SGN June 3, 2016 - Section 1

Celebrating 42 Years!

Issue 23 Volume 44

SEC 1 PG 5

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Seattle Gay News

Seattle Pride Parade officials meet with community, Seattle LGBT

media to ease tension over socalled “exclusivity” contract flub

SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

4th annual City of Seattle City Hall Pride Flag raising ceremony

Michael Shiosaki and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray – netdna-cdn.com

Boy scout color gaurd in Seattle Pride Parade – Photo by Nate Gowdy

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Kevin Toovey presided over his first Seattle Pride meeting as its new president on Wednesday, under the watchful eye of the

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor City of Seattle LGBT Commission held the 4th annual City of Seattle City Hall Pride Flag Raising Ceremony, June 1, from

see SEATTLE PRIDE page 6

3:30-5 p.m. at the flagpole outside of City Hall. The event was open to the public and did not cost anything to participate. Nearly 100 people were in attendance.

According to the LGBT Commission, the event is important because it symbolsee FLAG RAISING page 8

4th Circuit denies new Massachusetts passes review of Trans restroom Trans rights bill ruling – Student can still use gender-appropriate restroom

Today is the day to be Trans – cosmopolitan.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Court of Appeals – photobucket.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals said on May 31 that it will not review its April ruling that a Transgender high school student can use see TRANS RESTROOM page 9

The Massachusetts House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill protecting the state’s Transgender residents from discrimination in public accommodations.

The vote was 116 in favor to only 36 opposed. The measure was also passed by the Massachusetts Senate on May 11, 33 to 4.

The Senate version is somewhat different from the House bill, so the two will have to be reconciled in a future vote. The House measure, for example, includes penalties for people claiming a false gender identity, which the Senate version does not.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker promised to sign the bill.

“No one should be discriminated against in Massachusetts because of their gender see MASSACHUSETTS page 8

2 Seattle Gay News

June 3, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

TRUMP vs. SANDERS

Trump and Sanders – worldnow.com

by Janice Van Cleve Special to the SGN Last week Bernie Sanders invited Donald Trump to a debate via the Jimmy Kimmel show (Kimmel Trump video on YouTube).

Trump responded he would love to debate Sander as long as the money raised by the networks was donated to charity. Trump later declined, saying he did not want to debate a second place candidate after having demolished sixteen Republican presidential wannabes.

Yet it would have been an interesting debate. Trump and Sanders are more alike than the media portray them. Both are angry white men. Both appeal mainly to angry white men.

Trump’s appeal is active – racist and sexist.

Sanders’ appeal is passive – focused on economics at the expense of racial and gender issues. Why are white men angry? Is it because they fear the loss of white male privilege?

Back in the 1980s Reagan promised them “a shining white city upon a hill.” It was a beautiful city that did not include Mexicans, Chinese, or Blacks. There were no LGBT people and nobody had AIDS. Women were included only if they were good little Stepford wives. White male privilege was assured.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

The world has changed since then. We have a Black president and by 2050 it is estimated that whites will be a minority in America. Gays and Lesbians can marry now. A Gay man is even Secretary of the Army and women are allowed in combat roles! A high school graduation is no longer enough to get a job and a college education burdens young people with almost insurmountable debt. Manufacturing jobs have gone overseas, construction jobs are taken by Mexicans, and top tech jobs go to people from India. The only people who can afford to live in the shining white city upon a hill are the 1%.

Trump blames immigrants and unfair foreign competition for our problems. Sanders blames Wall Street and unfair capitalism.

Yet there are several good websites that point up their similarities, like www.reason.com/ archives/2015/08/10/bernie-sanders-and-donald-trump-ties.

Both declare that the current system is rigged against them and, by extension, their followers. Both challenge big trade deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership. Both would restrict immigration (in different ways and degrees). Both have been supported by the National Rifle Association and both are described as pro-gun and pro 2nd Amendment.

June 3, 2016

Both actively avoided serving in the Vietnam War and both have been married multiple times. Trump wants our allies to pay more for their own defense and Sanders agrees that Europe should pay more for NATO and that Arab countries should do more on their own to solve Middle Eastern problems.

This kind of isolationism does not work in practice. Obama tried to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan. He tried to “lead from behind” during the Arab Spring. He hoped through trade and talk to steer a more peaceful course in the world while he focused on bridging divides at home. How did that work out? Libya is in chaos, Syria is a disaster, Egypt is once again a dictatorship, China is claiming pieces of the Pacific, North Korea is advancing its nuclear missile program, Russia is on the move, and American soldiers are back in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like it or not, America has to accept the responsibilities that come with being a world power. Yet neither Trump nor Sanders have the experience, knowledge, or temperament to represent America on the world stage.

Of course, Trump and Sanders are very different as well. Trump is a billionaire businessman. Sanders is a career politician.

Trump glories in his wealth and enjoys being in the 1% while Sanders is concerned for the 99%. Trump proposes a radical reduction in taxes across the board while Sanders proposes an aggressive increase particularly on the rich. Trump’s tactics are new but his policies are not that far different from the Republican Party platform. Sanders actively seeks to blow up the Democratic Party platform and create a revolutionary one.

Yet for all their similarities, it would have been interesting to see these two debate. They both shout a lot and both have funny hair.

Janice Van Cleve posts political articles on her website at www.jvox.doodlekit.com.

Seattle Gay News 3

Presidential Proclamation – LGBT Pride Month, 2016 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2016

______________________

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

A PROCLAMATION Since our founding, America has advanced on an unending path toward becoming a more perfect Union. This journey, led by forward-thinking individuals who have set their sights on reaching for a brighter tomorrow, has never been easy or smooth. The fight for dignity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is reflected in the tireless dedication of advocates and allies who strive to forge a more inclusive society.

They have spurred sweeping progress by changing hearts and minds and by demanding equal treatment – under our laws, from our courts, and in our politics. This month, we recognize all they have done to bring us to this point, and we recommit to bending the arc of our Nation toward justice.

Last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality in all 50 States was a historic victory for LGBT Americans, ensuring dignity for same-sex couples and greater equality across State lines. For every partnership that was not previously recognized under the law and for every American who was denied their basic civil rights, this monumental ruling instilled newfound hope, affirming the belief that we are all more free when we are treated as equals.

LGBT individuals deserve to know their country stands beside them. That is why my Administration is striving to better understand the needs of LGBT adults and to provide affordable, welcoming, and supportive housing to aging LGBT Americans. It is also why we oppose subjecting minors to the harmful practice of conversion therapy, and why we are continuing to promote equality and foster safe and supportive learning environments for all students. We remain committed to addressing health disparities in the LGBT community – gay and bisexual men and transgender women of color are at a particularly high risk for HIV, and we have worked to strengthen our National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce new infections, increase access to care, and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV. Despite the extraordinary progress of the past few years, LGBT Americans still face discrimination simply for being who they are. I signed an Executive Order in 2014 that prohibits discrimination against Federal employees and contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. I urge the Congress to enact legislation that builds upon the progress we have made, because no one should live in fear of losing their job simply because of who they are or who they love. And our commitment to combatting discrimination against the LGBT community does not stop at our borders: Advancing the fair treatment of all people has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and we have made defending and promoting the human rights of LGBT individuals a priority in our engagement across the globe. In line with America’s commitment to the notion that all people should be treated fairly and with respect, champions of this cause at home and abroad are upholding the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights.

There remains much work to do to extend the promise of our country to every American, but because of the acts of courage of the millions who came out and spoke out to demand justice and of those who quietly toiled and pushed for progress, our Nation has made great strides in recognizing what these brave individuals long knew to be true in their hearts – that love is love and that no person should be judged by anything but the content of their character. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, as Americans wave their flags of pride high and march boldly forward in parades and demonstrations, let us celebrate how far we have come and reaffirm our steadfast belief in the equal dignity of all Americans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

4 Seattle Gay News

June 3, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

http://www.seattlefrontrunners.org/ SUNDAY, JUNE 5 Capitol Hill Clean Sweep Join us in Cal Anderson Park at the Shelter House (11th Ave. & E. Olive St.) and help us clean up Capitol Hill for Pride month! 10am12pm. A very popular community event! We feed you breakfast and lunch, and you help clean the streets of Capitol Hill. Presented

by Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce and Seattle PrideFest. www.caphillchamber.org; www.seattlepridefest.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4 PhinneyWood’s Pride Rainbow Hop & Drag Queen Story Time The Phinney Neighborhood Association Business Group’s fourth annual Pride Rainbow Hop kicks off Pride month in Seattle with a family-friendly day of fun. Held the first Saturday in June, participating businesses and nonprofits in PhinneyWood promote the value of diversity by hosting events and activities and handing out goodies that focus on diversity and fun. From face painting to rainbow sidewalk art, the Rainbow Hop honors everyone in our community, whether you’re LGBT or straight.

The day will kick-off at the Greenwood Library (8016 Greenwood Ave. N.) with Drag Queen Story Time with Sparkle Leigh from 10:30-11:30am. There will be events throughout the neighborhood from 11am-1pm and then a free Not-Its! concert at Naked City Brewery from 1-1:30pm. Kids who go to 6 spots that day and participate will get a free t-shirt that will also be good for a free kids’ entrance to the zoo that weekend. http://www.phinneycenter.org/pride/

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 UW Lavender Graduation Lavender Graduation is open to any student eligible, at any level (undergrad or graduate/professional) for a graduation in the 20152016 (including fall 2016) academic year. The Q Center and QSC host Lavender Graduation as a time for the UW student of all genders and sexual orientations to come together and celebrate our multiple identities, our accomplishments, and sheer AWESOMENESS. This year’s Lavendar Graduation features Professor Andrew Jolivette (Creole of Opelousa, Choctaw, Atakapa-Ishak, French, African, and Spanish descent) who is chair of the American Indian Studies Department of San Francisco State University. He is the author of five books and many journal articles and community studies.

Lavendar Graduation will be held at Intellectual House (4249 Whitman Court) 6-8:30pm. (Graduates and participating faculty please arrive NO LATER than 5-5:15pm.)

IF YOU ARE GRADUATING, please register at http://tinyurl.com/uwlavgrad2016.

You do not have to be graduating or be of a certain sexual or gender identity/orientation/ expression to participate in and/or attend the Lavender Graduation year-end communities celebration. This is a scent-free event.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4 Ellensburg Pride 2016 Parade: 10am. Festival: 10am-8pm. Rotary Pavilion (1200 W 5th Avenue, Ellensburg). prideofellensburg.com SUNDAY, JUNE 5 Seattle Frontrunners 2016 Run/Walk with Pride Run/Walk with Pride is an annual community event open to all. Meets Sunday, June 21 in Seward Park (5895 Lake Washington Blvd. S.) for a fun 4K run, 10K run, or 4K walk. Registration at 8am. Event starts at 9am.

