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Memorabilia sought for local LGBTQ history project

By
Jeff
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Preserving the history of Toledo’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community is a passion for Toledo native Rick Cornett.

“I love history and that is the driving force behind my mission to save and preserve Toledo’s gay culture and history — not to mention it is a need that has never been done before,” Cornett said. “I do it as a hobby and a labor of love for the community.”

Rick Cornett with some of his Toledo LGBTQ history collection. Toledo Free Press Photo by Christie Materni

Cornett hopes to compile enough information and materials to start a Toledo LGBT Historical Society and then work off that to create a website and Facebook page.

The 2010 deaths of local gay icons Joe Wicks, founder of the former Caesar’s Show Bar, and Gregory Knott, founder of Bretz, were the impetus behind the project, Cornett said.

“I’ve always saved special things that meant something to me, but I started seriously collecting things in 2010,” he said. “It got me thinking the old guard is slowly slipping away and no one is doing anything to preserve their memory or what they did for the gay community.”

His collection is comprised of “endless” file folders of items covering topics like religion, gay marriage, sports, bars, businesses, political groups, support groups, charities, obituaries and more. Memorabilia include T-shirts, buttons, ticket stubs, posters and ads, wristbands, business cards and more. He is also interested in collecting oral histories.

“Since I started the archives back in 2010 my collection of items has grown a lot. I’m archiving anything and everything from the Toledo area LGBT community,” Cornett said. “I hold the entire Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla archive from the past 37 years of the event. I also house the largest collection of items from the Toledo Pride Festival and Parade since it started five years ago.

“With the recent closing of gay bars OUTSKiRTS, Ripcord and Blush I gained many items of interest such as the signs from the front of Blush and Ripcord. The new owners of Mojo and Legends Showclub have been very supportive of donating items to help preserve our history and culture of the gay bars here.

“Last week my friend Jeff Nyitrai donated items from his former bar 5 One 3 plus items he had saved from the old Caesar’s Show Bar,” Cornett said. “The more people have learned about my project, the more items I gather to preserve.”

One of Cornett’s ongoing focuses is finding photos of the building fronts of Toledo’s former gay bars.

“I’m most interested in finding photos of the storefronts to former bars such as Open Closet, Rustler Saloon, Adams Town Club, Silver Slipper, Old Plantation, Scaramouche, Key West, Box Office, Up Town, Hooterville Station, Ivanhoe, Club Escape, Twilight Zone, Philcoff’s, Copacabana, Gay Pussy Cat and many others,” Cornett said. “Prior to the early 1970s it was taboo to take a camera into a gay bar and how many people really thought about taking pictures of the outside of a bar?”

He’s also looking for copies of Toledo’s LGBT publications.

“Toledo has had a varied history of publications and I find them most interesting because they hold a wealth of information from the past,” he said. “Toledo’s first gay magazine was one called Rapping Paper that started in February of 1975. Others that have come and gone over the years include Toledo Pride Pages, Pride’s Eye and Outlines. TAGALA newsletter started back in 1983 and has been the longest-lasting publication to date.”

Sherry Tripepi, executive director of Equality Toledo, said some local groups, including Equality Toledo, have archived their own histories to an extent, but there hasn’t been a collaborative, community-wide effort to organize a history.

“For groups who experience oppression and silencing, as does the LGBT community, archiving our history is even more important so the community and others can know and learn about the depth of their experiences throughout time,” Tripepi told Toledo Free Press last year.

Cornett said he welcomes anyone who is interested in preserving Toledo’s LGBTQ history to join him.

“All this takes volunteers and funding to make it a reality,” Cornett said. “Through this historical archive I would also like to bring back the Toledo Unity Picnic and an annual booze cruise. Social events like that are fading and we are losing our unity within the gay community. I’m looking for dedicated people to join me in these efforts.”

To donate to Cornett’s collection or to learn more, contact him at (419) 470-3937 or [email protected].

Help through art: LeSo helping East Toledo fight blight

By
Tom Konecny
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The winds of change are blowing through East Toledo, with newcomer LeSo Art Gallery providing a strong, fresh breeze.

Brad Scherzer, Amber LeFever and Adam Soboleski of LeSo Gallery in East Toledo. Toledo Free Press photo by Kim Sanchez

Having been open for barely two years, LeSo has not only helped revitalize a neighborhood’s love of art, but has inspired others to work together — city officials, artists, musicians, businesses, and more — to kick-start efforts designed at making the East Side, Toledo’s new cool spot.

“We have done 20 shows in two years, which is roughly one a month,” said Brad Scherzer, LeSo’s assistant director.  “We already have a reputation for being one of the more active galleries in Toledo.”

