How Gay Are We: Gay Minister Preaches at Old Stone Church Sunday

If you've been told going to church and being gay don't mix, the Rev. Ray Bagnuolo will tell you otherwise. He's openly gay and he's a minister. He's also the chaplain and minister director for That All May Freely Serve, a Rochester, New York-based group that serves LGBT churchgoers and their families and advocates for them within the Presbyterian Church (USA). This Sunday, he'll lead the 10 a.m. mass at Old Stone Church. Bagnuolo hopes to inform members about the recent changes in the church and advocate acceptance. “I’m looking forward to having the ability to join folks in worship at the Old Stone Church,” he says.

Religious Roots: Bagnuolo grew up Roman Catholic. Once he realized he was gay, he struggled with Catholic doctrine and personally experienced some Catholics' lack of acceptance of the LGBT community. “This church that I grew up loving had these things they were saying to me that I didn’t quite understand,” Bagnuolo remembers. “I realized that I didn’t need to be in an abusive relationship with the church to be in a relationship with God.”

Positive Changes: In June, the Presbyterian Church voted to allow its pastors to perform same-gender marriages. “I’ve done a couple of marriages since,” Bagnuolo says, “and I’ve been able to say, ‘By the authority of the Presbyterian Church (USA).’” The church amended its constitution, defining marriage as between two people instead of between a man and a woman.

Hurdles that Remain: Although society has come a long way, Bagnuolo says, changing hearts and minds is often difficult. “A young man in college was outed,” he says. “His parents asked him if it was true, and he decided to say yes. Two days later they met him at his door with a shoebox. In the shoebox was his license, his insurance policy for the car and some other papers. They told him, ‘You’re no longer our son, you no longer live here, and you need to go now.’ That still happens and worse.”

Good Company: “Loneliness is the worst of all conditions, especially when you’re struggling,” Bagnuolo says. That All May Freely Serve has developed a grassroots network of supporters nationwide who are ready to help anyone who might be in need of a lending hand or a shoulder to cry on. “We say, ‘Find out what they need, make sure they know they’re not alone, and let them know that they are loved by God, whatever name God might be know to them.”

How Gay Are We: Night Before 9: Out For Art

Hundreds of Gay Games participants and art fanatics showed up in their best-dressed to the Cleveland Museum of Art last night for a fabulous pre-Gay Games celebration Friday night. Against a backdrop of rainbow-colored lights, Escort, a 15-piece electronic disco orchestra, performed with all of its members for the third time in eight years outside of New York City, bringing down the house while guests danced and kicked back in a nearby club-inspired lounge area in the recently renovated atrium. A few familiar faces from Cleveland Magazine's "Out Loud" cover package were in attendance, including Jacob Nash and his wife Erin and George Vassos and his husband, Henry Hawley. Also in attendance was Phyllis Harris, executive director of the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland — and she had a lot to celebrate. Just two days ago, the center received a $1.8 million dollar donation from an anonymous source and a $500,000 matching grant from the Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation, allowing possible relocation and expansion of its facilities and programs. There's much more to celebrate now that the Gay Games are here in Cleveland, and the Night Before 9 was the perfect event to kick off a prideful week.

Jacob and Erin Nash

Phelan Spence, Mindy Roth and Brittany Lynne

George Vassos

How Gay Are We: Leaving to Find Himself

Jack Hilovsky

Jack Hilovsky is coming home. He is returning to Cleveland to participate in the 2014 Gay Games one-mile open water swim at Edgewater Beach with his team, the Orcas. When he grew up here decades ago, Hilovsky felt he had to hide his sexual orientation. It wasn't until he moved that he felt able to come out.

Childhood: The Hilovskys, a family headed by older parents, simply didn’t speak about sex. Even as Hilovsky realized he was attracted to the male body, he felt lost. “I didn’t feel like, in the 1970s and 1980s when I was growing up in Cleveland as an adolescent teenager and college student, that there were any role models that I could relate to,” he says.

