Which brings me to the point, Some volunteers from Canton have
stuck out their necks to arrange for, what has become this annual
event. But, in years past (particularly last year) there were some
problems.
So this year the event was moved to a new location near
Bolivar. A very nice place with lots of shade and grass to play
volley ball etc., most people attending thought that it was a lot
nicer place, and because it is right next to the interstate, quite
convenient. So why the low turnout? Sadly, it is probably
because of these three little words, "No Alcohol Please." This is
not to say that there was none, but it was not furnished, and it
was not seen.
It is unfortunate that gay people cannot seem to lend
support to anything that does not have the word PARTY attached
to it. The Akron/Canton N.E. Ohio gay community has a long way
to go in maturing to a viable, functioning force, that can represent
itself as anything other than the stereotypical drunk sex pervert
that the religious right is portraying us as. Cleveland is making
strides in the right direction, but still has a long way to go. In Ohio,
Columbus and Cincinnati are years ahead of us, as are most other
cities our size in the U.S. What keeps us stuck in this quagmire we
have created for ourselves? Other communities have managed to
dig themselves out, why not us? There are plenty of worthwhile
groups in the area that are working towards gay rights that we
could become involved with and help ourselves at the same time,
but, few people are involved in them. The membership roles of
these organizations is quite small compared to the gay population
of the area. Taking into consideration the overall population of
Akron and Canton and their surrounding communities, less than
0.05% of the gay people are involved in anything constructive for
our "gay" communities. This is absolutely ridicules, when will we,
as a group stand up and say, no more, we have had enough?
Now is the time to get involved, don't make the mistake that
will keep you a second class citizen for the rest of your life. There
are organizations out there that are totally against any type of gay
rights. We are an aberration of humans to them, and they are very
strong, wealthy, well organized and have eased themselves into
powerful positions all over the country, from our local school
boards all the way to the White House. This has got to be the time
to get involved in gaining equal rights for all citizens of America,
not just the selected ones. If we do not take action now, it will be
too late. Let's not leave those who follow us with a fate far worse
than the one that we have had to endure. It is time to grow up and
take responsibility for ourselves, our community and our brothers
and sisters. We must realize that we are a target and take
whatever measures are needed to defend ourselves.
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