SGN September 25, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

Issue 39 Volume 48

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N E W S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T W E E K LY

Justice Ginsburg remembered as a passionate advocate for equality “Justice Ginsburg was not afraid to say out loud, in her opinions, that she saw us and recognized our rights,” said State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu.

by Renee Raketty SGN Staff Writer Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday, September 18th, at the age of 87-years-old. During her 27 years on the nation’s highest court, she championed a variety of progressive legal issues ranging from women’s rights to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality.

see GINSBURG page 12

Photo by Chris Rojas

After 28 amazing years, GSBA President & CEO Louise Chernin is retiring

Breonna Taylor grand jury decision leads to riot on Capitol Hill

Louise Chernin – Photo courtesy of GSBA

Photo by Renee Raketty

A decision may be both right and difficult at the same time, which is true of my decision to retire as President & CEO of GSBA, a position I have held for nearly 19 years. It is not an overstatement to say that serving in a leadership role in GSBA has been one of the most impactful, fulfilling, and life-changing experiences of my life.

Given the strength and visionary leadership in GSBA, with its outstanding Board, currently under the expert leadership of Stephanie Dallas; an extraordinary and talented staff, that works tirelessly on behalf of our small business members and students

see LOUISE CHERNIN page 5

by Renee Raketty SGN Staff Writer Two protests of the Breonna Taylor grand jury decision on Wednesday lead to clashes between police and demonstrators when the two protests merged and

descended on the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct on Capitol Hill in Seattle where a large crowd formed outside.

A Kentucky state grand jury had indicted one Louisville Metro Police Department Officer, Brett Hankison, not

see BREONNA TAYLOR page 16

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Celebrating 46 Years!

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Deadlines Classifieds | Thursday at Noon Calendar | Tuesday at 6pm Display Ads Space Reservation | Monday at 5pm Ad Copy (non-camera ready) | Tuesday at 5pm Ad Copy (camera-ready) | Wednesday at 5pm

SBA disaster assistance available in Washington

Letters to the Editor | Tuesday at 5pm Obituaries | Call the SGN office All others | Tuesday at 5pm

Editors SGN Staff Copy Editor Rick McKinnon Advertising Maggie Bloodstone, Ad Manager National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Staff Writers Mike Andrew • Sara Michelle Fetters Miryam Gordon Contributing Writers Alice Bloch • Maggie Bloodstone Sharon Cumberland • Jesse Monteagudo David Nguyen aka Teriyaki Temple Rod Parke • Tim Peter • Jessica Price Renee Raketty • Scott Rice MK Scott • Mark Segal • Gaysha Starr Sarah Toce • Ed Walsh Social Media Manager MK Scott Cartoonist Ken Campbell

(September 22, 2020) – The US Small Business Administration (SBA) recently approved a disaster declaration for King County, Washington. For this declaration,

the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) for businesses and private nonprofit organizations that may or may not have sustained any physical damage but [that] have difficulty meeting their routine obligations because of the disaster.

These EIDLs are available in Chelan, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Snohomish, and Yakima counties.

This is to assist small businesses economically impacted by the civil unrest that began May 26, 2020. The deadline for businesses [that] suffered economic damage to return EIDL applications is June 16, 2021.

In consideration of the public health concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic, the SBA will establish a Virtual Business Recovery Center to answer questions about the SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process, and help each individual complete their electronic loan application.

Virtual Business Recovery Center Monday–Sunday (7 days/week), 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern FOCWAssistance@sba.gov (800) 659-2955 Please call me if you would like to schedule a virtual meeting or if you have any further questions about SBA disaster assistance. The best way to reach me is on my cell, (916) 200-6227 or by email, cynthia.cowell@sba.gov.

Cynthia Cowell Public Information Officer Office of Disaster Assistance, Field Operations Center – West Courtesy of the US Small Business Administration

Develop your professional skills with the Seattle Public Library’s online job workshops beginning Oct. 8

Calendar Editor Rick McKinnon Classifieds Rick McKinnon Photographers Nate Gowdy • Renee Raketty Chris Rojas • MK Scott Production Mike Pham Website Designer Barry Thorsness / Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published by Angela Cragin. © 2020. All Rights Reserved. Reprints by permission.

Publication of names, photographs, or likeness of any person, organization, event or business in this publication cannot be taken as any indication of the sexual orientation of the person, organization, event or business.

Opinions expressed in bylined articles, columns, and letters are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management of this paper.

Seattle Gay News welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or reject material. All rights revert to authors upon publication.

We assume no liability for loss or damage of materials, solicited or not. We invite feedback, please write.

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SEATTLE (September 23, 2020) – In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we work. Get the tools you need to be successful in today’s work environment with the Seattle Public Library’s professional skills workshops in October and November. Whether you want to develop your leadership style or learn to deal with difficult coworkers, we have something for everyone.

Library events are free, and everyone is welcome. Registration is required; sign up for individual workshops in the Library’s event calendar.

Workshop schedule • Conflict Awareness in the Workplace - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8. Learn how to turn negative situations into positive outcomes. Topics include understanding why we label people as difficult, types of difficult people, tools and techniques for resolving issues, coping strategies for dealing with the effects of difficult people, and conflict management strategies.

• Developing Your Leadership Style - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 13. Learn how to capitalize on your personal leadership style to achieve workplace goals. Topics include identifying your leadership style through personal assessment, learning the

September 25, 2020

difference between leadership and management, recognizing the being” and “doing” of leadership, and developing the innate motivating techniques that transform employee attitudes and enhance cooperation and teamwork • Communication Skills in the Workplace - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Communication skills are vital in today’s workplace. Topics include identifying the four primary communication styles, finding your style as well as the styles of others, and learning tools to address common communication speed bumps and barriers.

• Team Building for Success - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29. In this interactive course, you will learn skills to develop group understanding, evaluate team roles, and develop methods for resolving underlying conflict within a team, and use these skills to collaborate with team members to achieve workplace objectives.

• Change Management - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5. Have you ever felt bombarded by nonstop change? This interactive workshop will help you better understand the impact of change and help others navigate through the phases of change. In addition, learn to manage resistance to change while planning successful change efforts.

• Getting the Most From Your Meet-

ings - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19.

Discover the four essentials of productive meetings: planning, participating, presenting, and producing. Other topics will include meeting formats and when to vary them, responding to conflict in a meeting, and meeting follow-through. A key component of this workshop is how to use effective communication strategies before, during, and after your meetings.

More information The job skills and digital creativity classes are made possible by support from the Seattle Public Library Foundation, and in partnership with South Seattle College.

The Library has free job resources that that are essential to the well-being of the people we serve. We give everyone the opportunity to learn and excel through our career development resources, job skills workshops, and one-on-one staff assistance to find Your Next Job. For more information, call 206-3864636 or [go to www.spl.org/using-thelibrary/ask-us].

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

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GSBA President & CEO Louise Chernin and her partner Mary Klein march with the National Organization for Women's Seattle chapter during a Pride parade in the early 1990's.

Louise was the director of the chapter in the 1980s and became the CEO & President of GSBA in 2002. – Photo courtesy of GSBA

LOUISE CHERNIN continued from cover

and a membership committed to doing good through business, I step down, confident that GSBA is in good hands. As for me, I am not going anywhere. This is my community, which I love. My role is changing but not my commitment to social justice.

The Board of Directors has appointed

a search committee of GSBA Board and community members, which will be led by Board Treasurer Carolyn Hojaboom. The committee will oversee a national search to ensure an inclusive and successful recruiting process for the next President and CEO. We have retained Campbell & Company, a national consulting firm for nonprofits, to lead the search process.

This is an incredible professional opportunity, please spread the word to a

wide range of diverse, prospective candidates and encourage them to apply. You may send nominations and applications to emily.thompson@campbellcompany.com.

We value your input and want to hear from you!

GSBA is in place to welcome new leadership during this time of great challenge and huge opportunity to address the economic disparities within our state and nation.

GSBA is stable, sound, and well positioned

A message from Stephanie Dallas, GSBA Board Chair

Stephanie Dallas, GSBA Board Chair – Photo courtesy of GSBA

We are beyond fortunate to have had Louise Chernin as our President & CEO for these last 19 years, leading us with her passion, experience, dedication, vision, and clarity to bring GSBA to a place of strength, depth, and breadth as an organization. Louise is responsible for an enormous share of that which constitutes the very heart and soul of GSBA, built with her unwavering commitment to our mission and to our community.

Happily, we continue that good fortune

with Louise as we look forward to her sustained involvement with organizations fighting for social justice and economic equity, which includes her continued commitment to GSBA. She has never been afraid to speak out for equity and inclusion, and in fact, she typically leads the charge. Knowing Louise, I trust that will not change and she will continue to inspire and lead all of us in the coming years.

I am pleased to share that the GSBA Board put in place a succession plan many years ago, and we have already implemented key elements of the plan, including formation of a CEO Search Committee and the hiring of a search firm, Campbell & Co. The Search Committee is comprised of Board and community members who represent GSBA’s varied stakeholders. I am excited and grateful for their eagerness to put in the considerable time, thought and dedication it takes to lead the Board’s search for GSBA’s new leader. The Search Committee Members include (* denotes current Board member):

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• Carolyn Hojaboom*, Hojaboom Consult-

ing, Search Committee Chair • Carrie Carson*, Point B, GSBA Scholarship Fund Chair • Brandon Chun*, Lavender Rights Project • Stephanie Dallas*, GSBA Board Chair • Jennifer Divine, Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, former GSBA Board member • Susan Fuller*, Law Office of Susan K. Fuller, PLLC • Isyss Honnen, TRANSform Washington, GSBA Scholar Alum • Dustin O’Quinn*, Lane Powell, Liaison from the GSBA DEI Task Force • Tristen Pamphlet-Gardner, King County, Former GSBA Staffmember • Jay Peterson*, Blue Wave Political Partners • Mona Smith, Mona Smith, PLLC, Former GSBA Board Chair • Steven Wakefield, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (ret.)

Additionally, we are including input from our 16 GSBA staff members to make sure their important voices and perspectives are included. A BIG thank you goes to each of them and to the Search Committee members.

September 25, 2020

to continue the important work that still needs to be done. Please stay tuned for an invitation early next year to introduce our new President & CEO to the community.

For the future, Louise Chernin (she/her) GSBA President & CEO Courtesy of the GSBA

I am also proud to announce that GSBA Deputy Director, Mark Rosén, will step in as Acting President & CEO if we do not have someone in the position before Louise completes her time at the helm. Everyone knows Mark as a thoughtful and passionate leader for GSBA, and we are thrilled that he is willing to serve in this way. This will provide a smooth transition period, should we need him in the role, most likely no longer than a few months.

In the meantime, we will continue our work to lift small business, our scholars, and the LGBTQ community, giving voice to social and economic equity. We look forward to our next chapter with new voices and new faces in our future as GSBA strides forth into the next decade!

Sincerely, Stephanie Dallas (she/her) Board Chair GSBA Board of Directors Courtesy of the GSBA

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Durkan Digest: A new normal of wildfire smoke

Photo courtesy of The Office of the Mayor of Seattle

SEATTLE (September 19, 2020) – In the past week, our region has seen some of the worst air quality in the entire world and faced some of the most hazardous conditions ever seen. Smoke from wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington added to the already immense and complex challenges that our residents have been facing.