LeSo makes its home in a 111-year-old fully restored building on Starr Avenue with a rich history.  Its owners — Amber LeFever and Adam Soboleski, whose last names combine to give LeSo its name, and also live upstairs — commissioned Toledo native and artist Matt Taylor to paint its east exterior wall with a bold, intricate mural that instantly achieved local iconic status.

“We kind of landed in East Toledo by chance, but we consider ourselves extremely lucky,” said LeFever, who lives above the gallery with Soboleski.  “Everyone in the neighborhood is so giving and accepting and loving.  The East Toledo community is everything to us.”

LeSo deals mostly with emerging artists, and those who do not necessarily have a national reputation.  The gallery has also worked with the college ranks, inviting graduate level students and professors to display their work.  Their shows vary, but the pair believes in nontraditional, shorter, month-long runs to keep the displays ever-changing and original.

Their East Toledo neighborhood has embraced their work and mission, but the people behind LeSo realize it’s just as much about what goes on outside their walls as inside.

“I grew up in Waterville, and understood that East Toledo was singled out as a place that’s more rough,” Scherzer said.  “It was perceived as not being in a safe area.  Adam and Amber found this building on their own, and they’re not from the area.

“They looked for a building they could afford, and made it happen.  It wasn’t necessarily a choice made on a specific area; it was based on their need.  We’ve been really working to change that, and a lot of people now identify on Main Street as a positive influence in the arts community.”

A learning center is also part of the gallery’s mission, where classes for youth and adults take place.  Their goal is simply to get people engaged with the arts as they’re looking at art.  Both LeFever and Scherzer are art school teachers by day, so their work comes naturally.

LeSo is consistently listed as one of the signs of East Toledo’s rebirth.  Their association with other partners in the East Toledo Creative Corridor has spawned a new free arts and music festival, titled “The Main Even,” planned for Sept. 13.

“East Toledo is a live music hub for Toledo,” Scherzer said.  “It’s probably the most consistent live music in the area.  So, we’re basically trying to tap into what’s already there and announce it a little more grander.”

Its combination of music and arts may remind visitors of Bowling Green’s successful Black Swamp Arts Festival, which is no coincidence given the BGSU diplomas belonging to all of LeSo’s staff.

“It’s a lot like the Black Swamp.  We want to keep the class of the art up and have a refined gallery experience,” Scherzer said.  “We want to engage people with an open concert and really access the East Toledo area.  It’s not what people necessarily have in their minds when they think of East Toledo.  It’s a lot more walkable and accessible.  It’s a good community.”

LeSo also generated an outreach project where 18 trash cans, eight benches and eight planters along Main Street were repainted by local artists.  A total of 18 public murals are also being completed, some by local 8th grade students, which will be used on boarded up windows of buildings.  The entire project is through a partnership with the East Toledo Family Center, East Toledo Club, local business owners and Owens-Illinois employee volunteers.  LeSo also received strong support from City Councilman Mike Craig.

“Last year I went to conference in Columbus and attended seminars on neighborhood economic development,” Craig said.  “They were talking about a guy from Canton, and how he used art and music to revitalize downtown Canton.

So I came back all excited and wanted to talk to LeSo.  They were all enthusiastic.  We sat down and started talking about how to change the business climate, how to revitalize Main Street.”

Craig has been especially impressed how LeSo’s staff has had an immediate regard for their neighborhood despite no direct ties to the east side.

“They’re not the ones going around, ‘how can you help us do this?,’ Craig said. “They’re really self-sufficient.  They just figure out what we need to do to get it done.  They just care.  They want where they’re living to be a nice place, and they’re willing to put in the hard work to make it that way.  That’s why I was drawn to what they were doing, and I think everybody’s excited.”

Craig isn’t the only one who is excited.  Both businesses and residents have also been quick to recognize the positive work LeSo offers besides just art.

“We receive positive feedback constantly,” Scherzer said.  “The neighbors have been extremely supportive, and help us out however they can.  A lot of people recognize who we are and identify it as a positive business in the area.”

So far, plans seem to be coming to fruition with a spruced up Main Street, a supportive business community and an arts and music festival all at once.  Craig believes these signs, combined with citizens who want to see their neighborhood flourish, mean that East Toledo is gaining momentum.

“We want it to be a nice place for people to come, spend some time, spend some money, and I hope when other people see them spending their time there that they’ll look to open businesses there and keep it that way,” Craig said.  “If you get enough of those types of businesses there, you’ll get more restaurants, more entertainment venues, and they may be active every night instead of just the weekend.”

For now, all the success may be due to the fact that LeSo is approaching it by putting others and its community first.

“We’re just doing it to do it,” Scherzer said.  “We’re not necessarily in it for the profit.  We’re in it for the community, to help other artists.  We’re creating a solid area of art for the public, and to try and raise the profile.  The gallery itself is a labor of love.  We all pitch in our money and our time.”

“We want to do it, we’re passionate about it,” LeFever said.

