SGN May 13, 2016 - Section 1

Celebrating 42 Years!

Issue 20 Volume 44

FRIDAY May 13, 2016 FREE!

25¢ in bookstores & newsstands

SEC 2 PG 1

SEC 2 PG 1

TRANSLATIONS: A conversation w/ Alexandra Billings

May 19 - June 12

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

SGN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ACLU-WA Deputy Legal Director Jennifer Shaw

Dueling lawsuits over North Carolina discrimination law: State sues DOJ, I-1515 is illegal, ACLU attorney says DOJ sues back

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Jennifer Shaw, Deputy Legal Director ACLU Washington – seattle.gov

I-1515 is illegal, according to an ACLU attorney working with Washington Won’t Discriminate, the organization set up to defeat the anti-Transgender measure should it make it to the November ballot.

Jennifer Shaw, Deputy Legal Director ACLU Washington, told SGN that the initiative likely violates both state and federal laws, and Washington Won’t Discriminate is working on possible legal actions to counter it.

“At this point it’s still too early to set the legal strategy,” Shaw said, “because

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch – mashable.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

see ACLU page 8

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil rights suit against the state of North Carolina and its Governor, Pat McCrory, only hours after the Governor filed see LAWSUITS page 9

Washington State Washington Won’t Discriminate gearing up Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu to receive the to fight I-1515 Seattle Women’s Pride 2016 Luminary Award June 18

Washington Won’t Discriminate – washingtonwontdiscriminate.org

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Although it’s not certain that I-1515 will qualify for the November ballot, it’s no time to be complacent, leaders of Wash-

ington Won’t Discriminate told supporters on a May 11 conference call.

Washington Won’t Discriminate is the organization set up to fight the initiative, which, if it qualifies for the ballot and is passed by voters, would take away key civsee WASHINGTON page 5

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Sarah Toce, founder/publisher of The Seattle Lesbian announced that Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu will be honored with the Seattle Women’s Pride

inaugural Luminary Award. Toce is also the founder/promoter of Seattle Women’s Pride.

According to Toce, the Seattle Women’s Pride Luminary Award is presented to an individual whose purpose is to light the path for others in the LGBT community through their tireless commitment and dedication.

The award will be presented at the third annual Seattle Women’s Pride on June 18, at Q Nightclub (1426 Broadway) in Seattle.

Co-Chair of the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission, Justice Yu was named “Judge of the Year” in 2014 by the Washington State Association for Justice, Washington State Bar Association, King County Women Lawyers, Asian Bar see MARY YU page 7

2 Seattle Gay News

May 13, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

May 13, 2016

Seattle Gay News 3

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May 13, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

WASHINGTON

Washington Won’t Discriminate – washingtonwontdiscriminate.org

continued from cover

il rights protections from the Transgender community.

It’s no coincidence, campaign chair Seth Kirby told the conference call, that the group shares its name with a 2006 organization created to fight a right-wing initiative to repeal the Anderson-Murray civil rights bill passed that year.

“The name preserves 10 years of history, and we’re fighting to maintain 10 years of civil rights [protections],” he said.

The 2006 attack on LGBT rights legislation – which explicitly included protections for the Trans community – failed to get on the ballot. To qualify for the November ballot, groups pushing I-1515 must turn in some 246,000 signatures on or before July 8.

Kirby, who is also Executive Director of the Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma, said that even if I-1515 does not qualify for the ballot, the anti-Trans campaign still endangers the community and still requires a response.

“Whether or not it’s on the ballot,” Kirby told supporters, “we have to be able to

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respond if there are issues in next legislative session.

“This campaign is the first of many steps as people learn who Trans people are and how we live our lives.”

Immediately, Washington Won’t Discriminate will start to “build out and broaden the campaign,” Kirby said, by recruiting a campaign steering committee and training speakers and door-to-door canvassers.

“One thing we’ve learned is that oneon-one conversations make all the difference,” he said. “They make people feel more comfortable talking about Trans rights and how we live our lives.”

Among the next steps, Kirby said, would be to gather endorsements from other organizations. He also called on supporters to help out.

“Friend us on Facebook and share posts with your friends,” he suggested.

“Volunteer and talk with your friends and family. Host trainings with your organization, faith community, or business.”

The Pride Foundation’s Kris Hermanns hosted the conference call, and added that the SAFE Alliance, which was formed in

January to push back against legislation to repeal Trans rights, would stay in existence to do public education work.

Before Kirby spoke, attorney David Ward of Legal Voice outlined the consequences if I-1515 qualifies for the ballot and passes.

“In some ways it is stricter than North Carolina,” he warned. North Carolina is now being sued by the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) over its state law repealing civil rights protections for LGBT residents.

If I-1515 passes it would repeal civil rights protections that have been in place since 2006, Ward said. Even worse would be the preemptive provisions that would prohibit municipalities and other public entities like schools and colleges from making rules that protect Trans people in the future.

Finally, I-1515 would mandate that the state’s K-12 schools strictly segregate restrooms according to gender assigned at birth. According to federal authorities, this violates federal civil rights laws and could cost the state $4.5 billion in funding from the national government.

May 13, 2016

Seattle Gay News 5

Man shoots himself after 8-hour standoff on Queen Anne after the two men met in person, the alleged victim said he wasn’t interested anymore, although he told police that he and Lebedev were friendly and talked for a while. He gave Lebedev a glass of water, and then Lebedev left that night.

The victim alleges he had a change of heart and contacted Lebedev again on Grindr, and asked him to come back to the condo where he was in bed waiting for Lebedev to return. Prosecutors say Lebedev came into the room, threatened the victim with a handgun, and stole cash, two watches and a credit card, according to charges.