Although the forecast is calling for reduced levels of smoke in our region today and throughout the weekend, the fires we have seen in recent years part of an alarming trend. Across the world, wildfires are starting earlier, burning more intensely, and lasting longer than ever before.

As a city, we will continue to take steps to prepare our city, residents – especially the most vulnerable – and businesses for the new normal of hazardous and unhealthy wildfire smoke, but the message is clear: climate change is real, and it is devastating.

As the world burns around us, we need to ask ourselves what changes are we willing to make that will change the course of the climate disaster we are currently living through. Our city has a history of leading on environmental action – and since I became mayor, we have taken decisive action to combat climate change and protect our environment.

One of my first actions as mayor was signing the Chicago Climate Charter, sending a clear signal that our commitment to climate action is unwavering even in the face of inaction by President Trump and his administration. And since then, we have continued to lead the way. We’ve made investments in green buildings and electrification, including our City fleet. Lowering our greenhouse gas emissions should also be a top priority for all of us, and one of our city’s greatest contributors to greenhouse gases is building emissions. That is why, earlier this year, I signed an executive order requiring that all new or substantially altered City of Seattle buildings operate without fossil fuel.

Environmental hazards and climate

change affect everyone, but communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and Native people experience more significant harms because of where they live and work.

We’ve made investments in environmental justice, and in my upcoming 2021 budget, I’m committed to investing $100 million in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities with one of the key focuses on climate justice.

As we look to the future, the response to COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of the city’s neighborhoods as places to live, work, and meet our daily needs.

During the pandemic, we created new uses for neighborhood curb space, streets, and plazas. As a member of C40 Cities, Seattle has published a Climate Action Plan that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a climate-neutral city by 2050.

One key action of the C40 Mayors’ Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery is to create “15-minute cities,” where every neighborhood includes affordable housing choices, shopping and services, health care, parks, office space, and educational and cultural institutions within an easy walk or bike ride. Recently, I asked our City [sic] to explore the concept of a “15-minute city” as a potential framework for the next major comprehensive plan.

Seattle will continue to lead the way. As a city, we remain committed to bold climate action – but we know that we aren’t able to solve this problem on our own. We need our partners at the state and federal level to prioritize climate action and respond to this crisis.

I know these times are incredibly tough for individuals, families, and small businesses in Seattle. As we move forward, I will continue to do everything possible to get the region the resources we need to get through any of the challenges that we may face.

As always, please continue to write me at Jenny.Durkan@seattle.gov, reach out via Twitter and Facebook, and stay up to date on the work we’re doing for the people of Seattle on my blog.

6 Seattle Gay News

September 25, 2020

Mayor Durkan statement on New York Times report that Attorney General William Barr asked prosecutors to investigate her Former US Attorney for Western Washington Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan released the following statement after a New York Times report that Attorney General William Barr asked prosecutors to explore charges against the mayor.

“Today’s report is chilling and the latest abuse of power from the Trump administration. As a former US attorney, I took an oath of office to protect the Constitution and the rule of law. That is the bedrock of our country and why the Department of Justice cannot become a political weapon operated at the behest of the president to target those who have spoken out against this administration’s actions. That is an act of tyranny, not of democracy.

“Ultimately, this is not a story about me.

It is about how this president and his attorney general are willing to subvert the law and use the Department of Justice for political purposes. It is particularly egregious to try to use the civil rights laws to investigate, intimidate, or deter those that are fighting for civil rights in our country.

“Not surprisingly, just weeks before an election this is yet another effort by the president and his administration to distract from his abject failure to lead America through its toughest challenges. He downplayed the threat of COVID-19, which has cost nearly 200,000 Americans their lives. He has done nothing to help millions of Americans facing an economic crisis, and he has threatened to withhold funding from Seattle and other American cities because of their commitment to racial justice. He also rolled back commonsense climate protections that undoubtedly have played a part in the climate fire crisis that we are currently experiencing.

“I will continue to fight for what I believe is right, and I will not be distracted by these threats from meeting the challenges facing our great city: a pandemic, an

economic crisis, a climate crisis, and a civil rights reckoning.”

City allocates over $19 million in COVID-related funding to rental assistance and homeowner support Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the allocation of more than $19 million in COVID-19 Relief funding to provide housing assistance for low-income households economically impacted by COVID-19. As the City continues to distribute rental assistance in 2020, the City will launch a new effort to provide mortgage counseling and direct assistance to homeowners at risk of foreclosure.

These investments build upon established community-based programs aimed at keeping Seattle’s most racially diverse residents in their homes.

With the launch of the $41 million King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program and the mayor’s eviction moratorium that currently lasts through the end of 2020, the City is preparing to provide $12 million in rental assistance through United Way of King County’s Home Base Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program, $4 million in 2020, and $8 million in 2021. Additionally in 2020, the City is expected to distribute $4 million through affordable housing providers funded by the Seattle Office of Housing, and nearly $3 million through the Human Service Department’s Homelessness Prevention programs.

Additionally in 2020, the City is expected to distribute $4 million through affordable housing providers funded by the Seattle Office of Housing, and nearly $3 million through the Human Service Department’s Homelessness Prevention programs.

[The City has created a comprehensive resource page [www.seattle.gov/mayor/ covid-19] for residents and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. This page will be updated as more information becomes available. Read more at https://bit.ly/3ctn2Kv.] Courtesy of Mayor Jenny Durkan

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Break out the black flags, Seattle is an “anarchist jurisdiction”

Photo by Alex Garland

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has declared Seattle an “anarchist jurisdiction.”

New York City and Portland were also labeled “anarchist” in a DOJ statement issued September 21.

The designation means that these cities are at risk of losing federal funding and grants. According to the New York Post, White House budget director Russ Vought is set to issue guidance to federal agencies on withdrawing funds from the cities in less than two weeks.

“We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance,” Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.

“It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens.”

The DOJ set out specific criteria for designating an “anarchist jurisdiction,” including: • Whether a jurisdiction forbids the police force from intervening to restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or destruction.

• Whether a jurisdiction has withdrawn law enforcement protection from a geographical area or structure that law enforcement officers are lawfully entitled to access but have been officially prevented from accessing or permitted to access only in exceptional circumstances.

• Whether a jurisdiction disempowers or

defunds police departments.

• Whether a jurisdiction unreasonably refuses to accept offers of law enforcement assistance from the federal government.

• Any other related factors the attorney general deems appropriate.

Barr applied the label to Seattle because of the six-block Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) area, which he alleged has pushed the entire city into the realm of anarchy.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, in a statement, said that her office would be staying focused on four issues: the coronavirus pandemic, the economic downturn, “the greatest civil rights reckoning in decades,” and climate change.

“The Trump administration’s threats to defund Seattle, Portland, and New York are a gross misuse of federal power and blatantly unlawful,” Durkan said.

“Trump, the Department of Justice, and Barr’s obsession with Seattle and me is irrational and most importantly, a huge distraction.”

Seattle-area congresswoman Pramila Jayapal accused the Trump administration of “fear-mongering and fanning racism” to turn people’s attention away from the coronavirus pandemic and the economic destruction it has wrought.

“Now, the Trump administration is doubling down on its politicized attacks by threatening our federal funding altogether,” Jayapal said in a statement.

“This is not just unlawful but it is also a prime example of this president’s failed leadership and obvious desperation.”

Seattle City Council overrides three Durkan vetoes Big blow to mayor

“When I look back in this moment of time, I want to be able to tell my daughter, who I’m currently holding in my arms, that I did the right thing and that I voted on the right side of history.”

Councilmember Tammy Morales read

aloud the names of people killed by Seattle police in recent years. Councilmember Dan Strauss described the changes advanced by the council as “too important to stop and play political games.”

Councilmember Kshama Sawant credited “ferocious” pressure by the Black Lives Matter movement in recent days for Tuesday’s result, adding that several councilmembers kept their intentions secret until the last minute.

One of those, Andrew Lewis, was the target of a September 22 rally in front of his Queen Anne apartment building. In the end, Lewis voted to overturn all three vetoes.

As part of her campaign to line up votes to override the mayor’s vetoes, Gonzalez unveiled a compromise proposal on police funding.

Under the s proposal, there would have be no police layoffs this year, the police commanders would have keep their wages at current levels, the police Navigation Team would remain intact, community-based public safety programs would get only $2.5 million (rather than $14 million), and the research project would get only $1 million this year (rather than $3 million).

The compromise has been soundly rejected by activists, and its future viability remains to be seen.

September 25, 2020

Seattle Gay News 7

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In another blow to Seattle’s embattled mayor, Jenny Durkan, the City Council has voted to override three of her vetoes.

The September 22 council actions upheld its decisions to cut funding for Seattle police and use new taxes on big business to fund COVID relief for the city’s poorest residents.

The budget bills passed by the council and vetoed by Durkan last month included provisions meant to: • reduce the police force by up to 100 officers through layoffs and attrition; • cut the wages of police commanders; • dismantle the police Navigation Team that clears homeless encampments; • borrow $14 million to fund communitybased public safety programs; and • use $3 million in emergency reserves to fund a community-led public safety research project.

Councilmembers Alex Pedersen and Debra Juarez voted to sustain one of the mayor’s vetoes but voted with the rest of the council to overturn the other two.

In the end, all three vetoes were reversed, with most Council members strongly criticizing the mayor and Seattle police.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe …

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan – Photo by Elaine Thompson / AP

Countless videos of Black and brown lives lost here in Seattle and across the country show us that not everyone feels safe,” Council President Lorena González said.

“We need public safety that’s centered on harm reduction, not the status quo…

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Lambda Legal urges a delay in nomination and consideration of Ginsburg Replacement

Photo by Sarah Silbiger / Reuters

NEW YORK (September 18, 2020) – Following a precedent set by current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in 2016 – when he refused to consider the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court nearly eight months before the 2016 election – Lambda Legal demands tonight that the seat held by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg not be filled until after a new Senate and possibly a new president is

seated in January 2021.

Justifying his refusal to consider Garland’s nomination, McConnell told ABC News on March 20, 2016, that “The American people are in the middle of choosing who the next president is going to be. That next president ought to have this appointment.”

In response, Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings said, “We are just weeks away

from an election which will determine our next president and Senate majority leader.

Given the precedent of four years ago, it is only appropriate that we delay the consideration of a lifetime Supreme Court appointment until 2021 when the holders of those offices – who have yet to be chosen by the American people – will be in place.”

Noting that Ginsburg served 27 years on the court, Jennings added, “The tenure

of the next Supreme Court Justice to be appointed could last until the middle of this century. This crucial lifetime appointment with such long-lasting consequences must not be rammed through in the middle of a hotly contested election season.”

Courtesy of Lambda Legal

Supreme Court vacancy raises importance of reproductive rights in state races

Rep. Smith on Trump’s decision to nominate new Supreme Court justice

SEATTLE (September 22, 2020) – With a new vacancy on the Supreme Court and a Republican president and Senate that appear determined to attempt to push through a new conservative justice as soon as possible, it could be more important than ever that state governments are ready and willing to protect reproductive rights and access. Should a conservative, anti-choice judge be appointed to the court, the stage would be set for right wing legal efforts to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, threatening access to abortion for women nationwide. In such a scenario, it would be critical that Washington have a pro-choice governor and legislature able to protect women’s access to reproductive health care.

