How Gay Are We: GG9 Opening Ceremony Excites, Offers Surprises

Participants from Ohio enter the Quicken Loans Arena for the Gay Games 9 Opening Ceremony.

The Gay Games 9 Opening Ceremony was nothing short of astounding as participants from more than 50 countries and 48 states were welcomed Saturday night at the Quicken Loans Arena. The procession of participants was led by San Francisco, host of the first Gay Games in 1982, and countries that sent one representative received the loudest applause, among them Bulgaria, Chile, Iceland and Liberia. But the level of noise was incomparable when the Russian Federation arrived and they were greeted with hugs from Gay Games staff and volunteers and received a standing ovation from thousands of spectators. Akron joined the celebration with three drag stars as they performed Tina Turner's “Proud Mary” while dancers used giant tires as props in homage to the city's reputation for being the Rubber Capital of the World. The ceremony featured appearances by Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis and performances by Lance Bass and Bella Blue, Andrea McArdle, the Pointer Sisters and a breathtaking number by Glee star Alex Newell singing “I Know Where I've Been.” Plus, there were plenty of surprises, including a personal message from President Barack Obama and an address from Sen. Sherrod Brown and his wife Connie Schultz. “Welcome to the state of Ohio where we are moving ever closer, with one court ruling at a time, to marriage equality,” Schultz said. “In Northeast Ohio, we celebrate love in all its forms. We celebrate families in every configuration.” Michelle Tomallo, board president of Plexus, was among six local LGBT activists tasked with passing on the torch to New Zealand's Olympic speed skater, Blake Skjellerup. Check out our photos below, and stay tuned as we continue with daily coverage of the games.

Mexico's soccer team Didesex arrives at the opening ceremony. Photo Credit: Christopher Hawks

Photo Credit: Christopher Hawks

Lance Bass and Bella Blue perform their single, “Walking On Air.”

Dancers clad as superheroes perform to Bonnie Tyler's “I Need a Hero.”

Alex Newell and Andrea McArdle kick up the sass and perform Broadway hit “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic welcome Gay Games participants.

The Pointer Sisters kick off their set list with “I'm So Excited.”

Gay Games participants, city officials and Federation of Gay Games members celebrate the closing of the opening ceremony as the Pointer Sisters perform.

Charles Ramsey: ‘The scary black dude turned out to be the good guy’

Last May 6, after he rescued Amanda Berry from Ariel Castro’s house, Charles Ramsey sought refuge at the Diamond Men’s Club, where he met the guys who became his entourage and media handlers for his summer of viral fame. Congratulatory calls on his always-ringing phone included a call from a U.S. Cabinet secretary (but not the president).

Now, Ramsey writes about his experiences of the past year in a memoir, Dead Giveaway: The Rescue, Hamburgers, White Folks, and Instant Celebrity . . . What You Saw on TV Doesn’t Begin to Tell the Story . . .

In these excerpts, Ramsey talks about his chance encounter with Michelle Knight last fall and his thoughts about the role his race and his sense of humor played in his celebrity.

From the chapter “The Rescue”

On Seymour Avenue the carnival atmosphere continued long into the evening. But after a few hours it was getting to be a bit much. When nobody was looking, I casually ducked away and just started walking.

I headed north up West 25th Street. I trudged on until I saw some bright lights up ahead. It was the Diamond Men’s Club on Fall Street. A strip joint — they wouldn’t allow TV news cameras in there, so I headed that way.

The hour-long journey had made my feet ache and legs burn as I stopped in front of the club to catch my breath. All those years of smoking and asbestos removal (sometimes not bothering with a respirator) had given me charbroiled lungs. I took a few deep breaths, hands on my knees, and then saw this big guy standing outside the club look at his cell phone, then look at me. This dude looked like he bench-pressed Buicks just because he could, so when he started walking toward me, I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t run; I was too tired. I would be no match for him if he wanted to rob me, or worse. The dude kept looking at his phone. He walked up to me.

“Hey, man, aren’t you the guy who just saved those girls? What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Just trying to get away from all them TV cameras,” I huffed. “Bad hair day.”

“Well, come on in. You can hang out here for a while.”

