
INFOLINE: unions in Illinois, and he lobbied Illinois As an attorney, Ed worked pro
216-556-1701 legislators on behalf of its passage. bono on several LGBT cases, including
Executive Board “I am thrilled to join Equality Ohio representing the victims of harassment
President-Sharon Groh-Wargo; VP-Jes and lead its efforts to make Ohio truly a and discrimination in high school and
Sellers; Secretary-Marianne Buccini;
Treasurer-Art Thomson; At Large-Alan
home for all of its LGBT citizens and to the surviving partner of a gay couple in
Cohen, Diana DeForest, Craig Hoffman; achieve full equality and inclusion for a dispute with his deceased partner's
Legislative Coordinator-Tom Roese; the LGBT community,” Mullen said. family over ownership of his home.
Newsletter-Pat Brandt; Snacks-Gail
Smith; Librarian-Gene Ashley; Mullen was selected by the Equal- Mullen is relocating to Columbus to
Webmaster-Quentin Jamieson
ity Ohio board for his leadership in begin his tenure immediately.
February 2011 Page 3

Chapter news
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter! Safe Schools
You can now get the latest
news and updates from our Akron
policy and dealt
with bullying is-
MORE
sues.
and Cleveland chapters via Face-
book and Twitter. The chapter EVENTS
To find us on Facebook, search meets on Thurs-
for “PFLAG Akron” or “PFLAG day, Feb. 17 at
Cleveland.” Click “LIKE” on the 7:00 p.m. at North Springfield Pres-
page and you will automatically re- byterian Church (address on pg. 1).
ceive all postings on our community Thru FEB. 13—A Fire in My Belly,
bulletin boards. CLEVELAND film about living and dying in the
You can also follow the Cleve- PFLAG Cleveland will sponsor age of AIDS, pulled from the Smith-
land chapter on Twitter at http:// a film at the 35th Cleveland Interna- sonian exhibit on homosexuality in
twitter.com/PFLAG_Cleveland. tional Film Festival, which runs American portraiture, Spaces Gal-
March 24-April 3. Watch lery, 2220 Superior Viaduct, Cleve-
AKRON www.pflagcleveland.org for film syn- land. www.spacesgallery.org or
opsis, show times, and ticket info. 216-621-2314.
Akron PFLAG’s February chap-
ter meeting will feature Dennis Kan- The annual business meeting
will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 8 at CLEVELAND OUT & ABOUT—An
cler, recently retired Chief of Police LGBT outdoor recreational group
of Brecksville, Ohio, who will speak 5:30 p.m. Meeting includes light
supper. Support group meeting will serving Northeast Ohio welcomes
about how Brecksville developed its all to participate in its activities. This
follow at 7:30 p.m.
month:

FEB 20—Sledding, Virginia Kend-

all Hills, Peninsula, 1:00 p.m. Info:
HRC’s Bowling for Equality www.clevelandoutandabout.org

Join the Human Rights Cam- FEB. 26—Mardi Gras Celebration,

paign for “Twilight Bowling for music and masquerade to benefit
Equality” fundraiser on Saturday, North Coast Men’s Chorus, Win-
Feb. 26 at Mahall’s Twenty Lanes, dows on the River in the Power-
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood. house, Flats West Bank, 2000
Sycamore, Cleveland. For more
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with info: www.ncmchorus.org.
family hours from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
and late night bowling until mid-
night.
Ticket price of $20/bowler or
$75 per lane (5 bowlers max.) in- SAVE THE DATES:
cludes 2 hours of bowling, shoes,
pool and food. Lanes are assigned APR 9—State PFLAG meeting
on a first-come, first served basis
and lanes without bowlers may be MAY 1—HRC Dare to Care Fashion
subject to having additional players Gala in Cleveland.
added as needed. Non-bowlers are
welcome to attend for a suggested MAY 18—Ohio Lobby Day
$5 donation.
This is a sell-out event, so re-
serve your spot today. Purchase
tickets online at www.hrc.org.
Page 4 Northeast Ohio PFLAG