Here in Washington, abortion is currently legal whether or not Roe is the law of the land, but Republican legislators are seeking to change that. In the 2019–20 biennium, Republicans introduced HB 2154, which would seek to ban all abortions in Washington state, and numerous other Republican legislators and candidates have stated their opposition to abortion.

In the gubernatorial race, GOP candidate Loren Culp hasn’t yet stated his opin-

ion on a woman’s right to choose. While his political allies have made their opposition to abortion clear, Culp has thus far stayed silent on the issue. With choice coming to the forefront of the political debate in the 2020 elections, Culp needs to make his position clear: would he protect the reproductive rights of Washington women, or would he stand with his conservative allies in the state legislature and the Trump administration?

“With Roe v. Wade under threat like never before, now is a time when every candidate must make their position clear,” said Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party. “We know that many socially conservative Republican legislators, from Steve O’Ban in the Senate to Vicki Kraft in the House and many more, oppose a woman’s right to choose. Do they support Trump and McConnell’s plan to jam through a far-right Supreme Court justice just days before the election? Does Loren Culp? The people of Washington expect answers.”

WASHINGTON, DC (September 22, 2020) – Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) issued the following statement after President Trump announced he would nominate a candidate to fill the Supreme Court vacancy this Saturday.

“The President and Senate Republicans’ decision to move forward with a Supreme Court nomination flies in the face of precedent and their own words. 237 days before the 2016 election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that a Supreme Court nominee should not be appointed and confirmed during an election year. We heard this same argument repeatedly from Senate Republicans. Yet the very night Justice Ginsburg passed, 46 days out from the 2020 election, Senate Republicans decided that they would vote on her replacement.

“As we knew all along, Senate Republicans were never acting on principle when they blocked the confirmation of Merrick Garland in 2016. They are continuing to show their true colors by dismissing their own arguments from 2016 so they can rush a nominee through the Senate weeks before an election. It is important to remember what is at stake here. The fate of the Afford-

8 Seattle Gay News

September 25, 2020

Courtesy of Washington State Democrats

able Care Act, civil rights, abortion and women’s access to health care, LGBTQ+ rights, the environment, campaign finance, and more all hang in the balance.

“Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy will forever be enshrined in our country’s history as a pioneer for equal justice and ensuring that the most vulnerable were given protection under our Constitution. She has left a profound impact on issues such as gender discrimination, voting rights, access to health care, same-sex marriage, and countless more issues that represent progress towards justice and quality.

“Justice Ginsburg made clear that she wished a replacement not be appointed until after the winner of the 2020 election is sworn in to ensure that the American people have their voices heard. I urge the Senate to honor her final request.”

Courtesy of Rep. Adam Smith

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OBITUARY

HRC remembers US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg WASHINGTON, DC (September 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 United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has passed away at the age of 87.

“Today, we lost an unqualified, undisputed hero. She wasn’t just an iconic jurist; Justice Ginsburg was a force for good – a force for bringing this country closer to delivering on its promise of equality for all,” said HRC President Alphonso David.

“Her decades of work helped create many of the foundational arguments for gender equality in the United States, and her decisions from the bench demonstrated her commitment to full LGBTQ equality.

She was and will remain an inspiration to young people everywhere, a pop culture icon as ‘the Notorious RBG’ and a giant in the fight for a more just nation for all. We extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. What she represented – fairness, justice, and equality for all – we must all continue to fight for. Those principles are not transactional, they are fundamental to our democracy.”

Justice Ginsburg has long been on the right side of history in the fight for LGBTQ equality. Justice Ginsburg joined Justice Kennedy’s majority decisions in many landmark cases in LGBTQ civil rights history, including Romer v. Evans in 1996, Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, Windsor v. U.S. in 2013, and Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.

In addition, she joined the majority in Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020. In her private life, Justice Ginsburg has performed many same-sex marriage ceremonies – the first Supreme Court justice to do so.

Justice Ginsburg blazed many trails in her lifetime. She graduated at the top of her class from the Columbia School of Law, founded the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU, and argued cases of women’s rights and gender justice before the Supreme Court, helping pave the way for gender justice and equality in the US. Justice Ginsburg was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and was appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1993, becoming only the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

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

Official Portrait of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Photo by Supreme Court of the United States

ACLU executive director Anthony Romero on the passing of Justice Ginsburg NEW YORK (September 18, 2020) – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves a country changed because of her life’s work. We will continue her legacy.

Before serving on the highest court, Ginsburg rose to prominence as an ACLU lawyer fighting for equal rights. She founded the Women’s Rights Project in 1972 and led the ACLU in critical legal battles for almost a decade after.

Ginsburg led the ACLU in a host of important legal battles that established

the foundation for the current legal prohibitions against sex discrimination in this country and helped lay the groundwork for future women’s rights advocates.

At the time, most legal scholars believed the law should treat women differently.

While some lawyers were taking on cases to protect individual women, Ginsburg aimed to change the law on gender equality entirely.

She argued her first Supreme Court case challenging gender-based discrimination in

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1973 – in front of a court that only had male justices. “I knew that I was speaking to men who didn’t think there was any such thing as gender-based discrimination, and my job was to tell them it really exists,” she said.

Ginsburg succeeded, winning that case and five of the six cases she argued before the Supreme Court.

Soon after leaving the ACLU, Ginsburg was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by President Carter. And in 1993, she

became the second woman to be a Justice on the Supreme Court.

You can read the ACLU’s full obituary of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg [at www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/ in-memory-of-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-1933-2020].

Our hearts are with her loved ones and all those who mourn her loss.

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Courtesy of the ACLU

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GLAD mourns the passing and celebrates the legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg in RBG – Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

National LGBTQ Task Force on the passing of Justice Ginsburg MONTCLAIR, NJ (September 18, 2020) – The following can be attributed to National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey: “Today we have lost a giant of justice, a champion for equality and progress. Justice Ginsburg was an American hero and pioneer, a voice for so many marginalized people, leaving behind a legacy of courage, tenacity, and historic impact in creating a better country and a better world for all of us. We are all so grateful for all Justice Ginsburg has done for LGBTQ people, for women, for our ability to control our own bodies, for all that seek to

move freedom forward in this country.”

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equity for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. More at www. thetaskforce.org.

Courtesy of Target Cue

NY attorney general on the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg NEW YORK (September 18, 2020) – In response to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, [New York] Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement: “Our hearts are heavy tonight with the passing of one of the most impactful justices to ever serve on the Supreme Court. From her time at the ACLU founding its Women’s Right Project to her 27 years serving the highest court in the land, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a lifelong warrior in the fight to ensure justice and equality for all Americans.

“Justice Ginsburg’s remarkable legacy, her resolute dignity, her profound sense of justice, and her unwavering desire to do what is right will forever serve as inspiration for the very girls and women she spent her life fighting for. We must honor her legacy by standing firm in the beliefs she held on to until the very end.

“Rest in peace, Justice Ginsburg, and thank you for balancing the scales of justice day by day, and case by case.”

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Courtesy of NY Atty. Gen. Letitia James

BOSTON (September 19, 2020) – [Yesterday we lost] a phenomenal human, a pathbreaking woman, and a stalwart champion of justice. As an attorney, Ruth Bader Ginsburg blazed a trail for gender justice and the equal treatment of women, and set a shining example of what it means to advocate fiercely for those who have been left out of the protections of the law. As a justice on our nation’s highest court for 27 years, she held steadily to a conviction that our Constitution is there to protect the rights of all, especially those who are vulnerable to the whims of the powerful. She recognized the humanity and dignity of LGBTQ people long before a majority of colleagues on the court did.

And she did all of this with compassion, brilliance, and a keen sense of humor.

As our nation mourns her passing and recognizes her extraordinary legacy, we must also honor her dying wish that no move be made to replace her on the court until the next presidential term begins. We owe her and our country that much, for her incredible contribution to moving us closer to the nation of equals we aspire to be.

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

Lambda Legal mourns passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg WASHINGTON, DC (September 18, 2020) – The US Supreme Court today announced the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings issued the following statement: “Today, the United States lost an irreplaceable giant. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made history as both an advocate and a Justice, striking down barriers not only for women but also for LGBTQ people and for others who for too long have been denied equal justice under the law.

“Throughout her entire legal career, including her 27 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg fought for the rights of those on the margins. From her time as a lawyer with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project to her years on the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg spoke with a clear

and strong voice against inequality and gender discrimination. A long-standing ally of the LGBTQ community, her unwavering support, both on and off the bench, was a testament to her commitment to equality for all people.

“We at Lambda Legal are devastated tonight. We have lost a friend, a hero, a champion with the passing of Justice Ginsburg. This physically tiny woman has left an enormous legacy in the fight for justice and a huge hole in our hearts. We pledge to carry on our piece of the fight she so valiantly led in her eight decades on this planet in her memory until equal justice under the law is a reality for everyone in this nation.”

Courtesy of Lambda Legal

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NCLR mourns the loss of LGBTQ equality champion Justice Ginsburg, commits to continue to fight to honor her legacy

Ruth Bader Ginsburg in RBG – Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

SAN FRANCISCO (September 18, 2020) – The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) mourns the tragic loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – a true champion for LGBTQ rights in her 27 years on the US Supreme Court. During her tenure,

Justice Ginsburg was a pivotal vote for affirming LGBTQ rights, including marriage equality and recognizing the right of employees to work without fear of discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Rep. Jayapal on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg SEATTLE (September 18, 2020) – US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) issued the following statement tonight on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “Tonight, our nation not only lost a historic member of the highest court in our land but a trailblazer for women everywhere. From her passionate advocacy work on behalf of women to her nearly three decades on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg served with grace and brilliance while fighting for equality and justice.

“As the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project, Justice Ginsburg put her strength and unparalleled legal knowledge to work each day as an organizer who helped lay the foundation for landmark constitutional protections against sex discrimination. Following her confirmation to the bench in 1993, she brought her fierce intellect, determination for justice, and quick wit with her as she became only the second woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court.

“As some looked out for corporations and the powerful, she lifted up families and the most vulnerable. With every case she deliberated on, she was guided by the promise of the very words carved above the Supreme Court: equal justice under law.

Her tireless work on the court protected and expanded women’s rights, reproductive

rights, voting rights, civil rights, and workers’ rights. She helped make possible historic progress on LGBTQ+ equality, health care, immigration, the environment, and getting money out of politics. And she did all of this while never losing sight of what makes our nation great: our inclusivity, our sense of justice, our commitment to equality and opportunity for all.

“In honor of Justice Ginsburg’s inspiring life, her powerful legacy, and her neverending pursuit for justice, let us continue her work. I am committed to continuing the critical work necessary to make our country more equal, more fair, and more just. As one of only 79 women of color to have ever served in the United States Congress, I am fully committed to continuing the legacy of this beloved “shero”: from finally ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment to protecting abortion rights, workers’ rights, LGTBQ+ rights, and civil rights for all. And I am committed to making sure women across the country and throughout the world can blaze their own trails, that they are never held back on the basis of sex – or any identity.

“May Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s memory be a blessing. And may she rest in power.”

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Courtesy of Rep. Pramila Jayapal

“Justice Ginsburg was a warrior for freedom and justice, and we were honored to fight alongside her,” said NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon. “That struggle is more important than ever. We will celebrate her life and grieve her loss.

But above all, we will honor her legacy by continuing her fight.”