Sporting Life: When Hilovsky was growing up in Fairview Park and attending St. Ignatius, sports from baseball to tennis were a huge part of his life. His love for individual sports drew him to swimming and lifeguarding. “I was a pretty well-rounded kid, but felt like I never fit in any one group,” he says. “Even as an adult, that’s been more of an interesting way to be in life because I’m not easily pigeon-holed.”

Hiding in plain sight: After a secret relationship with a boy from another school, Hilovsky tried to hide his sexual orientation. He couldn’t see a way forward as a gay man. “I realized that I was going to be 18 and I didn’t see any future for myself continuing down this path,” he says. “I decided that I needed to somehow be straight.”

At John Carroll University, Hilosky continued his charade. “I joined a fraternity and tried to be this big man on campus, which was a bit of a joke in the sense that I was sort of running away from my reality,” he says. “But it was the early to mid-1980s. People in Cleveland, and many other places, weren’t really talking about gay civil rights and that were a variety of ways for people to come out and be.”

Departure: Hilovsky left Cleveland for Seattle, to volunteer as a client advocate against the AIDS epidemic with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He worked with LGBT folks on a daily basis and saw the possibility of a different life. “I couldn’t see a way to be in the world until I came to Seattle,” he says. “[It was] a much more tolerant city.”

Coming out: Even as he struck up a relationship with a motorcycle-riding male sex educator, Hilovsky feared coming out to his mother and father. “I felt like it would be a major disappointment,” Hilovsky says. “I was their only child, their only son, and we were close.” 

In 1987, Hilovsky took the plunge. His parents were receptive, but never fully came to terms with his sexual orientation. “I think my parents struggled with the messages that had been fed to them in the society of their younger years,” he says. “They loved me as their son. I accepted that that was the best that they could do.”

Homecoming: “This is an amazing milestone, that Cleveland is hosting the Gay Games," he says. “I never imagined my own hometown would be doing that.”

How Gay Are We: Out and About During GG9

Let the games begin. Yes, Gay Games 9, kicking off Friday, offers more than 35 sporting events, but it's also one hell of a coming out party. In addition to these three epic soirees and five diverse cultural events, this week is packed with these 16 can't-miss prideful events — from a drag show in the water to a poignant photo exhibit of LGBT families — that are wickedly fun but also socially conscious.

Aug. 8
Night Before 9: Out in Art
Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland, 216-707-6875, $25, 8 p.m.-midnight
Escort, described as a powerful party disco orchestra, performs its critically acclaimed tunes for LGBT A-listers and allies at this kick off bash. Disc jockey Darrell Stout opens.

To Be Takei
Nightlight Cinema, 30 N. High St., Akron, 330-252-5782, $8.50, 9:30 p.m., Aug. 8, 5 & 9:30 p.m., Aug. 9, 9:15 p.m., Aug. 15, 5 & 8:45 p.m., Aug. 16
You may know him as Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek, or if you’re like us, Kaito from NBC's Heroes. But he’s also an openly gay man advocating for LGBT rights on social media and making his way onto your newsfeed. This documentary addresses his crusade, plus his time spent in a Japanese-American internment camp during WWII.

Aug. 9
International Rainbow Memorial Run
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 1100 E Ninth St, Cleveland, 216-479-6470, Free, 8:30-10 a.m.
Before each Gay Games, hundreds of people across the map participate in rainbow runs with the final leg being ran at the host city on the opening day of the games. This 1-mile run, which begins at the Rock Hall and loops around FirstEnergy Stadium, is in memoriam of all the members of the Gay Games family lost, particularly to AIDS and breast cancer.

Love Makes a Family
Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave., Second floor gallery, Cleveland, 216-479-6470, Aug. 9-17
Having been used to prevent bullying in schools, universities and other settings, this poignant traveling exhibit chronicles LGBT families through pictures and interviews.

