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Celebrating 46 Years!

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HRC remembers civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis WASHINGTON, DC (July 18, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to the tragic news that US Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) has passed away at the age of 80.

see JOHN LEWIS page 5

U.S. Rep. John Lewis at the U.S. Capitol in October 2019 – Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

An Open Letter to Gay Men on COVID-19 from 205 Gay Physicians

by Gay Physicians 5 Courtesy of Towleroad To our fellow gay men, It’s time we reach out to you.

In recent months, we have watched our friends and families repost on social media “news” articles, YouTube videos, questionable websites and other sources on the topic of the Novel Coronavirus 2019, also called SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID19 syndrome. This last week [NOTE: Week Photo by Norma Mortenson from Pexels

of July 10, 2020], we watched our Facebook and Twitter feeds explode with conversation responding to images of large gatherings of gay men on Fire Island and other common “gay” destinations over the 4th of July weekend. These men appear to be ignoring recommendations for social distancing and not wearing facemasks during the current pandemic. We feel it is our duty as physicians who are also gay men to write this letter to address the pandemic as it relates to you, our fellow gay men.

see OPEN LETTER page 6

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Celebrating 46 Years!

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The Senate must pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act to honor John Lewis

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1966: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (r) and Civil Rights Activist and U.S. Congressman John Lewis (l) singing “We Shall Overcome” as they marched in Mississippi on the James Meredith March Against Fear in Mississippi. – Photo by Harry Benson / Contour by Getty Images

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man John Lewis. Our job as activists and organizers, regardless of where we sit, is to push the boundaries of what is seen as possible. That’s why we’ve both demanded change while taking to the streets and within the halls of power, including helping to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act in the House to return power to the landmark voting rights legislation that was gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.

As we’ve seen Black voters across the country be disenfranchised throughout the primary, it’s critical that we pass this legislation to combat voter suppression – yet Mitch McConnell has allowed it to collect dust on his desk since last year. My friend John Lewis was not beaten bloody on the bridge in Selma only for his legacy to be stalled by the GOPled Senate’s inaction. John Lewis has unfortunately passed away, but his legacy must be that we continue to fight for what he gave so much of his life to: voting rights.

Will you join me in calling on the Senate to honor John Lewis’ memory and

restore voting rights by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act? The original Voting Rights Act of 1965 – which John Lewis marched, bled, and almost died for – no longer has its full power. So the Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore the power by holding states and localities with discriminatory voting laws and practices accountable. It’s critical to pass this legislation as soon as possible so that every vote counts and every voice is heard – just like John Lewis fought for all his life.

Call on the Senate to restore voting rights by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act. Thank you for making sure we continue John Lewis’ march. We must make good, necessary trouble to make him proud, and never, ever give up, never give in on our fight for equality and justice.

July 24, 2020

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Rep. Pramila Jayapal

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OBITUARY

AHF mourns passing of “good friend” Rep. John Lewis, civil rights icon WASHINGTON, DC (July 19, 2020) – The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today sadly mourns the death of US Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), an icon in the civil rights movement. His family announced his passing in a statement Friday evening, noting that Rep. Lewis was “…honored and respected as the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American history, … a stalwart champion in the ongoing struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to nonviolent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America. He will be deeply missed.”

According to CNN, Lewis “…died after a six-month battle with cancer. He was 80.”

“We mourn and thank Rep. John Lewis today for his tireless, lifelong work – on civil rights, social justice, health care, and more – far beyond the reach and accomplishment of most men,” said Michael Weinstein, president of the AHF, the largest global AIDS organization. “In tribute to this powerful but humble man, I share a photo of Rep. Lewis meeting with several of the AHF’s medical providers, staff, and patients from Africa when they came to Washington years ago to join us in lobbying Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief.

Rep. Lewis graciously invited us into his office – not a staffer’s, but his own – and listened intently to our stories and shared his own. He was an American, but truly a man for all seasons – and all nations – truly irreplaceable. Rest in peace, kind sir.”

“I am saddened and want to send my condolences to Rep. Lewis’s family and close friends. The African-American community and country have lost a stalwart from the “civil rights movement and a giant among men.” Rep. Lewis was a good friend of the AHF. I remember meeting him when the AHF held the ribbon-cutting ceremony at our new medical clinic in Washington DC, on K Street, in the mid-2000s. He was so gra-

U.S. Rep. John Lewis with AHF Africa staff – Photo courtesy of AHF

cious, down-to-earth, and unassuming, and his presence was awe inspiring. May his passion for civil rights, social justice, and health equity live on and continue to affect the hearts and minds of a new generation of social and political activists,” said Cynthia Davis, MPH, chair of the AHF’s board of directors.

“Rep. Lewis was beyond a politician, he was a servant-leader,” stated Imara Canady, chair of the AHF’s Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition, based in Atlanta. “I was blessed to personally know the congressman and have directly witnessed the impact that his leadership had on the constituents of metro Atlanta. No matter the issue, no matter your sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status, he represented all people. Even with all that was on his plate, he never missed an opportunity to be with his constituents and had a unique ability to make everyone he encountered feel important. He was relentless in the ongoing fight

for justice for all people, stood up against foolery, and gave new meaning to the transformative impact of fearless advocacy.”

“I had the honor to participate with Rep. John Lewis in a panel discussion in Atlanta on the impact of HIV in communities of color at a forum for the faith-based community. I shared my profound admiration for him, and he then told me how important my own advocacy was as a man of color living with HIV. It meant so much to me coming from a living legend. I spoke first and he followed with such a passionate call out to the pastors and audience members to embrace the fight against HIV as a ‘moral and civil rights issue’ where lives are valued, free of stigma, free of judgment, and access to treatment is prioritized

over greed – remarks that were greeted with standing ovation. Rest in power, Mr. Lewis,” added Joey Terrill, director of global advocacy and partnerships for the AHF. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.4 million people in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/ the Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about the AHF, go to www.aidshealth.org or www. facebook.com/aidshealth, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.

Courtesy of the AHF

JCPA mourns death of Rep. John Lewis: GLAD mourns the passing of congressman a true American hero and civil rights leader John Lewis BOSTON (July 18, 2020) – GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Executive Director Janson Wu issued the following statement on the passing Friday of Rep. John Lewis: “GLAD joins the nation today in mourning the loss of congressman, American visionary, and civil rights leader John Lewis.

“As a young organizer in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an architect of the historic 1963 March on Washington and the youngest person to speak from the stage, and a leader of the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery in pursuit of voting rights for Black Americans, Lewis put his life on the line to push for pivotal civil rights advances. As a member of Congress representing the people of Georgia since 1987, Lewis continued to act for concrete change to better the lives of all Americans, and to speak out at every turn against threats to racial justice, civil rights, and human dignity.

“Rep. Lewis’ death is a tremendous loss at a moment when his moral conviction and clarity are needed perhaps more than ever.

But his legacy and vision are alive in a new generation of young leaders pushing today to dismantle the systemic racism and white supremacy that persist within our institutions of power. His insistence on believing that America could be a country where true justice prevails for everyone is both an inspiration and a challenge to us all to stay engaged in that work.

“Today we say rest in power, congressman, and thank you. May we follow your lead and your encouragement to keep making ‘good trouble’ in order to keep pushing this country to be all you imagined it could be.

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July 24, 2020

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.

Courtesy of GLAD

(July 18, 2020) – The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) mourns the death of civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, who died from cancer. He was a true hero and beacon of hope. He will be sorely missed.

The JCPA and the Jewish Community Relations Council in Atlanta worked closely with Rep. Lewis for decades in advancing civil rights. “John was an unwavering ally of the Jewish community. His most sincere, heartfelt love was for humanity. Not only HIS people, ALL people seeking justice,” stated Lois Frank, past JCPA chair and a friend of the congressman for many years.

“For a man of such celebrity, this humble and gracious spirit prevailed. His neshama was pure…one of a kind.”

Rep. Lewis was not only a voice for the Black community but spoke out against discrimination and hate against all people.

“Once people begin to see the similarities between themselves and others, instead of focusing on differences, they come to recognize that equality is essentially a matter of human rights and human dignity,” he stated.

In 2008, Rep. Lewis received the JCPA’s Tikkun Olam Award: Partner in Repairing the World, which recognizes individuals who demonstrate a deep commitment and extraordinary effort to improving the lives of people everywhere and who embody the Jewish principle of tikkun olam.

Rep. Lewis had close ties to Jewish lead-

ers throughout his lifetime and remained dedicated to advancing civil rights and BlackJewish relations. Most recently the JCPA applauded and supported the creation of the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations, which he helped launch and played an active role in.

Last year, the JCPA organized a civil rights mission to Atlanta and Alabama where we remembered the courageous activism of the congressman as we marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where he risked his life in 1965 to advocate for voting rights for Black Americans.

“The best way to honor Rep. Lewis is to join people of color and redouble our effort to ending racial disparity in America,” stated David Bernstein, the JCPA’s president and CEO. “His work and legacy live on in our work.”

The JCPA continues to stand in solidarity with the Black community working together for justice and equal opportunity and against hate, racism, antisemitism, and bigotry.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), a network of 125 local Jewish community relations councils and 17 national Jewish agencies, advocates for a just and pluralistic America, Israel’s quest for peace and security, and global human rights.

Courtesy of the JCPA

Celebrating 46 Years!

