SGN August 1, 2014 - Section 1

Celebrating 41 Years!

Issue 31 Volume 42

Seattle Gay News

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SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Musab Masmari -10 years for Neighbours’ arson

low him to only get five years prison time for what he attempted to do, I was sickened by that. I am still sickened by “When I heard that Masmari was that. Please don’t allow that to happen.” able to negotiate a plea that would alThat is what I asked U.S. District

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Judge Ricardo Martinez to consider at the sentencing of Musab Masmari, the man who set fire to Neighbours on December 31, this past New Year’s Eve. The U.S. District Court Judge

then sentenced Masmari to 10 years in prison on a federal arson charge, shocking victims and Masmari’s supporters alike.

In a statement of responsibility submitted before the sentencing, Masmari admitted to setting the fire at Neighbours nightclub, but said he had no recollection of it.

He declined to speak during his sentencing, referring to his statement.

The sentence Masmari received was double that recommended by both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the defense.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez disregarded Masmari’s statement that he committed the crime during a drunken blackout, and, instead, invoked his discretion to impose the exceptional sentence.

In fact, Martinez said he didn’t believe Masmari’s blackout story because the crime was too well planned and Masmari tried to leave the country on a flight to Turkey.

The Seattle Times reports that the judge took particular note of comments made by me, a club employee and longtime Gay community advocate, who told the court that I was “disgusted” with the five-year plea deal and considered the arson

a “blatant attack on our lives.”

Here’s why I had a problem with the plea bargain: • Masmari pleaded guilty to arson, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years.

• Because prosecutors could not prove in court that the arson was a hate crime, both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Masmari’s attorneys agreed to the five-year sentence.

While the burden of proof rested on the shoulders of the prosecution, and I understand why they felt they had to go for just arson charges, the community wanted more. This was a hate crime. Even the judge said he thought it was.

Judge Martinez, however, was not bound by the plea deal and concluded “common sense tells us exactly what was on Mr. Masmari’s mind when he set that fire.” ”The community does need to be protected from the defendant in the future,” Martinez said.

Defense attorney Charles Swift said he may appeal the sentence, saying “because of the political nature of this case, one always suspected this could happen.”

Sixth Circuit mega-hearing on Transgender public Aug. 6: Six cases from four states employees to get equal More than 18,000 children impacted

A three-judge panel of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hold a six-case mega-hearing on August 6.

Appellate Judges Martha Craig Daughtrey, Jeffrey S. Sutton, and Deborah L. Cook will hear challenges to laws banning same-sex marriage in two Kentucky cases, two Ohio cases, and one case each from Michigan and Tennessee.

Daughtrey was appointed by President Clinton, and Sutton and Cook by George W. Bush.

According to the Williams Institute, “approximately 18,300 children of same-sex couples, and nearly 52,400 same-sex couples, could be impacted by the outcome of the August 6 oral arguments in the five marriage cases before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.”

Several national LGBT rights organization are involved in the cases. The National Center for Appellate Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey

cheshirepensionfund.org

umt.edu

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

healthcare coverage

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The Washington Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB) voted unanimously on July 31 to offer Transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage to all public employees in the state.

Beginning on January 1, 2015, hormones, mental health, and other non-surgical healthcare services will be provided for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Surgery will also be covered beginning on July 1, 2015. see 6th Circuit page 13 The PEBB is a state agency that

“purchases and coordinates health insurance benefits for eligible public employees and retirees,” according to its web page.

Gender dysphoria is a well-documented medical condition in which an individual’s gender does not conform to the gender they were assigned at birth. Treatment of gender dysphoria is considered medically necessary by the American Medical Association.

“We applaud the PEBB for their leadership on this critical issue,” see TRANSGENDER page 7

2 Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 41 Years!

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August 1, 2014

Seattle Gay News 3

Marriage Equality: We Must Keep Up the Fight

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer In the year that followed United States v. Windsor the cause of marriage equality has exploded across the USA. Nineteen states – California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington – plus the District of Columbia now grant Lesbian and Gay couples the freedom to marry. Same-sex couples in other states have gone to court to demand their marriage rights, as a result of which judges from Arizona to Virginia have ruled that their states’ constitutional bans on “Gay marriage” are unconstitutional.

In 2008 Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Two recent cases challenged that amendment. On July 17 Monroe County Circuit Judge Luis Garcia ruled in favor of partners Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones while on July 25 Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel ruled in favor of six same-sex couples seek-

ing marriage. Many in the LGBT community mistakenly view those rulings as the beginning of the end of our fight for human rights; that once marriage equality is achieved we will have it made and no longer need to fight for our rights as Lesbian women, Gay men, Bisexuals and Transgender men and women.

Nothing could be further from the truth. For one thing, the fight for marriage equality in the State of Florida is far from over. Attorney General Pam Bondi appealed the Monroe County decision, which put Huntsman and Jones’s marriage plans on hold for the time being.

(They have since asked the appeals court to send the case to the Florida Supreme Court.) Many, though not most, Floridians continue to oppose marriage equality: On July 21, members of the Christian Family Coalition delivered to the MiamiDade County Court a petition with six thousand signatures, all in favor of the status quo. Powerful and influential politicians, such as Governor Rick Scott and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, continue to oppose “Gay marriage.”

Nor is marriage equality the only issue that LGBT Floridians and our friends have to face. Still on our plate is the fight to end workplace discrimination, teenage suicide, anti-LGBT violence and AIDS, not to mention the homophobia and transphobia that still runs rampant in our society. To do all

this we have to change Florida’s political culture, no easy task in a state that is still largely conservative. As I said before, Florida is a wonderful state with horrible rulers, and the liberalism that we take for granted in Key West, Miami Beach and Wilton Manors is largely nonexistent up north.

Time and again, conservative Republican Governor Scott and the equally conservative Republican Cabinet and Legislature have proven to be no friends of LGBT Floridians. There is no doubt that they will do their best to stop our progress, on marriage equality or on any other issue.

