SGN April 20, 2018 - Section 1

Celebrating 44 Years!

Issue 16 Volume 46

Seattle Musical Theatre’s The Producers produces lots of laughs SEC 2 PG 1

Star-kissed Kate at The 5th Avenue SEC 2 PG 1

Seattle Gay News

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China’s Weibo drops Push anti-LGBTQ legislation Gay ban after mass protests and we will come for you on Election Day

Photo courtesy of Jiangsu Tongtian Volunteer Group / AP

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Within 48 hours of announcing it was removing LGBT content from its website, the Chinese social media giant Sina Weibo reversed itself in the face of mass protests by users.

Weibo is sometimes called “China’s Twitter equivalent,” but with an estimated 390 million users – compared to 200 million for Twitter – it might be more accurate to say that Twitter is the Western equivalent of Weibo.

see WEIBO page 13

GLAAD honors Britney Spears, Jim Parsons and the Best of Gay Media

Gay Olympians Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy surprise with an unexpected kiss on stage at the 20th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. – Photo by Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer I was on hand in person covering the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Red Carpet at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA on Thursday, April 12. I had a chance to chat

with many personalities and will share those soon. However, the main action was on stage during the awards with Adam Rippon locking lips with fellow athlete, Gus Kenworthy. Hosted by Wanda Sykes, award recipients were announced in 12 of this year’s

see GLAAD AWARDS page 4

Chad Griffin, HRC President – Photo courtesy of HRC / The Washington Post / Getty Images

by Chad Griffin Human Rights Campaign Over the years, the ballot box has been a battleground for LGBTQ equality and our most fundamental rights. For decades, anti-LGBTQ forces have worked to repeal non-discrimination ordinances that provide

protections for our community at the local level. In dozens of states, these groups worked to ban same-sex marriage at the ballot box, sometimes even succeeding in enshrining these bans in state constitutions.

More recently, our opponents have run

see GRIFFIN page 6

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Celebrating 44 Years!

Seattle Gay News F O U N D ED 1974 MEMBER

2018

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In Loving Memory Of Steve Foiles • Scott Roger Alpert Cookie Andrews-Hunt James Leland Moore Randy Peters • Lee Richeson Shaun Shelton • Jim Tully James Arnold

JESSE’S JOURNAL

Wilton Manors: My second home

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer Thomas, Jefferson, who served as U.S. Minister to France from 1785 to 1789, was a passionate lover of all things French. (His political enemy, Alexander Hamilton, loved the British.) According to a famous saying attributed to Jefferson, “every man has two countries - his own and France.” Though Jefferson never said this, in his Autobiography, he admitted that France was his “second choice” for a country to live in after his own.

As the home of the Enlightenment and the Romantic Movement, France attracted intellectual and artistic pilgrims from all over Europe, Asia and the Americas. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries American students, tourists and expatriates, including many LGBT people, flocked to France for its history, its art, its literature and the freedoms that were often denied us back home.

As a Gay man who has lived in South Florida for most of his life, there have been several places that I called my home.

One place that I never lived in, but nevertheless consider to be my second home, is Wilton Manors. And I am not the only one. To paraphrase Jefferson’s apocryphal quote, “every LGBT person in South Florida has two homes—their own and Wilton Manors.” I visit the Island City several times a week, for business and for pleasure. Many of my friends live in Wilton Manors. My favorite watering holes are all on Wilton Drive: Hunter’s, where I often gather with my pals for Sunday tea dance; the Alibi, with its award-winning hamburgers; and Rumors Bar. Some of my favorite restaurants are also on the Drive: Shawn & Nick’s Courtyard Café; Rosie’s Bar & Grill; and EAT, among others. I often attend events at the Pride Center on Equality Park, most notably the Center’s weekly “Coffee and Conversation;” the Dolphin Democrats’ monthly meetings; and Congregation Etz Chaim’s Friday night services. I am even on a first-name basis with Mayor Gary Resnick and the City Commissioners.