“Before she was a Supreme Court justice, Justice Ginsburg was a civil rights activist who waged the battle for women’s equality with unwavering determination,” said Shannon Minter, NCLR legal director. “She never gave up, and she never stopped fighting for freedom and justice for all. Her voice first as an advocate and then as a Supreme Court justice was as powerful as it was unique.

Even those who disagreed with her never questioned her integrity or her commitment to the most fundamental principles of our democracy, from the guarantee of equal protection of the laws to the fundamental right to vote. In this moment, when those principles are under attack as never before, we owe it to Justice Ginsburg to honor her legacy by continuing her fight.”

While we mourn the loss of the Justice Ginsburg, we do so knowing that the fight continues, including ensuring passage of the Equality Act, ending the dangerous practice of conversion therapy, protecting LGBTQ immigration and asylum seekers, and advocating for racial justice across America. The NCLR will continue fighting and advocating for full LGBTQ equality as we have done throughout our 43-year history. We honor her legacy by continuing her fight.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Since its founding, the NCLR has maintained a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and the LGBTQ community’s most vulnerable. More at www.nclrights.org.

Courtesy of the NCLR

NMAC on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg WASHINGTON, DC (September 18, 2020) – NMAC has released the following statement on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“NMAC mourns the loss of a champion for minority health equality, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” said NMAC Executive Director Paul Kawata.

“Justice Ginsburg was a consistent voice for fairness, for women, for LGBTQ Americans, for people living with HIV, and for correcting racial injustices. While we deeply mourn her passing, we must remain vigilant and determined to ensure her legacy of profound fairness and equality is memorialized through our actions, laws, and policies.”

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 our 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.

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GINSBURG

continued from cover Justice Ginsburg notably joined the majority opinion in every major decision on LGBTQ rights: Romer v. Evans, Lawrence v. Texas, Windsor v. United States, and, most notably Obergefell v. Hodges, which extended the institution of marriage to all couples – regardless of sex. Ginsburg more recently joined the majority opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, which found discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in employment to be illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. “I was sad to learn of the death of Justice Ginsburg because she will leave a gaping hole at the United States Supreme Court; she was a true champion not only for gender equality, but for the idea the law plays an active role in building that more perfect union,” Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu, the first LGBT person to hold the post, told the Seattle Gay News this week. “Justice Ginsburg saw us (those not always included in the law) and was not afraid to say out loud in her opinions that she saw us and recognized our rights. Her dissent in Ledbetter v. Goodyear provided a glimpse into that determination to do right and to provide those without power a path to seek redress and justice.”

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Helen Whitener agreed, speaking frankly about Ginsburg’s influence not only on the law but on the rights of marginalized groups. “Trailblazers like Justice Ginsburg made it possible for two Queer women Justices to be sitting on the Washington State Supreme Court,” concluded Whitener, who was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee last April and was the first black LGBTQ+ judge in Washington state. “Justice Ginsburg demanded that women not only be seen but that they also be valued. Now, more than ever, it is important that those entering the legal profession remember her words: ‘Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.’”

Local elected officials also remembered Justice Ginsburg. King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci noted that Ginsburg “heroically fought for equity and justice to the very end.”

“Justice Ginsburg’s service and accomplishments to our nation as a lawyer and scholar on gender equality and women’s rights are unparalleled and historic,” said Balducci. “As co-founder the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, she helped lead the fight against gender discrimination and as a practicing lawyer, her contributions to advance the rights of women under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution last to this day.

“As a Justice, her strong, principled and unwavering positions have inspired me personally to stand up for what is right. I mourn her passing and take solace that her legacy will continue as we collectively work to advance the work to make a more just and equitable society.”

Likewise, U.S. Representative Adam Smith (WA-9th) added that Ginsburg “was an exemplary beacon of justice” whose “leadership and honorable service have shaped countless lives for the better, and we are a stronger, more just nation due to her jurisprudence.”

“No words can accurately portray the monumental impact she had on our justice system or describe her profound dedication to our nation even until her very last moments with us,” Smith said. “We mourn the loss of her today, but we continue our fight for justice tomorrow. I extend my deepest condolences to her and her family and my sincerest gratitude to Justice Ginsberg – may she Rest in Peace.”

The passing of Justice Ginsburg could not be felt more succinctly than in the U.S. Senate, which will be tasked to vote on her successor. President Donald Trump

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Memorial to Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside the Seattle Courthouse steps late Saturday night. – Photo by Chris Rojas

has stated he plans to name Justice Ginsberg’s successor promptly. However, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell from Washington say that they will fight to ensure a new pick will only be appointed after the next Presidential election on November 3rd.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first Justice I voted for,” Murray said. “Tonight, my heart is breaking for a million reasons – for her family, for our country, for my North Star. I’ll remember her as a friend, a role model, and a woman who opened doors for all the rest of us with her genius and her relentless pursuit of justice, freedom, and equality for each and every one of us, no matter who we are,” said Murray. “That fight for justice, which she led so passionately for so long, is now ours to take up in

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her memory. Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave her all to us, and I will give mine to making sure the American people have their next President before her seat is filled.”

Maria Cantwell stated that Justice Ginsburg was “a giant – our longest-serving female Supreme Court Justice” who will be “remembered as a fierce warrior against gender discrimination.”

“Every woman who has ever had to advocate for the law owes her a great debt of gratitude. We have lost a real hero,” said Cantwell. “Justice Ginsburg stood by the most vulnerable in her decisions, from ending single sex admission policies and protecting rights for those with mental disabilities to her dissents standing up for voting rights and paving the way for Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act,

which strengthens protections against pay discrimination.”

Local organizations, such the Pride Foundation also remembered Ginsburg.

“Throughout her life, Ruth Bader Ginsburg showed the impact that one person can have in the fight for justice,” wrote Katie Carter, Pride Foundation CEO, on its website. “While all of us have different roles to play in this fight, she is proof that we all can find ways to leave the world better than we found it.

“Today, we honor the impact, the legacy, and the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg – and we can do it best by each committing to do more in this fight.”

Tina Podlodowski, openly-LGBT+ Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party and a former openly-LGBT+ member of the Seattle City Council, also issued a

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statement regarding the news of the death of Justice Ginsburg. “Justice Ginsburg will go down in American history as one of the fiercest advocates for civil rights and equality under the law that we’ve ever been blessed to serve us in public life,” she said. “…[T]he work of fighting to protect the rights Justice Ginsburg enshrined in decisions issued from the highest court in the land must continue. The security of so many Americans’ reproductive rights, right to marry whomever they love, and the fundamental right to be treated as equals in our society should never have rested on the shoulders of a five foot tall, 87 year-old giant of American jurisprudence.

“We must recommit ourselves to ensuring America lives up to the vision of a just society Justice Ginsburg brought to life in both the decisions she authored and the example she set for women everywhere.

May she rest in peace.”

Justice Ginsburg was born in New York in 1933 to Jewish parents with roots in Eastern Europe. She went on to Cornell University, where at 17, she met her future

husband, Martin Ginsburg. She began Harvard Law School as a young mother to her daughter, Jane, and one of only nine women in her class. Later, she transferred to Columbia Law School, graduating first in her class. She accepted a position teaching civil procedure at Rutgers Law School.

It was there where she welcomed her son, James, into the world. Ginsburg joined the ACLU in 1972. While at the ACLU, Ginsburg played a role in 34 Supreme Court cases, and won five of the six cases she argued before the court, according to the ACLU. President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg to the court in 1993, where she filled the role as an associate justice and -over the decades -- became a cultural icon.

“As a fellow judge, I especially appreciated her relationship with Justice Scalia,” recalled Justice Yu. “I know how hard it is to befriend someone around a table of 9 who is ideologically opposite. Her civility and plain decency is what we all need to emulate. When we disagree as Justices, we write dissents and she taught us how to do so with passion and conviction.”

(l) Marcello Garcia and Melissa Richmond add their framed sign that reads “Thanks for making us equal in law” to the memorial outside the Seattle Courthouse steps late Saturday night. (r) Bill Castello carries a pride flag as he pays his respects to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, adding a candle to the memorial. – Photos by Chris Rojas

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for the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, who was killed while police were serving a warrant, but on three counts of wanton endangerment for endangering the lives of her neighbors. The two other officers involved in the raid were not indicted. The events of that night are hotly disputed.

A firework was observed going off near bike officers at the East Precinct who were behind a roll-up security gate and trash fires were seen in the streets. Police also alleged that protesters caused property damage and set off fireworks around the area and on First Hill the same night. Police responded with pepper spray and blast balls to disperse the crowd.

The SPD is looking for one protester who is seen on body-worn camera footage hitting a police officer with a baseball bat, cracking his helmet. They say that one protester cut wires to security cameras outside the East Precinct and that bottles and rocks were thrown at officers.

The SPD arrested 13 protesters for a variety of charges ranging from property destruction, resisting arrest and failure to disperse as well as assault on an officer, the SPD Police Blotter stated.

A video posted online appears to show an SPD bike officer’s bicycle tire rolling over the head of an individual laying in the street. The Office of Police Accountability is investigating.

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Local journalist faces complex accountability process that appears to show SPD out of compliance with Consent Decree

by Carolyn Bick with additional reporting by Jessie McKenna South Seattle Emerald [EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article was first published on the South Seattle Emerald website on 9/16/20 and is reprinted here with permission.] ht t p s://s out h s e a t t le em e r a ld. com/2020/09/16/local-journalist-facescomplex-accountability-process-thatappears-to-show-spd-out-of-compliancewith-consent-decree/ Seattle Gay News journalist Renee Raketty was sitting on a narrow set of metal steps and trying to catch her breath when the blast ball an officer allegedly threw beneath her exploded. Hours later, still surprised and disoriented, Raketty played the video over and over again, because she still couldn’t believe what had happened. But the permanent loss of hearing in her right ear is all too real.

In the course of reporting Raketty’s story, the Emerald has discovered that SPD appears to be out of compliance with the Consent Decree. An officer’s alleged actions caused Raketty to permanently lose her hearing, which is “a significant permanent loss or impairment of the function of any bodily part or organ.” It would appear that an injury of this severity would be classified as a Type III use of force, according to the SPD manual [https:// www.seattle.gov/police-manual/title-8--use-of-force/8400---use-of-force-reporting-and-investigation], and the Consent Decree mandates that all Type III uses of force be reviewed by SPD’s Force Review Board (FRB). But according to officials with the OPA and SPD, this case will not be reviewed by the FRB, as there does not appear to be any mechanism in practice within existing policy with which to do so.

Taken July 25, the 22-second video starts with a zoomed-in shot of the backs of Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers, whose attention is fixed on a crowd of protestors and some legal observers in the street along the southeast side of Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill. In the background, Raketty – who took the video and said she was wearing a press pass at the time – is coughing, an effect of the chemical irritants she had inhaled from officers’ earlier use of them on protestors, she later told the Emerald.

A second or two after Raketty zooms out on the scene before her, a bicycle officer can be seen walking a bike towards the bottom left-hand corner of the video. The officer parks the bike in the street by some other officers, turns, and walks toward Raketty.

At first, he’s looking forward, but as he gets closer to Raketty, he looks to his left, toward where the protestors’ and legal observers’ attention is fixed on the line of officers.

Then, without warning – and still looking toward his left – the officer tosses a round object that Raketty believes was a blast ball.

The object lands, Raketty said, beneath the metal steps where she was sitting.

