SGN May 29, 2015 - Section 1

Celebrating 41 Years!

Issue 22 Volume 43

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Irish landslide rocks Catholic Church

SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

SPD Safe Place launch a success

Irish citizens at the polling station – www.nbcnews.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Ireland’s landslide vote for marriage equality has rocked church leaders in what was once the most Catholic country in Europe, and the shock waves have reached as far as the Vatican.

Sixty-two percent of Irish voters agreed to amend the country’s constitution to provide for same-sex marriage, with Yes votes

leading in all but one voting district.

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said his church had been shaken by nothing less than “social revolution.”

“We [the Church] have to stop and have a reality check, not move into denial of the realities,” he told RTE broadcasting.

“We won’t begin again with a sense of renewal, with a sense of denial.

Officer James Ritter – Manuel Valdes/Associated Press

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Hill are coming to an end. Residents – old and new – are tired of the intimidation, tired of the assaults and muggings, and are being Something has changed on Capitol Hill. empowered through partnering with the SeBusiness owners, citizens, students, and attle Police Department for a program called community organizers are fed up and we SPD SAFE PLACE. are sending a clear message to criminals that see irish page 8 their days of running the streets of Capitol see safe place page 5

GLSEN applauds Oregon legislature and Governor Brown for protecting LGBT youth by banning conversion therapy for minors

Pride Foundation awards $403,850 to 124 LGBTQ and allied students across the Northwest

Provides important financial and community support to student leaders

by Rachael DeCruz Pride Foundation

NEW YORK – On May 14 GLSEN’s Executive Director, Dr. Eliza Byard, thanked Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the state’s Legislature for passing and signing into law a ban on the use of conversion therapy on minors. Oregon joins California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., as the only regions that ban conversion therapy, also known as “reparative therapy,” and is the first state to do so since President Obama called for an

end to the practice last month.

Organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American School Counselor Association and many others reject the use of conversion therapy for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) youth. see oregon page 8

While much has changed for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community since Pride Foundation’s scholarship program was established more than two decades ago, the program continues to provide essential financial resources and community support to LGBTQ and allied students across the Northwest.

In 2015, Pride Foundation awarded $403,850 to 124 student leaders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Since the program began in 1993, Pride Foundation has awarded nearly $4 million and more than 1,500 scholarships – making it one of the largest LGBTQ scholarship pro-

grams in the country.

“Our scholarship program acknowledges the pivotal role that community plays in allowing each student to achieve their dreams,” said Kris Hermanns, Executive Director of Pride Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors and volunteers, we are able to signal to LGBTQ and allied students that they matter not in spite of who they are, but because of who they are.”

Pride Foundation’s emphasis on increasing access to educational opportunities for LGBTQ students fills a unique need in the community. According to a recent report by the Center for American Progress and the Movement Advancement Project, LGBTQ students often face hostile, unsafe, and unsee pride page 7

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May 29, 2015

Celebrating 41 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

May 29, 2015

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LGBT youth in foster care – HRC’s call to action and new issue brief With LGBT youth in foster care facing bias and discrimination, HRC issues call to action to address crisis New issue brief, released during National Foster Care Month, details realities that conspire to put LGBTQ youth in danger of abuse, violence and homelessness WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, May 19, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, in partnership with FosterClub, a national network for youth in foster care, released an issue brief detailing the hostile treatment experienced by many LGBT and questioning youth in foster care, and the shocking lack of laws and policies protecting them.

“Child welfare is built around the pillars of safety, permanency and wellbeing, and our job is to ensure that LGBTQ youth have the same opportunities and access to homes that provide all three,” said Ellen Kahn, director of the HRC Foundation’s Children, Youth and Families Program. “Safe and affirming families are key to LGBTQ youth succeeding and thriving. Through our extensive work with adoption and foster care agencies across the United States, we know that more and more agencies are looking for ways to do better by LGBTQ youth, who are disproportionately represented in foster care. It’s time for the system to do better for these youth.”

“It’s a sad reality that most of the stories we hear about how LGBTQ youth are treated in foster care are pretty grim, “ said Celeste Bodner, executive director of FosterClub.” Along with HRC, the young leaders of FosterClub recognize the urgent need to address the unequal treatment their LGBTQ peers face in foster care.”

Today’s call to action comes as the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance plans a morning hearing on reducing the nation’s reliance on foster care group homes, and as

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U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, prepares to reintroduce the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, legislation that would help open more safe and affirming foster and adoptive homes to LGBTQ children.

U.S. Representatives John Lewis, D-GA, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL, will introduce a companion measure in the House.