Though Wilton Manors housing is rather pricey, I often think of moving there, if only to save on gas. Someday, I might do so.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Wilton Manors – Photo courtesy of SFGN

Since the gay nineties, LGBT people have moved into the Island City and made it a queer mecca. According to Wikipedia, “the city is home to a sizable LGBT population as well as winter vacationers, who frequent its many nightclubs and gay-owned businesses along the main street, Wilton Drive; the 2010 U.S. Census reported that it is second only to Provincetown, Massachusetts in the proportion (15%) of Gay couples relative to the total population ... It contains a large Pride center, the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, and a branch of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives, whose main facility is in neighboring Fort Lauderdale.

The Mayor, Gary Resnick, refers on his official biography to his male partner.” Wilton Manors’s web page (wiltonmanors.com) proudly proclaims its status as the “Second Gayest City in America.” Every year since 2011, South Florida Gay News (SFGN) chooses “WilMa” to be the “Best City to Live In” in its annual “Best of” issue. (I wrote most of the blurbs proclaiming that fact.)

SFGN is a proud part of Wilton Manor’s LGBT community, with offices on Dixie Highway just a block south of Five Points.

“Wilton Manors has become the soul, hub, and the epicenter of gay life in South Florida,” SFGN publisher Norm Kent wrote in the annual, SFGN-published Guide to Wilton Manors (now revised to cover all of South Florida), that “what was once a farming community is now a growing urban village, driven and powered by many LGBT entrepreneurs... Our community has bite, kick, and a bark. We are here, and we are heard.” Every two weeks SFGN publishes a supplement, the Wilton Manors Gazette (WMG), which includes my friend Sal Torre’s hard-hitting commentary. If you are LGBT, live in South Florida, and have not yet visited your second home, you should do as soon as you can: You will find lots of wonder here. In the Island City, the rainbow shines every day.

April 20, 2018

Seattle Gay News 3

GLAAD AWARDS continued from cover

25 media categories at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards presented by Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. GLAAD is the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. https://www.glaad.org/ At the event, celebrities sported blue “&” pins for GLAAD’s Together movement – representing GLAAD’s work on intersectional issues including immigration, racial justice, women’s rights, and LGBTQ acceptance. This subtle yet powerful symbol represents the power of solidarity and great accomplishments that occur when marginalized community groups – including women, Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ people – resist together.

List of GLAAD Media Awards presented on stage, and the individuals that accepted the awards: • Vanguard Award: Britney Spears (presented by Ricky Martin) • Stephen F. Kolzak Award: Jim Parsons (presented by Ryan Murphy) • Outstanding Drama Series: “This Is Us” (NBC) (accepted by: Denis O’Hare) • Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBTQ character): “Thanksgiving” – “Master of None” (Netflix) (accepted by Lena Waithe) • Outstanding Kids & Family Programming winner: Andi Mack (Disney Channel) • Outstanding Comedy Series: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (FOX) (accepted by: Chelsea Peretti, Stephanie Beatriz, and Melissa Fumero) List of other award recipients announced at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles: • Outstanding Film – Limited Release: A Fantastic Woman (Sony Pictures Classics) • Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series: “When We Rise” (ABC) • Outstanding Comic Book: Black Panther: World of Wakanda (Marvel Comics) • Outstanding Daily Drama: “The Bold and the Beautiful: (CBS) • Outstanding Digital Journalism Article: “Why Bisexual Men Are Still Fighting to Convince Us They Exist” by Samantha Allen (Splinter) • Outstanding Blog: TransGriot (transgriot.blogspot.com) Spanish-language winners: • Outstanding Scripted Television Series: “Las Chicas Del Cable” (Netflix) • Outstanding Digital Journalism: “Tres Hemanitos Para Dos Papás” por Jacqueline García (laopinion.com) GLAAD announced a Special Recognition Award for Jay-Z’s song and music video “Smile” featuring his mother, Gloria Carter, who used the song to come out as a lesbian, and a Special Recognition Award to the animated short film In A Heartbeat.

Speaking of Jim Parsons, he was surprised with an appearance by his fellow cast mates from the upcoming all-star Broadway revival of Boys in the Band.

Fellow cast mates joining Parsons on stage were Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Brian Hutchison, Tuc Watkins, Charlie Carver, Michael B. Washington, and Robin DeJesus.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives. They also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories from the LGBTQ community that build support for equality. GLAAD Media Award nominees were published, released or broadcast between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017.

