Category: LGBTQ

ACT UP CLEVELAND is the Cleveland chapter of the international organization, AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). The coalition is a grassroots political group founded in March, 1987 at the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center in New York City, with the goal of improving the quality of life for people with AIDS.

The AIDS TASKFORCE OF GREATER CLEVELAND, a nonprofit established in 1983 as the Health Issues Taskforce of Cleveland (incorporated in February 1984), is the oldest organization in Ohio to serve people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Its mission is to provide compassionate and collaborative responses to the needs of people infected, affected, and at risk of HIV/AIDS.

BLACK GAY PRIDE has been an official annual celebration of Pride among Black Clevelanders since 1997.

The CADILLAC LOUNGE was one of Cleveland’s first gay-friendly bars. It was opened in 1946 by Gloria Lenihan, who owned a number of other night clubs in the city with her husband, Charlie Lenihan. The bar was housed at the corner of East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue at the Schofield Building in a space that was formerly a shoe repair shop. 

FRENCH, WINSOR (24 Dec. 1904 - 6 Mar.

GAY BARS IN CLEVEAND have been in existence since at least the 1940s and have served as important sites for the city’s LGBTQ community to socialize, organize, and distribute information and resources. 

GAY COMMUNITY. To the extent that a community is defined by its organizations and institutions, Cleveland's gay community probably dates from the founding of a local Mattachine Society group in the 1960s.

GAY COMMUNITY IN THE 1970S.  The 1970s marked an important period in the history of the Gay Community of Cleveland.   This article provides details on various aspects of the community in the critical decade following Stonewall.

GAY GAMES 9 is the 9th iteration of the Gay Games, an international gathering for athletic competition hosted by and for people in the LGBTQ+ community. Launched in 1982 by Dr. Tom Waddell, the Gay Games are an international sporting event that occur every four years. The Gay Games represent a safe arena for all athletes, regardless of sexual orientation, religion, race, gender, nationality, or ability.

GEAR (THE GAY EDUCATON AWARENESS AND RESOURCES) FOUNDATION was the preeminent gay organization in Cleveland in the 1970s.

GRAY PRIDE was an organization dedicated to addressing the needs of aging LGBTQ people, affirming their rights and dignity, and building supportive environments through advocacy and education. Gray Pride was composed of two groups: a social group focused on organizing gatherings and building community and an interagency task force focused on advocacy and education regarding the specific needs of aging LGBTQ people.

HIGH GEAR newspaper was published by GEAR (Gay Education and Awareness Resources) Foundation from 1974 to 1982 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The LESBIAN/GAY COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND was incorporated by Arthur G. MacDonald, Michael Madigan, and Ethan A.

The LGBTQ LIAISON TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND THE DIVISION OF POLICE is a municipal position in Cleveland that was established in July 2018 in order to improve relations between the police and Cleveland’s LGBTQ community. Director of Public Safety Michael McGrath named Commander Deirdre Jones as the first LGBTQ Liaison.

LGBTQ RIGHTS IN CLEVELAND have been shaped by legal decisions at the local, state, and national levels. This article provides an overview of the laws and legal changes that have shaped LGBTQ rights in Cleveland, including policies concerning sodomy, domestic partnerships, marriage, discrimination, identity documentation, and access to gendered bathrooms.

The MARYANN FINEGAN PROJECT was an assistance program and hotline for victims of anti-gay violence established by the LESBIAN/GAY COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER OF GREATER C

OVEN PRODUCTIONS, (est. October 1975), has sponsored lesbian and feminist cultural activities in northeast Ohio, including art exhibits, films, concerts, and dramatic presentations (see GAY COMMUNITY). It began as a nonprofit collective of 6 women who wanted to showcase the talents of other women.

PFLAG CLEVELAND is a support group for LGBTQ people, their parents, families, and friends that was founded in 1985 by Jane Daroff, a licensed clinical social worker, and Jes Sellers, a licensed psychologist.  PFLAG Cleveland is a local chapter of the national organization Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays which was founded in 1973 and incorporated as a non-profit in 1981.

PRIDE IN CLEVELAND has been celebrated by the city’s LGBTQ community since the early 1970s. The gay community in Cleveland in the 1970s was connected to the larger gay liberation movement growing in the United States, which was propelled by the Stonewall Riot in New York City in 1969. Pride celebrations began to occur annually in cities across the U.S.

SIGN OF RAINBOW was a club for deaf and hard-of-hearing members of the LGBTQ community in Cleveland that operated from 1993 to 1997.

STONEWALL CLEVELAND was a gay civil rights organization established in April, 1990 that operated through 1992 with the purpose of serving as the political voice of the lesbian and gay community in Northeastern Ohio.

THE LIVING ROOM was founded in 1989 as a function of the LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND, and served as a drop-in center for AIDS counseling and educati

TRANSFAMILY OF CLEVELAND is an organization dedicated to the support of transgender people, their families, and their friends. The organization was founded by Bob and Karen Gross in 1995 as a result of their experiences during the transition of their transgender son.