SGN June 29, 2018 - Post-Pride - Section 1

Post-Pride Issue

Celebrating 44 Years!

Issue 26 Volume 46

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Seattle Gay News S E AT T L E ’ S L G B T Q N E W S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T W E E K LY

Justice Kennedy retires from SCOTUS Prospects for much more hostile court

Neo-Nazi arrested at Knoxville, Tennessee Pridefest after protest turns violent

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy – Photo by Pete Marovich / Bloomberg via Getty

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced June 27 that he will retire from the US Supreme Court, a decision that opens the way for the Trump administration to remodel the high court in his own image.

While he was a reliable conservative vote on most issues before the court, Kennedy also favored expanded legal protections for LGBT Americans. He was also a moderate on reproductive choice, voting against state laws that made reproductive choice inaccessible to women.

see KENNEDY page 11

HRC on SCOTUS:

With our most fundamental rights on the line, the American people should decide at the ballot box this fall

Kynan Dutton – Photo courtesy of LGBT Nation

by Bil Browning LGBTQ Nation Neo-Nazi Kynan Dutton was arrested at the Knoxville, Tennessee pride festival over the weekend [June 23, 2018] after getting into a scuffle with another man. Dutton was at the event to “support the traditional

nee until after the American people vote in the midterm elections this November.

Donald Trump has signaled his intention to nominate Supreme Court justices who

see HRC ON SCOTUS page 11

see KNOXVILLE PRIDE page 12

SCOTUS punts second LGBT rights case What it means for Washington state

Barronelle Stutzman – Photo by Kai-Huei Yau / AP

Photo by Bill Pugliano / Getty

WASHINGTON, DC – [On June 27], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, called on the Senate not to consider the next Supreme Court nomi-

family,” which apparently involves shoving people to the ground.

Dutton told the Knoxville News Sentinel that Pridefest should not be allowed because [Knoxville] is a historically “prowhite, pro-traditional family” town.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The US Supreme Court has vacated a 2017 ruling by the Supreme Court of

Washington that Pasco florist Barronelle Stutzman violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws by refusing to supply wedding flowers for a Gay couple.

see FLORIST page 5

2 Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 44 Years!

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

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JESSE’S JOURNAL

Trump in Florida: A wake-up call

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer A recent poll of Florida voters conducted by Morning Consult for Politico news site and the AARP reveals that Donald Trump is more popular in this state than South Florida progressives would like to believe. According to the poll, 48% of Florida voters approve of Trump’s job performance while only 49% disapprove.

(Nationwide voters are 45% for Trump and 51% against him.) Men are more approving (53% v. 45%) than women (43% v. 52%); Republicans are more approving (87% v.

12%) than Democrats (11% v. 85%); and voters over 50 are more approving (52% v. 44%) than voters age 30 to 44 (47% v.

49%). (I saw nothing about race in this poll, though I presume whites are more approving than people of color.) All in all, this Florida poll suggests that the “blue wave” that we hope to arrive in November might be harder to come by, at least in the Sunshine State. It certainly was a disappointment for the AARP, which tends to take a progressive stand on issues of importance to the elderly.

Though the Politico/AARP survey might be an outlier, the fact remains that Trump enjoys a lot of support. While some principled conservatives – John McCain, Ana Navarro, Steve Schmidt, George Will and the Bush family – have criticized the president, most Republicans are devotees of Trump. Evangelical Christians, who are quick to attack sexual or gender diversity or a woman’s right to choose, are in thrall to a president who has no morals: a narcissist, a bully and a pathological liar who would not know the truth if it sat on his face. Many Trump supporters love Trump almost as much as he loves himself; and flock to his rallies with cult-like devotion. Some of those deplorables share in the president’s prejudices; and hate anyone who looks, thinks or loves differently than they do. Others, however, support Trump for more complex reasons.

Photo by Mark Wallheiser / Getty

I must admit that I found the Politico/ AARP survey startling, since I spend my life in Florida’s most progressive bubble. I live in Broward County; have progressive friends; belong to progressive groups; listen to progressive talk radio (primarily Sirius XM Progress); read progressive blogs and news sites. I have nothing to do with Trump supporters who live in north or central Florida. And they have nothing to do with me. By the same token, liberal Jewish retirees who live in Century Village have little in common with conservative Christian retirees who live in the Villages. (Though both groups support Israel, Social Security and Medicare.) This political and social segregation is at the heart of the virtual civil war that has divided our country as

it hasn’t been divided since slavery split us apart in 1860.