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Celebrating 44 Years!

1) Comedian/actor and GLAAD Media Awards Hostess Wanda Sykes. 2) Olympic medalist Adam Rippon. 3) Actor Halle Berry. 4) TV personality Karamo Brown. 5) Actors Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz.

6) TV producer Norman Lear. 7) Music and comedy duo, Superfruit, perform on stage. 8) Actor JJ Totah and musician/actor Ricky Martin present the Vanguard Award to musician/actor Britney Spears.

9) Olympic medalist/TV personality Caitlyn Jenner and actor/performer Candis Cayne. 10) Actor Keiynan Lonsdale. 11) Screenwriter/actor Lena Waithe. 12) Actor Jim Parsons. 13) Actor Karla Moseley.

14) Actor Denis O’Hare. 15) “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” creator Daniel J. Goor (second r), and cast members (l-r) Chelsea Peretti, Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz. 16) GLAAD President Sarah Ellis.

17) Actor Leslie Jordan. 18) Comedian Dana Goldberg. 19) TV personality Gigi Gorgeous. 20) The team of Broadway’s Boys in the Band (back row, l-r) Actors Brian Hutchinson, Matt Bomer, Tuc Watkin, Andrew Rannells, Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, producer Ryan Murphy, and Robin De Jesus (front row, l-r) actors Charlie Carver, Michael Benjamin Washington. Photos courtesy of GLAAD / Getty Images

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April 20, 2018

Seattle Gay News 5

GRIFFIN

continued from cover smear campaigns designed to scare voters into taking away protections from transgender Americans.

But today, change is taking hold across this country. Americans are using their vote as a voice for equality. [Two weeks ago], Anchorage voters showed us just how far we’ve come.

On Friday [April 13], Anchorage certified election results that cemented the defeat of Proposition 1, a vicious measure, pushed by anti-LGBTQ extremists, aimed at rescinding municipal protections for transgender people in Alaska’s most populous city. In defeating this despicable measure, voters sent a clear message to the rest of the country that discrimination has no home in Anchorage, in Alaska, or anywhere in America.

This is a victory for fairness and equality that gives us hope, and a path forward.

Working in coalition, Human Rights Campaign joined with Fair Anchorage, local and national advocacy organizations, and transgender leaders in Anchorage to fight back against this discriminatory proposition. And we won.

We’re grateful to all those in the business community who opposed Proposition 1 and to the prominent Democrats and Republicans – including both senators from Alaska – who cast their own ballots against this cruel measure.

In Anchorage in the final run up to Election Day, the members of a grassroots movement were determined to tell that world that this measure is not what Anchorage supports. Their grit and tenacity in the face of bigotry and long odds filled me with hope.

And it was the hard work of these local leaders and advocates – the thousands of calls made, the doors they knocked, the conversations they had with members of the community – that resulted in this big win.

This victory has consequences beyond Alaska’s borders. Anchorage joins a grow-

ing list of cities and states that have shut down extremists at the ballot box. The city has delivered yet another high-profile rejection of the vile anti-transgender attacks that our opponents have resorted to all across America.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen how these attacks fail when informed voters see through the smears. Anti-trans attacks didn’t work in North Carolina – just ask Pat McCrory, the first North Carolina governor to lose re-election in more than 150 years.

They didn’t work in Virginia – ask Bob Marshall, who lost his seat to trailblazing transgender state legislator Danica Roem last November. And now, these attacks have failed in Anchorage, too.

But that doesn’t mean our opponents are going away. They’re behind an initiative that will be on the ballot in Massachusetts this November that would strip away statewide protections for transgender people. And in Montana, our opponents are attempting to put a discriminatory measure on the ballot mirroring North Carolina’s

HB2 law. These attacks must stop, and it is on us to stop them.

So let’s learn from our victories, like the victory in Anchorage. We have to continue to lift up the voices of transgender advocates and their families to inoculate voters against the lies our opponents spread. We have to organize and mobilize. We have to build coalitions and stand together. If we do that, we can win.

