Love Reigns: Anne Price and Claudette Cole

Anne Price and Claudette Cole

Anne Price and Claudette Cole, both educators, became friends while working at a local Head Start program. Claudette, now retired from education, had four children from a previous marriage. Their shared passion for art, gardening and education — and their four grandchildren — brought the pair together. Now Anne is the director of the Office of Field Services at Cleveland State University, where she oversees student teachers. On June 26, they put the official seal on their 15-year relationship.

Anne: I grew up gay. I knew I was gay since I was 12 but didn’t come out until I met Claudette. I’d been in a relationship prior but didn’t see the benefit to coming out because there wasn’t any at that point. Growing up in the ’80s, absolutely not. I grew up in a small town outside Columbus, very homophobic, still is, and watched folks that I knew through the Girl Scouts, people I met through volleyball, whose lives were made hell because it came out. As a kid graduating high school in 1984, that was a pretty bleak thought of what could be. [When I met Claudette], she was Jamaican, she was married, she’d had four kids, but there was this energy between us. I was going to be in charge while she left for three weeks to go on a trip. And she called me that evening and wanted to know something dumb like if I had the key, which I think was a farce, and we met. She asked me a question, and I thought the question was, "Are you game?," like can I ask you a question. That wasn’t the question. It was, "Are you gay?" And the answer was, "Yes," to both. That was it, Aug. 1, 1999, and the rest of it was history.

Claudette: I remember one evening, Anne was on one side of the car and I was on the other. You know the Colgate thing, where there’s the little bling on the tube? I could just feel her energy going right into my soul. I felt it, and I was like, uh-oh. I didn’t say anything to her, and I called a friend. We met at Garfield Park Reservation, and my friend said, "What is it?" I said, "I fell in love with a girl." She said, "Shit, I thought you were on drugs!" I’m like, "No!" So she and I talked, and I went to a counselor, who didn’t think it was a big deal. Then I went to my pastor, and he didn’t say anything. I thought, What is wrong with these people? Somebody should find something wrong with this, but they didn’t, they just kept rolling. Nobody said stop, pause, nothing. We’re just so compatible. I wrote her a note that said when God created her in this little town near Columbus, and me in Jamaica, we were bound to come together. — as told to Sheehan Hannan

Editor’s Note: In the September issue of Cleveland Magazine, we interviewed 10 same-sex couples that were engaged or married following the June 26 Supreme Court decision. Check back every Wednesday for more stories through Sept. 30. For all the stories in this series, click here. 

Love Reigns: Keith Garrett and Chris Richardson

Keith Garrett and Chris Richardson

Keith Garrett and Chris Richardson were the first same-sex couple to tie the knot in Cuyahoga County. Though they professed to be marrying simply to give their 18-year relationship the weight of legality, things got a little emotional when the pair broke out in tears and embraced in Judge Anthony Russo’s courtroom. We spoke with them about what it means to finally be legal and finding acceptance in family.

Keith: We never really sought any kind of religious acknowledgement. We never sought religious matrimony. Our relationship wasn’t based on any of that. We have a strong relationship — we didn’t need that. What this was important for was getting the legal recognition that traditional couples get just by having a marriage license. There are something like 1,100 rights that it automatically conveys. There’s only so much you can do with powers of attorney and rights of survivorship. That sounds cold, because you’re not talking about any love there. But the love was never in question. The love never needed to be recognized publicly. The legal part was what we sought.

Chris: My mother is very supportive. My parents got divorced when I was very young. My father, he is as supportive as I could expect him to be. He turned 70 this year, and he grew up in a very small town in the mountains of southwest Virginia. He grew up with those values where being gay was unheard of. It was instilled in him at a very early age that it was unacceptable. Without diving into some of the things that he said to me when I came out to him, he has come a long way. When we first got together, we went out to eat, and my dad would talk to him without actually looking at him. We sat at a square table, across from him and my stepmom, and she wouldn’t look [Keith] in the eye. And two years ago, they came up here and stayed Labor Day weekend with us. The fact that they came up was huge. I actually went down recently to see my dad, and he made a comment, basically saying, ‘You know I don’t like the fact that you’re gay, but if this is what makes you happy I support you.’  That is more than I ever thought he would say. — as told to Sheehan Hannan

Editor’s Note: In the September issue of Cleveland Magazine, we interviewed 10 same-sex couples who were  engaged or married following the June 26 Supreme Court decision. Check back every Wednesday for more stories through Sept. 30. For all the stories in this series, click here.

I Am Trans* Films and Arts Exhibit Encourage Self Expression

No matter who you are or where you come from — you should always honor your true self. This lesson comes across brilliantly in I Am, Ohio's first ever transgender art exhibit at Waterloo Arts gallery, open until May 25, where 15 artists from around the country share their experience as transgender individuals. In conjunction with the exhibit, Sistah Sinema is premiering Stealth and Kuma Hina: A Place in the Middle, both of which were previously shown at the Cleveland International Film Festival, that capture the transgender experience through a younger generation.

