SGN September 12, 2014 - Section 1

Celebrating 41 Years!

Issue 37 Volume 42

Part2:Perestroika

Seattle Gay News

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SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Drag queens asked to change their names

by Facebook; all Hell breaks loose Facebook

Facebook

But I don’t know what Hell hath none of when a drag queen is scorned! One thing’s for certain, It has been said that “Hell hath Facebook is about to find out; beno fury like a woman scorned.” cause there are some drag queens It’s true. We’ve all seen proof of it. that are pissed and they are orby Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

ganizing and starting petitions and planning God knows what else, all because they were asked to change their Facebook profile name from a stage name back to their “real” name.

SCOTUS will look at all marriage cases

I will wait for you to roll your eyes.

I did…. I mean, where do these drag queens and burlesque entertainers get off thinking that they have the right to tell Facebook what to do when, by signing up for the free online social network, they are legally agreeing to its rules, right?

Well…. Not so fast! Truth be told, there is a very good reason why the shit has hit the fan, as they say.

It all started a few days ago, when a number of Capitol Hill drag queens began to post that Facebook has frozen their accounts, and demanded that they post using their birth name, and migrate their stage name from a personal page to a business or fan page. Now, somebody should’ve warned Facebook officials that – even if you are right – it will always be a fight when you demand a drag queen do anything they don’t want to do. I immediately thought, “Well this is going to get ugly.” And it has.

But not for the reasons I (and I’m sure many of you) thought.

A majority of the drag queens I spoke with see this as having the

potential to get people fired, hurt, or outed as LGBTQ. Not so simple any more is it?

Olivia LaGarce Local entertainer Olivia LaGarce took action and started a Change.org petition on Wednesday, which, as Seattle Gay News goes to press, has over 1,100 signatures. Olivia LaGarce says that the actions taken by Facebook officials “Undermines the online communities we have built over the past several years using our stage names.

Our chosen names are an important part of our identities and how we interact with our peers and audiences.”

“Although our names might not be our “legal” birth names, they are still an integral part of our identities, both personally and to our communities,” Olivia LaGarce says in the petition, which can be found at http://www.change.org/p/facebookallow-performers-to-use-theirstage-names-on-their-facebookaccounts?utm_campaign=friend_insee Drag page 8

Saving the lives of veterans Business Insider

about.me

at September 29 conference to decide which ones to hear

Anti-Proposition 8 demonstrators are shadowed by a rainbow banner

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The U.S. Supreme Court has listed all pending marriage cases for consideration at its September 29 conference. At that meeting, the first after the justices return from their four-month summer vacation, the court will determine which cases – if any – they will accept for hearings.

The Court will then release an Orders List on October 6 that indicates which – if any – marriage cases it will consider for its 2014-2015 term.

Appeals from five states are pending – Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. In addition, a ruling is expected soon from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in cases from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The Ninth

Circuit has already heard arguments in cases from Idaho and Nevada. Cases from Texas and Florida Dan Choi are also before appellate courts.

Any or all of these could be add- by Shaun Knittel time, he’s working to help those ed to the Supreme Courts list of SGN Associate Editor who are not serving; veterans. potential cases.

Choi reached out to Seattle Gay Dan Choi, the activist who rose News to alert us about an issue he The justices are under no obligation to accept appeals. They could to notoriety during the battle to says needs attention. drop DADT from the pages of milsee Scotus page 4 itary life, is at it again – only this see Dan Choi page 4

2 Seattle Gay News

September 12, 2014

Celebrating 41 Years!

Thomas Geyer/AP – Courtesy of The Guardian

Reverend Linda Hunsaker presides over the wedding of Vivian Boyack (left) and Alice Dubes (center) in Davenport, IA. More than seven decades after beginning their relationship, Vivian Boyack and Alice “Nonie” Dubes got married.

Freely Speaking Toastmasters comes out in laughter – you’re invited!

by Barbara Sehr Special to the SGN

“Gather ye huddled masses yearning to speak freely, The timid refuse of years of isolation.

Send these, the apprehensive would-be orators, I lift my golden tongue to set them free!”

Visit us online www.sgn.org

When was the last time you opened yourself to competitive speaking? Come. Get a taste of what it’s like this Monday. Not only will you see well-crafted speeches, but a similar competition in “Table Topics.” The latter is a two-minute test of spontaneous speech – something required by almost everyone who gathers with other humans. Contestants have up to two minutes to serve up an answer to an on-the-spot question. Table Topics is the ultimate response criterion for assembling thoughts. Sometimes, it is another opportunity to generate laughter. mineeds.com

In a world where public speaking is feared more than death itself, a gallant band of orators is preparing for still another championship season at Freely Speaking Toastmasters. In an organization tied together in the spirit of Ralph Smedley and Harvey Milk, orators are encouraged to come out funny and carry a five-to-sevenminute yarn.

The annual fall club competition on Monday, September 15, at 7 p.m. will bring not only the typical comic relief, but intimate guffaws at the LGBT life. Freely Speaking Toastmasters, which meets at Fred Lind Manor (1802 17th Ave.) on Capitol Hill every Monday night, is a rare LGBT outpost in the huge Toastmasters International community. For more than 25 years, the club has distinguished itself by preparing the once-timid to open their vocal chords to tempered speech, grounded in organization, built on strong words and dipped in vocal variety. In the end, contestants rise to at least the periphery of oration.

To paraphrase the dream of Toastmasters International Founder Ralph Smedley nearly a century ago:

The winning competitor Monday goes on to the Area competition to go up against speakers from other downtown-area clubs. Ultimately, Freely Speaking winners can move on to the Division and District level. There is a long tradition of speaking excellence at Freely Speaking Toastmasters. I know; I literally came out to the District 2 Toastmasters world through a humorous speech that made me a runner-up in the 2005 District finals. This year, as master of ceremonies for the contest, I will be mastering the fresh, young toasties – some approaching competition for the first time.

Barbara Sehr

September 12, 2014

Seattle Gay News 3

Dispute over decency

Religious radicals are marketers of mistreatment, and it’s time to call them on it It is amazing what indecent things some people say and do in the name of decency.

If your Christian parents throw you out of the house for being Gay, and they cite Scripture, it is probably St. Paul, specifically 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” Regarding the reference to homosexuality, Bible Gateway explains, “The two Greek terms translated by this phrase refer to the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts.” But let’s not quibble over translations, nor scour the Bible Concordance for the precise connection between God’s kingdom and kicking out children.

The point is that some people really believe this crap, and it’s causing harm, and it’s time we stopped being shy about it.

After organizers of New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade decided to allow an NBC-affiliated LGBT group to march, the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue envisioned Gay marchers masturbating in the street. Father Charles Pope, blogging for the Archdiocese of Washington, called the parade an “anal sex” celebration.