And as we continue to prove – from North Carolina, to Virginia, to Alaska – if you come for us, we will come for you on Election Day. Chad Griffin is the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization.

Courtesy of the HRC This editorial first appeared in The Hill http://thehill.com/social-tags/chad-griffin.

GSBA New Member & Volunteer Appreciation Cruise on April 18, 2018 Photos courtesy of GSBA

WWU Queer Con in Bellingham April 28 WWU Queer Con, a queer comic and geek-ery themed convention at Western Washington University will be returning for its second year on April 28. This event is being organized by a group of dedicated queer people who want to create a space to celebrate queer and LGBT+ identity, creativity, and community.

The goal for WWU Queer Con is to provide an opportunity to highlight queer stories and creators in an inclusive and friendly space and strengthen the queer and LGBT+ community at WWU and the Bellingham area. The people behind this event are striving to ensure that it is family friendly and accessible to anyone who may

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want to join the fun.

WWU Queer con will include an artist alley featuring professional and student creators, vendors offering all sorts of queer and geek related items, and panels focusing on queer stories and experiences. Cosplay is welcomed and encouraged!

WWU Queer Con is a single day event that will be taking place in the Academic West building on the WWU campus and will run from 10am to 5pm. Tickets, photos, and a schedule can all be found at https:// wp.wwu.edu/wwuqueercon/ Courtesy of WWU Queer Con

Celebrating 44 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

April 20, 2018

Seattle Gay News 7

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Celebrating 44 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

April 20, 2018

Seattle Gay News 9

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Celebrating 44 Years!

OBITUARY

“I Remember Mama” IN MEMORIAM: Sandra Paulson July 21, 1953 – April 17, 2018

by Ken Campbell SGN Contributing Writer Last Monday morning at 8:35 a.m., my beloved mother Sandra Paulson departed this world. In tribute to the lady who made me, I thought I would offer you readers a taste of who this woman was. Though, I should warn you, she was no Mrs. Cleaver.

Not even close.

My mother had the face of an angel, even though she was anything but. Growing up, all of my little neighborhood cohorts had crushes on her. She reveled in the fact that no one ever believed she could have a son who was my age. This was due to her having me at the tender age of 17, in addition to her natural attractiveness. But Mom wasn’t just another pretty face. She was definitely a character and a force to be reckoned with, if you crossed her. One of my earliest memories is of watching my mother’s notion of justice in action. Due to some squabble she’d had with the lady next door, she decided the way to balance the scales would be to take the ketchup and mustard dispensers from the fridge and “decorate” the poor woman’s laundry which was hanging out to dry. Mom had an unintentional flair for slapstick comedy and, as you might have guessed, a bit of an impulse control problem.

Most of my childhood was spent growing up in the projects of White Center, where it was not uncommon for parents to allow their kids to roam the neighborhood unchecked to cause trouble. Somewhere around 3rd or 4th grade, I recall being bullied by one of the older and much larger neighborhood kids in my very own front yard. His timing was poorly chosen, however, because it was around this time my mother would return home from work.

I remember watching her car as it came screeching to an abrupt halt in the driveway. And in true mother bear fashion, she leapt from the vehicle, her eyes blazing with fury and fixed on the neighborhood bully who stood frozen like a deer in headlights as she closed in on him. Seizing the boy by the hair at the back of his head, she gave a yank so his face was forced skyward.

She leaned in slowly, and through clenched teeth, icily said “Show me where you live.”

Then, she led the boy home, never releasing her grip on his locks while he whimpered and pointed the way with a trembling hand.

She was my superhero that day. Needless to say, the bully in question gave our yard a wide berth after that.

But Mom could also be merciful if she

Photos courtesy of Ken Campbell

wanted to be, which she demonstrated during another incident. I remember some friends and I were playing on a nearby construction site and I was curious to see if cartoon physics applied to real life by creating a makeshift teeter-totter with a 2x4, placing a large rock on one end and jumping onto the other end. The improvised catapult worked. The rock was launched directly into the eye of my best friend’s little brother, who happened to be standing over it at the time. He wailed in pain while he clutched his eye and did a frantic dance in place before running home to tell his mother, who I knew would soon be telling mine. I flew home in a panic, which I unsuccessfully tried to mask as I entered the house. My mother asked me if anything was wrong, and I deflected the question with a blank-eyed stare of innocence without a reply. Minutes later, there came the firm knock at the door of an angry parent.