Alik Lebedev – Photo from Washington State Department of Corrections King County prosecutors described the robbery

by Shaun Knittel as “sophisticated,” in part, because they say SGN Associate Editor that before he left, Lebedev took the victim’s phone and removed the SIM data card, wiped A robbery suspect shot himself after an his prints from a credit card he touched but 8-hour standoff with police in Queen Anne left behind and forced the victim to delete the on Monday. According to the charging docu- messages they’d exchanged.

The victim remembered that Lebedev ments filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court the man has been charged with had drank the water he offered him when first-degree armed robbery of a man he met they first met. He found the glass and put it in a storage bag to preserve it for police and, on the Gay hookup app Grindr.

The charges allege Alik Lebedev, 41, a according to law enforcement officials, detecregistered sex offender, went to the victim’s tives were able to use DNA and fingerprints condominium on Roy St. in Seattle on March they recovered from the glass to identify Leb25 after the two connected on Grindr. But edev.

Detectives then obtained a search warrant and, according to officials, a SWAT team tried to serve a warrant at a residence in the 400 block of W. Galer St. Lebedev, however, barricaded himself inside the home and threatened to shoot himself or police and refused to surrender.

The man released a juvenile male from the residence about 8 a.m. Police initially reported it was the man’s adult son, but later reported the person was a minor with an unclear relationship to the suspect.

At 2:40 p.m. Seattle police reported that officers found the suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest inside the residence. Medics rushed the victim to Harborview Medical Center and he is expected to live.

Court records indicate Lebedev, a Russian citizen who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years, served two years in prison after he was arrested in 2006 in an Internet sting for trying to solicit sex and sending pornographic photos and videos to a police officer in New Hampshire posing online as a 14-year-old boy.

Lebedev also was arrested in 2000, when he was caught using a stolen car and trying to steal $4,000 worth of rings in a burglary at the Everett Mall Sears. He spent almost three years in prison for the burglary and 2-1/2 years in prison for the sex-offense charges. He was released the second time in April 2009.

Lebedev was in trouble with the police again in 2010, when he failed to register his address when he moved.

While Seattle Gay News does not profess to tell our readers how and where they meet for hookups or dates, it is important to note that

crimes linked to dating apps Tinder and Grindr, including rape, child sex grooming and attempted murder, have increased seven fold in just two years. SGN reminds Grindr users to be careful when using the app. Each year hundreds of crimes are reported to police by people claiming they met their attacker, blackmailer, or thief on a dating hookup app.

In June, 2013, 30-year-old Ali Muhammad Brown murdered two Gay men in Seattle, in a brutal hate crime that police say was premeditated and arranged on Grindr.

The bodies of two Gay men, 27-year-old Ahmed Said and 23-year-old Dwone Anderson-Young were found in the early morning hours not far from Capitol Hill, where the three men were last seen leaving R Place in Said’s car.

According to police, Anderson-Young and Said were both executed by Brown no more than 17 minutes after they had picked him up via Grindr. Both victims were shot in the head and there was no evidence of a struggle, robbery, exchange of drugs or any other type of crime. Neither of the victims had a criminal history, leading police to believe the crime was motivated exclusively by hate.

After Brown was apprehended by authorities, he revealed to detectives that he had, indeed, targeted the two men for murder and was charged with two counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Seattle police also identified Brown as a convicted sex offender.

According to media reports the murder of Anderson-Young and Said was not an isolated incident, unfortunately, and police remind people that apps like “Jack’d” and “Scruff” sometime prove to be just as dangerous.

SOSea to hold The Unicorn Collective first-ever meeting on Sunday, May 15

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Mac S. McGregor, Social Outreach Seattle’s (SOSea) Transgender & Gender NonConforming Director of Outreach, will host the organization’s first ever The Unicorn Collective meeting at Garfield Community Center, on Sunday, May 15, 2:30-4 p.m.

This once, monthly, meet-up group is designed to support Transgender, Gender

Queer, Gender Non-conforming, and Gender Fluid folks in their intimate relationships.

According to McGregor, “The Unicorn Collective is a social and peer support group for couples who have at least one person in the pair that is Transgender or Gender Nonconforming, which includes anyone under the Transgender umbrella, from non-binary, Cross-Dresser, Gender Queer, fluid, variant, Two-Spirited and their partners, spouses, or significant others.”

“For those who have children, said McGregor, “they are welcome, too!”

At each of the monthly get-together’s there will be activities for youth to be involved and the opportunity will be provided for them to make other friends who come from “unicorn families,” too!

The Unicorn Collective meetings are held the 3rd Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m. at Garfield Community Center (2323 E. Cherry St.).

Q-Squared Men charts new path forward – hosts Q-Nite presentation event May 21

Q-Squared Men, a local non-profit, has announced the start of a new program focus featuring local day trips with an emphasis on leadership development. The full details for the program will be presented on Saturday, May 21st in an evening event they are calling Q-Nite.

Since its founding in 2004, Q-Squared Men sponsored CAMP, a Labor Day Weekend getaway for Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender men and Q-Spring a spring retreat serving that same population. In March of this year the Q-Squared board made the decision to suspend the planning of both events.

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May 13, 2016

“We want to make it clear to our supporters and past attendees that our organization is not ending,” said Murray Anderson, president and chair of QSquared Men, “it is only changing. Our programs have always been a response to a need in the community, this new focus is meant to address a need for leadership development in a fun way.”

Rather than invest in two events that span several nights, Q-Squared is sponsoring a series of day trips to local destinations in the Seattle and Puget Sound area. The QSquared board invites local Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender men who want to be part of these day trips and who want to explore

the theme of leadership to attend the Q-Nite kick-off on Saturday May 21st.