Entre Hermanos has been chosen as our beneficiary this year, and we could not be more excited about this. As a local non-profit, Entre Hermanos has been a pillar of support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Latinos/Latinas in the Greater Seattle area since 1991. Their mission is to maintain a healthy and vibrant Latino/Latina community through the development of education programs, safe spaces, and social services. Your registration dollars will directly go to help them continue the fantastic work they do to make Seattle a magical place.

We truly hope that you will be able to join us in helping to contribute to charity, while also having a great time!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 POZ Seattle BBQ Please join POZSeattle for our first BBQ of the summer from 6-8pm at the Cuff Complex (13th Ave. & E Pine St).. Meet us on the back patio bar for socializing to catch-up with old friends, to make new ones, and a whole lot of fun. Hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken breasts, veggie burgers with all the fixins! We will be asking for a suggested donation of $5.00 to offset the cost of providing this for you, our loyal supporters for the past 17 years; however, no one is ever turned away due to lack of funds. Beverages will be provided as always, CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

June 3, 2016

Seattle Gay News 5

PRIDE PARADE continued from cover

LGBT communities’ Gay media and public, as the board of directors, many of whom are new to the organization, took questions from the audience and promised that communication, public engagement, and ultimately the city’s annual Pride parade would improve under their leadership.

Things were not supposed to be like this.

Weeks ago, Toovey, announced that he would serve as interim president in the wake of Eric Bennett, then-president of Pride, who stepped down June 29 after a sponsorship debacle that led to public outrage over the organization’s handling of a sponsorship deal that granted “exclusivity” to one airline sponsor, Delta, and told LGBTQ employee resource group GLOBE (Gay, Lesbian, Other and Bisexual Employees) for Alaska Airlines, they could march in the parade with T-shirts that said GLOBE, but that, if asked, they aren’t allowed to say what GLOBE stood for or who they worked for.

The general consensus, gained from social media posts and several letters to the editor at Seattle Gay News, was that the public took issue with anyone – corporate sponsor, politician, entertainer, etc. – being offered something referred to or resembling “exclusive.”

Delta was quick to say that they were not asking for exclusivity, GLOBE representatives said they would play nice and march in the parade after Seattle Pride made a public apology and said that they had made a mistake and that, despite what had originally been stated by its former president, nobody had been offered any sponsorship package that allowed them to be the only corporation allowed to advertise their logo in the parade.

Of course, anyone with any kind of experience in community organizing and sponsorship procurement can tell you that the last part, the part about nobody was offered or told anything about exclusivity, is bullshit.

Many people felt and quite frankly, still, feel like Bennett took the blame for something a group of people had collectively screwed up.

It was obvious that some of the people at the public meeting on Wednesday, inside the Athens Room in the basement of Hotel Monaco in downtown Seattle, were there to find out who the current board actually is, why others were not held accountable, and what, if anything at all, would Seattle Pride do to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Another reason why people are angry with Seattle Pride has to do with their socalled official Pride Guide. For year’s Seattle Pride printed 30 pages or more in a supplemental section of the Seattle Gay News, as their Pride Guide. Last year Seattle Pride announced they would go in a different direction and print a glossy, independent of Gay media, version and call that the official Seattle Pride Guide. The problem is nobody even knows it exists. Seattle Pride struck a deal with Seattle Weekly to carry the guide and distribute it. The question on many people’s minds was, “Why is the Pride Guide being produced and distributed outside of the very community the guide is for?” Along the same lines of communication issues, SGN publisher George Bakan (who co-chaired and was a member of the Freedom Day Committee, the group that preceded Seattle Out & Proud and Seattle Pride as the Pride Parade organizers, for many years) and Seattle Gay Scene editor and owner Michael Strangeways, and SGS co-owner Adam McRoberts (who spent nearly a decade as a member of Seattle Pride) told the board they have a communication problem that they need to fix if they want to fix the current relationship between the organization and the community. The organization hasn’t issued a press release in weeks.

6 Seattle Gay News

They don’t push articles or announcement out to the community through Gay media (Seattle Gay News, The Seattle Lesbian, Seattle Gay Scene), and instead of addressing issues, the standard response from Seattle Pride officials usually comes in the form of denying that anything is even wrong in the first place, scapegoating others, and more. According to Toovey, communication and more will improve. For now, the inundated board is focusing on getting the job done on Pride Sunday, June 26.

The meeting went well. In fact, I think it went a lot better than most people would’ve thought. It couldn’t have been easy for the board to field questions and hear comments that were, at first, meant to let them know that the community did not see this set of people as capable of leadership. At first certain board members became defensive when in all reality, they did not have the right to be. I respect-

don’t have a huge operating budget by sponsoring their fee to be in the parade, helping to build and make floats, and partnering together to make change. George Bakan said that Seattle Pride should remember that pride parades are a political statement and that the board needs to support the campaign to stop the bigots from taking away important rights for Transgender Washingtonians by supporting and donating to Washington Won’t Discriminate and also by signing up voters at the parade. Egan Orion, who oversees the operations of the massive PrideFest at Seattle Center and many other events throughout the year, proposed that after this year’s parade is over, PrideFest and Seattle Pride commit to working together and collaborate more in the future. Other comments included shortening the length of the parade by making it more about quality and not quantity; a request for Seattle Pride to announce when

The Official Pride Guide – seattlepride.org

fully reminded them of that point. Their job, I said, was to listen and process what the community was trying to tell them. Defending yourself means you don’t think you have done anything wrong when, in fact, everyone can see the opposite is true.

Community politics is a dicey and messy thing sometimes. People seem to like complaining online but rarely “show up” when the real conversations are being had. The same could be said for this meeting. The room, you would think, would be full. It wasn’t. And although some were there to support the board (members of PFLAG and a few others praised the board for their work) the fact remained that although people are hopeful, the trust of the community has been lost. Toovey and others say that they will work on regaining that trust back and then some.

After the initial few rounds of frustration and anger were over, we all got down to some good brainstorming and ideas began to flourish. A representative from Verizon Wireless and Brian Daniels Peters, the man behind the drag sensation Mama Tits (a former host of the parade), proposed that corporations help community organizations and nonprofits that

June 3, 2016

they would be accepting applications for new board members; and for Seattle Pride to look at ways to work with other existing nonprofits to better the community more than just one day out of the year.

Some of the board were more receptive than others when it came to listening to people voice grievances and concerns.

David Hale, director of sponsorship and Seattle Pride vice president elect, was not one of those people. Time and time again he acted as though people were out of touch with what sponsorship was, who pays for the parade, and was quick to defend decisions made by the board. On every board, however grassroots or corporate the board might be, there are individuals that really personify an “executive” attitude. Hale fits that role perfectly.

During the meeting he delivered a sponsorship update to the community that included his thoughts on the issue at hand and he was less than pleased that people thought that, despite Seattle Pride saying they did not, Delta was offered an exclusive contract. This is confusing to me and anyone that is paying attention because we know that it happened, the outgoing former president says it did as does Alaska Airlines GLOBE officials, and yet

Hale still insists that it did not and it’s all just business as usual. I respectfully told him that he comes off as being condescending and that the public is uninterested in hearing its Pride Parade board of directors give excuses about any wrongdoing; instead, I said, it’s time to fix what is broken and move on. While I will readily admit that I do not personally know Hale, professionally or otherwise, so it’s hard to say if he will or will not hear what people are saying when they express the desire for a Pride Parade that is less about corporations and more about the community the parade is actually for. I, along with many others, are hoping so.

The current leadership as of press time, is as follows: Interim President and Chairman of the Board Kevin Toovey; Vice President Elect and Director of Sponsorship David Hale; Treasurer and Director Christine Lyon; Secretary and Communications Director/ Editor in Chief, Seattle Pride Guide Alex Nugent; Director of Outreach Melissa Celia Garcia and Directors at Large Anne Melle, Jeff Cornejo, Álex Baña, Julia Lacey, Christopher Nichols, Mitchell Moczulshi, Stephanie Bailey.

Another person, Colin Bishop, with Northwest Polite Society, is involved in sponsorship acquisition and according to former Seattle Pride board members that have either moved on to other things, quit early or were asked to leave, who spoke to SGN on conditions of anonymity to avoid possible backlash from either Bishop, his company, or the current Seattle Pride board, is making quite a bit of money off of getting sponsors for the organization, but in many ways calls the shots behind the scenes. Seattle Gay News will investigate these allegations for next week’s edition of the newspaper and will find out what it means in terms of ethics, conflict of interests and just exactly how much Pride sells itself for in 2016.

The history of Seattle’s Pride Parade is a proud one, but it is also a history that is scarred with moments that do not reflect, at times, our community’s finest moments.

Sometimes the disagreement is about the parade theme, while other times disagreements about parade contingent placement in the lineup flares. While most people come to “watch the freak show” others are shocked and offended (so they say) by the near and all the way nakedness, sexual overtones, and gender play on display. Nobody is perfect and the same could be said for organizations and boards of people who plan events like pride parades. Some forgiveness is given if the intention behind the act is in the best interest of the community or even when a mistake is seemingly made out of ignorance. However, sometimes Seattle Pride, under the current name or one of the other incarnations before it, really steps in it and leaves the community with doubt in their ability to do the job at all.

Take for instance, in early 2012 when the board announced that any elected official, politician, or political organization must pay $1,200 to march in the parade, while businesses need only shell out $700. The public was shocked to learn that the people and organizations that work directly on passing and upholding pro-LGBTQ measures like marriage equality should pay $500 more than a for-profit business using the parade as a billboard. Historically, you will find, that the people who are on the board over the years have a really hard time saying they did something wrong. Such was the case with this controversy as the price was kept at $1,200, the policy was not changed, and while advocacy groups were left out in the cold, businesses were shown to the front of the line.

Then, there was that time when, again in 2012, the board ignored the fact that marriage equality would be challenged at the ballot box

Celebrating 41 Years!

by popular vote and announced the asinine theme “The Many Faces of Pride.” To make matters worse, then-Washington State Senator Ed Murray, who is credited for leading the fight for marriage equality, was passed over when the selection of parade Grand Marshals were named and the board refused to answer questions from the media about their incompetence and refusal to make a political statement during the biggest, and arguably most important fights for equality that our community has ever faced. Again, the board acted as though they had done the right thing.