Since this place was open until 2 a.m. and I really had nowhere else to go—I wasn’t going back to Seymour—I followed this hulking figure into the club. No cover charge for me. He escorted me through the florescent lighting to the bar, and for the first time in probably eight hours I was able to sit down. I looked up at the six big-screen high-def televisions behind the bar. And there I was. The face that could crack a thousand mirrors. Soon, customers started noticing that the big scary-looking black dude on TV was sitting right among them.

One by one they came over and congratulated me. I heard “God bless you” so many times (a bit ironic to hear in a strip club) that I began to sneeze as if on cue. Every 10 minutes my face and jagged smile were plastered on that TV. The patrons kept cheering me. A few of the ladies who worked there whispered that they would be glad to give me a very special reward. Tempting, yes, but I was just too flippin’ tired. I began talking with this Puerto Rican dude, Justo. He goes by Justo Jr. He introduced me to his brothers Wesley and Victor, then pulled out his cell phone and called his uncle.

“Poppy, you won’t believe who I’m with right now,” he said. “It’s that dude on TV. The one who pulled those girls out of that house. Yeah, he’s sitting next to me right now. He needs to get away from all the commotion and shit. I’m bringing him to your house.”

With that, Justo Jr. told me to pick myself up and get into his grey BMW X3. The four of us headed out of the flats to I-71 south. We kept driving and driving.

“Where are we headed, bro?” I asked. I was getting a little nervous that maybe I, too, was getting kidnapped.

“To our uncle’s house. In Brunswick.”

Brunswick? To a street thug from Cleveland, Brunswick was like in Kentucky. Justo Jr. drove down I-71, exited at route 303, and pulled into a ritzy subdivision. No Section 8 housing here. We walked into a spacious house, complete with cathedral ceilings. It was now about 1:30 a.m. The TV was on, and you can guess whose face was on it.

There stood Gino, Justo Jr.’s uncle. “Good shit, Poppy!” he said with a smile. “I’m proud of you. My house is yours.” I was exhausted but couldn’t sleep. I chilled out as best I could, unaware of the Category 5 hurricane that would strike the next morning. My life was about to go from that of a lowly ex-con, onion-peeling dishwasher to WTF.


From the chapter Media Madness:

“It’s the White House!” he shouted. “The goddamn White House is calling.”

Wesley carefully put the phone on a table. Everyone, including all the TSA people, gathered around with hushed anticipation. I gingerly pushed the green button and put the phone on speaker.

“Hello?” I said softly. We all knew what voice we were about to hear.

“Mr. Ramsey?”

“Yes, right here, sir.”

“Mr. Ramsey, this is Secretary—.” He gave his name, but I can’t remember it.

“Wha? Dis ain’t Barack?”

“No, I’m a cabinet secretary. I work very closely with the president. On behalf of the United States government, I want to commend you for your quick action and heroic deed. Congratulations, sir.”

Pause. “Dis ain’t Barack?”

“No, Mr. Ramsey. The president has seen on the news what you did. He’s very grateful for what you did for those girls.”

“Uh, thanks. Just did what I had to do, bro.” The group let out a collective sigh of disappointment. I guess it’s still an honor to be called by a cabinet secretary, and it probably was a good thing that it wasn’t Barack calling me. Trust me, I would have had a few things to say to him. He would have wound up hanging up on me, and for sure my ass would have been audited.


From the chapter “The Girls”

I hope everyone gives all three, actually four, girls the same love and affection you all have shown me. What they went through is something few people could ever comprehend, or survive.

The only one I’ve had personal contact with since is Michelle. By chance, we live very close to each other, and Thanksgiving 2013 I saw her walking her dog. I walked up to her and said, “Hi, Michelle.” She looked up at me and said, “Oh, hi. It’s good to meet you finally.” It wasn’t a dramatic meeting, just a low-key meeting similar to that of old friends.


From the chapter “Who’s Stereotyping Now?”

One of the main reasons my part in this whole event became such an international story is the series of ironies that didn’t fit the usual stereotypical patterns and perceptions. This time the scary black dude turned out to be the good guy. And this same scary black dude turned out to be more of a funny guy on TV rather than a thuggish street rat. Plus this scary lookin’ black dude spoke openly about the race factor.