I am not trying to reunite America Red and America Blue; a task that I fear is nearly impossible. Nor do I think it would be possible to separate Florida in half between a conservative north and a progressive south. But I would like to know what Trump supporters think. What is it about Donald J. Trump that appeals to his devotees? There might be some good reasons to support this president, though they seem to escape me at the moment. If you, my reader, think Trump is doing good for our country, please let me know.

Pride

Q-Squared announces Q-Camp 2018 Happy Pride from the Board of Q-Squared!

For many years in our small community celebrating Pride week has also meant signing up for CAMP and despite our 2-year hiatus we think some traditions are worth keeping.

Consider signing up for Q-Camp 2018 as part of your celebration of Pride 2018.

By signing up now you help us reach our minimum attendance faster. Reaching that magic number of attendees not only secures the space we need but allows us to introduce new pricing plans which we believe will allow us to reach out and introduce more guys to Q-Camp. You can learn all the details by going to: www.qcamp.org If you don’t have time right now, here is a quick look at what’s new: New Location – Vashon Island, just a quick ferry ride from West Seattle.

New Weekend – September 7th-9th the weekend after Labor Day so you don’t have to make those hard choices between Q-Camp and your current commitments or traditions.

New Comfortable Accommodations – Shared or private double rooms perfect for a couple or triad of buddies. This new property includes private bathrooms with towels, sheets and blankets provided in

June 29, 2018

Photo courtesy of Q-Squared

each room. You can leave your sleeping bag at home. The meals are delicious and healthy; designed to accommodate special dietary needs.

All this that is new with the old magic of CAMP awaits you. Are you ready to sign up today?

Hope to see you soon and Happy Pride!

The Q-Squared Board

Celebrating 44 Years!

2018 Pride Awards Photos by MK Scott

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan presents the 2018 Pride Awards to (from l) Louise Chernin, Monisha Harrell, Charlene Strong and family, Beto Yarce, Tristen Pamphlet-Gardner, Aleksa Manila

Gay City launches study to understand the healthcare needs of Lesbian, Trans and Queer women, non-binary people, and Trans men in Seattle/King County Please consider participating in the following survey and forward this information to those who may be interested.

Survey Summary Gay City is conducting a study to understand the healthcare needs of Lesbian, Trans and Queer women, non-binary people, and Trans men in Seattle/King County. The goal of this study is to provide guidance for possible development of a new

FLORIST

continued from cover The federal high court’s June 25 decision returns the Washington state case to square one, with the state Supreme Court under orders to review Stutzman’s claims in light of the US Supreme Court ruling in a similar case involving a Colorado baker.

In that case, Masterpiece Cake Shop v.

Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the high court said that the baker’s First Amendment free speech and freedom of religion rights were violated when the State of Colorado fined him for refusing to make a wedding cake for a Gay couple.

“The Supreme Court today asked the Washington courts to re-examine our

health program to meet those needs.

There’s a lot of kinds of health care that have historically been categorized as “women’s health,” but this has not met the needs of all women, and plenty of people who aren’t women have been forced to depend on women’s health programs because they could not get care anywhere else. We would like to hear from people who have an interest in this category of healthcare, and learn more about our

community’s actual health needs and barriers. That includes Trans women as well as Lesbian / Bi / Queer Cis women. That also includes people who aren’t women but nonetheless have a stake in this conversation. We thank you all for participating in this survey and helping guide the direction of LGBTQ health in King County.

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you participate, you will complete an online survey that will take

approximately 10 minutes. We will not collect any information that will allow anyone to identify you and everything you say will be confidential.

Here is the link to the survey: gaycity. org/survey

clients’ case in light of the recent decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop,” said James Esseks, director of ACLU’s LGBT and HIV Project and attorney for the Gay couple in the Washington state case.

“To be clear, the court made no indication the lower courts ruled incorrectly and made no decision on the case’s merits. We are confident that the Washington state Supreme Court will rule once again in favor of the same-sex couple, and reaffirm its decision that no business has a right to discriminate. Our work to ensure LGBT equality is the law and the norm in all 50 states will continue.”

In the Colorado case, the 7-2 majority relied on two arguments: • That the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed impermissible bias against the plaintiff’s religion, based on a single remark

made by one commission member.