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“Rep. John Lewis is a hero and civil rights icon who pushed our country closer to the promise of a more perfect union,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Future generations will learn how he faced down discrimination with courage and defiance, boldly challenging the United States to envision a future where every person, no matter their race, sexual orientation, or gender identity, has an equal chance at the American dream. His legacy will live on in the work we do every day to further his mission and continue to get into ‘good trouble’ in the name of equality and justice. We join the nation in mourning the loss of this giant, and share our deepest condolences with Rep. Lewis’ family and loved ones.”

In addition to his decades of service to the American people as a civil rights leader and US congressman, Rep. Lewis [was] a longtime, outspoken advocate for LGBTQ equality. Speaking at the HRC’s 2016 National Dinner, he said of the LGBTQ community: “You and I are partners. We are part of an ongoing struggle to redeem the soul of America, to help people in this country and around the world come to grips with one simple truth: we are one people. We are one family. We are the human family.”

Rep. Lewis worked closely with Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) during the drafting of the Equality Act and was a lead sponsor of the legislation – a bipartisan bill that would finally add clear, comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people to our nation’s civil rights laws. He has a perfect 100 rating on the HRC’s Congressional Scorecard and, among other things, was also the lead sponsor of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which would prohibit federally funded child welfare service providers from discriminating against children, families, and individuals based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis – Photo by Photo by Mark Humphrey / AP

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

Courtesy of the HRC

Lambda Legal mourns the passing of civil rights icon John Lewis NEW YORK (July 18, 2020) – Kevin Jennings, Lambda Legal CEO, made the following statement: “Lambda Legal joins others around the country in mourning the loss of John Lewis, a civil rights icon who dedicated his life to the struggle for justice and human dignity. We stand in awe and admiration of Mr. Lewis’ enormous contributions not only to the LGBT community but to the unending struggle to uproot inequality wherever it exists. Every one of us who continues the fight for equality and civil rights in our own communities owes a great debt to this fearless, tireless leader who has stood on the frontlines for more than fifty years.

“In 2007 in Selma, President Obama paid tribute to Rep. Lewis as part of the ‘Moses Generation’ of civil rights leaders whose heroism paved the way for future generations of activists, saying ‘I’m here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of giants.’ Truer words were never spoken about the enormous contribution of this legendary man to the struggle for dignity for all people.

We all stand on John Lewis’ shoulders, and we must today pick up the torch to continue the work to which this great man dedicated his life.

“At a moment when people around the world are pushing at the bounds of equality and justice and demanding more through protests in the streets, we need only look the example that John Lewis set for us. Whether

it was on a bus as a Freedom Rider, on that Selma bridge as a young SNCC organizer fighting for voting rights, or in the halls of Congress where he served for thirty years voting for progressive causes, including LGBT rights, John Lewis exemplified commitment to change both from outside and within.

“As an LGBT advocate, John Lewis was not only a champion of marriage equality but he introduced the Equality Act, a bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing, credit, education, and jury service.

He has stood with our communities against the recent attacks from the Trump administration that we are fighting in court, including the ban on transgender servicemembers and the anti-transgender health care rule.

“We offer our sympathies to Rep. Lewis’ family and loved ones. We honor his legacy by continuing the fight for justice and equality for all.”

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. More at www.lambdalegal.org

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Courtesy of Lambda Legal

Rep. Smith statement on the passing of John Lewis WASHINGTON, DC (July 18, 2020) – Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) released the following statement on the passing of Rep. John Lewis: “America mourns the loss of Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon whose moral compass and courage have not wavered, from Selma to the halls of Congress.

“As America reaches another pivotal moment in the fight for equality, there is no better legacy for us to follow than John’s. We

will continue to work toward his mission for equality for all, honoring and learning from his devotion to justice for years to come.

“This a grave loss not just for Congress but for all Americans. It was an honor to serve with John Lewis. His service and sacrifice for this nation is an inspiration for us all, and I extend my deepest condolences to his family.”

Courtesy of Rep. Adam Smith

NMAC celebrates the life of Rep. John Lewis (July 18, 2020) – The following is a statement from NMAC on the passing of Rep. John Lewis: “In one of his last interviews, Rep. Lewis stated ‘you cannot stop the call of history,” said NMAC executive director Paul Kawata. “‘You may use troopers. You may use fire hoses and water, but it cannot be stopped.

There cannot be any turning back. We have come too far and made too much progress to stop now and go back.’ NMAC’s mission is to lead with race to fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic. As we go on with our mission, we will continue to memorialize Rep. Lewis’s dream by fighting alongside the millions of Americans who were and remain inspired by [his] drive to make this country a more fair and just country for all Americans.”

“Rep. John Lewis’s voice unlocked millions of American’s who shared his vision that civil rights, including the right to vote, the right to work, and the right to walk down a street without being murdered [are fundamental rights that] should be afforded to all Americans, regardless of their race,” said

Joe Huang-Racalto, NMAC’s director of government relations and public policy. “His deep faith in Americans’ ability to accept and forgive is what earned him the title of ‘the conscience of the Congress.’ The power of his voice was only matched by the power of the movement he inspired.”

July 24, 2020

Seattle Gay News 5

NMAC leads with race to urgently fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced its mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous electronic and print materials, and a website, www.nmac.org. NMAC also serves as an association of AIDS service organizations, providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics, and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the HIV epidemic.

Courtesy of NMAC

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COVID-19, you may easily pass it on to someone you love or a stranger who will die, regardless of your intentions.

We will use “COVID-19” in this letter to refer to the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well as the syndrome it causes for the purpose of simplicity.

Before we go further, however, we want to recognize COVID-19 has affected all groups under the LGBTQIAP+ rainbow as well as cis-gender heterosexuals. But it has not affected all demographic groups the same, particularly in the United States.

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the Black and Latinx communities compared to other racial groups, as well as people with lower incomes. Trying to address the multitude of health disparities this pandemic has highlighted cannot be done in one letter, and we feel attempting to do so would do those communities a great disservice. Medicine is guilty of many of the racerelated and societal problems brought forth by the Black Lives Matter movement. Doctors and other healthcare professionals still have a great deal of work to do to better care for these communities and populations.

That said, we would like to share the following based on our experience in medicine. We want you to know:

3. We do not fully understand the long-term effects of COVID-19; however, they can be very serious.

Death counts dominate much of the public discussion around COVID-19, and yet it is too soon to understand the intermediate and long-term effects experienced

by COVID-19 survivors. It seems apparent that there will be long-lasting health consequences of COVID-19 for some. We are seeing neurologic impairment from large strokes, even in young people without other symptoms. Others develop chronic lung damage requiring long-term dependence on a ventilator (breathing machine), cognitive impairment, and/or blood clots resulting in the need for limb amputation.

People with chronic diseases who survive COVID-19 are at high risk of worsening health, even if they had a mild case of COVID-19. As a result, COVID-19 can yield significant deterioration in quality of life after surviving infection.

continued from cover

1. COVID-19 is real.

The first case of COVID-19 in the United States was identified in January of this year. As of the date of this letter, there are over 3 million total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., which is roughly the size of the entire population of Puerto Rico.

COVID-19 has killed over 135,000 Americans. These are confirmed infections – we are not incentivized to attribute a patient’s death to COVID-19 if the diagnosis is not confirmed with laboratory studies. This pandemic is real, and we are very concerned about it.

2. Otherwise healthy people are at risk for infection, death and long-term health problems because of COVID-19.

Older adults and people with underlying health conditions are at greatest risk of dying from this disease or having severe health complications. But younger people (middle-aged and younger adults) are not immune to death and severe debilitation from COVID-19. Even in children with COVID-19 some develop severe COVID19-related illness called multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

For instance, in a recent report printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), over 16,000 patients in the Northern California Kaiser Permanente health system were tested for COVID19 in March 2020. 1299 tested positive, and about 500 of those patients were admitted to the hospital. A quarter of the admitted patients were under the age of 50.

When we discuss underlying health conditions, many people envision advanced cancers, heart disease, dementia and other diseases with high rates of mortality on their own. However, most of the underlying conditions of patients requiring hospitalization are common in younger demographics.

Another study out of JAMA looked at 5700 New Yorkers hospitalized with COVID-19.

Like Northern California, roughly a quarter of these patients were under the age of 50.

Over 56% had underlying high blood pressure, 9% had asthma, and 84% had never smoked a cigarette in their life. There are, however, many serious and even fatal cases in people with no prior medical history.

It is important to realize that having an underlying health condition does not mean you are imminently dying. People with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or cancer, live normal lives. Many of them may not even know that they have an underlying illness at all. However, COVID-19 infection can cause a rapid, tragic death in these susceptible populations.

We do not yet know enough about COVID-19 to predict who will get sick and who will die. Even if you are fortunate to be asymptomatic or only mildly ill from

6 Seattle Gay News

4. We are only just beginning to understand what medications may be effective against COVID-19.

There are no FDA-approved therapies for treatment or prevention of COVID-19.

Over the last five months, there has been an avalanche of information about possible treatments in the press and scientific literature; there are ~800 active studies of treatments related to COVID-19 on ClinicalTrials.gov, a federal registry required of all clinical trials. It is important to remember that information is in constant flux. Here’s what we know: Remdesivir (Veklury), a drug used to treat HIV, may shorten the time it takes for symptoms to resolve and may reduce the risk of dying from COVID-19. Much more research is needed to better understand who might benefit from this medication.