In a perfect world it shouldn’t matter what race I was or what race the girls were. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Race still plays a factor in society’s perception of what should and shouldn’t be. Deep inside, everyone knows that. I was just the first one in a long time to actually say it to the world, and with a goofy smile.

Let’s adjust the location and add some bleach. If I were a white dude with perfect teeth walking down Wolf Road in the upscale Cleveland suburb of Bay Village and found the girls in someone’s four-bedroom colonial, yes, it would have made the news, but not to this extent. Yes, I would have gotten a certificate of appreciation from the mayor or something nice like that, but would I have become more popular in the Philippines than King Rajah Matanda? Would Anderson Cooper have flown out to interview me? Would Snoop Dogg have called me and invited me to be on his show? Would McDonald’s have given me so much as an upgrade to a large order of fries?

Excerpted from the book Dead Giveaway © 2014 by Charles Ramsey with Randy Nyerges. Reprinted with permission of Gray & Co., Publishers. Available at Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. Autographed copies available at CharlesRamseyWorld.com.

Romney Rallies Support at Roundtable in Bedford Heights

As presidential candidate Mitt Romney took his seat on stage at American Spring Wire in Bedford Heights today, thunderous cheers and high-pitched whistles reverberated through the room of shiny hard hats and giant blue bundles of wire.

Inside the plant, decorated with “We need a real recovery” posters, Romney kicked off the event, dubbed the “Micro-Manufacturing Victory Roundtable,” by focusing his attention on economic issues. First on his list was China.

“On day one, I will label China a currency manipulator,” Romney pledged.

In the town-hall-inspired discussion, small-business owners shared their economic concerns and difficulties. Some mentioned taxes and high health care costs, but the top concern for many businesses was the need for a more highly skilled workforce.

“We have 23 million people looking for a good job,” said Romney. “And we have millions of jobs that are open but cannot be filled because people don’t have the skills they need to fill those jobs.” Romney said the federal government has 47 different training programs, and that he would cut them and send those funds to individual states, allowing them to create their own.

Mike Rowe, star of Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs,” echoed Romney’s sentiment, saying the country is disconnected from “the most important part of the workforce.”

“People who do dirty jobs represent a modest amount of the population,” said Rowe. “But think about the results of what they do. I’m addicted — hopelessly addicted — to paved roads, cheap electricity and indoor plumbing.”

A recent poll shows Romney 10 points behind President Obama in swing-state Ohio, but Romney believes his economic plan makes him the best man for the job.

“I think the president loves America,” said Romney. “I love America. I think the president cares about the people of America, and I care about the people of America. But I know how to help the people of America.”

President Obama also appeared in Northeast Ohio today. Click here to read the Toledo Blade's report from his rally in Kent, and click here to read our coverage of Obama’s June visit to Cuyahoga Community College.

Adam Scott Looks To Repeat At Akron's Bridgestone Invitational

On the same day President Obama was speaking to a crowd of thousands at the John S. Knight Center, the best golfers in the world were preparing to hit the links only a few minutes down I-77.

The PGA's annual World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational is taking place this weekend at Akron's Firestone Country Club, where a field of 78 golfers will compete for a $1.4 million first-place haul. Defending champion Adam Scott spoke to the media on the final practice day before the first round tees off Thursday morning. Scott, who has yet to win a PGA event since his victory last year in Akron, is coming off a devastating collapse at the British Open two weekends ago. With a four stroke advantage and only four holes remaining in his final round, Scott squandered his lead to Ernie Els, missing his best opportunity thus far in his career at winning a major championship.

But in spite of the disappointing loss, Scott was in relatively high spirits at Bridgestone on Wednesday, contending that there is more good to take away from his British Open experience than there is bad.

“I'm obviously playing well,” said the native Australian. “I should be confident here (in Akron) and try and build my own confidence and pick up some momentum as we come into a really important stretch of the year.”

The Bridgestone marks the final test before next weekend's PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in South Carolina, the final major championship of the year.

If Scott does manage to pull off a back-to-back victory come this Sunday, he will be only the second repeat winner at Firestone since the event became part of the World Golf Championships in 1999. Tiger Woods is the other golfer to win more than once at this competition, nabbing seven victories in the past 12 years at Akron (the 2002 tournament was held in Washington state).

