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Clinton News-Record, 1985-09-25, Page 28CONTINUE TO SHOW LOVE 8 arent support helps gays in area by Susan Hundertmark GODERICH - Several years ago. Anne Rutledge came to terms with the fact her son was homosexual. And, after gaining ajar the knowledge and expertise she can on the subject, she's willing to give support to local gays, lesbians and their parents. A recent transplant to Gederich from Toronto, Rutledge has worked in peer counselling for three years and on a telephone distress Lille for two and a half years'. She's also appeared on the Tom Cher- ington television show in Hamilton with her son. Since she's been through the experience herself, Rutledge says she can help gays tell their parents about their homosexuality and then help the parents deal with the news. 'Public awareness about homosexuality has increased but not education. Statistical- ly 10 per cent, of the national population is gay and from Grade 12 down, they'll still be in town. You've known plenty of gays throughout your life; you just haven't known they're gay,': she.says. When she learned her son was gay, Rutledge says the knowledge was softened by the fact that her son, who had been a lonely, unhappy child was in a loving and mature relationship. "My anger at society was my strongest feeling. I thought my son was okay but I knew society would never accept him," she says. • By educating people about homosexuality and supporting homosexuals and their families, Rutledge says she hopes she'll make the world a better and safer place for her son. "I've built up some expertise , over the years and I couldn't just sit here (in Goderich) and do nothing." After placing an ad offering support to Goderich homosexuals in The Body Politic, a magazine for homosexuals, a Goderich man contacted her and they decided to start a support group. By publishing her phone number, she en- visions 99 per cent of the response will be through anonymous phone calls though meetings could be possible later on. While a lot of support is available for homosexuals in cities, there is next to nothing in small towns. At a recent conven- tion of the International Gay Association in Toronto, she learned that gays have a, par- ticularly hard time growing up in small towns. "In rural areas, gays don't go through sexual and social development (dating); it's arrested until they get to the city and then they tend to go crazy in an adolescent stage," she says. Young gays also have no role models other than stereotypes they see on televi- sion, while in reality homosexuals are just as varied as heterosexuals. "All they hear is the negative and that's one of the reasons the suicide rate is so high. If one kid in Goderich doesn't commit suicide because of this group it'll be wor- thwhile," she says. In small towns, gay adolescents cannot find anyone to talk to about their sexuality and information and resources are limited. In Goderich, the library. has two books on homosexuality, one of which says homosex- uals need psychiatric help and blames parents for homosexuality. • . A pamphlet outlining information about Rutledge's group, Parents of Gays and Les- bians, says there is no difference in the men- tal health of homosexuals and heterosexuals and that the American Psychiatric Aisocia- tion removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders,in the 1970's. ."You do not choose to be gay. It's set long before..a child has any knowledge of sexuali- ty one way or the other. But, by the time he gets to high school. he should be able to put a name to himself," she says. "A kid who's gay is not making himself vulnerable out of choice. The quarterback on the football team can hide it quite easily but for the more effeminate boys (who could be straight), it's all that much tougher." Gay adolescents usually have no support among their school friends or their families. "Every other minority can go home and have support except gays," she says. Parents who are told their children are homosexual usually react in one of six ways. Many will suggest their child see a psychiatrist, deny the information, kick the child out of the family and alienate him or her or accept the information but never mention it again. The best scenario is when the parents accept that their child is gay and continue to love and support him or her. Parents should not ask their homosexual child if he's sure he's gay since they would not ask the same question of a heterosexual child. And, they should not feel responsible since there is no evidence that homosexuals come from any specific kind of family background. By continuing to show love for their gay child, parents help their child survive in a world hostile towards homosexuals. Though she expects sonde negative reac- tion about the group from the community, Rutledge is„philosophical about it. "I've been 'on TV with my son so I can't go back in the closet.. I won't know who's seen me. I don't think the whole town will send me to Coventry but anybody who's going to be negative about it would not remain my friend anyway:" She says she's available to talk to school counsellors or any group "even if they're go- ing to slam me". For more information on the Goderich Gay Support Group call 524-4879. An upcom- ing meeting will be held soon. Uncovering family history grows The popularity of uncovering your own family's history, launched nine years ago by the best-selling novel 'Roots', .continues to grow in Ontario judging by statistics con- tained in the 1984 Annual Report of the