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) received attention in the media and from politicians. Because of the severity of rare side-effects and lack of evidence of therapeutic benefit, national guidelines now recommend against its use for treatment of COVID-19. Additionally, there is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is effective as a preventive agent, either.

There are additional medications that may be effective in some situations, like tocilizumab (Actemra), dexamethasone (a common corticosteroid), and convalescent plasma from COVID-19-recovered donors, all for people with severe COVID-19 admitted to a hospital, and more research is still needed.

5. There is no definitive evidence that HIV and HIV PrEP medications are protective against COVID-19.

Many gay men are prescribed emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (also known as Truvada, or simply, PrEP) as pre-exposure prophylaxis to help reduce the risk of HIV transmission to HIV-negative individuals. Truvada is part of a class of medications known as antiretrovirals.

These medications are also used to treat people infected with HIV. A recent study of more than 75,000 HIV-positive people in Spain showed an apparently lower risk of getting or being hospitalized with COVID-19 for those people taking Truvada over other antiretrovirals. However, the study did not account for the underlying reasons that people might be on one anti-retroviral versus another, which may also affect their risk of getting COVID-19. Further, in evaluating studies, we always use great caution against assuming results in one population (here, people with HIV) would be seen in another population (people without HIV).

In other words, there is no conclusive evidence that Truvada will prevent COVID-19 and clinical trials are needed.

6. Continue to social distance, wear a facemask, wash your hands, and seek medical aid if you feel ill.

July 24, 2020

Let’s be honest: adjusting your daily routines and habits to help slow the spread of COVID-19 is frustrating and annoying for all of us, but it should also not be considered optional.

Continue to social distance: It is understandable that many of us have strong urges for increased socialization after months of isolation, especially as temperatures rise in many parts of the country. Several men within our community were upset by the images of large social gatherings on the 4th of July, not only for the risks that attendees posed to the vulnerable members of our community, but also to our family and friends outside of the gay community.

We strongly recommend continued social distancing whenever possible. Studies have shown it is possible to spread the virus even before your symptoms develop, or even if you are asymptomatic and never develop symptoms at all. Several states that have reopened are now seeing spikes in not only positive tests, but also hospitalizations, including the filling of intensive care units. This phenomenon cannot be attributed to increased testing alone. There is still great concern that asymptomatic people who feel well are spreading COVID-19 to vulnerable people.

Even small gatherings pose a risk. This is particularly true if you spend time with multiple different small groups, which increases your risk exponentially. Just because you know a person does not mean that you know all of that person’s social and casual contacts. Encounters with the people you see regularly, like roommates or family members, come with renewed risks in every new encounter, and it is up to each of us to mitigate those risks.

This advice applies to your sex life, too. The more partners and encounters you have, the higher your risk of COVID-19. We refer you to the New York Department of Health’s Safe Sex and COVID-19 (https:// www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/ imm/covid-sex-guidance.pdf).

Wear a face mask: COVID-19 is a respiratory-born illness that you contract primarily through your mouth and nose, which is why it is imperative to wear face masks or other facial coverings when around others who also should be wearing masks. Masks are safe to wear, even with severe, underlying respiratory illness, like asthma or allergies. The mask needs to cover both your nose and mouth. Anatomically, our nasal passages and mouth meet to form the oropharynx, which then leads down to the trachea and ultimately the lungs.

The mask you are wearing is rendered useless if your nose is exposed.

And contrary to what many people are spreading on social media, face masks do not pose a risk to your health. Our heart, lungs and kidneys work together to keep our bodies’ levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in balance. A mask will not interfere with this process. Further, you cannot get sick by breathing in your own “fumes” – if you’re already infected, breathing in your own air will not make you more prone to getting sick.

It can be hard to be the person who asks others to mask up, but this is a time for leadership. A concern for others should be our guiding principle.

Perform frequent hand hygiene: We also strongly encourage the frequent use of hand sanitizer and especially hand washing. The COVID-19 virus can affect nearly every organ in the body, including our digestive tract. Unfortunately, and disturbingly, fecal matter is virtually everywhere, and hand washing is the best way to clean your hands of it.

If you feel ill, contact your doctor or call 9-1-1: Finally, if you are feeling ill, contact your doctor or local health department to be evaluated and possibly tested for COVID-19.

Symptoms include fever, coughing, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, body aches, nasal congestion, sore throat, headache, and loss of the sense of taste and/or smell. You may have several or

just one of these symptoms if infected, or even none. Access to lab tests vary, and we wish we could test everyone who wants to be tested. Please understand that your healthcare provider may not be able to obtain a test for you. For the same reason, emergency departments may also not be able to test patients if they have only mild symptoms.

Seek immediate medical attention via 9-1-1 or your nearest emergency room if you are having trouble breathing, blue coloration to your lips or face, persistent pain/ pressure in your chest, confusion, severe or sudden onset headache, slurred speech, drooping of your face, dizziness or weakness in your extremities. Extreme fatigue and dehydration are also concerning.

7. Face masks are safe even while exercising indoors.

Exercise is good for endorphin generation which leads to improved self-esteem, better coping skills, and disease reduction. The health benefits of exercise are numerous, and for many, exercise is also a way to socialize.

Unfortunately, there is an unfounded belief among some people that wearing a cloth facemask will endanger their personal well-being while exercising. Are they uncomfortable? Yes. But there is zero physiological basis to believe this practice can lead to toxic levels of carbon dioxide in the body.

A facemask will not protect you from contracting the virus, but it will aid in curtailing your moist air droplets, with any adherent infectious agents, from infecting others, particularly those also wearing masks. During exercise, your respiratory rate and volume go up, increasing your release of droplets/aerosolized agents.

We applaud establishments that are doing things like requiring masks, checking temperatures, limiting entry and lowering class sizes. Use your best judgment to do the things you enjoy.

8. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted many people beyond its immediate health effects.

For many, COVID-19 has caused significant distress due to social distancing, restrictions on businesses being open, disruption in financial income, political concerns and a multitude of other reasons.

These disruptions to normal life affect both physical health and wellness, with potential for repercussions long-after the pandemic is over. Like you, our lives have also been disrupted, and we want the pandemic to end as soon as possible.

Perhaps with a few exceptions, we who sign below are not economists, business experts, or politicians. We are all physicians.

Among us are diverse experts in the diagnosis and treatment of disease with extensive training in human biology and pathophysiology, microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, public health, pharmacology, and performing (and critically evaluating) scientific research. By signing below, we attest to the information in this letter.

As members of your community, we implore you to reduce the spread of COVID19. We ask that you be considerate and supportive of the people around you. Be critical of what you read and hear, and try to ensure your information is coming from reputable sources. And when in doubt, we hope you will defer to us, we who put our own health and the health of our loved ones at risk treating people with COVID-19. By June 6, 2020, over 600 US healthcare workers died from this virus, a number that is undoubtedly significantly higher today.

We will continue to better understand and combat this disease on our end so that you can keep yourselves, your loved ones, your community and society safer. We wish you great health, and we ask you for your trust and faith in our efforts. And when you need us, have no doubt that we will be here for you.

Wishing you good health and with great sincerity, we sign this letter to you, Michael Casner, MD, MA, Emergency Medicine, Kansas City MO – Peter M. Sadow, MD, PhD, Head & Neck Pathology, Mass General Hospital,

Celebrating 46 Years!

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References: Airhihenbuwa CO, Iwelunmor J, Munodawafa D, et al. Culture Matters in Communicating the Global Response to COVID-19. Prev. Chronic Dis. 2020; 17:E60.

Beigel JH, Tomashek KM, Dodd LE, et al. Remdesivir for the Treatment of COVID-19—Preliminary Report. New England Journal of Medicine, May 22, 2020. [epub] Blocken B, van Druenen T, van Hooff T, Verstappen PA, Marchal T, Marr LC. Can indoor sports centers be allowed to re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic based on a certificate of equivalence?. Build Environ. 2020; 180:107022.

COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines.

National Institutes of Health. Available at https:// www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/. Accessed 7/9/20.

Del Amo J, Polo R, Moreno S, et al. Incidence and Severity of COVID-19 in HIV-Positive Persons Receiving Antiviral Therapy: A Cohort Study.

Annals of Internal Medicine, June 26, 2020. [epub] Jewett C, Bailey M, and Renwick D. Exclusive: nearly 600 – and counting – US healthcare workers have died of COVID-19. Available at www.khn.org.

Accessed 7/10/20.

Myers LC, Parodi SM, Escobar GJ, et al. Characteristic of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 in an integrated health care system in California. Journal of the American Medical Association 2020; 323(21):2195-2198.

Richardson S, Hirsh JS, and Narasimhan M. Presenting characteristics, comorbidities, and outcomes among 5700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the New York City area. Journal of the American Medical Association 2020; 323(20):2052-2059.

Rubin EJ, Baden LR, Morrissey S. Audio Interview: A Covid-19-Related Syndrome in Children.

New England Journal of Medicine 2020; 383(1):e10. doi:10.1056/NEJMe2024117 Safe Sex and COVID-19. New York City Department of Health. Available at https://www1.nyc.gov/ assets/doh/downloads/pdf/imm/covid-sex-guidance. pdf. Accessed 7/11/20.

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Kitsap Pride 2020

Photos by Ernie Lou

Feds intervened in Seattle, agency confirms Trump assigns task force to “protect monuments”

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Portland is not the only city where armed federal agents have intervened. The federal Customs and Border Protection Agency confirmed in an email to Crosscut newsletter that its agents had been assigned to Seattle for the July 4 weekend.