Research has shown that LGBTQ youth are over-represented in foster care, with many having fled or been removed from their birth homes because of abuse and neglect, as well as rejection because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. And because of the short-

Foster child – 88lovemihanblog.com

age of foster and adoptive families willing and available to provide homes to LGBTQ youth, they are more frequently placed in group foster homes than non-LGBTQ youth.

“HRC applauds the leadership of Senator Gillibrand, and Representatives Lewis and Ros-Lehtinen, in re-introducing this important legislation,” said Kahn, who also oversees HRC’s All Children – All Families program, which works with adoption and foster care agencies to create inclusive climates for LGBTQ youth and prospective families. “It is key to removing discriminatory and arbitrary barriers between thousands of children and loving, safe homes.”

In his National Foster Care Month proc-

lamation, President Obama said this: “All young people, regardless of what they look like, which religion they follow, who they love, or the gender they identify with, deserve the chance to dream and grow in a loving, permanent home.”

HRC and FosterClub join other LGBTQ youth advocates in calling for federal, state and municipal agencies, as well as agency administrators and child welfare professionals to take action to secure safe, inclusive loving homes for LGBTQ youth. Actions include: • Implement LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Policies Protecting Youth and Prospective Foster and Adoptive Parents • Pass Federal Legislation Prohibiting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination By Foster Agencies Receiving Taxpayer Funding • Require That Youth Service Providers Receive LGBTQ Cultural Competency Training • Implement State and Local Foster Children’s Bills of Rights • Include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Agency Data Collection Systems Only 13 states and the District of Columbia have explicit laws or policies in place to protect foster youth from discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. Seven additional states explicitly protect foster youth from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but not gender identity.

To learn more, visit www.hrc.org.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

Courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign

Celebrating 41 Years!

DignityUSA Convention coming to Seattle July 2-5 God’s Love – Enduring as the Mountains, Endless as the Sea – that’s the theme of the 22nd Biennial DignityUSA Convention being held this summer in Seattle – July 2 – 5 at the Renaissance Hotel (515 Madison Street). DignityUSA is an organization that works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities – especially gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons – in the Catholic Church and in society through education, advocacy and support.

Fighting for justice is hard work and this year’s convention focuses on how God’s love affects and supports our work for justice in the Church and society. We will discover ways to experience God’s love and reenergize ourselves through many different forms of prayer.

safe place continued from cover

SAFE PLACE asks store owners/managers to put up poster – visible to employees and customers alike – or a decal that is a rainbow shaped badge containing the words SPD SAFE PLACE in their storefront window. More than just a sticker/decal project, SPD and community partners such as Social Outreach Seattle, hit the pavement on Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to canvas Pike/Pine and Broadway (the area hardest hit by muggings and attacks, intimidation, and most recently nearest to a shooting which left another suspect and one victim with gunshot wounds) businesses to sign them up for the program.

What we found was not expected, I think. I thought we were going to run into some people who didn’t like the fact that community groups were working with SPD or the fact that the LGBTQ rainbow pride flag was being featured alongside anything that has to do with the police; after all Stonewall was a police riot they might say.

True, Stonewall was a police riot – 46 years ago this month. And while this is the police department that has had to operate under a

fun! A boat cruise, dinner, dancing and fireworks are included as part of the convention package. However, you can pick and choose the activities you wish to attend.

All are welcome. No matter your sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, come and join us for inspiring speakers, prayerful sessions, and a bit of fun, all wrapped up in a spirit of love and acceptance.

For more information regarding the convention, visit conv2015.dignityusa.org.

For more information about DignityUSA, visit dignityusa.org. We hope to see you there!

dignityusa.org

Lined up are some very exciting speakers including Sister Simone Campbell (of “Nuns on the Bus” tours & NETWORK), Dan Savage (of “Savage Love” column and

“It Gets Better” campaign), and Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu. While there will be plenty to think about and reflect upon, we also know how to have

federal consent decree to fix their over use of force and bias policing practices since 2012, it is important to note that this is not the exact same department it once was. In June of last year, a new police chief arrived and cleaned house, the most praised for his time as East Precinct commander, Capt.

McDonough, has been reassigned to once again head up policing in the area and aside from gentrification anxiety, most Capitol Hill residents are now looking towards ways they can help keep the neighborhood safe instead of demanding that “somebody, somewhere, do something” about this issue.

As SOSea and SPD LGBTQ Liaison Officer James Ritter made their way through the neighborhood with community advocate Doug Vitaley and nightlife officer Chris Herrera one thing became very clear: Businesses were supportive. In fact, out of the more than 50 we made personal context with, every single one of them signed up and every single one of them put the decal in their window. That’s right – 100% of the solicited bars, clubs and restaurants that were asked to display the decal, did so.

The densely populated neighborhood of Capitol Hill, with its restaurants and nightlife, is better known for its diversity,

not violence. People simply coming into the neighborhood that don’t know its history and don’t understand the community.