To put it bluntly, we must keep up the fight. We need to get off our duffs and do what needs to be done. We can do this by joining and supporting political organizations that fight for our rights; groups like the Dolphin Democrats (dolphindems. org), the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus (floridaglbtdemocrats.org), Equality Florida (eqfl.org) or even the Log Cabin Republicans (logcabin.org) for those who are so inclined. We must work to elect LGBT or LGBT-friendly candidates: to re-elect Joe Saunders to the State House of Representatives in District 49 and to elect Scott Herman in District 93 and John Paul Alvarez in District 100. And we must vote for our candidates and our issues, again and again, in both primary and general elections. We cannot expect others to do the work that we ourselves must do.

necessary sensationalism) reported article.

I must admit, after such a Seattle-based build-up on the story, the rather terse graf describing Brown’s arrest in NJ left me wanting more, as well as amazed that no one I know in NJ had posted it on fb, since it happened a week+ ago! (Full disclosure: I lived in Newark, NJ for 12 years just prior to moving to Detroit two months ago, so Brown being a native of East Orange immediately caught my attention, and I’ve be “on” about it on fb.) I found a bit more at nj.com . . . “without incident”.

I hope you’ll consider a follow-up piece on the families of all three of these men – at least one of the mothers of the murdered men seems to have been willing to talk. I’d especially like to know what Brown’s mother thinks about her gun purchase now . . . 300 million guns in the U.S.; we have to start SOMEWHERE! Anti-violence/guns is a coalition-builder across sexual identity, age, race, class . . . .

Thanks again – I’ll be keeping an eye on you!

The capture of Ali Muhammed Brown Good day: I happened to notice the online link to the story of the capture of Ali Muhammed Brown, a horrific cautionary tale in so many ways, which I’ve been following since becoming aware of these vicious murders. As a print journalist for half a century, I’ve witnessed the erosion of journalistic values (don’t take sides, get the whole story, no conflict-of-interest) that make me hesitant to identify with the profession anymore. So it was with increasing appreciation that I read Shaun Knittel’s thoroughly and sensitively (without un-

4 Seattle Gay News

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Al

Celebrating 41 Years!

Playing TV catch-up

Scene from “Major Crimes”

by Mark Segal Philadelphia Gay News Summer is upon us and, with summer of course, comes the dry rot of the television season. But if you’re like me, you might have a lot of old TV shows from last season stored up on your DVR. Recently, I unfortunately have had to spend some time at home on these beautiful days of summer due to a broken arm. But that time seems to have been well-spent because I dis-

covered something that sort of has amazed me: a change in the portrayal of LGBT characters on scripted television series.

Ifyou read this columnearlier this year, Iwrote about “Glee” and how the characters in that show usually are almost cartoonish – one character always wearing a bow tie and the other one always being fashionably dressed and somewhat stereotypical. But, to give credit to “Glee,” the show took on serious LGBT issues, such as hate crimes in New York City and bullying in our schools. But, on network and cable television,

for the most part, the programs haven’t taken on such topical and pressing issues.

Laying on the sofa and going through my DVR choices, I decided to check out two shows, both of which I’ve enjoyed in past episodes but hadn’t been able to watch during the season. The first was “Major Crimes” on TNT. It is a spinoff from a show called “The Closer” and deals with a major-crime unit in the Los Angeles Police Department.

The show began with a young homeless boy who had to prostitute himself to survive on the street. In a manner only fitting for TV, the captain of the department becomes his guardian and takes the boy in when he becomes a witness to a crime. And over the last two seasons, the captain has been nurturing him but we didn’t really know if the boy was Gay or not. And, in one of the final episodes of the season, he literally comes out to the entire police station. In just one series, we have the issues of homeless Gay youth, battered Gay youth and prostitution, all handled in a way that was realistic.

On NBC, a summer-replacement show called “The Night Shift” takes place in a hospital in the Southwest and focuses on veteran Army doctors. What’s unusual about this show is that one of the doctors is in the closet and, in one of the last episodes, his boyfriend, an active soldier, is rushed into the hospital

and is in danger of having his leg amputated.

This prompted emotional scenes between the two of them and the exploration of whether or not he should come out of the closet, a question that is rarely seen on a network drama. The situation aptly painted the picture of someone so deeply in the closet, the anger that that closet creates for him and the emotional toll of trying to deal with the possible loss of his partner while every single person he works with watches this emotional scene.

So what we see is television beginning to come of age and to really look at dramatic issues of our life in reality rather than through the cartoonish figures on “Will and Grace,” “Glee” or even “Modern Family,” where we are still stereotyped. It’s easy to picture a Gay man as a Los Angeles lawyer, but here we see a doctor who was in battle in Afghanistan and his partner the squadron leader, or a kid who’s been abandoned by his mother and living on the streets, dealing with his sexuality. What this makes clear is that the general public will see us as people with real problems rather than just as a laugh.

Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. You can follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarkSegalPGN or Twitter at https://twitter.com/PhilaGayNews. www.epgn.org

One year into Hyatt boycott: Hotel management snubs delegation of ministers Almost one year after workers called for a boycott of the two Hyatt Hotel properties in Seattle, hotel management has yet to agree to a fair process to allow their employees to decide whether to form a union.

In fact, Hyatt management is apparently so far from agreement with their workers that managers snubbed a delegation of ministers and other community supporters who visited the Hyatt at Olive 8 July 30.

The delegation included the Rev. Ron Moe-Lobeda, pastor of University Lutheran Church; Rev. Brigitta Remole of Plymouth Church; Rev. Paul Benz of the Faith Action Network; and Rev. Byron Hitchens, who is also a member of UNITE HERE Local 8, the hospitality and food service union many Hyatt workers want to join.

Once inside the Hyatt at Olive 8 lobby, the ministers and about 50 community supporters of Hyatt workers requested to see the manager to express their concerns about the process for allowing employees to choose whether to join a union.

Although the front desk manager promised to summon the higher-ups, management never materialized.

Moe-Lobeda and Hitchens then offered prayers for a fair settlement of the labor dispute.

“We pray for those who are in positions of authority,” Moe-Lobeda said. “Give them hearts of compassion and minds of reason so that they will hear our requests, respect our right to unionize, and sup-

port us in our efforts to make this business a more hospitable place for everyone who enters these doors.”