The event will held at Central Lutheran Church, 1710 11th Avenue (at E. Olive St.) Seattle WA 98122 (across from Cal Anderson Park). The program starts at 6:30. Light refreshments will be served.

The mission of Q-Squared Men is to improve the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health of sexual minority men by building a stronger sense of community, increasing individual responsibility, and improving self-esteem. Additional information can be found at www.qsqaured.org.

Courtesy of Q-Squared Men

Celebrating 41 Years!

MARY YU

continued from cover Association of Washington, and American Board of Trial Advocates, Washington Chapter. She was also awarded the Municipal League Foundation’s “Public Official of the Year” in 2013.

“I am proud to be the daughter of immigrants and the first in my family to attend college,” Justice Yu writes on her website.

“I am also honored to be the first Asian, the first woman of color, and the first member of the LGBT community to serve on the Supreme Court.”

“The success of Seattle Women’s Pride is in large part due to the women in the Lesbian community working together, and we are beyond excited to announce Justice Mary Yu as our Luminary Award recipient for 2016,” Toce said. “Mary’s energy is infectious – she changes the world just by being a part of it.

We could not think of anyone more deserving of this award. May her light continue to shine for generations to follow.”

Seattle Women’s Pride 2016 is produced

by The Seattle Lesbian and is presented by Eastside Women’s Health Center. Toce will receive the National Diversity Council’s 2016 Washington LGBT Leadership Award on June 9.

Comedian Dana Goldberg, voted by Curve magazine as one of the “Top Five Funniest Lesbians in America,” will perform during Seattle Women’s Pride’s iconic one night only comedy show.

Previous Seattle Women’s Pride performers

have included “The Voice’s” Vicci Martinez and “Bravo’s” Julie Goldman. Lesbian fan favorite Brooklyn Dicent will open the show and continue as the emcee for the remainder of the evening.

“I can’t wait to get back up to Seattle to perform for Seattle Women’s Pride!

Something amazing always happens with the Seattle crowd, they are irreverent and smart,” Goldberg said. “Usually someone gets me laughing just as hard as I get the audience going. It’s going to be another amazing show!”

A stop at Seattle-based store REI is also in the cards for Goldberg, said Toce.

“Seattle is one of my favorite cities to perform in! There is such an awesome supportive…not to mention hot…community up there. The show is always one of my favorites of the year. Plus I get my REI fix… win-win,” she said.

Seattle Women’s Pride is an integral part of Seattle Pride heritage with sponsors that include the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Family Equality Council (FEC), New York-based GO Magazine, and Lesbian.com. Additional sponsors include the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, Bastyr University, the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), Seattle Pride, and Provincetown’s Bride Pride.

Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Jimenez at jjimenez@eastsidewomenshealth.com.

The 21+ event is ASL interpreted and ticket reservations are highly encouraged.

Tickets are $30 for General Admission

Justice Mary Yu – theseattlelesbian.com

or $45 for VIP (which gets guests up close and personal with Dana after the show) and are available via Stranger Tickets: https://

www.strangertickets.com/events/31940901/ comedian-dana-goldberg-at-seattle-womens-pride.

Car prowls on Capitol Hill happen often according to SPD data

by Shaun Knttel SGN Associate Editor Seattle Police officials released citywide car prowl data May 11 that included repeat locations as well as ranked Seattle neighborhoods by the frequency in which car prowls are reported. It turns out, according to SPD, Capitol Hill is the third worst neighborhood to park your car if you don’t want to increase the chances that it could be stolen.

According to data SPD collected from January to May 7, 2016, the top 10 neighborhoods that show frequent car prowls are: 1. Queen Anne 2. Downtown Commercial 3. Capitol Hill 4. Northgate 5. Roosevelt/Ravenna 6. SLU/Cascade 7. Ballard North 8. Belltown 9. University 10. Ballard South According to SPD, more than 350 car prowls have been reported in Queen Anne, which tops the list of neighborhoods with most car prowls. SPD says that nearly 350 vehicles were prowled in the Downtown Commercial neighborhood, while more than 250 were stolen from Capitol Hill.

SPD says that car prowls happen most frequently in the East Precinct at 7 AV/ Spring (parking lot by Seattle Presbyterian), 1609 Harvard Ave (Seattle Central College Parking Structure), and 900 Poplar

Pl. S (Seattle Self Storage).

Police officials say that in less than a minute, an experienced car prowler can break into a parked vehicle.

KEY TIPS • Do not leave any valuables in plain sight.

• Remove or hide anything that a car prowler might mistake as something worth stealing.

• If valuables must be left behind, hide them out of sight several blocks away before parking.

• Disable internal trunk releases per your owner’s instruction manual.

• Audible alarms or other theft deterrent devices can be effective.

• Remote controls for garages should never be left inside parked vehicle PARKING TIPS • Take a moment to observe your sur roundings when leaving or returning to your car.

• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.

• Increase the visibility of parking spaceson residential or business properties by trimming back trees and bushes, and installing motion-detecting lighting.

• Drivers can help keep thieves out of secure parking garages by taking a few moments to ensure security doors fully close

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Credit Seattle Police Department

behind them. Contact your building management and advise them to accelerate garage door timers.

• If you park on the street, choose a welllit, open space.

• If you park your car in a dark or isolated area, you can make a request for a new streetlight if there is an existing pole nearby. Call (206) 684-7056 for more information.