Seattle police are now reaching out to this community, trying to stem a growing number of biased crimes and harassment.

Rutter was assigned to community outreach back in September. “I’m openly Gay,” said Officer Ritter, SPD’s community liaison for the LGBTQ community. “I’m looking forward to working with the community in a level I have never worked with them before.”

Officer Ritter has spent the last few months meeting with businesses and community members such as myself, hearing concerns, and teaching us about the new SPD Safe Place Program.

“I think it’s critical to have businesses buying in on this, I think it’s critical. This program cannot work without your support,” he told the businesses during a meeting last month. The program includes a new website that allows victims to document their concerns, even if they don’t rise to the level of a bias crime – reports that Ritter himself will review.

“Many times the suspects out here can be verbal initially and it could turn physi-

Paula Hills Vice President, Dignity/Seattle D/S phone: 206-659-5519

cal the next time they confront somebody.

That’s what we’re trying to get on top of,” said Ritter.

A big component of the program is getting businesses to place placards in the window, agreeing to report crimes and shelter victims. Businesses liked the idea of unifying for a cause to promote safety.

SPD and Social Outreach Seattle emphasized that the reports coming in to their website should not replace 911 calls. Those calls are still important to dispatch officers to crimes as they happen.

My initial thoughts on this program is that it is a good thing because it is inspiring people while helping police the neighborhood, too. When criminals see that these decals are in all kinds of windows on the Hill it is a sign to them that there is a mobilized effort to stamp out crime, which sends another message that violence will not be tolerated and creates the kind of community space needed at this point in time.

A reproduction of the SPD Safe Place poster/decal is in this week’s SGN on page 6 For more information go to http://www. seattle.gov/spd-safe-place/

SOSea Safety Shuttle to officially launch June 1, with app

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Since December 2012 Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea), the Capitol Hill based social justice nonprofit that I am founder and president, has worked to keep Seattleites safe.

We first launched a simple poster project called NO ONE WALKS ALONE to remind folks that it is not safe, in any major city, to walk alone after dark. To some, this may seem like a fear-based solution; scare the Hell out of everyone and they won’t walk alone in Seattle and the attacks will subside. Only, No One Walks Alone did the opposite. You don’t need to be frightened in order to walk with others to get home or wherever you might be going. But it never hurts to feel empowered enough to help get each other home safely. It’s the responsible thing to do. We are all, each of us, worth at least that much in dignity.

We also believe in the right to defend yourself above all other things. So we started to teach self-defense classes, but quickly realized that the need for ongoing training was not being met. You know like, what do you do after you’ve learned the basics?

Most people haven’t a clue. That is where the SOSea SELF-DEFENSE ACADEMY was conceived. Now, in six-week intervals we teach people how to use a stun gun, rape whistle, hand-to-hand combat and more.

Visit www.SocialOutreachSeattle.com for updates on when the next class begins.

Perhaps the thing we are most proud of when it comes to safety on the Hill is the fact that we are actually doing something instead of planning about it or talking about it. People need to get home safely and so we are doing our best to get them there in a safe place for LGBTQ people on wheels: The SOSea SAFETY SHUTTLE. Two months ago we began the SOSea Safety Shuttle pilot program to find out

Visit us online www.sgn.org

when the nine-passenger van was needed, where the service would go, and why people were taking it. After two months I am proud to say we have a great snapshot of what we need to do and when. The SOSea Safety Shuttle will officially launch June 1 and is available for hire (sports teams, organizations in the community, youth events) Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., by special request.

Call 206-769-0238 to reserve the shuttle.

The SOSea Safety Shuttle normally runs Thursday-Sunday, 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. and sometimes until 4 a.m. based on demand. The

May 29, 2015

best feature to update supporters about is the fact that we now have an app. Download the SOSea Safety Shuttle at http://sosea.igenapps.com/safetyshuttle.

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Celebrating 41 Years!

Hawaii Supreme Court rejects challenge to marriage law

Hawaii Supreme Courthouse Aliiolani Hale – photo by D Ramey Logan 2011

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Hawaii Supreme Court has dismissed a legal challenge to the state’s 2013 Marriage Equality Act.

The suit was filed by Republican State Representative Bob McDermott, alleging that Hawaii’s legislature did not have the constitutional authority to legalize samesex marriage.

According to a press release from the

Hawaii Attorney General’s office, the state Supreme Court ruled that McDermott and his co-plaintiffs were not harmed or injured by the 2013 law, and therefore had no standing to challenge it.

“The most important part of the Supreme Court’s ruling was its conclusion that the Legislature’s decision to extend the right to marry to same-sex couples did not, in any way, diminish the right to marry for the plaintiffs or anyone else,” Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin said, quoting the opinion.