These men are quieter about the papal nuncio to the Dominican Republic fleeing to Rome to avoid justice for abusing shoeshine boys.

The Illinois Family Institute’s Laurie Higgins, attacking the American Library Association, called for “picture books that show the joy a little birdie experiences when after the West Nile virus deaths of her two daddies, she’s finally adopted by a daddy and mommy.”

Higgins cannot give even grudging credit to same-sex couples who provide loving and nurturing homes to children whose daddy and mommy threw them away.

After football’s Gay pioneer Michael Sam was signed to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, right-wing lobbyist Jack Burkman promised a massive protest for September 7, then canceled it claiming he received death threats. Burkman says, “We cannot just stand idly by as Christian values and morals are trampled.” His former lobbying firm disowned him for pushing a ban on Gay NFL players.

The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer claimed that Sam’s hiring discriminated against every straight player, as if Sam’s MVP collegiate record and strong preseason performance count for nothing. This assumes that any Gay person, however gift-

Scotus

ed, ranks below the least gifted straight person. It is no wonder that most of the breakthrough Gay athletes are black; they have dealt with similar blind contempt before.

The religious bullies love the angry Jesus chasing moneylenders from the temple. The trouble is, they themselves are the moneylenders’ modern equivalents. Televangelist Pat Robertson recently told an 80-year-old woman who could not pay her bills that she should go back to work and sell her junk on eBay to continue tithing. Elmer Gantry never left us; he merely traded his revival tent for better technology.

The old virtue of decency was powerfully defended amid Cold War paranoia in 1954 at the Army-McCarthy hearings. Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-WI) had attacked Joseph Welch, head counsel for the U.S. Army, by noting the past membership in the left-wing National Lawyers Guild of a junior member of Welch’s law firm. Welch’s televised rebuke made history: “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”

Reactions suggested that Welch spoke for many others, but unlike others, he stepped up.

Those who make their living spewing hysterical nonsense are not stopping. Mission America’s Linda Harvey calls LGBT youth centers recruiting stations. She previously blamed Gay teens for their homelessness.

We help defeat the Linda Harveys by showing in our lives and loves what real decency is about. As Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)

Welch-McCarthy Hearings

Day Parade,” Michelangelo Signorile, The 8. “Protests outside AT&T Stadium canHuffington Post, September 4, 2014, http:// celed due to death threats,” Natalie Solis, www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/cath- Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, September 7, olic-eader-keep-your-_n_5765004.html 2014, http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/26468104/protests-outside-att-stadium4. “DC Archdiocese: Cancel The St. canceled-due-to-death-threats Patrick’s Day Parade ‘Anal Sex’ Celebration,” Joe Jervis, Joe.My.God., Septem9. “Firm disowns lobbyist selling anti-gay ber 4, 2014, http://joemygod.blogspot. bill,” Mike Lillis and Rebecca Shabad, The com/2014/09/father-charles-pope-cancel- Hill, February 25, 2014, http://thehill.com/ st-patricks.html blogs/blog-briefing-room/199263-firmdisowns-lobbyist-selling-anti-gay-nfl-bill Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and ac5. “For Nuncio Accused of Abuse, Domintivist. He can be reached at rrosendall@ icans Want Justice at Home, Not Abroad,” 10. “Fischer: NFL ‘Discriminated Against starpower.net.

Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times, Everybody But Michael Sam,’” Brian TashCopyright © 2014 by Richard J. Rosendall. August 23, 2014, http://www.nytimes. man, Right Wing Watch, September 5, 2014, All rights reserved. com/2014/08/24/world/americas/whisked- http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/ away-vatican-ambassador-accused-of-sex- fischer-nfl-discriminated-against-everyReferences: ual-abuse-of-minors.html?_r=0 body-michael-sam 1. “The Forsaken: A Rising Number of Homeless Gay Teens Are Being Cast Out

by Religious Families,” Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, September 3, 2014, http://www. rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-forsaken-a-rising-number-of-homeless-gayteens-are-being-cast-out-by-religious-families-20140903 2. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, English Standard Version, Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthia ns+6%3A9-10&version=ESV 3. “Catholic League’s Bill Donohue: Gays Must Keep Pants On If Marching In St. Pat’s

accept all, or take some, but not others, or they could reject all the appeals and let lower court decisions stand. They could also put off a decision on which cases to hear until all marriage cases have worked their way through the appeals courts.

Curiously enough, both sides in the samesex marriage debate want the Supreme Court to rule on the issue. AFER (the American Foundation for Equal Rights), which argued the Prop 8 case before the Supreme Court and now represents same-sex couples in the Virginia case, urged the High Court to take speedy action on the pending appeals.

“Gay and lesbian couples in Virginia should not have to wait another day to enjoy their right to marry,” said AFER Executive Director, Adam Umhoefer.

“The distribution of our case for the Court’s consideration brings us one step closer to our mission of marriage equality for all Americans. Our Constitution’s guarantee of liberty and equality soon will be re-

alized for all loving and committed couples, no matter what state they reside in.”

Attorneys representing Utah same-sex couples agreed.

“The State of Utah and the plaintiff couples agree that it is important the Supreme Court take this case and settle the constitutional questions at stake, questions that matter so much to the families we represent and to so many others across the country,” attorney Peggy Tomasic said.

“It is time to end the legal bans that keep committed couples from standing up and making the unique pledges of marriage to each other – pledges that would allow their families protection and security everywhere in this country,” GLAD attorney Mary Bonauto added.

All of the national LGBT legal groups are involved in one or more of the pending cases – ACLU, AFER, GLAD, Lambda Legal, and NCLR. In addition, most LGBT rights groups have filed amicus briefs in the cases, laying out their arguments for marriage equality.

Anti-Gay groups have also filed a number of amicus briefs, both with appellate courts and with the Supreme Court.