Jason Givens, spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection, said officers were sent to Seattle as a result of Donald Trump’s June executive order on protection of historical monuments. The order came in reaction to anti-racism protestors toppling Confederate statues in cities around the country.

About 50 federal officers were deployed, Givens said. The agents were sent in sup-

port of the Federal Protective Service, a police arm of the US Department of Homeland Security that regularly protects federal facilities. They were assigned to protect the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building and did not make any arrests.

Homeland Security officials are also said to have deployed agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Seattle, according to the Washington Post.

An internal Customs and Border Patrol memo, obtained by The Nation magazine, noted that “mobs” had torn down statues in Portland, San Francisco, Washington DC, and other cities.

Trump’s executive order followed, and to implement the order, on July 1 the Department of Homeland Security

announced a new task force to coordinate the department’s “law enforcement agency assets in protecting our nation’s historic monuments, memorials, statues, and federal facilities.”

Homeland Security said it would undertake “ongoing assessments of potential civil unrest or destruction and allocate resources to protect people and property.” The federal resources might be part of a law enforcement “surge activity,” the agency said.

Washington state and local Seattle officials said they had no knowledge of additional federal agents being stationed here.

Tara Lee, a spokesperson for Gov. Jay Inslee, said the governor’s office had had conversations with the White House and the Department of Justice and that state

officials were told there are no new federal agents here with “the same mission they have in Portland.”

“All that being said, we are greatly alarmed by what is happening [in Portland],” Lee said. The governor believes “federal law enforcement in the US should never be deployed against its own people and against the wishes of state and local officials.”

On the July 4 weekend, while the federal agents were in Seattle, a driver plowed into a group of demonstrators on I-5, killing Summer Taylor and seriously injuring Diaz Love. Unknown persons also pulled down the monument to Confederate war veterans in the Lakeview Cemetery.

Top cop may have committed election fraud

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Seattle Police officer Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), may have committed election fraud, according to an investigative report by Carolyn Bick in the South Seattle Emerald.

Solan is registered to vote in Seattle at the address of the South Police Precinct.

Registering at a work address in not legal, according to King County Elections communications officer Halei Watkins.

“When you register online or via paper form, whichever way you register, you are declaring that that is where you vote and where you reside. That is your residential address,” Watkins told the Emerald.

“It’s not uncommon for somebody to use their work address as their mailing

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address, but they should not be using it as their residential address.”

According to Watkins, King County Elections does not ask for proof of residence or follow up with a person to determine that the address they provide for voter registration is their residential address, but Washington State law requires people to be honest about where they live.

“You are signing a declaration that says you live at this address in Washington when you register to vote (it’s also on the online voter registration portal as one of the last steps for those who register that way),” Watkins explained.

“They are breaking that declaration if they knowingly register and vote at an address where they do not live, which opens their registration up to a challenge.”

Solan is not the only cop who may be

July 24, 2020

guilty of election fraud. Bick found that there are six different SPD officers who are registered to vote at four different precincts around the city.

Solan and Denise Bouldin – known as “Detective Cookie” – are registered at the South Precinct. Officer Alan Bernstein is registered at the North Precinct. Officer Jon Girtch is registered at the West Precinct.

Officers John Bundy and Susan Wong are registered at the East Precinct.

Solan has been registered at the South Precinct since at least 2015. Watkins said he could very well have been registered there since even before 2015, but the King County Elections database was updated, and she doesn’t have access to data before 2015.

Will there be legal consequences for breaking the state’s elections law? Probably not, according to official sources.

The SPD’s Communications Officer Lauren Truscott told the Emerald in a July 21 email that the “matter has been sent to the Office of Police Accountability for review.”

“It’s very, very unlikely this would be prosecuted,” Watkins said. “In all likelihood, we would not even refer it to a prosecutor…[These officers] would need to reregister with their correct address. I am a little bit surprised, as public employees.”

Solan was elected president of SPOG on a hardline “return to law and order” platform in February. He has been a vocal defender of police tactics in response to recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and recently called for the Trump administration to send Homeland Security officers to help quell the protests.

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Friends of Waterfront Seattle and the Office of the Waterfront & Civic Projects announce artist-in-residency selection and summer launch of $100,000 call for artists SEATTLE (July 20, 2020) – Friends of Waterfront Seattle (Friends) and the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects (OWCP) have selected their Future Forward artist-in-residence: Takiyah Ward.

Born and raised in Seattle, Ward is artistically known as T-DUB Customs.

Launched as a rapid-response plan to provide immediate virtual opportunities for local artists, creatives, and makers, the artist residency supports the long-term health of the future waterfront park and will develop virtual art opportunities to activate the waterfront with temporary art installations.

Working with partners, Ward will lead a process that incorporates elements of the Seattle Waterfront Art Plan as inspiration to develop a program to award $100,000 in funding to local artists. This funding was made available by Friends and OWCP projects in support of the Seattle Together initiative, a partnership among the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the Office of Arts & Culture, the Office of Economic Development, the Seattle Public Library, and the Mayor’s Innovation and Performance Team coming together to build a citywide COVID19 community response plan.

Ward said, “I’m excited about the opportunity to bring a variety of art to the waterfront that speaks to the essence of the city, and the most vibrant parts of Seattle’s culture. To highlight the beauty of our shared story and the truth of our perseverance.” Most recently, Ward organized Vivid Matter Collective’s “Black Lives Matter” mural on Pine Street in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

This artist-in-residence pilot is created to be scalable over time and continue throughout the life of the park [so as] to allow artistled projects to be a cornerstone of Friends’ waterfront park programming and ensure participation of a range of artists, especially those representing communities of color.

With arts consultant Vivian Phillips serving as facilitator of the Future Forward artist-in-residency, the selection panel comprised a diverse group of working artists, arts administrators, and entrepreneurs, including Friends board member and Phila Engaged Giving founder/principal Stephanie Ellis-Smith; Seattle Art Museum’s Associate Director for Community Programs and Equity Team founding chair and Seattle Arts Commission Co-Chair Priya Frank; artist, educator, and Eighth Generation founder Louie Gong; Seattle Center Managing Artistic Director of Cultural Programs and Hidmo/Cypher community volunteer Heidi Jackson; and visual artist and Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery owner Jake Prendez.

Ellis-Smith said, “The selection of Takiyah Ward for the artist-in-residence program is significant in achieving our goal of creating a ‘Waterfront for All.’ Her voice and creativity illustrate our commitment to incorporating BIPOC artists and creatives at all levels and establishing their influence to make the waterfront an inclusive and welcoming place.”

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Friends and the City recognize the importance of participating in economic recovery for the arts community while leading strategies supporting the long-term health of Seattle’s future Waterfront Park. The residency program will embrace a process for employing a creative waterfront arts program that is artist-driven and audience-minded, inclusive and welcoming of a diversity of thought and approaches, and responsive and adaptable to changing public-gathering norms. The program brings to life the significance that the arts play in our daily lives as well as in our ability to be “in community.”

Takiyah Ward – Photo by M.T. Perkins

For details, visit friendsofwaterfrontseattle.org/events/artist-program.

Friends of Waterfront Seattle is the nonprofit partner to the City of Seattle responsible for helping to fund, build, steward, and program the park – today and into the future. In addition to raising $110M by 2024 to fund park construction, Friends will manage the programming and operations of the future Waterfront Park through a joint-delivery partnership with Seattle

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Parks & Recreation. Friends is responsible for funding and carrying out park programming for the future park. Park construction has begun following the Viaduct’s removal, and the first piece of the park – Pier 62 – is planned to open later in 2020.

The Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects is pleased to support this project that aligns with the City’s Seattle Together program, a series of initiatives responding to communities impacted during these

July 24, 2020

unusual and challenging times. Future Forward: Artist-In-Residency will provide opportunities quickly to artists and arts groups for activation of the waterfront for the benefit of everyone. Seattle Together is a partnership of city departments that includes the city’s Office of Arts & Culture, which in turn collaborates with the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects to bring arts and culture to the waterfront.

Courtesy of Friends of Waterfront Seattle

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ACLU in court to block Idaho law attacking Trans student athletes NEW YORK (July 21, 2020) – Transgender athletes have been participating in sports, including on the teams that match their gender identity, for decades. In recent years, anti-trans activists have largely given up on battles over restrooms and are instead attacking transgender student athletes.

Here is an overview of the current legal and policy landscape and the ACLU’s work to aid in your reporting related to a hearing set for July 22 in Idaho.

Idaho In 2020, 17 states introduced legislation that would ban transgender students from participating in school sports. On March 30, 2020, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law the only ban on transgender student athletes in the US. Outside of Idaho, policies about participation in school sports for transgender students are generally decided by state activities associations at the K-12 level and NCAA at the collegiate level. No state or athletic association, or the NCAA, completely bans women and girls who are transgender from participating in women’s sports. Idaho’s anti-trans law, in fact, directly contradicts the standards set by the NCAA for participation of trans student athletes that govern collegiate sports across the country.

The ACLU, along with Legal Voice, ACLU of Idaho, and Cooley LLP, sued the state of Idaho on behalf of Lindsay Hecox, a Boise State student who would be banned from the women’s track team because she is transgender, along with Jane Doe, a cisgender high school student who could be subjected to invasive medical screenings under HB 500. Doctors, academics, and sports

case as parties to the lawsuit to argue in favor of the law.