“We remember the Hyatt Hotel management staff and labor staff. We ask that they treat each other with respect in all issues…” Hitchens added.

As the group left, without ever seeing upper-level hotel management, a hotel staffer approached UNITE HERE organizer Levi Pine and warned, “We’re asking you to leave – and don’t ever come back!”

Although Richard Hedreen, owner of the Hyatt at Olive 8 and Grand Hyatt Hotels, has dug in his heels on the issue of allowing his employees to vote on a union, the boycott to force him to do so has continued to gather support.

According to UNITE HERE Local 8, 30 non-profit organizations and 22 elected officials have signed on to the boycott, pledging not to patronize either of Hedreen’s Hyatt hotels. Last year the Seattle City Council also sent Hedreen a letter, signed by all nine Council members, urging him to settle the dispute.

Hedreen is also lagging behind the national Hyatt Corporation, which last year agreed on a fair process toward unionization for all its corporately-owned hotels.

UNITE HERE Local 8 represents some 5,000 hospitality and food service workers in the Pacific Northwest. In their 2007 Westin contract, Local 8 won the first explicit protections for Transgender hotel workers in the country. The language protecting both sexual orientation and gender identity is now standard in Local 8’s contracts.

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brucematsonco.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The Grand Hyatt in Seattle

August 1, 2014

Seattle Gay News 5

DJ Martini returns to The Cuff on August 8 DJ Rob Martini, a Seattle-based deejay scheduled to spin at The Cuff August 8, got his first set of decks in 1997. Martini credits a high school friend (nicknamed Beaver) for introducing him into the house music scene. Aside from that, he’s self-taught.

“It was always trial and error,” he told Seattle Gay News. “I’m always learning.”

DJ Martini is beginning to carve out a role as one of The Cuff ’s go-to guest DJs and the kicker is – he’s a straight ally. In fact, he told SGN that someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity doesn’t make a difference to him about friendship.

“I met the people who work there and it’s not like other places,” he said. “It feels like a tight knit family and they do it proper. Great sound. Great lighting. Great people.”

Growing up, DJ Martini says he was inspired by what his father listened to – like old funk and the songs that where not always the most popular.

“I’ve been so inspired by the most random songs and also have gotten inspiration/ turned off-ness by the most popular songs,” he said. “My only answer is all music, and not even music – just sounds and environments and nature. I’ve always joked about the younger generation and how everyone lives in an iPod world. I refuse to do it. I want to experience the sound around me.

How can you react to the world around you if you’re always stuck in your own world?”

Believe it or not, DJ Martini says he’s never owned an iPod. “I am an audiophile and

mp3s bug me,” he explains. “Even wav and newer encoded audio doesn’t sound anything like records do.”

“Music is EVERYTHING! It’s my life,” he said. “It’s what make me happy on a soul level. It keeps me humble and down to earth and excited and positive and always thinking about new projects.”

DJ Martini has worked on AMDEF thanks to Active Entertainment since the beginning.

“When I first tried doing this type of event, I was at Art Institute and I was new to Seattle, but long-story-short they pulled out on a collaboration show and that’s when I really connected with Active. I told them my story and they said that is was something they wanted to do, because they knew so many artistic kats, but didn’t know how to help them out. That’s when AMDEF was born. Helping out all our brethren.”

“I keep putting different styles of music out there because as an artist I am very eclectic,” said Martini. “I think the new wave is having multiple personas in order to relate to all my different projects.”

DJ Martini says he started in San Antonio and worked at a few clubs in 2000. “I then joined a band in Colorado and toured with them. I did a few random raves here and there. I arrived in Seattle in 2003. I’ve been fortunate enough to DJ at a majority of all the bigger clubs and small bars.”

So what makes a good party? “The people for sure,” says Martini. “Good music only goes so far.

It’s all about the vibe and dancing and energy.”

At the end of the day, he says I am here to support all causes and I feel everyone deserves the right to be happy and to have a voice. This is one world and we all need to work together to make this a better place.”

djmattstands.blogspot.com/

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Getting down at The Cuff

Joe Torres’ LEO Party XI on August 10 at Neighbours to benefit Seattle Counseling Service and Haus of Lady Dude, Miss Gay Latina Luna, Haus of Paradisco, Markos Sisters Pride Idol Finalist Chris Hoffman, Pride Get ready LEO Partygoers – LEO Party Idol 2014 Winner Ruth Soto, Mama Tits, XI is just around the corner and the birth- Gaysha Starr, Fraya Love / Louie Alexanday boy himself, Joe Torres, is pulling out der of “Le Faux” at Julia’s on Broadway, all the bells and whistles that make his and dancing the night away are sexy goannual party for a go dancers! Curtis cause so much fun.

(LV), Jason (LV) & On August 10, Carlos (SF). beginning at 6 $30 VIP tickets p.m., Torres will (includes Meet & present his latest Greet with the stars party (LEO Party and buffet) and $10 XI) at Neighbours general tickets are (1509 Broadway). available at leoxi.

The event will be brownpapertickhosted by Aleksa ets.com. The event Manila and Roxy is sponsored by Doll with The SisMuckleshoot Chariters Of Perpetual ties with NeighIndulgence, The bours Seattle.

Abbey of St. Joan.

Seattle Counseling The show will Service is this year’s feature Recordbeneficiary. Founding Artist VELO, ed in 1969, SCS is Gaysha Starr with Joe Torres in 2010 Miss Latin Look a nonprofit agency International Laythat provides mental la Manila, Miss UTOPIA Atasha Manila health therapy and addiction counseling and Casa de Manila, Miss Neighbours to the LGBTQ communities.

Anastasia Beaverhausen, Isaac Scott of FB Event Page - facebook.com/ Hollaback Thursdays (Sinfinite Produc- events/1479290315622126/ tions), Miss Gay Seattle Olivia LaGarce

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

6 Seattle Gay News

August 1, 2014

Celebrating 41 Years!

thousands of people in need who called IN MEMORIAM toSVDP for help. He continued to volunteer in their bank after his retirement unDavid Peter Jaeger til he wasfood no longer able.

July 27, 1943 - July 22, 2014

David left this earth at 4:50 p.m. on July 22, 2014.