4 Seattle Gay News

September 12, 2014

continued from cover

Wikimedia commons

by Richard J. Rosendall SGN Contributing Writer

6. “Laurie Higgins: Libraries Need Books About The ‘Joy’ Kids Feel When Their Gay Parents Die,” Miranda Blue, Right Wing Watch, September 4, 2014, http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/laurie-higginslibraries-need-books-about-joy-kids-feelwhen-their-gay-parents-die 7. “American Football: Michael Sam - the Gay Dallas Cowboy who Christians don’t want to play,” Tim Walker, The Independent, September 7, 2014, http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/national-football-league/american-football-the-gay-dallas-cowboy-who-christians-dont-want-toplay-9716604.html

11. “Pat Robertson Tells 80-year-old Worried Over Money: Keep Tithing, Find A Job, Sell Stuff On EBay,” David, Crooks and Liars, September 4, 2014, http://crooksandliars. com/2014/09/pat-robertson-tells-80-yearold-worried 12. Point of Order, documentary film, dir. Emile de Antonio, 1964, http://youtu. be/2EhOdSSI8n4 at 1:18:00 - 1:25:00 13. “Linda Harvey: Gays ‘Preying On Children’ At Youth Centers,” Brian Tashman, Right Wing Watch, September 4, 2014, http:// www.rightwingwatch.org/content/lindaharvey-gays-preying-children-youth-centers

Dan Choi

continued from cover “The war on veteran suicide starts at home,” reads a message on the Change. org petition that Choi created this week: http://www.change.org/p/jerry-brownand-sec-of-veterans-affairs-robert-amcdonald-save-lives-of-veterans?utm_ campaign=friend_inviter_chat&utm_ medium=facebook&utm_source=share_ petition&utm_term=permissions_dialog_ false&share_id=gUeWOqBkld Choi is asking that citizens petition the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald and California Governor Jerry Brown to “Save Lives of Veterans,” claims Choi.

“13 years after 9/11, we have a serious veteran suicide epidemic: veterans have the highest suicide rate of any population in America. 22 of us kill ourselves every day,” he said. “Please, remember that before you go to bed tonight: from this moment to then, 22 veterans will no longer breathe the same air as us, they won’t enjoy the same freedom they protected for all of us.”

“Tell Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, every community college can and must provide veterans with full-time health clinics, just like at the City College of San Francisco,” says Choi. “There, they can find resources for mental health, PTSD, Military Sexual Trauma, survivor’s guilt, and community for healing and growth. There are more than 61,000 veterans and 9,000 active duty troops enrolled in California Community Colleges alone.

We have the largest college system in the world. Many veterans choose California to restart life, so let’s start here.”

According to Choi, veterans are trained in violence but we can offer them a new life: they can come home and provide leadership and continued service in a non-violent, forward looking and hopeful way.

“They served us. Let’s serve them. This 9/11, please reach out to a veteran today.

Demand full-time clinics at our community colleges.,” concludes Choi. “#NeverForget.”

Celebrating 41 Years!

IN MEMORIAM – Jeffrey Alan Babb born on June 7, 1966 in Sacramento, CA. Jeff and his family lived in Pullman, Washington, where he spent his childhood, then graduating from Pullman High School in 1984. Jeff ’s early career was a desk job for an insurance company. The insurance industry allowed Jeff to earn a good income and buy his Capitol Hill home. After putting in several years with the medical field, Jeff was able to get his dream job working at Rare Coin Gallery.

As a respected coin and paper currency collector and dealer, Jeff was passionate about collecting original fine art, kitsch, Victorian antiques, porcelain teacups and saucers, vintage wristwatches, odd Chinese ceramics, and beautiful Depression glass.

Jeff was an avid reader. He maintained a library of hundreds of world-history books.

He placed foreign paper money into the many pages and volumes as bookmarks, leaving a future treasure for his heirs – hidJEFFREY ALAN BABB den in books he loved to read.

1966 - 2014 Much of his collection consisted of humorous eclectic items he cherished for only Capitol Hill resident Jeff Babb passed their camp factor. Above his toilet hung away suddenly at home on August 8, 2014 a framed photograph of Queen Victoria. from cardiac failure at the age of 48. Jeff was

Jeff was very generous to his many friends, giving gifts of World War II currency, Judy Garland or Ethel Merman records, aperitif crystal glasses, or trashy Las Vegas ashtrays. Jeff ’s friends were very important to him and sharing stories of how he found his treasures was something he always enjoyed sharing. The unique “finds,” as Jeff would say, would have a way of connecting personally to his friends.

Most days, one could find Jeff seated at The Cuff Complex, reading a history book stuffed with antique paper money and enjoying the camaraderie of friends. His favorite table at The Cuff he referred to as “The Office” where he would show off his daily thrift store treasures with the spirit as if he had hit the jackpot. A signed Tiffany’s with a dent was as good as any museum piece for Jeff.

Reminding one of Truman Capote, Jeff possessed the wit of Oscar Wilde and the social graces of Jerry Springer – he could argue the virtues and vices of society, with the professional banter of a curmudgeon on a rant.

Ebenezer Scrooge and Oscar the Grouch

would have enjoyed Jeff ’s humor.

His beloved cat, King Friday, was the former resident cat of Coffee Messiah. Friday moved from the coffee shop to live with Jeff in cat retirement. Jeff described his beloved cat as, “an older grey striped gentleman with a bad hip.” Friday’s water dish was a fine French Limoges porcelain.

Jeff is survived by his loving parents, Elaine and Alan Babb of West Vancouver, BC, his sister Susan Boher (and Howard) of Redmond, WA, nephews Cameron and Nicholas, and an extended family of aunts, an uncle, cousins and many, many friends in the community.

Vancouver, British Columbia was a second home to Jeff, who with great fondness called it “the old country” when he returned to visit “mum and dad.” Jeff had a deep loving care for all the people in his life; his loved ones will miss him. Many stories of Jeff ’s life will keep his memory living on.

A memorial event is planned at The Cuff Complex, on the back patio, Saturday, September 27th, 2014, 3 to 5 p.m., with a potluck following.

Berry boycott hits Broadway and Pike Farm workers ask for support from local shoppers Thirty local supporters of Skagit Valley farmworkers gathered in front of the QFC at Broadway and E. Pike St. September 10, to dramatize a boycott of Sakuma Brothers Farms.

Sakuma specializes in berries, which it markets under its own name, and under the Driscoll’s trademark. They also supply berries to Haagen Dazs ice cream.

According to Familias Unidas por la Justicia (Families United for Justice, or FUJ), the union Sakuma’s workers formed to protect their interests, Sakuma Brothers is guilty of systematic wage theft, particularly from young workers, and racially biased harassment of their workers – most of them Latino immigrants.

Sakuma workers also say the employer has retaliated for their unionization drive by firing activists, expelling them from companyprovided housing, and sending private security forces into workers’ camps, all in violation of Washington state labor law.

Although Skagit County judge Susan Cook ordered Sakuma Brothers to rehire fired workers in May, and to provide housing for its workers and their families in a separate July ruling, the farmworkers’ union says the employer continues its unfair labor practices.

Workers began their boycott of Sakuma berries to put pressure on the company to recognize the union and come to a fair settlement of their complaints. They are not asking for shoppers to boycott QFC or other stores, they said, just to stop buying the berries.

Elena Perez of UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) Local 21, the union that represents workers at QFC and other local markets, said her union’s members support the farmworkers.