LeSo Art Gallery is located at 1527 Starr Avenue in East Toledo, and is open Saturday and Sundays from noon-4 p.m. during show exhibitions.  More information is available at lesogallery.com.  Information on The Main Event can be found at easttoledocc.com.

Miller: Shawshanked

By
Michael Miller
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Saying Bill Mullen is invested in Upper Sandusky’s “The Shawshank Redemption” legacy is like saying a Sandusky River walleye is invested in water.

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Mullen is the owner of the Shawshank Woodshop and Museum in Upper Sandusky, where scenes from the 1994 movie were filmed. The woodshop houses its original equipment — a Rube Goldberg-esque assemblage of belts and gears featured in a scene with Morgan Freeman — surrounded by glass cases filled with film props, autographed items and international memorabilia.

Mullen shows visitors his collection with a pride familiar to anyone who loves and lives a work of art and relives it through gathering its ephemera and sharing it with others. There are uniforms and shoes from the film set, scores of signed photos and a stand-up cutout of actor Tim Robbins in front of the three pinup posters used in the movie — Marilyn Monroe, Raquel Welch and, of course, the actress whose name was excised from the title of the Stephen King novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” when it was adapted for film.

Mullen introduces each element of the collection with a story, deftly guiding visitors from a collection of foreign posters to the actual bus used during filming. He is just as enthusiastic in welcoming visitors to the Wyandot County Courthouse, where Commisssioners Bill Clinger, Steven Seitz and Ron Metzger offer a tour of the magnificent structure, culminating in the courtroom where Robbins’ Andy Dufresne was convicted of murdering his wife.

The amazing thing is, as much as Mullen and his compatriots enthuse about Upper Sandusky’s role on “The Shawshank Trail,” their captivating efforts on that driving tour are just a fraction of the experience offered in nearby Mansfield.

The Reformatory

To mark the 20th anniversary of the film, Mansfield has coordinated a three-day Labor Day weekend event with scores of activities and location attractions. From autograph sessions with “Shawshank” actors and lectures to tours and film showings, all things “Shawshank” will be celebrated in the town where much of the Best Picture Oscar nominee was filmed.

The weekend (visit the web site www.shawshank20.com for pages of details) is a fete of filmmaking, history, and an odd deference to life and death in equal measure.

The centerpiece of the experience is of course The Ohio State Reformatory, which served as Shawshank State Prison in the film. The formidable and forbidding structure was headed for demolition before writer-director Frank Darabont chose it as the atmospheric star of his film. In subsequent years, a private group purchased and maintains the facility as the centerpiece of a growing tourist attraction.

The Ohio State reformatory in Mansfield, where much of ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ was filmed. Toledo Free Press photos by James A. Molnar.

It would be dramatic but not inaccurate  to describe the reformatory as a glimpse of Hell. The stone and steel fortress, which was built 20 years after the Civil War, housed more than 155,000 prisoners in its time until it was closed in 1990. It is a magnificent achievement in architecture, a monument to what men can do with their bare hands, a testament to good intentions and one of most frightening haunted places you will ever visit. Every faded stone strains to contain a screaming soul; every peeled strip of paint represents a wasted life; every sweating steel bar retains the battered psychic energy of desperate, unnaturally caged human spirits.

Inside the Ohio State Reformatory, which served as Shawshank State Prison in the film.

The reformatory offers a fascinating tour, winding through the Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne designs, past offices, living areas and the cells, which serve as the most effective crime deterrent I can imagine. I have no sympathy for thieves, rapists and murderers, but the cramped two-to-a-cell conditions and the stark design of the holding pens combine to smother any inkling of hope or redemption.

A poster for 'The Shawshank Redemption' hangs inside the lobby for the woodshop in Upper Sandusky, Ohio.

A poster for ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ hangs inside the lobby of the Shawshank Woodshop and Museum in Upper Sandusky, Ohio.

There are 14 film sites along The Shawshank Trail (www.shawshank trail.com) — a path that includes the Shawshank Oak Tree, Malabar Farm, the Road to Buxton and the Haunted Bissman Building, where F.W. Simon was reportedly decapitated in an elevator accident as he was waving goodbye to co-workers on what was supposed to be his last day at work — and as it turned out, it was.

Ben Bissman’s family has owned the building for more than a century. An affable man with the gravity of a historian and the twinkling eyes of a showman, Bissman tells of shadows, noises, communicating spirits and enough apparitions to keep Peter Venkman busy for a month. The Bissman Building served as the Brewer Hotel, where ex-con Brooks hangs himself, and as the Portland Daily Bugle editor’s office. Bissman and his family were extras in the movie, but his movie set stories take a back seat to his literally haunting tales.

Mansfield is building a cottage industry around its connection to “The Shawshank Redemption,” but its downtown has plenty to offer a family looking to visit for a day. The Historic Carrousel District offers the namesake ride and scores of restaurants, merchants, museums and children’s activities.