Showing that loyalty and, in particular, the Lesbian community did not matter to the 2015 board of directors at Seattle Pride, the last announcement stage, founded by The Seattle Lesbian, as you round the corner towards Seattle Center at 4th and Denny, told TSL publisher Sarah Toce that they were no longer going to offer the booth to her and would, instead, take sponsorship money from someone else instead. Now dubbed “The L Corner” (which could either be referring to the shape of the street crossing or an ode to its history with the Lesbian community) and still not offered to TSL, most of the community never heard of the decision because, you guessed it, Seattle Pride felt that they didn’t have to acknowledge the change, ignored criticism by the Lesbian and greater LGBT community alike, and moved on as if nothing ever happened.

Then of course there was the great move off of the Hill and into near bankruptcy in 2006. The once small parade of the 1970s and ‘80s gave way to a bursting at the seams parade in the 1990s and early 2000s. A few years ago the big discussion was centered on whether or not the parade should leave its Gayborhood of Capitol Hill for Downtown.

Well, we all know which argument won that time. However, as a product of its own success (it is the fourth largest Pride Parade in the nation) it is bigger than it ever was in size, cost, and attendance, and coupled with a large outdoor festival that was once under the planning and implementation of the board at Seattle Pride, Seattle Out & Proud (a former moniker of Seattle Pride) ended up owing the city more than $100,000. SO&P didn’t make the payments that were expected for three years, resulting in the city filing a lawsuit against the group in King County Superior Court in 2009, alleging that it failed to pay $95,707 bill to rent the Seattle Center exhibition hall, hire security crews, use sound equipment, and employ other services. Again, the board made excuses for itself, said they would reach out and “ask for help,” and as they moved forward, did not develop a good working relationship with Egan Orion of One Degree Events, who is the very person credited for saving the festival and in fact, has grown Seattle PrideFest into the largest free outdoor festival in the nation, always pays their bills, and works with the community and not against it.

I could go on and on as example after example – especially in these later years – where people made really bad and quite frankly amateur mistakes and the board was right on time with denying anything happened, trying to spin the facts to appear like board members are only responsible for the good things that take place and never the bad, and destroying relationships with community organizations, businesses and individuals all along the way.

So how does this continue to happen? Because Pride is so big and so polarizing that when it is over people look back at the fun,

the parties, and the people they spent their time with, and forget about the logistics, the (at times) betrayal, and executive attitude that dominates the once grassroots event aimed at helping the community become visible and equal. Pride is, in a sense, out of sight and out of mind. But, each and every year, it comes back around and in May, everyone is paying attention again and mistakes are magnified, scrutinized, argued over and ultimately negotiated until Pride Sunday and Seattle forgets to remember that some housekeeping needs to be done on the board and some reorganizing efforts need to be planned to fix the problem, and more. We simply go our own ways until it’s time to do it all over again next year.

What if it didn’t have to be that way? What if this was the board of directors that dedicate themselves to getting it right? It’s possible. It can be done. The challenge that lays before this board will not be how well they do or don’t do their job later this month. The challenge is how well they make Seattle Pride known, and for the quality of work that they become associate with having completed, during the rest of next year leading up to Pride 2017. It is unfair to blame or condemn a board of (mostly) new people because of the mistakes their predecessors made. But the community is not out of line when we ask for more transparency, better ways to partner with a wide range of our community and not just executive types, and that Pride remains – as it is meant to be – a statement that celebrates the diversity and inclusive nature of our community. Much of the past is marred with bad judgment and shameful accountability practices but it hasn’t all been bad, otherwise nobody would go and, at the very least, another group would’ve come along to challenge Seattle Pride by now. To be fair, SO&P eventually paid their bill to the city and there are times when organizers were smart about the statement the parade can, and should, make.

Eventually Mayor Ed Murray was honored as a parade grand marshal and SOAP asked married same-sex couples to march together in the 2013 Pride Parade while that same year, the participation of uniformed members of the Boy Scouts of America, celebrating the recent decision by that organization to allow openly Gay boys to join as Scouts, was notable. Groups like PFLAG have been embraced by the greater public, due in part, to their visibility in each parade. Increasingly more and more organizations that are represented by LGBTQ people of color are signing up as a parade contingent. Each year there is a color guard at the front of the parade, honoring the service of LGBTQ folks in the military and Coast Guard. The Chief of Police and LGBTQ officers participate, as does the Fire Department and City Council. Still, in this world you are only as good as your last mistake and if Seattle Pride were a cat, nobody would blame it for jumping at the sight of its own shadow because it’s already used up 9 of its lives. Simply put, the current board needs to get it right. They will need support and it should be our charge to support them when and where they need the community. But at the end of the day the community is saying loud and clear that it is high time we get a parade that honors our history and diversity, struggle and beauty, future and political leanings. We want a parade we can be proud of.

They seem to have gotten it right with the selection of Grand Marshals this year:

Visit us online www.sgn.org

El Centro de la Raza: An organization that is “home” for all people who are interested in building a better world, El Centro de la Raza has a mission to build unity across all racial and economic sectors, to organize, empower and defend its most vulnerable and marginalized populations, and to bring justice, dignity, equality and freedom to all people of the world.

Founded in 1972, El Centro de la Raza envisions a world free of oppression based on poverty, racism, sexism, sexual orientation and discrimination of any kind that limits equal access to the resources that ensure a healthy and productive life for all people.

Rooted in a group of diverse community members that led a peaceful and innovative three-month occupation of a local abandoned school building, El Centro de la Raza now responds to a broad range of community needs with 48 culturally and linguistically competent education and asset-building programs, child and youth programs, and emergency and human services, benefitting low-income children, youth, adults, and seniors.

“El Centro de la Raza exemplifies the concept of serving the community,” Eric Bennett, Seattle Pride President said.

Last year, El Centro de la Raza served 15,085 individuals and 8,581 families by providing a unique blend of services and advocacy that resulted in a stronger, more effective future for all people in the community.

Dennis Coleman: As conductor of the Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus for 35 years, Dennis Coleman has led the choruses to artistic excellence. With a combined singing membership exceeding that of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the choruses are one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest and most vibrant and successful music organizations. The choruses entertain and enlighten audiences with a vision to see a world that accepts and values its Gay and Lesbian citizens.

“It is so fitting to have Dennis join in leading the 2016 parade. Dennis and the Seattle Men’s and Women’s Choruses are such an integral part of our community,” Bennett said.

Active as a clinician and guest conductor throughout the U.S. and Canada, Coleman served six years on the national board of directors for Chorus America and was on the founding 10 Seattle PRIDE Guide board of directors for the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA Choruses). Conducting the choir of First Congregational Church of Bellevue since 1981, the 45-voice choir toured Europe three times, sang in churches in New Zealand, and toured South Africa.

Coleman commissioned and premiered choral works from many leading composers including Gian Carlo Menotti, Ned Rorem, Robert Moran, Conrad Susa, David Diamond, Robert Seeley, British composer Paul Patterson and Canadian Stephen Hatfield.

“Of Rage and Remembrance,” a 15-minute work for male chorus, mezzo soprano, speakers and orchestra by composer John Corigliano, was premiered by Seattle Men’s Chorus in Seattle in 1991. A recording of this work and the companion Symphony 1, also called Of Rage and Remembrance, by the National Symphony under Leonard Slatkin was awarded the 1998 Grammy for Best Classical Album.

Over the course of his career, Coleman has collaborated with a long list of acclaimed artists which include Maya Angelou, Frederica von Stade, Judith Martin (Miss Manners),

June 3, 2016

Bobby McFerrin, Tatiana Troyanos, the Mark Morris Dance Group, Harvey Fierstein, Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Marni Nixon, Diane Schuur, Armistead Maupin, Lucy Lawless, Faith Prince, and Lily Tomlin.

Coleman’s final Seattle-area concert ahead of his 2016 retirement will be the Seattle Men’s Chorus Summer Concert held during Pride Week. The concert is titled: “Encore.”

Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG): Founded in 1984, originally as Seattle AIDS Support Group to provide peer emotional support services to those affected by the burgeoning AIDS epidemic, SASG offered a place to come together in loving support to cope with loss during a time of confusion, fear, and lack of knowledge of this disease.

Today, SASG carries forward the power of peer support and understanding – the support that can only occur between people with shared experience and struggles. Whether one-to-one or in peer groups, SASG addresses issues of mental well-being, chronic illness, personal development, addiction, and safe social interactions.

“Their contribution to the health of our community makes them exemplary in the role of a parade Grand Marshal,” Bennett said.

The Court of Seattle Organization (The Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & The Olympic and Rainier Empire): The Court of Seattle Organization is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide funds and services to other non-profits within the LGBTQA community of Seattle and King County, Washington. The Court of Seattle annually provides educational scholarships to deserving high school or post high school undergraduates who reside in the state of Washington via the oldest LGBTQA-oriented scholarship program in the United States.

The J.C./Lady Graytop Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1977 as a permanent memorial to Emperor J.C. and Empress Lady Graytop. Since its inception, the Court of Seattle has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to deserving students pursuing a post-secondary education.

The Court holds fundraising events throughout the year, which have come to be an essential part of the community. Held in grand tradition and pageantry, most notably the election and crowning of the Coronation of the Court of Seattle, the Court stands out as an organization that celebrates respect with ceremonial revelry. The Court of Seattle also elects or appoints the Imperial Princes and Princesses, the Mr. and Miss Gay Seattle, the King and Queen of Hearts and the Kings and Queens of the Seas.

“As we celebrate the crowning of our 45th Empress, DonnaTella Howe, we are honored to be acknowledged as Honorary Grand Marshals of Seattle Pride! This is the first time in 45 years that the Court has been awarded this honor,” Barry Burns of the Court said.

“We look forward to serving our community once again, this time as Grand Marshals of the Seattle Pride Parade. We hope you enjoy celebrating our organization’s 45 years of Noble Deeds, and will continue to celebrate the Queen in us all far into the future.”

Seattle Gay News 7

FLAG RAISING continued from cover

izes the City of Seattle’s commitment to honoring the community by hoisting the rainbow pride flag at the first of the month of June (LGBT Month), and flying it until July.

Seattle Office for Civil Rights sponsored the event.

Entertainment was provided by Adra Boo of Fly Moon Royalty & Rain City Rock Camp who sang several songs to enthusiastic applause from the audience. Additionally, Director of Diversity at Gender Justice League, Ryannah Quigley, offered a dance performance that was well received by the audience, too.

Welcome by Seattle LGBT Commission & Introduction of Mayor Seattle Mayor Ed Murray read a City of Seattle Proclamation proclaiming June LGBT Pride month. Murray, who is openly Gay, reminded attendees about the battle the LGBT community in Washington fought to get where we are today. But the fight is still on he said, referring to I-1515, which aims to take away important rights

for Transgender Washingtonians.

