by Rick Cullen

TEXTS AND CONTEXTS:
AN INTERVIEW WITH CHOLI'S
WALT RATUCHNY
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RC: So as you see it, CHOLI achieves unity through visibility which will lead to the fuller acceptance of the GLBT Community on L.I. and the attainment of our human and civil liberties. Can you give us an idea of the types of programs and activities that are currently going on? How long is CHOLI open now?

WR: Well CHOLI has been in existence from in or about November, 1999 - about a year and 7 months - although the center itself has been open and operating since November, 2000. We just had an official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on June 30, 2001, the close of Pride Month, which was great. We started Pride Month with the CHOLI Community Picnic and ended it with our grand opening. It shows that we're doing things and we're making the community more visible; I think that's another requirement - we have to become a visible community out here because its easy for us to be invisible on L.I. because we're so spread out.

RC:You previously stated that the object of CHOLI is to bring the LGBT Community together and you talked about all these new groups that are using CHOLI. Can you give us an idea of the number and types of organizations using CHOLI at this time?

WR: Sure. We have what is basically a walk-in facility and have approximately 125 people on average per week using the facility ranging in age from 18 to 84. I mean, that's how diverse our age group is. We have people of all colors and probably all religions. We have a lot of transgender and bisexual people. In fact we have a bisexual group starting to meet regularly at CHOLI I believe next month - in August - which I think is a landmark for us because I don't think there are too many groups that address those issues. That's what CHOLI is all about: starting the stuff that nobody else has and I think that's going to open doors and a lot of avenues. Some of the activities CHOLI has instituted include movie nights twice a month, the second and fourth Fridays of each the month; we have a Mike Night; and we've done readings. We've had two readings so far: two authors. They were well attended. It's interesting. You get to meet the people who wrote the books, get to ask questions, hear stories about how the book was written, and the authors will autograph their books. We're starting some Coming-Out Stories soon, which will touch on different segments and parts of our community: the youth of our Community as well as the spiritual part of our Community. The spiritual is another important piece of our community that's been missing - the spiritual piece - and that's something we have to touch on because alot of our community people are lost on that.

 

RC: Walt, you were saying you were trying to bring everyone together. I was wondering with the recent increase in the Hispanic population on L.I. and the presumed concomitant increase of Hispanic GLBT persons, is there any outreach activity by CHOLI to the Hispanic community to contact them or involve them or assimilate them into the L.I. GLTB Community?

WR: I think the Hispanic Community tried to start a Latinos United group which really wasn't that successful: it didn't really go off too big. However, I marched in the Puerto Rican Day Parade two years ago as an openly gay person. I do believe CHOLI does try to reach the Hispanic Community but its a difficult job. Although we all try to be open to other cultures, the fact is I'm not Spanish and don't speak Spanish and probably don't have the ability to reach out to that community effectively. We have to find people who have that ability. I'd like to meet some Latinos that are willing to come into CHOLI to do outreach to the Hispanic community.

RC: Are there people currently on the CHOLI Board who have the ability and talent to go into the Hispanic Community and make contact?

WR: Yes, Venise Charles; she is probably an excellent person to do that. She's articulate and speaks Spanish.

 

RC: Has CHOLI discussed any plans or tried to facilitate Venise Charles' outreach into and organization of the Hispanic Community?

WR: As I said, we're doing the Coming Out stories and that will touch on Latnio people, which will hopefully bring people in from that community. I think once you get to CHOLI, no matter who you are or where you're from, you begin to feel that warmth and to feel you want to be there.

RC: CHOLI does then have plans to outreach to the Hispanic community?

WR: CHOLI has plans to reach out to all groups in our Community.

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