Of course, even in the heart of downtown, Shawshank makes its presence known. The Squirrel’s Den sells Shawshank candy bars and has a number of movie scenes carved from chocolate; Ed Pickens’ Café offers a roast beef wrap called a “Shawshankwich” (Brooks’ roast beef, Red’s onion, Andy’s aioli sauce, lettuce, on a Warden’s wrap); there is Redemption Pizza, Shawshank Sundaes and Prison Break Old Fashioned Sodas.

It is fair to say most everyone is in on the theme.

Our guide for the day, Group Tour/Media Director Jodie Snavely, who has worked for the Mansfield & Richland County Convention & Visitors Bureau for more than 25 years, has undoubtedly traveled the Shawshank Trail hundreds of times, but she led us through the awesome sites, spooky sites, reverent sites and goofy sites with genuine love for her town and its Hollywood connection.

Her enthusiasm was shared by the guides, servers, elected leaders and business owners we met in Mansfield.

Bill Mullen at Shawshank Woodshop and Museum in Upper Sandusky.

“The Shawshank Redemption” offers friendship and hope as its greatest themes; the folks who are carrying on the movie’s legacy two decades later have taken that message to heart.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and news director of 1370 WSPD. Contact him at [email protected].

‘Battling burnout’ focus of upcoming workshop in Maumee

By
Toledo Free Press
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Deb Olejownik, left, and Cindy Patterson Of DJC Core Consulting.

It started innocently enough: skipping a few morning gym sessions to catch up at work. But soon Toledoan Deb Olejownik was regularly clocking in two hours early. Still falling behind, she started staying late on nights she didn’t have class all while juggling her family’s schedule as well.

“I don’t think we intentionally neglect ourselves,” Olejownik said. “It’s just something that happens because we’re pulled in so many different directions,” she said. “We have a tendency to put ourselves on the back burner because we’re taking care of everything else.

“Burnout is very pervasive. It affects every aspect of your life, personal and professional. It’s caused from too many pressures and not enough support.”

At the time, she’d never heard the term burnout, but when she did, “I couldn’t read enough about it,” she said.

Now she and a business partner, Cindy Patterson, help others “battle burnout” through their company DJC Core Consulting.

“I didn’t want to have them go through what I went through,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve suffered from burnout for five weeks, five months or five years — never underestimate the power of burnout, ever.”

After a 32-year career with Toledo Public Schools, Olejownik now works as a stress management trainer at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor and Lourdes University. Patterson is a global real estate analyst for Owens Corning with a background in nonprofits.

The two clicked immediately after being assigned to work on a project together on the first day of their master’s program at Lourdes University. After graduation, they decided to go into business together.

“We are the only consultants in the area who battle burnout,” she said.

The symptoms of burnout manifest differently in each person, often in physical symptoms that can seem unrelated, Olejownik said. But the most universal symptom is emotional exhaustion.

“They feel like they’re unplugged and they don’t know what to do about it,” Olejownik said. “We teach them to assess where their energy leak may be coming from, what’s causing it and how to put a stop to it.”

A quarter of all drugs prescribed in the U.S. are for stress management, Olejownik said.

“That’s shocking,” she said. “That tells me this is really becoming an epidemic.”

An eight-week Bouncing Back from Burnout workshop runs 8:30-10 a.m. Thursdays Oct. 2 through Nov. 20, at ITT Technical Institute, 1656 Henthorne Drive, in Maumee. Topics will include identifying core values, the truths of stress and burnout, balance, regaining person power, transforming your thinking, improving your communication IQ and leaving the ashes behind.

“We’ve taught each of these courses in this program independently and now for the first time we’re bringing them all together,” Olejownik said. “It’s our most sought-after program.”

Emphasis will be on practical skills, which encourage the attendees to develop individual plans for dealing with burnout, Patterson said in an email to Toledo Free Press.

“What we hope the attendees learn from the preview is that they are not victims of stress or burnout, but rather have the ability to reclaim their lives and re-establish that balance,” Patterson said. “[As Abraham Lincoln said] ‘Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.’ You have to decide to take back control of the situation and determine you will make a change. It’s not enough to desire a life of balance; you need to take concrete steps to get there.”

A free 90-minute preview to introduce the course is set for 9-10:30 a.m. Aug. 20, also at ITT Technical Institute. Refreshments will be provided.

Olejownik said she wants to give people hope and help them realize they are not alone.

“That’s what I felt like,” Olejownik said. “I felt like I couldn’t talk to anyone. I thought no one would understand. You’re not alone. We can help.”

For more information or to register, visit djccoreconsulting.com or contact Olejownik at (419) 392-7737 or [email protected].

