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Hale, Catholic Church Sign Final Settlement
Petitions Pushing P&G to Sever Olympics Ties
Cedar Point Cancels Straight-Only Promo
Gift From ‘Fierce Ally’ Helps LGBT Groups
An out-of-court settlement with Carla Hale spares Catholic church officials in Columbus any public questions over their Holy Week decision to fire the lesbian high school teacher.
Nearly 200,000 signatures were gathered in August on petitions urging Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble to end its sponsorship of Vladimir Putin’s 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Cedar Point canceled a wedding contest in late August after people began pushing the amusement park to include same-sex couples.
One of Central Ohio’s early advocates for people living with HIV and AIDS left more than $98,000 to the Columbus Foundation’s Legacy Fund, which supports local LGBT groups.
As part of an agreement announced Aug 15 between Hale and the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, the former Bishop Watterson High School teacher and coach won’t return to the job she held for 19 years.
Although the company behind iconic U.S. brands such as Ivory, Crest, Scope and Charmin was a major sponsor of Cincinnati’s Pride celebration in June, it also is a huge advertiser on state-owned Russian TV, which has helped fuel Putin’s crusade against LGBT people.
Hale also agreed to drop a discrimination complaint filed with the Columbus Community Relations Commission, and her lawyer said she is no longer considering a lawsuit against the diocese. Hale was fired in late March, a month after church officials were told by a Watterson parent that Hale had listed a female partner among mourning family members in her mother’s newspaper obituary. Under the agreement with Hale, the diocese will recognize her years of service to the school.
One Russian TV commentator recently said the hearts of dead gay people should be burned. Russia is in the midst of a government- and church-fueled wave of anti-gay brutality that includes passage of a law banning nearly any mention of homosexuality. Mobs in the country have killed, beaten and humiliated people thought to be gay.
The park initially limited its contest to straight couples because Ohio doesn’t recognize marriage equality. A spokesman told the Sandusky Register that Cedar Point canceled the event because it started to take on political overtones. Cedar Point had planned to select 13 couples to get married on Friday, Sept 13 for the opening of its “HalloWeekends.” Akron couple Scott Kenimond and Eric Morrison began calling attention to a disclaimer that excluded gay and lesbian couples. “It doesn’t matter if it’s legal or not,” Morrison said. “You should be able to have a commitment ceremony. For God’s sakes, you’re getting married by a zombie.”
A Procter & Gamble spokeswoman contacted by the Cincinnati Enquirer refused to address her company’s stand on violence against LGBT Russians, but she noted its record in the United States on behalf of LGBT causes.
Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., also owns Kings Island near Cincinnati, which is hosting Pride Night on Sept. 6 to benefit the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati.
The men of Prime Timers Worldwide will celebrate their group’s silver anniversary in style next month at Columbus’s Renaissance Hotel.
vate the status of mature gay men and show young people that there is life after 40, 50 or 60.
No other terms were revealed.
From 300 to 400 members are expected for the Prime Timers convention Oct 3-6. Seminars include “Exercise and Aging” and “Legal Considerations for Gay Couples.” The Columbus’s Gay Men’s Chorus will be part of the nightly hotel entertainment.
Prime Timers to Gather in Columbus 8
by Maryam Rezayat sept 2013
Prime Timers Worldwide was founded in 1987 by retired professor Woody Baldwin, who felt that social and support groups were lacking for older gay and bisexual men in a culture that caters to youth. Baldwin aimed to ele-
“Older gay men have traditionally been shunned by society; they had no real social outlet,” said Ron Camp, head of the conference’s hospitality committee and a nine-year member of the organization. Although geared toward mature gay and bisexual men, Prime Timers is open to men 21 and older. It boasts more than 7,000 members in 80 chapters across three continents. “It’s very socially oriented,” Camp said. “It’s about fellowship and friendship.”
Sue Greer, who passed away in December at age 81, was the mother of Lynn Greer, a longtime activist who helped start the Legacy Fund, and Michael Greer, who died of AIDS in 1986. She was described by Lynn and her partner, Stephanie Walton, as “a loving friend, a fierce ally and an incredible mother.” Legacy Fund Chairman Scot Dewhirst said the gift from Sue Greer will expand grants to LGBT groups. Steve Shellabarger, another Legacy Fund founder, said Sue Greer was “the parent we all dreamed of.” “Sue Greer was our first straight ally/advocate in Columbus,” he said. “When many in our own community feared the touch of the sick, Sue cared ‘hands on’ for her son Michael, and for so many others. She became a second mother for many of us in the hellish ’80s, when we couldn’t even be out to our own families. Her legacy will always be in the memories and hearts of the many she touched.” Membership opens opportunities such as yearly excursions, monthly socials, dinners, movie nights and card nights, and weekly breakfasts. The groups also do community work with highway cleanups and food drives. And, of course, there’s the convention, which allows members to meet others from across the country. Importantly, Prime Timers also offers continuous support to members who can’t attend events because of health issues. Those interested in joining or learning more about the group should check out primetimersww.com.
Cedar Point really cork-screwed themselves with their wedding promotion.
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