Gay bars near kent ohio

When Bill Hoover got a ticket for jaywalking in May while crossing the street to go to an Akron gay bar, he refused to pay the fine. Hoover learned that people going to the bar were getting tickets, but not those who were heading to the church next door. This was one of many victories and challenges that Hoover has faced during his quest of more than 50 years to fight for gay bars in Ohio and California.

Hoover and his husband Edward Lee Evans, who goes by Lee, moved to California in to help fight against a proposal that would have prohibited gay people and their supporters from teaching. The couple returned to Northeast Ohio in to care for their ailing parents. They continue to be active in gay rights, including attending and speaking at local rallies and circulating petitions.

Hoover and Evans recently shared memories of their five decades of activism during an interview at their West Akron home. The journey includes the early years at Kent State, the battles they fought in California and the near recent challenges since they returned to Ohio. Hoover had just finished participating in a Vietnam War ohio at Kent State in when he approached Dolores Noll, a fellow protester who was an assistant English professor.

Hoover and Noll teamed up with Gail Pertz, another student, and organized a meeting in the fall of Hoover and Pertz were elected co-chairs and Noll was the faculty adviser. In the early days, the group had some challenges. He said they threatened to picket and got an office, but not in the student center.

The group eventually scored an office in the new student center. The group also had trouble getting a telephone installed in its office and — after it was hooked up — was initially kent a listing in the university directory. They even went to the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield where they spoke to about 70 inmates and staff.

The bar changed gay policy. Hoover, who was a graduate student in sociology, was among the first people in the country to teach a sociology course on homosexuality.

'I am who I am': Bill Hoover reflects on 50+ years of fighting for gay rights

Hoover and Evans, who started dating inmoved to California in to help fight against the Briggs Initiative. The ballot issue, started by California Sen. John Briggs, would have made it illegal for people who were gay or those who supported them to teach in the state. Opponents believed the effort needed to be stopped in California, which was one of the largest and most progressive states.

The issue was defeated inwith California Gov. Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter among those who opposed it. Hoover said he thinks a turning point in the gay rights movement happened when they switched from talking about science to focusing on emotional issues, especially on the issue of gay marriage. Hoover and Evans got married in Novemberon the day when Barack Obama was elected.

They were among 18, gay people who tied the knot in California in the months leading up to the passage of a state ban on gay marriage that was approved by voters but later overturned in court. The couple returned to Northeast Ohio in to be closer to their parents who had health issues.