Eryn Woods brings color, style to Pride

By
Jay Hathaway
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Eryn Woods cites such musical influences as Cyndi Lauper. PHOTO COURTESY ERYN WOODS

Pop-punk up-and-comer and fashionista Eryn Woods will be bringing her brand of color and style to this year’s Toledo Pride event.

The Shreveport, Louisiana native has been in music almost all her life, beginning to learn the singing craft at through vocal lessons and musical theater.

“My family was really involved,” Woods said.  “I was singing when I was three or four years-old.”

After high school, Woods moved to New York, where she took jobs as a background singer and assisted with other performers.  During this time, she met a music producer from Atlanta, ARC, and moved to his city to embark on a solo career.

Since then, she has released an album, “Holl.E.Woods,” and released several videos and singles, which have been featured on MTV and VH1.

Woods describes her music as “pop-punk,” a product of her personal interests and abilities.

“I have a more bubbly pop sound with my vocals, but the music around me is more edgy and hard.”

Woods cites many influences, including Cyndi Lauper, Missing Persons, and Pat Benetar, as well as pop influences like Madonna and Gwen Stefani.

“No Doubt was a really big influence on what my music sounds like today.”

Woods is extremely open and involved with her fan base, whom she refers to as “Kupcakes.”

Her desire to interact with people, especially those who may feel like outsiders, fuels her ambition to make appearances at Pride events all over the country.

“This is going to be like my tenth or eleventh Pride event.”

“It’s really important to me, because of course, I really don’t look normal.  What I stand for is all about individuality and being yourself, and loving you for who God made you to be.  It’s ok to be who you are, and people will accept you for who you are, you just have to accept yourself first.”

Woods also is an advocate for the anti-bullying movement, and regularly makes appearances to spread the message.

“I’ve been to a lot of high schools and middle schools, and visited young people, had lunch with them, to chat with them.”

“One girl that I met felt like she was an outcast at her elementary school, which is really crazy, because back in the day at elementary school, I never really thought about things like that.”

Woods, who is known for her bright, colorful clothing and Mohawk hairdo, understands what it is like to look different than what is considered “normal,” and wants to let others know that uniqueness is not something to be ashamed of.

“There have been so many deaths and suicides because of bullying.  It’s really important to be able to go and visit these young kids and let them know that if they look different or their family isn’t rich, there’s still a place for them in this world.”

In fact, Woods has turned her unique fashion sense into a new branch of her career path, often taking modeling jobs and promoting clothing companies.

“I’m trying to make myself more into a brand, and not just a singer.  I have so many goals for myself, it’s crazy.”

Also among those goals is a desire to take her act around the globe.

“I want to do a world tour.  I have so many fans from outside the US who are asking me when I can come to their country.”

Wherever life takes her, Woods said she will continue to follow her heart.

“[My style] has always just been ‘me.’   No one’s ever told me to dress like this or act like this, it’s just always been how I feel and what makes me happy.”

What’s in a name? For those in trans community, everything

By
Toledo Free Press
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For most of us, the name we are born with is the name that follows us through our lives, from middle-school roll call to newspaper obituaries and everything in between.

But what if you’re transgender? Queer? Gender non-conforming?

Changing your name can be an emotional experience crippled by legal and familial hurdles. And choosing what name works for the rest of your life is scary; what would your name be if you could change it right now?

Nathaniel Allen Anderson is a bartender in Columbus’s Short North who was born in Lima and raised in De Graff.

His sardonic wit makes him perfect at his job, but being a bartender means he comes out as trans almost every day. Even in such a social environment, Anderson tries to avoid revealing too much.

“Unless they are trans, I don’t share that right away, because they may pry and ask inappropriate questions,” he said.

Growing up, Anderson’s little sister called him “Nat” and the nickname stuck, so Nathaniel just seemed like a logical choice for him. His middle name? For Allen County, where he was born. Anderson started hormones and started going as Nathaniel simultaneously.

“Since I was going to start exhibiting signs of not being female, I wanted it to be official.”

As for changing his driver’s license, things were a little more complicated. “In Ohio, you can’t change the gender on your birth certificate ever,” he said. “And if I want to change the gender marker on my license, a doctor needs to sign off on the change. I don’t have insurance, so right now my license says “Nathanial Allen Anderson, F” [for female].

Ohio, Idaho and Tennessee are the three remaining states that don’t allow people to change their birth certificate. But many states have strict rules about the types of surgeries or hormones a trans person must trans person must go through before changing the gender on an identification document.

Changing names on a license is simple – it’s the same form married couples use to change their last names – but the letters M and F cause serious setbacks. The ID issue affected Anderson when he applied for jobs.

“I had job interviews at the beginning of my transition, and it was difficult,” he said. “I would go in for a second interview. They would sound hopeful. I would hand them my ID, and I would never hear back.”