“It’s a workers rights issue,” Perez told SGN. “We’re in solidarity with our fellow union members. Some of our [UFCW] members have passed out flyers for the boycott.

COURTESY OF FUJ

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Activists hold banner in support of Familias Unidas por la Justicia boycott of Sakuma Brothers Farms

“QFC is owned by Kroger, which also owns Fred Meyers – it’s a huge national chain – but we’ve reached out to locally owned stores to see if they carry Sakuma berries. We know that Madison Market/Central Co-op and Haggen’s do not carry those products.”

For Jeff Johnson, now President of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC), the current boycott reminds him of his early days as a WSLC staffer.

“Very soon after I was hired [by the WSLC] I was in a meeting with [United Farm Workers leader] Tomas Villanueva, and I was assigned to work with the farm-

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workers,” Johnson remembers.

“We’ve made a lot of progress for farmworkers since the mid-‘80s – now they get workers’ compensation, they get unemployment insurance, they get minimum wage, we have health and safety standards – but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Johnson said his organization, which represents 600 union locals and some 400,000 workers, would support FUJ and the berry boycott.

Appropriately, members of the Seattle Labor Chorus sang “Solidarity Forever” and other labor standards as the protesters handed out flyers explaining the boycott to QFC shoppers.

Members of Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) helped flyer passers by.

“We want everyone treated with dignity and respect,” PSARA president Robby Stern told SGN. “That doesn’t just apply to seniors.

Everyone!”

Also on hand were supporters of Socialist Alternative legislative candidate Jess Spear.

Spear herself was at another demonstration in support of fast food workers, they said, but she supports Sakuma Brothers workers and would speak out on their behalf, if elected to office.

September 12, 2014

Seattle Gay News 5

One Florida judge vacates marriage order Sun-Sentinel

Judge Dale Cohen Facebook

Heather Brassner

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer One of the Florida state judges who ruled in August that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional has vacated his previous ruling.

Broward County judge Dale Cohen cancelled a hearing set for September 10, at which he was planning to finalize the divorce of Heather Brassner from her wife, Megan Lade. The couple had a civil union performed in Vermont in 2002.

Cohen did not say he changed his mind about the constitutionality of Florida’s marriage laws, but he did say Brassner had failed to comply with all the technicalities of Florida divorce law.

“It has come to this Court’s attention that the Petitioner, Heather Brassner, has failed to comply with [state law] by failing to notify the Office of the Attorney General of these proceedings by either registered or certified mail,” Cohen wrote in his order.

“Therefore, this Court vacates its prior ruling declaring Article 1, Section 27 and Florida Statute 741.212 unconstitutional.”

Cohen added that “the Parties may schedule a rehearing” in the case, meaning that he might well reissue an order striking the same-sex marriage ban.

In his August 4 ruling, Cohen became the third Florida judge to declare Florida’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional,

following judges in Monroe and MiamiDade counties. Since then, a Palm Beach County judge and a federal district judge also have ruled against the ban, which Florida voters passed in 2008.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, an opponent of same-sex marriage, did not intervene in the Brassner case or appeal Cohen’s declaratory judgment against the marriage ban, causing Brassner’s attorney, Nancy Brodzki, to declare victory.

Brodzki told reporters she got a call from Cohen’s judicial assistant on September 9, after the judge realized the state had not been properly notified, telling her he would have to vacate his previous judgment.

“The judge, being a very thorough judge, obviously was doing all his research prior to tomorrow’s ruling and came across a rule of civil procedure as well as the Florida Statute, and recognized that that rule and statute had not been strictly complied with,” Brodzki said.

“He is being scrupulous that he, as the judge, and we, as the petitioners, have dotted every I and crossed every T. He found one and wants to correct it, so that his judgment, when it is entered, is not attacked on procedural grounds.”

Brassner said she is disappointed by the delay, but not angry with Brodzki.

“It was just an oversight,” Brassner said.

City of Winston-Salem recognizes same-sex marriage

6 Seattle Gay News

September 12, 2014

to 39% margin. Three same-sex couples North Carolina is under the jurisdicfiled suit in April seeking to overturn the tion of the Fourth Circuit Court, which ban, and they were joined in June by a co- ruled in July that a similar Virginia law alition of progressive religious groups. was unconstitutional. journalnow.com

The city government of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will now recognize samesex marriages performed in other jurisdictions where they are legal, and give equal spousal benefits to same-sex spouses of city employees.

In an August 28 letter to city workers, Winston-Salem Human Resources Director Carmen Caruth said the city would recognize all marriage licenses from any U.S. jurisdiction, regardless of whether the couple is same- or opposite-sex.

In her letter, Caruth cited the ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturning Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage and the subsequent statement by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper that he would no longer defend his own state’s laws against same-sex marriage.

“This means that if you are currently married to someone of the same sex, and have a valid marriage license from any state or U.S. jurisdiction, you can enroll your same sex spouse and children in all city benefits …” Caruth told city employees in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Winston-Salem Journal.

City Manager Lee Garrity said that the change was put into effect after receiving advice from Angela Carmon, the city attorney.

“What the city attorney indicated was that she felt comfortable with us going ahead and covering any marriage where

there was a marriage license,” he said.

According to QNotes, “it’s the first time a city or other jurisdiction in the state has fully recognized legal, out-of-state same-sex marriages.”

Legally married couples regardless of gender can sign up their spouses during a special enrollment period ending October 31.

Unlike some other North Carolina cities, Winston-Salem does not extend domestic partner benefits to unmarried couples, but the City Council is holding hearings on a revision of the city’s benefits package.

Garrity said the city does have same-sex couples who have gotten married in states where that is legal, along with other samesex couples who, for various reasons, have not attempted to get married.

Garrity added that he was now opposed to domestic partnership benefits, since same-sex couples would be accommodated if they get married. It would be more expensive, he said, to give domestic partners benefits, because such a rule might also apply to opposite-sex couples.

Winston-Salem is the home of several colleges and universities, including Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University, a historically African American school. It is the fourth-largest city in North Carolina.

North Carolina bucked the pro-equality trend in the 2012 election, passing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage by a lopsided 61%

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Carmen Caruth

Celebrating 41 Years!

Show biz not that Gay-friendly, new study says

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In spite of a growing number of out Gay and Lesbian entertainers, show business is not as Gay-friendly as it’s supposed to be, a new study by UCLA’s Williams Institute shows.

In a survey of 5,700 members of SAG/AFTRA (Screen Actors’ Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Actors), the Insti-

tute found substantial evidence of anti-Gay bias.

While 72% of LGBT respondents said that being out on the job “had no effect on their careers, and many would encourage other LGBT performers to come out,” 22% of Gay men and 13% of Lesbians reported they had experienced discrimination in the workplace.