IF YOUR VEHICLE IS BROKEN INTO File a report by calling the non-emergency number at 206-625-5011, or file one

May 13, 2016

online at: http://www.seattle.gov/police/report/default.htm When filing a report on-line or over the phone you do not need to remain at the scene. If you choose to call the non-emergency line, simply ask to report a crime and, if it meets the criteria, the call-taker will forward you to an officer who will take your report over the phone. The officer will still provide you with a case number.

If the crime is still in progress or it is an emergency situation, call 911 immediately!

Seattle Gay News 7

HEAR YE, HEAR YE

by Janice Van Cleve Special to the SGN Hear ye, hear ye! Gather round ye good and gentle citizens to witness the amazing spectacle of a reluctant Republican Party falling in line behind the winner. It has been a rough and tumble, nasty primary campaign.

It was ruthless gutter politics at its lowest so it is no wonder that the most ruthless junk yard dog won. Donald Trump has emerged as the leader of the Republican Party and candidate for president.

Most Republicans are still in disbelief that such a thing could happen. A few have evolved from disbelief to denial. Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House, said he hoped he could support the Republican nominee but he just was not ready to support Trump.

Others openly oppose him like Mark Salter, Republican aide to John McCain, and David Meyers, former communications adviser to Republican Senate leadership. They join Mitt Romney, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.), Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), Gov. Charlie Baker (R-Mass.), Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) and many more high-level Republican officials, staffers, strategists, and right wing media personalities. Many say they will vote for Hillary Clinton and evangelical Franklin Graham even quit the Party!

Right wing commentator Glenn Beck stated “We should look at Adolph Hitler in 1929.

He was kind of funny, kind of a character that said the things people were thinking. . . .

ACLU

continued from cover we don’t even know if it will qualify for the ballot, and we don’t know what the voters will do.”

One of the problems, Shaw told SGN, is that opponents of the initiative cannot file a preemptive suit to keep it off the ballot.

“In Washington state law it’s well established that challenges must come after voters have made their decision,” she said.

“The only time I can remember a preemptive challenge being successful was a couple of years ago in Spokane. It was a local initiative, and the courts stepped in because it was asking the City Council to do something it couldn’t do. In general, though, the courts have said ‘let’s see what the voters say’ before ruling on the outcome.”

In the 2013 case Shaw cited, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that Spokane’s so-called “Community Bill of Rights” could not go on the ballot because its provi-

8 Seattle Gay News

Democratic and Republican parties

Donald Trump is a dangerous man.”

These folks are moving through the standard coping process – denial, anger, detachment, bargaining, and ultimately acceptance.

They are just grappling with the reality that Trump is their party’s candidate. They will eventually fall in line like good Republicans always do and back the party’s nominee.

This is because Republicans seem to have a mostly “hive” mentality. For their hive to be in power is more important than any one individual. It is easy to become part of their “hive.” All you have to do is be against abortion, against taxes, against the latest scapegoat de jour (which these days is transgendered people), and wait your turn.

You can be an idiot, a criminal, a billionaire,

or whatever, but as long as you are against abortion, against taxes, against the scapegoat de jour, and wait your turn, you can be part of the “hive.”

That’s what’s got the Republican shorts in a bundle. Trump is not part of the “hive.”

He is financially independent of the power brokers and has charted his own course. He has been both for and against abortion. He wants to tax hedge fund managers. He has not been “religiously evil” to the LGBT community. He barged to the front of the line with charisma, anger, and sheer brute force. Now the Republicans are stuck with him.

Democrats, on the other hand, do not have a “hive” mentality. They are highly individual with highly individual pet issues. If a

sions exceeded the powers of city government.

So far, her legal team has successfully fought for fair ballot language, Shaw said, defeating an attempt by pro-initiative forces to say the measure defends “privacy.”

Now they are studying the laws protecting Washington’s Trans residents.

Shaw said she was encouraged by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) letter to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and DOJ’s subsequent lawsuit challenging similar measures in that state.

“The DOJ guidance is pretty clear,” Shaw told SGN. “The guidance is on the basis of federal law, not constitutional law, but they’re saying Title VII prohibits discrimination against Transgender individuals.

“So we’re looking at the [DOJ] letter. It’s clear from that that discrimination based on sex means discrimination based on sex, and that includes gender identity.

“We’ll also look at state law, and we’ll look at both the state and federal consti-

tutions,” in determining a potential legal challenge to I-1515 should it pass.

Shaw told SGN she found McCrory’s lawsuit against federal authorities “an interesting tactic” to preserve discriminatory legislation.

“I was just reading about that this morning,” she said. “They’re asking a federal court to give an advisory opinion on the interpretation of federal law – kind of preemptively.

“They haven’t lost any federal funding yet and the governor doesn’t want to wait till they do, and then they have to go scrounging for money.”

One of the consequences of violating federal civil rights protections for Trans people is that federal agencies would then withhold funding from states with discriminatory laws. North Carolina might lose as much as $4.8 billion, according to the Williams Institute, and Washington stands to lose $4.5 billion.

Although the Fourth Circuit Court

May 13, 2016

candidate does not address each of their individual pet issues – and do it nicely – Democrats are just as likely to stay home and not vote for anybody. This is why Republicans win. Even though they are far outnumbered

by Democrats, they show up and do their duty to their party. Then they use their offices to keep themselves in power by gerrymandering district boundaries, voter suppression, registration restrictions, and dirty tricks.

Hillary Clinton is the Democratic Party nominee in all but name. Her opponent, Bernie Sanders, has waged a vigorous campaign and he has scored a huge influence on the party, both in drawing out large numbers of young voters and in moving the platform to the left. Yet he has admitted he will not win the nomination. What will he do? Will he graciously congratulate Hillary on her victory like she did Obama in 2008? Will he urge his supporters to get behind Hillary and push for Democratic victories in the White House and down the ticket like she did in 2008? Will his supporters step up and vote for the party nominee, or will they allow the vitriol of their own primary to prevent them from voting for Hillary – and let Trump win?