The issue of conflicting IDs affecting employment is common. The National Center for Transgender Equality reports rampant trans discrimination even in places like San Francisco. If more than 50 percent of transgender people there feel they have been discriminated against, what about Ohio, where state laws barring job discrimination cover neither gender identity nor sexual orientation?

Anderson is remarkably nonchalant about his name and really doesn’t mind the nickname “Nat” because he has been called “Nat” since he was a kid.

“As long as you respect me for who I am and respect me as male, then it’s fine,” he said.

Not everyone in the trans community chooses a name when starting hormones; the process is very personal and unique to the individual. Silas Hansen, a writer and graduate student at Ohio State University in Columbus, changed his name first and then started hormones eight months later.

“I didn’t want to start living as male without changing my name or change my name eight times, so I wanted to figure out my name first,” he said.

The name he chose is a Danish name. “I found Silas on a list of names that are popular in Denmark. I’m Danish, and that’s a part of my identity I really connect with.”

Hansen reached out to his friends when he settled on “Silas.” When that went smoothly, he told his family. He’s from a small town in Western New York, and his name change went surprisingly smoothly.

“My 90-year-old grandma is, ironically enough, the only one who doesn’t mess up my pronouns,” he said.

Hansen says his identity is now intertwined with his name.

“It was weird at first, because I’ve never been called this before. But eventually, it made me feel right and I was really confident about the choice I made,” he said. “I identify very strongly on the gender binary, but when I started off I didn’t. It’s been a step-by-step process, and I’m trying to figure out where the end point is for me.”

But what about those who identify as genderqueer or gender non-conforming? If they don’t want to change the M or F on their driver’s licenses, how does that affect their lives?

Many who identify as trans do not undergo hormone treatment or surgery. Studies show more than 80 percent of self-identified trans women and 98 percent of self-identified trans men do not undergo gender-confirmation surgery. It makes state laws that require documentation of hormone treatments and surgery seem antiquated when it comes to addressing the needs of the growing genderqueer community.

As for whether hormones and surgery are necessary, “ask 1,000 people, get 1,000 opinions,” said Shane Morgan, executive director of TransOhio, the statewide organization for transgender people.

“Not all trans-identified people take hormones or pursue any sort of medical transition. So saying to somebody, ‘Wait until you’re on hormones’ or, ‘Wait until you have surgery’ promotes exactly what we’re trying to get away from as a community,” Morgan said.

Eileen Galvin works at the Columbus College of Art & Design and is a burlesque performer with Crimson Lace Cabaret, a Columbus troupe. For her, gender roles are arbitrary. She has not changed any identification documents but lives the majority of her life under the name Eileen.

“In a perfect world, I would be a pansexual genderqueer, two-spirited being,” she said. “But that’s not the world we live in.”

She chose her name from a video game she really liked.

“The name sounded vintage and Irish and I loved it. I’m a little bit Irish so it was perfect.”

Coming out to her family has been difficult because Galvin wasn’t transitioning from one stereotypical gender to the other, like male to female. She was coming out as genderqueer, which is an identity outside the binary. However, Galvin’s attitude is remarkably positive.

“The last family trip I took was to a place that wasn’t very open minded,” she said. “So I called my sister beforehand and said, ‘I’m having a dilemma. I’m going to see the family, and I only want to pack girl clothes.’ And she replied, ‘Isn’t that what you do normally?’ In some situations I see myself as exclusively female, sometimes androgynous and sometimes more masculine.”

“It’s tough to explain to family.”

For that family trip, Eileen packed all girl clothes, and her family tried their best to be accepting.

“You can’t always expect that your family will understand you 100 percent,” she said. “But the conversation is happening, and that’s a step in the right direction. God, I would love for them to throw a ‘she’ in there once and a while! It would mean so much to me.”

She’d love to hear them call her ‘Eileen’ as well. A name, while it seems arbitrary, holds immense meaning for those who change it.

Outlook Ohio magazine is Ohio’s LGBT monthly magazine, available across the state including in Toledo and Bowling Green. Find out where to pick up a copy or read Outlook online at www.outlookohio.com.

Levis Commons Fine Art Fair to showcase area artists for 10th year

By
Toledo Free Press
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For the 10th year, artists from across the country will showcase art at the Levis Commons Fine Art Fair.

Levis Commons and the juried fair, sponsored by The Guild of Artists & Artisans, have had a partnership since the outdoor Perrysburg mall’s opening. This year, the two-day event takes place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 16 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 17.

“The Perrysburg community has really embraced this event,” said Karen Delhey, marketing director for The Guild of Artists & Artisans. “There’s a very loyal audience that comes back and it continues to grow. They appreciate it and they engage with the artists, which is wonderful. It’s not like that everywhere.”

Delhey added that the fair is giving exposure to artists who otherwise wouldn’t have any. At the fair, browsers can meet and talk with each artist.