In addition to the lawsuit, the ACLU, Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, and dozens of other athletes and organizations have called on the NCAA to move the 2021 Men’s Basketball Championship from Idaho. The NCAA is expected to announce a decision in August.

Lindsay Hecox – Photo courtesy of ACLU

psychologists have served as experts in the case in opposition to HB 500.

A hearing in this case will be held on July 22, which is also National Youth Sports Day. The hearing will cover three main topics: • Whether the federal court should issue a preliminary injunction halting enforcement of the new law before the fall sports season.

• Whether the court should dismiss the lawsuit.

• Whether two Idaho State University student-athletes, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, can intervene in the

Connecticut In Connecticut, a group of cisgender students have sued (Soule et al v. CT Association of Schools et al.) over the state interscholastic athletic conference policy that allow transgender students to participate in school sports.

The ACLU intervened in the case on behalf of Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller, two transgender student athletes who were targeted by the lawsuit.

The judge in this case, like many other courts, has asked all parties to avoid referring to our clients as “males.” In response, the cisgender plaintiffs in the lawsuit asked for a new judge. The Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit is currently considering this request.

Resources • Statement of Women’s Rights and Gender Justice Organizations in Support of Full and Equal Access to Participation in Athletics for Transgender People: www.aclu. org/letter/statement-womens-rights-andgender-justice-organizations-support-fulland-equal-access • Banning Trans Girls From School Sports Is Neither Feminist Nor Legal, Galen Sherwin, ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project, and

Shayna Medley, ACLU LGBT & HIV Project: www.aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/banning-trans-girls-schoolsports-neither-feminist-nor-legal • Four Myths About Trans Athletes, Debunked, Chase Strangio and Gabriel Arkles, ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, www.aclu.org/news/lgbt-r ights/fourmyths-about-trans-athletes-debunked/ • Stop talking about testosterone – there’s no such thing as a ‘true sex’, Katrina Karkazis, PhD, author of Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/06/testosterone-biological-sex-sports-bodies • Transphobia’s New Target Is the World of Sports, Dave Zirin, www.thenation.com/ article/trans-runner-daily-caller-terrymiller-andraya-yearwood-martina-navratilova/ • Trans Journalist Association Style Guide, transjournalists.org/style-guide/ ACLU Experts Hecox v. Little • Gabriel Arkles, Senior Staff Attorney, LGBT & HIV Project • Chase Strangio, Deputy Director for Trans Justice, LGBT & HIV Project Soule v. CT • Josh Block, Senior Staff Attorney, LGBT & HIV Project • Chase Strangio, Deputy Director for Trans Justice, LGBT & HIV Project NCAA Advocacy • Arli Christian, Campaign Strategist, National Political Advocacy Department Courtesy of the ACLU

HRC responds to Trump administration decision to exclude undocumented immigrants from congressional redistricting WASHINGTON, DC (July 21, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to the Trump administration’s decision to exclude undocumented immigrants from being counted when US congressional lines are redrawn following the 2020 Census.

“The Trump administration’s attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from being fully counted is unnecessary, craven and blatantly unconstitutional. It is vital that everyone is counted in the Census, which determines critical funding for programs that support our communities,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Thousands of people across marginalized backgrounds – including LGBTQ [people], Black people, and immigrants – are undercounted or missed. We must ensure that every person in the United States is counted. We will continue fighting to ensure that the Census has a count that reflects the true character of America. We will not stand for this attack and will hold Trump accountable at the ballot box.”

In 2019, the US Supreme Court ruled in Department of Commerce v. New York to reject the Trump-Pence administration’s proposal to add a citizenship question to the 2020 US Census based on an inadequate administrative explanation.

The HRC has pushed back against the Trump-Pence administration’s demonization of immigrants, refugees, and asy-

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Photo courtesy of Jonathan Bachman / AP

lum seekers at every turn. It has endorsed and lobbied for passage of the Dream Act, which would give a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented people who were brought here as children, including tens of thousands of LGBTQ DREAMers.

July 24, 2020

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

The HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of

society at home, at work, and in every community.

Courtesy of the HRC

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Trump administration targets Trans women

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Earlier this month, Donald Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued new rules for homeless shelters receiving federal money. The Trump rules that reversed the Obama-era Equal Access Rule that required shelters to house Transgender people according to their gender identity.

HUD said the new rules would “better accommodate religious beliefs of shelter providers” by allowing them to decide if they want a housing policy based on sex assigned at birth or gender identity. Effectively, the Trump rules allow shelters that house women to turn away Trans women and shelters that house men to turn away Trans men.

The announcement meant that homeless shelters would be allowed to determine for themselves who is Transgender, and what their “real” gender is, which poses a significant risk to people’s privacy rights.

Photo courtesy of The Gender Spectrum Collection

But that’s not the worst of it. A leaked copy of the new Trump rules shows that they come with instructions on how to spot Transgender women in order to target them for discrimination.

According to the Vox website, the Trump rules instruct shelter workers to observe “factors such as height, the presence (but not the absence) of facial hair, the presence of an Adam’s apple, and other physical characteristics which, when considered together, are indicative of a person’s biological sex.”

If a homeless person appears in any way gender nonconforming, the shelter is allowed to ask them for proof of “biological sex,” the Trump rules say.

At least shelters are still barred from forcing Trans people to strip in front of them.

“Evidence requested must not be unduly intrusive of privacy, such as private physical anatomical evidence,” the rule states.

“Evidence requested could include government identification, but lack of government

identification alone cannot be the sole basis for denying admittance on the basis of sex.”

“One in three transgender Americans has been homeless at some point in their lives, and this proposal would have them sleep on the street rather than get help,” wrote National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling in a statement.

“The difference between being sheltered and unsheltered is especially dangerous for transgender homeless persons, particularly transgender persons of color, who face harassment and threats from private individuals, as well as elevated rates of policing and violence within police custody. When combined with President Trump’s recent policy proposals to increase criminalization of homelessness, while cutting HUD’s affordable housing budget and rolling back support for Housing First, it is clear that getting transgender persons off the street and out of harm’s way is a matter of life and death.”

HRC: HUD proposal to gut Equal Access Rule puts Transgender lives at risk WASHINGTON, DC (July 23, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, denounced a proposal by the Trump-Pence administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would drastically undermine protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming people served by HUD programs.

As proposed, this regulation equips emergency shelters with a list of ways to turn away members of marginalized communities, especially transgender people.

“Federal agencies have a responsibility to ensure programs are accessible to everyone who is eligible, but the Trump-Pence administration is deliberately finding ways to facilitate discrimination against vulnerable communities, particularly transgender women of color,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “This is yet another instance of the administration’s blatant attacks on LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people, while needlessly put-

ting lives at risk. They should reverse this proposal immediately. We will not accept yet another attack on us. We will hold them accountable at the ballot box.”

The proposed revisions to the Obama administration’s landmark enforcement of the Equal Access Rule would strip away the existing clear-cut protections and guidance that providers and individuals have relied on for years. The Equal Access Rule explicitly prohibits discrimination in HUD-funded housing and programs on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition to explicitly prohibiting discrimination in HUD programs, the final rule provided inclusive definitions for families, establishing a framework to protect LGBTQ individuals and families across stages of life and ability. The rule also made clear that individuals seeking emergency housing cannot be turned away because of their gender identity and have a right to be housed safely and in accordance with their gender identity.

A study by the Williams Institute

reported that 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, nearly nine times the estimate of LGBTQ-identifying adults in the United States. Nearly a third of transgender and nonbinary people experience homelessness during their lifetime, including half of those who are Black, Middle Eastern, multiracial, and/or undocumented immigrants.

One study by the Center for American Progress and the Equal Rights Center determined that only 30% of shelters across four states would house trans women with other women, and a fifth of those shelters would turn them away entirely.

Unsurprisingly, among those who stayed in a shelter, 25% reported being physically assaulted in a shelter, and nearly as many (22%) reported being sexually assaulted by either another resident or a shelter staff member. Nearly half of these respondents left an emergency shelter because of the treatment they experienced there, choosing to return to the street rather than remain in the shelter.

In 2018, a coalition of more than 300

domestic violence and sexual violence organizations, including the National Women’s Law Center, the National Organization for Women, and the National Council of Jewish Women, signed a National Consensus Statement agreeing that transgender women being served alongside other women is appropriate and not a safety issue.

Nearly 300 municipalities and 20 states have laws protecting shelter access, many for decades. None of these jurisdictions report a rise in sexual violence or safety concerns as a result of these laws.

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

Courtesy of the HRC

HUD aims to reverse protections for homeless transgender people accessing shelters The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today released a proposed rule that aims to revise the Equal Access Rule, which requires HUDfunded housing services to be provided without discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The new rule, if finalized, would allow homeless shelters to deny transgender people access to singlesex and sex-segregated shelters that align with their gender identity.

“Poverty and homelessness disproportionately impact transgender people, particularly transgender people of color and youth. This rule, if finalized, would negatively impact an already vulnerable population during a period of economic downturn,” said Luis Vasquez, Renberg Law Fellow at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. “In addition, the rule authorizes shelters to consider a list of physical characteristics when determining an individual’s sex for admission into a sex-segre-

gated or single-sex facility – an approach that could seriously impact people who don’t conform to gender stereotypes, even if they aren’t transgender.”

Key research • LGBTQ youth make up 22% of homeless youth.

