SGN September 2, 2016 - Section 1

Celebrating 42 Years!

Issue 36 Volume 44

FRIDAY September 2, 2016 FREE!

Holocaust Center for Humanity

Southside with You – Interview: Richard Tanne

SEC 2 PG 1

SEC 2 PG 1

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

25¢ in bookstores & newsstands

New York court makes Federal judge bars landmark ruling on rights of non-biological and nonadoptive parents

New York Court of Appeals – Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The New York Court of Appeals – that state’s equivalent of a Supreme Court – issued a major decision on August 30 clari-

fying the rights of non-biological and nonadoptive parents.

In doing so, the court reversed its own 1991 precedent in a case known as Alison D. v. Virginia M. and ruled that non-biological and non-adoptive parents may be

North Carolina from enforcing “bathroom bill”: Cites Title IX sex discrimination language

Hunter (trans student) & Mac Schafer (father) – Photo courtesy of newsobserver.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The University of North Carolina may not enforce the “bathroom bill” section of HB 2, the law that imposed extreme re-

see NY RULING page 4

strictions on the rights of the state’s LGBT residents, a federal judge has ruled.

In his August 26 ruling, US District Judge Thomas Schroeder found in favor of the Transgender plaintiffs who sued the state after HB 2 was enacted. see TITLE IX page 4

Lack of HIV testing

Marine veteran hero

undermines global fight against disease, WHO says

of nightclub shooting to be honored at gala in San Diego

Photo courtesy of bbc.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Shortfalls in HIV testing – especially in the global south – could undermine efforts to fight the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a new report.

The United Nation targets for HIV diagnosis and treatment could be missed as a result, the group said.

Recent Marine Corps veteran Imran Yousuf – Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com

UN targets for 2020 say that 90% of all people living with HIV should know their HIV status, 90% of those diagnosed should receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 90% of these treated patients should have “durable viral suppression,” which is a measure of effective treatment.

Laboratory testing is vital to meet and see HIV page 13

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Let’s be real for a moment. Bouncers and people who work the door at nightclubs have a tough job. It’s dangerous, often thankless, and the pay sucks. However – and there are many, many examples of this each year – they end up saving lives,

protect the community from the “bad” that happens outside of their doors, and are one of the reasons that Gay nightclubs feel so safe, even when the reality is that they are just as open to attack or criminal activity as any straight nightclub.

Still, every now and then, a true hero see MARINE HERO page 4

2 Seattle Gay News

September 2, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

We’re in your neighborhood!

Swedish proudly supports the LGBTQ community Mill Creek Campus

We’re in your neighborhood!

Edmonds Edmonds Campus

Ballinger Primary Care

Kingston Primary Care

Bothell Richmond Beach Primary Care

Puget Sound Lake Washington Greenlake Primary Care Ballard Primary Care Sand Point Primary Care

Redmond Campus

Redmond

Kirkland

Magnolia Primary Care

Lake Sammamish

South Lake Union Primary Care Queen Anne Primary Care Bainbridge Island Primary Care

Seattle

Cherry Hill Campus First Hill Campus

Downtown Seattle Primary Care

Sammamish

Bellevue

Pine Lake Primary Care Klahanie Primary Care

Beacon HIll Primary Care West Seattle Primary Care Children’s Clinic-West Seattle

Mercer Island

Snoqualmie

Factoria Primary Care

Children’s Clinic-Meadow Creek

Issaquah Renton

Snoqualmie Primary Care

Issaquah Campus

Renton Landing Primary Care Cle Elum Primary Care

Burien

Learn more at Swedish.org/primarycare or 1-800-SWEDISH.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 3

MARINE HERO continued from cover

emerges from the ranks of nightclub security and inspires us all.

On Tuesday, the American Military Partner Association (AMPA), the nation’s largest organization of LGBT military families, announced that Imran Yousuf of Orlando, Fla., will be honored with the 2016 AMPA Community Hero Award at the inaugural AMPA West Coast Gala on September 17 in San Diego.

Yousuf, a recent Marine Corps veteran, is widely credited with having saved more than 70 lives during the worst mass shooting in recent history at the Orlando LGBT nightclub, Pulse, in June.

“Imran represents the best of America and the best of America’s military community, as evidenced by his quick and heroic actions amid the chaos and carnage of the

NY RULING

continued from cover granted joint custody and visitation rights if a couple breaks up.

