Pride in the Moment: Day Four

The Gay Games brings out true competitors. Cleveland-area photographer Billy Delfs shot this image of an ice hockey player at the OBM Arena in Strongsville Wednesday. See more pictures from Delfs and three other area photographers in Summit Artspace's online exhibit Pride in the Moment at prideinthemomentgg9cle.com, prideinthemomentgg9cle.org, akronareaarts.org and gg9cle.com. Check our blog each day for another photo. 

Ice Hockey, OBM Arena, Aug. 13
Photo Credit: Billy Delfs

How Gay Are We: Choir Teacher Runs to Raise Funds to Support Youth

Mario Clopton admits he is lucky. When he came out at 21 years old, he had a strong support network. "Whether I came out at 13 or 21, I knew my family was going to be there for me," he says. But he Shaker Heights choir teacher is aware that not every kid is as lucky. So he decided to run in the Gay Games half marathon this Saturday and raise $40 a mile to donate to youth programs at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. So far, he's raised $600. “I look at some of these kids and their families are abandoning them, but they are steadfast," he says. "They still have their goals, and I felt that I have to support them in some way. Listening to their stories and how strong they are just inspires me.”

Common Ground: He has been pleased to find people from all walks of life at the games, even those outside the LGBT community. “I was waiting in line for a drink, and the guy in front of me turned around," Clopton says. "It was one of my teacher friends, and he was there with his girlfriend. I mean everyone feels welcome here.”

Chief Moment: Clopton took a year off from college to campaign for then-Sen. Barack Obama. So he was ecstatic when the president expressed his support for the games via a video shown at the opening ceremony. “Sometimes it just kind of seems, as a gay man, that the stars and stripes doesn’t include you," he says. "But when I saw that I was like, ‘The gay community is represented in that flag.’”

Sidewalk Therapy: As a choir teacher, Clopton says there is constantly noise in his head. “Running allows me to just clear that space and just have time with myself,” Clopton says. Struggling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child, Clopton found that running was a great combatant. “I didn’t want to take medication, because it made me not feel like myself so my doctor said, ‘Well, you should try running to get rid of some of that energy.’ I was going into seventh grade, and I signed up for cross-country. I loved it, and the rest is history.”

Pride in the Moment: Day Three

Pride is the ability to authentically share your identity with others. The Gay Games is certainly bringing that out in athletes such as this martial arts competitor photographed by David Alan Foster at the John S. Knight Center Tuesday. See more pictures snapped by Foster and three other area photographers as part of Summit Artspace's Pride in the Moment online exhibit documenting the international sporting event at prideinthemomentgg9cle.com, prideinthemomentgg9cle.org, akronareaarts.org and gg9cle.com. Visit our blog daily this week for an exclusive photo from the exhibit. 

Martial Arts, John S. Knight Center, Aug. 12
Photo Credit: David Alan Foster

Social Graces

Photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group

I recently experienced the most impressive example of genuine and gracious hosting, perhaps the finest, truest expression of the concept in my life. And it came about as the result of an epic fail.

Our friend R and her husband S had us over for dinner with another couple. She had promised a special meal, featuring a main dish from her Southern heritage — but guests contributed too. After a first round of drinks and a smoked trout appetizer, we convened around the table for the gazpacho I brought. Wine was poured, laughter prevailed and conversation continued when R disappeared into the kitchen to cook the entree, which could not be prepared in advance. S cleared bowls and stayed to help her.

And that's when something went terribly wrong.  She would not provide details, but the food could not be saved or served. She came back to the dining room and announced that there would be no main course, said she was sorry and that this had never happened to her before. But she didn't utter one other negative word or further apology for the rest of the evening, which lasted until well after midnight.

While we discussed the possibility of getting a pizza delivered, R produced their leftovers from the previous night to augment the tomato salad that the other guests had made. So we ate what we had, which included her perfect homemade pie, enjoyed more wine, told stories, listened to records and had a wonderful time. 

Whatever R was feeling inside about the dinner disaster, didn't show on the outside. She set the tone, an oh-well, let's-get-on-with-it attitude and we took our cue from her. Instead of making everyone uncomfortable in the face of her embarrassment and distress, she kept the party going and focused on her guests rather than herself.  That is real hospitality and a lesson I won't soon forget.

Layin' Down the Law

By day, Michael Donnelly presides over lawsuits and felony trials as a judge in Cuyahoga County’s Common Pleas Court. At night, Donnelly can be found with an electric guitar hanging from his shoulders under the neon lights of local music clubs as he shreds classic rock covers with his band Faith and Whiskey.

Donnelly’s band will open for Bruce in the U.S.A. at this Saturday’s Douse the House event at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, which benefits the Western Reserve Fire Museum.