• 8% of transgender adults report experiencing homelessness in the past year, compared to 3% of nontransgender LGB people and 1% of cisgender, heterosexual adults.

• Nearly 30% of transgender people are living in poverty, significantly higher than almost all other cisgender groups of people.

• According to the 2015 US Transgender Survey (USTS), conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, 70% of respondents who experienced homelessness and stayed in a shelter in the previous year reported some form of mistreatment, including being harassed, assaulted, or kicked out because of their gender identity.

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• More than one-quarter (26%) of USTS respondents who experienced homelessness in the previous year avoided staying in a shelter because they feared being mistreated.

• Over 20% of transgender respondents to the USTS who experienced homelessness in the past year had attempted suicide during that time.

• Transgender people who reported that they had been denied equal treatment in the past year because they are transgender were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who had not been denied equal treatment (13.4% compared to 6.3%).

• Over 30% of those who were physically attacked in a place of public accommodation reported attempting suicide in the past year, which is over four times the prevalence among respondents who were not similarly attacked.

• 98% percent of transgender respondents to the USTS who had undergone four experiences of discrimination or violence in the

past year – losing a job, eviction, homelessness, and physical attack – reported seriously thinking about suicide and 51% attempted it.

“Research shows that there is a cumulative effect of experiencing multiple minority stressors, such as discrimination, economic insecurity, and violence, which is associated with dramatically higher prevalence of suicide thoughts and attempts among transgender people,” said Jody Herman, Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “This rule may increase minority stress and related health impacts for those who are already facing challenging circumstances.”

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The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, a think tank on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, is dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research with real-world relevance.

Courtesy of the Williams Institute

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Military could reverse Transgender ban in under 30 days, says new policy memo SAN FRANCISCO (July 22, 2020) – On the eve of the July 26 three-year anniversary of tweets announcing that transgender troops would be banned from the military, the Palm Center today released a policy memo explaining that the ban can be easily reversed in under thirty days. The memo was authored by retired Rear Admiral Alan Steinman, MD, the former surgeon general equivalent of the US Coast Guard, and was endorsed by nine major military, LGBTQ, and progressive groups who all support ending the ban.

The new policy memo is significant because the military often takes considerable time to study and implement policy changes. In this case, the research shows that all the ingredients are there for a virtually instant reversal.

“A big ship can take time to turn around, so often the Pentagon needs to study policy changes and move cautiously,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center. “But this is the rare case where, since the military left an inclusive policy for alreadyserving transgender personnel in place even as it implemented its ban, the switch is just waiting to be flipped.”

“The policy memo provides a regulatory roadmap of the precise steps needed to immediately restore transgender military service,” said Steinman. As the memo states: “There will be no need to redevelop guidance, restudy options, redraft regulatory language, or retrain anybody. Everything needed already exists in current military guidance and remains a part of current military practice.”

The eight-page memo was endorsed by the Center for American Progress; GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders; the Human Rights Campaign; Lambda Legal; the Modern Military Association of America; the National Center for Lesbian Rights; the

Photo courtesy of Trans Equality

National Center for Transgender Equality; Service Members, Partners, Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All (SPART*A); and the Transgender American Veterans Association.

“The immediate restoration of transgender service in the US military is important to our national security,” said Kelly Magsamen, vice president for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress. “This is a solid blueprint for making it happen.”

“Ending the ban on transgender service members is the right path forward to ensure military readiness,” said Jennifer Levi, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders Transgender Rights Project’s director. “As this report shows, the military can simply and easily revert to the prior open service policy. Transgender troops have shown they can serve with dedication and honor. What they need – and what our country needs – is for the current roadblock to their service to be removed.”

“The Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops contradicts medical

experts, military leadership, budget analysts, and 70% of the American people,” said David Stacy, government affairs director for the Human Rights Campaign.

“Patriots of every gender identity should have the ability to serve their country openly and authentically without fear. Once adopted, these recommendations will make our nation and our armed forces stronger and our country safer and fairer.”

“For three years, Lambda Legal has been fighting this administration’s harmful and discriminatory ban on transgender military service, but as this Palm Center analysis explains, we could stop the damage being done immediately with a few specific steps that would be quick and easy to implement,” said Lambda Legal senior attorney Sasha Buchert. “Transgender people have served and continue to serve our country with courage and commitment. We owe it to them to right this wrong.”

“Time and again, the justifications for the administration’s transgender military ban have been disproven and shown to be based on nothing more than discrimina-

tion,” said Jennifer Dane, interim executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, the nation’s largest LGBTQ military and veteran nonprofit organization. “In order for the military to recruit and retain the best and brightest our nation has to offer, it’s crucial that the Department of Defense return to an inclusive policy.”

“The path to ending this harmful ban and restoring equality of opportunity for transgender troops is straightforward,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “As this report shows, doing so is not only the right policy, it’s the only one that promotes military readiness and avoids the harms caused by excluding qualified individuals from military service.”

“It’s past time to end the ban on transgender troops serving openly,” said Mara Keisling, executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality. “The policy is discriminatory, and violates the core American values of freedom and opportunity for all. We must move quickly to right this wrong and protect trans members of the military.”

“SPART*A welcomes a return to open service for those courageous individuals serving our nation,” said Emma Shinn, president of SPART*A, representing actively serving transgender military members. “Palm’s plan details how to return to recognizing the value of strength through diversity. We have proven that transgender service members accomplish the mission every day, across the globe, and in harm’s way. Returning to open service, as this plan ensures, helps attract and retain those willing to serve.”

Courtesy of the Palm Center

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Sudan lifts death penalty and flogging for gay sex Punishments changed to jail sentences

by Zoe Tidman The Independent [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ world/africa/gay-sex-sudan-death-penaltyflogging-lifted-prison-sentence-a9627121. html] Sudan has lifted the death penalty and flogging for gay sex in a move hailed as a “great first step” by activists.

Under the old sodomy law, gay men faced 100 lashes for a first offence, five years in prison for the second and the death sentence for the third.

The punishments have been changed to jail sentences, from a maximum of five years to life.

The decision to drop the death penalty and flogging was welcomed by activists, although they noted that gay people still face prison in the northeast African country.

“These amendments are still not enough but they’re a great first step for the transitional government that’s trying to implement changes,” Noor Sultan, founder of Bedayaa, an LGBT+ group in Egypt and Sudan, said.

“We see this as a positive change on the path to reform.”

Others criticised the relaxation of the law in conservative Sudan, where a transitional

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Photo by Umit Bektas / Reuters

government has promised to lead the country to democracy after the toppling last year of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power since 1989.

The legal amendment was part of several reforms announced by the justice minister last week – including plans to decriminalise apostasy, the abandonment of a religion, and to allow non-Muslims to drink alcohol

July 24, 2020

– which marked a reversal of nearly 40 years of Islamist policies.

The minister also said female genital mutilation (FGM) will be banned and women allowed to travel with their children without a permit from a male relative.

Ms Sultan, from Bedayaa, said the government was discreet about dropping the death penalty for gay sex and its amendment

document did not detail what Article 148 – the sodomy law – was about.

“I think society is still reluctant to accept such changes but I hope that the government will continue in its path towards reform,” she said.

Fabo Elbaradei, an LGBT+ activist based in the capital Khartoum, welcomed the surprise move to lift the death penalty but said it would not change life much for gay people in Sudan.

“We are subjected to social discrimination and we face a prison sentence ... for simply being who we are,” he said. “We are still deprived [of] our right to live like any other members of society.”

Government officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Same-sex relations are illegal across much of Africa and the Middle East.

More than 70 countries in the world have laws criminalising same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults, according to Human Rights Watch. [http://internap.hrw. org/features/features/lgbt_laws/] Additional reporting by Thomson Reuters Foundation Reprinted with permission from The Independent

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HRC releases report recognizing major employers in Chile committed to LGBT inclusion in the workplace WASHINGTON, DC (July 23, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, [released] its second annual “HRC Equidad Chile: Global Workplace Equality Program,” the leading national benchmark survey and report recognizing 20 major employers in Chile (CL) who have demonstrated a commitment to LGBT equality by adopting vital LGBT-inclusive policies and practices for their employees.

The Chilean-based survey, inspired by the HRC’s annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) – the premier benchmarking tool on corporate LGBT-inclusive policies and practices in the US – is the HRC’s first incountry program in South America and the second in Latin America, following the success of HRC Equidad MX in Mexico.

“This report highlights those major employers in Chile who have shown a substantial commitment to establishing LGBTinclusive policies and practices in their workplace,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees have as much to offer as any of their colleagues and deserve to be welcomed, valued, and supported as their authentic selves to ensure that they succeed.

Further, they can provide critical insights to companies as they develop strategies to succeed in diverse markets. Creating an inclusive environment for all employees is not only good for company morale, it is good for the bottom line.”

“The HRC Equidad CL report is invaluable in the fight for LGBT equality in Chile,” said HRC Equidad CL Implementing Partner Emilio Maldonado. “This report serves to identify and recognize major employers in Chile who are working hard to create LGBT-inclusive workplaces, setting a standard that will encourage other major employers to adopt policies and initiatives that will help usher in culture change in their workplaces, industries, and communities.”

“At Entel we are very happy and proud of the work done in matters of diversity and inclusion, which we started with assurance more than four years ago,” said Entel Human Resources Manager Felipe Straub.