Neon Party
Bounce, 2814 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-357-2997, 9-11 p.m.
The popular gay club has a party every night of the games, but be sure to stop by this one featuring drag divas Varietese and Pepper Mashay. Lance Bass and some GG9 athletes are expected to show, plus look out for specials on Svedka, $3, and Three Olives, $5.

Aug. 10
Festival Village
Mall C, 602 St. Clair Ave NE, Cleveland, 216-479-6470, Free, Aug. 10-15
RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Pandora Boxx hosts events Monday through Friday, but don't miss electro-pop musician Bright Light Bright Light Tuesday and Detox, a fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, Thursday.

Hot in Cleveland Casino Night
Horseshoe Cleveland, 100 Public Square, Cleveland, 855-746-3777, Free, 8 p.m.-midnight
At Vintage 51 on Level 2 of the Horseshoe Cleveland, DJ Smoov spins as male models and showgirls mingle with guests and special drink Taste the Rainbow, $5, gets served in a commemorative glass.

Trans* Pride Party
The Velvet Dog, 1280 W. Sixth St., Cleveland, 330-240-1600, Free, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Transgender people from throughout the world can meet to talk about issues or just kick back and relax on the roof of the Velvet Dog in an inclusive environment. A local DJ spins and free hors d'oeuvres are provided.

Aug. 12
Queer Christians: Celebrating the Past, Shaping the Future
United Church of Christ Amistad Chapel, 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland, 216-736-2177; Free, 2:30-3:30 p.m
Hosted by UCC, Pilgrim Press and R.W. “Obie” Holmen, author of Queer Clergy: A History of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism, this symposium addresses the LGBT journey toward inclusion within the church. Panelists include the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, a national officer of UCC, and the Rev. Don King of Hope Lutheran Church.


Aug. 13
The Victory Party for Women
The Velvet Dog, 1280 W. Sixth St., Cleveland, 216-664-1116, $25, 8 p.m.
GG9 organizers handpicked Club Skirts' the Dinah, the largest girl party and music festival, to roll out the games’ official female pride party. The massive gathering features Robin S, three floors of DJs and go-go dancers and  an appearance by comic Erin Foley.

Del Shores: My Sordid Best!
Highland Theater, 826 W. Market St., Akron, 330-253-0100, $25, 8 p.m.
Comedian Del Shores, who was a writer and producer for Queer as Folk, came out to his Southern Baptist family and later created the play, TV series and film Sordid Lives, which is based on the community he grew up in. He tells his favorite sordid stories and some new ones.

Gay Games 9 Choral Extravaganza
State Theatre, Playhouse Square, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-444, $60, 7:30 p.m.
Artistic director Dennis Coleman leads more than 400 singers to celebrate the Gay Games in the “Big Cleveland Sing.” Festival and Ohio choruses join with host chorus the North Coast Men’s Chorus.

Black Party
House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-523-2583, $20 advance, $25 day of show, 9 p.m.-2:15 a.m.
See eclectic DJ Honey Dijon, who mixes Chicago, New York and other metropolitan sounds to create the ultimate party atmosphere. As a producer, she runs the label Digital Disco and, along with Sebastian Manuel, has remixed everyone from R.E.M. to Cyndi Lauper.

Pink Flamingo
Robert F. Busey Natatorium at Cleveland State University, 2451 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-479-6470, $30, 7:30 p.m.
Consistently one of the games’ most popular events, Pink Flamingo is essentially a drag show in water. The only rule is that nudity, feathers and sequins are off limits, but don't worry it's still a good time.


Aug. 14
FantAsia
Negative Spaces Gallery, Asian Town Center, 3820 Superior Ave., Cleveland, Free, but register on Eventbrite, 8-11:30 p.m.
Nosh on Asian appetizers in a dance club atmosphere presented by Asians and Friends Cleveland, the city’s Asian LGBT organization.