An astonishing “53% of LGBT respondents believed that directors and producers are biased against LGBT performers,” the study said.

More than half of LGBT performers “have heard directors and producers make anti-gay comments about actors” and more than one-third reported that they had witnessed “disrespectful treatment” of LGBT performers on the set.

Almost one in eight straight performers reported witnessing discrimination against their LGBT colleagues, including anti-Gay comments by crew, directors, and producers.

According to the study, “gay men were

the most likely to report they have experienced some form of discrimination, with one in five reporting an experience.” Gender nonconforming Gay and Bi men were more likely to experience discrimination, as were men who were out professionally.

Because of such experiences, LGBT performers did not feel confident in being out to all their show business colleagues, especially those in a position to hinder their careers.

“While 53% of lesbian and gay actors were out to all or most of their fellow actors, only 36% are out to all or most agents they know, and only 13% of actors are out to all or most industry executives,” the study found.

“Although our industry is heading in the right direction, there is clearly work left to do as certain attitudes and behaviors persist and continue to put pressure on actors to stay in the closet,” Traci Godfrey and Jason Stuart, national co-chairs of the SAG-AFTRA LGBT Committee, wrote in a statement.

“We are confident that this unprecedented study will have profound ramifications for the entertainment industry as a whole. By utilizing the data it contains as it reflects the realities performers face, we can identify the obstacles to equal employment opportunities and full inclusion.”

Williams Institute, part of UCLA Law School, has been researching economic disparities that affect the LGBT community since 2001.

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer People living in the so-called “Bible Belt” watch more Gay porn than anywhere else in the country, according to Pornhub, one of the world’s biggest porn sites with an estimated 35 million daily users.

The Bible Belt – so called because of the predominance of fundamentalist Christianity there – includes the Deep South and extends through eastern Texas and Oklahoma.

The state of Mississippi leads the country in Gay porn viewers, with 5.6% of the population seeking out Gay porn. Louisiana and Georgia tie for second with 5.4% viewing Gay porn.

New York also comes in at 5.4%, the highest rate in the North. California comes next with 5.3%. Those two states aside, states where same-sex marriage is legal tend to have lower rates of Gay porn consumption than those where Gay and Lesbian marriages are still barred by law.

Washington state has a modest Gay porn consumption rate of only 3.7%.

Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, and Idaho have the lowest percentage of Gay porn users, all below the 3% mark.

According to Pornhub, the Bible Belt leads in porn consumption of all kinds.

The reasons for that phenomenon have not been researched, but it could be that prevailing conservative social values afford people there such a reduced opportunity for actual sex that they compensate with porn. It is also likely that Gay people feel more pressure to remain closeted in the Bible Belt and, therefore, view more porn in private than their counterparts in more liberal parts of the country.

The Bible Belt

September 12, 2014

Seattle Gay News 7

Drag

continued from cover

as well known. His birth certificate (which he took a photo of and posted on Facebook as proof) has his parents listing his name as CHASE NAHOOIKAIKAKEOLAMAULOAOKALANI SILVA. Someone at Facebook contacted him on Thursday and told him that he needed to post as his real name.

Here is the message: “Your account has been temporarily suspended because it looks like you are not using your real name.

Facebook is a community where people use their real identities. We require everyone to use their full name so you’ll always know who you’re connecting with. Don’t worry – you’ll be able to get back into your timeline with your full, real name. If you’re using a nickname, you can always add it back into your account later as an alternate name.”

Yeah … this is uncomfortable isn’t it? Silva says they were not having it at FB and so at the risk of losing his account, he conceded and now posts under Chase N. Silva. But he is not happy about it and has joined the ranks of others who are demanding this policy change immediately.

Just to make sure, I asked Chase Silva if at any time, whether applying for school or interviewing for a job has anyone, ever questioned the validity of his name. He says no, it has never happened once – until Thursday anyway.

But it doesn’t stop there.

viter_chat&utm_medium=facebook&utm_ source=share_petition&utm_ term=permissions_dialog_false&share_ id=HjXkgkdTNS. “These are the names we are known by and call each other and ourselves. We build our networks, community, and audience under the names we have chosen, and forcing us to switch our names after years of operating under them has caused nothing but confusion and pain by preventing us from presenting our profiles under the names we have built them up with.”

And then LaGarce says something that, on the surface might seem a bit self-indulgent, but in all actuality is completely true. “People we have known (or who have known us) for years are unable to find us, communicate with us, or recognize us in our Facebook interactions now,” she claims.

That is true. As the founder and president at Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) I often find myself booking queens for a gig or fundraiser and, even though I have worked with some of them for close to six years, I couldn’t tell you their so-called “real” name. I know Olivia LaGarce as Olivia LaGarce. That is who I would look for, and without the public outcry created by this petition to get Facebook to reverse its policy, entertainers would lose contacts. And when you are a drag queen struggling to make ends meet and buy something Google Plus new or be seen in something people will reOthers have tried, and failed, to do what Faceceive you well in, every dollar counts. book is currently doing – asking people to use their birth name when setting up a profile online And it’s not just drag queens. Here is where, for social purposes – most famously, Google I believe, Facebook is really stepping in it. Peo- Plus. In July of this year, the company abanple who have names that are – how would you doned the practice after three years of trying to say – more ethnic sounding than “John Smith” enforce it. In a statement to consumers, Google have been targeted and questioned about their said they were sorry for taking so long to change so-called fake name. This group of users tar- the policy, and for causing “unnecessarily diffigeted by the world’s largest social network in- cult experiences for some of our users.” cludes Pacific Islanders and American Indians.

According to Slate, when Google Plus “Many Facebook users – performers or launched three years ago, one of the peootherwise – use names that are not their ple who signed up was an Iranian activist “legal names” to help protect their privacy known widely on the Iranian Internet by the and anonymity, with good reason,” explains pseudonym “Vahid Onlin.” Vahid had good Olivia LaGarce in the petition. “Victims of reason not to use his real name because in abuse, trans people, queer people who are Iran you can be arrested for any online acnot able to be safely “out,” and performers tivity the government believes you should alike need to be able to socialize, connect, be arrested for. Which loosely translates and build communities on social media into: If they don’t like you, they will get you. safely. By forcing us to use our “real” names, But … if they don’t know who you are; well it opens the door to harassment, abuse, and then, that makes things harder, doesn’t it? violence. Facebook claims that the restriction When Google suddenly announced that on using “real” names “helps keep our com- pseudonyms would not be allowed and Vamunity safe” (https://www.facebook.com/ hid’s account was deactivated along with help/112146705538576), but in fact this re- many others. Activists in authoritarian counstriction enables our communities to be at- tries vulnerable to arrest for their online actacked and degraded, both online and off.” tivity and a bigger set of people who believe

of examples of Facebook users engaging in hateful behavior under their real names.