"It's encouraging and emboldening these young children to be themselves," says Deidre McPherson, founder of the Cleveland chapter of Sistah Sinema. "Both films are positive examples of young people being supported by adults and showing them how we as adults are mentoring and raising the next generation — how we can support them, and love them, and encourage them to be happy and see themselves."

The films will be shown back-to-back Friday, May 1 beginning at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion led by activist Zoe Renee Lapin, one of our Most Interesting People of 2015. The event is free, but donations are encouraged to Margie's Hope, a local nonprofit dedicated to helping transgender people find secure housing and employment. Here's a sneak preview of tomorrow night's films.

Stealth follows a young transgender person in her search for acceptance.

Stealth, which won this year's best student short film award at CIFF, stars Kristina Hernandez as an 11-year-old who goes by the name of Sammy. As the new girl at school, she reveals her secret to her closest friends — that she was born a boy but living life as a girl. When she's betrayed and her identity is publicly revealed, she's faced with the decision to stay masked or to live out her true identity. "I actually heard people gasp in the audience [at CIFF] as they watched the film and be surprised, not knowing what the film was going to be about," says McPherson. "It's a reminder of the rejection, the bullying, and the harassment that some people face in school just to be different in any way."

Kuma Hina: A Place in the Middle is a documentary that captures a teacher's journey to educate her students on the acceptance and appreciation of gender fluidity.

An honorable mention for the Spalding and Jackson award at CIFF, Kuma Hina: A Place in the Middle captures the complexity journey of a classroom navigating the thin line of gender expectations. When 11-year-old Ho'onani decides she wants to participate in the traditionally masculine hula troupe, her transgender teacher, Wong Kalu finds a way to make it happen while explaining the importance of embracing the male and female characteristics that reside inside of everyone. "Wong Kalu uses her native Hawaiian culture to empower her young students," says McPherson. "This film brings to life a diverse gender spectrum that challenges people to think about gender identity in a better way."

Reclaiming Womanhood: Laverne Cox Speaks at Case Western Reserve University

Orange is the New Black actress Laverne Cox spoke about gender issues at CWRU. Photo Credit: Ryan Zymler

From the moment Case Western Reserve University president Barbara Snyder  introduced Laverne Cox to the time the actress stepped off stage, she commanded attention. Cox delivered a speech at the campus last night. Her role as prisoner Sophia Burset on Orange is the New Black has thrust her into the national spotlight and helped her break barriers from being the first transgender person to get nominated for an Emmy to being the first transgender person to grace the cover of Time Magazine. And on Monday, she will accept a Woman of the Year award from Glamour Magazine — a publication that celebrates women of beauty and power — alongside Lupita Nyong'o, Chelsea Clinton, and Samantha Power.

"I stand before you this evening a proud African-American transgender woman," she said upon approaching the podium. "I stand before you tonight an artist, an actress, a sister and a daughter, and I believe it is important to name the various intersecting components of my multiple identities because I'm not just one thing, and neither are you."

Cox then highlighted alarming statistics to set the stage for discussing transgender issues. For example, the homicide rate in the LGBT community is highest among trans women, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects. In 2013, over 72 percent of all LGBT homicides were trans women, 67 percent of which were trans women of color.

"It is my belief that one of the biggest obstacles facing the transgender community are points of view which disavow our identities," she said, "points of view that suggest that no matter what we do, we are always and only the gender that we are assigned at birth, points of view that suggest no matter what I do, I'll never be a woman yet. Ain't I a woman?"

She went on to talk about how she was bullied growing up, often beaten by her peers while she ran home from school, and how she attempted suicide in sixth grade. She also talked about how she persevered, devoting herself to dancing and acting classes, clinging to her twin brother for emotional support, and ultimately undergoing hormone therapy and starting her transition into womanhood 16 years ago.

"As long as we live in a culture where people have to prove their womanhood or their manhood, we are not living in a culture where we are all truly free in terms of gender," she said. "We have to begin to create spaces of gender self-determination for all of our youth and all of our society."

Cleveland's LGBT Community Has Momentum

Luz Pellot, Co-Chair of Gay Games 9 Party and Social Events Committees, poses in front of "Hands Across the Community," a mural sponsored by Graffiti Heart and composed of handprints of those who participated in the Games.

When 8,000 Gay Games participants came from all over the world to Cleveland in August, more than 1,300 participants from Northeast Ohio joined them. The city welcomed them with open arms and pride flags waving.

For Cleveland's LGBT community, 2014 has been a year of growth and change. This year, the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland has helped more than 530 people per month, nearly double its average from 2013.

To keep this momentum going, the LGBT Center hosted an event in the Gordon Square Arcade last night to showcase its programs and advocate for change.

With Gay Games memorabilia lining the halls of the arcade and DJ Zoe Lapin keeping the party going in the atrium, visitors mingled upstairs, Below, in the Center's space, people recorded and archived stories about how Cleveland has changed for them in the wake of the Games.

"The energy was palpable after the Gay Games," said the Center's communications coordinator, Ryan Zymler. "The queer community in Cleveland saw what it was like to have a queer-friendly city during the Gay Games. That energy is translating into wanting to make that a permanent place, as opposed to the seven days of queer paradise that we had."