“Although we still have a long way to go in Chile, this recognition reinforces our commitment to contribute to the transformation of our society, one in which we are all welcome, leaving behind biases and discrimination of any kind. We aspire to make the ability to value each person in their identity and the richness of diversity a central to our organizational culture and society.”

Entel, one of the largest telecom employers in Chile, is one of the two employers on the HRC Equidad list of recognized companies that is based in Chile. Empresas SB is the second.

This year, HRC Equidad CL evaluated 63 major employers in Chile and recognized 20 with the HRC Foundation’s designation of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.” That list includes: Accenture, BASF Chile, Bayer, BCG, Caterpillar, Deloitte, Embajada Británica en Santiago, Empresas SB, Entel, General Electric, H&M, IBM, J.P. Morgan, McKinsey & Company, P&G, SAP Chile, Scotiabank, Sodexo Inversiones, Uber, and Walmart.

Altogether, these 20 employers represent 95,278 employees.

In its inaugural report, HRC Equidad CL had 31 participating companies, 15 of which were recognized for their exemplary efforts to create LGBT-inclusive workplaces. This year, the number of participating companies more than doubled, and the top scorers increased by 33%.

This year, the results of the 2020 HRC Equidad CL report were revealed in a virtual event hosted by Fundación Iguales and the HRC. Guests included corporate lead-

Image courtesy of HRC

ers and representatives of major employers recognized for their continuing efforts to create an inclusive corporate culture and commitment to undertake the HRC Equidad CL survey.

The survey assesses businesses and multinational companies based on three core pillars of LGBT inclusion: Adoption of nondiscrimination policies Creation of employee resource groups or diversity councils Engagement in public activities to support LGBT inclusion Through its partnerships with local organizations, the HRC is leading the efforts to advance LGBT workplace inclusion and equality in workplaces across the US, Mexico, and Chile impacting more than 30.6 million employees worldwide.

For more information on HRC’s Global Workplace Equality Programs and business toolkits, visit hrc.im/equidadCL. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. The HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

Human Rights Campaign reconoce a las principales empresas comprometidas a adoptar la inclusión LGBT en Chile WASHINGTON, DC (23 de julio 2020) – Hoy, la Fundación de la Campaña de Derechos Humanos (HRC, por sus siglas en inglés), el brazo educativo de la organización de derechos civiles de personas lesbianas, gais, bisexuales, transgénero y queer (LGBTQ) más grande de Estados Unidos estrena la segunda edición de HRC Equidad CL: Programa Global de Equidad Laboral, la herramienta líder de evaluación comparativa de políticas y prácticas de inclusión LGBT, junto al informe anual que reconoce a 20 de las principales empresas en Chile por su compromiso con la igualdad LGBT. El programa con sede en Chile, inspirado en el Índice de Igualdad Corporativa o CEI – el principal instrumento de medición en materia de inclusión LGBT a nivel laboral en EE. UU. – es el primer programa de la Fundación HRC en Sudamérica y el segundo en América Latina tras el éxito de HRC Equidad MX. “Este informe destaca a los principales

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empleadores en Chile que han demostrado un compromiso sustancial para establecer políticas y prácticas de inclusión LGBT en los espacios laborales”, dijo Alphonso David, presidente de HRC. “Las personas lesbianas, gais, bisexuales y transgénero tienen tanto que ofrecer como cualquiera de sus colegas y merecen ser bienvenidas, valoradas y apoyadas auténticamente para garantizar su éxito laboral. Además, pueden proporcionar aportes relevantes a las empresas en cuanto al exitoso desarrollo de estrategias en mercados diversos. Crear un ambiente laboral inclusivo para todos los colaboradores no solo es bueno para la moral de la empresa, sino también para generar resultados tangibles”.

“El programa HRC Equidad CL es invaluable en la lucha por la igualdad LGBT en Chile”, dijo Emilio Maldonado, socio implementador de HRC Equidad CL. “Este informe sirve para identificar y reconocer a las principales empresas en Chile que están trabajando arduamente para crear espacios laborales inclusivos para la fuerza laboral LGBT, estableciendo así un estándar que alentará a otros empleadores importantes a adoptar políticas e iniciativas que ayudarán al cambio cultural en sus lugares de trabajo, industrias y comunidades”.

“En Entel estamos muy contentos y orgullosos del trabajo realizado en materias de diversidad e inclusión, que comenzamos con convicción hace más de 4 años”, dijo Felipe Straub, gerente de recursos humanos de Entel. “Si bien, nos queda camino por recorrer, este reconocimiento refuerza nuestro compromiso en aportar a la transformación de nuestra sociedad, una en donde todos seamos bienvenidos, dejando atrás los sesgos y la discriminación de cualquier tipo. Aspiramos a que la capacidad de valorar a cada persona en su identidad y valorar la riqueza de la diversidad sea algo central en nuestra cultura organizacional y en la sociedad”.

Entel es una de las compañías más grandes de telecomunicación en Chile y una de las dos empresas locales reconocidas en el listado de HRC Equidad CL. Empresas SB es la segunda entidad chilena del total de empresas certificadas de la presente edición.

Este año, HRC Equidad CL evaluó a 63 de las principales empresas en Chile y premió a 20 organizaciones con el reconocimiento de “Mejores Lugares para Trabajar LGBT” de la Fundación HRC. Entre ellas se encuentran: Accenture, BASF Chile, Bayer, BCG, Caterpillar, Deloitte, Emba-

jada Británica en Santiago, Empresas SB, Entel, General Electric, H&M, IBM, J.P. Morgan, McKinsey & Company, P&G, SAP Chile, Scotiabank, Sodexo Inversiones, Uber y Walmart. El total de empresas emplean a una fuerza laboral de 95,278 colaboradores.

En la primera edición, HRC Equidad CL contó con la participación de 31 empresas de las cuales 15 destacaron por sus esfuerzos ejemplares por crear centros laborales inclusivos. Este año, el número de empresas participantes superó la cifra inicial con más del doble y las organizaciones reconocidas incrementaron en un 33%.

Este año, los resultados del informe HRC Equidad CL 2020 fueron revelados en un evento virtual organizado por Fundación Iguales y HRC. La transmisión fue dedicada a los líderes corporativos y representantes de las principales empresas que fueron reconocidas por su labor en la creación de una cultura corporativa inclusiva y participación en la encuesta.

El programa HRC Equidad CL evalúa a compañías y multinacionales a través de tres pilares básicos de inclusión LGBT: Adopción de políticas de no discriminación; Creación de grupos de empleados o consejos de diversidad; y Participación en actividades públicas para apoyar la inclusión LGBT. A través de sus alianzas con organizaciones locales, HRC está liderando los esfuerzos para promover la inclusión e igualdad LGBT en los centros laborales de EE. UU., México y Chile, que impactan las vidas y carreras profesionales de más de 30,6 millones de empleados en todo el mundo.

Para obtener más información sobre los Programas de Equidad Laboral de HRC y los kits de herramientas empresariales, visite hrc.im/equidadCL en inglés o hrc.im/ SoyEquidadCL en español.

July 24, 2020

Seattle Gay News 17

La Fundación Human Rights Campaign es el brazo educativo de la organización de derechos civiles más grande de los Estados Unidos que trabaja para lograr la igualdad de personas lesbianas, gais, bisexuales, transgénero y queer. La HRC contempla un mundo donde las personas LGBTQ sean miembros plenos de la sociedad en el hogar, el trabajo y en cada comunidad.

Courtesy of the HRC

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ART

Stonewall National Museum & Archives presents in person and online exhibit on “BLK – The National Black Lesbian and Gay News Magazine” The Stonewall National Museum & Archives in Fort Lauderdale FL is currently presenting an exhibition on the national publication “BLK – The National Black Lesbian and Gay News Magazine”.

Founded in 1988, BLK sought “first and foremost,” to be the monthly magazine that “covered the African-American lesbian and gay communities in the United States.”

The exhibition explores themes contained in the publication including political activism, feminism, lack of self-empowerment, and racial imbalance. The magazine brought forward many powerful voices including Pat Parker, Audre Lorde, Huey Newton, Barbara Smith, James Baldwin, and others. Additionally, each month BLK looked at how HIV and AIDS impacted

women and the black gay male community.

View the entire exhibition online at stonewall-museum.org. BLK will be on view until August 28, 2020.

You can also visit the exhibition inperson Monday to Friday, 11am-5pm. BLK will be on view until August 28, 2020.

Stonewall National Museum & Archives is located at1300 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. (954) 763-8565 For additional information about BLK, check out their Wikipedia listing – https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BLK_(magazine) Courtesy of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives

Joan Laage/Kogut Butoh current online activity and possible future in-person performances

Image courtesy of Stonewall National Museum

CORRECTION:

Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle – Photo by Kaoru Okumura

http://seattlebutoh-laage.com/littledances-for-you/ http://seattlebutoh-laage.com/roostercrows-essays/ Greetings: Hope you are doing well...as can be expected...no, better than that What strange times we live in and I as a performing artist (and teacher) in an ethereal art is feeling estranged from viewers, recipients of my art, those who I exchange much energy and ideas with. And that includes you. So for now here’s the way I’m sharing.

Above, you’ll see links to my website where you can read essays (hopefully more to come soon), and enjoy photos and short

18 Seattle Gay News

videos of my little dances. Note that these links (under the heading of Happenings) are posts so you can leave comments if you like. Of course there is much more to my website than this.