In the August 30 decision written by Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the court held that “where a partner shows by clear and convincing evidence that the parties agreed to conceive a child and to raise the child together, the non-biological, non-adoptive partner has standing to seek visitation and custody.”

The old rule established in the Alison D. case restricted the definition of “parent” to someone with biological or adoptive connections.

In the new decision, the court noted that the 1991 ruling came 20 years before New York allowed same-sex marriages, and it said the old decision “has become unworkable.”

“We agree that, in light of more recently delineated legal principles, the definition of ‘parent’ established by this Court 25 years ago in Alison D. has become unworkable when applied to increasingly varied familial relationships,” Judge Abdus-Salaam wrote in the decision.

The judges added that their 1991 Court of Appeals ruling limiting the legal definition of parents to those with a biological or adoptive relationship “has inflicted disproportionate hardship on the growing number of nontraditional families across our State.”

The decision does not guarantee that a non-biological or non-adoptive parent will

TITLE IX

continued from cover The case was brought by the ACLU and Lambda Legal on behalf of several North Carolina residents, including professors and students at UNC schools.

Schroeder issued a preliminary injunction against enforcing the portion of HB 2 that barred Trans people from using gender-appropriate restrooms, based on prior case law.

Specifically, he pointed to the case G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board, in which the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals — which has jurisdiction over cases originating in North Carolina — held that Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination protected Trans people as well as cisgender women.

“Part I’s wholesale ban on access to facilities is inconsistent with [the Department of Education’s] guidance on Title IX compliance under G.G.,” Schroeder said.

“Accordingly, the court will enjoin UNC

4 Seattle Gay News

tragedy in Orlando,” said AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack. “While he humbly may not consider himself a hero, his courageous actions in the face of mortal danger that saved the lives of more than 70 of our LGBT brothers and sisters say otherwise. He is certainly a hero to our community and to all of America, and we are proud to honor Imran with our 2016 Community Hero Award at the inaugural AMPA West Coast Gala in San Diego.”

Early in the morning of June 12, Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, and began the worst mass shooting in American history. By the time the carnage ended, 49 innocent people were dead and an additional 53 were injured in the attack.

According to witness accounts, while the shooting was ongoing, Yousuf, a bouncer at the Pulse who had recently finished an enlistment in the Marine Corps, noticed a group of trapped patrons who were para-

lyzed with fear. Yousuf exposed himself to danger by rushing over to the aid of the huddled group, breaking open a door, and allowing more than 70 potential victims to flee the massacre and survive.

Yousuf has only appeared at one other public event since the Orlando tragedy, the Houston Pride Parade, where as a hero and ally of the LGBT community, he was made an Honorary Grand Marshal. The AMPA West Coast Gala in San Diego will be the first military-themed event to honor the Marine Corps veteran for his actions.

Imran Yousuf served as an Engineer Equipment Electrical Systems Technician in the Marine Corps from 2010 to 2016, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011.

“After three years of growing attendance at the annual AMPA National Gala in Washington, DC, AMPA this year launched its inaugural West Coast Gala at the San Diego Sheraton Hotel & Mari-

na,” says the AMPA website. “In addition to Yousuf, AMPA previously announced that it will also honor nationally renowned LGBT military scholar and advocate Dr. Aaron Belkin, the founder and director of the Michael D. Palm Center, and Major General Trish Rose, the highest ranking openly LGBT service member in the United States military, as well as several local AMPA members and volunteers.”

Tickets for the gala and more information can be found at www.MilitaryPartners. org/WestCoastGala.

The American Military Partner Association is the nation’s largest organization of LGBT military spouses, families, and allies. With over 45,000 members and supporters throughout the country and around the world, AMPA is committed to education, advocacy, and support for our “modern military families.”

win visitation rights, but it does open the door for courts to award those rights on a case-by-case basis based on what is determined to be in the best interest of the child.

“The court today opened the door wide,” said Susan Sommer, Lambda Le-

Eric Wrubel, who argued the appeal on behalf of one of the children, praised the decision as “a major step forward for samesex couples, and especially for the children of those parents.”

“Tying the definition of parenthood

partners in a couple.

In one case, a Lesbian couple began dating in 2006 and became engaged a year later, even though they could not be legally married in New York at the time.

In 2008, the couple decided to have a baby, with one of the women becoming pregnant through artificial insemination.