• That the cake shop did not refuse to sell the couple an ordinary cake from its case of baked goods, it refused to create a special cake for their wedding. That act of creation, the high court said, made the cake a work of art and not a mere commodity, bringing it under the purview of the First Amendment.

In the Washington case, the state Supreme Court will therefore have to examine whether any Human Rights Commission member or any lower court judge connected with the case made remarks that could be construed as hostile to Stutzman’s religion.

The state Supreme Court will also have to look at what kind of product Stutzman was asked to sell the Gay couple.

According to the Gay couple bringing the complaint, Stutzman had sold them

flower arrangements for many years before suddenly refusing to supply flowers for their wedding. Does that demonstrate an illegal bias against same-sex couples based on sexual orientation, as Washington courts originally found? Or is a wedding arrangement a special artistic creation that privileges Stutzman’s rejection of the couple under the First Amendment?

These questions will be litigated against the backdrop of the retirement of US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative justice who nevertheless sided with an expansive view of LGBT rights. His replacement is not likely to be as friendly to the LGBT community, and the federal court will probably seek to shrink legal protections for LGBT Americans in future cases.

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Seattle Gay News 5

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Courtesy of Gay City Health Project

Photo by Richard Wood, http://kapchur.us

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Celebrating 44 Years!

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Dykes on Bikes

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8 Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 44 Years!

Keep cannabis locked up tight,

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When it comes to cannabis, safety is essential. It can be hard even for adults to see when edible treats include THC. That’s why cannabis-infused products can be dangerous for those who may think it’s regular food. Some teens may even search for cannabis products at home. But you can keep everyone—from kids to pets—out of risk by storing your cannabis safely. So, keep your cannabis where kids can’t reach, in original packaging, and with “Not for Kids” labels intact.

For more on safe storage, visit KnowThisAboutCannabis.org * Source information for statements can be found at KnowThisAboutCannabis.org/Sources

Visit us online www.sgn.org

June 29, 2018

Seattle Gay News 9

10 Seattle Gay News

June 29, 2018

Celebrating 44 Years!

KENNEDY

continued from cover In 2013, Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in USA v. Windsor in which the court struck down DOMA, and two years later he also wrote for the majority in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

“The limitation of marriage to oppositesex couples may long have seemed natural and just, but its inconsistency with the central meaning of the fundamental right to marry is now manifest,” Kennedy wrote at the time.

“With that knowledge must come the recognition that laws excluding same-sex couples from the marriage right impose stigma and injury of the kind prohibited by our basic charter.”

Other conservatives were outraged by the decision, charging that Kennedy was simply imposing the policy decisions he preferred, rather than applying the Constitution. His Supreme Court colleague, Antonin Scalia, called Kennedy’s opinion “as pretentious as its content is egotistic.”

Possible successors to Kennedy include Utah Sen. Mike Lee and federal appellate judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Lee is the prime sponsor of the so-called

HRC ON SCOTUS continued from cover

would undermine significant progress – from health care to LGBTQ equality to the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion. The HRC calls on Senate leadership to allow the American people to decide at the ballot box whether they want a nominee who will undermine their fundamental rights and freedoms – or one who will protect them.

“Justice Kennedy’s retirement should serve as a wake-up call for every pro-equality voter in America,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Trump wants a Supreme Court nominee who will undermine progress we’ve made on affordable health care, LGBTQ equality, Roe, and more. The American

President Donald Trump greets Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy after addressing a joint session of Congress in the Capitol’s House Chamber, February 28, 2017.

– Photo by Tom Williams/ Getty Images

nating Judge Neil Gorsuch,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-choice group the Susan B. Anthony List.

“We trust him to follow through on his promise,” she added.

“That promise should set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about women – and the Constitution,” responded Nancy Northup, president and chief executive of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “The future of reproductive rights is on the line.”

Others said the stakes are bigger than that.

“This is a monumental moment for our country,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “The very integrity of our justice system and the rule of law will be affected by the confirmation of a new justice to the Supreme Court.”

“An already right-leaning Supreme Court is poised to become the most conservative institution in the entire history of America’s government,” said Thomas C. Goldstein, a Washington lawyer and founder of SCOTUSblog.com.

“Justice Kennedy was the last obstacle to reshaping our law on a host of hot-button issues,” he concluded.

First Amendment Defense Act, a measure that would allow businesses to refuse service to LGBT customers based on a “sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.”

Kavanaugh, a former Anthony Kennedy law clerk with close ties to the retiring justice, is also a former White House lawyer for President George W. Bush. He wrote an appeals court opinion ruling that Donald Trump could fire the director of the Consumer Finan-

cial Protection Bureau at will.