The family of David Jaeger sadly announces his death on July 22, 2014 from the complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

David was born in Seattle to Peter and Lorrayne Jaeger and was raised in the Green Lake area with his three younger sisters Marilyn Jaeger Veomett, Patti Jaeger Quinn, and Debbie Jaeger Knaub. He attended St. Benedict’s school and Blanchet High School before entering St. Edward’s Seminary in Kenmore as a sophomore in high school.

David was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Seattle on May 19, 1969.

David served as associate pastor in Vancouver, WA and Everett and then in several administrative positions. He was the Director of Seminarians and later the Director of CYO. His final assignments were heading the Catholic AIDS ministry from 1990-2001 and directing Archdiocesan ministries to Gays and Lesbians from 2001-2002. His special ability to counsel Gay and Lesbian people and their family and friends was to not throw away their Catholic faith, but to find God’s love and healing in their faith.

But David’s ministry to others was much larger than his work as a priest. Every person that David interacted with felt a special quality that he could bring to others – a deeply felt, empathetic presence.

David resigned from ministry in 2005 and then from 2006 until his retirement in 2012 David worked as the manager of the Helpline Call Center at the headquarters of the Society of St. Vincent DePaul, where he was able to bring his calm voice

While David was wholly committed to the priesthood, he decided after much internal struggle that he wanted an intimate relationship in his personal life. He met his partner Steve Knipp in 1992 at an AIDS support group gathering and they fell in love. They lived together for the next 21 years until Alzheimer’s robbed David of his independence. David and Steve traveled extensively, spent much time with David’s family, and were a support to one another until the end.

David resided at Gaffney House on Capitol Hill from September 2013 until his death due to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

David was preceded in death by his father Peter in January 2003 and his mother Lorrayne in November 2011. He is survived by his longtime partner Steve Knipp and his loving sisters and their spouses, 11 nieces and nephews, and 5 great nieces and nephews. His family and friends are very grateful for his loving presence in our lives.

A vigil service and viewing was held at St. Joseph’s Parish on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, July 29th at 6 p.m. A Mass of Resurrection was held at St. Joseph’s on Wednesday, July 30th at 10 a.m.

More information about David, including a transcript of Steve’s eulogy for David, Steve’s reports on the services, David’s obituary with a link to several short essays that Steve wrote on David’s Gaffney House blog, and David’s writings can be found at www. davidpjaeger.com – where you can also share your memories of David and read what others appreciated about him.

Memorial gifts may be made to: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle/King County, 5950 4th Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98108.

Transgender Dispatch from the frontlines: a Gay National Guardsman reports from the Chiwaukum Complex fire

said Marsha Botzer, member of the Coalition for Inclusive Healthcare and founder and Board Co-Chair of Ingersoll Gender Center.

“This victory ensures that transgender public employees throughout the state will have access to life-saving and medically necessary healthcare.”

“We look forward to working with PEBB to implement and enforce this decision in a timely and uniform way,” said Danielle Askini, the Advocacy Director of Gender Justice League.

“Removing these outdated exclusions brings parity to healthcare coverage – guaranteeing that transgender individuals will not be denied healthcare coverage simply because of who they are.”

The Federal government and the state of Maryland have also recently implemented Transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage for their employees.

The PEBB decision comes on the heels of a June 25 statement by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner that insurance companies may not discriminate against Transgender individuals. Currently, nearly all insurance plans in Washington categorically exclude coverage for transition-related medical treatment, even when that same treatment – mental healthcare, cancer screenings, or hormone therapy, for example – is covered for cisgender people.

“I am transgender and have been a subscriber to Washington State health insurance benefits for over 25 years,” said Kathryn Mahan, an employee at the Pierce County

Conservation District.

“Throughout this time, I have felt that I was being unfairly excluded from benefits because of my gender identity – the same benefits that were being offered to other state employees.

This has led to much anguish and hopelessness.

Today’s action by the PEBB is a critical step towards offering transgender employees parity in healthcare coverage. For that, I thank you.”

Coverage for the full range of transitionrelated healthcare services brings many benefits at small cost, advocates say.

For example, 45% of Transgender Washingtonians have attempted suicide at some point in their life, according to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. With access to transition-related care, research has shown that the suicide attempt rate drops down to roughly 3%-5%, only slightly higher than the general public.

“Providing the full range of services to transgender individuals is literally a matter of life and death,” said Seth Kirby, Board President of Pride Foundation. “PEBB’s decision sends a clear message to transgender individuals that they matter, and paves the way for other employers to follow suit.”

Removing Transgender exclusions in healthcare is also cost-effective. A 2013 study of Fortune 500 employers who offer Transgender-inclusive health coverage to their workers found that providing such coverage had a negligible impact on costs.

The City of Seattle, the Washington Education Association, Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and a growing number of large employers that self-insure already provide Transgender-inclusive health coverage to their employees.

August 1, 2014

Seattle Gay News 7

continued from cover

Pablo Monroy

A-Troop 303rd puts out a fire

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The summer of 2014 will forever be known as the summer of fire to the brave men and women who answered the call of duty to get the largest wildfires in Washington state’s history under control. The weather did not cooperate, temperatures continued to rise, and the Governor had to finally declare a state of emergency and call in members of the Washington National Guard to help.

Karina Shagren, spokeswoman for the state’s Military Department, said the National Guard had already been offering aerial support, but 100 National Guard troops were now being used on the ground for firefighting, and additional troops were receiving firefighting training for potential future use.

Sergeant Pablo Monroy was one of those soldiers. Sgt. Monroy told Seattle Gay News

that A-Troop 303rd were ordered to fight the fires after the state of emergency was declared. “Since then we’ve been assisting in the efforts to fight the fires across the state. My unit has been assigned to fight the Chiwaukum Complex fire which consists of the Chiwaukum creek fire, the Duncan fire, and the Kelly mountain fire.”

Monroy, who is openly Gay, said that when they got the call for assistance, “we were then completing Gunnery for our Bradley’s at Yakima Training Center as part of our Annual Training.”

The guard assisted in the Mills Canyon fire, which is the largest in recorded state history.