Eventually, the couple split up and the biological mother sought to cut off her ex-partner’s contact with the child.

Lower courts ruled in favor of the biological mother, based on the Alison D. precedent, but they were overruled by the Court of Appeals on August 30.

In the second case, a Lesbian couple moved in together in 2003 and became registered domestic partners in 2007.

They decided to have a baby, and a year later one of the women was impregnated through artificial insemination. The couple broke up in 2012.

The biological mother sought child support from her ex-partner, which the lower courts granted on the basis that the ex-partner was seen as a parent.

However, the biological mother also sought to block court-ordered visitations on the grounds that her ex-partner was not considered a parent under the Alison D. precedent.

Lower courts ruled in favor of the nonbiological ex-partner, saying she cannot be considered a parent for the purpose of assessing child support but a non-parent for the purpose of visitation rights. In this case, the Court of Appeals upheld the lower courts.

Standing: Court of Appeals Judges Jenny Rivera, Robert Smith, Susan Phillips Read, Sheila Abdus-Salaam and Eugene Pigott Jr. Seated: Judge Victoria Graffeo and Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman – Photo courtesy of newyorklawjournal.com

gal’s director of constitutional litigation, who successfully argued the case on behalf of a non-biological parent.

“No longer is there a rigid rule in New York blocking children and their non-biological parents form sustaining their relationships,” she said.

to biology or adoption was no longer viable,” he added.

from enforcing Part I against the individual transgender Plaintiffs until the court reaches a final decision on the merits in this case,” he concluded.

Finally, Schroeder noted that “this injunction returns the parties to the status quo ante as it existed in Title IX facilities prior to Part I [of HB 2]’s passage in March 2016,” meaning that the court found credible evidence that Trans people had been using gender-appropriate facilities before HB 2 was enacted, without causing harm to the state or its cisgender residents.

“Ultimately, the record reflects what counsel for Governor [Pat] McCrory candidly speculates was the status quo ante in North Carolina in recent years: some transgender individuals have been quietly using bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity, without public awareness or incident,” Schroeder wrote.

However, the judge also ruled that the plaintiffs could not show that they were likely to succeed on an equal protection

challenge to the law, and consequently he declined to rule on their due process claim at this time.

Schroeder’s reliance on the Obama administration’s reading of Title IX seems to conflict with the decision of another federal district judge who ruled on August 21 that the administration may not enforce its directive that Transgender students should use restrooms corresponding to their gender identities.

US District Judge Reed O’Connor said that the administration’s order usurped local control of schools and threatened student safety and privacy. O’Connor was ruling on a suit brought by Texas and 12 other states, seeking to preserve their ability to discriminate against Trans students in public schools.

The Obama’s administration’s directives protecting Trans students, and the court orders resulting from them, were based on its interpretation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Administration

September 2, 2016

Complicated cases The New York Court of Appeals made its ruling in two complicated cases, both involving artificial insemination of one of the

lawyers said that the ban on discrimination on account of sex found in that legislation also protects gender identity.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory – Photo by Chuck Burton

Celebrating 41 Years!

California adopts youth suicide prevention plan

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The California legislature passed a new law on August 30 requiring the state’s schools to make and implement suicide prevention plans for students in grades 7-12.

The bill, known as AB 2246, now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature.

The measure would require local school districts and individual schools to devise suicide prevention policies targeting highrisk students. The state’s Department of Education would develop a model plan to serve as a guide for the local districts.

The bill also requires training for teachers in grades 7-12 so they can identify mental health services within the school and the community and refer youth and their families to those services.

Needs of youth requiring counseling be-

Patrick O’Donnell – Photo courtesy of patrickforassembly.com

cause they are bereaved by suicide are also addressed in the law, including youth with disabilities, mental illness, and substance abuse disorders, youth experiencing homelessness or in the foster care system, and LGBT youth.

The bill’s sponsor, California Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, said he got the idea for the legislation from LGBT groups Equality California and the Trevor Project.

“Statistically, we know that LGBT youth are more susceptible to suicide,” O’Donnell said.

“It was a natural fit, given that I’ve been a middle school and high school teacher for many years, and I’m very aware that many of our youth struggle with a variety of issues, and that they are vulnerable to suicide.”

O’Donnell said he hopes the new law will help save the lives of at-risk youth.

“As classroom teacher, I know from

experience that educators often serve as the first line of defense when a student is suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts,” said O’Donnell who is also chair of the California Assembly’s Education Committee.