Anti-choice conservatives are already licking their chops over the prospect of an enhanced right-wing majority on the Supreme Court.

“The most important commitment that President Trump has made to the pro-life movement has been his promise to nominate only pro-life judges to the Supreme Court, a commitment he honored by swiftly nomi-

people don’t – and they should have an opportunity to say so at the ballot box in November.

The 2018 midterm elections just became the most consequential elections of our lifetime.

We must keep organizing, mobilizing, and holding lawmakers to account every single day – and then we need turn out like never before this November.”

The Human Rights Campaign believes judicial nominees should: • Demonstrate commitment to full equality under law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Americans; individuals living with HIV and AIDS; women; people with disabilities; and racial, ethnic and religious minorities; • Demonstrate commitment to the constitutional right to privacy and individual liberty, including the right of two consenting adults to enter into consensual intimate relationships;

• Respect the constitutional authority of Congress to promote equality and civil rights and provide statutory remedies for discrimination and violence; • Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of and commitment to the separation of church and state and the protection of those citizens with minority religious views; and • Respect state legislatures’ attempts to address discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, race, color, national origin, religion, and other factors through carefully crafted legislation that meets the requirements of the Constitution.

Over 30 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy cast countless tie-breaking votes on major decisions, and authored the majority opinion in the four most influential cases affecting LGBTQ people in the past three decades: • Romer v. Evans, finding that bare animus cannot be a justification to pass measures that discriminate against LGBTQ people; • Lawrence v. Texas, finding laws that criminalize intimate relationships between

same-sex couples to be unconstitutional; • US v. Windsor, finding the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited legally married same-sex couples from being recognized as married by the federal government, to be unconstitutional; and • Obergefell v. Hodges, finding that samesex couples have a constitutional right to marry regardless of where they live in the United States.

As this process moves forward, the HRC will work in coalition with civil rights groups across movements to advocate for the appointment of a fair-minded constitutionalist to the nation’s highest court.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

marriage is at the forefront of the fight for the biblical family. Gay marriage violates God’s standard and is outside God’s plan for men and women.”

Graham told WBAP radio that the donation from Ivanka was received after he sent out a tweet touting his church’s work with immigrant children. Graham later told a Texas NBC affiliate that the donation was not expected but that he was not surprised

by Ivanka’s generosity.

“In the midst of all this political division,” he said, “God’s people can show love and compassion and help, which is what we want to do.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet with Ivanka Trump a number of times over the last year, and I’ve been struck by her kindness and concern for those in need,” Graham added.

Ivanka Trump’s net worth is estimated at $300 million, according to the Celebrity Net Worth website, while her husband, Jared Kushner, is reportedly worth some $800 million. Daddy Donald is reported to be worth somewhat more than $3 billion.

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

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

Pride at Work statement on Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court ruling Ivanka donates $50,000 to homophobe minister WASHINGTON – [On June 27], the Supreme Court ruled against working people in unions in Janus v. AFSCME by declaring that the fair-share fees unions charge to nonmembers for the services provided in negotiating and servicing the collective bargaining agreement violate freedom of speech. Pride at Work Executive Director Jerame Davis reacted strongly: “After spending billions of dollars to steal a Supreme Court seat, corporate CEOs and billionaires got what they paid for today. The partisan majority on this court has decided that the corporate interests that put them [there] have greater rights than the American people. The right to organize is a fundamental freedom that must not be abridged. This decision is a major setback for working people all across the nation, regardless of whether they are part of a union. Just as they authorized the Muslim ban yesterday, this Supreme Court has proven that it will stop at nothing to divide and weaken us.

“Corporate CEOs and billionaires have funded this case as a means to destroy the unions that working people have built in order undermine the basic freedoms of working people. Unions are the best way to stand up to corporate greed and unrig our economy and political system.

“LGBTQ working people lose greatly in this decision as well. In more than half the country, it is legal to fire an LGBTQ person solely based on their identity. A union contract is the only protection LGBTQ workers can attain against such discrimination, and this ruling puts even those protections in jeopardy.

“But working people built unions out of struggle, and in worse environments than this. There are unions that are thriving in right-to-work states — just ask the Culinary Workers Union that almost shut down Las Vegas earlier this month. Working people can and are fighting back. This decision issues a very clear message to all working people: get organized and fight.”