Raketty’s Video and Account Indicate Not Only That the Officer Did Not Follow Procedure, His Behavior Could Be Misconduct, or Even Criminal Assault, Her Lawyer Says Blast balls and their close relatives, stun grenades (or “flash bangs/flash grenades”), are among a category of weapons used by police called “less-lethal.” This category also includes batons, pepper spray, and more. Both blast balls and flash bangs emit an explosive sound and a bright light – the

former can also contain chemical irritants – and are typically used by police, along with other “less-lethal” devices, for what they call “crowd control.”

According to the SPD Manual [https:// www.seattle.gov/police-manual/title-14--emergency-operations/14090---crowdmanagement], blast balls may be authorized for use “to disperse a crowd if an immediate life safety emergency exists that requires this action be taken …” An “immediate life safety emergency” is defined in the manual as an “unplanned, dynamic situation where immediate police action is necessary to protect the officers’ and/or the public’s safety.”

But Raketty was sitting away from the crowd, she said, well behind the police line, alone.

In an earlier part of Raketty’s video, which the Emerald has included below, the officer appears in the frame when she zooms out, and he’s in the middle of the street paying her no attention, which suggests that he and Raketty had not immediately prior to this been engaged in any sort of physical altercation that would have justified the officer throwing a blast ball towards her. However, even if there had been such an altercation, nowhere in the SPD manual does it explicitly say that officers may throw blast balls at people. The Emerald reported in June [https:// southseattleemerald.com/2020/06/08/policeuse-tear-gas-on-capitol-hill-protestorsallegedly-misuse-explosive-crowd-controldevices-in-medic-tent/] that a young woman was critically injured after officers threw a flash bang that hit her in the chest and then allegedly threw flash bangs into the tent in which street medics were treating her.

Readers can find this video on Renee Raketty’s Facebook page. [https://www. facebook.com/1453929192/videos/pcb.10 222276500928791/10222276497168697/] “If a cop is just walking down the street, hits [a citizen] with a baton, and keeps walking, that is a criminal assault,” said Raketty’s lawyer Sarah Lippek, of Cedar Law. “It’s not just outside policy, it’s flat-out assault. [The officer in the video] happens to be wearing a uniform, but he’s obviously not serving any law enforcement purpose when he assaults her.”

Raketty said she stopped filming just before the ball exploded, but she doesn’t need a video to remind her of what happened. Even though she doesn’t remember the explosion itself, she does remember the disorientation. The stairway she said she

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Images courtesy of Renee Raketty

was sitting on is attached to a two-story brick building adjacent to a small parking lot surrounded by buildings. Her left knee still hurts from where she twisted it, in an effort to turn away from the explosion. She suffered what her doctor believes is likely permanent hearing loss in her right ear. And now, whenever she sees a patrol car or hears a police siren, something inside her freezes.

The officer did not request medical attention for her either, Raketty said, which would appear to run counter to the Crowd Management [http://www.seattle.gov/police-manual/title-14---emergency-operations/14090--crowd-management] section of the SPD manual. The manual states that, when “feasible,” officers “will request medical response or assistance for subjects who appear to have been injured by a blast ball.”

Raketty believes it should have been obvious that she could benefit from medical attention, as the blast ball was allegedly thrown directly underneath where she was sitting. Based on where Raketty was sitting, it appears she would have been able to receive medical attention unimpeded.

Raketty Filed a Complaint With the Office of Police Accountability – Lippek’s Diligence Appears to Reveal SPD Policy Violations Raketty filed a complaint with the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) about the incident, but she and her lawyer must now navigate a complex SPD accountability process. Lippek and her client want to ensure that all departments responsible for police accountability are activated – that Raketty’s case is investigated to the fullest extent possible – but despite Lippek working furiously to untangle the bureaucratic process, it’s far from clear to them how to make sure that happens, or how much of it is in their control. However, Lippek believes that SPD is skirting their own internal accountability process and in doing so, the City appears to be out of compliance with the Consent Decree.

The Consent Decree is an agreement between the City of Seattle and Department of Justice, established after the DOJ investigated SPD in 2012 and found a pattern of

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continued from page 17 excessive use of force as well as SPD policies and practices that could result in biased policing of People of Color.

The OPA, the Professional Standards Bureau, and Their Respective Roles The OPA is a department of SPD administratively, but physically and operationally it is an entirely separate police accountability office. The OPA is led by a civilian director and supervisors. OPA investigations are led by SPD sergeants and civilian investigators. The OPA is one part of a three-pronged police system established in 2017 that provides accountability oversight and also includes the Office of the Inspector General for Public Safety (OIG) [http:// www.seattle.gov/oig] and the Community Police Commission. [https://www.seattle. gov/community-police-commission] The Office of Police Accountability essentially exists to ensure civilian oversight in SPD investigations of complaints against officers and/or the department and instances of potential misconduct, policy violations, or other issues of SPD accountability that the OPA becomes aware of. The OPA conducts investigations and, when the office deems it appropriate, reports findings to the chief of police that can include recommendations for discipline and/or policy changes. The onus is then on the chief to determine the appropriate action. It should be noted that the chief is not required to follow OPA recommendations.

But there is also a lesser-known police accountability process within SPD’s chain of command. It operates under the umbrella of what’s called the Professional Standards Bureau [https://www.seattle.gov/ police/about-us/professional-standardsbureau#forcereviewboard] and is made up of three divisions – the Force Review Unit (FRU), Force Investigation Team (FIT), and Force Review Board (FRB).

The Force Review Unit reviews all useof-force reports, as reported by SPD officers and reported up a chain of command that varies depending on the severity of the use of force. The use-of-force classifications that must be reported are Type I, Type II, and Type III. The classification of each use-of-force incident determines when an investigation by the Force Investigation Team is appropriate. The Force Review Board reviews the findings of FIT investigations into specified Type II uses of force and all Type III uses of force, and, when deemed necessary, makes recommendations for policy and other changes.

While the OPA and the Force Review Board are both responsible for reviewing incidents of use of force and making recommendations to SPD to ensure police accountability, they are separate entities with unique processes. One major difference is that the OPA has authority to investigate the FIT, FRU, and FRB and their processes.

In her attempts to activate all relevant agencies to ensure a thorough investigation, justice for her client, and a comprehensive police accountability process, Lippek found herself trying to untangle a complicated official relationship between the OPA and SPD’s own FIT, FRU, and FRB and noticed that SPD accountability policy appeared to be at odds with SPD accountability in practice.

Lippek Says Raketty Was Subject to Type III Use of Force and Pushed the OPA to Refer Raketty’s Case to FIT – But OPA Says They Don’t Do That Raketty said that she and Lippek told OPA civilian investigator Chelsea Whittler what the officer had apparently done and described Raketty’s subsequent injuries. In addition to the OPA investigation, Lippek requested their case be referred to FIT for investigation, per SPD policy for the type

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of use of force allegedly used on Raketty.

Whittler assured them, both Raketty and Lippek said, that she would talk with OPA Deputy Dir. Mark Grba about a referral. But OPA declined to refer the case, and initially gave Lippek and her client no reason why, despite their request for an explanation.

In a Sept. 7 email response to Lippek, who had inquired to OPA Dir. Andrew Myerberg about the accountability process with regard to use-of-force incidents being investigated

by FIT and reviewed by the FRB, Myerberg said that “OPA does not refer cases to FIT and this is not contemplated or required by SPD policy. OPA also does not opine on which cases are reviewed by the FRB.” Again, in Raketty’s case the officer’s apparent action appears to be what the SPD manual would classify as “Type III” use of force, defined as “[f]orce that causes or is reasonably expected to cause, great bodily harm [https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default. aspx?cite=9A.04.110], substantial bodily harm, loss of consciousness, or death.”

Because Raketty suffered permanent hearing loss in her right ear from the blast ball she said was thrown at her, the resultant injury seems to fit what the manual would classify as “great bodily harm” — “[c]auses a significant permanent loss or impairment of the function of any bodily part or organ.”

Per the Consent Decree and SPD Policy, “All Type III’s” Are Reviewed by the FRB – but if OPA Does Not Refer Cases, Then That May Not Be Happening According to the SPD manual [https:// www.seattle.gov/police-manual/title-14--emergency-operations/14090---crowd-management], in all cases of officer use of force during crowd management, officers are required to document use-of-force instances along with justification. Those reports are delivered to the FRU for review and investigation by FIT, if need be. “All Type III” and “selected Type II” use-of-force incidents are sent to the Force Investigation Team (FIT). After completing an up-to-30-day investigation, FIT presents findings to the Force Review Board (FRB) which then makes “official recommendations regarding policy, training, or practices that need to be addressed.” The Professional Standards Bureau’s website states that the recommendations are then “routed to the appropriate section” and “tracked to ensure that the needed changes are institutionalized.”

While it is unknown at this time if the officer who allegedly threw the blast ball at Raketty reported the use of force, or if he did, how he framed the incident within his report, it is all but certain the incident was not reported as a Type III – as according to Raketty, the officer did not interact with her beyond throwing the blast ball, so he would not be aware that she suffered injury, including damage to her hearing. Because Raketty said no one at SPD followed up with her after the fact, they would not have known her hearing loss was permanent.

If the OPA does not refer the case to the FIT or FRB, it appears Raketty’s case will bypass SPD’s internal process for reviewing an instance of a Type III use of force.

As such, SPD will circumvent their own policy with regard to use-of-force record keeping, review, investigation, and internal policy and training review and recommendations, as made by the FRB – and in doing so, SPD would then appear to be out of compliance with the Consent Decree.

But according to OPA Director Andrew Myerberg and SPD’s Chief Legal Officer Rebecca Boatright, OPA and SPD are following standard procedures for use-of-force complaints under OPA jurisdiction – including in Raketty’s case – despite the fact that the standard procedures as they’ve outlined them are not aligned with SPD policy as it reads and appear not to be in compliance with the Consent Decree. An SPD Disciplinary Process Roadmap [https://www.seattle. gov/Documents/Departments/OIG/Policy/ DiscProcess/SPDdisciplinaryprocessAll.

September 25, 2020

pdf], prepared by the OIG in 2019, provides a subway map for the current disciplinary process in practice.

OPA Dir. Myerberg and SPD Chief Legal Officer Boatright On Current Standard Procedures Relating to Use-ofForce Accountability According to OPA Dir. Myerberg, the OPA does not refer cases to FRU, FIT, or FRB – even in cases where the OPA might identify a potential Type III use-of-force case of which SPD chain of command might not be aware. In a phone call with the Emerald, Boatright confirmed Myerberg’s assertion. When asked how a Type III use of force reported in a complaint to the OPA but not otherwise reported to the FRU or FIT would get in front of the FRB for review, as mandated by the Consent Decree – and clearly stated in the SPD manual – Boatright responded, “It doesn’t.”

“The OPA determination stands on its own,” Boatright said, referring to the findings of an OPA investigation into a complaint.

However, this would appear to run counter to what the Consent Decree mandates.

The Consent Decree appears to state without exception that all Type III uses of force must go in front of the FRB, regardless of whether SPD awareness of the incident originates within chain of command or within the OPA and regardless of whether the OPA takes charge at any point of a Type III use-of-force investigation. And, as already established, SPD policy mandates this as well.

“There are situations, however, where OPA may become aware of force via a complaint that rises to the level of Type 3 force but was not investigated by FIT or reviewed

by FRB,” Myerberg also said in his Sept. 7 email to Lippek. “This is usually because the force was either not reported or underreported. In these scenarios, OPA investigates the force and the failure to properly report as it constitutes misconduct, but OPA does not make a FIT referral after the fact.”