“This is an exciting time for marriage equality in our country, as we await the United States Supreme Court’s ruling that will govern so many other States,” said Deputy Attorney General Deirdre Marie-Iha, who argued on behalf of the defendants.

“We hope that the United States Supreme Court will recognize, as our Supreme Court did today, that those who oppose marriage equality are ‘harmed not at all when others are given the liberty to choose their own life partners and are shown the respect that comes with formal marriage.’ ” Hawaii’s Marriage Equality Act was passed by the state Senate on October 30,

2013, and by the House on November 8.

After some back-and-forth negotiations to reconcile the different versions of the bill, Governor Neil Abercrombie signed the final product into law November 12. Couples began marrying December 12.

Abercrombie later blamed his defeat in the 2014 Democratic primary on his strong support for marriage equality. Insiders said, however, that he lost because he alienated allies of the late Senator Daniel Inouye by snubbing the senator’s pick to succeed him.

McDermott’s suit was filed shortly after the law was signed, and was originally dismissed by a state circuit judge. McDermott claimed that a 1998 state constitutional amendment prohibited same-sex marriage, but the judge ruled that the amendment in question merely gave the state legislature the authority to prohibit same-sex marriage if it chose to do so.

McDermott appealed to the state Supreme Court, which heard arguments in the case in December last year.

Frank Kameny to be honored with spot in Labor Hall of Honor

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The U.S. Department of Labor will honor LGBT rights pioneer Frank Kameny with a spot in its Hall of Honor.

“Kameny’s legacy as a civil rights leader has made a monumental difference in improving the lives of all workers all across America,” the Labor Department said in a May 27 press release. The formal induction ceremony will take place June 23.

Kameny was fired from his job with the U.S. Map Service in 1958 after he admitted his sexual orientation when questioned by the U.S. Civil Service Commission.

In that respect, he was no different from many other Gay men and Lesbians who lost their jobs during the 1950s.

He was different in one respect, however. Kameny did not take the firing lying down. He sued the federal government, ultimately appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied his petition for relief in 1961.

Kameny then helped to found the Gay

pride

continued from cover welcoming school environments, as well as discrimination in accessing financial aid and other support. As a result, LGBTQ young people and the children of LGBTQ parents are more likely to perform poorly in school and face challenges pursuing postsecondary educational opportunities.

Many of Pride Foundation’s scholars have experienced stigma or isolation because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. When this reality is coupled with high rates of family rejection – half of LGBT youth experienced a negative reaction from their parents when they came out – and

Activist Alliance – an organization which still exists as the Gay and Lesbian Activist Alliance – the first LGBT rights group in Washington DC. In 1965, Kameny led the first Gay rights demonstration at the White House.

Kameny later coined the slogan, “Gay is Good,” to combat negative stereotypes of Gay and Lesbian people, and in 1971 he became the first openly Gay candidate for Congress.

That year, he also publicly challenged the scientific validity of the American Psychiatric Association’s theory that homosexuality constituted a mental disorder at APA’s national meeting.

In 1975, almost two decades after Kameny was fired by the Army, the Civil Service Commission announced it would no longer exclude Gays and Lesbians from government employment.

Twenty years later, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order to allow LGBT employees to hold security clearances and high government positions.

Kameny died in 2011 at age 86.

“Frank Kameny was a groundbreaking leader in the LGBT civil rights movement.

He fought tirelessly to live out his truth and to end workplace discrimination,” said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “At the Department of Labor we work every day to carry on his legacy and ensure that all workers, no matter who they are or who they love, have equal access to opportunity.”

homelessness – 20-40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ – it paints a startling picture of the challenges and barriers facing LGBTQ students.

“As an immigrant, I have encountered many challenges like culture shock, language barriers, and a lack of financial stability,” said Rigoberto Garcia, a 2015 Pride Foundation scholar who attends Seattle University. “And being gay and Latino, is even worse. Derogatory comments from other people used to make me feel like I didn’t belong either here or in my country.

This scholarship gives me hope and allows me to continue my dream of becoming a Certified Public Accountant.”

Without the support of Pride Foundation, Rigoberto noted that he would need to

work multiple jobs to pay for tuition – making it almost impossible for him to succeed in school.

Pride Foundation scholars use their awards to help fund their studies in postsecondary educational pursuits, including two- and four-year degrees, vocational programs, and graduate studies. Scholars are pursuing a wide variety of degrees from Health and Medical, to Arts and Humanities, to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, among others.

As the country eagerly awaits the upcoming Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, Pride Foundation will continue working to ensure that all students have access to the resources and support they need to thrive.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Frank Kameny – Jacquelyn Martin/AP photo

May 29, 2015

Kameny will be the second openly Gay honoree of the Labor Department. African American civil rights leader Bayard Rustin has also been awarded a place in the Hall of Honor. In addition to Rustin, Kameny joins the likes of Sen. Ted Kennedy, former Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, and United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta.

