Dear HRC Cleveland Volunteers:

It’s still not too late to volunteer for the 18^th Annual HRC Cleveland Gala Dinner & Auction on Saturday, August 27 but this is your last chance! If you’re interested, read on and email us today!  The deadline is Saturday, August 20.  If you’ve already expressed an interest AND received a confirmation email, you’re all set!  If you haven’t received a confirmation, email us today!  Thanks for your interest in and support of the Human Rights Campaign!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND RSVP TODAY!

The 18^th Annual HRC Cleveland Gala Dinner and Auction will be on Saturday, August 27, 2011 at the Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University (http://www.csuohio.edu/wolsteincenter/), located at 2000 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland.

This is our premier fundraising event of the year and is always a very exciting and enjoyable affair.  Many prominent public officials attend this annual event, including US Senator Sherrod Brown, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Mayor Frank Jackson, as well as local and national celebrities.  This year’s keynote speaker is Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of The Pretenders.

HRC Cleveland is in need of many volunteers to perform a variety of different tasks, none of which will get your hands or clothes dirty!  Past volunteers have been invaluable assets in making our previous gala dinners huge successes.  We just can’t do it without our amazing volunteers!  Best of all, each volunteer will receive FREE ADMISSION to the event (a $175.00 value!) and a full buffet dinner!

More information on what it means to volunteer for this event follows this message. If you are interested in volunteering for this year’s dinner, please email volunteers@hrccleveland.org at your earliest convenience, including your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address. Do NOT reply directly to this message.

For more information on this year’s event, including a full lineup of the evening’s entertainment and speakers (as they are scheduled), go to http://cleveland.hrc.org/node/335.  Individuals who are interested in attending the Gala Dinner & Dance as guests (non-volunteers) can purchase tickets at www.boxofficetickets.com.

Please consider forwarding this message to family, friends, colleagues, or anyone else you think might be interested in volunteering at and/or attending this year’s event.  Thank you for your interest in and support of the Human Rights Campaign.  I look forward to seeing you in August if not sooner!

Sincerely,

Mike Frank
Volunteer Coordinator & Political Committee co-chair
HRC Cleveland Steering Committee
michaeljpfrank@hotmail.com
216-501-1201
www.hrc.org

“What should I expect as a volunteer?” Many of you have emailed me wanting more information about what it means to “volunteer” at the annual HRC Cleveland Gala Dinner & Auction.  Following is an excerpt from an email I sent, which I think covers most of a volunteer’s responsibilities:

Volunteers do many different things throughout the day and evening.  To name some, they help pickup silent auction items, setup the silent auction, monitor the silent auction, check out silent auction items at the end of the night, help guests register when they arrive, set out Federal Club pledge cards and programs, collect pledge cards, answer easy questions, hand out parting gifts, give directions, etc.

Not every volunteer does everything I mentioned above because many areas must be covered simultaneously.  Some volunteers may be in one area while others may be in another area, or you may switch around throughout the day/evening/night.  There could be a time where you will be asked to move quickly to perform a task that is time-sensitive.

Past volunteers have said that it was a very enjoyable and memorable experience.  A number of volunteers from previous years come back year after year because they have such a good time.

NOTE:  Please add michaeljpfrank@hotmail.com to your contacts or safe list to ensure that our messages go to your inbox and are not discarded by an automatic spam or junk mail filter.  If you prefer to no longer receive volunteer opportunity announcements from HRC Cleveland, please send an email to the above address requesting that you be removed from our list.  Thank you.

By Anthony Glassman

source: http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories11/august/0812112.htm

Cleveland–The 27th annual Dancin’ in the Streets benefit for the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland featured a later start time, a voluntary donation at the gate and surging attendance, bringing the event back to the fore as a major summer party in Cleveland.

“I’m going to say we had an attendance of about 4,000 people throughout the course of the day,” said organizer John Katsaros.

The start time was postponed until 3 pm this year. In previous years, it started earlier but had sparse attendance in the first few hours.

“From one to four or five, we were really kind of dead, so we opened at three this year and as soon as we started, it was packed,” he noted. “I’ve never seen it that crowded that early.”

“It was a nice, nice group of people, I have to say,” he enthused.

According to AIDS Taskforce chief executive officer Tracy Jones, the July 31 festival is expected to bring in about $22,000 to help the organization provide services to people with HIV and AIDS in the Cleveland area. In her recollection, this year is the highest-earning event, which ranged from $8,000 to this year’s $22,000, according to her estimates.

Katsaros noted a number of new faces in the crowd, which he attributed, in part, to promotion at SynergyFest, the Cleveland Synergy Foundation’s multi-sport festival that wrapped up the same day. SynergyFest materials encouraged participants to head over to Dancin’ after they were done with the athletic events.

Katsaros was also very thankful for the dunk tank, in which he was a frequent target. “I raised $175 in there myself. It was so hot that day that I loved getting dunked,” he recalled. “It felt so good.”

A dispute over the name

A controversy arose earlier this summer over the ownership of the event. After the 2009 Dancin’, Vision Video Productions’ Chris Rogers and George Honaker registered the business names “Dancin in the Streets” and “Dancing in the Streets” with the Ohio secretary of state, then asserted last year that, as owners of the name, they should be allowed to organize the event.

“Dancing in the Streets,” with a “g,” was for many years an outdoor dance party in Columbus put on by Union Station and Axis during Pride weekend. Vision Video also registered “Pride in the Streets.”

According to Katsaros and Jones, last year’s Dancin’ in the Streets, held on a Saturday night, was not successful.

“The money at the end of the event was never accounted for,” Katsaros said. “The only money I could account for were my presale tickets. The AIDS Taskforce, when everything was said and done, they received $500 from them. We don’t know what happened to the $5,200 it raised that day. It rained, so that was all it made at the gate, or the money from the presale tickets. Two weeks later they go the Taskforce with a check for $500.”

Katsaros made up for some of the shortfall with a $4,000 out-of-pocket donation to the Taskforce.

An e‑mail sent to the Gay People’s Chronicle from “Gertie Gossip” and signed “Miss Rhonda Reads” included a letter from performer Stevie Reese Desmond to the Spangle online magazine, in which Desmond asks why nobody attempted to trademark the name Dancin’ in the Streets, and “Rhonda Reads” alleged a conspiracy between Synergy and Dancin’, as well making accusations of “business identity fraud.”