And even with his missteps at the British Open still fresh in his mind, Scott is concentrating on looking forward and defending his throne against the likes of Woods, Els, Phil Mickelson and the rest of the field this weekend.

“It's a great event. It's something that was a big win for me last year and brought a lot of confidence,” said Scott on playing Bridgestone. “It's really a result driven industry, and that's why we play — to win.”

Scott tees off his first round Thursday morning at 9:40 a.m. For more tee times and info about this year's WGC-Bridgestone, check out their website.

For updates on the tournament this weekend, follow me on Twitter at @Williams_Justin.

Obama, At Tri-C, Makes His Case For Four More Years

When Barack Obama entered the gym of Cuyahoga County Community College Metro Campus today, the audience — some wearing “Team Obama” T-shirts, others proudly sporting the iconic Shepard Fairey “Hope” art across their chest — got on their feet.

“There is one place where I stand in complete agreement with my opponent: this election is about our economic future,” the president told the crowd.

Obama’s Cleveland speech made up half of a dramatic day for Ohio and the presidential election. His appearance here, and Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s similar speech in Cincinnati, underscored how crucial the state will be in the November election.

As free-market advocate Romney increasingly pressures recession-burdened Obama on the economic front, the president has shied away from healthcare and zeroed in on his business plan.

Obama portrayed the dueling campaigns as offering “two very different visions.” He likened Romney’s plans to the Bush era, arguing that Romney would cut taxes by trillions and strip the government down to national security and a few other basic functions. He said skeptics should vote for Romney if they want to support the policies of the last decade.

“This is their vision; there is nothing new,” Obama said. “Just what Bill Clinton has called, ‘The same ideas they tried before, except on steroids.’”

Positioning himself as an advocate of creating middle class jobs, the president promised to invest in clean energy and revitalize the educational system with more teachers. Obama tied education to the economy by underlining the importance of science and innovation.

The president also defended his incumbent track record. He asserted that 4 million jobs have been created in the last 27 months, under his watch, more than in the seven years before the unemployment crisis. He also appealed to supporters of manufacturing, a classic move for politicians rallying in the Rust Belt, claiming that this is the strongest period for manufacturing job growth since 1995.

“I believe that you can’t bring down the debt without a strong and growing economy,” Obama said. “I believe you can’t have a strong and growing economy without a strong, growing middle class.”

But as Obama contrasted himself from Romney — from his approach to the economy to his threatening political ads — Romney was addressing the crowd in Cincinnati. Romney similarly focused on the economy, but indicated he would limit the size of government. You can read about Romney’s appearance downstate here.

"Obama Blend" at Coventry Phoenix

On sale at Phoenix Coffee on Coventry in Cleveland Heights:

Not available by the cup right now, but you can get the beans to go from a jar marked "Hope."

Interesting in light of the news today... "Just enough kick?"

The inauguration as seen from Playhouse Square

I should have known better than to show up at the Palace Theater’s viewing of the inauguration of Barack Obama only 20 minutes before he was to take the stage. I took my place among a row of other recent arrivals who were standing at the back and dutifully texting their friends stuck at the office to say, “Yeah, it’s packed.” Even though only Sen. Feinstein was speaking, no one had a moment to give me a comment; I felt like someone being shushed for talking through the previews.

Aretha Franklin earned cheers from the Palace crowd, twice; so did new Vice President Joe Biden, even though no one (except those in the back) listened when Sen. Feinstein asked the crowd in Washington to stand. The Palace audience sure stood, though, when Obama was announced. Stood, and cheered, thunderously, hands clapping high in the air, then listened breathlessly as Obama repeated the oath, and Chief Justice Roberts’ little gaffe over the first line faded quickly into the background as he concluded, “Congratulations, Mr. President.”

I did manage to talk to a few people after President Obama finished his address — such as C. J. Carter of Cleveland, who works at the juvenile court and brought a group of teenagers from the court's “day report program” to the Palace for the event.

“As a kid, I was forced to watch the inauguration of President Kennedy, and I remember it to this day,” Carter said. “I wanted to give these kids the same experience. It's like castor oil; it's good for them, whether they like it or not.”