Pride at Work organizes mutual support between the organized labor movement and the LGBTQ community for social and economic justice. It seeks full equality for LGBTQ workers in our workplaces and unions, and it organizes 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.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Courtesy of Pride at Work

Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald, has donated $50,000 from her personal funds to Jack Graham, pastor of the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas.

Graham is no relation to Billy and Franklin Graham, but he is even more hostile to the LGBT community than his more famous namesakes.

In 2014, Graham worked to repeal a nondiscrimination ordinance in Plano, Texas. In 2015, Graham lashed at out the Supreme Court for marriage equality, calling for “massive civil disobedience” by Christians.

“This past week, the family once again came under attack in America,” Graham wrote at the time. “This is an old fight dating back to the Garden of Eden, when Satan seduced the first family with lies and deception. The same lies are in play today.

“The biblical design of marriage is clear: a man and a woman living and loving together in a monogamous relationship in the image of God. Today, same-sex

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Courtesy of the HRC

Seattle Gay News 11

KNOXVILLE PRIDE continued from cover

A strangely diverse group of extremists gathered to protest the event, from the neoConfederate League of the South and other white nationalists to a handful of Black Hebrew Israelites. Dutton claims to be the

leader of the Tennessee National Socialist Movement. “[The] reason we’re here is to support the traditional family that is one man, one woman and children,” Dutton told the University of Tennessee Beacon before his protest. “None of these other permutations, some of this other corruption or evil that is being permutated by this parade – it

should not, and hopefully in the future will not, be allowed by these cities.”

Dutton was arrested after pushing a counter-protester to the ground in a brief scuffle. He was last arrested in a small North Dakota town where white nationalists were trying to set up an all-white racist enclave by buying up property and running for office.

He moved with his family to Leith, North Dakota, and was arrested after joining the movement’s leader, Craig Cobb, in parading around town with rifles and shouting at the town’s residents. The two men accused locals of vandalizing Cobb’s home.

Courtesy of LGBTQ Nation – www. lgbtqnation.com

SMIRNOFF™ vodka pledges an additional one million dollars to the Human Rights Campaign in support of love in all its forms

Image courtesy of HRC

WASHINGTON, DC – On Friday, June 22, SMIRNOFF™ vodka announced an increased commitment to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization – with a pledge to donate $1 for every SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” bottle made to HRC for a minimum of one million dollars over three years, starting in 2019. These funds will go towards supporting local HRC events to drive awareness of the fight for LGBTQ equality and help empower those who are leading that fight for equality in HRC’s 32 volunteer-led local steering committees in communities across the country.

“Inclusivity is a part of our brand’s DNA,” said Jay Sethi, Vice President, SMIRNOFF, Diageo North America. “We have always believed that SMIRNOFF should be enjoyed by everyone, no matter what you look like, where you live, what your background is or who you love. We know how important it is to support LGBTQ efforts across the entire nation.”

SMIRNOFF’s pledge to HRC marks the extension of a long-term commitment by the brand to support America’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, and comes on the heels of SMIRNOFF’s donating almost a half of a million dollars to the organization in 2017 and 2018 through their SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” bottles.

“These crucial resources will help fuel the fight for LGBTQ equality and accelerate the pace of progress in the years ahead,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “We are grateful for SMIRNOFF’s pledge to donate an additional one million dollars to the Human Rights Campaign, for their continued support of the LGBTQ community, and for those who put their passion for equality to work by making this campaign possible.”

SMIRNOFF originally launched its “Love Wins” campaign in May 2017 with its limited-edition “Love Wins” bottle packaging for SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka.

Now, in 2018, the “Love Wins” bottles are back and are available nationwide for a limited time. Inside each bottle is the iconic SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka, triple distilled and ten-times filtered, from the world’s most awarded name in vodka in the last ten years. As a brand that has supported the LGBTQ community for several decades, and was honored alongside DIAGEO with the prestigious 2018 Corporate Equality Award by HRC this past February, SMIRNOFF is proud to continue to support love in all its forms.

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June 29, 2018

2018 Special-Edition “Love Wins” Bottles SMIRNOFF’s redesigned 2018 “Love Wins” bottles feature the newly updated, special-edition bottle packaging, which highlights 34 real LGBTQ couples from across the United States. Each couple featured on the 2018 packaging submitted their photos through the brand’s website last year for a chance to be a part of the SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” campaign.