Dancin’ in the Streets was started in 1985 as a benefit block party on West 9th Street in the Warehouse District. In 2004, the AIDS Taskforce decided it would no longer organize the event. Moves to larger venues like the Nautica Amphitheatre and Time Warner Pavilion meant that, despite Taskforce staff putting in hundreds of hours organizing the event, it made little money in return.

The following year, John Katsaros of Twist, David Peifer of Club Cleveland and Gregg Witbeck of Union Station decided to organize Dancin’ themselves, returning it to its roots as a street party. Since then, it has been organized independently of the Taskforce, but still reliant on the Taskforce’s insurance and license to vend beer and liquor outdoors.

“We still fiscally never walked away from the event because our insurance and our F2 [license] are necessary for the event,” Jones noted.

After the 2010 event, Vision Video announced that the 2011 Dancin’ would be held at Gordon Square, the location of the Cleveland LGBT Center.

When Katsaros and the Taskforce announced that the event was being held on Clifton Blvd., as in previous years, a fight broke out on Facebook. At one point, Honaker posted a video of photos from previous years of Dancin’ on the Taskforce’s Facebook wall, asserting the Gordon Square location. The post was deleted by Taskforce because of the location, and Vision Video rescinded an offer to “return” the name to the Taskforce.

“My partner wrote this beautiful tribute and editorial concerning 30 years of HIV/AIDS–and placed it on the CLEVELAND AIDS TASKFORCE Facebook–and your people deleted it. Consider the olive branch removed, we will continue guardianship of the name until your representatives can prove to us you are worthy of the name ‘DANCIN IN THE STREETS’ again!” a July 15 post on Vision Video’s Facebook wall reads.

One of the complaints about holding the event on Clifton is that Twist Social Club, located there and owned by Katsaros, benefits financially from the party. Attendees can order drinks in the bar if they do not wish to get them from the beer tent or vodka vending outside. However, Katsaros also donates thousands out-of-pocket each year. This year, he supplemented the $13,000 the event itself earned with $9,000 of his own, bringing the benefit to the Taskforce to $22,000 total.

Gordon Square, however, has no gay bars within six blocks. The Gordon Square building itself is the site of low-income apartments, so hundreds of residents would hear the thump of dance music until well after sunset.

“Where the event is located, all of the businesses are friendly and the community responds quite well to us being there,” Jones said. “We’ve never had a problem.”

Vision Video also wanted the money from the event to go to other AIDS service organizations in Lorain and Akron, although those groups hold their own fundraising events.

Next year, however, the AIDS Taskforce will return to an active role in the organizing of Dancin’ in the Streets.

“Now with new leadership and energy, we are placed to be more intricately involved in the leadership of next year’s event, and we plan to,” Jones said.

She also noted that the Taskforce had looked into copyrighting the name with the Federal Trade Commission, but it was already taken–not by Vision Video, but by a dance group. There are other Dancin’ in the Streets music and dance festivals scattered across the country, as well as a Motown revue. The name itself comes from Martha and the Vandellas’ 1964 song “Dancing in the Street,” which was covered by Van Halen in 1982 and Mick Jagger and David Bowie in 1985, among about a dozen other versions.

Neither Rogers nor Honaker returned calls for comment by press time.

This material is copyrighted by the Gay People’s Chronicle. Permission is given to repost no more than the headline, byline, and one or two paragraphs, with the full name of the Gay People’s Chronicle and a link to the full article on our website. Reproduction of the entire article is prohibited without specific written permission.

By Anthony Glassman

source: http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories11/august/0812113.htm

Cleveland–SynergyFest, a multi-sport festival produced by the Cleveland Synergy Foundation, brought 500 people out for competitions as diverse as billiards and swimming. Competitors came from as far away as Washington, D.C., St. Louis, and Toronto.

The annual festival, held July 29-31, saw two world records broken in aquatics, as the Illinois U.S. Masters Swimming team set new certified records in the 400- and 800-meter freestyle relay events.

While Synergy made sure to post warnings on their website that staying at parties after 1 am “will prove to be hazardous to playing early the next morning,” there was also a full slate of extracurricular activities for attendees, starting with a registration mixer at the Doubletree Hotel on Lakeside. Competitors got a gift bag, wristband and SynergyFest T‑shirt, and had a chance to connect with old friends and make new ones. Also on Friday night, the Basement Beauties threw an island-themed Bunga-Bunga Party at Twist with leis, limbo and pirates.

Sporting events began the next morning with bowling and billiards at the Corner Alley, and swimming, tennis and volleyball at Cleveland State University. That night, athletes had a banquet at Union Café featuring performances by the Marys, Veranda L’Ni and Sonshine LeRay before moving into Bounce for the Find Fred Dance Party. Simultaneously, the Women of the World Party took place at Twist.

Competition wrapped up on Sunday, and championships were awarded. Tennis, swimming and volleyball contests were all sanctioned by the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance, United States Masters Swimming and the North American Gay Volleyball Association, respectively.

In the spirit of neighborly cooperation, SynergyFest materials encouraged attendees to stay Sunday night so they could participate in Dancin’ in the Streets, the annual dance party benefit for the AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland.

Cleveland Synergy Foundation founder W. Douglas Anderson was over the moon at the turnout for the festival and the level of participation.

“It was an incredible success,” he said. “Two USMS world records were broken in the aquatics portion of it, the first time an LGBT event has had world records broken.”

He also noted that 90 percent of participants came from outside Cleveland, which was as much a challenge as a benefit.

“A lot of people brought partners who played different sports,” he said, noting the challenges of accommodating them so they could compete and then watch their partners, or for those who wanted to compete in more than one sport themselves.

He was impressed with the amount of support SynergyFest received from the community, both in volunteers and sponsors.

“We had over 20 volunteers registering participants at the Doubletree alone,” he enthused, noting that the Corner Alley, Cleveland State, John Katsaros of Twist and Ray Lahoti of Union and Bounce had a great symbiosis with SynergyFest–they supported the festival, and it gave the out-of-towners a chance to see what Cleveland had to offer.

“It was phenomenal,” Anderson said.

SOURCE: http://www.clevelanddragonboatfestival.com/index.php

Mark Your Calendars: Saturday, September 17, 2011

The Painting of the Eyes during the Opening Ceremony at the Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival.