We spoke to The Judge (which would be a pretty awesome nickname for a rock ‘n’ roll guitarist) about Cleveland rock and Saturday’s show, which he calls “the classic rock party of the summer.”


Cleveland Magazine: What do you say to people who are surprised that you are a judge and in a rock band?

Michael Donnelly: This is the rock ‘n’ roll capital of the world, so I think every judge should be in a band.

CM: Did growing up in Cleveland influence your love for classic rock?

MD: Growing up in Cleveland with WMMS and 98.5, you couldn’t help but become a lover of classic rock. Everybody in the band grew up here in Cleveland, so that’s the music we like to play.

CM: What are your favorite Cleveland concert memories?

MD: The Rolling Stones at Municipal Stadium and the Who at the Coliseum -- just incredible experiences to see those legends on stage and be able to tell my kids now that I saw them.

CM: How is being a judge different than being a rocker?

DM: Being a judge can be very stressful. It’s a lot of responsibility when you’re making decisions that directly affect people’s lives. Being in a band, especially with a bunch of guys that couldn’t care less about what I do during the day -- we just focus on putting the best product out there and entertaining people.

CM: How excited are you to play Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica for the first time?

DM: This is going to be our biggest stage ever. It’s well beyond what we’d ever imagined we’d be able to accomplish. It’s the thrill of a lifetime. I just can’t wait to hear what a guitar sounds like in a venue that large. Plus, with the water behind you, it’s just incredible.

CM: What made you want to get involved with the Western Reserve Fire Museum?

DM: I’ve been on the board for years, and it’s going to be a great asset to Cleveland. It preserves a lot of the history for the fire department and will teach kids the benefit of fire safety, which I feel is very important, having presided over arson trials.

CM: What is your favorite song to play?

DM: “Sweet Jane” by Lou Reed. It seems to get a great crowd reaction.

CM: Your court’s philosophy has been described as providing “litigants with a fast and efficient framework for the just resolution of their cases.” Does this stem from the fast, efficient power chords that you play as a guitarist?

DM: No one’s asked me to quit my day job yet, so I think I’m probably better at this than the music. My first passion is for the law, and I would never give up this opportunity, unless maybe someone asked me to go play for the Rolling Stones. Maybe then I’d take a small hiatus.

Prices for Douse the House range from $15 for general admission to $80 for VIP tickets.

How Gay Are We: Boy George Rocks the White Party

  The crowd waved glow sticks, spun flags and threw up inflatable beach balls as dancers grooved with glow-in-the-dark Hula-Hoops to the high-energy beats of internationally known disc jockey, Marc Vedo, and Cleveland-based Evan Evolution at the Gay Games White Party. Despite a torrential downpour, hundreds dressed in head-to-toe white filled Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica Monday night. Host Veranda L'Ni,  who also hosts Twist Social Club's Drag Bingo, announced $1 for every White Party ticket would be donated to a new LGBT fund at the Cleveland Foundation in memory of John Katsaros, longtime gay activist and former owner of Twist who died in February.

 Boy George, the former Culture Club frontman who just released his first full-length album in more than 18 years, took control of the LED-lit DJ booth, mixing cult classic's such as the Eurythmic's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." Partygoers included Mary Zaller, director of development for the Gay Games, Jennifer Downey, owner of Ambiance, and Gay Games executive director, Tom Nobbe. "I was talking to some ladies who are here from the United Kingdom and they said, 'I hope it's alright to say but I'm thinking that Cleveland is the San Francisco of the Midwest,"said Nobbe earlier in the evening. "We've been telling our region for the last two years that the Gay Games are coming, and they are stepping up and welcoming everybody and that is what this is all about."

Photo Credit: Maria Varonis

Scott Christensen, Mark Boedtker, Veranda L'Ni, Eric Kruzyk and Paul Demming
Photo Credit: Maria Varonis

The Rock N' Roll City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
 Photo Credit: Maria Varonis

Mary Prevel and Mary Zaller
 Photo Credit: Maria Varonis

DJ Marc Vedo spins.
Photo Credit: Maria Varonis

Boy George masters the DJ booth.

Pride in the Moment: Day Two

As thousands of LGBT and straight athletes compete daily, the Gay Games stirs up emotion for all involved. Akron-area photographer Shane Wynn caught this poignant image at the International Gay Rodeo Association's rodeo Monday as a part of Summit Artspace's Pride in the Moment online exhibit that documents people involved in the games. See more from Wynn and three other photographers at prideinthemomentgg9cle.com, prideinthemomentgg9cle.org, akronareaarts.org and gg9cle.com. Check our blog each day this week for an exclusive photo from the exhibit.

IGRA Rodeo, Summit County Fairgrounds, Aug. 11
Photo Credit: Shane Wynn