Gold Party
House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com/cleveland;  $20 advance,  $25 day of show, 9 p.m.-2:15 a.m.
Two-time Grammy Award-nominated DJ, producer and singer-songwriter Tony Moran, who has worked with artists from Rihanna to Madonna, spins his renowned house beats. 

How Gay Are We: Natalie Sade of Israeli GG9 Delegation Arrives in CLE

Natalie Sade, executive director of the Aguda

As delegations from all over the world are beginning to arrive in Cleveland for Gay Games 9, this becomes our city's defining moment: Will we welcome them with open arms? That’s the question we sought to answer in our August cover story. Tonight, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland will answer that question with action as they welcome a delegation of athletes, musicians, public officials and community members from Israel with a reception at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage featuring live Israeli music and a screening of Yeal Bartana's film Inferno. We chat with Natalie Sade, the executive director of the Aguda: The Israeli National LGBT Task Force, who is speaker at the event, about her visit.

CM: Coming to Cleveland, what are you expecting?

NS: We want to celebrate diversity. We see gay rights as human rights and human rights as gay rights. So we see ourselves taking part in a global gathering for equality and human rights.

CM: What’s the attitude of the delegation?

NS: Some people already participated in the previous Gay Games. Everyone is out, so there’s no issues about compromising identity. In Israel, you can be openly gay, so the delegation is very excited.

CM: As someone who advocates for inclusiveness, what does the Gaza conflict look like from inside Israel?

NS: We are a human rights organization. Before you are Israeli or anything else, you are a human being. If you are LGBT, you’re a human being. That, for us, comes before being Israeli or Arabic or Palestinian. So, for us, if you are LGBT and you are in need, we will help you. Of course, as far as we can reach – our reach at the moment in regards to Palestinians isn’t perfect due to the situation, but we are a human rights organization and we see humans in need. We will always do the best that we can for people that are LGBT and in need.

Audio: Cleveland Magazine chats with Q104 about Gay Issue

How did Cleveland Magazine editors land on the controversial "How Gay Are We?" cover, out on newsstands now? Editor Steve Gleydura and design director Kristen Miller talk with Q104's Fee Kompany about the cover and the "Out Loud" feature package about Northeast Ohio's LGBT community and Gay Games 9, which kicks off this Friday. Click below to have a listen.

Debt of Gratitude

Photo courtesy This Is Cleveland

This was the headline and subhead of a recent piece posted on citylab.com: "Restaurants Really Can Determine the Fate of Cities and Neighborhoods — A new survey shows how much food influences the vibrance of urban centers." We've experienced this firsthand in Cleveland. Just think about what's happened over the past few years in Ohio City, Tremont, Gordon Square, Flats East Bank, East Fourth Street, and Shaker Square and Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. And I think it would be appropriate to offer a loud, energetic communal thanks to all the visionary chefs, entrepreneurs and investors who made commitments to these areas that helped bring about their revival and resurgence.

 
Turns out, this is just the right moment to show appreciation. Cleveland Independents, an association of locally owned and operated non-chain, non-franchise restaurants — the true drivers of the culinary renaissance that has brought so much energy to both our food scene and and our communities — is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Now 90 members strong and spanning a geography that goes from Sandusky to Mentor and Canton, the organization sponsors year round efforts to get people's attention. There's Restaurant Week, the deck of discount cards for food purchases, and gift cards redeemable at any member restaurant. Promotions such as these are good for business and good for the neighborhood.

Almost half of those urban residents questioned for the above mentioned study revealed that new restaurants are a top reason for exploring different parts of their city. A whopping 82 percent included restaurants among the main things they appreciate about where they live and a majority cited food and restaurants when talking about the cities they love to visit. These numbers confirm what we've been learning here ever since Carl Quagliata brought dining to the Warehouse District and Michael Symon made it trendy to go to Professor Street to eat.

Cleveland's on the upswing and I believe a large portion of credit should go to our culinary community. A round of social media applause would be nice. Showing support by going out to their restaurants — even better.