Current state law only “encourages” school districts to have anti-suicide plans in place but does not require it.

“In spite of the sobering statistics on youth suicide, California lags behind many other states in requiring school districts to have suicide prevention policies in place,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California.

If Brown signs the measure into law, California will become the first state in the country to require middle and high school policies on suicide prevention for LGBT and other at-risk populations.

Racists loved Trump immigration speech, Latino Republicans head for the exits

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer White supremacists loved Donald Trump’s August 31 speech on immigration, but Latino GOP supporters have begun deserting his campaign in droves.

Ex-Klan Wizard David Duke was “ecstatic” over the speech, he said, so much so that he live-tweeted every anti-immigrant remark Trump made.

Jared Taylor, editor of the white nationalist publication American Renaissance, said it was a “hell of a speech. Almost perfect.”

Richard Spencer, president of the white nationalist think tank National Policy Institute, proclaimed, “Trump is back!”

On the other hand, many of Trump’s highest-profile Latino supporters are fleeing his campaign. Jacob Monty, a member of Trump’s National Hispanic Advisory

Pastor Ramiro Peña – Photo courtesy of jimbakkershow.com

Council, has resigned, and Alfonso Aguilar said in an interview that he is “inclined” to pull his support.

“I was a strong supporter of Donald Trump when I believed he was going to address the immigration problem realistically and compassionately,” said Monty, a Houston attorney who has aggressively supported Trump in the Latino community.

“What I heard today was not realistic and not compassionate.”

He withdrew from the pro-Trump group following Trump’s speech in Phoenix, in which Trump reiterated calls for a border wall and said that all immigrants in the country illegally should be subject to deportation.

Another member of Trump’s Latino group, Texas pastor Ramiro Peña said Trump’s speech likely cost him the election and said he would have to reconsider being part of what he labeled a “scam.”

Peña delivered a harsh condemnation in an email to senior Trump and Republican National Committee leaders, obtained by Politico.

“I am so sorry, but I believe Mr. Trump lost the election tonight,” said Peña, a pastor at Waco’s Christ the King Church. “‘The ‘National Hispanic Advisory Council’ seems to be simply for optics, and I do not have the time or energy for a scam.”

Aguilar set aside his early qualms about Trump’s anti-Latino rhetoric and wrote a letter of support for the GOP candidate signed by himself and other prominent Latino conservatives. Since then, he has repeatedly defended Trump in media appearances.

“It’s so disappointing because we feel we took a chance, a very risky chance,” Aguilar said. “We decided to make a big U-turn to see if we could make him change. We thought we were moving in the right direction…we’re disappointed. We feel misled.”

Trump campaign: A nest of bigots

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has become a nest of racist, anti-Gay bigots, according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

The prestigious civil rights organization – which won national fame for the lawsuit that bankrupted the Aryan Nations – revealed in an August 31 statement that key members of Trump’s team are affiliated with a secretive right-wing group called the Council for National Policy (CNP).

“The CNP is an intensely secretive and shadowy group of what the New York Times once described as ‘the most powerful conservatives in the country,’” SPLC reports.

“It is so tight-lipped that it tells people not to admit their membership or even name the group. Revealing when or where the group meets, or what it discusses, is also forbidden. The organization, which can only be joined by invitation and at a cost of thousands of dollars, strives mightily to keep its membership rolls secret.”

According to SPLC, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and campaign CEO Steve Bannon are both members of CNP. Other CNP members include: • Neo-Confederate Michael Peroutka, who for years was on the board of the white supremacist League of the South;

Trump campaign CEO Bannon (l) & campaign manager Conway – Photos courtesy of theguardian.com (l) and Gage Skidmore (r)

• Jerome Corsi, a strident Obama “birther” and the propaganda hit man responsible for the “Swift Boating” of John Kerry; • Joseph Farah, who runs the ultra-right conspiracy theory website WorldNetDaily; • Mat Staver, the Liberty Counsel leader who has worked to recriminalize Gay sex; and • Philip Zodhaites, another anti-Gay activist, who is charged with helping a selfdescribed ex-Lesbian kidnap her daughter from her former partner.

These real bigots coexist in CNP with what SPLC describes as “a smattering of wealthy financiers, Congressional operatives, right-wing consultants, and Tea Party operatives.”