Stay tuned. The Presidency is not the only important campaign. The Senate and House and governorships are also in play – and we still have an empty seat on the Supreme Court.

Janice Van Cleve is a PCO for the 37th District Democrats.

of Appeals – which has jurisdiction over North Carolina – has already ruled that Virginia schools must allow Trans students to use restrooms that correspond to their gender identity, Shaw declined to speculate on the outcome of the dueling North Carolina lawsuits.

“Judges are independent and make decisions based on their own views,” she said.

“You never can tell what a judge will do.

It’s similar to what we saw with marriage equality – some courts decide one way and some another way.”

Ultimately it will be up to Washington voters to reject discrimination, Shaw said.

“Discrimination is discrimination,” she told SGN. “The Trans community is small and not very vocal. It’s an easy target.

“We have to stand side by side. The initiative is as an opportunity to engage in public discussion on who Trans people are and why the law protects them.”

Celebrating 41 Years!

ACLU sues Mississippi over “religious freedom to discriminate” law

ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins, attorney Oliver Diaz, Nykolas Alford and Stephen Thomas – Photo by Emily Wagster Pettus

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The ACLU and the ACLU of Mississippi filed suit on May 9, challenging a Mississippi law that allows public officials and businesses to use “religious freedom” as justification to refuse service to LGBT individuals.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Nyko-

LAWSUITS

continued from cover suit against federal authorities.

The dueling lawsuits came as a DOJ deadline arrived for North Carolina to back down from its controversial HB 2, a law that would shred state protections for its LGBT residents.

According to a DOJ letter sent to McCrory on May 4, many provisions of HB 2 violate federal civil rights laws. The department gave North Carolina till May 9 to confirm it would not attempt to enforce the law.

Among the objectionable provisions was one barring Transgender people from using restrooms that correspond to their gender identity.

That amounts to “state-sponsored discrimination” against Trans people, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a May 9 press conference announcing the DOJ suit. HB 2 only serves to “harm innocent Americans,” she added.

The DOJ lawsuit charges that the law has caused Transgender people to suffer “emotional harm, mental anguish, distress, humiliation, and indignity.” The suit seeks a federal court order preventing the law’s enforcement.

Only hours before, McCrory filed his own lawsuit against the federal government, seeking a court order to keep his state’s law in place.

“Our nation is dealing with a very new, complex and emotional issue,” McCrory said after announcing his lawsuit “I think it’s time for the US Congress to bring clarity to the national anti-discrimination policies under Title VII and Title IX.”

las Alford and Stephen Thomas, a Gay couple who are engaged to be married and face discrimination as a result of this law.

Members of the ACLU of Mississippi also joined the suit as plaintiffs.

Alford and Thomas have been engaged for nearly two years. They describe the law, also known as HB 1523, as “a slap in the face.”

“When HB 1523 passed, it was heart-

Title VII and Title IX are federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis several characteristics, including sex. The Obama administration has interpreted that ban as including gender identity, and therefore protecting Transgender Americans.

In his suit, McCrory alleged that DOJ had made a “radical reinterpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which would prevent plaintiffs from protecting the bodily privacy rights of state employees while accommodating the needs of transgendered state employees.”

“The Department’s position is a baseless and blatant overreach,” the North Carolina suit continued.

“Enough is enough,” AG says McCrory does not have the backing of his state’s Attorney General, Roy Cooper, who previously opposed HB 2 and said he would not defend it if it were challenged in court.

In a May 9 statement, Cooper said the Governor was “pouring gas on the fire that he lit and putting billions in education funding on the line. Instead of doing what’s right for our state, he’s doubling down on what he knows he did wrong. Enough is enough.”

According to the prestigious Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, North Carolina stands to lose up to $4.8 billion in federal funding if it implements HB 2 because Title VII and Title IX make certain kinds of federal grants contingent on barring discrimination.

Besides being North Carolina’s Attorney General, Cooper is also McCrory’s opponent in the state’s gubernatorial race.

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breaking because it takes away our chance to finally be treated equally,” the couple said in a statement.

“At a time when we’re supposed to be excited as a couple engaged to be married, this law permits discrimination against us simply because of who we are. This is not the Mississippi we’re proud to call home.

We’re hopeful others will come to realize this and not allow this harmful measure to become law.”

According to the ACLU, “HB 1523 directly contradicts the Supreme Court’s ruling by treating the marriages of same-sex couples differently than the marriages of everyone else.”

Signed into law by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on April 5, HB 1523 protects three beliefs or convictions: • that marriage is between a man and a woman, • that sex is “properly reserved to such a marriage,” • and that words like “male” and “female” are “objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at birth.”

The law allows state employees to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-

sex couples, religious organizations to fire LGBT employees, and health professionals to decline to provide counseling or some medical services to LGBT patients.

“We’re stepping up to fight this sweeping anti-LGBT and unconstitutional law that authorizes discrimination against gay and transgender people,” said ACLU Staff Attorney Josh Block.

“HB 1523 has no rightful place in Mississippi or in our history books, and we’re hopeful this lawsuit can stop as much of it as possible before it goes into effect. We won’t rest until every last piece of this law is struck down and all LGBT people in Mississippi have equal justice under the law.”

“The ACLU stands firmly against discrimination in all forms,” said ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins. All citizens deserve the right to be treated equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The ACLU of Mississippi will continue to work to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the U.S. Constitution guarantees everyone in this country.”