The Fifth Annual Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival, proudly presented by the Cleveland Dragon Boat Association, will take place on Saturday, September 17, 2011. This will be a banner year for the Festival and paddling season with the Grand Opening of Rivergate Park in the Spring of 2011. Rivergate Park will be the new home for our dragon boats! Competitive and recreational paddling opportunities will be available at Rivergate from May through October. The Cleveland Dragon Boat Association will partner with Dynamic Dragon Boat Racing, LLC to provide six BUK dragon boats for the races. There will also be NO COMMERCIAL RIVER TRAFFIC during the Festival!

Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival photos on flickr >>

The Festival takes place on the West Bank of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland’s historic Flats. Opening Ceremonies will take place on the patio deck of the Historic Powerhouse, 2000 Sycamore Street. Races will be held immediately following the opening ceremonies and continue throughout the day. There is no admission fee for spectators and ample parking is available.

The Festival acknowledges dragon boat history and its connection with Asian culture and will promote the people and unique cultures of Cleveland’s Asian community. Dragon Boat racing incorporates high energy, fitness, team building and recreational exercise in a fun and competitive atmosphere! It is an excellent recreational sport for men and women of all ages and fitness levels. Individual strength is less important than teamwork, coordination and cooperation.

Proceeds from the Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival will benefit The Gathering Place. The Gathering Place is a caring community that supports, educates and empowers individuals and families touched by cancer through programs and services provided free of charge. Join us for thrilling races, team spirit and fun on the banks of the majestic Cuyahoga River in Cleveland’s Historic Flats. The races will be an exciting and exhilarating event!

Leslye Huff

SOURCE: http://www.facebook.com/notes/leslye-m-huff/east-ceveland-city-council-members-pass-monumental-inclusive-human-rights-ordina/251593694850681

UNANIMOUS!! East Cleveland City Council votes “YES!” Sponsored by Council President Dr. Joy Jordan and co-sponsored by Council vice-President Chantelle Lewis, this legislation provides needed protection for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender folks against discrimination, in addition to offering protection to folks who experience discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, or religious choice. Each Councilor expressed, exuberantly, his or her commitment to protecting the rights of every East Cleveland citizen and anyone doing business with East Cleveland, regardless of that person’s gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, gender identity, or religious choice! Today, I am so very proud of these statespersons that were elected by the people of East Cleveland who rose up a did what’s right.

For nearly 2 years, Attorney Leslye M. Huff & fellow Cleveland Stonewall Democrat Board members, developed a cooperative and supportive relationship with the elected officials City of East Cleveland, Ohio. Last year, at East Cleveland City Council’s request, Attorney Huff drafted this history comprehensive legislation – the first of its kind in OHIO – that protects from discrimination in housing, employment, & public accommodations, the rights of all residents or those doing business with the City, including lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender individuals! The legislation provides for legal redress in the court if mediation or post investigative conciliation fail. – EAST CLEVELAND, OHIO is a hard-working class/poor city, an inner-ring suburb of Cleveland, OHio, & comprised of over 90% minority population.

SynergyFest This Weekend

Happy SynergyFest Weekend. Please come out this weekend and enjoy the SynergyFest Activities and have a great time with all our visitors to Cleveland this weekend.

Volunteers are still needed to help with the competitions and events. Please email Mike Readinger to volunteer!!

Friday, July 29th

From 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Registration at the Host Hotel – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Cleveland-Lakeside. After you check in, head down to the Ballroom, grab a refreshment, sign your forms, receive your gift bag, a souvenir wristband and a official SYNERGYFEST T-Shirt as our welcoming gift. Say hello to your old friends and meet a few new ones!

At 8:00 PM the Basement Beauties “Bunga-Bunga” Party starts at TWIST Social Club. This special event is hosted by John Katsaros (owner of TWIST) with the help of Cleveland’s premier volunteer society, the Basement Beauties. They are going all out to welcome you to Cleveland. They have closed off the parking lot; put up a big tent; added bars, lights, and music; and have created some libations that will kick your feet right onto the dance floor. The Retro Rider bus will be running from the DoubleTree to TWIST Social Club all night for all the participants staying in the hotel.

Saturday July 30 –

Competition begins at 8 AM

At 6:00 PM the Marys, Divas of Volleyball, welcome you to “Rejuvenate” at Union Cafe. Join the Marys and all of your fellow participants for an evening of specialty cocktails, a hosted buffet, and live entertainment, and of course the results and seedings from Saturday’s games and Sunday’s scheduled playing times.

At 8:00 PM, “WOW” the premier of Women of the World Party begins. Celebrate this free event until 1:00 AM at TWIST Social Club.

10:00 PM Kicks off the “Find Fred” Dance Party where Cleveland’s top DJ’s will be spinning at Bounce.

Sunday – July 31st

Championship play begins at 8:00 AM.

All games, matches and rounds of play should end by 6:00 PM. Whether you or your team is eliminated from competition early or you make it into the finals, make plans to stay Sunday night and make your way to “Dancin’ In The Streets”, Cleveland oldest outdoor dance party, right outside the front door of TWIST Social Club

1st Annual Burlesque

SOURCE: http://ohioburlesque.weebly.com/information.html

The 1st Annual Ohio Burlesque Festival will be held in Cleveland, OH August 4th & 5th 2011.

This festival will showcase the best burlesque, variety and vaudeville in the country!. Paying respect to Cleveland Burlesque roots of the Roxy Burlesque house that once stood on E 9th and Euclid.

Our event will be held in 2 different locations:

Twist Social Club
Thursday, August 4th
Kick-Off Party w/ DJ Saint
Show at 8pm
Dance Party at 11pm

FESTIVAL DATE !!! BANDS AND PERFORMERS 8/5
The Beachland Ballroom
Friday, August 5th
Opener Party- 6pm to 8pm
Bands: Matt Reed and TGP
Burlesque Show 9pm
Featuring:

Dixie D’Vamp OH
The Bad Girl of Poetry, Kristie LeVangie OH
N – The ONLY Letter In Burlesque NYC
Bella Sin OH
Steele Starling St. Louis, MO
Bossy Girl Columbus, OH
Dolly Longlegs Baltimore MD
Constantinople Cleveland OH
Elizabeth Couteau Pittsburgh PA
Naughty Natanya Chicago, IL
CoCo Chevelle Cleveland, OH
Alexandria Absinthe, Kansas City Missouri
Horchata Dentana St. Louis, MO
Viva Valezz OH
Goldie Glitteratti, Fort Wayne IN
Miss Anna Sassin Detroit, MI
Rubi~nesque! Cleveland, OH
Lola Van Ella St Louis,MO

Aug 6th Burlesque Univercity at Be Studios
Classes by Lola Van Ella!