My mother opened the door to reveal my

best friend’s little brother with one of the most horrific black-and-purple shiners I’d ever seen, as well as his morbidly obese and extremely cross mother. After his mom gave my mom the lowdown on my crime, I remember my mother placating her with reassurances that I would be punished for the misdeed. Then my mother closed the door and turned to face me, arms crossed, her brow knit in anger. My heart was filled to the brim with dread over the fate that awaited me. Then, to my absolute astonishment, she broke into fits of laughter. I really couldn’t tell you why, but she found the whole situation to be absolutely hysterical.

As I recall, my punishment was surprisingly mild. My mother had a robust, albeit occasionally, inappropriate sense of humor.

My mother most famously became known for her “Pat Benatar” impersonation amongst the neighborhood kids. One day, a whole slew of us were playing in the yard when we looked up and saw my mother

furiously “shaking her shimmy” as she flew past the living room window to the tune of “Love is a Battlefield”. I don’t think she realized she had an audience at the time, but tales of that hysterical moment live to this day.

She would never win Mother of the Year. That’s for sure. But she was mine. The bond between mothers and sons is unique in its strength and longevity, and mine loved me with a ferocity that was matched only by my love for her. Losing someone close to me is a new experience, so I’m learning as I go. Losing a mother is on an entirely different level. It’s an experience we all go through once in our lives. Very few things we’ll experience in life have the ability to break our hearts this deep; the sense of loss is palpable. But the void left behind by their passing is almost immediately filled by the love that was shared with them. Goodbye, Mom. I’ll miss you like oxygen. You’ll be in my heart until it beats its last.

HRC mourns loss of pioneering LGBTQ advocate Donna Red Wing

Donna Red Wing – Photo courtesy of HRC

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WASHINGTON – [On April 17], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, released the following statement mourning the loss of Donna Red Wing: “The HRC family is deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, Donna Red Wing.

She dedicated her life’s work to civil rights, and her legacy will forever be woven into the fabric of the LGBTQ equality movement,” said HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof. “Many in the HRC family had the honor of working alongside Donna during her time as HRC’s National Field Director and across many states and campaigns in more recent years. For more than three decades, generations of advocates bore

witness to Donna’s tenacity, deep commitment to equality and justice, and her many accomplishments, which inspired all those around her. Our hearts go out to Donna’s family and many friends who are grieving her loss.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.

HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

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Seattle Gay News 11

Courtesy of the HRC

The arts and LGBTQ community salute the life and laughs of Peggy Platt

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer There wasn’t a dry eye in the house at ACT’s Falls Theatre on Monday, April 16 as the arts and LGBTQ community paid tribute to celebrated Seattle comic Peggy Platt, best known as half of the comedy duo Dos Fallopia along with Lisa Koch and their annual iteration of “Ham for the Holidays,” who passed away on April 2.

The memorial was filled with both sadness and so much music and laughter.

So many spoke about their memories of Peggy, including Eric Des O’del, Andrew Tasakos, Grady West (Dina Martina), Michael Oaks, Lisa Koch and yes, the spirit of Peggy herself was everywhere.

Also spotted were Sylvia O’Stayformore, Clinton Jessee, Michael Strangeways, Maggie Bloodstone and more!

Photos courtesy of MK Scott

Seattle LGBTQ Commission seeks candidates SEATTLE, WA – The Seattle Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Commission seeks applications from interested candidates to fill several vacancies on the Commission. The Commission is a 21-member body that advises the Mayor, City Council, and City of Seattle departments on issues that affect LGBTQ communities throughout Seattle.

Commissioners promote positive change by working with community groups and individuals to identify areas of concern, by making recommendations regarding policy and legislative changes, and by serving as liaisons between LGBTQ communities and city government.

Terms are for two-years and are subject to confirmation by City Council. Applicants must live or work in Seattle and be available for monthly meetings from 6:30

to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at City Hall in downtown Seattle.