Cooper is currently leading by up to 10 points in polls.

HRC and Equality NC weigh in HRC and Equality NC also weighed in on May 9 with statements denouncing McCrory’s suit.

“North Carolina’s HB2 law is blatantly unconstitutional and violates federal civil rights law,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.

“The Department of Justice has already been clear that it violates the civil rights of North Carolinians. The idea Governor McCrory is going to waste even more time and millions more taxpayer dollars defending it is reckless and wrong. HB2 is a vile law attacking transgender North Carolinians and leaves many more unprotected from discrimination. Rather than defending it, Governor McCrory should be working with state lawmakers to fix the mess he’s created.”

“The lawsuit that was filed [by McCrory] today is just another tactic to delay a decision and is a continued waste of taxpayer dollars when it is already very clear that the only option is a full repeal of HB2,” said Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro.

“The Fourth Circuit Court has already provided guidance on this and continued litigation by the state is simply wasteful.

The state house and senate must fully repeal HB2 with Governor McCrory’s leadership.”

The US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals – which has jurisdiction over North Carolina – ruled on April 19 that barring Transgender students from gender-appropriate school restrooms violates Title VII and Title IX.

ACLU/Lambda Legal suit The ACLU, ACLU of North Carolina, and Lambda Legal have already challenged HB 2 in court, acting on behalf of six LGBT residents of North Carolina. They issued a statement on May 9, hailing the DOJ lawsuit.

“We applaud the Justice Department for filing suit and joining us in saying that neither Governor McCrory nor North Carolina’s legislators can strip equality out of federal law,” their statement said.

“This law is a targeted and unprecedented attack on the LGBT community, particularly against transgender people.

“The Justice Department has reaffirmed its letter to Governor McCrory and what we put forth in our complaint when we filed our lawsuit in March. The federal government made clear that HB 2’s mandate of discrimination against transgender people violates federal civil rights laws but McCrory and other political leaders in the state have decided to risk federal funding to maintain that discrimination…

“Gov. McCrory is now defying the federal government. He is on the wrong side of history. There are only two ways to reverse this terrible damage: The state should repeal this discriminatory law, or the courts should strike it down.”

One of the plaintiffs in the ACLU/ Lambda Legal case, Joaquín Carcaño, has also filed a complaint with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), the agency charged with enforcing federal employment laws, charging North Carolina with violations of Title VII.

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Majority against anti-Trans bathroom bills, new poll says

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A large majority of Americans opposes anti-Trans “bathroom bills” like North Carolina’s HB 2 or our own I-1515, according to a new CNN poll released May 9.

The poll of 1,001 adults was conducted by phone April 28 through May 1 – in other words before the US Department of Justice (DOJ) warned North Carolina that its version of the law violated federal civil rights laws.

DOJ and North Carolina subsequently sued each other over the measure.

Overall, 57% say they oppose laws requiring Transgender individuals to use restrooms that do not match their gender identity, while 38% support such laws. Strong opposition (39%) outweighs strong support for these laws (25%).

The poll also shows that 75% of the respondents favor laws guaranteeing equal protection for Trans people in jobs, housing, and public accommodations. Eighty percent favor equal protections for Gays and Lesbians.

Democrats and independents are more likely to oppose anti-Trans legislation, CNN found, but Republicans are not solidly in favor of them either.

In fact, the poll finds Republicans about evenly split on so-called “bathroom bills,” with 48% in favor and 48% opposed.

Republicans split along ideological lines, with self-identified moderate and liberal Republicans saying they are against such laws and conservative Republicans breaking in favor. That mirrors a pattern found in surveys on support for same-sex marriage, with moderate or liberal Republicans generally more in favor of marriage equality than conservative Republicans.

Although Trans people and fictional characters depicting them are becoming more common in popular culture, 85% of those surveyed say they do not have a family member or close friend who is Transgender.

Younger Americans are more likely than others to have someone that close who is Transgender. Twenty-four percent of respondents under age 35 said they had a Trans friend or family member.

Twenty-one percent of urban residents, 19% of non-whites and Democrats, and 17% of women also reported Trans friends or family.

About 6-in-10 say they have a close friend or family member who is Gay or Lesbian, about equal to those who said so in a 2013 CNN poll.

Bathroom – Photo by Kevin Zamani

Suspended!

Alabama Chief Justice out after ordering state judges to defy SCOTUS on marriage

Roy Moore – alabama.gov

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

16 Seattle Gay News

Alabama Chief justice º has been suspended from his post as a result of charges filed against him on May 6.

The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission – a state ethics agency – charged that Moore “flagrantly disregarded and abused his authority” when he ordered the state’s probate judges to turn down applications for marriage licenses by same-sex couples.

In January, six months after the US Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling that legalized same-sex marriage, Moore issued an administrative order telling the state’s probate judges that they had a “ministerial duty” to enforce the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

In his order, Moore falsely informed Alabama judges that the Supreme Court decision only applied to the four states explicitly cited in the Obergefell ruling, not to Alabama. According to the formal complaint against him, Moore’s order is “contrary to clear and determined law about which there is no confusion or unsettled question.”

Since Moore’s order, nearly all of the pro-

May 13, 2016

bate judges in the state have been issuing licenses to same-sex couples, though a few have stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether.

Moore now faces a hearing before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, a panel of judges, lawyers, and other experts.

This is not Moore’s first run-in with the Court of the Judiciary. In 2003, he was ousted by the same body from his position as Chief Justice after disobeying a federal court order to remove a two-ton monument of the Ten Commandments that he had installed in the rotunda of the state judicial building.

He was reelected Chief Justice nine years later.