During the event, activists gathered signatures to send to Cleveland City Council in support of new LGBT civil-rights measures. The activists are calling for legislation that would offer more thorough protections for gender identity and expression in the workplace, eliminate the cost difference between same-sex and opposite-sex couples in city employees' benefits, and extend non-discrimination protections to include the trans community's right to use restrooms.

Seven Strikes: Cleveland's Women's Softball Team and Silver Medal Winners: Lindsay Kimora, Kristin Kozel, Kristi Andrasik, Phyllis 'Seven' Harris, Lisa Hopps, Deidre McPherson, Jessica Lancaster, Ali Brawner, and Carey Gibbons. Photo Credit: Rachel Kalayjian

Michael and Colleen Sliwinski, Alana Jochum, Deanna Bouchahine, Nick Komives, Maggie Stark, Michelle Tomallo and Mary Zaller. Photo Credit: Rachel Kalayjian

Gail Adoseofg captures Nicole Thomas of Equality Ohio on camera for the One Word Forward photo-installation to show how Cleveland got better post-GG9.

Radio Show Host Ken Schneck Says Cleveland is So Gay

It's been seven years since Ken Schneck's radio show, This Show Is So Gay aired its first episode in Brattleboro, Vermont. Two hundred and eighty episodes later, the associate professor and director of the Leadership in Higher Education Program at Baldwin Wallace University is hosting the show in Cleveland. "The central theme of the show is, 'How can you use your voice in your own unique way to make a difference?' " says Schneck, whose show is broadcasted online and on iTunes. "I wanted to reclaim the idea of something being 'so gay' and actually have it be so gay."

His next guest coming up, 19-year-old Caleb Laieski, is a former commentator on the show. At 15 years old, he was trying to build transitional housing for homeless LGBT youth, but now he's returning for the 281st episode after he filed the first ever federal lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration to fight the ban on gay men donating blood. "I can't think of a guest on the show who hasn't had the most incredible experience," Schneck says, having hosted everyone from emerging indie-pop stars A Great Big World to openly gay comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer.

We asked Schneck to give us three things that make Cleveland so gay, and he delivered.


1. The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland is stealing the spotlight after receiving a $1.8 million donation and a $500,000 matching grant from the Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation to relocate and expand its facility. "Everyone should be keeping their eye on what's going on there, because they're going to continue to take an even greater role in building community here in Cleveland," says Schneck. "They already do incredible work, but I think they're on the cusp of just upping the ante even more."

2. Cleveland welcomed LGBT visitors and allies from all over the world in August to participate in the Gay Games 9 by flying rainbow flags all over the city — and some of them are still flying. "[These] visual artifacts make such a difference for visitors and for people who live here, and it sends a really strong message in a state that is in the minority right now," he says, noting that Ohio does not have marriage equality and employment protection.

3. Sometimes it's all about the good vibrations — and Cleveland is still roaring with pride months after the Gay Games left. Just next month, on Nov. 2, the LGBT center is hosting an event to keep that momentum going. "There seems to always be some sort of rally or book reading or drag show where you can go and meet new people," he says. "It's one of those things that you can easily take for granted, but given the larger umbrella of the lack of equality in Ohio, Cleveland is definitely so gay."

How Gay Are We: Exhibit Showcases History of Northeast Ohio LGBT Community

From its spot hanging in the Western Reserve Historical Society, an art deco mural from the former Cadillac Lounge, Cleveland's first LGBT bar, resonates a sense of freedom that was limited when the '40s nightclub was in operation at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue. See more items chronicling the fight for equality — including pride posters, sports costumes, vintage rainbow flags and issues of High Gear, Cleveland's first LGBT newspaper — in The Victory of Self: The LGBT Community in Northeast Ohio exhibit, open through Dec. 31. We chat with John Grabowski, WRHS senior vice president, about inspiration for the exhibit and what's a must-see.

Cleveland Magazine: Where did the title come from?

John Grabowski: We wanted to do something that related to the Gay Games — victory, winning in the games. What I see happening as a historian … is the struggle to be one’s self — to live the way one was born. It is a victory of self, or toward a victory of self, because for many, it is still not realized.

CM: The exhibit is created from the LGBT Archives of WRHS. What aspect of the archives does it focus on?

JG: It focuses on the diversity of the LGBT community. We have things that show the racial diversity, the religious and ethnic diversity. For people that are not members of the LGBT community, it is the realization that this is not a monolithic community. These are people that have different viewpoints, different ethnicities. That fits very well in Cleveland, because Cleveland is very a diverse place.

CM: What part of the exhibit should we look out for?

JG: We wanted some depth in the gallery. We thought that video of some of the activities was a good way to do that. [Videographer] Chris Rogers put together a stupendous 11 1/2-minute rapid-fire video that looks at Cleveland and also looks at some of our archive. It deals with issues, people, the diversity, the community – there are shots of the pride parade, various award ceremonies. We’ve had some people in tears after watching it.

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.

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: 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.