Murray attended the first flag raising ceremony in 2013, but he was a State Senator at the time. Since being elected mayor, he often speaks out about the struggles that LGBT people face on a daily basis. In a particularly heartfelt moment on Wednesday, Murray reminded attendees that two years ago, June 1, 2014, two Gay men of color, Ahmed Said and Dwone AndersonYoung, were brutally executed and asked for a moment of silence to remember them, and the lives of all LGBT people killed simply for being who they are.

Following the mayor’s remarks, immigration reform advocate Ray Corona, a commissioner with the LGBT Commission, introduced Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold who spoke about intersectionality and the importance of allyship.

The event’s Keynote Speaker, Jen Self, who runs the University of Washington Q Center, delivered a powerful speech about inclusion and supporting all parts of our community. Self challenged people to “take back Pride” from corporations and made the case for a stronger, more inclusive LGBT community – particularly one that recognizes and empowers Queer peo-

ple of color.

The event featured a Two-Spirit Blessing by Eaonhawinon Patricia Allen, who performed a traditional song from her tribe.

More than 50 representatives from various Seattle LGBT organizations then, under the direction of two nuns from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Abbey of Saint Joan, opened the Unity Flag (a giant rainbow Pride flag that was flown above the Space Needle).

The crowd then joined Mayor Murray at the flag pole to officially raise the rainbow pride flag.

The Seattle Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Commission advises the Mayor, City Council and city departments about issues of concern affecting the LGBTQ community, recommend policies and legislation, bring the LGBTQ communities and the larger Seattle community together through long-ranged projects, and ensure that City departments fairly and equitably address issues affecting and involving Seattle’s LGBTQ communities as individuals and as a protected class afforded accessibility and inclusion to the services of the City of Seattle.

Mission The Commission’s role is to effectively address and present the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens of Seattle to the Mayor, City Council, and all City Departments.

The Seattle LGBT Commission consists of 16 representative residents of Seattle appointed to serve in an advisory capacity to the Mayor, City Council, Seattle Office for Civil Rights, and other Seattle City departments. Seven commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and seven appointments are made by the City Council.

The Commission appoints the 15th member. Commissioners are appointed to a two-year term of office and serve without pay. A 16th member joins the Commission each year through Get Engaged, a leadership development program for 18-29 year olds.

Current Commissioners include Debra Salls, Elijah Grossman, Luzviminda Uzuri “Lulu” Carpenter, Manuel Venegas, and more.

Documentary of Hands Off Washington campaign donated to UW Libraries

Digital re-master of 1998 documentary We’re Here to Stay by filmmaker Liz Latham donated to the University of Washington Robert Eichler LGBT Film Collection

by Liz Latham Special to the SGN Local documentary filmmaker Liz Latham announced today that she will donate a copy of her recently digitally re-mastered 1998 documentary, “We’re Here to Stay,” the story of the civil rights movement called Hands Off Washington, to the University of Washington Robert Eichler LGBT Film Collection at the Suzzallo Library. In addition to the documentary, Latham will be collaborating with the Pacific Northwest Archivist at the UW to catalog all of the related written files, historical documents, and master tapes, after which they will be digitized and added to the collection. This work is made possible via a stipend from the Robert Eichler LGBT Film Endowment.

Latham made her 1998 film on a very low budget. Her film received excellent ratings in Video Librarian (www.videolibrarian.com/) and Booklist (www.booklistonline.com/), but Latham chose not to widely distribute it due to audio issues. Those audio issues have now been resolved through the wonders of digital re-mastering, and it is Latham’s goal to have a copy of We’re Here to Stay in every public library LGBT collection in the United States.

MASSACHUSETTS continued from cover

identity,” Baker said in a statement. “I would sign the House version in its current form should it reach my desk.”

A 2011 Massachusetts law prohibits discrimination against Trans people in employment and housing but does not cover public accommodations like restrooms in restaurants or shopping malls.

8 Seattle Gay News

and was screened at the Seattle LGBT film festival that same year. The film is a 56-minute long retelling of the Hands off Washington movement and an analysis of the politics of hate as experienced by the LGBT community in Washington state during the 1990s.

The Film Has Three Goals: • To document the history of Hands Off Washington and the struggle for Gay and Lesbian civil rights in Washington state; • To educate people about discrimination toward the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered community; • To serve as an educational tool for students and teachers at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels who are interested in the process of grassroots activism and effective mobilization to address state-wide initiatives or legislation.

“We’re Here to Stay” – lizardproductions.com

Please visit www.lizardproductions.com to discover why it should be a part of every library’s documentary film collection and to purchase this film for your library.

About We’re Here to Stay We’re Here to Stay premiered on May 8, 1998, at Seattle’s historic Paramount Theatre

“Our state is one step closer to allowing me, a 14-year-old transgender girl, to be able to live my life the way I want to live my life and be free and not have to worry about being discriminated (against) in public,” said Nicole Talbot, an eighth-grader from Grafton, after watching the debate with her mother.

Democratic Rep. John Fernandes, who presided over hearings on the bill, urged colleagues to put aside fear and emotion and focus on the facts. He said discrimination

should not be allowed anywhere.

“It’s wrong in bathrooms and it’s wrong in locker rooms and it’s wrong in business settings,” Fernandes said.

Opposition to the measure came from Republicans, who are heavily outnumbered in the Massachusetts legislature, but even some Republicans crossed the aisle to vote yes on the bill.

One Republican, Rep. Sheila Harrington of Groton, said she had long opposed the bill

June 3, 2016

The primary target audiences are decision-makers in politics and the media, educators and students, and civil rights activists.

To learn more, contact the filmmaker: Liz Latham, PO Box 16641, Seattle WA 98116 or liz@lizardproductions.com.

but changed her mind after hearing tearful stories from Transgender people and parents who told of how their children had been tormented and ridiculed.

Harrington, a Roman Catholic, also dismissed objections to the bill on religious grounds.

“People will say they can’t support this because of their faith,” she said. “I support this bill fully because of my faith.”

Celebrating 41 Years!

TRANS RESTROOMS continued from cover

the restroom that corresponds to his gender identity.

The Gloucester, Va., school board had asked the court for an en banc review of the decision, in other words, a hearing by all 15 active justices on the circuit. The April ruling was handed down by a panel of three justices, which is standard operating procedure for an appeals court.

The 4th Circuit panel had ruled in a 2-1 decision that Title IX of the Education

Amendments of 1972 protected student Gavin Grimm’s right to use the boys’ restroom at his high school, under the law’s prohibition of discrimination based on sex.

It was the first time a U.S. appeals court had validated the Obama administration’s contention that Title IX protections apply to Trans students. Lambda Legal, which submitted a brief supporting Grimm, called the 4th Circuit ruling a “game changer.”

“Now that the 4th Circuit’s decision is final, I hope my school board will finally do the right thing and let me go back to using the boys’ restroom again,” Grimm said in a state-

ment. “Transgender kids should not have to sue their own school boards just for the ability to use the same restrooms as everyone else.”

According to the ACLU, which represented Grimm, a majority of the 4th Circuit justices could have asked for an en banc review, but “none of the judges in this case requested a vote...”

While Grimm attended school in Virginia, North Carolina is also under the jurisdiction of the 4th Circuit, meaning that suits challenging that state’s draconian anti-Trans law will likely be upheld by the appeals court.

A suit on behalf of two Trans men and a

cisgender Lesbian has already been filed against the North Carolina law by ACLUNorth Carolina and Equality North Carolina.

“While the discriminatory, stated focus of the legislature in passing HB 2 – the use of restrooms by transgender people – is on its own illegal and unconstitutional, HB 2 in fact wreaks far greater damage by also prohibiting local governments in North Carolina from enacting express anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” that lawsuit charges.

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, new BFFs?

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A North Korean government publication has praised Donald Trump as a “wise politician” and “far-sighted candidate” whose policies could help unify Korea under North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The editorial in DPRK Today referred to a speech Trump gave in March, in which the Republican candidate said he would be willing to hold direct one-on-one talks with Kim, and would cut off military support to South Korea unless its government agreed to spend more money on its own defense.

“There are many positive aspects to Trump’s ‘inflammatory policies,’” the editorial, signed by professor Han Yong-mook, said.

“Trump said he will not get involved in the war between the South and the North; isn’t this fortunate from North Korea’s perspective?”

Han specifically urged American voters not to choose Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

“The president that U.S. citizens must vote for is not that dull Hillary – who claimed to adapt the Iranian model to resolve nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula – but Trump, who spoke of holding direct conversation with North Korea,” it said.

Analysts said that although the editorial was not officially from the North Korean government in Pyongyang, it reflected thinking inside the regime.

“This is very striking,” said Aidan FosterCarter of the University of Leeds. “Admittedly it is not exactly Pyongyang speaking, or at least not the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] government in an official capacity. But it is certainly Pyongyang flying a kite, or testing the waters.

“For the rest of us, this is a timely reminder – if it were needed – of just how completely Trump plans to tear up established U.S. policy in the region.”

John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy In Focus, said the editorial indicated Pyongyang’s wish to break through Washington’s strategic patience policy. He also compared Trump to Kim’s other American friend, Dennis Rodman. “[Trump]’s the Dennis Rodman of American politics – quirky, flamboyant, risk-taking.

At the moment he’s also an outsider,” Feffer said.

“But Pyongyang is hoping that either he’ll

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un – thesun.co.uk

be elected [and follow through on his pledges] or that his pronouncements will change the political game in the U.S. and influence how the Democratic Party and mainstream Republicans view Korean issues.”

In his March speech, Trump tried for the first time in his campaign to lay out a coherent foreign policy agenda, with one of the key points being that he expected U.S. allies to take up more of the financial burden of defending themselves.

Failing that, Trump suggested, his administration might withdraw altogether from places like South Korea.

“Yes, do it, now,” the North Korean edito-

Right-wing thugs attack pro-Gay café in Tbilisi, Georgia

Kiwi Cafè – wordpress.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Right-wing thugs pelted customers of a vegan café in Tbilisi, Georgia, with sausages and kabobs before punching and kicking them, according to a May 30 Facebook post.

Witnesses said the attackers were “farright extremists,” and the owners of the Kiwi Café labeled them “neo-Nazis” with “fascist ideas.”

According to the owners’ Facebook post, the attackers “pulled out grilled meat, sausages, and fish and started eating them and throwing them at us... they were just trying to provoke our friends and disrespect us.”

