SGN January 11, 2019 - Section 1

Celebrating 45 Years!

Issue 2 Volume 47

Teatro ZinZanni has found a new home!

Seattle’s Best of Theater 2018!

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Seattle Gay News

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Man who attacked lesbian Most US schools unsafe couple at Seahawks game for LGBTI students, still at large GLSEN report says Gofundme page has been setup for couple

Washington State schools criticized

The victims, Jae and Melissa – Photo courtesy of GoFundMe

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer Police are still on the look out for a 34-year-old Tacoma man that attacked a lesbian couple on Dec. 30 during a Seattle Seahawks game at CenturyLink Field.

Prosecutors say a lesbian couple attending a recent Seattle Seahawks game endured a litany of vulgar comments from a 34-yearold Tacoma man, whose crude and apparently drunken behavior escalated to a physi-

see ATTACK page 9

Photo courtesy of GLSEN

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Most US schools are unsafe for LGBTI students, a new report from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) says.

Washington schools also come in for criticism in the report issued on January 9. The information comes from GLSEN’s 2017 National School Climate Survey.

GLSEN’s “State Snapshots” include

see SCHOOLS page 10

Woman in nail spa goes on City to join fight for nasty rant against gay man hotel safety Her vitriol was captured on a cell phone camera

Casabella Spa & Nails in Lynnwood, WA – Photo courtesy of Google Street View

by Timothy Rawles Community Editor San Diego Gay & Lesbian News Christopher Brown just wanted to get a pedicure at his favorite salon in Lynnwood, Washington, but he got more than he bargained for when a female customer went on a homophobic rant because he asked her to take her phone off speaker.

Although the part leading up to her profanity-filled tongue-lashing is absent

from the video which has now been seen over 200K times, Brown explains in a Facebook post (NSFW) what led to the confrontation.

“After this lady storms in the place to talk down to the receptionist, she proceeds to pick out her color at the color pallets wall,” he writes. “After berating another staff member for the selection not being what she wanted, she selects the chair next to me for her pedicure experience.”

see NAIL SALON page 9

Pete Holmes to appeal ruling on I-124

D. Taylor, President of UNITE HERE – Photo courtesy of UNITE HERE

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The City of Seattle will join the legal fight to save Initiative 124, which aimed to protect hotel workers from unsafe conditions.

Approved by 77% of Seattle voters in 2016, the measure requires hotels to provide workers with emergency panic buttons, keep lists of guests accused of assaulting or harassing workers, and bar those guests in certain circumstances.

I-124 was challenged by hotel industry lawyers, and on Christmas Eve 2018, it was struck down by a Washington state appeals court.

On January 9, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes and City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda appeared with hotel union leaders at a press conference at the Seattle Labor Temple to announce that the City of Seattle would appeal the case to the

see UNION page 9

2 Seattle Gay News

January 11, 2019

Celebrating 44 Years!

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2018

1707 23rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 324-4297 sgn2@sgn.org sgn.org

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

Editor in Chief George Bakan Copy Editor Rick McKinnon (since Dec 2013) Advertising George Bakan • Maggie Bloodstone MK Scott National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Staff Writers Mike Andrew • Sara Michelle Fetters Miryam Gordon • Albert Rodriguez Contributing Writers Rev. Barbara Allen • Ron Anders Madelyn Arnold • Alice Bloch Maggie Bloodstone • Beau Burriola Sharon Cumberland • Jessica Davis Tina Gianoulis • Anthony Greer Milton W. Hamlin • Nevin Jefferson Richard Kennedy • Shaun Knittel Liz Meyer • Jason A. Miller Jesse Monteagudo David Nguyen aka Teriyaki Temple Rod Parke • Don Paulson Jerry Peerson • Tim Peter • Jessica Price Scott Rice • Leslie Robinson MK Scott • Mark Segal • Gaysha Starr Sarah Toce • Paul Torres • Janice Van Cleve Ed Walsh • James Whitely Scott Wittet • Rex Wockner

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Head’s up re: the REAL Seattle Womxn’s March 2019

Then on January 20th, on the Womxn’s March Day of Action, there will be 40+ workshops and trainings re: how to get involved in direct action on specific barriers womxn face, including: BARRIERS WOMXN FACE January 20 3pm-5pm at Riveter Hub (1517 12th Ave., Suite 101)

Cartoonist

HOUSING FOR LGBTQI ELDERS January 20 3pm-5pm at Riveter Hub (1517 12th Ave., Suite 101) Facilitated by Lois Thetford. LGBTQI elders and activists speak about housing for LGBTQI and disabled folx, and the intersecting challenges to safe housing

Ken Campbell Calendar Editor Rick McKinnon Classifieds Rick McKinnon Photographers Nate Gowdy • Joseph P. Herron MK Scott • James Whitely

George:

Production Mike Pham Website Designer Barry Thorsness / Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published by Frogs and Ink, Inc. © 2018. Frogs and Ink, Inc. 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.