James Heidmann, 13, of Solon, admitted that his mom had brought him downtown to watch the event even though it was a school day.

“We couldn’t miss a chance like this,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

Sixteen-month-old Jill Tennant of Lakewood probably wins the award for youngest viewer at the Palace. Maybe in a few years, her big brother Owen, 4, will tell her about it.

“Who was inaugurated president today?” asked Owen’s mom, Jeri.

Owen, running around on the big marble staircase, stopped for a moment and looked up at me with as serious an expression as a four-year-old can muster.

“Barack Obama,” he said.

(Photo: Jeri, Owen, Jill and Tom Tennant)

Debbie Brooks @ Peter & Co. Jewelers today

Celebrity handbag designer and two-time Olympic artist Debbie Brooks will be on hand at Peter & Co. Jewelers in Avon Lake tomorrow to unveil artwork designed specifically for the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. But don't worry, Brooks didn't forget about the upcoming First Lady — she will also unveil a handbag (we guess similar to the ones above) for Michelle Obama. With almost everything the trend-setting Michelle wears flying out of stores, be sure to snag your piece of history now. 

Sign of the times

Taken at the Browns game last night.

Brady Quinn was 23 of 35 passing, with 239 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn't the reason the Browns lost to Denver, 34-30 -- the defense was.

For more on the Browns' starting quarterback, see Kim Schneider's January profile of him and tackle Joe Thomas here.

Update: Someone just reminded me of the sign's irony: Quinn is a McCain supporter.

Obama and Springsteen downtown on Sunday

Barack and Michelle Obama are appearing on the downtown Mall on Sunday. The rally starts at 3:45 p.m., with gates opening at 2 p.m. Bruce Springsteen is opening for Obama with a solo acoustic set.

This could be a huge rally, even bigger than John Kerry's election eve rally at the same place in 2004, especially because, as The Professor points out, Obama's campaign is probably timing this with the Browns game in mind. The game starts at 1, so a stadium full of people will be emptying out around 4:15. Let's hope the tailgaters who stop by the rally aren't too rowdy.

Update: If you're going to the rally, take the Rapid. The Browns crowd and Obama crowd will completely fill downtown. "There won't be parking," the Cleveland police spokesman warns in the Plain Dealer today.

(Photo by Alex Hempton-Smith, from Flickr)

Last Chance for Change: Jay Z Concert hosted by LeBron James

When I heard that Jay-Z was giving a free concert in Cleveland I figured it would simply be him jumping behind a DJ booth at a local club and rocking it out to just a few of his most popular hits. I would have been fine with that, overjoyed actually, after all he is my favorite hip-hop artist/business mogul. But when I heard it was for the Barack Obama presidential campaign and would be hosted by LeBron James, I knew it was going to be huge, monumental even. How could you go wrong LeBron James and Jay-Z together in one night sharing the same stage, it doesn’t get better than that. However, I never imagined in a million years it would be such an amazing event — complete with a live band, a DJ, an awesome light show and a video message from Barack Obama.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Jay-Z in concert, but this is definitely the most memorable. The first time was in 1999 during his Hard Knock Life tour while I was an undergrad at The Ohio State University. Now that was a great show, but it was only his second album so he didn’t have very many songs to perform. Tonight was an entirely different story. He rocked songs from his first album, released in 1996, to his latest hot single, “Jockin' Jay Z”. Fans of all ages got down at this concert and my 12-year-old son, Jordan, and I surely did. We left the show sweaty and voiceless. This was his first concert and one that I doubt he will ever be able to top. Jay-Z is a tough act to follow.

Special thanks to LeBron James, Shawn “Jay-Z" Carter, and the Chance for Change campaign for taking the time to put on such an awesome event and for encouraging people to vote.

Jay-Z and LeBron Rally for Obama at The Q

LeBron James is appearing with seven-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist Jay-Z at Quicken Loans Arena Oct. 29 to rally Barack Obama supporters and encourage early voting. (The event will include a special concert by Jay-Z.) The 6:30 p.m. event is free and open to all Ohio residents and students, but (you guessed it) you need to pick up tickets early at Obama "Campaign for Change" offices across Northeast Ohio. Tickets will be available starting noon tomorrow