“Research about online identity shows that “real ID” policies are not as effective as their proponents claim,” wrote Rebecca MacKinnon and Hae-in Lim in a July 17 Slate.com feature about the failed policy. “Disqus, an online commenting platform, conducted an informal analysis of about 500 million comments by 60 million users and found that pseudonymous users wrote better comments (and more of them) than those who were using their real names, with anonymous users being responsible for the bottom-feeder-quality comments.”

Interestingly enough, an econometric analysis of a South Korean third-party commenting platform by two Carnegie Mellon professors reached similar conclusions: Although realname policies are “likely to reduce the probability of using offensive words, the greater number of users seems to prefer participating in the commenting activity by using their pseudonym accounts.”

“But they found that for active commenters, real-name policies actually increased the frequency of offensive words,” the Slate writers reported.

Surely someone at Facebook has to have seen this information before; one does wonder why then do they continue – even after Google Plus concedes the right thing to do is just dump the policy.

Well, after this article is published, they will know, as it joins reports from other LGBT news and entertainment sources reporting on the subject. Gay entertainment blog Queerty.com reported on Thursday after, undoubtedly the most well known Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, Sister Roma brought it to their attention. The San Francisco-based nun was forced to change her personal profile to Michael Williams – a name nobody, unless they knew Sister Roma personally, would ever even think to search for when looking to book the entertainer. Because of this, Sister Roma told her Facebook friends, “In light of the new demand by Facebook that we use our ‘real’ names, I am considering shutting down my personal page to concentrate on my “FAN PAGE.” I update it and interact as much as I can, but I detest the idea of having a fan page.

I’m not fucking Britney Spears. I have friends, not fans. At any rate, please follow me there cause this profile may be coming to an end.”

courtesy of

And the Olivia LaGarce petition addresses concerns over having to switch to a page instead of a personal account. “Facebook has encouraged performers to create or transition to “Like” pages, but even Facebook admits that pages typically only reach 16% of their audience, unless they pay to “promote” a post (https://www.facebook.com/marketing/posts/10150839503836337). We are not large companies with deep pockets, and we cannot afford to pay $30 or more per post to make sure that our friends and audiences see our posts. We are not businesses selling products, we are encouraging our friends to come to our events and performances, promoting charitable causes, and making calls to political action, with occasional mundane daily life updates like every other Facebook user.”

Again, I think Olivia LaGarce is right on target with this. Drag queens often reach parts of our community (and our allies) through their art. They do this, as many of you know, in kind.

While that is not of any concern to Facebook (Honestly, why would it be? They don’t have Copy of Chase Silva’s birth certificate to care.), the truth still remains in the words of Chase Silva in a person’s right to define and control one’s this petition – they simply will not be able to Most people on the Hill are familiar with lo- own online identity began to speak up. afford a $30 a post promotion fee. Following cal singer and Gay rights activist Chase Silva.

Google Plus took a beating and slowly that logic, you must again ask yourself, why is He’s hard to miss. Silva, like many of his Poly- eased up on the restrictions until finally lift- Facebook doing this? nesian/Hawaiian brothers and sisters is a tall ing them completely, and having to admit man with a booming voice and personality for that despite what they had originally thought, Facebook has remained silent about the issue, days. He’s sung for the governor, performed real-name policies just don’t seem to work. only occasionally pointing out their belief that the National Anthem at sports events and this will keep its users safe from Internet trolls. at political rallies and put in a ton of work to The issue with Facebook officials is that the But, as Olivia LaGrace points out, Facebook is help ensure the passage of Referendum 74, ul- company touts its real-name policy as a way of “a poor arbiter of what is or isn’t a ‘real name.’” timately granting marriage equality to Wash- holding users accountable for their behavior.

“Performers with legitimate-appearing ington state. His middle name, however, is not But, as Slate also pointed out, there are plenty names get locked out of their accounts, while

8 Seattle Gay News

September 12, 2014

people with account names like “Jane ICanBeBadAllByMyself Doe” go without scrutiny,” she says. “And, unfortunately, for those who choose not to use their legal names for reasons of privacy, safety, or preference, there is no way to access their account to download and preserve all their photos and information that they have built up on Facebook over the years without bypassing the name change requirement.”

Cherry Sur Bête Local Drag Queen Cherry Sur Bête, known for pushing gender boundaries (among others) is known for her ask that the community treat us and others with respect. In fact, it is because of her work as a makeup and performance artist who often blurs the gender lines, she has been asked to participate in an LGBTQ ongoing community forum (much like Ted Talks) called “Jake Talks: The Language of Gender” (http://www.eventbrite.com/e/ jake-talks-presents-the-language-of-gendertickets-12948688877) to be held September 25, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Gay City Health Project’s Calamus Auditorium (517 E Pike St).

I reached out to Cherry Sur Bête, because I noticed that a name change had occurred.

Cherry Sur Bête, who I know, is now Gina Sterling, who I do not know. And while yes, I could remember the new name and, yes, I could alert others to the fact that Cherry is now Gina, the odds of me or anyone else for that matter, taking the time to do this for each one of their drag friends, anyone Hawaiian without a true blue American first and last name, and so on, are slim. Cherry Sur Bête, however, is looking at the issue as one that is having a tangible social impact. And like La Garce, she is right on target.

“Our chosen names are an important part of our identities and how we interact with our peers and audiences,” Cherry Sur Bête explains.

“These are the names we are known by and call each other and ourselves. We build our networks, community, and audience under the names we have chosen, and forcing us to switch our names after years of operating under them has caused nothing but confusion and pain by preventing us from presenting our profiles under the names we have built them up with.”

Cherry Sur Bête says this could be damaging to their careers. “People we have known (or who have known us) for years are unable to find us, communicate with us, or recognize us in our Facebook interactions now; Like Pages do not offer the same freedoms in connecting with others as a personal profile.”

There are functional restrictions, says Cherry Sur Bête. “Facebook limits your reach to people who have actively liked your page unless you financially “Boost” the post. Additionally, you are unable to tag others in posts and in pictures. The Like Page structure is simply inferior to a personal profile in connecting and networking with others unless you are paying for their Premium Services.”

“Demanding that we need to disclose our “Full Legal Name” to the whole of the Internet is an invasion of our privacy and opens the door for harassment and abuse,” reasons Cherry Sur Bête. “Anonymity and the Internet has a long intertwined history. It used to be that being able to operate without anyone knowing who you are was one of the key doctrines of the Internet.”