Visit us online www.sgn.org

In a May 2014 report, quoted in their most recent statement, SPLC charges that CNP “provides an important venue in which relatively mainstream conservatives meet and very possibly are influenced by real extremists, people who regularly defame LGBT people with utter falsehoods, describe Latino immigrants as a dangerous group of rapists and disease-carriers, engage in the kind of wild-eyed conspiracy theorizing for which the John Birch Society is famous, and even suggest that certain people should be stoned to death in line with Old Testament law.”

SPLC admits it does not know how Conway and Bannon may have been affected by their extremist CNP colleagues, but they

September 2, 2016

already carry plenty of right-wing baggage.

Before being hired to run the Trump campaign, Conway managed a PAC supporting anti-Gay candidate Ted Cruz. The PAC was funded by hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, who later converted to a pro-Trump stance and apparently brought his protégé Conway into the Trump orbit.

Bannon has always been associated with the extreme right. When he took over the Breitbart news operation, he converted it from a kooky right-wing blog to an even kookier Alt-Right mouthpiece that specializes in nationalist, racist, anti-Gay, and anti-Semitic stories.

Among the outrageous headlines run by Breitbart while Bannon was in command: • “Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew” • “There’s No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews” • “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy” • “Lesbian Bridezillas Bully Bridal Shop Owner Over Religious Beliefs” “At a time of extreme political polarization in our society,” SPLC warns, “in the middle of an ugly presidential contest which has featured an almost unsurpassed record of ethnic, racial, and sexual insults and lies, Americans deserve to know who their ostensible leaders are mixing with as we collectively decide our country’s future.”

Seattle Gay News 5

Families celebrate Justice Mary Yu

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu joined couples she married and families where she presided over an adoption for a group photo on Sunday, August 28, at the Seattle Center International Fountain – Photo courtesy of Steph Brusig and The Seattle Lesbian

6 Seattle Gay News

September 2, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Labor Day special feature: List of union-made beers

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Labor Day picnic is a traditional and beloved end-of-summer event, and no part of the event is more beloved than ice-cold beer.

So if you like a beer or two – or more – on Labor Day, why not get into the spirit of the occasion and buy union-made beer?

Our community’s history with union beer goes all the way back to 1973, when Harvey Milk teamed up with the Teamsters to boycott Coors beer – then an antiunion and anti-Gay company. Now you can enjoy union-made Coors with a clear conscience, knowing they treat their workers, including LGBT ones, as well as any employer in the industry.

Here’s a short list of beers and ales made by members of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), United Autoworkers (UAW), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), and International Union of Electronic Workers-Communication Workers of America (IUE-CWA).

You can also text BEER to 22555 to find out if a particular beer is union-made.

Not only do these unions represent expert beer makers, canners, bottlers, and beer truck drivers but they are among the most progressive, pro-LGBT unions in the country.

1845 Pilsner

IBT Alexander Keiths IAM Anheuser-Busch IBT/IAM Axehead

IBT Bass Ale

IAM Beck’s

IAM Black Eye Ale

IBT Black Hawk Stout IBT Blue Heron Pale Ale IBT Blue Moon IUOE/IBT Boxer Ice, Lager and Light IBT Budweiser brands IAM/UFCW/IUOE/IBT Burger brands IUE-CWA Busch IAM/IBT Butte Creek brands IBT Camo brands IUE-CWA Carmel Wheat Beer IBT Clear Creek Ice IBT Coors IBT Coors Light IUOE/IBT Czechvar IAM Double Dread Imperial Red Ale IAM Dundee brands IBT Duquesne brands IUE-CWA Earthquake IUE-CWA Eye of the Hawk Select Ale IBT Flor de Jamaica IAM Genesee brands IBT Genny Light IBT Goose Island IBT Grain Belt Premium (Schell’s) USW Green Valley Brewing Company IAM/IUOE/IBT Hamm’s brands UAW/IAM Henry Weinhard brands IUOE/IBT Hoegaarden IAM Honey Amber Rose IBT Huber brands IBT Hudy brands IUE-CWA Humboldt Haze Imperial What IPA/IAM Hurricane IUOE/IBT Icehouse UAW/IAM Iron City brands IUE-CWA Jamaica brands IAM John Barleycorn Barleywine IAM Johnny Appleseed IUOE/IBT Keystone Light IAM/IUOE Killians IUOE/IBT King Cobra IUOE/IBT Kingfisher Premium Lager IBT Kirin IAM Labatt’s brands IUOE