Members of the right-wing group had come to the neighborhood a month earlier, the café owners said, and asked a nearby shopkeeper whether foreigners or members

Visit us online www.sgn.org

rial said. “Who knew that the slogan ‘Yankee Go Home’ would come true like this? The day when the ‘Yankee Go Home’ slogan becomes real would be the day of Korean unification.”

Also in March, the North Korean government published a statement informing South Korea that it was open to resuming negotiations between the two states. South Korea rejected the proposal, but Kim’s government reiterated its desire for inter-Korea dialog.

If a future Trump administration pulled out of the peninsula, South Korea would have very few options other than negotiating directly with the North.

of the local LGBT community frequented the café.

The café has, in fact, become a popular meeting place for foreigners and LGBT folks in the year that it’s been open, locals told reporters.

The owners have pledged to stay open and said say they are “ready to accept all customers regardless of their nationality, race, appearance, age, gender, sexual orientation, or religious views.”

The attack on the café followed a May 26 march by right-wing Georgian nationalists timed to correspond with the country’s Independence Day festivities.

During a march through the capital, a group appeared carrying banners with the

slogan “Georgia for the Georgians,” a slogan associated with a former president of the country, the late Zviad Gamsakhurdia.

Gamsakhurdia was Georgia’s president from April 1991, when the country seceded from the Soviet Union, to January 1992, when he was deposed in a coup prompted by his increasingly authoritarian rule. The extreme Georgian nationalism of his administration also drove ethnic minorities to declare independence in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

It remains unclear whether the meat assault was a one-off hate crime or an organized political action by Georgian nationalists spurred on by the right’s Independence Day march.

June 3, 2016

Seattle Gay News 9

LGBTQ Health – Part I

are some general recommendations listed below: Age 35 and younger • Blood Pressure Screening • HIV Screening (we’ll get more into that below) • STD Screening (ditto) • Counseling to Quit Smoking • Screening for Alcohol and Substance Use/Abuse • Depression Screening • Counseling on Diet & Exercise • Hepatitis Screening • Cholesterol Screening

Dr. Kevin Wang

by Dr. Kevin Wang, MD, Faculty Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency Program Special to the SGN Before I begin this month’s article, I want to thank Seattle Gay News and Swedish for providing this opportunity to reach out to my fellow LGBTQers. It is an honor and a pleasure to provide health, prevention and community information to you each month.

I would also like to encourage our readers to send us comments and suggestions for future articles! Please email us at sgn2@sgn. org with ATTN: Dr. Kevin in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from all of you!

For the months of June and July, we’re going to focus on healthcare maintenance for our LGBTQ population. Because this is such a big topic, we’re going to split it up. This month, we’ll focus on Gay, Bisexual and Trans-male healthcare maintenance. In July, we’ll talk about Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-female healthcare maintenance.

First and foremost, whether you are cisgender or Transgender, Gay/Bisexual or straight, the vast majority of healthcare maintenance is almost all the same. We offer these screening options for our patients based upon recommendations from multiple organizations including the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). It’s primarily based on age, sex, tobacco use and sexual activity. Here

Age 40 to 49 • Diabetes Screening Based On BMI (Body Mass Index) Age 50 to 64 • Colon Cancer Screening • Daily Aspirin Age 65 and over • Lung Cancer Screening for Smokers • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening for Smokers • Fall Prevention with Exercise and Vitamin D Supplementation There are always exceptions to these recommendations and other organizations may offer alternatives, but, for us family doctors, we usually follow the guidelines above. There may also be reasons why these recommendations may not apply to certain folks and you will need to have a discussion with your primary care provider to make that determination.

Healthy People 2020, a document created by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, highlighted areas regarding the healthcare disparities impacting Gay, Bisexual and Trans-men. One of the biggest highlights in this document is the need to have more research done to help provide better care for the LGBTQ population. https://www. healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/ topic/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgenderhealth/objectives But here is what we do know.

GBT men are at higher risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, es-

pecially in communities of color. Current guidelines recommend testing for HIV and other STDs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis B are the ones we usually recommend) at least annually based upon risk factors. There are certainly ways to decrease the risk of transmission including the use of safer sex practices, immunizations for hepatitis A/B and HPV along with the use of certain medications to help decrease transmission rates of HIV, commonly known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. We’ll have more on PrEP in a future article.

Tobacco, alcohol and drug use are more prevalent in the male GBT population. In fact, younger GBT men are smoking more now than in previous years and alcoholism appears to be more prevalent in the GBT population when compared with the general population.

Drug use is also a concern in the GBT population as it may result in riskier behaviors such as having unprotected sex. Trends in drug use have changed over time with an alarming epidemic in methamphetamine use. Your primary care provider can help you if you have these concerns.

Behavioral health and psychiatric disorders are also more prevalent in the GBT population. In fact, Trans people have the highest rates of depression, anxiety and suicide when compared with the general population. It’s even higher in communities of color. Providers have questionnaires to screen people for depression and other psychiatric disorders but nothing beats having an established relationship with a primary care provider. Please see your healthcare provider for more information and for help.

There are also some pretty specific screening recommendations for the Trans-male population, too.

Breast cancer screening should absolutely be performed for those who haven’t had top surgery or for those not interested in top surgery. The timing of having breast cancer screens with mammograms is the same as a cis-female with breasts. There are some varying recommendations but may either start at age 40 or 50. For those Trans-men who have had top surgery, residual breast tissue may still be present. Most experts agree that screening should be done with a yearly chest wall exam.

Cervical cancer screening should also

be performed for Trans-men assuming they haven’t had surgery to remove their uteruses and cervixes. Experts agree that they should still have cervical cancer screening as cisfemales even if they are on testosterone. For those Trans-men who had their uteruses and cervixes removed for precancerous or cancerous reasons, they should still undergo screening to make sure there isn’t a return of those changes. Understandably, this exam may be very uncomfortable or scary for Trans-men due to hormonal changes or even fear. Building trust with your primary care provider can help decrease anxiety with this exam. There are also medications and creams primary care providers can provide to make it less physically uncomfortable.

Trans-men, as they get older, should also get screened for osteoporosis or weakening of the bones. Screening for osteoporosis is through a special x-ray that looks at your hips and spine. Trans-men who are on testosterone therapy and over the age of 65 should get screened for osteoporosis. For those transmen who can’t be on testosterone therapy, they should get screened once they’re over the age of 50 and have been off of therapy for 5 years or more.

So that, dear SGN readers, is GB & Transmale healthcare maintenance in a nutshell.

Of course there are other things to consider too, including dental and vision health along with helping provide community resources for those who don’t have adequate housing or social support. I wish I could talk more about these topics so maybe we can save it for an upcoming article.

Although we don’t cover the issue of provider discomfort, know that all of your healthcare advocates are working together to help educate others learn how to provide culturally competent and excellent LGBTQ care!

We, at Swedish, are working hard to provide the Western Washington LGBTQ community with this type of care. Please visit our website to find a primary care provider near you! www.swedish.org/primarycare or call 1-800-Swedish.

Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next month with an article on healthcare maintenance for our Lesbian, Bisexual and Transfemale population!

Condom use down 10%, new study says Trend not explained by serosorting or PrEP

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The number of men having condomless sex in America has increased by more than 10% in the last decade, a new study says.

The National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Survey was conducted in 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014, and asked more than 1,000 Gay or Bi men in 21 U.S. cities if they used a condom in their last sexual encounter.

Researchers hoped to determine whether changes in the use of condoms reflected increased serosorting, where men only have sex with men of the same HIV status, or increased use of medications like antiretroviral thereapy (ART) and PrEP. Their report, published this month in the journal AIDS, concluded that condomless sex continues to increase among men who have sex with men, but “the trends are not explained by serosorting or ART.” “Our data suggest that condom use has decreased among [men who have sex with men] and that the trends are not explained by serosorting, seropositioning, PrEP use, or

10 Seattle Gay News

HIV treatment,” noted the researchers, who worried that “the benefits of [antiretrovirals] in reducing transmission of HIV” could be “undermined” without increased promotion of condoms and access to PrEP. In the nearly 10 years between the first survey in 2005 and the most recent in 2014, the number of HIV-negative Gay and Bi men who reported having sex without a condom rose from 29% to 41%.

Reduction in condom use was reported across the board, the study shows, whether or not sexual partners were of the same HIV status and regardless of whether survey respondents knew their partners’ HIV status.

From these data, researchers concluded that reduced condom use cannot be explained by serosorting.

For HIV-positive men, the trend was similar. Positive Gay and Bi men also reported a higher incidence of condomless sex – 45% in 2014 compared with 37% in 2008. As with negative men, positive respondents reported condomless sex regardless of whether they thought their partners’ status was positive, negative, or unknown.

June 3, 2016

“The only hint of a seroadaptive behavior is that condomless receptive anal sex with partners of unknown or different HIV status rose, while condomless insertive sex with those partners did not,” the Aidsmap website noted.

In other words, tops are more likely to use condoms when having sex with partners of different or unknown HIV status than bottoms are. This finding is disturbing because bottoms are more at risk of HIV infection than tops. In one study, for example, tops were 86% less likely to contract HIV. Even more disturbing was that even HIVpositive men who are not taking medication to treat their HIV are using condoms less than before. The risk of HIV infection for a negative partner is significantly reduced when the positive partner is on ART and his viral load has been reduced to the point that it is clinically undetectable.

Previous studies indicated that HIV-positive-but-undetectable men are 99% less likely to transmit HIV, regardless of whether they use a condom.

On the PrEP side, the study found that the

decline in condom use started long before PrEP use became usual.

For example, PrEP usage was reported by 0.5% of the Gay and Bi men in the 2011 survey. That number rose to 3.5% of men in 2014, still short of the over 10% increase in condomless sex.

As AIDSmap points out, “Condom use began to fall long before PrEP became available.”

HIV Plus magazine reports that the decline in condom use could actually be greater than the latest survey indicates because of “self-reporting bias.”

In other words, the survey is not based on observation of the survey participants’ behavior by a neutral observer but on what they themselves report to the researchers. Self-reported survey data are often skewed toward what respondents believe is the socially acceptable answer – in this case, using condoms – so the real numbers might tend even more toward an increase in condomless sex.

Celebrating 41 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 11

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Seattle Gay News 13

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14 Seattle Gay News

Huge shift in sexual attitudes from the ’90s, new study reports

Number who have same-sex encounters doubles

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The number of Americans who have had same-sex sexual encounters has doubled since 1990, and the number who say there’s nothing wrong with that has almost quadrupled in the same time period.