Sponsors:

The Mission Boutique
Exquisite Corpse Boutique
Cypherlox.com
The Cleveland Double Tree
Twist
The Beachland Ballroom
Eric Paul Owens
Be Studios

We welcome one an all from far and wide!!

SOURCE: http://cleveland.hrc.org/node/335

18th Annual HRC Cleveland Gala Dinner & Auction

source: http://www.meetup.com/LGBT-GLBT-Cleveland-Akron/

We are a new group and we are growing at a rapid pace. We are warm, kind, open, non-judgmental and we do a lot of fun things. We will have a variety of fun things to do, and I soon to be co-leaders will try to cater to everyone’s needs the best way we can. Some of the things we will doing are coffee nights, Movies, Yoga, Dinners, Walks/Hikes, parties, bowling, sports, health/fitness, cookouts, bon fires, one tank trips, wine tasting, Guys night out, Gals night out, Theater, book club, Cleveland sports outings, pioneer water land, Home Days, Cedar point, County fairs etc etc.

I really want people just to be happy. Anyone who is gay has a difficult time at one time or another(I know I certainly have) I hope through this group people with be able to form friendships, socialize with other people in the LGBT community,form relationships & maybe meet that someone special?? I know I don’t speak for all people, but I feel most comfortable around other gay people.

I have tried the bar scene, I have tried dating sites, and a few other venues and it just doesn’t work(way too many stuck up people) And in many ways it has made me fed up.

When you a form a group like this, I think for the most part people will be down to earth, like minded, friendly and just good all around people. You don’t have to be the most friendly person, just don’t be an asshole either. Say hi to people, introduce yourself. Ask people what there interests are, make small talk, be real. If you can not do these things group is probably not fo you.

I recently started a frontrunners group(I love to run) if intereted click on the link. www.Frontrunner.org. Click on the United States, then Ohio. Then Cleveland. Scroll down to Facebook to check schedule & you are all set.

So far the people in the group have been between people in there 20′s to-60′s

I am slightly worried as this group takes off, that might be some jealousy. Just remember everyone has a back story.

I sincerely write this from the heart, and with that being said

LET’S ROCK!!!

Best

Justin

“Labels are for clothes, not for people.”

.

SOURCE: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/nyregion/after-long-wait-same-sex-couples-marry-in-new-york.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

After Long Wait, Same-Sex Couples Marry in New York
By MICHAEL BARBARO

Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples, from retirees in Woodstock to college students in Manhattan, rushed to tiny town halls and big city clerks’ offices across New York to wed in the first hours of legal same-sex marriage on Sunday, turning a slumbering summer day into an emotional celebration.

They arrived by subway cars and stretch limousines, with children and with grandparents, in matching sequined ties and pinstriped suits, to utter words that once seemed unimaginable: I do.

Even those who had been together for decades, watching same-sex marriage become legal in surrounding states but suffer rejection in New York, said there was something unexpectedly moving and affirming about having their unions recognized by the state in which they live.

“We feel a little more human today,” Ray Durand, 68, said moments after marrying his partner, Dale Shields, 79, whom he met 42 years ago by a jukebox in a West Village bar.

The start of same-sex marriage in New York instantly doubled the number of Americans who live in states where gay and lesbian couples can wed. Gay-rights advocates, energized by their victory in New York — the sixth and largest state where it is allowed — are turning their attention next to Maryland, but they face long odds in much of the country, where there are tougher legal and political obstacles.

Several thousand people rallied in Midtown Manhattan to protest the new law, waving signs that said “God cannot be mocked” and calling for a public referendum on same-sex marriage. Their cries were echoed by smaller crowds in a few cities upstate.

“Today, we start the war,” State Senator Ruben Díaz Sr., a Bronx Democrat, declared.

Despite the demonstrations, long lines and bureaucratic glitches, a spirit of patience and good humor pervaded. In Lower Manhattan, brides and grooms defiantly opened dozens of rainbow-colored umbrellas to block the protesters from view.

There were scenes, too, of striking public embrace. Outside marriage bureaus, police officers offered unsolicited congratulations, passers-by honked their horns and strangers tossed hand-made confetti at the newlyweds.

After a bruising multiyear legislative battle that ended when the State Senate approved same-sex marriage last month by a narrow margin, some of the state’s top elected officials seemed determined on Sunday to demonstrate public support for the new law.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo hosted a party for same-sex marriage advocates in Manhattan, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presided at a wedding in the backyard of Gracie Mansion, and the City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, visited marriage bureaus in several boroughs.

The bulk of the day’s marriages took place in New York City, where 659 couples picked up licenses and 484 wed at city marriage bureaus: 293 in Manhattan, 66 in Queens, 66 in Brooklyn, 32 on Staten Island and 27 in the Bronx. Most were New York residents, but 107 of those who married in the city had arrived from other states, mostly those, like California and Alabama, where same-sex marriage is not legal.

But even far from Manhattan, city and town offices opened their doors on a day when they would ordinarily have been closed, sometimes just for a handful of weddings. Binghamton had five; Buffalo and Syracuse, eight.

In Shandaken, a town of 3,100 in the Catskills, the town clerk issued just one marriage license, to a New Jersey couple: Katie Morgan, 37, a freelance television producer, and Brooke Barnett, 30, a wine consultant, who have a weekend home in Shandaken.

Three communities — Niagara Falls, Albany and Hudson — were so eager to marry gays and lesbians that began to do so shortly before midnight.

At 12:01 a.m., with the roaring waters of Niagara Falls behind him, a tuxedo-clad Mayor Paul A. Dyster officiated at the wedding of Kitty Lambert, 54, and Cheryle Rudd, 53, who have been together since they met while working at a paper goods company in Arizona 12 years ago. They have spent 11 of those years engaged, waiting for New York to rewrite its marriage laws.

On Saturday night, Ms. Rudd nonetheless experienced last-minute jitters — and the unique burdens of an outdoor marriage just a few feet from a giant cascade. Moments before the ceremony was to begin, a mishap involving a sink in a public bathroom left Ms. Rudd’s tuxedo jacket drenched with water. Ms. Lambert quickly improvised, placing it under a hand dryer.

“The best part of my life with Cheryle,” Ms. Lambert said, “is that everything has been an adventure.”

Many of the newly married had already sought every legal protection and held any symbolic ceremony available to same-sex couples. But it was never sufficient, they said. They wanted to marry, just like their parents and friends had.