“That one was 40% contained at the time we arrived, so we were sent to Chiwaukum Creek which at the time was 2% contained,” he said. “From where we were

Visit us online www.sgn.org

see Dispatch page 16

Fourth Circuit upholds Virginia marriage decision North Carolina AG drops appeal The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling striking down Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriages. In a July 27 decision, a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit ruled 2-1 that Virginia state law violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution, and is, therefore, unenforceable.

Just hours after the Fourth Circuit’s decision, the Attorney General of North Carolina announced that his state will no longer defend its own same-sex marriage ban.

North Carolina is also under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Circuit.

“We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people feel uncomfortable,” the appeals court said in its ruling.

“However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws. Civil marriage is one of the cornerstones of our way of life. It allows individuals to celebrate and publicly declare their intentions to form lifelong partnerships, which provide unparalleled intimacy, companionship, emotional support, and security. The choice of whether and whom to marry is an intensely personal decision that alters the course of an individual’s life.

Denying same-sex couples this choice prohibits them from participating fully in our society, which is precisely the type of segregation that the Fourteenth Amendment cannot countenance.”

dailykos.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, VA

Tim Bostic and Tony London, and Carol Schall and Mary Townley – are entitled to the same basic rights and protections as every other American,” AFER said in a statement.

“Today’s decision is monumental as it also paves the way for West Virginia, North queerty.com

Carol Schall and Mary Townley

Carolina, and South Carolina to strike down their marriage bans as those states fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.”

Freedom to Marry called on the U.S. Supreme Court to establish a national precedent for marriage equality.

“Every day of denial is a day of injustice and tangible harms,” the group said. “It’s time for the Supreme Court to bring the country to national resolution and secure the freedom to marry for all.”

North Carolina goes along North Carolina Attorney General – and probable Democratic nominee for governor – Roy Cooper said that in light of the appeals court decision he saw no point in continuing to defend his state’s ban on Gay and Lesbian marriages.

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August 1, 2014

planned to push forward with their cases on the district court level.

“State marriage bans, such as the one we have here in North Carolina, are living on borrowed time,” Brook said. “It’s a matter of when – not if – they are struck down.”

He added that Cooper’s announcement only underscores the recent and continuing string of legal victories for same-sex marriage advocates.

“At a certain point, a good lawyer knows a losing cause when he sees one,” Brook said.

“Today’s ruling is further proof that there is not a single valid legal argument to uphold [North Carolina’s] Amendment One,” said Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality.

“It’s not a question of if Amendment One will be struck down, but when. Each day that North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage remains on the books, families are harmed. The Campaign for Southern Equality will continue to call for swift action from the courts to overturn Amendment One, and for citizens and elected officials to take a stand against this discriminatory and immoral law.”

American Foundation for Equal Rights

Clinton appointee Judge Roger Gregory joined Judge Henry Floyd, who was named to the federal bench by George W. Bush and elevated to the circuit court by President Obama in 2011, to make up the majority.

Presiding Judge Paul Niemeyer, a George H.W. Bush nominee, dissented.

The court’s opinion is not effective immediately. The judges allowed time for the State of Virginia to ask for an en banc hearing – in other words a ruling by all the judges of the Fourth Circuit – or to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, AFER (American Foundation for Equal Rights), which represented the plaintiffs in the Virginia lawsuit, called the decision “monumental” in scope.

“Today’s decision sends the message that loving couples like our plaintiffs –

“After reviewing the Fourth Circuit decision and consulting with attorneys here, I have concluded that the State of North Carolina will not oppose the cases moving forward,” Cooper said in a statement issued soon after the Fourth Circuit ruled.

“In addition, the State of North Carolina will acknowledge the Fourth Circuit opinion that marriage is a fundamental right and that our office believes that the judges are bound by this Fourth Circuit decision.

In all these cases challenging state marriage laws, our office along with other attorneys general and state attorneys across the country have made about every legal argument imaginable. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Windsor case, all the federal courts have rejected these arguments each and every time. So it’s time for the State of North Carolina to stop making them.”

Cooper endorsed marriage equality in October 2013, but also said he felt bound by his office to defend state law.

Chris Brook, legal director for the ACLU of North Carolina, which is representing nine couples in two of the North Carolina cases, called the circuit court decision a victory, and said his clients

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Colorado Supreme Court halts marriages AP Photo / Daily Camera, Cliff Grassmick

Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Hillary Hall

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Colorado Supreme Court told the Boulder County Clerk to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in a brief order dated July 29.

Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall had been issuing licenses to Gay and Lesbian couples since June 25, when the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling striking down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriages. Since Colorado is also under the Tenth Circuit’s jurisdiction, she reasoned, their decision applied equally in her state.

According to Hall’s office, 202 samesex licenses had been issued before the state Supreme Court stepped in.

“I am disappointed by the Colorado Supreme Court’s stay, but I will comply with the order,” Hall said in a statement. “Given the avalanche of recent cases determining that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, I am hopeful the stay will be short-lived and that we will be able to resume issuing licenses soon.”

After Hall began issuing licenses, county clerks in Adams, Denver, and Pueblo Counties followed suit. State Attorney General John Suthers argued that the licenses were illegal, but Hall refused to stop issuing them.

After lower state courts declined to intervene, Suthers filed a protest with the Colorado Supreme Court on July 27.

Because state law has no provision for stopping a clerk from issuing licenses illegally, the state has to accept them even if they are illegal, he said in his court filing, and therefore only the Supreme Court can stop Hall from throwing state law into chaos.

Suthers said he was pleased with the Supreme Court stay on further licenses.

“Today, the Colorado Supreme Court restored order to the state’s legal process by making it clear that all clerks and recorders should comply with existing state law,” Suthers said in a statement. “We are pleased that the focus may now return to the important constitutional issues posed by the same-sex marriage cases pending in Colorado and around the country.”

The Colorado Supreme Court previously ordered Adams and Denver Counties to stop licensing Gay and Lesbian marriages, and Pueblo County stopped voluntarily.

Both federal and Colorado state judges ruled in July that the state’s ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. The rulings were stayed pending appeal, however.