Eleven companies in Government news briefs

Ohio make HRC “DADT” COST $200 MILLION THIRD DOMA SUIT FILED
best in equality list According to the A third federal
Government Ac- lawsuit challenging
The Human Rights Campaign’s countability Office the federal De-
annual list of top LGBT businesses (GAO), discharging fense of Marriage
includes eleven Ohio companies. gay service person- Act is now being
KeyCorp, Progressive Insurance, nel under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” addressed in U.S. District Court.
and the law firm Squire, Sanders & cost the government almost Three same-sex couples
Dempsey made the list from the $200 million between 2004 and married in California in 2008
Cleveland area. 2009. when same-sex marriage was
Companies from elsewhere The GAO noted most of the legal in that state filed the suit. It
around the state who made the list expense came from recruiting alleges unlawful exclusion from
include Owens Corning, LexisNexis, and training replacement person- the state employee’s pension
NCR, Macy’s, Proctor & Gamble, Car- nel. On average, a single dis- fund long-term care plan for
dinal Health, Nationwide, and Aber- charge cost $53,000. themselves and their partners.
crombie & Fitch. The plan covers heterosexual
DADT was repealed in De-
All of the companies earned a cember 2010, but is pending en- spouses but not same-sex
100 percent rating on HRC’s Corpo- actment until the Obama Admini- spouses or domestic partners.
rate Equality Index, which rates busi- stration, the Department of De- The judge in the case ar-
nesses on non-discrimination policies, fense, and the Joint Chiefs of gued that DOMA does not ex-
partner benefits, LGBT resource Staff certify that open service will hibit any legitimate government
groups, advertising and event spon-
not harm the military. interest.
sorship, and general support of LGBT
concerns. Two other lawsuits, both in
HOSPITAL VISITS ENFORCED Massachusetts, also challenge
Over 300 companies nationwide
earned a spot on the list this year. the federal law.
The Department
of Health and Hu-
man Services en- OBAMA SELECTS GAYS
acted new regula- The Obama ad-
tions last month to
Kasich leaves TGs allow patients to designate visi-
ministration has filled
two high-ranking po-
out of jobs order tors and to prevent hospitals sitions with openly
from denying visitation based on gay appointees and
Gov. John Kasich’s new executive sexual orientation or gender nominated one to a federal
order barring discrimination in state identity. judgeship.
employment includes sexual orienta- The new rules apply to all
tion, but leaves out gender identity. Roberta Achtenberg, who
hospitals participating in Medi- co-founded the National Center
A previous order by Gov. Ted care of Medicaid, which means for Lesbian Rights, will sit on the
Strickland, which expired when nearly all hospitals, and went U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Kasich took office, included gender into effect January 18.
identity. Jeffrey Levi, AIDS re-
According to The Gay Peo- searcher and executive director
According to The Gay People’s ple’s Chronicle, President
Chronicle, the omission in Kasich’s of Trust for America’s Health, will
Barack Obama instructed the join the Advisory Group on Pre-
order—as well as the poor timing of department to draft the regula-
the order’s release to the press— was vention, Health Promotion and
tions after learning about the Integrative and Public Health.
deliberate.
cases of Janice Langbehn and
The order is not law, only policy. Charlene Strong, both of whom And, if approved by the Sen-
However, the ACLU has asked the were denied visitation when their ate, J. Paul Oetken will become
governor to reconsider the omission. partners were hospitalized. the third openly gay federal
judge in the country.
February 2011 Page 5

Families together ‘What saddens me is that I have to choose

between living in the country I love and living
Fact sheet: The Uniting American Families Act with the family I love…’ —Rita Boyadjian

