HIGH GEAR newspaper was published by GEAR (Gay Education and Awareness Resources) Foundation from 1974 to 1982 in Cleveland, Ohio. High Gear was Cleveland and Ohio’s first newspaper published by and for gay Ohioans. Its staff, like other members of GEAR, were all volunteers and earnings from the newspaper went to support GEAR and Gay Hotline operations, as well as provide seed money for what became the LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND.
High Gear’s first issue emerged in May 1974 with Art MacDonald as its editor. Initially it was sporadically published. The fourth issue did not appear until December 1974. Thereafter, High Gear maintained a regular monthly schedule for its duration. The earliest advertisers included Club Cleveland on West 32nd Street, Dignity Cleveland and the Club Baths on West 9th Street. In its earliest issues GEAR listed its Gay Hotline number and dates for several recurring discussion groups for youth, singles, and couples at its office space at 4128 Lorain Avenue.
Early issues of High Gear were quite primitive in appearance, produced on a typewriter with various types of fonts and print, as national articles from the publication Contact were photo-copied and inserted among the typewritten articles of local writers.
In March 1975, John Nosek and Leon Stevens met Art MacDonald and volunteered to work on High Gear. Both soon approached various printers in Cleveland to see if they would print the burgeoning news journal. All refused except WILLIAM O. WALKER, the publisher and editor of the CALL AND POST, Cleveland’s weekly Black newspaper. Mr. Walker even went so far as to designate staff to work with and educate High Gear staffers on copy, layout and design.
In July 1975, GEAR was approached by the Pittsburgh Gay News (PGN Inc.). to consider syndication of High Gear. After due consideration of the contract offer, GEAR board members decided not to merge High Gear into the PGN, Inc. network. GEAR wanted High Gear to remain a Cleveland and Ohio based newspaper and realized early on the importance of High Gear’s earnings to support its operations. As a result of GEAR’s offer refusal, PGN, Inc. established and maintained the Ohio East Gay News.
In August 1975, Art MacDonald entrusted the management and distribution of High Gear to Nosek and Stevens and with the addition of Wade Tolleson (aka as Matt Phillips), advertising and state-wide distribution skyrocketed.
The importance of advertisers to High Gear and GEAR was critical. Without advertisements from Cleveland and Ohio bars, clubs, baths, restaurants and boutique shops, High Gear and GEAR would not have had the revenues to operate the newspaper and provide basic community services like the Gay Hotline.
Early Cleveland gay activists were well aware of the need to come out publicly. Although High Gear’s core staff was small, those brave enough to use their real names did so, knowing that coming out would increase gay visibility and help change the public’s perception of the gay community in general. Due to the small core staff, gay self-identified contributing writers often used pseudonyms to given the appearance of a larger set of contributors.
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