In conclusion, the outspoken drag queen warns, “Facebook is now enforcing their policy of Full Legal Names (or appearing to use your legal name). Are people who require anonymity for lifestyle choices, safety, or career decisions meant to create a Like Page or simply not have an online presence? This will affect you if you are any of the following who uses a pseudonym: Performer Actor Dancer Drag Queen Mental Health Professional Sex Worker Victim of Abuse Anyone who identifies as a gender other than the one on your birth certificate OR anyone who wants to remain anonymous on social media.”

“Our goal in creating the petition on Change. org is that Facebook will realize the need for reform of their Facebook policies, create another option for people using pseudonyms, or simply allow users to go by their chosen identities.”

Celebrating 41 Years!

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Celebrating 41 Years!

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Celebrating 41 Years!

Dear Kiki With D, I am really bad at writing but I have wanted to do this for a while. Here it goes.

I met my friend at work. He is not a coworker but does work in my building.

Which is now my old building because I no longer work for the same company.

We started off as friends. We would go on smoke breaks together or go for walks during lunch.

He is a couple of years younger and is a single father. He works very hard for his daughter and just adores her. There have been a couple of times that we went out after work. It’s always a blast. Yes, things have happened. I truly adore this man.

But we live about an hour away from each other and I don’t drive. He will tell me he wants to visit, but then something always seems to come up. He has come once and has given me rides home when we hang out late in Seattle.

I guess I am really confused because he says things to me like “you hold a special place in my heart.” I understand that he is a single father and respect that he is not ready to bring his daughter around me, but there are times he doesn’t follow through or just doesn’t answer my texts.

I say actions speak louder than words.

Should I just let go? Does he really care about me? I am so confused. Please help.

–Does He Like Me?

Dear Does He Like Me, It’s time to have a talk about what you’re doing.

Ask him what he wants. Ask him whether he’s ready to see you more often and how that can happen. If he only wants an occasional date when he has time, that’s fine, but you need to know so that you can make decisions and manage your expectations. Find constructive things to occupy your mind and time until you can gage where he is at.

He probably does care about you, but his other priorities come first. The “actions speak louder than words” rule doesn’t always work with a single dad who’s spread thin. That’s why you have to talk.

No matter what, don’t expect this relationship to get more serious without you figuring out a way to handle some of the transportation on your own. If you guys decide to try to make this work, you’ll need to be able to get to him.

Love is a two way street, not a one lane highway.

Hope this helps. Remember be true to you, love yourself, encourage yourself and others.

–D

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Seattle Gay News 13

Greece delays civil unions vote, activists protest AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

fact that the LGBT rights measure had been languishing in parliament for the past three years. Former Socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou promised to legalize same-sex civil unions after he was elected in 2008, but his government was soon overwhelmed with Greece’s economic crisis, and he lost his parliamentary majority in 2011 without passing the legislation.

Last November, the Council of Europe’s Court of Human Rights ruled that Greek family law illegally discriminated against Gay and Lesbian couples, and ordered the Greek government to pay damages to four same-sex couples who took the case to the court in Strasbourg, France.

This year, another 162 same-sex couples A Lesbian couple holds a banner that reads ‘’Same taxes, same rights’’ during protest Transgender activist takes part in protest from Greece filed a similar complaint to ter-right coalition that succeeded Papanpressure the government to change the law. ner of two years, Aristidis Paraskakis.

“It’s about the right to ... visit a relative in dreou in 2011, and the Church is steadfastly “I think the changes will happen step by

by Mike Andrew hospital, to file a joint tax declaration, and opposed to same-sex relationships, so prosstep, as they did in other countries like [BritSGN Staff Writer ain], where first there was civil partnerships, all the rest,” Koukoulis said. “We do think pects for more than piecemeal expansion of Some 500 LGBT activists gathered outside then marriage equality, and then changes to it is going to happen because we are on the LGBT rights are slim.

The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which the Greek parliament building September 5 adoption,” said Tom Koukoulis, one of the right side of history.”

The wealthy and conservative Greek Or- is violently anti-Gay as well as anti-Semitic to protest after the government delayed leg- plaintiffs in the case. Koukoulis attended the September 5 demonstration with his part- thodox Church has influence with the cen- and anti-immigrant, has also gained in islation to allow same-sex civil unions. popularity as mainstream political parties The civil unions measure was to have been struggled to cope with Greece’s staggering part of a comprehensive LGBT rights bill. economic melt-down. Golden Dawn supThe hate crimes portion of the legislation porters – including ones inside the police passed, but the section recognizing sameforce – are blamed for several recent assaults sex relationships was left out. on Gay couples in Athens.

Justice Minister Haralambos AthanaIn 2008, a socialist mayor married one siou said civil unions had been left out of Gay and one Lesbian couple, taking advanthe legislation because further study was tage of the fact that existing Greek law did needed on how the partnerships would afnot specify the gender of people who could fect the tax and social insurance system, as be married. Many Greek Orthodox bishwell as family law. ops condemned the marriages as “abomi“I think it is an issue that requires us to renations” but the Archbishop of Athens spect the detail and the sensitivity involved shrugged off the incident. ... and should not be added on to the legisThe marriages were subsequently anlation we are currently discussing,” Athananulled

by Greek courts, but the couples have siou told parliament.

Gay couple kissing during protest appealed to European courts.

Adding to activists’ frustration was the AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

Aussie activists take on World Congress of Families

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September 12, 2014

Seattle Gay News

All but Nile withdrew the day before the conference was to start.

Nile, party leader of the New South Wales Christian Democrats, is known for his strident anti-Gay views. He has called for abolishing Sydney Mardi Gras on the grounds that it is a “public parade of immorality and blasphemy.”

In 2010, Niles made headlines when it was

discovered that his official state parliament computer had been used to download vast amounts of porn.

His conference host, Rev. Daniel Nalliah of Catch the Fire, is the founder of the antiIslamic immigrant party Rise Up Australia.

He once claimed that outback brush fires were God’s punishment for Australia’s liberal abortion laws.

Meredith O’Shea / Guardian

Australian human rights activists disrupted the August 30 opening day of the World Congress of Families conference in Melbourne, Australia.

According to the Guardian newspaper, about 100 demonstrators blocked the entrance to the building where the conference was to take place, preventing many of the scheduled speakers from entering.

Monty Python’s satirical song “Every Sperm is Sacred” boomed from a sound system and demonstrators waved signs with slogans like “Our bodies are our Property” and “Women are not Incubators.”

Thirty police officers formed a defensive line inside the entrance and conference security checked IDs to make sure only registered attendees entered, forcing conferencegoers to trickle in one by one.