Those are the findings of a new study by the National Opinion Research Center

(NORC) at the University of Chicago. Titled Changes in American Adults’ Reported Same-Sex Sexual Experiences and Attitudes, 1973–2014, the report was published June 1 in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

For the study, a team of researchers from three American universities analyzed the prevalence of men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women, as well as the acceptance of such behavior nationally,

sex-sex encounters – qz.com

from 1972 to 2014.

The change they noticed was dramatic.

For example, the percentage of adults who believed that same-sex activity was “not wrong at all” went from 11% in 1973 to 13% in 1990 and to 49% in 2014.

The change in attitudes toward Gay sex went hand in hand with a change in sexual behavior.

According to the report, “the number of US adults who had at least one same-sex partner since age 18 doubled between the early 1990s and early 2010s (from 3.6% to 8.7% for women and from 4.5% to 8.2% for men).

“Bisexual behavior (having sex with both male and female partners) increased from 3.1% to 7.7%, accounting for much of the rise, with little consistent change in those having sex exclusively with same-sex partners.”

“That’s what I found surprising,” study co-author Jean Twenge of San Diego State University told the Washington Post. “When we looked more closely at the change, it was mostly due to people having sex with partners of both genders.”

The increase in Bisexual behavior shows up among both men and women, the study

found, with women showing a greater increase in same-sex encounters than men.

The percentage of men who have had sex with at least one man increased from 4.5% to 8.2% between 1990 and 2014. The number of women reporting at least one female sexual partner increased from 3.6% to 8.7% of the population during the same period.

Changes in sexual attitudes are also generational, the study found, but all generations changed their sexual attitudes over time.

“Millennials are markedly more accepting of same-sex behavior than Gen Xers were at the same age – but then, so are most adults,” co-author Ryne Sherman of Florida Atlantic University told the Washington Post. “The change is primarily one of time period, where all adults shifted in their attitudes.”

According to Twenge, changes in sexual attitudes and behavior may reflect a larger cultural shift toward individualism.

“Individualism says basically that you do what you want to do and let other people do what they want to do,” she explained. “People are more willing to accept behaviors they have no wish to engage in. There’s more of a sense of, you know, I need to do what’s right for me.”

Brits reject PrEP for second time

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), the country’s health care provider, has refused for the second time to adopt PrEP to help prevent the transmission of HIV. The decision applies only to health care in England and not to internally self-governing parts of the country, like Scotland and Wales.

NHS had promised back in 2013 that it would make PrEP available to at-risk individuals, but in March this year it reneged on that commitment because of interagency squabbles over who would pay for the medications.

The subsequent uproar forced the British government to reconsider, but on May 31 NHS said it would stick by its decision not to provide PrEP. NHS issued the following statement: “In light of representations from stakeholder groups NHS England agreed to reconsider the decision [not to make PrEP available]. This took place on 31 May 2016 at the Specialized Services Commissioning Committee. In summary, the Committee: • considered and accepted NHS England’s external legal advice that it does not have the legal power to commission PrEP; • remains committed to working with other commissioners to explore the possible provision of PrEP. This includes working in partnership with Public Health England to run a number of early-implementer test sites, backed with up to £2m investment over the next two years, to research how PrEP could be commissioned in the most clinically and cost-effective way.”

The National AIDS Trust, Britain’s leading HIV/AIDS service provider, said it is considering legal action to force NHS to pay for PrEP. “NHS England is sitting on something

that could be the beginning of the end for the HIV epidemic – if only it were made available,” National AIDS Trust Chief Executive Deborah Gold said in a statement.

“The refusal to commission it for all those at significant risk is astonishing. Seventeen people are being diagnosed with HIV every day. We are extremely disappointed, and we will now be looking at our options, including further legal action.”

Matthew Hodson, the director of GMFA: the Gay Men’s Health Charity, told Gay Star News that he was shocked and disappointed by the NHS decision.

“The NHS’s decision not to ever consider commissioning PrEP is both a shock and a disappointment,” he said. “Although the commissioning landscape has become complicated, there have been clear indications the NHS is able to commission preventative treatments.

“Each year, thousands of gay men become infected with HIV, and many of these infections could be prevented if PrEP was available.

“We now have all the tools we need to prevent new HIV infections, but this requires commitment and investment. Without PrEP being added to our prevention armory, we are no closer to ending HIV. “At a recent LGBT reception in Number 10 [Downing Street, the prime minister’s official residence], Prime Minister David Cameron made a strong commitment to do whatever he could to facilitate access to PrEP. In light of this, the NHS decision is a particularly crushing blow.”

Visit us online www.sgn.org

June 3, 2016

Seattle Gay News 15

Our workshops are invaluable opportunities for all members of your organization to learn about inclusion and diversity. From human resource professionals to employee resource group (ERG) leaders representing both LGBT and non-LGBT employee resource groups, we’re bringing the best of the national Out & Equal Workplace Summit to the Northwest. Come be a part of this exclusive local opportunity and capitalize on the multitude of resources, leading voices, and subject matter experts.

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Renaissance Seattle Hotel (515 Madison St.). General registration: $200; late registration (starting 6/6 $350); nonprofit/ student: $90 – http://www.outandequalseattle. org/

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by the Cuff at regular prices. Special activities for the event include a great 50%0 raffle & great BBQ tunes. This event is for all HIVPositive men and their friends, regardless of age, shape, size, color, or gender identity.

POZSeattle is a social organization run for and by Seattle-area HIV-positive men that is committed to planning and promoting fun, social activities. POZSeattle hosts their monthly social the 2nd Wednesday each month at The Cuff. www.pozseattle.org.

NOTE: SAVE THE DATE: Saturday July 16th. POZSeattle hosts a Summer Picnic at Seward Park. More info to come and on website.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 Divas Take The Hill Divas Take The Hill is celebrating 6 years as Seattle’s Best Pride Kick-Off Party.

Presented by Team Diva Real Estate and hosted by DonnaTella Howe and Miss Kitty Baby, the event will feature performances by Sylvia O’Stayformore, Jamie Von Stratton, EmpeROAR Fabulous, Infinite Directions, The Lady B and House of Darling.

Divas Take The Hill will be held at Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Avenue. Doors at 6pm, show at 7:30pm. Tickets: General Admission: $15 advance; $20 at the door; Students: $10 must present ID at the door; VIP: $30. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/2544044 and http://bit.ly/1U2V1XM. The event will benefit: PSKS – Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets. http:// www.psks.org/ THURSDAY, JUNE 9 Radical Women Special LGBTQ Pride Meeting – The Fight for Fundamental Rights for Trans People 7:30pm. Film screening: Toilet Training.

This 30-minute documentary addresses the persecution and violence that Transgender folks face in public bathrooms. Drawing on stories of people who have been harassed, arrested or beaten for trying to use the bathroom that fits their gender identity, the video focuses on the right to access public spaces. It also discusses questions of legal rights and health effects through interviews with lawyers, social workers and activists. Created by Transgender videographer Tara Mateik and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, an organization committed to ending gender identity discrimination.

Guest speaker: Tobi Hill-Meyer. After the film, Tobi Hill-Meyer, a Transgender activist from Gender Justice League, will share information on the threat posed by Transphobic Initiative I-1515. Join the discussion about how to stop this attack and allow equal bathroom access for all. $3-$5 door donation. Flavorful dinner, with vegan options, served at 6:30pm. for $8.50 donation. Everyone welcome. At New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave S. www.radicalwomen.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 11 Spokane Pride Parade and Rainbow Festival Pride 25: From Silence to Celebration. www.outspokane.com SATURDAY, JUNE 11 Volunteer Park Pride Festival Experience Seattle Pride’s glorious return to where it all started on Capitol Hill with a celebration of LGBTQ arts, performance and culture in Volunteer Park (14th Ave. E. & E Prospect St.) 12pm-7pm. Enjoy live music, food trucks, beer garden, artist booths, craft/ vintage fair, lawn games. Performances by Hell’s Belles, Selene Vigil et Amicis, Boyfriends, Aeon Fux. Craft and vintage booths curated by Adria Garcia, owner of Indian Summer. www.seattlepride.org.

FRIDAY, JUNE 10 Reel Queer Youth: Short Film Screen-

SUNDAY, JUNE 12 Luna Park Street Market 11am-4pm. At Ola Salon and Duos Lounge, 2942 & 2940 SW Avalon Way in West Seattle. All ages. Featuring 40+ local artists, BBQ. beer and cocktails, live music, performances by LA Kendal, Grey City Limit, Fysah. Proceeds benefit Seattle PrideFest and The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Abbey of St. Joan.

The Seattle Public Library and Reel Queer Youth will present a collection of short films made by Queer youth and allies, ages 13-20, from 3:30-4:30pm, at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Level 1. A Q&A with Reel Queer Youth staff and participants will follow. Reel Queer Youth provides video production and media literacy training for LGBTQ youth and their allies in Seattle. It is a program of Three Dollar Bill Cinem, which seeks to strengten, connect and reflect diverse communities through Queer film and media.

FREE.

SUNDAY, JUNE 12 South Park LGBTQueer Pride Picnic We have updated the name of the picnic to be as inclusive as we have always been.

LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning. Queer is a word many LGBTQ people are reclaiming today, especially younger LGBTQ people.

The picnic returns with many familiar faces such as DJ Viquez from the popular Noche Latina club night at Neighbours on Capitol Hill. Isabella will be enchanting us with her drag queen magic again. The South Park Arts

16 Seattle Gay News

June 3, 2016

ing

FRIDAY, JUNE 17 Pride Shabbat Community-provided pre-oneg 6:15pm; service 7pm; va’ad certified light dinner 8:15pm. Kol HaNeshaman (6115 SW Hinds St.). An ASL interpreter will be available for the evening.

Pride Shabbat is open to all in the community who wish to join in a celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Jews, their friends, families, and allies. An ASL interpreter will be available for the evening. The location is ADA accessible. Pride Shabbat is a community collaboration co-sponsored by PAVE and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, Kol HaNeshamah, Jconnect and Kolenu and Hillel UW, Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue, Bet Shira Congregation, Camp Solomon Schechter, Congregation Beth Hatikvah, Congregation Kol Ami, Congregation Tikvah Chadashah, Greater Seattle Business Association, Herzl-Ner Tamid, Holocaust Center for Humanity, Jewish Family Service, Council will feature a kids art table, and the Kadima Reconstructionist Community, NaSouth Park Library will be here with the latest tional Council for Jewish Women, Seattle Hadassah, Temple Beth Am, Temple Beth Or, summer reading.

We will have new bands this year. You can Temple B’nai Torah, and the Tribe and Temple De Hirsch Sinai. For more information, please bet they will be good to dance to.

Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is contact ClaraC@JewishinSeattle.org The event is FREE! But please register expected to be in attendance between 2pm and in advance so we know to expect you! http:// 3pm. www.jconnectseattle.org/events/pride-shabAnd the big news is we’ll have free locally handmade tamales prepared by Carniceria bat el Paisano (chicken, pork, cheese/vegetarian, FRIDAY, JUNE 17 while supply lasts) for the first 200 people, startDiverse Harmony – “Queer It Up!” ing at 1pm.

7:30pm. Broadway Performance Hall, The event will be held from 1-4pm., at DuBroadway & E Pine St. Diverse Harmony is wamish Waterway Park (7900 10th Ave. S. the nation’s first Queer-straight alliance youth at S. Elmgrove St.) on the river. Please bring chorus.

Our 58-member chorus presents muyour own lawn chair or blanket to sit on. You sic that opens the hearts and minds of comare welcome to bring your own picnic lunch. munities and provides a safe environment for For more info, visit www.facebook.com/ youth of diverse backgrounds to share their events/1602249376733605 or contact Randy at love of music and be accepted for who they gaypridesouthpark@hotmail.com are. (Also, SATURDAY, JUNE 18.) www.diverseharmony.org FRIDAY, JUNE 17 Out & Equal Northwest Regional SumFRIDAY, JUNE 17 mit Capital City Pride Kick-Off Join Out & Equal Seattle for the 4th annual All-Ages Street Party @ Oly Underground Northwest Regional Summit!

(109 Legion Way SW, Olympia) at 8pm; Drawing participants from San Francisco to Dance Party @ Jake’s on 4th (311 4th Ave. E., Vancouver, BC the Northwest Regional SumOlympia) at 10pm. www.capitalcitypride.net mit will bring together hundreds of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) profesSATURDAY, JUNE 18 sionals and straight allies to share innovative Capital City Pride Festival strategies to enhance workplace inclusion, visOlympia’s Pride Festival 11am-5pm in ibility, and diversity. Attendees will participate Heritage Park (adjacent to the State Capitol in workshops and hear from business leaders Campus) who pioneered welcoming workplaces for diRegional entertainers, food, arts & crafts, verse professionals. booths. www.capitalcitypride.net This is an excellent opportunity for your (Capital City Pride Parade on Sunday, June organization to: obtain tools, information, and 19 at 12 noon.) best practices to impact your organization; recharge your ERG’s leadership and organizaSATURDAY, JUNE 18 tional influence; reinvest in your professional Portland Pride Festival development; connect with other companies, Festival from noon-6pm. at Tom McERGs, and community organizations dedicated Call Waterfront Park (S.W. Naito Pkwy. and to advancing workplace equality.

Celebrating 41 Years!

Pine St., Portland). $7 suggested donation; no one turned away for inability to pay. www. pridenw.org. (Also Sunday, June 19. 12 noon-6 pm., following the Pride Parade.)

DJ Moist Towelette and DJ Julie Herrera. The afternoon will feature special presentations

by David Leong’s Northwest Kung-Fu, Slam Poet Champion Ebo Barton, Miss Gay API International Tanya Rachinee, Miss UTOPIA Atasha Manila, Performance Artist Kince de Vera and from local organizations including Asian Counseling Referral Service, Gabriela Seattle, Seattle Counseling Service, Seattle Public Library, Gender Diversity, LGBTQ Allyship and more.

“Pride ASIA is a special gathering where we celebrate our unique identities and culture,” says co-director Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse, award-winning international cabaret performer. Pride ASIA is a member of the National Queer Asian and Pacific Islander Alliance and Social Outreach Seattle.

This is a FREE all ages event. www.

PrideASIA.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18 Seattle Women’s Pride The third annual Seattle Women’s Pride is THE Pride party for Lesbians (and their friends) in Seattle! From 6-10 pm at Q Nightclub (1426 Broadway). Headlining the event is the one and only Dana Goldberg! You’ve laughed with her on Olivia Cruises and watched her share the stage with Jennifer Lopez and President Obama. And now she’s here for her 2016 show in Seattle! As one of Curve Magazine’s “Top Five Funniest Lesbians in America,” Dana Goldberg will be sure to entertain!

Tickets for Seattle Women’s Pride at currently on sale through Stranger Tickets. Reservations highly encouraged. The $30 price point guarantees entry and a raffle ticket for one of the many prizes that will be given away during the evening. The $45 price point guarantees everything above as well as a Meet and Greet with Goldberg and host Sarah Toce post-show. A discount to groups of 10 or more is available and interested parties should contact info@theseattlelesbian.com to reserve.

Sponsored by The Seattle Lesbian – http://theseattlelesbian.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 23 “What Ever Happened to Bianca Del Rio?” – Peaches Christ and Bianca Del Rio 7pm & 9pm at SIFF Cinema Egyptian Theatre (805 E. Pine St.). The Seattle premiere of Christ’s hilarious stage production send-up of the iconic Bette Davis and Joan Crawford film “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”

Tickets: Advance VIP Meet & Greet: $100; Adv. Premium GA: $60; Adv. GA: $50; Adv. GA Balcony: $40; Adv Standing Room: $20. http://bit.ly/PeachesBianca.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18 Diverse Harmony – “Queer It Up!” 7:30pm. Broadway Performance Hall, Broadway & E Pine St. Diverse Harmony is the nation’s first Queer-straight alliance youth chorus. Our 58-member chorus presents music that opens the hearts and minds of communities and provides a safe environment for youth of diverse backgrounds to share their love of music and be accepted for who they are. (Also, FRIDAY, JUNE 17.) www.diverseharmony.org

THURSDAY, JUNE 23 “Getting Back to Me” – Scottie Jeanette and Marcy Madden with Status Causey 7:30pm at Town Hall Seattle (1119 8th Avenue at Seneca St.). Scottie Madden’s articulate and unflinching perspective sheds new light on the Transgender experience. Appearing with Marcy, her wife of 27 years, the two will share the inspiring story of their enduring love as they redefined themselves as a new kind of family. Tickets: $5. www.townhallseattle.org.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19 Capital City Pride Parade & Festival Olympia’s Pride Parade starts at noon at the State Capitol Building / Pride Festival 11am-5pm in Heritage Park (adjacent to the State Capitol Campus).

Regional entertainers, food, arts & crafts, booths. www.capitalcitypride.net (Capital City Pride Festival also on Saturday, June 18 at 11am-5pm.)

THURSDAY, JUNE 23 “You’re Exposed” – A Night of LGBT Stand-Up Comedy Interrupted By Drag 8pm at The Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater (2322 2nd Avenue). Hosted by Erik Taylor, Washington State Mr. Leather 2014. Featuring Madison Lane, Jeffrey Robert, Abbey Drake, DonnaTella Howe, Andy Iwancio, Nick Sahoyah, and Mark Finley. Benefitting Bailey-Boushay House. General seating: $20 donation; VIP seating: $35. Advance tickets and info at https://therendezvous.strangertickets.com. Presented by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19 Portland Pride Parade & Festival Parade steps off at 11 a.m. from W. Burnside St. and NW Park Ave., Portland. Festival from noon-6 p.m. at Tom McCall Waterfront Park (S.W. Naito Pkwy. and Pine St., Portland) $7 suggested donation at the festival; no one turned away for inability to pay www.pridenw. org.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24 Trans* Pride Annual celebration of the Seattle-area Transgender community.

Trans* Pride Seattle will be taking place on Capitol Hill on Friday, June 24th, 2016 in and around Cal Anderson Park. The assembly and line-up to march will begin at 5pm. The march will step off at 6pm sharp and arrive at Cal Anderson Park at 6:30pm. The Trans* Pride Seattle celebration will begin at 7pm.

(NOTE: Due to changes in how Broadway is used in regards to street closures with the advent of light rail in the neighborhood, there is a strong indication that Broadway and the Seattle Central College Plaza will not be available for use as a place to gather prior to the march.

Please keep an eye on the Trans* Pride website for updates in 2016.)

Trans* Pride Seattle is proud to curate a diverse and powerful group of speakers and performers from around the United States. A few speakers from select local organizations will

SUNDAY, JUNE 19 5th Annual Pride ASIA Noon-4 pm at Hing Hay Park (423 Maynard Ave. S.) in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District.

Founded in 2012, Pride ASIA’s mission is to celebrate, empower and nurture the multicultural diversity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Ally communities through the Asian-Pacific Islander American lens. This year’s keynote speaker is Brooklyn Buenaventura, who made history as the first Trans-woman to be crowned prom queen at her high school in 2015.

This Queer and Asian cultural celebration is hosted by its founder, Aleksa Manila, Miss Gay Filipino 2001 and Miss Gay Seattle 2004.

The event will feature music by DJ Legaspi,

Visit us online www.sgn.org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

June 3, 2016

Seattle Gay News 17

gaycity.org. Visit us at ywcaworks.org.

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also be taking the stage to discuss their work and the services and opportunities they offer.

In addition, there will be an information and resource fair with a wide variety of community groups and organizations doing outreach.

There will also be food trucks and our beloved community out in full force! Organized by Gender Justice League in association with local organizations who support the Seattle-area Trans* and gender non-conforming community. Details at www.transprideseattle.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Seattle Pride 2016 Interfaith Celebration Service – “Prayers for the Future” – Every year during LGBTQ Pride, people of many different faiths come together to celebrate diversity. This year we will have speakers from Christian, Jewish, Sufi, Buddhist, New Thought and Pagan traditions. We will also be blessed by the SpiritVision Mass Choir! The service is at 2pm at All Pilgrims Christian Church (500 Broadway E.). You are welcome just as you are! FREE admission.

For more information, call 206-325-2421.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24 Seattle Storm Pride Kickoff Game vs.

Connecticut Sun 7pm at Seattle Center’s Key Arena (1st Ave. N. & Harrison St.). Tickets at www.wnba. com/storm/tickets/ FRIDAY, JUNE 24 (& SATURDAY, JUNE 25) Seattle Men’s Chorus – “ENCORE!” 8pm at McCaw Hall (321 Mercer St.) Past, present, and future collide as both Choruses join on stage to honor their incomparable artistic director and leader, Dennis Coleman. Seattle celebrates the end of an era with an emotional and uplifting concert highlighting the iconic moments of the Choruses’ influence on the Seattle landscape. There will be special appearances by famous and familiar faces. Expect sidesplitting surprises, a smashing collection of greatest hits, and a look ahead to a thrilling future. The evening will be highlighted by a powerful 400-voice tribute to a legend who built the world’s largest LGBT choral organization.