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Photo courtesy of taptrail.com

Landshark Lager IAM/IUOE/IBT Latrobe IUE-CWA Lazy Mutt Farmhouse Ale IBT Leffe Blond IAM Leinenkugel’s UAW/IUOE/IBT Leinies brands UAW/IUOE/IBT Lionshead IUOE Lionshead Light IUOE Mad River IAM Mendocino brands IBT Michelob brands IAM/IUOE/IBT Mickey’s brands IUOE/IBT Miller brands UAW/IAM/IUOE/IBT Milwaukee brands IUE-CWA Minhas Oktoberfest IBT Molson brands IUOE/IBT Moosehead IBT Mountain Crest Classic Lager IBT Natural brands IAM/IUOE/IBT O’Doul’s (non-alcoholic) IAM/IUOE/IBT Old German IUE-CWA Olde English 800 IUOE/IBT Pabst UAW Pennsylvania Style brands IUE-CWA Peregrine Pilsner IBT Perfect 10 IBT Raptor Red Lager IBT Red Dog UAW/IUOE Red Stripe IUE-CWA Red Tail Ale IBT Rolling Rock IAM Saranac IBT Schell’s USW Schlitz UAW Serious Madness Black Ale IAM Sharp’s (non-alcoholic) UAW/IAM Shock Top IAM/IUOE/IBT Southpaw Light IUOE Sparks Malt IUOE/IBT Staropramen IAM Steel Reserve IUOE/IBT Steelhead brands IAM Stegmaier brands IUOE Stella Artois IAM Stoneys brands IUE-CWA Swiss Amber IBT Talon Extra Select Double IPA IBT Third Shift (Miller/Coors) IBT Thunderbolt IBT Tilt IUOE/IBT White Hawk Select IPA IBT

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 7

Man who made threats against LGBTQ community under intense scrutiny in FL

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The tragedy that occurred at Pulse Nightclub in June, which saw the worst mass shooting in recent American history, should serve as a wakeup call to the LGBTQ community. We have to take threats seriously, and we need to demand that law enforcement do the same. While locally that has its challenges, Fort Lauderdale PD’s recent contact with a man who made threats against the Gay community on Facebook ought to be a good barometer for other departments around the country to use when they consider handling threats received by our community.

Police Chief Paul O’Connell said Wednesday that they made contact with Craig Jungwirth and are investigating the man for making threats against the community on social media.

“We have to put pieces of the puzzle together to establish probable cause that he’s

Police Chief Paul O’Connell – Photo courtesy of jewishscenemagazine.com

committed a crime,” O’Connell said.

In a Facebook post, Jungwirth allegedly wrote, “It’s time to clean up Wilton Manors from all you AIDS-infested losers.”

In response to the online threats, some bars in Wilton Manors, such as Rumors Bar and Grill, reported that they stepped up security with armed guards.

In another post, the suspect allegedly wrote, “If you losers thought the Pulse Nightclub shooting was bad, wait till you see what I’m planning for Labor Day.” “They are alarming, and in a community like Wilton Manors, when you mention the word Pulse in the context in which he’s mentioned it, you hit a raw nerve, and so our community is extremely upset,” O’Connell said.

Another post reads “I’m gonna be LOLing you f***** faster than cops kill n******. It’s time to clean up Wilton Manors from all you AIDS-infested losers.”

Facebook has since deleted his profile.

According to authorities, Jungwirth has a lengthy criminal history, which includes

stalking charges.

O’Connell said that as the holiday weekend approaches, officers will be out in full force in Wilton Manors.

“We’re gonna have extra patrols, high visibility throughout the holiday weekend, and we know Fort Lauderdale Police and the Broward Sheriff’s Office are going to work with us on that,” he said.

Police are asking anyone else who has been threatened by Jungwirth to call them.

It is important to note that free speech doesn’t equal anonymity if you make threats to harm people. Hate speech does, unfortunately, fall under free speech, but again, if it goes too far, it could lead to an arrest. While Jungwirth has yet to be taken into custody, the fact that Fort Lauderdale Police made contact with the man and advised him to stop what he was doing is a deterrent. It also shows the alleged suspect that the authorities know who he is and where he lives, and are likely watching him. This kind of policing saves lives.