Jessica & Whitney from Alabama, whose story began with a simple Facebook message, and Jeremy and Wutichai from Washington, D.C., who met while volunteering for the Peace Corps in Thailand, are just some of the real couples featured on the new bottles currently on shelves across the United States. [Shannon Darrow and her partner Ashley from Seattle are also featured in the “Love Wins” campaign.

Read about their participation in this week’s Pride special section on page 10.]

Every SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” bottle and box packaging is completely unique, with

a different set of photographs that display real love and real people, along with its iridescent rainbow aesthetic and LGBTQ SMIRNOFF logo.

The SMIRNOFF No. 21 “Love Wins” bottles are available in 750mL and 1L and are priced in line with SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka. While love is not meant to be bottled up, vodka sure is, so make sure to enjoy this limited-edition bottle responsibly.

SMIRNOFF, as well as its parent company Diageo, has a long-standing relationship with HRC as one of the organization’s longest-standing partners and biggest advocates. In fact, in February of this year, after ten consecutive years of scoring a perfect 100% on the HRC Corporate Equality Index, SMIRNOFF and Diageo were honored with the prestigious 2018 Corporate Equality Award at the HRC Greater New York Gala. To further support HRC and the LGBTQ community and to celebrate inclusivity, diversity and equality for all, SMIRNOFF is also supporting seven HRC galas across the United States with SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” pop-up bars.

Each bar features the SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” bottles and custom cocktails so all can raise a glass to celebrate the accomplishments of HRC. With supporters like SMIRNOFF, HRC can push for change through legislation, advocacy and education.

About the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

About SMIRNOFF The SMIRNOFF brand that boasts the world’s number-one selling premium spirit and the top-selling flavored vodka in North America, traces its heritage back to 19th century Russia. As the most awarded vodka brand in the world in the last 10 years, SMIRNOFF has always been known for quality and is enjoyed responsibly in 130 countries around the world. For more information, log on to www.smirnoff.com.

About Diageo Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, SMIRNOFF, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is proud of its achievement when it comes to diversity in the workplace.

Diageo has been named one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” and has received a perfect score of 100 percent on the HRC Corporate Equality Index for ten consecutive years. Additionally, 38% of Diageo’s executives are women, one of the highest percentages in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.

DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Courtesy of HRC

Celebrating 44 Years!

Maine legislature sends bipartisan legislation to governor to protect LGBTQ youth from dangerous “conversion therapy” WASHINGTON, DC – [On June 26], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, hailed the Maine legislature’s passage of bipartisan legislation to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” With a final version approved [on June 26] by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the measure now heads to Gov. Paul LePage for consideration. If signed or allowed to become law by the governor, Maine would join 14 other states plus the District of Columbia with laws or regulations protecting LGBTQ youth from the dangerous practice.

“This critically important legislation will help ensure that children in Maine are not subjected to a practice that amounts to nothing less than child abuse,” said HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse. “It’s now imperative that fair-minded people across the state contact Gov. LePage’s

office and urge him to sign this bill protecting LGBTQ youth or allow it to become law. Other Republican governors across the country – including most recently in neighboring New Hampshire – have signed similar bipartisan legislation, and it’s vital for Maine’s LGBTQ youth that Gov. LePage do the same.”

“We are pleased that both chambers of the legislature have finally passed these needed protections for LGBTQ youth in Maine,” said Equality Maine Executive Director Matt Moonen. “We call upon the governor not to veto this needed bill that can save lives.”

There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To the contrary, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased selfesteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior. The harm-

ful practice is condemned by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and American Medical Association.

Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, and New Hampshire all now have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice. A growing number of municipalities have also enacted similar protections, including cities and counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, New York, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

According to a recent report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, an estimated 20,000 LGBTQ minors in states without protections will be subjected to conversion therapy by a licensed health care professional if state lawmakers fail to act.

The HRC has partnered with the National Center for Lesbian Rights

(NCLR) and state equality groups across the nation to pass state legislation ending conversion therapy. In Maine, the HRC is working closely with the NCLR, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), and Equality Maine in the effort. More information on the lies and dangers of efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity can be found [at https:// www.hrc.org/resources/just-as-they-are].

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

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

Courtesy of HRC

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Theresa May urged by Peter Tatchell and delegation to compensate convicted gay men [On 26 June 2018] UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, was urged to “compensate living men who were convicted under discriminatory, anti-gay laws – both before and after 1967 – in instances where their behavior is now no longer a crime.”