Jim Consolantis, 62, and Joseph Oroza, 58, had conducted their own wedding ceremony three decades ago in the back of a church, exchanging vows and Cartier rings. At the Manhattan marriage bureau on Sunday, they did it again, this time in the eyes of the state.

“This is the legal affirmation of what we vowed 31 years ago,” Mr. Oroza said.

Across the state, judges, families, friends and even the couples themselves grappled with the uncertain etiquette and evolving lexicon of same-sex marriage. In Manhattan, Alisa Fuentes, a clerk, paused as she reached the end of a wedding service and declared, “I pronounce you married.”

“I was going to say ‘husband and husband,’ ” she explained. “But we decided to just say ‘married.’ ”

There were flashes of showmanship and swagger. In Albany, Dale Getto and Barbara Laven, both 53, rented a white Cadillac Escalade limousine to ferry them to their wedding at City Hall. “Don’t hold that against us,” Ms. Laven said.

This being New York, entrepreneurs flooded the marriage bureaus. In Manhattan, the clerk’s office prominently displayed a range of same-sex marriage paraphernalia: rainbow-colored bouquets, mugs featuring two men or two women and pairs of male and female rubber ducks with matching tuxedos and gowns. A few feet away, a young videographer offered to film weddings, advertising a same-sex marriage discount: $50 for heterosexuals, $30 for gays. “It’s reverse discrimination,” she acknowledged.

By 5 p.m., the metal barricades had been cleared from outside the marriage bureau on Worth Street, and a slow-moving sanitation truck began to scoop up the confetti.

The last wedding of the day, a security guard informed a small group of lingering spectators, was over.

Almost.

At 5:40 p.m., Andy Berg, 41, and Dominic Pisciotta, 39, walked out of the building, their son standing between them. They had a reason for being last.

Mr. Pisciotta, an employee at the city’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, had been at the clerk’s office since 7 a.m., ensuring that those who had registered to marry online made it down the aisle. “It was a nice way to finish my work,” he said.

The men had not planned on marrying on Day 1, Mr. Pisciotta said, but their young children had been insistent.

“We’ve been waiting for this,” said their 8-year-old son, Spencer Berg-Pisciotta, “since we were, like, 4 or 5.”

Reporting was contributed by Sam Dolnick, Matt Flegenheimer, Danny Hakim, Javier Hernandez and Thomas Kaplan.

The 1st Annual Ohio Burlesque Festival will be held in Cleveland, OH August 4th & 5th 2011.

This festival will showcase the best burlesque, variety and vaudeville in the country!. Paying respect to Cleveland Burlesque roots of the Roxy Burlesque house that once stood on E 9th and Euclid.

Our event will be held in 2 different locations:

Twist Social Club
Thursday, August 4th
Kick-Off Party w/ DJ Saint
Show at 8pm
Dance Party at 11pm

The Beachland Ballroom
Friday, August 5th
Opener Party- 6pm to 8pm
Bands: Matt Reed and TGP
Burlesque Show 9pm
Featuring:

Dixie D’Vamp OH
The Bad Girl of Poetry, Kristie LeVangie OH
N – The ONLY Letter In Burlesque NYC
Bella Sin OH
Steele Starling St. Louis, MO
Dolly Longlegs Baltimore MD
Constantinople Cleveland OH
Elizabeth Couteau Pittsburgh PA
Naughty Natanya Chicago, IL
CoCo Chevelle Cleveland, OH
Alexandria Absinthe, Kansas City Missouri
Horchata Dentana St. Louis, MO
Viva Valezz OH
Goldie Glitteratti, Fort Wayne IN
Miss Anna Sassin Detroit, MI
Lola Van Ella St Louis,MO

Aug 6th Burlesque University at Be Studios
Classes by Lola Van Ella!

Sponsors:

The Mission Boutique
Exquisite Corpse Boutique
Cypherlox.com
The Cleveland Double Tree
Twist
The Beachland Ballroom
Eric Paul Owens
Be Studios

We welcome one an all from far and wide!!

SYNERGYFEST

July 28-31, 2011
Cleveland, OH USA

Cleveland Synergy Foundation, Cleveland State University, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Cleveland-Lakeside, The Corner Alley, Union Cafe, Vedda & Sons Printing, and TWIST Social Club invite you to celebrate the 2nd annual GLBTS multiple sports and cultural event SYNERGYFEST.

Participants from all across the USA and Canada will converge on Cleveland for a weekend filled with sporting competitions, sponsored parties and community building. More than 800 participants will compete in:

Aquatics – Swimming
Basketball

Billiards
Bowling

Cards

Flag Football

Women’s Softball
Tennis

Volleyball
Wii

Friday, July 29th from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Registration at the Host Hotel – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Cleveland-Lakeside. After you check in, head down to the Ballroom, grab a refreshment, sign your forms, receive your gift bag, a souvenir wristband and a offical SYNERGYFEST T-Shirt as our welcoming gift. Say hello to your old friends and meet a few new ones!

At 8:00 PM the Basement Beauties “Bunga-Bunga” Party starts at TWIST Social Club. This special event is hosted by John Katsaros (owner of TWIST) with the help of Cleveland’s premier volunteer society, the Basement Beauties. They are going all out to welcome you to Cleveland. They have closed off the parking lot; put up a big tent; added bars, lights, and music; and have created some libations that will kick your feet right onto the dance floor. The Retro Rider bus will be running from the DoubleTree to TWIST Social Club all night for all the participants staying in the hotel.

WARNING: Staying out later than 1:00 AM will prove to be hazardous to playing early the next morning.

Starting at 8:00 am on Saturday, July 30th, the competition continues throughout the day. At 6:00 PM the Marys, Divas of Volleyball, welcome you to “Rejuvenate” at Union Cafe. Join the Marys and all of your fellow participants for an evening of specialty cocktails, a hosted buffet, and live entertainment, and of course the results and seedings from Saturday’s games and Sunday’s scheduled playing times.

At 8:00 PM, “WOW” the premier of Women of the World Party begins. Celebrate this free event until 1:00 AM at TWIST Social Club.

10:00 PM Kicks off the “Find Fred” Dance Party where Cleveland’s top DJ’s will be spinning at Bounce.

On July 31st, Sunday morning Championship play begins at 8:00 AM. All games, matches and rounds of play should end by 6:00 PM. Whether you or your team is eliminated from competition early or you make it into the finals, make plans to stay Sunday night and make your way to “Dancin’ In The Streets”, Cleveland oldest outdoor dance party, right outside the front door of TWIST Social Club.