Richard Cohen, President of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which had filed a series of complaints to the commission, said Chief Justice Moore “has disgraced his office for far too long.”

“For the good of the state he should be kicked out of office,” he added.

On his side, Moore was defiant.

“We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail,” he said in a statement, adding that the Judicial Inquiry Commission, which filed the complaint, had no authority over the charges at issue.

Moore also appeared in person, clad in his judicial robes, at a news conference in the rotunda of the state court building.

“This is about legalism,” he said. “There is nothing in writing that you will find that I told anybody to disobey a federal court order.”

Then referring to a noted Transgender activist in Alabama, Moore said the ethics commission had “chosen to listen to people like Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite, and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, as well as organizations which support their agenda.”

Moore’s attorney, Mathew Staver, asserted that the issue could only be decided by the US Supreme Court.

“The Judicial Inquiry Commission has no jurisdiction to resolve legal disputes,” he said, “and the complaint is solely focused on a legal dispute between federal and state courts.”

Meanwhile, HRC said Moore got what he deserved.

“Roy Moore is an embarrassment to the state of Alabama,” said HRC Alabama State Manager Eva Walton Kendrick.

“He has repeatedly used his authority to discriminate against LGBT people and their families, and to defy federal marriage equality rulings. Moore’s suspension is welcome news, and we expect the Ethics Commission will permanently throw him out of office after reviewing his pattern of intentionally flouting the laws he vowed to uphold.”

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Italy passes same-sex civil unions

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Italy’s parliament passed same-sex civil unions on May 11, with 369 voting in favor of the bill and 193 against.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who was strongly in favor of the measure, made the vote a “vote of confidence” in his government, meaning that his supporters were forced to vote for the measure because he would have to resign if it failed to get a majority.

“By calling a confidence vote, we have bound the government’s survival to the civil rights battle,” Renzi said on Facebook. “[T]he laws are made for people, not for ideologies. For those who love, not for those who proclaim,” he posted after the vote.

Speaking to the frustration of LGBT activists who saw a previous attempt withdrawn after huge anti-Gay protests in 2007 – and possibly his own frustration dealing with Italy’s notoriously slow legislative process, Renzi added that “[F] urther delays are not possible after years of failed attempts. We do this with humility and courage. But we do it now because in Italy it is no longer possible to continue postponing everything.”

Renzi did not get everything he wanted in the legislation, however. As a compromise with strong opposition led by the Roman Catholic Church, a provision for same-sex spouses to adopt their partner’s biological children was scrapped. While adoption will not be ruled out entirely, judges will decide on a case-by-case basis.

While Renzi called May 11 a “day of celebration,” LGBT rights activists were less than enthusiastic about the compromise legislation.

“The glass is half full,” Gabriele Piazzoni, National Secretary of the Arcigay organization, said in a statement.

The leader of the Rainbow Families Association, Marilena Grassadonia, slammed the bill as a “a monument to the hypocrisy and ineptitude of a political class.”

“This government will go down in history not for having passed the first law on gay unions, but for having denied children their family rights,” she added.

The Democratic Party senator who sponsored the original bill, Monica Cirinnà, called its passage a “hollow” victory.

“I’m thinking of the children of so

Italy Gay unions – ibtimes.com

many friends,” she said, referring to the bill’s missing adoption provisions.

Cirinnà said that while the passage of the bill finally recognizes same-sex couples in Italy, there is still some way to go until they enjoy the rights extended to heterosexual ones.

“Now, we must take the second step,” she declared.

Catholic Church officials also criticized the new law, but for going too far.

Catholic Archbishop Michele Pennisi told La Reppublica newspaper that Renzi had rammed the law through without popular support.

“There is a big slice of the country that does not want this law,” the Archbishop said. “I believe this way of doing things is creeping fascism.”

Meanwhile, Archbishop Bruno Forte, who headed the church’s recent Synod on the Family, told a local newspaper, “It is certainly a defeat and also an impoverishment of democratic life on a question that can have an enormous impact on the future of society.”

Forte added that all families need “the fundamental reciprocity between man and woman” at their core.

Malaysian raid of Transgender fundraiser underscores bad trade deal

Holding hands – Photo by John Vizcaino

WASHINGTON, DC – A recent raid on a fundraiser organized by Malaysian Transgender activists has once again put the country’s abuses of LGBTQ human rights under the spotlight. As the U.S. Congress contemplates passage of the massive and destructive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that includes Malaysia, that country continues

to demonstrate why it should not be given preferential trade status with any country that believes in basic human rights. Pride at Work Executive Director, Jerame Davis, issued the following statement after learning about the raid and arrest of transgender activists:

18 Seattle Gay News

May 13, 2016

“We have said repeatedly that Malay-

sia, and its even more regressive neighbor Brunei, should not be included in the TPP. This incident is further proof that Malaysia will not voluntarily end the abuse and harassment of its LGBTQ citizens and that pinky promises and side agreements are not enough to ensure compliance with basic international human rights standards.

“The White House and the State Department stated numerous times that LGBTQ human rights were being discussed and would be addressed in the TPP. Nothing appears in the main text of the agreement nor any of the unenforceable side agreements between individual countries.

And despite assurances from the Administration that LGBTQ human rights abuses were part of the discussion with Malaysia around TPP, it is abundantly clear that the country has not taken anything in those conversations seriously.

“We renew our call to Congress to vote down the TPP. Inclusion of Malaysia and Brunei in this gargantuan trade deal is unacceptable. With the addition of job

losses, damage to environment, further degradation of our food safety, and other expected negative impacts, it’s unbelievable the TPP has gotten this far. Now that it has been signed, there is no easy way to remove those countries or fix the other underlying problems – it must be scrapped entirely. Every member of Congress who votes for the TPP will be choosing to cede our leadership position in the fight for global human rights just to make a buck.