In other words, in these cases, OPA would still not share the information about the Type III use of force with FIT, and the incident would not end up in front of the FRB for review.

Lippek said she would argue that this then defeats a large part of the FRB’s purpose, as the board exists as a result of the Consent Decree, which was created to address accountability issues within SPD. The FRU [https://www.seattle.gov/ police/about-us/professional-standardsbureau#forcereviewunit] section on the Professional Standards Bureau web page seems to support Lippek’s opinion on the FRB’s purpose, stating that board meetings “are an important step in the process as they provide information that helps the organization identify potential problems, either with individual officers and/or internal process that need to be addressed.”

“FRB is very clearly required to … review all Type IIIs,” said Lippek, “But if OPA … are the only part of SPD that knows about this number of Type III uses of force, and they are not referring to FRB, then FRB is not reviewing [all] of Type III uses of force.”

When asked if there is any exception in the Consent Decree that would exempt a Type III use of force from review by the FRB, Boatright’s response was not specific. She said that there is no policy that exempts a FIT investigation from going through review by the FRB. She said that if FIT investigators are called to a use-offorce scene, the OPA director is also called to that same scene. It is up to the OPA director whether to open an investigation.

If he does, the FIT investigation and the OPA investigation will run parallel to each other, and neither will stop by virtue of the other one’s existence. However, if FIT is not involved in a use-of-force investigation and the OPA does not refer the case back to FIT, the FRU, or the FRB, it would seem that the case will not end up in front of the FRB. On page 37 of the Consent Decree, it

states that the Use of Force Committee – which Boatright said was renamed the FRB – “will conduct timely, comprehensive, and reliable reviews of all Type II and Type III uses of force.” There are no caveats to this statement, and nothing readily apparent in the Consent Decree that prohibits the OPA from sending a use-of-force case to the Professional Standards Bureau for an internal investigation and/or an FRB review.

Boatright explained that the OPA has authority to identify when the FIT has not followed appropriate procedure. She said this would then be dealt with through a “disciplinary process and/or management action” that would result in SPD reviewing its manuals, policy, and training to update them in accordance with what the OPA or OIG recommends.

However, that would not then trigger that particular case to go in front of the FRB, because “OPA will have already made the accountability determinations, with respect to that particular incident,” Boatright said.

FIT Declined to Investigate Raketty’s Case, According to the OPA Director Over email, Myerberg confirmed to the Emerald what Lippek was not able to initially confirm with him: that Raketty’s case was not being investigated by FIT and therefore would not be reviewed by the FRB. Myerberg told the Emerald that FIT investigators declined to investigate Raketty’s case but did not provide any details as to why.

The Emerald reached out via email and phone to FIT officers Capt. Colin Carpenter and Sgt. Wes Collier to ask whether FIT will be investigating Raketty’s case but, as of this writing, has not received a response from either of them. Also as of this writing, Raketty has not received any word from SPD that FIT will be conducting an investigation into the incident, and neither has Lippek, who has also reached out to these same officers to ask about a FIT investigation on Raketty’s behalf. The Emerald will update this story if more information becomes available.

Lippek said that she may have as many as a dozen clients who lost hearing in a similar manner to Raketty, which would mean that it’s not just Raketty’s case that may well end up demonstrating this particular SPD policy violation and Consent Decree compliance problem, depending on how either the OPA or SPD handle those cases.

Lippek Continued to Push Back and Ultimately Filed a Complaint With the OIG When Lippek contacted the Professional Standards Bureau to inquire further about the police accountability process on Sept. 4, the bureau directed her to get in touch with SPD’s legal team. Boatright, in an email to Lippek on Sept. 6 – with Myerberg and City attorney Ghazal Sharifithat CC’d – said that “[c]oncerns about policy violations with regard to the use of force are investigated by OPA.” “As a rule, if a community member has concerns about the conduct of any Seattle Police Department employee, they should refer that concern to OPA to investigate,” Boatright’s brief email concluded.

In a Sept. 8 email to Lippek, Myerberg wrote that he is “not aware of any case in which OPA has made an after the fact referral to FIT.” “I have a number of clients who potentially have permanent hearing damage from blast balls discharged too close to them, against manufacturer instructions and against policy,” Lippek said. “So, a blast ball discharge that is close to a person already elevates it to a Type II, but if it also causes permanent hearing loss, then that’s a Type III. And again, all these people throwing blast balls, they don’t know when they write their report that a person has permanent hearing damage.”

A Sept. 7 email in the same email chain

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Images courtesy of Renee Raketty

from Boatright – that also added Inspector General Lisa Judge to the message thread – confirmed to Lippek that Raketty’s case “is not under FIT investigation. However, all complaints involving a use of force will be critically reviewed by OPA; if there is a policy violation, OPA will make that recommendation. The FRB process is entirely separate from OPA.” “If you have concerns with OPA’s process, I encourage you to reach out to the Office of the Inspector General, which has oversight responsibilities with respect to both SPD and OPA,” Boatright’s email continued.

When the Emerald later pressed Boatright for more information about the accountability process and the Consent Decree, referencing aspects of Raketty’s case, but not referring specifically to it, Boatright told the Emerald that she is “not going to talk about specific cases, especially one that’s under OPA review.

I am actually prohibited by City ordinance from commenting on any particular case.”

As Boatright had already included the OIG on the email chain, Lippek responded to everyone on the thread, briefly detailing the events of July 25 and Raketty’s OPA complaint.

Via the same email thread, Lippek lodged a complaint with the OIG against the OPA “for OPA’s failure to refer a Type 3 use of force (which appears to have been unreported anywhere in SPD command chain and was brought to light within the OPA process) for the force review process required by SPD policy and the terms of the consent decree.”

Lippek said in the email that Raketty had suffered a Type III use of force on three sepa-

rate grounds: “the damage to her hearing; the use of force being outside of policy; and the use of force constituting a criminal assault.”

“This issue has come to light specifically in connection with a particular client, but concerns me because I have a number of other clients who have suffered Type 3 uses of force and have, or will, file, OPA complaints. I am concerned that a refusal to refer these complaints for force review damages my clients’ chances for accountability, and undermines the accountability system as a whole,” Lippek’s email read.

So What Happens Now? As of this writing, it does not appear the OPA will reconsider Lippek’s request to refer Raketty’s case for review by the FRB. As indicated earlier, Raketty said no one from SPD has reached out to her about the incident and neither the Emerald nor Lippek has heard back from the FIT officers they contacted.

Lippek and Raketty are still looking for answers about the SPD accountability process to guarantee they’re taking the most holistic and effective approach possible to not only get justice for Raketty but to ensure accountability within the Seattle Police Department. Myerberg sent Lippek an email offering to meet with her and Raketty and said he would be happy to discuss the final findings with Lippek and Raketty when the OPA investigation is closed.

Raketty said she’s glad she was recording the events that led up to the alleged officer assault.

“I doubt that the officer knew that I was rolling video, because this is a DSLR cam-

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era. Most people would assume that I am taking still photos,” Raketty said. “Honestly, I don’t believe that anyone would believe me, if I hadn’t recorded it on video.”

Raketty isn’t hopeful that the officer involved in the complaint will face any form of accountability.

“I really feel like I’ve been sold a bill of goods, as [have] the citizens of Seattle, that there is a fair and equitable process for bringing police brutality to justice and that those who commit violence against citizens will have some level of accountability,” Raketty said. “What I have seen so far does not give me confidence that this officer will be brought to justice or that accountability will be provided to him or to other officers by the Seattle Police Department.”

As for SPD potentially being out of compliance with the Consent Decree? Boatright told the Emerald that SPD encounters unexpected situations that challenge the department “all the time,” and that SPD, in coordination with OPA and OIG feedback, subsequently reviews policies and procedures in an effort to “advance, based upon new information or new experience.” However, she said that a determination of noncompliance with the Consent Decree would “be an issue for review by the [the Department of Justice] and the federal court.”

As a trans woman, Raketty said she’s been targeted before. But she had never before been targeted by a police officer, which she attributes to her skin color.

“I am clearly not a Person of Color … and I will never understand what People of Color are going through, not only in our state, but across this country,” Raketty said.

“But to have such a vicious act of excessive force used against me, one individual, in an unprovoked situation has led me to believe that there is a definite problem with the way these munitions are being deployed.”

The officer’s apparent actions have also taken away one of Raketty’s greatest joys: listening to vinyl records. It’s been almost two months since she lost her hearing, but she keeps hoping it will come back. She said she’s so fearful of erasing the infinitesimal possibility she has of regaining hearing in her ear that she wears shooting range earmuffs on the job – and when she comes home, she just doesn’t listen to her records anymore.

“I was someone who would go home and listen to them. … I haven’t listened to a single one since then,” Raketty said. “Not a single one.”

September 25, 2020

Seattle Gay News 19

Carolyn Bick is a journalist and photographer based in South Seattle. You can reach them here [https://www.cebickphotography.com/contact] and here [https:// twitter.com/CarolynBick].

Jessie McKenna is a writer and communications specialist with a focus on South End nonprofits and small business.

She began working for the South Seattle Emerald in 2017 as a volunteer and eventually as a content contributor and content manager. She lives in Beacon Hill on unceded ancestral lands of the Duwamish People. If you do too, you can pay them rent at RealRentDuwamish.org.

Reprinted with permission – southseattleemerald.com

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HRC Foundation reacts to the US approaching 200,000 COVID-19 deaths

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

WASHINGTON, DC (September 21, 2020) – Today, as the United States approaches the grim milestone of surpassing 200,000 deaths caused by COVID-19, Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) President Alphonso David released the following statement: “When this pandemic began, we pushed and advocated for real action to avoid the needless deaths of people in this country.

Today, we know the grim truth: that this administration’s botched handling of the pandemic has led to 200,000 people losing their lives.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the preexisting disparities in this country: those who are most vulnerable, most marginalized, are most at risk of both the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. We have seen Black and brown people bear the brunt of this virus, and we have seen LGBTQ people face particularly daunting economic realities as the economy has struggled to recover from an ongoing public health crisis. This administration must do more to ease the suffering of people across this country. It must expand economic relief measures and listen to health experts to ensure we protect the most marginalized among us.”

It is impossible to know how many LGBTQ people have contracted the virus, as many states do not collect data on sexual orientation or gender identity. The HRC has long called for LGBTQ-inclusive data collection in order to understand the full impact of health crises, like COVID-19, on the community. The HRC has also called for passage of the HEROES Act, including additional health care funding, money for expanded testing and tracing, extended unemployment benefits, additional assistance to individuals and families, assistance to states and local governments, and funding for vote by mail and other election assistance.

The HRC, in partnership with PSB

Insights, has been tracking the economic impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ community. Key findings include: • The LGBTQ population is 20% more likely than the general population to have experienced a reduction in work hours since some states initiated reopening policies.

• LGBTQ people of color are 44% more likely and transgender people are 125% more likely than the general population to have had a reduction in work hours since some states initiated reopening policies.

• The LGBTQ population is 30% more likely than the general population to have lost their jobs since some states initiated reopening policies due to COVID-19.

• LGBTQ people of color are 70% more likely and bisexual people are 80% more likely than the general population to have

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September 25, 2020

lost their jobs since some states initiated reopening policies due to COVID-19.