Tickets to McCaw Hall Seattle performances are $25-$78 and available at http:// www.seattlechoruses.org or over the phone at (206) 388-1400.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Queer Youth Pride – “To Equality and Beyond” Queer Youth Pride @ Cal Anderson Park (4-7pm) www.seattlepridefest.org

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Family Pride – “To Equality and Beyond” Family Pride @ Cal Anderson Park (noon4pm) www.seattlepridefest.org SATURDAY, JUNE 25 18th Annual Rainbow Health Fair From 12 noon-4 p.m. at All Pilgrims Church (500 Broadway E. at E. Republican St.) Join us at the 18th Annual Rainbow Health

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Dignity/Seattle 26th Annual Pride Pancake Breakfast 9am-12 noon at Central Lutheran Church Social Hall (1710 11th Avenue) across from Cal Anderson Park. Complementing the menu for this annual pancake breakfast are scrambled eggs, sausage, watermelon, coffee, tea, and orange juice. Proceeds from the event are used to benefit the good works of many charitable organizations, which in past years have included Bailey-Boushay House, Rosehedge/ Multifaith Works, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Pride ASIA, CareTeams at Samaritan Center, and others. Breakfast is $7 per person. Raffle tickets will be available @ $1.50 each or 5 for $5. Winners need not be present to win.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 HEYO’s Gender*Fierce Youth Variety Show and GLSEN Washington’s Youth Pride Dance 7pm-12 midnight at All Pilgrim’s Church, Stuart Hall (500 Broadway E. at E. Republican St. FREE Youth Pride Event!

This year HEYO’s Gender*Fierce youth variety show and GLSEN Washington’s Youth Pride Dance are coming together! Come join us the Saturday of Pride weekend and watch the awesome talents of our LGBTQ+/allied youth community at Gender*Fierce, and stay to celebrate with us at the Youth Pride Dance!

Doors open at 7pm and the performances start at 7:30pm. The dance party begins at 9:30pm and the event will conclude at midnight!

The event is free and open to the public.

Food and refreshments will be provided.

Advance registration is strongly encouraged as capacity is limited. To register, click the ticket link – https://www.facebook.com/ events/1196133247065400/ and fill out the online form.

Gender*Fierce is for all ages; Youth Pride Dance is exclusively for youth. The event is free of charge, open to the public, and drugand alcohol-free. Food and refreshments will be provided.

Want to perform at HEYO’s Gender*Fierce? Check the box on our registration page and fill out the application! The show features the whole gender and sexuality spectrum. Priority will be given to perform-

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 (& SUNDAY, JUNE 26) Capitol Hill Pride Festival March & Rally Celebrate Pride in Seattle’s Gayborhood at this annual street fair – six blocks on Broadway E. from E. John St. to E. Roy St, Saturday: 10am-11pm; Sunday: 10am-7pm. “Never Forget” 1969 Stonewall civic march from Seattle Central College (1701 Broadway) to Main Stage at Broadway & E. Harrison St. steps off at 10 a.m. Theme for 2016: “Wizard of Oz” – Because there is no place like home! Get your wicked on! Live local music, food, and more than 100 booths featuring nonprofits, artists, and commercial vendors. www.capitolhillpridefestival.info.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Capitol Hill Pride – “To Equality and Beyond” Capitol Hill Pride @ Sound Transit Station/Denny Way (noon-9pm) www.seattlepridefest.org

18 Seattle Gay News

Fair, an event co-hosted by YWCA Women’s Health Outreach & Gay City during Seattle Pride! Free health services for Trans, Lesbian, Bi, and Queer women, as well as Trans people of all genders. Come by and find: Bottled Water * Massage * HIV/Hep C Testing * Cholesterol / Glucose Testing * Orca Lift * Healthcare Enrollment * A Chance to Win Prizes * And More! Free mammograms for uninsured people 40+. Insurance welcome. Guarantee your spot and make an appointment now by calling 206-461-4493. For more information and volunteer opportunities: email alyssa@

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 22nd annual Seattle Dyke March The 2016 Seattle Dyke March is on Saturday, June 25. Rally from 5-7 p.m. at the Seattle Central College Plaza at Broadway and E. Pine St. The March steps off at 7 p.m. to go around Capitol Hill and end in Cal Anderson Park with a rocking after-party. This year the Dykes on Bikes will lead the March for the first time ever.

Since 1994, every year on Pride weekend the Dyke March has gathered thousands of supporters at the corner of Broadway and Pine, fighting for the visibility, inclusion, and survival of queer women in Seattle and around the world. The voices of the LGBTQ community and Pride weekend events have always been overwhelmingly male, and so we reserve our stage to shine a spotlight on the experiences, pleasures, activism, and identities of queer women and dyke-identified people across the gender spectrum. The Seattle Dyke March is not a parade; it is a solidarity demonstration in support of dyke voices and experiences, and focuses on our community’s wants, needs, and demands. www.seattledykemarch.com/

June 3, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

OUT-OF-TOWN (IN JULY)

ers & performance pieces that showcase the diversity of this spectrum.

Questions? Email: HEYO at: heyo@lifelong.org or GLSEN Washington at: mail@ glsenwa.org

FRIDAY, JULY 1- SUNDAY, JULY 10 Victoria, BC Pride A week of events and activities culminating in the annual Pride Parade and Festival on Sunday, July 10. www.victoriapridesociety. org

SATURDAY, JUNE 25) (& FRIDAY, JUNE 24) Seattle Men’s Chorus – “ENCORE!” 8pm at McCaw Hall (321 Mercer St.) Past, present, and future collide as both Choruses join on stage to honor their incomparable artistic director and leader, Dennis Coleman. Seattle celebrates the end of an era with an emotional and uplifting concert highlighting the iconic moments of the Choruses’ influence on the Seattle landscape. There will be special appearances by famous and familiar faces. Expect sidesplitting surprises, a smashing collection of greatest hits, and a look ahead to a thrilling future. The evening will be highlighted by a powerful 400-voice tribute to a legend who built the world’s largest LGBT choral organization.

Tickets to McCaw Hall Seattle performances are $25-$78 and available at http:// www.seattlechoruses.org or over the phone at (206) 388-1400.

SATURDAY, JULY 9 Out in the Park – Tacoma’s annual LGBTQA Pride Celebration Noon-5 p.m., Broadway between 9th and 11th streets. Tacoma’s Official PRIDE celebration takes place as an outdoor street festival in downtown Tacoma at the Pierce Transit Park. Out in the Park is a family friendly festival that includes street side vendor booths and live performances by musical groups, drag acts, dignitaries and speakers on the Main Stage. A secondary stage features performances for both the young and the young at heart. www.rainbowcntr.org.

Tacoma Pride Festival: Celebrate Pride in the City of Destiny: July 8-July 16 – http://tacomapride.org/ SATURDAY, JULY 9 Bellingham Pride Family Picnic Come enjoy a picnic at noon in Bloedel Donovan Park (2214 Electric Ave.) with the entire Bellingham Pride family (that includes you!). Donations gratefully accepted to cover the cost of food. www.bhampride.org/ events.shtml

SUNDAY, JUNE 26 (& SATURDAY, JUNE 25) Capitol Hill Pride Festival March & Rally Celebrate Pride in Seattle’s Gayborhood at this annual street fair – six blocks on Broadway E. from E. John St. to E. Roy St, Sunday: 10am-7pm; Saturday: 10am-11pm. “Never Forget” 1969 Stonewall civic march from Seattle Central College (1701 Broadway) to Main Stage at Broadway & E. Harrison St. steps off at 10 a.m. Theme for 2016: “Wizard of Oz” – Because there is no place like home! Get your wicked on! Live local music, food, and more than 100 booths featuring nonprofits, artists, and commercial vendors. www.capitolhillpridefestival.info.

SATURDAY, JULY 9 Bellingham Annual ISCEE Pride Drag Show (21+) Doors 6:30 p.m. Show at 7:30 p.m. Rumors Cabaret (1119 Railroad Ave.) $5 cover.

Annual Rumor’s Pride Celebration to follow. www.bhampride.org/events.shtml SATURDAY, JULY 9 Bellingham Rumors Pride Celebration (21+) 10 p.m.-2 a.m. (close), Rumors Cabaret (1119 Railroad Ave.), cover. www.bhampride. org/events.shtml

SUNDAY, JUNE 26 Seattle Pride Parade Starting at 11 a.m., the parade kicks off at 4th Avenue & Union St., and will proceed north down 4th Avenue to Denny Way and Seattle Center. It will last approximately two and a half hours and will be held rain or shine. www.seattlepride.org/pride-parade/

SUNDAY, JULY 10 Bellingham Pride Parade Noon. Starts at Ohio & Cornwall, travels along Cornwall Ave., ends at Depot Market Square (1100 Railroad Ave.).

More info at http://www.bhampride.org/events.shtml

SUNDAY, JUNE 26 Seattle PrideFest – “To Equality and Beyond” Seattle PrideFest 2016 will be more bedazzling than ever. Four stages, events over four days, dozens of artists, men’s and women’s parties, and over 130,000 attendees. www.seattlepridefest.org/

SUNDAY, JULY 10 Bellingham Pride Festival Until 4:00 p.m., Depot Market Square (1100 Railroad Ave.).

Features various vendors, children’s activities, appearances by local and state dignitaries. Come join the fun! w w w. b h a m pride.org/events.shtml

FRIDAY, JULY 1 - SUNDAY, JULY 3 Emerald City Softball Association – 2016 Emerald City Classic www.emeraldcitysoftball.org (See details under TOURNAMENT menu)

SATURDAY, JULY 16 Kitsap Pride – “Solidarity Through Pride” Kitsap Pride’s annual celebration, noon to 5 p.m., at Evergreen Park (1500 Park Ave.) in downtown Bremerton. w w w. k i t s a p pride.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 2 - MONDAY, JULY 4 Seattle Tennis Alliance - 2016 Seattle Classic www.seattletennisalliance.org (See details under EVENTS menu SATURDAY, JULY 30 Emerald City Black Pride 7pm-2am at Northwest African American Museum (2300 S. Massachusetts St.) Dance party celebration with food trucks and museum viewing social.

Sponsored by the Center for MultiCultural Health.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

val

SUNDAY, JULY 31 Vancouver (B.C.) Pride Parade & Festi-

Parade begins at noon in Vancouver’s downtown/West End at Robson and Thurlow streets and proceeds via Denman to festival site at Sunset Beach. Sponsored by Vancouver Pride Society. www.vancouverpride.ca.

June 3, 2016

Seattle Gay News 19

20 Seattle Gay News

June 3, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Legal Services MARTIN SJOLIE Over 20 Years Experience

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June 3, 2016

Seattle Gay News 21

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June 3, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

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June 3, 2016

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