The Good-N-Plenty Club, a local chapter of the national social organization Girth and Mirth, formed in 1985. The Good-N-Plenty club operated as as social group for “large men and their male admirers.” Though the original Good-N-Plenty went defunct several years after its founding, the organization revived in 1993 as Girth and Mirth of Cleveland. Girth and Mirth of Cleveland’s membership encompassed “bears, chubs, cubs, and chasers.” Girth and Mirth of Cleveland’s primary purpose was to “offer a safe meeting place where both big men and their admirers [could] socialize without being chastised.” The group’s “secondary purpose,” however, was to combat fatphobia within the LGBT+ and broader society by working to “educate the gay community that fat is not bad and that to like fat men is not bad.” In doing so, Girth and Mirth hoped to positively “educate the gay community that [fat men] are intelligent, fun, and caring men to speak with and get to know.” The group hosted a variety of social events for its members, including movie nights, road trips, picnics, potlucks, and monthly meetings at Rockies/Cocktails Cleveland (9208 Detroit Avenue). Girth and Mirth of Cleveland hosted its first annual convention, the Northcoast Chub-Chaser-Bear Weekend, in May 2006.
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- Arthur, Chris. “Join Girth and Mirth on the First Saturday at Cocktails.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 2007. Page B-8.
- “Chubbies Meet March 15.” Gay People’s Chronicle. March 1985. Page 13.
- Gardner, Lee. “Mirth-and-Girth Forms Cleveland Chapter.” Gay People’s Chronicle. February 1, 1985. Page 15.
- “Girth & Mirth & Cleveland.” Gay People’s Chronicle. March 19, 1993. Page 19.
- “Girth and Mirth to Hold A Bash to Celebrate Four Years.” Gay People’s Chronicle. August 11, 2000. Page 7.
- Glassman, Anthony. “Big Fun, All Weekend Long.” Gay People’s Chronicle. May 19, 2006. Page 2.
- Kammler, Bill, and Chris Arthur. “Big Men and Their Admirers Get Together in Two Groups.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 2005. Page B-17.
- Kammler, Billy. “Two Cities Have Groups for Big Men and their Admirers.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 2004. Page A-31.
- Lucas, Frank. “First Chub-Chaser-Bear Weekend is Coming.” Gay People’s Chronicle. February 24, 2006. Page 6.
- Lucas, Frank. “Girth and Mirth Picnic Set for Edgewater.” Gay People’s Chronicle. July 7, 2006. Page 6.
- Schneck, Ken. LGBTQ Cleveland. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2018. Page 25.