Colorado State Judge C. Scott Crabtree ruled on July 9 that state law violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution. On July 23, federal District Judge Raymond Moore issued a preliminary injunction allowing six samesex couples to marry, based on his belief that they will win their suit when the case is argued before him.

Alaska Supreme Court OKs same-sex couple survivor benefits The Alaska Supreme Court ruled on July 25 that same-sex partners should be eligible for survivor benefits even though the state constitution expressly defines marriage as “only between one man and one woman.”

Using the narrow definition of “widow” to exclude same-sex partners “violates the surviving partner’s right to equal protection under the law,” the state’s high court ruled.

Deborah Harris, whose partner was murdered at the Anchorage hotel where both women worked, will now be entitled to the same survivor benefits as a married spouse would get. The Alaska Workers Compensation Board had originally turned down Harris’s claim on the grounds that she was not legally married to her partner and therefore was not a “widow” under Alaska law.

In their decision, the court noted that Harris and her partner, Kerry Fadely, had been in “an exclusive, committed, and financially interdependent relationship” span-

6th Circuit continued from cover

Lesbian Rights is representing plaintiffs in Tennessee, the ACLU is co-counsel in a case representing plaintiffs in Ohio, and Lambda Legal is also representing plaintiffs in Ohio.

Since the Supreme Court’s June 2013 decision striking down DOMA, there have been 34 rulings in favor of the right of Gay and Lesbian couples to marry, covering 31 cases from 26 different federal and state courts.

ning more than 10 years, and had jointly raised children from previous relationships.

“Debbie had a tragedy happen in her life – her longtime life partner was killed – then another tragedy was not being recognized for who she was – a life partner – by the legal system,” Harris’s attorney Eric Croft said.

“Financially this is important, but it’s important to recognize that same-sex couples deserve equal treatment,” he added.

While the Alaska Supreme Court has not ruled on the constitutionality of the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, it ruled in April that same-sex couples must be afforded the same property tax exemptions for senior citizens and disabled veterans that were previously given only to opposite-sex married couples.

On May 12, five same-sex couples filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s discriminatory marriage law. Arguments in the case are scheduled for October 10.

A PPP poll done in January and February this year found that 47% of Alaska voters supported same-sex marriage, while 46% were opposed to the idea, and 7% were not sure.

The marriage laws of 21 states have been invalidated, including Utah, Ohio, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The Tenth and Fourth Circuits heard oral arguments earlier this year. The Tenth Circuit issued rulings on June 25 and July 17, in cases from Utah and Oklahoma. The Fourth Circuit issued a ruling on July 28 in a case from Virginia.

All three decisions held that same-sex

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Debbie Harris

couples have a fundamental right to marry, and laws prohibiting such marriages violate the equal protection and due process clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Williams Institute, which filed amicus briefs with the Sixth Circuit, also released demographic information indicating how many people would be impacted by the Sixth Circuit’s decision.

Of the states involved in the August 6 hearing, Ohio has the largest number of same-sex couples – approximately 19,684 of them – of which 54% are Lesbians.

About 6,800 children are being raised by Gay and Lesbian couples in Ohio.

Another 14,598 same-sex couples live in Michigan – 57% of them Lesbian – raising 5,300 children.

There are about 10,898 same-sex couples in Tennessee – 54% Lesbian – with some 3,936 children.

Approximately 7,195 same-sex couples live in Kentucky – 55% of them Lesbian – with 2,270 children.

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Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds state’s domestic partner law Likely to be surpassed by upcoming marriage ruling The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the state’s 2009 domestic partner law in a ruling on July 31.

About 2,300 couples have signed up to be on the registry over the past five years.

While the decision keeps the state domestic partner registry open, and allows partners to continue to access benefits, it is likely to be surpassed by an upcoming appeals court decision on same-sex marriage.

The suit was brought by Wisconsin Family Action, which alleged that the law violated the state’s ban on same-sex marriage and “any legal status that is substantially similar to marriage.”

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the authors of the state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage did not mean to bar legislation granting certain rights to same-sex couples, and neither did voters.

“We see no evidence that voters who approved the Amendment saw it as permitting

those rights to be granted only in the kind of scheme Plaintiffs now suggest – that is, in cohabiting domestic relationships that bear no resemblance at all to marriage,” Justice N. Patrick Crooks wrote in his opinion.

Lambda Legal, which intervened in the case on behalf of Fair Wisconsin and five defendant couples, said it was pleased with the result, but noted that only marriage could guarantee full equality for same-sex couples.

“We’re thrilled that Wisconsin same-sex couples can keep the limited but very important protections that the domestic partnership registry grants them,” said Lambda Legal attorney Christopher Clark.

“The statute is clearly constitutional, and the Supreme Court of Wisconsin agreed with us.

Gay and lesbian couples in Wisconsin no longer have to fear that the protections they have will be taken away by unnecessary anti-gay legal action.

“We also look forward to the day – fast approaching – when Wisconsin will join its neighbors to the south and west and the growing number of states across the country where

Michael Sears

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Wisconsin Supreme Court

same-sex couples have the freedom to marry, rendering limited domestic partnership registry unnecessary. Wisconsin same-sex couples are entitled to the full range of legal protections that only marriage provides,” Clark added.

In June a federal district judge ruled that Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals plans to hear arguments in the state’s appeal on August 26.

World’s favorite pastime just got more anti-Gay The FIFA World Cup, more commonly referred to as The World Cup, is the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games. The number of people who watch the championship soccer, or “football” – what everyone else calls it around the world outside of America – game is impressive for sure. The cumulative audience of all matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was estimated to be 26.29 billion with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the final match, a ninth of the entire population of the planet.

And we thought RuPaul’s Drag Race was popular!

On July 13, in Brazil, Germany won The 2014 FIFA World Cup over Argentina, 1-0 in the final.

The current format of the competition involves a qualification phase, which takes place over the preceding three years (meaning the World Cup championship tournament happens every four years) to determine which teams qualify for the tournament phase, which is often called the World Cup Finals. Thirty-two teams, including the automatically qualifying host nation(s), compete in the tournament phase for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month.