And please play safe.

It is our policy that no money shall be refunded if you choose to cancel your ad. Credit will be given for the balance owed.

No exceptions.

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

I know you are accustomed to hearing from me as a representative of Seattle Indivisible but I also work with the local Womxn’s March chapter, Seattle Womxn Marching Forward. You and I have had a couple of long discussions in recent months about the ton of work that needs to be done in Seattle and nationally. You have expressed to me that you’d like to see more attention paid to the LGBTQIA community in these Trumpian times, I’ve agreed, and you recently asked me to give you a head’s up particularly when we plan programming that shines a light on the trans community.

I just sent you two items for your Community Calendar, but I also wanted to provide you with context I think you deserve to know. The programming I have sent to you was organized by Seattle Womxn Marching Forward, the women who organized the original 2017 Womxn’s March. I’ve attached a press release that shows the Womxn’s March this year is part of a threeday weekend of activism, carefully and thoughtfully planned over several months in collaboration with MLK Day organizers.

This is the Womxn’s March that is permitted, coordinated with the City and Seattle Center, and officially recognized and sanctioned by the Women’s March national organization. The transgender community played a meaningfully role in planning this year’s Seattle Womxn’s March events and

Visit us online www.sgn.org

you can see the results of that collaboration in our programming. For example, one of the two MC’s at the rally immediately preceding the Womxn’s March will be Monserrat Padilla, Coordinator with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network. Monserrat is a powerful activist in the immigrant and transgender communities, and Board Member of the Gender Justice League. And while there are many panels, trainings and workshops on both Jan. 19th and 20th that I think would be of interest to your readership, I’d like to point out a couple of highlights below.

When the Womxn’s March arrives at Seattle Center, there will be nearly a dozen panels and presentations marchers will be invited to attend giving a preliminary intro to womxn’s issues, including: TRANS AWARENESS January 19, 2:30pm-4pm at Vera Project (just inside the north Seattle Center grounds near Republican St & Warren Ave N). Presented by Gender Justice League.

What is the difference between trans, gender non-conforming, and inter-sex?

What are the ‘correct’ pronouns to use with a trans person and why does this matter?

What should you do if you accidentally mis-pronoun someone? What’s the big deal with bathrooms? This session will answer basic questions like these and offer insight about how to support trans people in our community.

January 11, 2019

TRANS LEGAL CLINIC January 20, 3-5pm at Riveter Hub (1517 12th Ave, Suite 101). Presented by Gender Justice League. A legal clinic for trans folx to get assistance with the name change process and gender identifiers on government IDs. I’m amazed at all of the thoughtful and inclusive final programming that sprouted from Seattle Womxn Marching Forward reaching out and including womxn from many diverse communities at the beginning of the planning process. But here’s a problem I trust you would want to know about.

A small group that is not part of this organizational effort has created a separate event that they have dubbed the Women’s March 3.0 (spelling Women with an “e” rather than an ”x” and using a logo very similar to the national Women’s March logo but in different colors) and they are posting on social media calendars that the Women’s March is on Sunday, Jan. 20th rather than Saturday, Jan. 19th when our sanctioned Womxn’s March will happen in coordination with a weekend of beautiful events. This is creating confusion for those wanting to participate in and support our work and I wanted to give you a head’s up so that the Seattle Gay News does not inadvertently publicize the wrong march.

Thank you, Tyna Ek Seattle Womxn’s March 2019

Seattle Gay News 3

OBITUARY

IN MEMORIAM

Rebecca Valrejean Nassau, The Bahamas

Friends of Rebecca Valrejean are saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend at the Princess Margaret Hospital in the wee morning hours of Friday December 21, 2018. Rebecca relocated to Nassau, The Bahamas in 1999 and found employment with the Ministry of Education teaching art to high school students on the island of Abaco for seven years. She then moved to Inagua, the southernmost island of The Bahamas where she was the first art teacher that the community of Matthew Town had seen in nine years. She

remained in Inagua until her retirement in 2014. The students on both islands loved their art teacher, who they affectionately called “Miss V”.

Rebecca was deeply passionate about empowering the students in her care and was instrumental in mentoring one young high school girl in Abaco with jewelry making techniques. Victoria Forbes now designs and builds her own jewelry alongside a veteran jeweler with his business called The Conch Pearl. Dean Mullings, Jr., a young man from the island of Inagua, is

now a gifted hyperrealist artist who works primarily in colored pencils and is pursuing his pilot’s license. Rebecca was extremely fond of her student Dean and his family and she often referred to him as “my son”.

Rebecca’s memory will forever remain alive in the hearts and minds of the many people who knew her and loved her. The frequent potluck gatherings will never be the same without her presence and her flavor bursting stuffed mushrooms.

Rebecca loved the aquamarine waters of The Bahamas and often referred to the

color as “that stupid color” when asked why is she still living in The Bahamas.

Rebecca’s friends will be gathering in her memory at a date to be announced to scatter her remains on her beloved “stupid colored water”.