The Commission was recently involved in the process to ban conversation therapy in Seattle, has provided city agencies with input regarding homelessness prevention, and has encouraged the creation of safe consumption spaces in our city.

The Seattle LGBTQ Commission is committed to centering the voices, experiences and needs of historically disenfranchised individuals. We host a variety of community education and outreach events throughout the year, such as our annual Pride Flag Raising event to mark the beginning of Pride Month.

Applications should: • Be passionate about working with local government officials to improve experiences of LGBTQ folks

• Live or work in Seattle • Have meaningful connections within Seattle LGBTQ communities • Demonstrate a commitment to social justice and civil rights • Be collaborative leaders • Be able to regularly attend Commission meetings on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• Demonstrate a desire and ability to spend 8-10 hours per month working on Commission-related projects To apply, please submit a letter of interest and a resume to Erika Pablo, erika. pablo@seattle.gov or mail to Seattle Office for Civil Rights 810 Third Ave. Suite 750 Seattle, WA 98104, by Monday, April 23, 2018. Interviews with selected applicants will be conducted on May 2, May 3, and May 6, 2018. For more information on the

Seattle LGBTQ Commission visit http:// www.seattle.gov/lgbtq.

The City of Seattle is committed to promoting diversity in the City’s Boards and Commissions. The City welcomes applications from persons with disabilities, persons of color, persons of different faiths, immigrants, youth, aging individuals, women, all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

Please be advised: When you submit an application for a city commission or board, your application materials become part of public records. While unlikely, this does mean that it is possible for other individuals or agencies to request copies of your submissions.

Courtesy of Seattle LGBTQ Commission

Century Ballroom to host spring blood drive with Bloodworks Northwest on May 1 take Metro bus routes 11, 49, 60 and the Seattle Pioneer Square to Broadway Streetcar line that are less than a block’s walking distance to the venue. To sign up to donate, visit bit.ly/cbbwmay.

Reasons to Donate: 1) Each donation can save up to three lives 2) You or someone you know will need blood 3) You’ll have your own reasons Century Ballroom is hosting a spring blood drive with Bloodworks Northwest on May 1, 10am-4pm at their event space (915 E. Pine St., 2nd floor). Seattle Central

College has donated some FREE parking spots for folks that are driving to the blood drive (details will be posted at CenturyBallroom.com the week of the event) or

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What to Expect: • Donating blood is safe and easy • Takes 45-60 minutes (ONLY 10-15 of that is spent giving a pint of blood) • Most healthy people can donate:

https://www.bloodworksnw.org/donate/ eligibility#conditions How to Prepare: • Drink plenty of fluids This is important and being hydrated shortens the time it will take to donate • Eat a good meal before donating • Feel healthy • Bring photo ID Questions about eligibility? Contact the clinical specialists at Bloodworks Northwest: ClinicalP@BloodWorksNW.org or call (206) 292-2543.

Courtesy of Century Ballroom

Celebrating 44 Years!

Chicago’s spoken word artist Avery R. Young performs on April 26 at the Central Library Chicago’s spoken word legend Avery R. Young will perform work that spans the many genres of music, performance, visual arts and literature from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636.

Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required.

Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $6 after 5 p.m.

Young uses his talents to speak stories of turmoil turned to triumph. By examining Black American history and culture, his artistry celebrates social justice, equity, queer identity, and body consciousness while challenging misogyny, racism and homophobia. Young melds history, culture and art, blending phonetics, linguistics, hymns, jazz and hip hop in his work. His influences include James Brown, Nina Simone and Gil Scott Heron.

Best known as a poet, songwriter and performer, Young is also an award-winning

Avery R. Young – Photo courtesy of 3arts

teaching artist who mentors youths in creative writing and theater. He has been an Arts and Public Life artist-in-residence at the University of Chicago, and has written curriculum for Columbia College Chicago, Young Leeds Authors, True Star Magazine and Chicago Public Schools Art Integration Department. Young’s poems and essays on HIV awareness, misogyny, race records and art integration have been published in The BreakBeat Poets, The Golden Shovel Anthology: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks, AIMPrint and other anthologies. Young has performed at the Hip Hop Theatre Festival, Lollapalooza, WordStock and has appeared on BET, MTV, ABC and WGN’s “Morning News”.