As you can see, from the moment the weekend kicks off with the Registration events, after the last medals and trophies are awarded to the winners, until the last party ends, the entire weekend will be packed full of activities for participants, spectators, volunteers and corporate sponsors.

Contact:

Mary Motley at ml@csfmail.net or

Mike Readinger at mr@csfmail.net

One of Cleveland’s biggest LGBT events raising money and awareness for the AIDS Taskforce and the HIV/AIDS community – Dancin’ in the Streets – returns this year on July 31, 2011. This year’s event is, as it has been since 2005, a collaboration between the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and John Katsaros – one of the most philanthropic business owners in the Cleveland’s LGBT community.

AIDS has been with us for the last 30 years and Dancin’ in the Streets has been around for 27 of them. To commemorate 30 years of loss, love and life, the AIDS Taskforce and John Katsaros are proud to announce that this year’s Dancin’ in the Streets will be FREE!

If you are unable to attend, please consider making a contribution by clicking here.

The AIDS Taskforce and the many volunteers planning Dancin take very seriously the commitment to maintaining an event that is accessible to people in our community while raising much needed funds to support people with HIV/AIDS.

That is why the agency is asking the community to show their support on July 31 by donating as generously as they can at the event gates. A minimum donation of $10 is requested – but individuals are encouraged to donate more if they can, or something less if they can’t. Every donation, no matter how great or small, is tremendously welcomed and appreciated.

The generosity of everyone at the gates to Dancin’ in the form of donations, as well as all outdoor beer and vodka sales, goes directly to AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and provides crucial support to this important community organization.

In addition, with a minimum donation of $10, attendees will also be able to enjoy discounts on beverages purchased outdoors at Dancin’ all day long. No tickets are needed and no one will be turned away. (For those who have purchased tickets in advance, 100% of your donation will go directly to the AIDS Taskforce and the drink discount will be honored.)

“Dancin’ in the Streets is a part of our LGBT and HIV/AIDS community. No individual or entity owns Dancin’; it belongs to the community, “ said Tracy Jones, CEO of the AIDS Taskforce. “It belongs to the thousands of people who have come together over the years to make a difference in the lives of people impacted by HIV/AIDS. It belongs to the thousands of clients of the AIDS Taskforce who have benefitted over the years from the generosity of people just like you. Dancin’ belongs to all of us.”

In some years Dancin’ was a make-or-break event: if the event didn’t succeed, the Taskforce didn’t pay its bills. Things are a little different today, but the volunteers, passion, and money to keep providing services and working to prevent new infections is still necessary. While Dancin’ may no longer be directly managed by the Taskforce, it still plays a critical role in the agency’s success.

The event kicks off at 3 pm on Clifton Boulevard between West 116 and West 117 Streets and runs until 11 pm. All donations made at the gate and through outdoor beer and vodka sales are 100% directly contributed to the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. So, on July 31, please join us at one of Cleveland’s favorite events for another day of fun, laughter, love, music and most of all, dancing!

source: http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories11/july/0715114.htm

by Anthony Glassman

New York City–Couples in a number of cities across the state of New York will find clerks’ offices open on Sunday, July 24, as municipal governments try to issue marriage licenses on the day the state’s same-sex marriage law takes effect.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law on June 24 to go into effect 30 days later, so it will be in force on Sunday, July 24. City clerk offices are not usually open on Sundays, but many municipalities, including Binghamton, Syracuse and New York City, are eager to allow people to avail themselves of the law as soon as legally possible.

In New York City, for instance, some state judges have volunteered to be present to both waive the 24-hour waiting period between getting a license and being married, as well as to perform the weddings themselves.

Officials in Ithaca, Woodstock and some other towns have said that they will decide whether to open on Sunday based on public demand.

However, Islip and Brookhaven, the two Long Island municipalities that encompass most of the Fire Island gay vacation spot, will not open on Sunday. They will, however, have extra staff on hand on Monday to handle marriage license applications.

Couples do not need to be New York residents to marry there. Clerk’s offices in Mayville, Jamestown, Buffalo, Niagara Falls and other towns nearest to Ohio will be open on Monday, July 25. Ohio, however, will not presently recognize a same-sex marriage under current law and its 2004 ban amendment.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg will officiate at the marriage of his chief policy advisor, John Feinblatt, and his commissioner for consumer affairs, Jonathan Mintz. The couple, who have been together 14 years, will be married on July 24. They have two daughters.

However, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani seems to be avoiding his pledge to marry the gay couple who sheltered him during his messy 2001 divorce.

Howard Koeppel and Mark Hsiao let Giuliani use their Midtown apartment when he was trying to avoid Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s residence. Koeppel says that Giuliani told the men that were New York to ever legalize same-sex marriage, they would be “one of the first ones I would marry,” he told the New York Post. Now, however, Giuliani won’t return his phone calls.

“It seems like a lot of people he was close to become persona non grata,” he noted.

Giuliani would be able to perform the wedding, since mayors of the city retain the power to perform weddings even after they leave office.

New York will become the sixth state with full same-sex marriage, plus the District of Columbia. The others are Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire. A seventh state, California, had full marriage for five months in 2008, before voters passed a ban amendment.

Also in North America, Canada has had full marriage since 2005, and same-sex marriages done in Mexico City are recognized throughout that country.

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This material is copyrighted by the Gay People’s Chronicle. Permission is given to repost no more than the headline, byline, and one or two paragraphs, with the full name of the Gay People’s Chronicle and a link to the full article on our website. Reproduction of the entire article is prohibited without specific written permission.

source: http://www.advocate.com/AIDSThe30YearsWar/

As AIDS enters its fourth decade, we look back at the events that changed the course of history

It’s not a birthday to celebrate, but the 30th year of AIDS does remind us to appreciate how far we’ve come. From the early days of panic and paranoia to today’s promise, the world has seen monumental advances in not only prevention and treatment but also acceptance and tolerance. A diverse group, including scientists, politicians, and reality stars, helped contribute to these sweeping changes and increased the odds of AIDS not living to 40. Here are some of the people and moments that brought us to now…

1981
June: Due to reports of unusual outbreaks of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and the rare cancer Kaposi’s sarcoma among gay men in New York City and Los Angeles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention establishes a task force on Kaposi’s Sarcoma and opportunistic infections. more
September: From his Manhattan apartment, activist Larry Kramer begins to mobilize gay New Yorkers with Kaposi’s sarcoma.