So, as you can see, we are talking about the world here – not just a few states or even one continent. The World Cup – living up to its name – truly involves the world.

The 20 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil has won five times (they are also the only team to have played in every tournament), Italy and Germany have four titles each; Argentina and inaugural winner Uruguay, have two titles each; and England, France and Spain, have one title each. Although the American team has improved over the

years, we have yet to win a title.

So, aside from hot guys running around for hours in shorts looking tremendously sexy – what does any of this have to do with the Gay community per se? Organizations like GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) claim unchecked homophobia is rampant at the global competition. In short, the World Cup, the world’s favorite pastime, is anti-Gay. Here’s how: Some nations are immensely further evolved when it comes to LGBTQ rights while other cultures continue to preserve and promote homophobia.

In another example of what can happen whenever any event – athletic or political – is played out on the world stage, language and what is considered offensive or harmless begins to take shape. Fans present at matches in Brazil hurled anti-Gay slurs at opposing teams. During the June 23 telecast of Mexico vs. Amsterdam, the word “puto” (as well as the anti-Gay slur “culero”) was chanted over the general roar in the stadium. Puto is the equivalent of “faggot” in the U.S. In fact, Mexico’s anti-discrimination agency, Conapred, has come out strongly stating that the word is offensive and hurtful.

FIFA, or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the sport’s governing body, disregarded the issue in a public statement saying that the use of anti-Gay slurs is not offensive in the context of a soccer game.

But not everyone agreed with such a statement. In contrast, television networks like Univison and ESPN apologized to audiences for the anti-Gay language by explaining that they had no control over the feed supplied by FIFA. “Previously, FIFA was asked to take part in a public education campaign to help eradicate anti-Gay slurs from your games,” GLAAD said in an open letter to FIFA chastising them for not taking a stand against homophobia in sports. (The letter had 25

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by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Seattle Gay News

cosignors.) “That call was ignored, however.

If FIFA continues to turn its head the other way and tacitly condone anti-Gay discrimination, we will be left with no choice but to express our very grave concern to your sponsors, several of which have a long history of speaking out against anti-LGBT bias.”

In order to stop GLAAD from approaching its sponsors, GLAAD demanded that FIFA “take decisive action to eliminate antiLGBT slurs from its venues” and “stop disregarding the concrete harm these slurs inflict on countless fans.”

As you can imagine, FIFA has yet to issue a public response or even answer GLAAD via email or letter making it obvious that the organization just does not care about the issue because they don’t see it as an issue at all.

For the activist groups and nations that do care, unless something drastically changes, the problem is set to intensify. In 2018, ultra anti-Gay Russia will host the World Cup and in 2022, the somewhat less

intolerant, but still anti-Gay, Qatar hosts the world stage event.

Admittedly, homophobia in sports is not exclusive to the World Cup, or even soccer.

Only recently have we seen American professional sports leagues welcome openly LGBT athletes. Slowly but surely, around the globe, pro and semi-pro athletes are coming out and being welcomed by teammates, coaches and fans alike. But we all saw what happened with the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in which the world was shown that where the game or match or tournament is played unquestionably plays a role in how much or little homophobia is propagated. With Russia as the next World Cup host, chances are soccer’s biggest tournament will sadly move farther away from the right side of history where openly Gay players are treated the same as their heterosexual counterparts, and towards the dark pages of history where athletes are segregated from one another or not allowed to participate at all, based solely on who they love.

Celebrating 41 Years!

HRC Foundation and Human Rights First release joint report on LGBT Africa: Organizations urge engagement with African leaders on LGBT issues during President Obama’s historic U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit White House : Pete Souza

“struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States commitment to promoting human rights.” Secretary of State John Kerry has affirmed this commitment, and the Obama Administration has taken tangible steps to advance the cause of achieving full LGBT equality abroad.

In June, the Obama Administration announced a series of new concrete actions that held the Ugandan government and leaders in it accountable for the internationally condemned Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was enacted earlier this year.

“We must put all world leaders on notice that such efforts have no place in the 21st century, and there will be severe consequences for engaging in them,” Cobb said at the time. “This creates an important precedent for leaders and governments considering implementing similar laws.”

“We remain hopeful that the United States will put LGBT issues on the agenda not as a stand-alone element but within the framework discrimination and violence; the presence and of a broad discussion of all the other vital issues activity of LGBT rights organizations; and en- affecting civil society in Africa,” said Gaylord. couraging signs of support for LGBT people.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is Announced by the White House as the “largest single engagement by any U.S. Presi- the educational arm of America’s largest civil dent with Africa,” the U.S.-Africa Leaders rights organization working to achieve LesSummit will provide Obama Administra- bian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality. tion officials a chance to directly engage these By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC leaders and their delegations on a number strives to end discrimination against LGBT of critical issues. Earlier this week, HRC and citizens and realize a nation that achieves funHuman Rights First joined the Council for damental fairness and equality for all.

Global Equality in urging President Obama Human Rights First is an independent advoto include civil society leaders in the summit.

HRC Foundation and Human Rights First cacy and action organization that challenges believe that the protection and preservation America to live up to its ideals. It believes Amerof the basic human rights of LGBT Africans ican leadership is essential in the global struggle should be one of the many important areas of for human rights, so it presses the U.S. governdiscussion. Although we recognize that every ment and private companies to respect human bilateral relationship is complex, and that en- rights and the rule of law. Human Rights First is gagement on LGBT rights must be included a non-profit, nonpartisan international human in the context of broader human rights dis- rights organization based in New York, Washcussions, we believe that leadership in this ington, D.C. and Houston. To maintain our inonce-in-a-generation moment could encour- dependence, we accept no government funding. age broader progress on the rights and treatCour tesy of HRC Foundation and ment of LGBT Africans for decades to come.

President Obama declared in 2011 that the Human Rights First

Obama gives a speech to Ugandans in 2009

WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, July 29, in advance of President Barack Obama’s upcoming summit with nearly 50 African heads of state, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality, and Human Rights First released a joint report that provides brief country-specific overviews on the status of LGBT people in each of the continent’s 54 nations. A copy of the report can be viewed at http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/state-human-rights-lgbt-people-africa.