Over the next two months, Pride Foundation will host celebrations throughout the region to honor their 2015 scholars. For a full listing of events throughout the region, please visit http://www.pridefoundation. org/what-we-do/scholarships/scholarshipevents/.

Read more about our 2015 scholars at http://www.pridefoundation.org/scholars/2015/.

Pride Foundation is a regional community foundation that inspires giving to expand opportunities and advance full equality for LGBTQ people across the Northwest.

Learn more at www.pridefoundation.org.

Seattle Gay News 7

North Carolina governor will veto anti-Gay optout bill

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said May 28 that he will veto a bill allowing state officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriages.

The bill was passed by the state’s House May 28. The North Carolina senate passed the measure in February.

“I recognize that for many North Carolinians, including myself, opinions on same-sex marriage come from sincerely held religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman,” McCrory said in a statement.

“However, we are a nation and a state of laws. Whether it is the president, governor, mayor, a law enforcement officer, or magistrate, no public official who voluntarily swears to support and defend the Constitution and to discharge all duties of their office should be exempt from upholding that oath; therefore, I will veto Senate Bill 2.”

oregon

continued from cover GLSEN’s Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators, and School Personnel, produced in partnership with a coalition of education, health, mental health and religious organizations, addresses this and other practices.

“We are very pleased that Oregon has banned the use of conversion therapy on minors and thank Gov. Brown and the Oregon Legislature for taking this important step. We hope Oregon will prove to be just

irish

continued from cover “I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day. That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution.”

“I ask myself, most of these young people who voted yes are products of our Catholic school system for 12 years. I’m saying there’s a big challenge there to see how we get across the message of the Church,” he added.

Martin was part of what could be described as a “moderate” faction of Catholic officials who urged recognition of LGBT rights but “without changing the definition of marriage.”

The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin – who the Vatican recognizes as Primate of All Ireland, the top bishop in the country – took a much more aggressive stand against same-sex marriage, campaigning actively for a No vote.

Archbishop Martin of Armagh is not related to Archbishop Martin of Dublin. Martin of Armagh went into seclusion after the overwhelming Yes vote.

Meanwhile, the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said he was “very saddened” by the vote. The Catholic Church must do better at getting its message across, he concluded.

“The Church must take account of this reality, but in the sense of reinforcing its commitment to evangelization,” he told the

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The bill allowed magistrates and other officials to refuse to perform marriages or issue marriage certificates by citing a “sincerely held religious objection.” Once they have asked to be recused in writing, magistrates would be barred from performing any marriage, same- or opposite-sex, for six months.

The legislation specifies that all eligible couples have access to marriage services, but critics said same-sex couples would likely face delays if officials objected to marrying them, particularly in less populated areas where few magistrates are available.

Democratic Representative Grier Martin compared the bill to the system that once segregated students by race under the argument that black and white schools were “separate but equal.”

“This sets up a separate system of marriage,” Martin said. “We’ve tried separate but equal before in this state. It did not work then, and it does not work now.”

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory – www.insidehighered.com

Similar bills were filed in several states this year, although none have become law yet, the ACLU said.

It is unclear whether supporters of the measure have enough votes in the legislature to override McCrory’s veto.

the first of many states to ban this harmful and discredited practice that uses rejection, shame and psychological abuse aimed at changing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Studies conducted by major mental health organizations and personal testimony from LGBT youth have shown that conversion therapy can create dangerous and even life-threatening effects, including depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse and suicidal behavior.”

Danni/y Rosen, chair of GLSEN Oregon continued:

“GLSEN Oregon thanks the legislature and governor for protecting LGBT youth in Oregon from the detrimental effects of conversion therapy. This law moves us one step closer to ensuring that all students in Oregon are safe and affirmed both in and out of school.”

and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community. For information on GLSEN’s research, educational resources, public policy advocacy, student organizing programs and educator training initiatives, visit www.glsen.org.

Italian news agency ANSA. “I think that you cannot just talk of a defeat for Christian principles, but of a defeat for humanity. The family remains at the centre and we have to do everything to defend it and promote it. Hitting it would be like taking the foundations away from the building of the future.”

the results of the referendum were coming in May 23 as a show of support for her Gay son.

Once, the Catholic Church had hegemony over Ireland’s political and social life.

In the 1930s, then-Monsignor John Charles McQuaid helped draft Ireland’s constitution. As Archbishop of Dublin he remained a central figure in Ireland’s political affairs till his death in 1973.

In 2009, however, an Irish government report revealed that McQuaid had covered up multiple child abuse charges involving Catholic priests. By 2011 allegations surfaced that McQuaid himself had molested young boys.