Rachel Barnes, the great niece of Alan Turing, was joined by Lord Michael Cashman, Peter Tatchell and Stephen Close, who suffered for three decades after being convicted of a consenting gay offence in 1983.

They delivered the compensation request letter to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street this afternoon.

Of the men who were convicted prior to, and following, the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 are still alive.

Rachel Barnes, Alan Turing’s great niece, noted: “I am sure my great uncle would want gay men who suffered like he did to receive compensation. They deserve recompense for unjust imprisonment and fines, physical hardship, mental trauma and often impoverishment. No money can ever reverse lost and damaged lives but as a symbolic gesture compensation is important and the right thing to do.”

Stephen Close was in the Royal Fusiliers.

He was convicted, aged 20, of consenting sex with another soldier in 1983. He said: “I was sentenced to six months in a military prison.

I lost my job, home, income and pension. My homosexual conviction and ‘discharge with disgrace’ made it very difficult to get another job. I was near unemployable and was forced to do mediocre, low-paid jobs for three decades years. It caused me severe depression and ruined my life.”

Lord Michael Cashman added: “The government must now consider compensating those whose lives and careers were blighted and, in some cases, they still are.”

Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, explained: “These men deserve an apology and compensation for the terrible persecution they suffered. Many were jailed and nearly all endured devastating knock-on consequences. They often lost their jobs and became near unemployable and semidestitute because of the stigma associated

(from l) Stephen Close, Peter Tatchell, Rachel Barnes and Lord Michael Cashman – Photo courtesy of Peter Tatchell Foundation

with having a conviction for a homosexual offence. Some experienced the break-up of their marriages and lost custody and access to their children. Families and friends disowned them and they were abused and sometimes assaulted in the street. Many descended into a downward spiral of depression, alcoholism, mental illness and suicide or attempted suicide. The psychological and emotional scars are devastating and long lasting. That’s why they need and deserve state compensation.”

[Read Peter Tatchell’s comprehensive, detailed exposure of the intensified police and judicial persecution of gay and bisexual men after 1967: https://bit.ly/2yxlyyn] Following is the text of Peter Tatchell’s letter delivered to UK Prime Minister, Theresa May:

Visit us online www.sgn.org

26 June 2018

Dear Theresa May,

Compensation for men convicted under unjust anti-gay laws I am asking the UK government to agree to compensate living men who were convicted under discriminatory, anti-gay laws – both before and after 1967 – in instances where their behaviour is now no longer a crime.

Around 100,000 men were convicted of consenting adult same-sex behaviour following the outlawing in 1885 of all homosexual acts; with at least 15,000 of these men being convicted after the Sexual Offences Act was legislated in 1967. The latter law was only a partial decriminalisation.

Some forms of sex between men continued to be a crime in parts of the UK until 2013.

Of the men who were convicted prior to, and following, the 1967 legislation, an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 are still alive.

June 29, 2018

These men deserve compensation for their painful, heart-breaking persecution.

Many were jailed and nearly all endured devastating knock-on consequences as a result of their conviction.

They often lost their jobs and became near unemployable and semi-destitute because of the stigma associated with having a conviction for a homosexual offence. Some experienced the break-up of their marriages and lost custody of, and access to, their children. Families and friends disowned them and they were abused and sometimes assaulted in the street.

Many descended into a downward spiral of depression, alcoholism, mental illness and suicide or attempted suicide. The psychological and emotional scars were devastating and long lasting.

That’s why they need and deserve state compensation.

The “gross indecency” law of 1885 had been used to convict the computer genius Alan Turing in 1952 and, before him, to jail the playwright Oscar Wilde in 1895.

Together with the criminalisation of an*l se*, the gross indecency legislation was finally repealed in England and Wales by the Sexual Offences Act 2003. As a result, for the first time in 470 years these two nations had a criminal code that did not penalise gay sexuality.

In Northern Ireland, the ban on a*al s*x was finally repealed in 2008. Scotland’s anti-gay sexual offences laws were abolished in 2009 but, in the case of sodomy, did not take effect until 2013.

Gay sex ceased to be a crime across the whole of the UK only five years ago – 46 years after 1967.

I urge you to commit the government to compensate the survivors of this era of homophobic persecution, as a gesture of atonement, healing and reconciliation.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Tatchell Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation Courtesy of the Peter Tatchell Foundation – www.PeterTatchellFoundation.org

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Celebrating 44 Years!

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