Real estate

Don’t be wowed – Little details to look for in a potential home

by Jeff Hammerberg Special to the SGN When you walk into what turns out to be your dream home, you’re blown away. It might be the color scheme or the vaulted ceilings or the massive fireplace that does it, but you’re going to notice something right away that really wows you. Every room after that will make you more and more excited. You might be ready to make an offer after only seeing a few rooms! But wait!

You might be so overwhelmed by the big, amazing features of the home that you forget to check out the little details.

These details may seem insignificant next to the things you love about the house, but if you find several of them, they can add up to some major issues.

These details may not all be about the actual house, either.

Your home inspection should catch many of the little issues with the home itself, but the earlier you know about them, the better, especially since they may impact your decision to make an offer. Here are a few of these details you’ll want to check.

Take a look at all of the windows to make certain that the thermal seal isn’t broken, the glass isn’t cracked, and that all of the windows shut securely. However, don’t stop there. You also want to make certain that there’s at least one window in every room that will open in case of an emergency. Some older homes may have windows that were painted shut to help lower the utility bill. It’s also possible some windows haven’t been opened in years.

Many buyers simply take a quick glance around the basement, especially if it’s dark, but you need to go down there with a flashlight and really look around.

Check for any signs of dampness, mold, and water damage. The last thing you want is to discover that you have dangerous mold growing in your basement after you’ve bought the house.

8 Seattle Gay News

Likewise, make sure you stick your head up into the attic and get a good look around. If you see daylight coming through in places that it shouldn’t be, the home may have some roofing issues. That’s something the inspection will note. What that report may not mention is the amount of insulation in the attic. If it appears that there’s not a good amount of insulation, the home is going to be difficult to heat and cool, especially if it has high ceilings. Take note that you may have to have additional insulation added later.

Beyond noticing the color of the carpet or the fact that the home has wood flooring throughout, many people don’t

amine every room’s floor like this, but it can save you money later. You don’t want to buy a house and then discover you need to replace half the flooring.

Not a part of the house exactly, but some potential buyers forget to do a little research into the neighborhood, including the schools. You may not have children at the moment, and you may not even be planning to start a family within the next five years, but life is full of surprises. You should take a look at the school just to see if you would ever want to send a child there. Also look at what’s close to the neighborhood – what’s the closest hospital, mechanic, grocery store, etc. A quick check of the area’s crime

if you can make the commute in the amount of time you want.

A lot of buyers visit the home during the day or in the early evening, but what’s it like later at night or on the weekends?

Is there a neighbor who tends to have large parties? That could ruin many of your quiet weekends at home. Drive through the area at random times of the day to see if the street looks significantly busier. Also, stop the car and roll down your windows. Do you hear any dogs barking or other strange noises?

These are just a few of the little details and other things you might overlook if you’re really wowed by the home. Don’t be discouraged if you find

Photo courtesy of gayrealestate.com

really look down. You want to carefully check the flooring in every room to make certain it’s in good condition. For carpeting, look for stains or areas where the carpet seems worn. For tiles, check for cracked tiles and for tiles that don’t seem to be secured to the floor. Any wood flooring should also be secure and shouldn’t appear to be warped. Linoleum and other stick-down flooring shouldn’t show any signs of coming up around the edges. It may be a pain to carefully ex-

September 2, 2016

statistics is also a good idea.

Then there’s your commute. Don’t just look at the map and decide your commute to work every morning will be fine. You need to actually drive the route during the same time you’ll be going to work and getting home every day. You might find that what looks like a quick ten-minute drive is more about thirty minutes when you take into account rush hour traffic. You may want to try out a few different routes to see

that your dream home isn’t perfect. It may still be a great place to live. You can talk with your real estate agent about any small issues you find to determine how big of an impact they will really be. For those who are in the LGBT community, you may even want to work with a gay or lesbian agent from www.GayRealEstate.com.

Celebrating 41 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 9

10 Seattle Gay News

September 2, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 11

MoSS Alley MotorS, Inc. SpecialiStS in VolVo, Honda, toyota and Subaru

932 12th ave.

Seattle, Wa 98122 (206).325--.3992 www.mossalley.com Seattle’s most progressive auto shop!

For people who “get” glasses.

12 Seattle Gay News

September 2, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

HIV

continued from cover monitor these aims, the WHO pointed out, but a new survey published in the journal PLoS Medicine suggests that many countries will fall short of the goals.

