What's Up

   Where did What's Up come from? What is its purpose? And,
where do we want to take it? The answers to these questions
can all be summed up quite simply.

   What's up was conceived as a FREE platform for Gay issues
such as, HIV / AIDS, sexuality, politics, community events, etc.
for non-profit organizations. This is where it came from, and this
is its only purpose. The commercial advertising that appears in
What's Up is paid for by Gay or Gay friendly businesses. What's
Up does not make a profit and is targeted specifically to the needs
of the Akron, Canton, and Youngstown areas. What's Up advertising
has not ever, as of this date, provided the monies needed to pay the
cost of printing it. If you look at the other Gay publications that our
local businesses place ads in, you will see that they are about 25%
content and 75% paid ads. What's Up is not intended to make a
profit. Its design is solely to benefit our communities. If What's Up
is to ever receive the advertising support it needs to have an excess
above its cost of publication, that excess will be put back into our
local Gay community.

   Promoting the Gay community in a non-stereotypical, positive
way is our total focus. We are now on the WWW at
rainbow-akron.com, which also offers FREE platforms and Web
sites to Gay related non-profit organizations.

   We have certain individuals (you know who you are) within our
community that are, in fact, going around to businesses and
individuals, trying to influence them in a negative way toward
What's Up, and making slanderous statements toward our staff.
Many people have given us testimony as to this fact; and, we may
need to pursue litigation to stop this behavior. This behavior is
damaging our ability to continue providing free services to our
community organizations. As I said in an earlier issue, "It is not
politics as usual." I am personally fed up with this crap, and feel
that people who try to harm their own community are harming
themselves far more than they realize. I have personally known
our Publisher, Don Brown, for over thirty years. He is without a
doubt one of the most giving, caring, charitable, community oriented
individuals in this town, and has done more to help in our battle than
anyone I know. He has stood up for us, and helped us all. It is now
time for us to return in kind.

   The statements made here are my own, and are not necessarily
those of my publisher or co-editor. I would certainly like to have all
of this nonsense over with, and just be able to get on with working
for our goals. Let's all get on with being productive for our
community.