I also am trying to find a way to share live dances with you. My plan is to have performances at my house in Green Lake, outside in the garden and on the deck. They would be intimate with people needing to make reservations so we can all keep our social distancing. Please let me know if you would like to be informed of these. And as always, please do let me know if you want to be taken off this email list.

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra presents a livestreamed concert from Kirkland Performance Center on Thursday, July 30 at 8pm The headline on this announcement last week misstated the date of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra’s upcoming livestreamed concert.

The correct date is Thursday, July 30 at 8pm - not June 30 as the headline incorrectly stated last week – https://www.srjo. org/livestreams.

Be well, Joan (Kogut)

July 24, 2020

Image courtesy of SRJO

Celebrating 46 Years!

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FILM

Northwest Film Forum IN MEMORIAM – John Lewis

July 3-31 John Lewis: Good Trouble [Online] (Dawn Porter, US, 2020, 96 min) Features a pre-recorded discussion between Rep. Lewis and Oprah Winfrey John Lewis: Good Trouble chronicles Lewis’ 60+ years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration. Using present-day interviews

with the now-80-year-old Lewis, political leaders, and Congressional colleagues, Porter explores his childhood experiences, his inspiring family and his fateful meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957.

Tickets for online screening: $12 General Admission – https://nwfilmforum.org/ films/john-lewis-good-trouble-online/ Courtesy of Northwest Film Forum

Photos and images courtesy of NWFF

Visit us online www.sgn.org

July 24, 2020

Seattle Gay News 19

Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, (206) 279-8169.

American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org.

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org Capitol Hill Alano Club - www.chacseattle.org Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount Vernon) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook.

Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994.

Channel Q 103.3 FM - LGBTQ+ Talk Radio Network News and information, pop culture and music. radio.com COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities - www.colage.org DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). (206) 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest. org DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, (206) 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Network support & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, (206) 568-7777 (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce County Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence Unit, (206) 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911.

Report domestic violence and sexual assault.

Equal Rights Washington - (206) 324-2570; www. equalrightswashington.org Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.org Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, (206) 860-6969. www.gaycity.org Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country.

Generations Aging With Pride empowers elder LGBTQ adults to live with pride and dignity by promoting, connecting, and developing innovative programs and services that enhance belonging and support, eliminate discrimination, and honor the lives of older members of our community - (206) 393-3400; info@gapseattle.org; gapseattle.org GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - (206) 363-9188; www.thegsba.org HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979.

Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse. org LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - (425) 785-8593; lgbtmsconnections@comcast.net. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers.

Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org Lion’s Main Art Collective - www.lionsmain.org MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.com; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples.org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www. seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org.

Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com

20 Seattle Gay News

community resources Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly. org Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) making a difference within local companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Xerox. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State Council: www.pflagwsc.org.

Peer Seattle (formerly Seattle Area Support Groups) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences.

(206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle, www.utopiaseattlewa.org; VietQ Greater Seattle, vietqorganization@gmail.com Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Pride Lives - www.facebook.com/PrideLives/ Pride Radio 93.3 HD2 Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - (206) 682-6711; www.q-law.org Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - (206) 235-7235.

Queer Geek! - queergeekseattle.org Rainbow Center - Resource Center for Tacoma/Pierce County LGBTIQA community. Through education, advocacy and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources, and safe space for the LGBTQIA community.

July 24, 2020

Sponsors Tacoma Pride Festival. (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www.voteseamec.org Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) i- SEE LISTING for Peer Seattle.

Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network - BiSeattle.wixsite. com/SBWN and on Facebook.

Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. (206) 323-1768.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503. www/ seattle.gov/lgbtq Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org Sex Workers Outreach Project - https://seattle. swopusa.org Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - (206) 860-3666; www.theabbey.org Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays.

(425) 339-5298.

South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.SouthSoundQCal.com Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club: www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flag Football: www.cascadeflagfootball.org; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby.com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball. org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www.puddletownsquares.org; Rain City Soccer: www.raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance.org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefrontrunners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www. seattlegaybasketballassociation.com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam.org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www. seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@aol.com, www. teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www.theprideleague. com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, (206) 367-4064, www.teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@ camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org, 1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934.

Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org Three Dollar Bill Cinema - TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival; Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival; Outdoor Cinema at Cal Anderson Park. www. threedollarbillcinema.org TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www.

SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity: www. genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born

Support Group: (206) 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: (206) 329-6651, www.ingersollcenter.org; Lion’s Main Art Collective: www.lionsmain.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/ Olympia-Trans-Discussion-Group/262449878114; [trans] ACTION: Trans* & Gender Non-Conforming Sex Workers’ Support Group - a safe, peer-led space. mail@utopiaseattle.org; TRANSform Washington: transformwashington.com; Trans Resource & Referral Guide: kctransguide.org; Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network: Funding the collective liberation of Trans women of color – https://m.facebook.com/ TWOCSolidarityNW/; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www.washington genderalliance.com WOMEN: Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.): We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS) - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Coming Out Women Support Group of Tacoma: www. comingoutwomen.org; Festival of the Babes: www. festivalofthebabes.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Puget Sound Old Lesbian Organizing for Change: http:// psoloc.org, (253) 777-3357; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol. com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle. wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www. sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way, with additional support groups organized in smaller towns throughout King County, (206) 322-2515, www. lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www.llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace. com; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www.mockingbirdsociety.org; New Horizons: social services and shelter for homeless youth, 2708 3rd Ave (in Belltown), (206) 374-0866, http://namin.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter. org; OKAY! LGBTQ+ Outreach for Kent Area Youth: (253) 859-0699 ext 3034. OKAY! is an open support group for youth ages 13-19 who identify as LGBTQ+. A program of Kent Youth & Family Services; OUT There Adventures: www.outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/ Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724, www.seattle-pflag.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www.pizzaklatch. org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www.facebook. com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; The Vera Project: fuels personal & community transformation through collaborative youthdriven engagement in music and art. (206) 956-8372; theveraproject.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

Celebrating 46 Years!

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“After Forever” awarded 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Writing Team in a Digital Series

Mitchell Anderson and Kevin Spirtas in “After Forever” – Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios

(July 21, 2020) – Sunday night at the streamed virtual Digital Series Emmy ceremony, season two of “After Forever” was the recipient of the Emmy for Outstanding Writing Team in a Digital Series. This is the second year in a row that co-creators Michael Slade and Kevin Spirtas and writer Michael Slade walked off with the award.

Season two of “After Forever,” which launched on Prime Video on December 31, 2019, was also nominated for Outstanding Digital Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Digital Drama Series (Cady Huffman), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Digital Drama Series (Lenny Wolpe), Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Drama Series (Mary Beth Peil), and Outstanding Art Direction/Set Direction for a Drama or Digital Drama Series.

Season one of “After Forever,” which introduced audiences to the love story of a middle-aged gay couple, Brian and Jason, and their family and friends, made history when it won five 2019 Emmys, making it the most Emmy-awarded LGBT-themed drama series in any platform.

Season two of “After Forever” picks up six months after the end of season 1. Brian (2019 Emmy Award winner Kevin Spirtas) is dating David (Mike McGowan) with whom he was set up at the end of season 1 by his late husband’s parents, Frannie and Carl (2019 Emmy Award nominee Anita Gillette and 2020 Emmy Award nominee Lenny Wolpe). Brian, with the help of family and friends is determined to move forward. However, moving on from the loss and memory of his husband, Jason (2019 Emmy Award nominee Mitchell Anderson), is extremely complicated.

Each season of “After Forever” has gathered rave reviews for telling the rarely seen story of vibrant, active, diverse, “grown-up” gay men, a group who, like women, tend to disappear from television and film once they are no longer twenty- or thirty-something, not returning until they are elderly and nonsexual. It also received kudos for its unflinching honesty in dealing with loss, while still maintaining a sense of humor and of hope for the future, and its ability to touch a wide audience.

“After Forever” has attracted an enormous and incredibly diverse audience base of all ages, sexes, sexual identities, and genders, who are extremely vocal on social media and in letters sent directly to the show about how much they love the characters and story, and in many cases, how the series has helped them move through their own grief or better understand the grief that a friend or loved one is going through.

Season two saw a return of most of the “After Forever” cast from season one: Kevin Spirtas, Mitchell Anderson, David Dean Bottrell, Erin Cherry (2019 Emmy winner), Finn Douglas, Anita Gillette, Cady Huffman (2019 and 2020 Emmy nominee), Peter Kim, Robert Emmet Lunney, Mike

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Michael Slade (l) and Kevin Spirtas – Photos courtesy of BHBPR

McGowan, Jim Newman, Erin Leigh Peck, Jonathan Rayson, Jamison Stern, and Lenny Wolpe (2020 Emmy nominee).

The returning cast is joined this season by 2020 Emmy nominee Mary Beth Peil (“Dawson’s Creek,” “The Good Wife”), Bill Brochtrup (“NYPD Blue”), Wyatt Fenner, Christopher J. Hanke, Michael McElroy, and Scott Redmond.

Season two of “After Forever” was again executive produced by its creators, Michael Slade and Kevin Spirtas, and produced by Allison Vanore. It was directed by

Tina Cesa Ward, and reunited DP Colleen Kwok, editors Tracy Casper Lang and Robb Padgett, composer Rob Gokee, production designer, Scott Michael Salame (2020 Emmy nominee), costume designer Jennifer Kirschman, and make-up and hair stylist Angela Lynn Ware.

For additional information go to: AfterForevertheSeries.com

July 24, 2020

Seattle Gay News 21

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