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Seattle Gay News
Double homicide
SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Seattle Police are investigating the double homicide of 27-yearold Ahmed Said and 23-year-old Dwone Anderson-Young, Sunday morning, at 29th Ave. S. and S. King St. Both of the victims were Gay and the two men had been seen earlier in the evening on Capitol Hill near R Place and Hot Mama’s. A vigil was held in the neighborhood at 29th Ave. S. and S. King St, at 7 p.m. Thursday by Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) with both families of the men. At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said no motives have been determined, but that police are working hard on the case. “This is a tragedy that has touched three communities,” Murray said. “It’s important that we come together as we try to figure out the motives that might be behind this crime.” The mayor was, of course, referring to Said’s Somali background, Anderson-Young as an African-American, and the LGBTQ community. On June 1, SPD responded to reports of gunfire at 2:22 a.m. and see Homicide page 6
Feds say Medicare must cover Mayor signs sex reassignment surgery minimum wage bill, State Insurance Commissioner prepares to follow suit
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Obama administration ended a 33-year ban on Medicare funding sex reassignment surgery on May 31, when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) ruled that excluding such surgery from coverage is “no longer reasonable.”
Kara Klotz, spokesperson for Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, told SGN that the Commissioner was preparing to bring statewide insurance coverage into line with the federal ruling. “We are evaluating what our options are as far as notifying insurance carriers that they should cover [sex reassignment surgery],” Klotz said. “The Commissioner believes it is
Mayor’s Office
reuters
President Obama
an equality issue and a consumer issue we have to deal with.” The Commissioner’s office will issue a public statement “soon,” Klotz said, “hopefully this month.” The Washington State Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) is also considering how to add coverage for the full range of transition-related services to healthcare plans offered to government workers by 2016. The three insurance plans offered to public employees – the state-run Uniform Medical Plan, and the private Group Health and Kaiser Permanente – all cover mental healthcare related to gender identity issues. The two private plans also cover hormone therapy, but all of them exclude surgery. The City of Seattle and King County already offer a full range of transition-related treatments to their employees, as do several private employers. Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services ruled last year that transition-related medical services cannot be
but it’s not a done deal yet
Ed Murray signs minimum wage bill
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Mayor Ed Murray signed Seattle’s new $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance into law June 4 in a ceremony at Cal Anderson Park, but the measure is already being challenged by a lawsuit and an initiative campaign sponsored by business groups. “We have taken a great step forward in the challenge of addressing income inequality and rebuilding the middle class,” Murray said at the signing ceremony. “And it’s a see TRans page 7 step we recommend to other cit-
ies around the country who seek to take action as we have.” The new ordinance will benefit some 100,000 minimum wage workers in Seattle, and is expected to pump an estimated $3 billion into the local economy. The City Council passed the bill on June 3 in a form more or less matching the recommendations of Murray’s Income Inequality Advisory Committee (IIAC). The $15 per hour minimum will be phased in over three years for businesses with more see wage page 6