Of- fice of the Registrar General, released by 'Consumer Minister Monte Kwinter. • The. report shows that 9,692 genealogical statements were issued in calendar year 1984, an increase of 14.8 per 'cent over 1983, said Kwinter, who also serves as Ontario's Registrar General. Requests. for genealogical , statements have steadily in- creased over the past nine years, an activity that officials attribute to fhe 'Roots' phenomenon. At the same time as the Registrar General's staff is delving into the past to help us discover our roots, they're also recording vital statistics for the future — marriages. births', ,divorces, deaths, even name changes. During1984, 2,573 change of name orders were filed, an increase of 15 per cent over the previous year. Although" 'it was not possible to, provide final 1984 figures in the Annual Report because returns continue to come in for some time after the event, the figures that are now available show an increase 'in bir- ths; .deaths and marriages when compared to 1983 figures. 1984 Figures+ 1983" Figures Births 133,065 119,281 Deaths 65,021 64,936 Marriages • ' 71,956 70,958 +As of August 31, 1985 In comparison, 21, 736 divorces were - granted in Ontario during 1984; a decrease of 0.6 per cent over the previous year. .Annther. statistic • f note for 1984 -- 545 • children were registered in the hyphenated/combined surname of ' the father and the mother, an increase of 16 or 3.0 per. cent over 1983. ' By statute, the Office' of the Registrar General administers the Vital Statistics Act and the Marriage Act. It also performs ma- jor statutory aqd statistical functions th the Public service,/ as " well as providing statistical data on births, deaths, mar- riages, stillbirths, adoptions, divorces and name changes to authorized agencies. • Comprehensive statistical information is provided to Statistics Canada, medical of- ficers of health, libraries, universities, the media and township offices. Iri addition, the office provides varied types of assistance for special Statistical studies such as those on cancer conducted by universities. Food safety hinges on management As families becorri smaller and more meals are eaten away, from home, food and menu management Wive taken on increased importance. Every year food consultants at Agriculture Canada Teceive many calls and letters about food safety. The questions often revolve around the storage life of food in the refrigerator or freezer. Consumers have asked, "Is a , pork roast, kept in the freezer for six years, still safe to eat? Does canned food keep for four years?" These are just some of the questions food consultants have to answer. Sound food management As long as a food is kept frozen, microorganisms cannot multiply. After six years, that pork roast would still be safe to eat. Provided that the meat is properly thawed and adequately cooked, it would not cause food poisoning. The flavor and texture would not be the same as if the roast had been eaten within 10 months of purchase however. The meat would probably have an off flavor, be dried out and would have a lower nutritive value. It should be cooked using a moist hest method or be ground in the food processor. Keep an up-to-date list of the contents of your freezer and make sure that you eat food within a reasonable length of time for best flavor and nutritive value. Each item should be labelled showing the name of the food, the quantity and the date. The freezer list should be the starting point in weekly menu planning. Leftovers stored in the refrigerator- re- quire even more care than frozen food, since BACHERT MEATS *Try our own smoked pork chops -Th)„ for the bar -b -q season• eCUSTOMKILLING, FREEZING 4 iCutting & Wrapping KILL DAY ON TUESDAY a All meat Gov't. Inspected on the farm 1 MILE EAST OF WALTON 887-9328 If you're NEW IN TOWN and don't know which way to turn, call (Veraga4rY hostess at 524-2202 or 524-2544 refrigerator temperatures do not stop the growth of bacteria: Cooked poultry and meats keep for three or four days and fruit juice for about four days. A loss of quality is sometimes visible to the eye or detected through smell. Bread and cheese will mould, juice will ferment and milk will turn sour. If you are in doubt, the only safe solu- tion is to throw the food out. No food is worth getting sick over. To avoid spoilage, store leftovers at the front of the refrigerator and cover them properly. Agriculture Canada food consultants recommend that for best quality canned, foods be kept in a cool, dry place for up to a year. If the can or contents show no sign of deterioration, however, the food would still be safe to eat, even after four years. The food should not be eaten if the can bulges, leaks, has large dents or any rust. Do nbt taste the food if it contains bubbles, is curdled or mouldy or if it has a rotten or sour smell. If food looks and smells nprmal but has a rancid,. sour or musty taste, do not taste it again. To ensure that cannedfood is used within a reasonable length .of time, write the date of purchase on the lid using a felt-tip marker and then use the older cans Iirst. 