The sex abuse charges are not the only quarrel Irish Catholics have with their church. For many women, the church’s dogged resistance to any form of contraception was the decisive factor turning them against Catholic dogma.

As early as 1971, women’s rights activists organized a “condom train,” going over the border to Belfast, in the United Kingdom, and bringing back condoms to a country that outlawed contraception.

In 1983, an anti-abortion referendum was put on the ballot and passed by a two-to-one vote. But signs of resistance to Catholic doctrine were already surfacing.

According to former priest Tony Flannery, contraception was the defining political issue for the generation that became the parents of today’s young voters.

Ailing church While 84% of the people of the Republic of Ireland still identify as Catholic, church attendance has dropped precipitously from 91% in 1973 to only 30% in 2011. Fortyfour percent of the Irish respondents to a 2012 WIN-Gallup International poll said they were “not a religious person.”

The authority of the Catholic Church has declined so much that Ireland’s Association of Catholic Priests felt the need to warn against overheated rhetoric in the referendum campaign.

“If as priests we are speaking on this matter,” the group said, “we need to remember that the use of intemperate language can cause deep hurt among gay people and their families, as well as doing further damage to an already ailing church.”

Ireland’s Catholic Church has been “ailing” for many years, with most of the damage being self-inflicted.

“The people have changed their relationship with the Catholic Church, because they’ve been disappointed and let down,” Christina Breen told Reuters news service.

Breen added she was at Dublin Castle as

May 29, 2015

About GLSEN GLSEN is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe and affirming schools for all students. Celebrating its 25th year, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect

Courtesy of GLSEN

The new generation of Irish The abortion referendum “was the first time that Irish Catholics first questioned church teaching,” Flannery said. “That opened the door, and after that they increasingly began to question a whole raft of Catholic sexual teaching, and then the child sexual abuse scandal came along which destroyed church credibility in the whole area of sexuality.”

Flannery was suspended from the priesthood in 2012 because of his criticism of the church’s views on women and homosexuality.

The youngest generation of Irish voters were raised in an environment where the Catholic Church was increasingly isolated and its doctrines rejected even by those who continued to identify as “Catholic” culturally.

“The biggest change I see is the young people,” Dublin resident Annie Dillon told the New York Times.

“I’m thinking of my 20-year-old nephew, it was like a no-brainer for him,” she said. “He was like ‘Of course, why wouldn’t we want to be including everybody?’ That seems to be the prevailing attitude.”

Ms. Dillon said that when she came out, at the age of 21, “you had to have a dual existence almost.”

“It was easy to be out when you’re with other people who were gay, but I came out to my brothers and sisters gradually,” she said, adding, “I never talked about it much to my parents.”

Celebrating 41 Years!

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Celebrating 41 Years!

Angela Merkel says “nein!” to marriage equality

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer While the overwhelming vote for marriage equality in Ireland prompted calls for similar action across Europe, Germany’s Angela Merkel stands squarely in the way.

Merkel’s government said that at most it will agree to small changes in existing civil partnership laws, but marriage remains off the table.

“Today was an important milestone in dismantling discrimination and the chancellor is pleased about that,” Merkel spokesperson Steffen Seibert said after the changes were announced May 27. “But same-sex marriages are not a goal of this government.”

“Every country makes its own laws – some countries go one route while others go another,” Seibert added when asked about Ireland. “In Germany we’ll take a path that suits Germany.”

Merkel heads a coalition of three centerright parties, the largest of which is her own Christian Democratic Union (CDU), plus the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

The vast majority of CDU officials are against same-sex marriage, either because of their own convictions or because they fear losing the next election if right-wing voters abandon their party. In contrast, the SPD supports marriage equality, as do 75% of German voters.

Reacting to the government’s minor expansion of civil partnership rights, Justice Minister Heiko Maas of the SPD was disappointed that Germany did not take a bigger leap.

“Expanding rights for registered partnerships is another step toward giving samesex unions the same rights as marriages. We haven’t reached the goal yet,” Maas said.

“Unfortunately that wasn’t possible with the conservatives.”

The political logjam over this issue is standard operating procedure for Merkel’s coalition government, which has been unable to enact reforms that go beyond their 2013 contract.

“This government isn’t capable of spon-

taneous reforms and is unable to move with the times,” said Thomas Jaeger, a political science professor at Cologne University.

“These are two big parties in the way of each other that don’t have the courage to tackle anything not agreed on in advance in their coalition agreement.”

Under the SPD-Green coalition government that ruled Germany from 1998 through 2005, Germany was among the first in Europe to allow same-sex registered partnerships. Under Merkel, however, the country is falling behind the rest of Western Europe in protecting LGBT rights.