1982
June: The CDC reports that there have been several cases of a syndrome involving PCP, Kaposi’s, and other opportunistic infections among gay men in California’s Los Angeles and Orange counties. This suggests the infectious agent may be sexually transmitted. more
July: By the beginning of the month, 452 cases of the syndrome, from 23 states, have been reported to the CDC. more

1983
more
January: The Red Cross and other blood banks propose banning blood donations from gay males.
May: San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein (below) declares the first week of the month AIDS Awareness Week
August: Activist Michael Callen (below left) and others testify during the first congressional hearing on AIDS.
September: The ACLU brings attention to an “AIDS Alert,” a list of people with AIDS circulated among Seattle police. more

1984 more
October: In an effort to stop the spread of AIDS, the city of San Francisco shuts down gay bathhouses. In three years, 817 cases of AIDS had been reported in San Francisco.
December: Ryan White, a 13-year-old hemophiliac in Kokomo, Ind., is diagnosed with AIDS, having contracted HIV through tainted blood. more

1985
March: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration licenses the first blood test for HIV antibodies.
April: The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer’s semiautobiographical play about the AIDS epidemic, premieres at New York City’s off-Broadway Public Theater.
July: Ann-Margret and Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley participate in the city’s first AIDS Walk.
September: The American Foundation for AIDS research is formed with Elizabeth Taylor (left) as founding chairman. more
October: Rock Hudson, 59, dies of AIDS complications at his Beverly Hills home.

1986
February: The Reagan administration proposes rejecting immigrants who test positive for HIV.
February: A witty look at gay life in 1980s New York, the low-budget but much-loved Parting Glances features Steve Buscemi as an unrepentant rock star losing his battle with AIDS.
June: The federal government commits $100 million over five years to evaluate promising AIDS medications.

1987
March:

The FDA approves the first AIDS drug, AZT, marketed as Retrovir.
October: Congress overwhelmingly passes the Helms Amendment more.
October: During the largest gay rights march in the nation’s history, activist Cleve Jones’s NAMES Project Memorial Quilt is unveiled to commemorate those lost to AIDS.

1988
May: The Centers for Disease Control and Surgeon General Koop distribute the pamphlet “Understanding AIDS” to each of the 107 million homes in America.
August: Presidential candidate George H.W. Bush endorses protections against discrimination for people with HIV/AIDS.
October: Congress passes an $800 million AIDS research package, with a provision from Sen. Jesse Helms requiring that testing confidentiality be dropped.

1989
March: Three thousand AIDS demonstrators storm New York’s City Hall to draw attention to the problems within the city’s hospital system.
April: President George H.W. Bush is heckled for his inaction on AIDS at a nationally televised speech on the bicentennial of George Washington’s inauguration.
September: The AIDS charity album Red Hot + Blue (above) is released, featuring reworked Cole Porter classics sung by artists including Annie Lennox, Tom Waits, and Debbie Harry. more

1990
February: Artist Keith Haring dies of AIDS-related complications at age 31.
May: Longtime Companion becomes one of the first American films to focus almost solely on AIDS.

August: Congress passes the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, funding a variety of AIDS-related services.

1991
June: Jeremy Irons is the first celebrity to wear the red AIDS awareness ribbon publicly, at the 1991 Tony Awards. The Red Ribbon Project was conceived by New York’s Visual AIDS Artists Caucus.
August: A major research study indicates that AZT can slow progression to AIDS in asymptomatic HIV-positive people. more
October: A second anti-HIV drug receives FDA approval—didanosine, sold under the brand name Videx.
November: Freddie Mercury (right), the flamboyant lead singer of Queen, is the latest celebrity to die of AIDS-related causes. He was 45.

1992
January: To prevent the spread of HIV, the Los Angeles Unified School District approves the distribution of condoms in high schools. August: Mary Fisher, an HIV-positive woman, addresses the Republican National Convention.
December: The Bush White House allows the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track experimental anti-HIV drugs.

1993
May: Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, the first part of his AIDS epic, opens on Broadway. It wins a Tony award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. more
September: HBO’s dramatization of Randy Shilts’s groundbreaking book And the Band Played On premieres.
December: The film Philadelphia tells the story of a gay lawyer (Tom Hanks, right, in an Oscar-winning role) who sues his former firm after he’s fired for having AIDS.

1994
November: A study indicates that AZT can cut mother-to-child transmission of HIV by two thirds.
November: The Real World: San Francisco follows the trials of HIV-positive AIDS activist Pedro Zamora. more

1995
June: President Clinton establishes the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS by executive order.
December: The FDA approves saquinavir (brand name Invirase), the first in a new class of drugs called protease inhibitors, whose use with other drugs becomes known colloquially as a “cocktail.”

1996
July: Hopeful news emerges from the international AIDS conference in Vancouver. Scientists report that new drug combinations have dramatically improved the health of many people with AIDS. more
September: On ER, heterosexual physician assistant Jeanie Boulet (played by Gloria Reuben, below) learns she has HIV.

1997
January: New York City health officials report the first documented drop in AIDS deaths—the number of city residents dying of the disease declined 30% from 1995 to 1996.
February: CDC officials say there were 13% fewer deaths in the first half of 1996 than in the same period in 1995. The trend is attributed to the new drug therapies.
June: The New York Times reports post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, medication is being offered to those who may have been exposed to the virus but have not tested positive for infection.

1998
February: Scientists announce that they detected HIV in an African man’s blood sample preserved from 1959, making it the oldest documented case of HIV infection.
June: The FDA approves the first human trial of an AIDS vaccine, to involve 5,000 volunteers throughout the United States.
November: The Joint United Nations AIDS Programme announces that HIV infections worldwide rose 10% over the past year, with great increases among women and youths.

1999
February: New York City health officials announce that a study of young gay men in the city shows 12% of them are infected with HIV. more
May: The World Health Organization’s annual report says AIDS has become the fourth leading cause of death worldwide.
August: The CDC reports that deaths from AIDS continue to drop, but at a lower rate than they did immediately after the introduction of drug cocktails. U.S. AIDS deaths declined 42% from 1996 to 1997, but only 20% from 1997 to 1998. more

2000
January: The CDC announces that 1998 marked the first time there were more AIDS diagnoses among black and Latino gay men than among white gay men.
February: New research indicates AIDS may have originated as far back as 1930.
November: The World Health Organization reports that new HIV infections rose during the year, but the infection rate stabilized in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time.