WHO staffer Dr. Vincent Habiyambere and his fellow researchers found that some low- and middle-income countries, including African countries where the incidence of HIV infection is high, are not yet geared up for the challenge.

Habiyambere and his research team looked at responses to annual surveys the WHO sent out to 127 countries between 2012 and 2014 asking about their HIV testing capacity and their use of the blood tests that check HIV status and health.

For the study, surveys were sent to: • all 47 countries in the WHO African Region, • 33 countries in the WHO Region of the Americas, • all 21 countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, • eight high-burden HIV countries in the WHO European Region, • all 11 countries in the WHO SouthEast Asia Region, and • seven high-burden HIV countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region.

Over the three survey years, 55 countries responded to all three surveys (or 43% of the total), 35 (28% of the total) responded to two surveys, 25 (20%) to one survey, and nine (7%) responded to none of the three surveys.

WHO researchers found that testing access did improve over the years, but shortfalls remained in some parts of the world.

Reasons cited for the gaps in testing included lack of the chemical reagents that identify HIV antibodies, testing equipment not being installed or maintained properly, and inadequate or nonexistent staff training.

In some laboratories, researchers discovered, machines were not serviced regularly. In others, machines broke down and were not covered by contracts to be serviced or fixed.

“A national laboratory strategic plan to strengthen services must be developed, implemented, and monitored by governments and their national and international partners,” Habiyambere said.

“The focus of the international community, to ensure optimal use of laboratory technologies, should be on those countries where interventions for scaling up access to HIV diagnostic technologies are most needed.”

In an editorial accompanying WHO’s research report, HIV experts Peter Kilmarx and Raiva Simbi said the findings show that some anti-HIV programs may have been “overly focused” on buying equipment without planning for how it would be used and maintained.

In Zimbabwe, for example, only 5.6% of HIV patients on drug treatment in 2015 received regular blood checks to monitor their viral load – far fewer than the goal of 21%.

This result was largely because of problems with resource allocation, speci-

men transport, and equipment procurement, they said.

“Strong leadership, resources, plan-

ning, and management are needed to scale up laboratory services,” Kilmarx and Raiva concluded.

HIV expert Peter Kilmarx – Photo courtesy of hopkinsmedicine.org

Retired Irish president says Catholic Church should accept Gay priests

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese has warned Catholic leaders in her country that they must accept the fact that some priests are Gay. “We have the phenomenon of men in the priesthood who are both heterosexual and homosexual, but the church hasn’t been able to come to terms with the fact that there are going to be homosexuals in the priesthood, homosexuals who are fine priests,” McAleese, herself a Roman Catholic, said in an interview with the Irish Times.

“They haven’t been able to come to terms with that because the teaching of my church, the Catholic Church, tells them that homosexuality is, of its nature, intrinsically disordered – those are the words of Pope Benedict – and that homosexual acts are, in his words, evil.

“I am just worried that the Maynooth controversy seems to be concentrating on the wrong things,” she added, referring to the recent discovery that some seminarians there had Grindr accounts.

“A seminary should be a place where people feel welcomed, not somewhere where they feel policed – after all, there are young people who haven’t yet taken a vow of celibacy.”

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin sent at least three Maynooth seminarians away to Rome, claiming he was breaking up a “Gay culture” at the school for future priests. The seminarians remaining will have their social media accounts monitored

by Church officials, to make sure they are not using hookup apps in the future.

McAleese was president of Ireland for two terms, serving from 1997 to 2011. She succeeded Ireland’s first woman presi-

Former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese – Photo courtesy of irishnews.com

dent, Mary Robinson. Both Robinson and McAleese supported the 2015 referendum that legalized same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

During the marriage equality campaign, McAleese revealed that her son, Martin, is Gay and was bullied and excluded from church functions because of his sexuality.

McAleese has also endorsed the idea of women priests, something the Catholic hierarchy has absolutely ruled out.

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 13

14 Seattle Gay News

September 2, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 15

16 Seattle Gay News

September 2, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 17

S E AT T L E M E N ’ S C H O RU S E N S E M B L E

CAPTAIN SMARTYPANTS

Crazy FEATURING

SPONSORED BY

Sensible Shoes

September 17, 23 & 24 THE TRIPLE DOOR

SEATTLECHORUSES.ORG 206-838-4333 18 Seattle Gay News

September 2, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 2, 2016

Seattle Gay News 19