“We will not allow this to happen.”

Pride At Work organizes mutual support between the organized Labor Movement and the LGBTQ Community for social and economic justice. We seek full equality for LGBTQ Workers in our workplaces and unions and we organize in the spirit of the union movement’s historic motto, “An Injury to One is An Injury to All.” Learn more at www.prideatwork. org Courtesy of Pride at Work

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Philippines elects first Trans Congresswoman

Geraldine Roman – libertyunyielding.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Geraldine Roman became the Philippines’ first Transgender elected official on May 9, when she won the right to succeed her mother, Herminia Roman, in Congress.

Geraldine transitioned in 1994 when she was 28, and moved to Spain where she earned two master’s degrees and worked as a reporter for the Spanish News Agency.

During the campaign Roman recalled that her family always remained supportive of her, and her father advised her to “remain confident” despite being bullied for her gender identity in school.

In 2012 she returned home to her native Bataan province to care for her aging parents, promising to continue their political legacy.

Roman said her life after transitioning has “not been secret” to those who know her in Bataan.

“Gender only becomes an issue when you try to keep it a secret,” she told reporters. “I’m so happy so why should I be ashamed?”

Roman represents the Liberal Party of current Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, and campaigned on a platform for LGBT rights.

“That somebody of my condition is going to enter Congress for the first time is a statement that even transgender people can serve our country and should not be discriminated against,” Roman told the AFP news agency during her campaign.

Having won her seat in Congress, Roman became a social media hero in the Philippines.

Her election was a “huge breakthrough,” one person Tweeted.

“Geraldine Roman is my new hero, the first transgender person to be elected in the Philippines,” a resident of Manila, the country’s capital, added.

“Congrats to our first-ever transgender congresswoman, Geraldine Roman,” said another. “Finally someone who can fight for LGBT rights in congress.”

“A great historic victory today: The first transgender in congress. Congratulations to the fabulous Geraldine Roman,” added a fourth.

In other Philippine election results, notoriously homophobic boxer and part-time politician Manny Pacquiao won a Senate seat.

Rodrigo Duterte, currently mayor of the southern city of Davao, won the presidency.

A colorful figure, who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, Duterte promised to fill Manila Bay with the bodies of 100,000 criminals he promised he would kill if elected.

In spite of his macho image Duterte promised to support LGBT rights.

“Let us respect each other,” he said in a TV interview. “In Davao [where he was mayor], there’s no gay being ridiculed.”

Asked by reporters if he could accept his son being Gay, Duterte said he would.

“It’s more of the human dignity than anything else,” he replied. “All human beings are created by God. So you respect real women or real men. And if this one is somewhat in the middle…then he is also a creation of God.” Asked about his view on same-sex marriage, Duterte answered “Everyone deserves to be happy.”

Duterte is a member of the left-wing populist Philippine Democratic PartyLaban. Like the Liberal Party, it had its origins in the opposition to long-time Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Scotland most Gay-friendly country in Europe, ILGA says Azerbaijan is the worst

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Scotland is the most Gay-friendly country in Europe, according to the newlyreleased Rainbow Index. The measurement is based on criteria set by ILGA-Europe.

The ILGA, or International LGBTI Association, is a federation of 1,200 LGBT organizations from 125 countries.

In its latest Rainbow Index study, the group found that Scotland met 90% of its criteria for an LGBTI-affirming country.

The United Kingdom as a whole only rated 81% because of Northern Ireland’s repeated refusals to pass same-sex marriage.

The island nation of Malta came second to Scotland, scoring 88%, with Belgium third at 82%.

The low score went to Azerbaijan, a former Soviet Republic in the Caucasus Mountains, which met only 5% of ILGA’s criteria.

Scotland was found to have somewhat better law and policy on intersex equality than the rest of the UK, and same-sex couples there are allowed to adopt children and stepchildren.

Following last week’s election, the Scottish Parliament now has the highest level of openly LGB members in the world, at 7.8%.

Ten of the 129 member of Scotland’s parliament are openly LGB, compared to the second highest country, the Netherlands, with 7.3% of its parliament members being openly LGB. Two of the leading Scottish party leaders, Conservative Ruth Davidson and

Scottish Gay Pride – Photo by Chairman Blue Slovakia

Labor’s Kezia Dugdale, are openly Lesbian while the Green Party’s Patrick Harvie is Bisexual.

The Scottish National Party, the majority party in the Scottish parliament, is led by a straight woman, Nicola Sturgeon, but it sponsored the marriage equality bill that passed in 2014.

Tim Hopkins, Director of the Equality Network, called on all political parties to safeguard the rights of minority groups.

“All the parties elected to the new Scottish Parliament session had manifesto

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commitments to review and reform Scotland’s laws on transgender people,” he said.

“The SNP, Labor, Greens and LibDems – that’s 98 of the Parliament’s 129 MSPs – were elected on more specific manifesto commitments that would bring our trans laws up to international best practice.

“If the Scottish Government and Parliament deliver on those commitments, and also make progress on intersex equality, Scotland will retain its place amongst the standard bearers for LGBTI equality.”

In a statement, ILGA-Europe Executive

Director Evelyne Paradis emphasized the need for concrete action plans on LGBT rights.

“The countries who are on this upward curve tend to be the ones who have protected people from discrimination on grounds of gender identity, or legislated to protect the bodily integrity of intersex people and who have ingrained this change in everyday measures such as equality action plans,” she said.

May 13, 2016

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