Plenty of media will be featured, including photography, jewelry, ceramics, glass, drawing, multimedia, sculpture, fiber, leather, wood, paintings and more. Delhey said it’s hard to view it all.

Close to 140 artists are included in the fair, many from Toledo and surrounding cities. Many have participated in the show previously.

Toledo painter Mary Jane Erard has participated in the fair for the past four years. This year, she said, people may notice some differences in her work.

“People who know my work best notice that my use of color has become more sophisticated,” she said in an email. “It seems to really resonate with my collectors.”

Toledo’s Carolyn Newell will present her glass work at the festival for the first time this year. She will have work ranging in price from $30 to $300. Some of Newell’s work is inspired by the coral she used to see when she was a diver.

“My pieces are made of hundreds of pieces of glass to give it the movement and depth and to really bring out the colors,” she said. “I dream it at night and I have to wake up in the morning and figure out how to do it.”

The fair will also feature a free children’s activity center presented by the Toledo School for the Arts. For more information, visit leviscommonsfineartfair.com.

RAY offers space for LGBTQ youth

By
Matt Liasse
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Shannon Frye was a member of Rainbow Area Youth (RAY) before becoming its executive director.

“I understood that what I was feeling was something that the people that I grew up with would not understand,” Frye said. “I began to feel very set apart and very different from my friends and family and had nowhere to go.”

Frye said she was fortunate to have a supportive family, but there are some things they couldn’t prepare her for.

Frye was referred to RAY founder Brenda Spurlin to talk. RAY serves as a place for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) youth to go to for advice and support.

“I think I called her about five times before I was able to actually start talking,” Frye said. “She was very patient, as were all the other volunteers when I first started going to RAY.”

As Frye tells kids today, after her first visit she didn’t return to RAY for another two years.

“Once I was ready to start talking, the thing I found was that I had a second family,” she said.

RAY was formed in 1997 by Spurlin, a mother of a gay child, who met two gay men at a Toledo PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meeting. Spurlin was seeking to be more supportive of her son when she realized there weren’t many options for LGBTQ children, Frye said.

Since its formation, the group has served more than 1,500 kids age 13 to 19. The youth who participate are assured confidentiality.

“The nature of the group is about creating a safe space – a place for kids to come to feel not only physically safe, but emotionally safe from whatever’s happening in their life,” Frye said.

Coming out

Frye said it is not always sound advice to tell a kid to come out.

“We live in a world that is ripe with prejudice,” she said. “It’s not always in the kid’s best interested to come out.”

Frye said a child being evicted from his or her home is the first concern. Leaders also do not advise kids to come out if they live in a highly homophobic area.

“Their safety and well-being is our main concern,” Frye said. “Pursuing that goal above others, we understand that some of our kids cannot come out at certain times, even at times they’re coming to RAY.”

Above all, Frye said the group wants to get kids more comfortable being themselves before they make the decision to come out.

“Kids are not just coming out to family, [they’re] coming out to friends, coming out to employers, coming out to all different kinds of people all the time,” Frye said. “We hope that they become more comfortable with talking to more people openly about it … but we don’t consider it a tragedy if they don’t come out.”

Frye said the group tries to prevent kids from claiming an identity before they are sure who they are.

“The first thing we tell the kids is who you are at 15 is not necessarily who you are at 25,” Frye said. “We want them to have a safe place to explore themselves.”

Former member Tianna Jones said she would recommend the group.

“When I first heard of RAY, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” Jones said. “But when I went there, it was very open. Everyone was very welcoming.”

Jones attended RAY when she was 15, a couple months after she came out.

“At first it was kind of something to do,” Jones said. “But being there really helped me discover more about myself.”

Jones said RAY taught her things she will take with her for the rest of her life.

“The biggest thing I learned from RAY is having an open mind about culture and about people who are different from you,” she said.

Jones said judgment is still found within the LGBTQ community.

“It really doesn’t matter; it just matters the type of person you are,” she said. “[RAY] has been a tremendous help … in helping keep an open mind and just accepting people as they are as a person. You never know what someone’s going through.”

Teens interested in attending meetings or adults interested in volunteering can contact RAY at (419) 742-2362 or [email protected]. The only prerequisites for volunteers is to submit to a background check and to be able to listen without judgment.

For more information, visit www.raytoledo.org.

2014 schedule of activities

By
Dock David Treece
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Aug. 22:
– 8:30 p.m.: Nite Glo 5K ($18-$23 in advance/$30 day of) and one-mile
fun run/walk/roll ($15 in advance, $20 day of) at University of Toledo Centennial
Mall, registration starts at 7 p.m.
– 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.: KISS ‘N’ Drag kickoff party sponsored by 92.5 KISS
FM, at Promenade Park, featuring DJ 3 PM and drag shows. Admission $8, or
$5 with a canned food item to benefit Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank.