'hree year program introduced for growers The Farm Income Stabilization Commis- sion of Ontario has developed a three-year, five -grain program to assist Ontario growers to stabilize incomes. The program establishes stabilization funds from which payments may be made to the participating grower after a year of depressed market prices for corn, soybeans, white beans, winter wheat and barley. Funds are created' by cash deposits from the grower to the extent of one-tlfrd of possi- ble payouts; the other two-thirds of any payout is funded by the Government of On- tario. Thus, payouts are on the basis of two dollars from the province for each dollar paid from the grower's aCcount. Money in the account earns interest for partitipant and any balance is retained to the grower at the conclusion of the program. The program is for the three-year period covering the crop years 1985, 1986, 1987. Final application date for the 1985 crop is October 1, 1985. Application forms will ,be mailed to par, ticipants in the previous program. New par- ticipants may obtain forms from the O.M.A.F. office, Clinton. CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25,1935—Page 7A Pete's TV. SEPTEMBER TRADE-IN DAYS lour 00 • on Ole purchase ot artv TIONN 1.0" WOO 0/4 ?Val Acitt C ICA VI ON it01101E C014110 Sale on now 'til Saturday September 28 cole.wis ETES 215 Victoria St. (Hwy. 4 South) CLINTON 482-7021 ,%1. NOMINATIONS Notice is hereby given to the Municipal Electors of the TOWN OF GODERICH, CLINTON, BAYFIELD, TOWNSHIPS OF COLBORNE AND GODERICH in the County of Huron that the period during which nomination papers may be filed in the office of the clerk for the purpose of municipal elections will commence on Oc- tober lith at the hoar of 8:30 o'clock a.m., and close on October 21st, 1985 at the hour of 5 o'clock p.m. for the purpose of nominating fit and proper persons for the office of ONE MEMBER OF THE HURON AND PERTH COUNTIES COMBINED ROMAN CATHOLIC SEPARATE SCHOOL ZONE BOARD representing the Town of Goderich, Clinton, Bayfleld. and Townships of Colborne and Goderlch; of which all Electors are hereby required to take notice and aovern themselves accordingly, and further take notice that the manner in which said nominations shall be filed is set forth in section 36 of the Municipal Elections Act which provides that: How nominated - 36 - (1) A person may be nominated as a candidate for an office by fil- ing, either personally or through his agent, in the office of the clerk, on the days and during the hours specified in subsection 35 (2), a nomination paper in prescribed form which; (a) shall be signed by at least ten electors whose names are entered on the preliminary list of electors or who have made application to have their names includ- ed on the list and who are entitled to vote in the election to such office; (b) shall state the name and address of the person nominated in such manner as will identify him and the office for which he is nominated; and (c) shall state the name and address of each elector signing the nomination paper and, where the office for which the person is nominated is a member of a school board, that such nominator is a public school elec- tor or a separate school elector, as the fact is. 1977,c. 62, s. 36 (1); 1980, c. 30, s. 73 (1, 2). Consent and declaration to be filed (2) No nomination is valid unless there is filed with the nomination paper a consent in writing to the nomination and a declaration of qualification in the prescribed form b/the person nominated. Public school nominators (3) A nomination paper nominating a person for an office the holder of which is required to be elected by public school electors shall be signed by public school electors only. Separate school nominators (4) A nomination paper nominating a person for an office the holder of which is required to be elected by separate school electors shall be sign- ed by separate school electors only. Separate nomination papers (5) Each person to he nominated for election to an office shall be nominated by a separate nomination paper, but an elector may sign more than one nomination paper for the same person and the nomination papers of more than one person. 1977, c. 62, s. 36 (2-5) • Clerk to keep nomination papers (6) After a nomination is certified by the clerk, it shall remain In the possession of the clerk but shall be open to inspection by any per- son during the normal office hours of the clerk. 1980, c. 30, s. 13 (3). Onus on persons nominated (7) The onus is on the person nominated for the election to an office to file a bona fide nomination paper. 1977, c. 62, s. 36 (7). If a greater number of candidates than required to fill the said offices are nominated, and make the required declarations, notice of the time for the holding of the poll, in- cluding the advance poll, and notice of the last day for making applications for a cer- tificate to vote by proxy will be given forthwith. Given under my hand the twenty-third day of September, 1985. Larry J. McCabe 57 West Street Returning Officer REW THEIR Being a good kid these days takes a lot of effort. But being an exceptional kid de. serves special recognition. That's what the Junior Citizens Program, sponsored by CP Air and Ontario Community News- papers Association is ail about. It honours the young people of Ontario who through acts of kindness or courage, selflessness or hard work offer a shining example of good citizenship. DING EFFORTS All we ask is that you make nominations of chil- dren you feel ought to be rewarded for their eff- orts. Nominees should be between ages of 6 and 18. Nominations must be received before Oct- ober 31, 1985. Twelve recipients will receive a plaque, a ciish prize, a family photo portrait ---- with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and a I lapel pin. Contact us today for complete details: Clinton News -Record 482-3443 CPA i r [I JUNIOR CITIZEN'S PROGRAM We all know kids who deserve recognition, Let's honour them this yearl • • ; • • • • • • • • . •