This event is presented in partnership with University of Washington Bothell.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

Seattle Queer Urbanist StoryTellers to host fundraiser for LGBTQ Allyship on April 27 Seattle Queer Urbanist Storytellers (SQUS) is hosting a fundraiser for LGBTQ Allyship on Friday, April 27 from 8pm-10pm. LGBTQ Allyship builds power among LGBTQ communities and allies in Washington state to work towards economic, racial, and gender justice. We do this through community organizing, education, advocacy, and developing grassroots leadership in solidarity with other marginalized communities. SQUS is a new group that is forming to celebrate being LGBTQ in cities. Suggested donation is $10 to $50; no

one turned away due to lack of funds. The goal for the evening is $1,000.

The event will be held in a private home, a light scent/scent free household, with five steps to living room, NW U-District near Metro #45 and #67 bus lines. All are welcome; please be mindful to center queer voices at the event and be open and kind if called in. The event will include lots of different vegan and gluten free options and lots of pie and ice cream.

This is an alcohol and cannabis friendly event. Directions to home will be provided

with RSVP to seayimby@gmail.com.

Kids are welcome, but please let us know ahead of arriving so we can provide childcare activities and keep Laura’s dog in a separate space. Musicians are welcome to bring instruments! Bring your favorite poems and short stories to share about why you are nerdy about cities!

The house has 5-6 stairs to the front door. Please contact me if you have mobility issues and I will try to find a free ADA accessible location with a kitchen. We are a low scent home with a dog. Please do not

wear strong fragrances.

This event is to build community for Queer urbanists. If you identify as such, you are welcome. Friends and partners also welcome. No pets or children under 12... because my dog, Sydney, is old and reactive.

Feel free to send an email to seayimby@ gmail.com with any questions.

Courtesy of LGBTQ Allyship

INTERNATIONAL NEWS WEIBO

continued from cover Weibo said on April 13 that it would remove pornographic, violent, and LGBTthemed videos and cartoons over the next three months, singling out a genre of manga animations and comics that often depict Gay male relationships.

A Weibo administrator said the decision was part of an effort to make the online environment “clean and harmonious,” saying it had already “cleared” more than 56,000 violations and closed more than 100 accounts.

The announcement sparked a torrent of online protest. LGBT rights advocates poured online to criticize the decision using hashtags like #IamGay or #IamIllegal. Shares of Sina, Weibo’s parent company plummeted on the NASDAQ, losing 7% of their value before the stock exchange closed for the weekend.

Some of the most popular posts against Weibo’s ban came from the LGBT rights group The Voice of Gay. One of its posts was reposted tens of thousands of times by April 14, the official Chinese newspaper People’s Daily noted.

Well-known LGBT rights activist Pu Chunmei posted pictures of herself with her Gay son.

“My son and I love our country… we are proud to be Chinese!” she wrote. “But today I saw the announcement by Sina Weibo… as a source of news, it is discriminating and attacking minorities, and this is violence!”

Other criticisms came from regular

Activist Pu Chunmei (r) was one of the Weibo users who protested against the ban.

She posted this picture with her Gay son with this caption: “Be yourself, don’t hide.” – Photo courtesy of BBC

people. A Weibo user named Shanghai Mei Jie, who said that her son is also Gay – and that they both love China too. She added that despite legal gains in recent years, millions of Chinese LGBT people still suffer from the effects of discrimination and a lack of understanding.

On April 15, People’s Daily, which often

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speaks for the ruling Communist Party of China, published an editorial encouraging “tolerance towards Gay people” but adding that “vulgar” content must be removed regardless of sexual orientation.

By April 16, Weibo folded and reversed its decision. After the reversal, the value of Sina’s shares jumped up more than 2% in

international trading.

Same-sex relations have been legal in China since 1997, but LGBT Chinese still encounter discrimination and social pressure to marry opposite-sex partners and have children.

April 20, 2018

Seattle Gay News 13

religion & spirituality

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April 20, 2018

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April 20, 2018

Seattle Gay News 15