We know that queer businesses have struggled to stay open in the face of the pandemic. That’s why the HRC partnered with Showtime to launch “Queer to Stay: An LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative,” a program to support businesses that have been impacted by the virus and serve the LGBTQ+ community with a focus on LGBTQ people of color, women, and the transgender community. Ten queer businesses from across the country received funding to help them weather the crisis.

The HRC has also launched a way for people to record a message of love, loss, or support to share with the HRC community as part of COVID-19 National Day of Remembrance on October 4. To record a message, text “COVID” to 472-472 (Mes-

sage and data rates may apply. Recurring msgs. txtSTOP2quit. HELP4info).

Read our full reports on the impact of reopening and the economic effects of COVID-19 on LGBTQ people, LGBTQ people of color, transgender people, and Black LGBTQ people on the HRC’s website [www.hrc.org].

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.

Courtesy of the HRC

Rep. Smith slams AG Barr and Trump administration’s efforts to withhold critical federal funding from Seattle and other US cities WASHINGTON, DC (September 22, 2020) – Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) issued the following statement after the Department of Justice named Seattle, Portland, and New York City “anarchist jurisdictions” as justification for attempting to withhold federal funding: “Attorney General Bill Barr’s effort to cut off federal aid from Seattle, Portland, and New York City is another baseless, unlawful move by President Trump and

his administration to use the federal government for political purposes and distract from his failed leadership. The law still applies to President Trump and Attorney General Barr, and their attempts to withhold congressionally appropriated money blatantly violate the separation of powers.

“President Trump is distracting from real crises and his failed leadership by fearmongering. As the US reaches 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, he continues to

ignore science and fail to respond to the pandemic. The President has unsurprisingly only further divided us as protests around the country have demanded progress on racial justice and police reform.

This latest campaign stunt attempting to hold taxpayer funds hostage from American cities will not distract us from the critical issues facing our country.”

Courtesy of Rep. Adam Smith

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Cleve Jones on the US reaching 200,000 lives lost to COVID-19

SAN FRANCISCO (September 19, 2020) – [The following is a statement by Cleve Jones is an activist, lecturer, and author of When We Rise: My Life in the Movement:] “I join with all in our country who are devastated by the more than 200,000 lives already lost to COVID-19 in the United States. Words cannot express my sorrow about the pain caused by this dreadful disease, which continues to spread unabated, kills indiscriminately, and wreaks havoc on communities across the nation.

“It took more than a decade for HIV/ AIDS to claim 200,000 lives in America, a grim milestone reached in less than a year

by COVID-19.

“Never did I think our nation would relive the misery of another pandemic in my lifetime or that we would again witness the horror of thousands of lives taken each week from our families, friends, and neighbors.

“We all should be angry and outraged.

This disaster could have been prevented.

Just as we experienced with HIV/AIDS more than 40 years ago, politicization of the crisis got in the way of science and compassion. Today, as then, we have a president

been plunged into economic insecurity.

We must do more to support them, to raise up their stories, and shine a light on their struggles.

“A network of people determined to do just that is growing across the country. We are calling for a nationwide week of remembrance October 4–11. As we did during the darkest days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we must do everything we can to unite our people, comfort those who have lost loved ones, find ways to help them heal, and honor the memory of those who have died.

“We need a way to grieve for our dead and offer solace to the survivors, as we continue to demand leadership from our government that is grounded in science, compassion and common sense.”

Cleve Jones – Photo by Pax Ahimsa Gethen / Wikipedia

who is derelict in his duty, ignores medical experts, and fails to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. His lack of leadership will undoubtedly result in even more deaths as he continues to exacerbate the ongoing

tragedy of COVID-19.

“My heart is heavy for the hundreds of thousands of families in communities across the nation who are deep in grief, as well as the millions of families who have

During the height of the AIDS pandemic, Jones founded the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Email: cleve@clevejones.com.

Courtesy of HPA Strategic Communications

National LGBTQ Task Force announces longtime executive director Rea Carey stepping down in 2021

WASHINTON, DC (September 23, 2020) – The National LGBTQ Task Force today announced that longtime executive director Rea Carey will be stepping down in early 2021. Carey has been with the organization since 2003 as a senior strategist, then deputy executive director, and became its executive director in 2008. The Board of Directors has unanimously selected Kierra Johnson, who has served as deputy executive director since 2018, as its next executive director beginning February 1, 2021.

Carey is one of the most respected leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) movement.

Through her leadership, she has advanced a vision of freedom for LGBTQ people and their families that is broad, inclusive, and progressive and has grown the organization in depth, influence, and reach.

On her departure, Carey said, “From overturning discriminatory policies and passing LGBTQ inclusive laws to celebrating marriage at the Supreme Court, to being arrested alongside immigration activists, to the energy of our Creating Change conferences, it has been a remarkable ride. Just to be alive during a time of such progress over the last many years has been astounding, and to serve the LGBTQ community in my 17 years at the National LGBTQ Task Force has been the joy and honor of a lifetime.

“We have faced down many obstacles together and made tangible progress for LGBTQ people and our families. I have worked to ensure that we can be all of who we are in our multiple identities as immigrants, as people of color, as parents, as people experiencing homelessness, as voters, as people of faith, as trans and bi, as workers. Together, we have fought to love who we want to love, for sexual freedom, to be free of violence and oppression in all its forms, to be seen, valued, and celebrated as fully human.

“The Task Force is and always will be my activist home. As I move on, I am happy to leave the Task Force in a stable, sustainable place and am excited for our community and country to benefit from all that Kierra will bring to this role. She is the perfect person for the times, to lead the Task Force and the movement to adapt and to achieve the new dreams our future holds.”

Said Kierra Johnson: “I am thrilled

Rea Carey and Kierra Johnson – Photo courtesy of National LGBTQ Task Force

to join the long, proud legacy of the many powerful activists that have led this amazing organization. While the world grapples with the convergence of so many storms rooted in injustice, we are proud to stand at the center as an LGBTQ+ voice across our many identities and issues. I am inspired by the multitudes of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people that have unapologetically claimed space, power, and influence to make change so desperately needed for our communities. I am moved to action by the defiance, creativity, and persistence of transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, bisexual, and intersex people that push us to demand a world where we all thrive.

“The Task Force will work to create a world where checking boxes is obsolete, but health, wellness, equity, justice, joy, and pleasure are accessible to everyone. I look forward to building on the powerful legacy of the National LGBTQ Task Force.

Through devastating defeats and glorious victories, the Task Force has always been there for our entire community. Whether we are in the streets or in the halls of Congress, we will lead and leverage our LGBTQ+ power alongside our allies and colleagues to rebuild our democracy, combat discrimination in all forms, and ensure economic stability and equity for all.”

The Task Force Board of Directors celebrated Carey’s tenure and Johnson’s incoming leadership by saying, “Combining fiery advocacy with integrity and self-described

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nerdy fastidiousness, Rea Carey has enabled the Task Force to lead a generation’s contribution toward social justice. She has led the Task Force during one of the largest expansions of rights for LGBTQ people in our nation’s history and has shown that progress comes through collaboration, a range of strategies, and a focus on the connections between the many ways LGBTQ people live their lives.

She believes that freedom for any oppressed people requires freedom for all who experience bias, stigma, and cruelty from others.

She has brought charm and wit to her job, has served to convene the other leaders of the LGBTQ movement, and has spoken profound truths with a clarion voice that echoes in today’s broader move toward equality, equity, and freedom. We will miss her generosity and brilliance but are fortunate to now join together to support Kierra Johnson, who speaks to this moment with fierceness and compassion that are entirely her own.

“Kierra is an activist, an artist and an advocate for all that is righteous. Her background in reproductive justice speaks to the breadth and intersectionality of the Task Force’s mission, and her experiences as a BIPOC will resonate with so many in our economically, racially, sexually, and otherwise diverse community. Her expertise, passion, and dedication will enhance and grow the strong organization that Rea has helped to build, and her gift for laughter and kindness will radiate into the LGBTQ lives we seek to lift up. Our next chapter could not

September 25, 2020

shine brighter than it will with Kierra.”

During Carey’s tenure, she has led the Task Force to conduct its work through a racial, economic, gender, and social justice lens, and to serve as a progressive voice in the LGBTQ community and an LGBTQ voice on progressive issues. She has emphasized and led organizational collaboration across the LGBTQ movement and with non-LGBTQ civil rights, women’s, racial justice, and other progressive partner organizations. Her approach to leadership has delivered results as diverse as LGBTQ inclusion in broader legislation; passage of an LGBTQ-inclusive federal hate crimes prevention law; defeating multiple state anti-LGBT ballot measures; fighting discrimination against transgender people; winning marriage equality; successfully securing scores of changes in federal agency policies to attend to the needs of the LGBTQ community; centering immigration, voting rights, and access to abortion and reproductive justice as LGBTQ issues; and, serving as the watchdog on the Trump administration’s attacks on LGBTQ people and their families.

More recently, the Task Force’s highly successful and impactful campaigns, including the Queer the Census and Queer the Vote initiatives, have been critical to ensuring LGBTQ voices are heard publicly and behind the scenes with policymakers at federal agencies.

Prior to her work with the Task Force, Carey worked extensively in HIV/AIDS prevention and activism on issues affecting youth experiencing homelessness and LGBTQ youth, and in organization and leadership development. Carey is a Hunt Alternatives’ Prime Movers Fellow, served on the board of the Alliance for Justice, and currently serves on the boards of directors for the Flamboyan Foundation and the Freeman Foundation.

The Task Force’s next executive director, Kierra Johnson, joined the Task Force in 2018 as deputy executive director but was already engaged with the organization, having previously served on the National LGBTQ Task Force’s board of directors and on its National Action Council. Johnson came to the Task Force, after serving as

see TASK FORCE page 23

Seattle Gay News 21

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

22 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.

September 25, 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!

www.gofundme.com/f/seattle-gay-news-needs-your-support-now • VISIT SGN.ORG

Creating Change Conference announces October 10 daylong event, “Queering Racial Justice” WASHINGTON, DC (September 21, 2020) – The National LGBTQ Task Force and Creating Change will hold a daylong event (12:30 ET to 6:30 ET) exploring how Queer/Trans People of Color (QTPOC) activism is leading the resistance to statesanctioned violence. The day will include a plenary, speakers, skills-building sessions, and discussion of community organizing strategies for collective liberation.

“The National LGBTQ Task Force is honored to convene this day for community discussion, planning, and organizing focusing on the violence we face as queer people of color,” said Kierra Johnson, Deputy executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force. “The national reckoning we are witnessing and the uprising of people of color and allies against state-sanctioned violence, police brutality, and institutional racism must include Queer people of color in the conversation and the work,” Johnson continued. “As we move into a national election season, [during] the ongoing, disproportionate impact of the pandemic and economic crisis on communities of color and the continued epidemic of violence against trans people of color, in particular trans women, it is vital we come together to discuss, organize, and support each other in the work ahead.”

Schedule: • Plenary: Resisting/No More StateSanctioned Violence The last four years have brought us more state-sanctioned violence and militarization of the police than ever witnessed before.

While colonialism and structural racism have been the building blocks of our economy for centuries, the current violent military force and imprisonment against BIPOC and queer communities has given rise to queer- and people of color–led resistance.

Join us for a powerful and engaging plenary to hear from three tremendously courageous and strategic leaders. From Seattle, South Dakota, Nebraska, and DC, these leaders are working toward collective liberation for us all.

