Despite Diane Gramley's Reign of Terror, A New Day is Dawning in Venango County

Submitted by A Collective

Amidst all of the wonderful and amazing stirrings in the arts revitalization movement in Oil City, Pennsylvania over the past year or so, something else, quite magical, was quietly afoot in fall ‘07 and early winter ’08.

Two local women had been putting their life savings, and their blood, sweat and tears, into a dream that had, and still has, the potential to contribute immeasurably to the reawakening of cultural and economic vitality in Oil City, Venango County and beyond.

These women had purchased, and along with a trove of incredibly supportive family, friends, neighbors, and other community members, been breathing life back in to one of Venango County’s, crown jewels: The Latonia, an historic art deco theatre in the center of Oil City with a 4,000 sq. ft. banquet / conference / performance space that had fallen out of use and into disrepair.

But, as excitement was building for the grand opening of the newly-renovated Latonia this past February, Venango County’s right-wing extremist extraordinaire, Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, had a different idea.

She would seize on this highly visible moment to stir fear in the community and to stamp out any possibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Venango County being seen in a positive light.

Yes, in addition to being talented, hardworking, taxpaying individuals and dedicated members of the area’s arts and business communities, the new proprietors of The Latonia also happen to be a lesbian couple.

So, armed with that juicy non-secret, and the fact that The Latonia’s inaugural concert would be performed a few days later by Namoli Brennet, an amazingly talented singer/songwriter from Tucson who also happens to be transgendered, Diane Gramley began a campaign of terror.

Gramley distributed warnings on the American Family Association of Pennsylvania web site, in church bulletins, and through her underground gossip mill about an “effort to normalize the homosexual / transgender lifestyle” in Venango County.

“Brennet is a man who thinks he is a woman!” … “Is the church ready to address this issue?” … “Should parents be leery of the Latonia?” … she perversely howled!

Gramley’s attacks were so cruel, so disturbing, so incendiary, that one of her own followers actually turned the “Action Alert (1/29/08)” over to local police who, concerned about the potential violence that might occur as a result, went directly to Gramley and told her to tone it down.

Sadly, there was no public condemnation of Gramley’s scare campaign … No effort by the area’s political or religious leadership to send a message of love and acceptance, let alone tolerance, to the broader community in this tense atmosphere.

That is how terror works, and why it is used by the likes of Diane Gramley. It distorts reality, makes people afraid and suspicious of fabricated threats, outsiders, and one another, and keeps otherwise good people from acting, from standing up and speaking out at critical moments in time … when those under attack are most in need of solidarity, support, and in this case, protection.

These forms of terror are also used to seek benefit for those who deliver the message, who claim to be speaking “the truth” and shielding “the local faithful” from outside dangers.

And true to form, at the end of her “Action Alert” Gramley wrote that “Homosexual activism is being brought to our backyard … by those who have been involved in such activism in other places, other cities.”

She then made a PLEA for MONEY, “In His Service,” for her crusades on behalf of her, and apparently the American Family Association of Pennsylvania’s, understanding of Christianity.

Despite Gramley’s actions, however, something else, also quite magical, was beginning to happen in Venango County: The people who had long been in the trenches, envisioning and working to build a brighter future, rejected these shameless attacks and efforts to scare people.

Instead, the local business and arts community, members of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, and the community at-large turned out in huge numbers to help make The Latonia’s grand opening an enormous success. Many area residents also expressed their disgust with Gramley’s tactics in letters-to-the-editor in the local newspaper.

After all, is attempting to intimidate and ruin a local business, as Gramley and her allies would have it, really working “In His Service” ?

And, a few days later, hundreds of local residents, as well as travelers from Erie, Pittsburgh and other surrounding cities and towns, turned out for The Latonia’s inaugural concert to witness Namoli Brennet, a visiting artist and one of the targets of Gramley’s vicious attacks, demonstrate what courage, love and understanding, faith, family, values and in this case, forgiveness, are really all about.

While much work remains to be done, it seems as though a new day is dawning in Oil City, Venango County, and all of northwestern Pennsylvania.

Singer Shine Your Light !!

Here’s another view of the beautiful Thorn in Your Side: