Celebrating 41 Years! Issue 20 Volume 42
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Seattle Gay News
SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Activists join Gay Scoutmaster Geoff McGrath at Sheraton Hotel protest KiroTV.com
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On Thursday a Gay Scoutmaster and supporters protested being kicked out of Boy Scouts of America (BSA). They were kicked out of the hotel. So Geoff McGrath, the Gay Scoutmaster and others, gathered outside the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle where the Chief Seattle Council for BSA was meeting, instead. The protest, say organizers, is to demand that McGrath and Troop 98 be let back into the Boy Scouts of America after being ousted because McGrath is Gay and the troop supports him. In the meantime the troop has continued to meet, just not under the Boy Scouts name. The national policy allows Gay scouts, but not Gay leaders. McGrath was in his scouting gear as he held signs outside the hotel asking for equality. Washington State Senator Ja-
Geoff McGrath (r) with protesters
Michael Sam drafted, kisses boyfriend
mie Pedersen was also on hand to support the efforts. Pedersen announced to the media that he is a lifelong Eagle Scout. Pedersen is also openly Gay. Chief Seattle Council BSA leaders are saying this is a national issue with national rules they have no control over. When pressed as to whether they will take a stand for Troop 98 they said Seattle may be ready for a Gay Scoutmaster, but the rest of the country apparently isn’t. “Well, we are in Seattle,” said McGrath. “They are in Seattle. This is a deeply local issue.” Supporters said it’s not a matter of if Gay scout leaders are allowed, but when. “Yes, the Boy Scouts are a topdown organization,” said Paul Binneboese, a member of Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, which hosts the troop. “But change can happen from within. Why not here, why not now?” see MCGRATH page 20
wisn.com
Judge strikes Idaho marriage ban; Ninth Circuit stays ruling Les films du losange
U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale Michael Sam kisses his boyfriend Cammisano on ESPN
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor When Michael Sam, the former University of Missouri defensive end, came out as Gay in February, the National Football League began to ready itself for its first Gay player. While it is true that there have been, and still are, Gay players in the NFL – there hasn’t ever been one who was open about it during their career.
So when Sam came out, his name shot to the top of the list at Gay blogs, sports websites, appeared in headlines on newspapers across the country and his schedule became booked with one interview after another. Sam, who made history May 10 when he got drafted to the St. Louis Rams, said that his decision to come out while he was in school was not what he originally had wanted to do.
For anyone unfamiliar with what being drafted to a professional football team means, here is a brief explanation: Sam must still earn a playing spot on the Rams’ roster. When a player is drafted, that simply means they are drafted into that team’s football camp; it does not guarantee the player game time. It is important to note, how-
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale ruled on May 13 that Idaho’s ban on Gay and Lesbian marriages violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution. Two days later, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed her ruling until they decide whether to hear an appeal. “Idaho’s Marriage Laws withsee SAM page 16
hold from them a profound and personal choice, one that most can take for granted,” she wrote in her 57-page decision. “By doing so, Idaho’s Marriage Laws deny same-sex couples the economic, practical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of marriage, relegating each couple to a stigmatized, second-class status. Plaintiffs suffer these injuries not see IDAHO page 17