2001
February: Results from a study involving six large U.S. cities indicate that 30% of young black gay men are HIV-positive.
June: On the 20th anniversary of the epidemic, the United Nations devotes a special session to HIV and AIDS, the first for a public health issue. All 189 member countries sign a Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS, which includes pledges to reduce HIV prevalence among young people by 25% in the hardest-hit nations by 2005, and to reduce it by 25% globally by 2010.

2002
February: The American version of the British drama Queer as Folk introduces Robert Gant’s Ben Bruckner as an HIV-positive love interest to Hal Sparks’s HIV-negative Michael Novotny.
April: The World Health Organization outlines steps to make antiretroviral drugs more accessible to people in poor nations.
November The FDA approves an HIV test than can provide results within 20 minutes.

2003
January: President George W. Bush outlines what will become PEPFAR—the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, aimed at fighting AIDS in developing countries.
November: Results from a trial of the AidsVax vaccine show it failed to prevent HIV transmission. The trial was conducted among injection-drug users in Thailand.
December On World AIDS Day, the WHO announces its “3 by 5″ plan, to have 3 million people in resource-poor countries on antiretroviral drugs by 2005.

2004
February: The first PEPFAR funds are distributed—$350 million to 14 countries, a month after congressional approval.
July: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announces a $50 million donation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
December Designers Against AIDS launches with the mission of using pop culture components to raise media awareness of HIV/AIDS.

2005
September: GlaxoSmithKline’s patent on Retrovir (AZT) expires, meaning any company can produce generic versions without paying royalties, and the FDA approves four generics.
November: The WHO announces that the 3 by 5 plan is far short of its goal, but it estimates that expanded access to treatment saved between 250,000 and 350,000 lives during the year.

2006
July:The FDA approves Atripla, the first once-daily single-tablet regimen. From Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences, it combines efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir.
December: Results are in from two African studies that indicate male circumcision can help prevent HIV transmission, although there are fears that some populations may not accept the procedure and that it could lead to a lax approach to prevention.

2007
January: A large-scale trial of a vaginal microbicide is stopped because the product is not preventing HIV and may even be enabling it.
March: Due to the studies released the preceding December, WHO endorses male circumcision as part of a comprehensive AIDS prevention strategy.
April: WHO reports that 2,000,000 people in low- and middle-income countries are receiving HIV drugs—only 28% of those who need such treatment.

2008
August: The annual report from UNAIDS notes AIDS deaths worldwide dropped more
November: German doctors announce that they have essentially cured an American patient of HIV more
2009
January: Barack Obama is inaugurated as U.S. president. He immediately lifts an executive order that had denied U.S. aid to international family planning organizations more
March: Pope Benedict XVI reiterates the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to condom use, saying it may actually contribute to the spread of HIV.

2010
August: State and federal budget crises threaten AIDS Drug Assistance Programs in several states. more
September: Project Runway contestant Mondo Guerra reveals that a design he created, featuring oversize plus signs, was inspired by his HIV-positive status.
November: The secretary of the Smithsonian, G. Wayne Clough, withdraws an edited version of A Fire in My Belly a silent film by artist David Wojnarowicz (who died of AIDS complications in 1992) from the exhibit ‘Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture’ after complaints from the Catholic League.

2011
March: U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon releases a report urging world leaders to take bold action against the AIDS epidemic, warning that recent progress is fragile.
more
March: Elizabeth Taylor dies of congestive heart failure at age 79.
April: Larry Kramer’s landmark 1985 AIDS play The Normal Heart gets its first Broadway production

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 11, 2011

Direct questions to:

John Farina at 216-357-2221

jfarina@atfgc.org

Dancin’ in the Streets returns for 27th year.

In commemoration of 30 years of AIDS and community support, attendance this year to be free of charge.

Cleveland, Ohio – One of Cleveland’s biggest LGBT events raising money and awareness for the AIDS Taskforce and the HIV/AIDS community – Dancin’ in the Streets – returns this year on July 31, 2011. This year’s event is, as it has been since 2005, a collaboration between the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and John Katsaros – one of the most philanthropic business owners in the Cleveland’s LGBT community.

AIDS has been with us for the last 30 years and Dancin’ in the Streets has been around for 27 of them. To commemorate 30 years of loss, love and life, the AIDS Taskforce and John Katsaros are proud to announce that this year’s Dancin’ in the Streets will be FREE!

The AIDS Taskforce and the many volunteers planning Dancin take very seriously the commitment to maintaining an event that is accessible to people in our community while raising much needed funds to support people with HIV/AIDS.

That is why the agency is asking the community to show their support on July 31 by donating as generously as they can at the event gates. A minimum donation of $10 is requested – but individuals are encouraged to donate more if they can, or something less if they can’t. Every donation, no matter how great or small, is tremendously welcomed and appreciated.

The generosity of everyone at the gates to Dancin’ in the form of donations, as well as all outdoor beer and vodka sales, goes directly to AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and provides crucial support to this important community organization.

In addition, with a minimum donation of $10, attendees will also be able to enjoy discounts on beverages purchased outdoors at Dancin’ all day long. No tickets are needed and no one will be turned away. (For those who have purchased tickets in advance, 100% of your donation will go directly to the AIDS Taskforce and the drink discount will be honored).

“Dancin’ in the Streets is a part of our LGBT and HIV/AIDS community. No individual or entity owns Dancin’; it belongs to the community, “ said Tracy Jones, CEO of the AIDS Taskforce. “It belongs to the thousands of people who have come together over the years to make a difference in the lives of people impacted by HIV/AIDS. It belongs to the thousands of clients of the AIDS Taskforce who have benefitted over the years from the generosity of people just like you. Dancin’ belongs to all of us.”

In some years Dancin’ was a make-or-break event: if the event didn’t succeed, the Taskforce didn’t pay its bills. Things are a little different today, but the volunteers, passion, and money to keep providing services and working to prevent new infections is still necessary. While Dancin’ may no longer be directly managed by the Taskforce, it still plays a critical role in the agency’s success.

The event kicks off at 3 pm on Clifton Boulevard between West 116 and West 117 Streets and runs until 11 pm. All donations made at the gate and through outdoor beer and vodka sales are 100% directly contributed to the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. So, on July 31, please join us at one of Cleveland’s favorite events for another day of fun, laughter, love, music and most of all, dancing!

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