Heads of state from 32 of the 37 nations in Africa that criminalize LGBT relationships have been invited to the summit. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan – both of whom signed draconian anti-LGBT laws earlier this year – are scheduled to attend. The death penalty is allowed as a form of punishment in some Nigerian states, and leaders from two other nations that allow it in all or some parts of their country – Mauritania and Somalia – are also expected to participate.

“More than 800 million people live in

African nations that criminalize LGBT individuals because of who they love or who they are,” said Ty Cobb, HRC Foundation’s Director of Global Engagement. “Many face near-constant threats of harassment, discrimination, prosecution and violence on a daily basis, and others remain vulnerable to increasingly dangerous and concerted efforts to enact harsh anti-LGBT legislation.

Supporting the human rights of all Africans, including LGBT Africans, must be an important part of our nation’s engagement.”

“We know that there are thousands of people across the African continent who are standing up for an end to violence and for full equality for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Human Rights First’s Shawn Gaylord. “These people, activists, leaders, lawyers, religious figures and others, need to know that they have support around the world and this Summit is an ideal time to signal that support.”

HRC Foundation and Human Right First’s joint report, “The State of Human Rights for LGBT People in Africa,” documents existing anti-LGBT laws and efforts to enact new measures; some publicly known instances of

Athens police assault Gay couple A Gay couple was assaulted by Greek police while walking hand-in-hand through old town Athens on July 25, according to LIFO magazine.

George Kounanis and Harry Vassilakis told the Greek publication they were harassed by as many as ten police officers. One of them grabbed Kounanis’ hand and then shoved him up against a wall.

“This is what real violence is,” the officer said.

The couple called an emergency helpline, but were directed to call Athens police headquarters instead. The men said they now feel helpless and frightened.

“We feel as if we’re in a psychological maze,” Vassilakis said. “We feel totally helpless. We feel harassed by those who are supposed to protect us.”

Gay sex has been legal in Greece since 1951, and there are limited anti-discrimination protections in Greek law. The center-right coalition governing Greece re-

cently put forward a proposed hate crimes bill that covers sexual orientation – but not gender identity – in addition to race and national origin.

Lesbians are not acknowledged at all in Greek law.

Pride celebrations in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, regularly attract thousands of participants, and Greece is generally considered a safe destination for Gay and Lesbian tourists.

Greek police, however, are notoriously right-wing, and many are said to be supporters of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn.

In the past few years, Athens police have been accused several times of beating and torturing non-Greek immigrants. In 2008, an Athens police officer shot and killed a 15-year-old high school student, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, touching off three weeks of riots.

The Greek Orthodox Church considers same-sex relations an “abomination.” Nevertheless, during the series of scandals that

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

rocked the church in 2004 and 2005 it was revealed that several Greek Orthodox bishops had boyfriends, and at least one politically influential abbot was arrested for raping some 21 novice monks.

Golden Dawn, Greece’s far right political party, has gained support as the Greek economy spiraled down into seemingly

incurable crisis. It is now Greece’s third largest political party, with just under 10% of the votes in this year’s election for seats in the European parliament. The party is anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, anti-Roma, and anti-Gay. LIFO is a weekly magazine covering politics and popular culture.

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Dispatch

continued from page 7

Pablo Monroy

at Yakima Training Center at the time we saw smoke during the day.”

Resources were spread thin due to the amount of fires in the Northwest; some fires were left burning due to resources being needed elsewhere, he told SGN. “Entire sides of mountains are completely charred.”

Although he was not complaining (on the contrary, Sgt. Monroy expressed great pride in the job they were asked to do), he reminded us that members of the Washington National Guard all have “separate jobs and lives outside of uniform.”

“We were only supposed to be gone for a couple weeks, but plans have abruptly changed,” he said. “Some of my guys have better paying jobs outside of this, classes which had to be cancelled, even a couple with babies due soon. I myself own a business and have a full time job outside of the Army. It’s sacrifices we make to serve the people of our State and our Country.”

“We want to thank our families and friends who support us and our employers who understand our duties,” said Monroy.

“It was amazing to roll our convoy through Wenatchee and have the local police escort us through town and cars stopping, waving and cheering.”

In Leavenworth, Monroy said they had encountered “locals coming out of their shops to wave and say thank you. It was an amazing feeling.”

According to Monroy, the 303rd received training last year to fight wild fires as part of their job to assist in natural disasters.

The fires, which began in early July and haven’t burned out since, the Carlton Complex of fires, have burned over 400 square miles in the north-central part of the state.

Firefighters and local authorities weren’t even happy to see cooler temperatures and higher humidity because even though wetter weather has moved in, lightning strikes could have ignited more fires.

Rain also brought worries about the potential for flash flooding because so much ground vegetation had burned away.

“When talking about wild fires, we try to box the fire, to trap it into place – which is containment,” he said. “Then we go in 100 feet to ensure there are no hot spots, which could lead to the fire spreading – which is called control. After that,

we wait for it to burn itself out – then we can call the fire out. What we are doing is creating that box – which we call fire lines, and doing what we call “mop up” by going in 100 feet and putting out all the hot spots and small fires to control it.”

“It’s tough work,” said the sergeant, adding, “I wake up at 5 a.m. to get in line to eat by 5:30 and be at a meeting at 6 a.m. to hear the latest updates and our mission. By 7 a.m. we’re loaded up and sent to the fire line. We work and sharpen our tools; then are usually back at camp by 8:15 p.m.”

Once back at camp, Monroy says they wait in line for dinner, then in line for showers.

Good news came to the men and women of the 303rd – they were able to return home to their families after an aggressive effort began to win them back.

At more than 250,000 acres, the Carlton Complex is larger than the 1902 Yacolt Burn, which consumed 238,920 acres in southwestern Washington and was the state’s largest recorded forest fire, according to HistoryLink.org, an online resource of Washington state history.

The fire is being blamed for one death.

The number of homes destroyed in the Carlton Complex fire reached a whopping over 150. Two structures, an outbuilding and a seasonal cabin, were confirmed destroyed in the Chiwaukum Creek Fire near Leavenworth.

More than 2,100 firefighters and support crew have been involved with fighting the fire.

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