An estimated untenable choice be-

36,000 lesbian and gay tween family and coun-
Americans cannot try.
sponsor their foreign- With no ability to
born partners for immi- sponsor their partners,
gration, no matter how lesbian and gay Ameri-
long they have been cans are being forced
together and even if the abroad, resulting in a
couple is raising a fam- direct impact on fami-
ily. lies, communities, busi-
“I’m a U.S. citizen, nesses and more.
born in Los Angeles, The Uniting Ameri-
and yet have to leave cans Families Act of
my homeland and be- 2009 (UAFA S.424/
come a refugee over- H.R.1024) will end dis-
seas for part of each crimination in the immi-
year. ‘Liberty and jus- gration system against
tice’ will mean little to
Protesters in Mexico immigration reform for lesbians and gays lesbian and gay Ameri-
families like mine until cans by allowing them
the Uniting American Families Act is to sponsor their permanent partners
passed,” explained Rita Boyadjian. make the difficult decisions between
managing their parents’ health or for immigration.
She and her partner, Margot, have
two small children and live in Ger- remaining with their partner. UAFA would extend immigra-
many six months of the year be- For the more than 17,000 les- tion benefits to permanent partners
cause Margot cannot legally immi- bian and gay binational couples who have proven their emotional
grate to the U.S. with young children, the choice is and financial commitment through
one between losing one parent or rigorous documentation and other
For families like Rita’s, and their criteria, similar to those faced by
loved ones and extended families, losing the only country their children
have ever called home. other couples and families. To learn
the choices are drastic and unac- more, visit http://
ceptable. Every day, lesbian and gay bi- immigrationequalityactionfund.org.
Those with aging parents must national families are faced with the

10 Reasons why gay rights is a religious issue

Tikkun Magazine, a 2. God loves us and 7. Evolution of religious doctrine is
bimonthly Jewish critique does not want us to healthy.
of politic, culture and harm ourselves. 8. Curbing brutishness is the
society printed in an is- 3. Compassion is holy. point.
sue last year an article
by Jay Michaelson with 4. Justice is holy. 9. Because the separation of
the above title. Accord- 5. The Old Testament Church and State helps the
ing to Michaelson, reli- doesn’t say what the reli- Church.
gious people should not gious Right says it does. 10. Sexual diversity is a beautiful
be for gay rights despite 6. The New Testament part of God’s creation.
their religion’s teachings, but be- doesn’t say what the religious For the complete article, go to:
cause of them. His ten reasons: Right says it does. www.tikkun.org/article.php/
1. It is not good to be alone. july2010_michaelson.
Page 6 Northeast Ohio PFLAG

Over time, support for gay marriage increases

Although gay marriage contin- national polls at the time.
ues to be a hotly contested issue, Nationally, same-sex marriage
the proverbial tide may have turned. is most strongly supported in the
A 2010 CNN poll reported in Southwest and the Northeast, ac-
The New York Times found that a cording to the CNN poll. The least
narrow majority of Americans sup- support is primarily in the South and
port same-sex marriage—the first the state of Utah.
poll to find majority support. (Other State level support has grown
polls have found as much as 45 significantly. According to CNN re-
percent support.) search, in 2004, same-sex marriage
That indicates a significant in- did not have majority support in any
crease in support from 1996, when state. Today, 17 states have major-
Congress passed the Defense of ity support.
Marriage Act, CNN pollsters noted. The CNN poll also noted that a
At that time only 25 percent of majority of people under the age of
Americans said gays and lesbians 30 support same-sex marriage, re-
should have the right to marry, a gardless of whether they reside in a
statistic based on an average of liberal or conservative state.

Make a plan. Provide for your family. Promote equality.

A will is an obvious way to take
care of your family and their fu-
ture—even after you’re gone.
Through PFLAG’s planned giving
program, you can also make sure
your PFLAG family’s financial future
is secure.
Planned giving isn’t just for par-
ents. “For the LGBT community, a
will is an exceptionally great tool,”
said Cindy Barrington, assistant
director of development at PFLAG
National. “Most state laws will not
necessarily recognize your partner,
your family, or the causes you care
about. Without a will, only the state count, gifts can be for a specific ney or financial advisor can also
or legally recognized relatives will amount or a percentage of value. help in this process.
be able to make decisions about No amount is too small—each “Even after we are gone, we
where your assets go.” planned gift helps ensure that want to continue to make the world
PFLAG’s work and future remains a better place for our gay son, and
The PFLAG planned giving pro- strong.
gram can be one way to support an all LGBT people,” said former
organization that supported your For more information, contact PFLAG National president John
family during the coming out proc- PFLAG National at www.pflag.org Cepek and his wife Char. “That’s
ess. Whether you include PFLAG in or call the Development Office at why we have designated PFLAG as
your will, as a beneficiary on a life 202-467-8180 x. 223 and ask about one of the beneficiaries of our es-
insurance policy or retirement ac- estate planning options. Your attor- tate.”

W h e n yo u n o l o n g e r n e e d P FL AG , t h a t ’ s w h e n P FL AG n ee d s yo u !