TASK FORCE

continued from page 21 URGE’s executive director with a wealth of experience in organizational leadership and management, program development, youth leadership, and reproductive justice.

She is recognized as a national expert on queer and reproductive rights issues and has testified in front of the US House of Representatives and has appeared in Newsweek and the New York Times and on Fox News, Feministing.com, and National Public Radio. Johnson also serves on the boards of directors of the General Service Foundation, Groundswell Fund, and Guttmacher Institute. As a pansexual Black woman, Johnson will become one of few out, queer-identified women of color at the helm of a national LGBTQ organization.

Statements from colleagues “Rea has done an extraordinary job building upon the Task Force’s proud history of advocating for the power and dignity of LGBTQ people who are so often disenfranchised because of their race, economic status, and gender identity. But more than that, she has forged incredibly strong ties to other social justice movements by never wavering on the principle that the struggle for ‘gay rights’ is inextricably part of the struggle for the rights of women, people of color, immigrants, and workers. Rea

Image courtesy of the National LGBTQ Task Force

tion to the past and present connections between race, colonialism, and the gender binary. Through a race-explicit lens, participants will learn and discuss: how racial hierarchies have evolved over time through gender violence; the stories of transgender and gender-nonconforming African/Indigenous people who resisted colonialism and gender binary, beginning at least 400 before the Stonewall riots; and educating and agitating to dismantle these systems through a Black queer feminist lens.

We will close the day with an End of the Day Community Sing, led by Imani Yasin.

After a day full of learning, accountability, truth-sharing, and healing, we will close the conference with a song circle. This will serve as an open space for artists to join and share their creativity, using music, poetry, or any other form of artistic expression. Imani Yasin will close out the song circle with Baltimore-based producer and artist Mateyo, [who will perform] a preview of her upcoming project entitled “Too Soon.”

Additional programs: Caucus spaces at the 2020 Queering Racial Justice will provide containers for processing, disruption, and healing. Imani Yasin will facilitate a Black caucus that serves as a safe and affirming space to discuss the challenges of experiencing antiBlackness and how those experiences can manifest in LGBTQ+ communities. Elif Cadoux will facilitate a white caucus focusing on accountability to BIPOC LGBTQ people. Kareen Coyoca will facilitate an Asian-American caucus that will center on solidarity against anti-Blackness as well as celebrate queer experiences and triumphs.

Other caucus spaces will include a First Nations caucus and a Latinx caucus.

The day will also feature 10 breakout sessions, including: • White Queer Colonizers: Presented by Elif Cadoux. Queer Colonizers looks at the specific toxic ways that white queer womxn and gender-expansive people uphold white

supremacy. We will follow colonial logics and histories into modern day queer culture, address common dynamics, and reflect upon the impacts of white queer racism.

• Organizing Toward Queer Racial Justice: This two-hour session offers a tool to analyze LGBTQ+ issues from a racial justice lens. We will take up relational organizing principles and tactics with which to apply the lens and mobilize for broader racial justice in LGBTQ+ spaces and issues. This session will be facilitated

by Kareen Coyoca, a nonbinary Filipinx who uses they/them/theirs pronouns.

• Decolonizing Gender, A Curriculum: Presented by Malcolm Shanks. The first recorded act of transphobic violence in the modern world was inflicted by a Spanish conquistador in Panama in 1513 on unarmed Indigenous people. Since that attack, parks, cities, and monuments have been built in that conqueror’s honor, while transgender and gender-nonconforming people continue to be targeted by the regime of violence that he and others like him brought to our world. Have you ever wondered why mainstream society reduces the full diversity of humanity to “two genders”? The answer has more to do with white supremacy and colonialism than you might think. This workshop is an introduc-

has been the glue that’s held our movement together in rough times. While Kierra has big shoes to fill, I have complete confidence in her ability to do that and more.” – Matt Foreman, senior program director, Haas Jr. Fund; former Task Force executive director “For decades, The Task Force has been my political north star as a gay man of color. In large part, that’s because of the visionary, soulful, principled and effective leadership that Rea Carey has brought as leader of the organization for 17 years.

Our movements, families, and communities owe her a profound debt of gratitude for all the progress we’ve made on issues – and for building a stronger, more diverse and more resilient movement. I can think of no one better to take on the mantle of leadership in this moment of history than Kierra Johnson, whose intersectional approach to social change and broad and deep experience across many issues and social movements make her perfectly positioned to drive a next generation of progress for LGBTQ people. She’s got the vision, integrity, and savvy we need to lead us through unprecedented challenges.” – Deepak Bhargava, Distinguished Lecturer of Urban Studies, School of Labor and Urban Studies, CUNY; Fellow, Roosevelt Institute; former president of Community Change “Few leaders in our movement have had the grit and determination of Rea Carey, who has dedicated most of her adult life to fighting for freedom, justice, equality, and

equity for LGBTQ people. She never lost sight of the fact that ours is an intersectional movement, as she worked to build vital coalitions with progressive partners. And throughout it all, Rea always treated her colleagues with respect and kindness. She will be deeply missed but, thankfully, she is leaving the Task Force in Kiera Johnson’s capable hands. Here’s to the next stage of the Task Force’s journey!” – Lorri L. Jean, chief executive officer, Los Angeles LGBT Center; former Task Force executive director “Rea Carey, the LGBTQ movement is better off because of your leadership.

Your actions helped to turn us from independent agencies that were fighting for turf and power into a movement of collaborators. The HIV community owes you a huge debt for bringing our issues back into the LGBTQ agenda. You will be missed.

NMAC is very excited to work with Kierra Johnson. As the first Black executive director of the Task Force, she is a much-needed voice during these challenging times.” – Paul Kawata, executive director, NMAC (National Minority AIDS Council) “Today, we recognize and celebrate Rea Carey for her many contributions to strengthening and broadening the impact of the National LGBTQ Task Force. Rea has developed smart strategies, built deep and diverse partnerships, and worked to advance a whole person approach that ensures that LGBTQ people are able to advocate for themselves to end discrimination in every

aspect of their lives. She has also been a key strategist in the broader progressive movement, making important connections across issues and movements. Today, we also celebrate the announcement of the incoming executive director, Kierra Johnson. Kierra is a brilliant, visionary, and collaborative leader who has a long history of leading in reproductive justice and the LGBTQ movements. She will bring forward an audacious vision and lead The Task Force toward a future where every LGBTQ person can be free to be their entire selves. Having known Kierra and Rea for many years now, we should all feel comforted and hopeful by this leadership transition between these two amazing people.” – Sarita Gupta, former co-director of Jobs With Justice and Caring Across Generations; director, Future of Work(ers) Program

September 25, 2020

Seattle Gay News 23

Speakers: Candi Brings Plenty, ACLU of South Dakota; Dominique Morgan, executive director, Black and Pink; Monserrat Padilla, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network. Moderated by Kierra Johnson, National LGBTQ Task Force, deputy executive director

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Registration information: www.thetaskforce.org/creatingchange. html Registration fees: Student/Independent: $10; Organizer: $50; Change Agent: $100; Movement Builder: $250. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

For more information go to www.creatingchange.org.

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equity for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, health care, retirement, and basic human rights. More at www. thetaskforce.org.

Courtesy of the National LGBTQ Task Force

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equity for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. More at www.thetaskforce.org .

Courtesy of the National LGBTQ Task Force

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Why Merriam-Webster.com updating the definition of bisexual matters on Bisexual+ Visibility Day and beyond

Image courtesy of GLAAD

(September 23, 2020) – On Bisexual Visibility Day, we not only applaud the visibility of out bisexual+ people but we call attention to the misinformation about bisexual+ people that too often exists in the media and within the broader LGBTQ community.

In January of 2019, pioneering bisexual+ advocate Robyn Ochs reached out to Merriam-Webster and asked them to update the definition of the word “bisexual that was listed on Merrriam-Webster.com.”

A year later, with the definition unchanged, she reached out to GLAAD, asking to collaborate with her on this project.

Bi+ community members and the general public aiming to research and learn about bisexual people through a dictionary search were met with this: h t t p s: // t w it t e r. c o m / r o by n o c h s /s t a tus/1078690646913966081.

Former definition: 1a: possessing characters of both sexes and especially both male and female reproductive structures 1b: of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to both men and women 2: of, relating to, or involving both sexes Earlier this year, GLAAD and Ochs reached out to Merriam-Webster with a letter noting that the use of the word “both” implies that sex and gender identity are simple binaries, which is inaccurate. Definition 1b also neglects that many bisexual people experience attraction to nonbinary individuals and/or people with a gender identity other than man and woman.

Recently, Merriam-Webster updated the entry. It currently reads: 1a: of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one’s same sex and of the opposite sex; also: of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one’s own gender identity and of other gender identities Ochs and other bi+ advocates still note, however, that there is room to make additional updates to the definition: https://twitter.com/robynochs/status/1300969594912415745, https://twitter. com/glaad/status/1302028612862906368.

Here are other respected definitions of bisexual: • American Psychological Association: “a person who experiences emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to, or engages in romantic or sexual relationships with, more than one sex or gender” • Robyn Ochs: “… the potential to be attracted – romantically and/or sexually – to people of more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree.”

• GLAAD Media Reference Guide: “A person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of another gender. People may experience this attraction in differing ways and degrees over their lifetime.”

• Bisexual Resource Center: “The Bisexual Resource Center, and many other leaders in the bi+ community uses bi, bisexual,

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and bi+ to mean anyone who is attracted romantically and/or sexually to more than one gender” • Human Rights Campaign: “...the potential to be attracted – romantically and/or sexually – to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree.”

• The Trevor Project: “Bisexuality refers to one’s capacity to form physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions to the same, other, or more than one gender, not presuming nonmonogamy. These attractions can be experienced in differing ways and degrees over one’s lifetime, and sexual experiences need not determine if one is bisexual or not.”

Why does this matter?

“Despite bisexual+ people comprising the largest community within the LGBTQ population, they face higher rates of stigma and discrimination as their identities and experiences are less likely to be understood or accepted than those of their lesbian and gay counterparts,” said Rich Ferraro, GLAAD chief communications officer.

“Merriam-Webster has a strong history of expanding and updating LGBTQ words, which has a direct impact on how the world recognizes marginalized communities.

By updating the definition of ‘bisexual,’ Merriam-Webster took an important step in helping to create a more accurate and current understanding of bisexual+ people.”

Many in the LGBTQ community have applauded Merriam-Webster’s recent expansions and updates to terms, including “nonbinary,” “genderqueer,” and “pansexual,”

September 25, 2020

and selecting the singular pronoun “they” as the 2019 word of the year. Through these updates and additions – and now through expanding their definition of bisexuality to include “of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one’s own gender identity and of other gender identities,” Merriam-Webster has joined experts who acknowledge gender identities outside of a simple binary.

Bisexual+ Visibility Day today comes at the end of #BiWeek. Throughout #BiWeek, allies and bi+ people learn about the history, culture, community, and current policy priorities of bi+ communities. During #BiWeek, GLAAD has been sharing bi+ inclusive TV series, characters, and an interview with the current Miss Utah, Rachel Slawson, who became the first openly bi+ contestant for Miss USA. GLAAD also published tips for being a strong bi+ ally.

Courtesy of GLAAD

Seattle Gay News 25

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Seattle Gay News 27