Aug. 23:
– Noon: Parade starts on Washington Street at the intersection of Ontario
Street, crosses the Owens Corning bridge at North Summit Street and
finishes at Promenade Park. Entrance to Toledo Pride is $5 for adults, $7
after 7 p.m. and free for children younger than 18.
– 12:45 p.m.: Breaking Ground
– 1:55 p.m.: Drag performances: Gina Arnaz, Porsha Armani
– 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.: Sandpiper boat rides, 40 minutes each,
dock on the Jefferson Street side of Promenade Park, $6 or two for $10.
– 2:20 p.m.: Kids with Knives
– 3:35 p.m.: Dumb Easies
– 4:50 p.m.: Bird’s Eye View Circus Space contemporary circus acts
– 5 p.m.: Drag show: Muffy Fishbasket
– 5:20 p.m.: Chavar Dontae
– 5:55 p.m.: Drag show: Santana Romero, Makayla Sinclair Styles, Tequila
Mockingbird, Feliciana Thunderpussy, Muffy Fishbasket
– 6:25 p.m.: Bird’s Eye View Circus Space contemporary circus acts
– 6:45 p.m.: Flabongo Nation
– 8:10 p.m.: Arctic Clam
– 9:30 p.m.: Eryn Woods
– 9:55 p.m.: Drag show: Ava Aurora Foxx & Brook Lockhart, Amaya
Sexton, Amber Stone
– 10:20 p.m.: Rye Rye
– 10:45 p.m.: Drag show: Deja D. Dellataro, Bois with Outskirts
– 11 p.m.: Pastele
– 11:25 p.m.: Drag show: T-Town Tassels, London Asia, Amaya Sexton, Farrah CT

Aug. 24:
– Noon to 3 p.m.: Free Sunday Funday at Promenade Park featuring family-
friendly activities for kids.
– 3-10 p.m.: Sunday Funday continued at Promenade Park, featuring food,
drinks and entertainment, including Steel Wynd, Calvin Green, Johnnie Mae,
Tiffany Covington, Sam Tolson, Joe Woods, The Blood Sisters featuring Barbara
Payton and Midnight Flowers interspaced with drag performances, magic
performances and performances by Bird’s Eye View Circus Space. $3 for adults,
free for children younger than 18.

See www.toledopride.com for full schedule.

All times and events subject to change.

Pastele brings positive energy to Pride

By
Matt Liasse
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PASTELE PASQUELINA

When Pastele Pasquelina performs as one of the three headliners at Toledo Pride, it will be her first time in Ohio.

The idea to perform at the festival came from her friend from Cleveland who knew the other headliners, Rye Rye and Eryn Woods. A tour snowballed from there and the three artists are also performing together at Pride in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Pasquelina jumped at the chance to perform for the gay community, who she feels close to after growing up taking dance and art classes. She said she always had gay friends and frequently goes to gay clubs.

“The whole community is so inspiring,” she said. “Everybody should be treated equally and nobody’s different.”

The idea that “nobody’s different” inspired Pasquelina’s song “Psycho,” which celebrates originality. Pasquelina wrote the song after a transgender friend committed suicide.

“He just felt like he didn’t fit in,” Pasquelina said. “It really moved me. That’s the motivation for the song, that it’s OK to be weird and crazy and different. Embrace it.”

The song is a staple for the current tour.

Pasquelina comes from a musical family; her mother was a pianist and Pasquelina learned guitar at an early age.

“My house is like a ‘Glee’ episode,” she said. “One person starts singing, one person starts doing the harmony and it turns into a dance party.”

By the time she was 16, her songs were included in the MTV shows “The Hills,” “The City” and “Jersey Shore,” according to toledopride.com.

Pasquelina calls her style of music “hipster pop,” and blurs the lines of mainstream and indie. Her influences include No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruno Mars.

She began cultivating her style during her days at a fashion institute.

“Going in and out of Brooklyn and the Village [was like] having this whole cultural experience, meeting all these people who weren’t from the U.S.,” she said. “It kind of stemmed in my music a little bit. I was in a development stage, really trying to focus on my sound. I realized how cultured it became.”

Pasquelina said she likes to make uplifting, inspiring music and added there’s a void of that on Top 40 radio right now.

“I think the group MAGIC!, who did the song ‘Rude,’ kind of are touching upon it. Their songs are really positive on their album,” Pasquelina said. “But I think there is still a void in the industry for really positive [music.] People think that to be artistic you have to make it dark but I think you can shine a light on something that’s artsy and fun.”

Pasquelina’s goals for the future are to do just that: Be on the radio, inspire people and make friends.

Pasquelina will perform at 11 p.m. Aug. 23 at Toledo Pride, which is celebrating its fifth year. For more information or the schedule of events, visit toledopride.com.

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