In spite of the security precautions, one protester managed to sneak in as a registered guest. About 15 minutes into the program, Phaedra Press from the Whistleblowers, Activists, and Citizens Alliance stormed the stage. She was dressed all in white and covered herself in fake blood in front of Australian politician and conference organizer Rev. Fred Nile and his wife.

“We don’t want your backyard abortions,”

she shouted, before being marched out.

According the The Age newspaper, conference attendees were visibly shaken by the security breach and turned to prayer as the woman was hustled outside.

Outside, two protestors were arrested.

The World Congress of Families was supposed to allow right-wing Christians to gather and hear international speakers deliver an anti-abortion, anti-Gay, and antifeminist message.

Nile and other Australian politicians were to have been featured speakers, along with controversial American doctor Angela Lafranchi, who was going to use the opportunity to push her theory that breast cancer is linked to abortion.

But things began to go awry for the conference planners after two Catholic churches and three other venues pulled out of hosting it.

Threats of protests were only one reason for the cancellations. Event organizers had not purchased liability insurance or arranged security, and the small churches in suburban Melbourne were advised by police they could not accommodate the 350 guests expected to attend.

Then the right-wing megachurch Catch the Fire stepped up to provide a venue, but while space problems were solved, the church turned out to be too controversial for most of the politicians scheduled to speak.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Protesters outside the World Congress of Families conference in Melbourne

Celebrating 41 Years!

LGBT people suffer more mental health issues, get worse care, new study says LGBT people are two to three times more likely to suffer a chronic psychological problem, such as depression, than their straight counterparts, a new study by the University of Cambridge says.

The study, published September 10 by the Journal of General Internal Medicine, was based on a survey of 2 million people, with 27,000 identifying as LGBT. It is reportedly the largest survey ever conducted of the LGBT community.

The University of Cambridge, in England, conducted the survey in conjunction with Harvard Medical School and the RAND Corporation.

LGBT respondents were far more likely to suffer from chronic psychological problems, the study found. While only 5% of straight men reported chronic mental health problems, 11% of Gay men and 15% of Bi men experienced chronic psychological issues.

There was a similar pattern amongst women, with 12% of Lesbians and 19% of Bi women suffering from a long-term psychological condition, compared to only 6% of straight women.

General health was also of a lower quality amongst the LGBT community, with 22% of Gay men and 26% of Bi men saying they had “poor general health.” Among women, 25% of Lesbians and 31% of Bi women reported poor general health.

In contrast, only 20% of straight men

and 21% of straight women described their health as “poor.”

One explanation for the discrepancies in mental health may be found in another survey finding – LGBT patients are far less likely to trust their doctors and feel they have good communication with them.

The research showed that members of the LGBT community were 50% more likely then straight people to feel a lack of trust and communication with their doctors. The study also suggested that some had faced a hostile environment in which LGBT people were stigmatized by medical service providers.

This could lead to people postponing treatment, exacerbating pre-existing health conditions, the study noted.

The Cambridge research meshes closely with a similar study done by Gallup Healthways and UCLA’s Williams Institute and released in August. That survey also showed that LGBT patients had worse health outcomes and less access to suitable care than their straight counterparts.

“The survey shows that sexual minorities suffer both poorer health and have worse experiences when they see their [general practitioner],” Professor Martin Roland, director of the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research, said. “We need to ensure both that doctors recognize the needs of sexual minorities, and also that sexual minorities have the same experience of care as other patients.”

Straight University of Cambridge re-

www.sgim.org

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The Journal of General Internal Medicine

searchers struggled to explain why LGBT patients would distrust their doctors.

Emily Ranken, of Homerton College, Cambridge, suggested that the absence of LGBT issues from school sex education may be to blame.

“LGBT-specific issues were never mentioned in my sex ed classes at school,” she said. “[T]his has psychological implications – by omitting to teach any kind of queer sexuality, LGBT teenagers are given the impression that their sexuality is less valid and less acceptable, or just something their teachers (and by extension those in authority) don’t quite know

how to deal with.

“They have been taught that teachers, doctors, those in authority do not and will not understand any queer issues, however much nonsense that mind-set may actually be.”

Jasmine Walter, also at Homerton, agreed that a “preconceived misconception” may contribute to this distrust.

“I might suggest that perhaps a significant part of the problem is due to personal paranoia, and not the fault of the medical practitioners ... perhaps I only say this because I’m in a very privileged position, and haven’t ever really experienced serious hostility with regards to my sexuality.”

September 12, 2014

Seattle Gay News 15

“Find It, Fix It”–

Walk with mayor on Capitol Hill scheduled; SOSea releases security app

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Seattle Mayor Ed Murray will join SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole and members of the community on Wednesday, September 17 for the Capitol Hill walk in his “Find It, Fix It” series. At the events, community residents, police, and city officials walk together to identify physical disorder and solve it. As a result of these walks, Seattle City Light, the Seattle Department of Transportation, the Department of Planning and Development, and Seattle Public Utilities will supposedly work to make improvements in Seattle’s neighborhoods.

You can watch videos and view photos and read actions taken as a result of these walks at: http://murray.seattle.gov/finditfixit Although the mayor’s office has not released a lot of information about next Wednesday, Murray is expected to include a tour of Cal Anderson Park, named after the first openly Gay elected official in Washington state, who also happened to be the mayor’s mentor until his death in 1995.

The park has no doubt seen happier times.

Currently, it serves as a sort of home base, when the sun goes down, for muggers and thieves that turned August into a month of police reports about stolen phones and threats made with weapons.

Joelle Hammerstad, communications manager with Seattle Parks and Recreations told Seattle Gay News Thursday that at the request of the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, the lights will be left on at Bobby Morris Playfield until

2:30 a.m. this weekend and next.

“SPD has asked us to make this temporary change in order to ensure the safe passage of those who leave the [Capitol Hill] bars, which close at 2 a.m.,” said Hammerstad.

Stepped up foot patrols began last weekend and are reportedly going to continue, which many Capitol Hill residents hope will change the uptick in crime. Two men were arrested for street crimes in the Pike/ Pine corridor last weekend.

On Monday, Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) will hold a community safety forum and personal safety app launch at Grim’s (1512 11th Ave) from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/events/624851794289823/.

Concerned citizens are encouraged to show up and join the discussion, which will include local officials and police and community leaders as to what a solution to this crime looks like, instead of a temporary fix.

Everyone seems to be waiting for Winter to come so the crime can be less. That is not the answer, clearly. While SOSea does not pretend to have all the answers, we are interested in getting together with people who actually live, work, and go to school on the Hill, so we can get some action items together and start to turn things around. We are not an organization that starts out any meeting or approaches any issue by talking about who we won’t work with or holding exclusive meetings designed to keep the public out. You, I, SOSea, the bars and clubs and restaurants are the public. So let’s meet.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

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