Kazakhstan Constitutional Council rejects homophobic propaganda bill

Kazakhstan’s flag – en.wikiedia.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, May 26, Human Rights First welcomed reports that Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Council has rejected the proposed homophobic propaganda bill as unconstitutional. The organization notes that this ruling, which blocks the bill from becoming law, will ensure that 2022 Olympic contender Kazakhstan meets requirements included

in the Olympic Charter with regard to nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation.

“This ruling is an important moment in the fight for the protection of human rights in Kazakhstan,” said Human Rights First’s Shawn Gaylord. “We hope it will serve as an example both for other countries vying for an Olympic bid and for countries in the region considering similar propaganda bills.”

According to Kazakh media, the Constitutional Court invalidated the proposed bill because its wording was unclear. Kazakhstan’s propaganda bill “On protection of children from information harmful to their health and development” was introduced to ban the promotion of “non-traditional sexual orientations.” This bill would have

created a ban on propaganda similar to the ban that currently exists in Russia. Versions of this bill have been considered throughout the region, and one such proposal is currently moving forward in the parliament of Kyrgyzstan.

Human Rights First has worked with Kazakh activists to press the U.S. government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to encourage 2022 Winter Olympic Games contender Kazakhstan to protect the human rights of all of its citizens in accordance with the Olympic Charter. Earlier this year, Human Rights First issued a letter to IOC president Thomas Bach, urging him to press Kazakh President Nursultan Nazabayev to veto the discriminatory propagan-

da bill.

Human Rights First continues to urge the U.S. government work to prevent the spread of Russian-style anti-“propaganda” laws in the surrounding region. Human Rights First’s blueprint, “How to Stop Russia from Exporting Homophobia,” details how Russia’s homophobic laws and policies have spread throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and outlines key steps that the U.S. government can take to stop the spread of laws and policies which infringe on the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community.

Courtesy of Human Rights First – www. humanrightsfirst.org

HRC and Gender Proud to raise Transgender visibility and awareness in the Philippines HRC and Gender Proud launch partnership to raise visibility of the Transgender community and their rights in the Philippines Partnering with model and Transgender activist Geena Rocero, HRC supports three-city public education campaign WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, May 13, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, and Gender Proud, a Transgender advocacy and awareness organization, announced a three-city public education campaign to inform the public about, and destigmatize the lives of, Transgender people in the Philippines.

In conjunction with a three-city speaking tour headlined by Gender Proud Founder Geena Rocero, HRC will help support and organize three day-long media workshops for local advocates. The goal of the partnership is to inspire Transgender advocates to speak out and tell their stories to the public and the media in their own voices, and to create powerful, authentic narratives.

The speaking tour, which will be conducted in partnership with a local NGO, the Association of Transgender People in the Philippines (ATP), will also build awareness for two anti-discrimination bills that are currently being considered by the Congress of the Philippines. These bills could, if adopted, provide unprecedented protections for LGBT people across the country.

“We know that the best way to change hearts and minds is for people to tell their personal stories,” said Ty Cobb, Director of HRC Global. “We are excited to partner with Gender Proud and ATP to help amplify Geena’s inspiring voice, and to support a speaking tour that will provide practical skills training to local emerging Trans leaders and personalities in three of the Philippines’ largest cities,” Cobb added.

The tour will stop in Cebu, Quezon City, and Vigan from May 16 through May 31.

Rocero, a successful model who publicly “came out” as a Transgender woman in a TED talk in 2014 that has been viewed online over two and a half million times, founded Gender Proud in an effort to advance the conversation about the Transgender experience and bring more visibility to the community. She has been returning regularly to the Philippines since coming out in a desire to use her platform to ignite change.

“I am thrilled that not only will I have the opportunity to share my story throughout the country,” said Rocero, “by working with HRC and ATP, I will also leave behind in these cities dozens of advocates with lasting skills who will help our community grow from strength to strength because they have been able to tell their stories with confidence using their own voices,” she added.

In the Philippines today, only some 10% of Filipinos live in cities covered by local anti-discrimination ordinances, and attitudes towards LGBT citizens remain marked by

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Transgender woman Geena Rocero – www.ted.com

hostility and ignorance. Rocero hopes her efforts to raise awareness and elevate the Gender Proud is an advocacy and awarecommunity will push the needle towards ac- ness organization, focused on advancing the ceptance. conversation about the Transgender experience. Launched in 2014 alongside Geena RoThe Human Rights Campaign is America’s cero’s public “coming out,” the organization’s largest civil rights organization working to goal is to create a world where all Transgenachieve Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgen- der individuals are able to fully self-identify der equality. HRC envisions a world where with the fewest possible barriers.

LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every comCourtesy of the Human Rights Campaign munity. www.hrc.org

May 29, 2015

Seattle Gay News 13

Mayor Ed Murray’s statement on Irish marriage equality

Op-Ed by the Vice President on Ireland’s Vote for Marriage Equality The following is an op-ed by Vice President Joe Biden featured in the Advocate, the Washington Blade, and Irish Central.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray – lgbtqnation.com

SEATTLE – Mayor Ed Murray issued the following statement on May 23 after Ireland became the first nation in the world to recognize marriage equality by popular vote: “Congratulations to the people of Ireland. When I visited Ireland last year, I could feel an incredible energy behind the marriage equality movement. To my

friends, Irish Senators David Norris and Katherine Zappone, thank you for your courageous leadership. That same energy and hopefulness we have seen in Ireland is rising across America and around the world. In the end, for the Irish and Irish Americans, it is all about family. All families deserve to be treated equally. I have never been so proud to be Irish.”

Last weekend, more than 1.2 million Irish voters took a courageous stand for love and family when they overwhelmingly chose marriage equality.

They recognized the fundamental truth that every person is entitled to dignity and respect, and that there can be no justification for the denigration or persecution of anyone because of who they love or who they are.

I want to thank my good friends Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and Tanaiste Joan Burton, for their forceful leadership and eloquent advocacy on this critical issue.

I cannot improve upon the perfectly Irish statements they made following this historic vote, but I can echo the Taoiseach’s words when he described the Irish as “a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people,” and that their choice will be “heard loudly across the living world as a sound of pioneering leadership.”

In 22 years, Ireland has gone from a nation where simply being LGBT was against the law. Now, it is a nation where the people resoundingly stand for equal rights.

And here in the United States, in just the past three years we’ve gone from six states recognizing marriage equality, to 37

states, comprising 224 million Americans.

It’s about love. It’s about equality. It’s about dignity. It’s about our most cherished values. That’s what this is about – it’s all it’s ever been about.

There is still work to be done. There are still too many nations that deny people even the right to be safe from violence and severe discrimination, and too many states here in America that allow a person to be fired simply for being lesbian, gay, transgender or bisexual.

But the progress is undeniable. As advocates in Ireland, the United States and around the world have proven time and again, where there’s passion and commitment, there is opportunity.

I continue to believe that in every corner of the world, people want to do the right thing. You should never underestimate the epiphanies that follow when a culture makes a breakthrough of conscience.

But it takes leadership. It takes courageous individuals who are willing to step forward, to turn adversity into positive change, and to truly live the words of the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats: “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”

Courtesy of The White House, Office of the Vice-President

Arouet presents “Lawfully Wedded” Plays about marriage. Or not. A one-night latenight event.

What is love? What is marriage? What does it all mean? People have widely differing views, and that is the subject we explore in this collaborative piece about marriage equality. Through personal interviews, the-

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Seattle Gay News

atre and poetry, we will explore the topic and challenge your preconceived notions.

This collaborative production is sure to speak to your heart!

In 2012, in response to the statewide

May 29, 2015

vote on marriage equality, Arouet commissioned a multi-discipline piece that dealt with issues of marriage equality. Two playwrights, a poet, a musician, three directors, and six actors worked over a period of three months to come up with microplays, poems, and music inspired by interviews conducted by Daniel Cords, then Arouet Education Outreach director.

The result was “Lawfully Wedded.” Seventy minutes where we explored first dates, marriage proposals, family reactions, and childcare, among other themes. It was presented throughout the Puget Sound as part of ArtsCrush in October 2012.

On Saturday, May 30 at 10:30 pm, Arouet presents “Lawfully Wedded” at The Ballard Underground, 2220 NW Market St. Admission: Pay-what-you-can.

With the upcoming Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, and as a companion to our current production of The Children’s Hour, we figured it would be a great time to revisit this piece. Most of the original team is back to reprise their roles with a few new faces acting and directing.

“One of the best things that we’ve noticed is

how some of the pieces are practically irrelevant only three years after they were written,” says Roy Arauz, Arouet Artistic Director. “However, there is still a lot of work to be done and we are happy to bring this piece back one more time.”

Creative Team Conceived by Daniel Cords. Written

by Greg Brisendine (poet), Caitlin Gilman (playwright) and Morgan Ludlow (playwright). Performed by Jeremy Behrens, Bruce Erickson, Jared Holloway-Thomas, Addie Keller, Idalia Limón, Carissa Meisner Smit, Lisa Marie Nakamura, and Gabriel Sedgemore. Directed by Roy Arauz, Mariajosé Barrera, and Joshua Jon. Bios can be seen at: http://arouet.us/news/creativeteam-lawfully-wedded-2015/ More information at http://arouet.us/ lw2015 Courtesy of Arouet

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