Friends of Rebecca’s who would like more information, can contact Kim Smith at ksmithstudio@yahoo.com.

Photos courtesy of Kim Smith

Seattle Foundation announces $365,000 in Resilience Fund grants to support vulnerable communities SASG, Ingersoll Gender Center and Lavender Rights Project included Seattle Foundation has awarded a total of $365,000 in grants to 23 organizations through our Resilience Fund to protect and advance the safety, security, legal and human rights of our region’s most vulnerable communities.

As with earlier cycles of this funding, many organizations applied for grants to support advocacy trainings and legal clinics for people experiencing eroding rights in the current political climate, including immigrants and refugees and LGBTQ people.

Additionally, a number of organizations working on criminal justice reform received funding. The grantees’ plans include: Northwest Community Bail Fund will post bail on a case-by-case basis for low-income vulnerable residents who would otherwise remain incarcerated while awaiting trial.

Mujer al Volante will support lowincome Latina women to get their driving licenses and gain skills to lead independent lives.

Seattle Area Support Groups will fund peer support for members of Greater Seattle’s LGBTQ community experiencing heightened trauma, anxiety and fear.

Somali Community Services of Seattle will educate the East African immigrant/refugee community about legal rights, coordinating with human service agencies and advocating for individuals.

4 Seattle Gay News

The funded organizations are:

Ingersoll Gender Center Staff – Photo by Naomi Ishisaka

We received applications from 55 organizations for this flexible, responsive grant program, including many from immigrant and refugee groups experiencing strong demand from community members who need assistance with legal advice and support, family safety plans and information about their rights.

“This responsive grant program is designed to fund innovative approaches that develop community resiliency,” said Jonathan Cunningham, Program Officer at Seattle Foundation. “Over the past two years Seattle Foundation is proud to provide timely, flexible funding to frontline organi-

January 11, 2019

zations that are committed to strengthening the resilience of local residents facing increased risk and uncertainty.”

These King County-based nonprofit organizations are addressing amplified threats and discrimination based on factors including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability and country of origin. The organizations serve a variety of vulnerable communities, including immigrants and refugees, LGBTQ populations, low-wage workers and other marginalized residents whose security and rights are threatened under changing federal policies and declining funding.

CAIR-Washington, Chinese Information and Service Center Seattle, Civil Survival, Community Passageways, Got Green, India Association of Western Washington, Legal Counsel for Youth and Children, Mujer al Volante, Northwest Community Bail Fund, Puget Sound Training Center, Somali Community Services of Seattle, Somali Family Safety Task Force, Somali Parents Education Board, South Park Information and Resource Center, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, Eastside Legal Assistance Program, Ingersoll Gender Center, Lavender Rights Project, Na’ah Illahee Fund, Seattle Area Support Groups, Southwest Youth and Family Services, Surge Reproductive Justice, Tenants Union In the spring of 2018, the Foundation invested $327,000 in Resilience Fund grants to community organizations. Since its inception in early 2017, the Fund has made a total of more than $1.6 million to 102 organizations.

Additional financial support to the Resilience Fund is provided by the ShengYen Lu Foundation, Emerald Fund, Bank of America, the Fund for New Citizens at the New York Community Trust and individual philanthropists.

Courtesy of Seattle Foundation

Celebrating 44 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

January 11, 2019

Seattle Gay News 5

6 Seattle Gay News

January 11, 2019

Celebrating 44 Years!

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January 11, 2019

Seattle Gay News 7

HEALTH SERVICES

HOME SERVICES

8 Seattle Gay News

January 11, 2019

Celebrating 44 Years!

City of Seattle, hotel workers’ union announce appeal Plans to appeal Christmas Eve overturning of voter-approved, first-in-the-nation sexual harassment protections for hotel workers SEATTLE (January 9, 2019) – Today, the City of Seattle joined national and local leadership of the hotel workers’ union, UNITE HERE, to announce that they will be filing a joint appeal of the hotel industry–backed Christmas Eve overturning of the first-in-the-nation law giving groundbreaking sexual harassment and safety protections to workers. The citywide law was passed with a resounding 77% yes vote in 2016 by Seattle voters as Initiative 124, despite vehement opposition by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and a past attempt by the AHLA to overturn it in court.

Since its passage in 2016, Seattle’s sexual harassment protections for working women in hotels has set a national standard for workplace safety for hotel workers, and inspired similar laws in Chicago, Miami Beach, Oakland, and Long Beach, as well as ongoing efforts in Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA, and statewide bills with the same protections in both California and New Jersey.

The appellate court rollback of these protections has minimal impact on unionized Seattle hotel workers, where workers have secured contracts with health and safety standards, but it will directly impact the thousands of women working at nonunion properties across the city.

“As workers, we have fought so hard for these protections, and we’ve forced the hotels to make changes, not only in Seattle, but around the country,” said Sonia Guevara, who works at the Hilton downtown. “Hotel workers have some of the highest rates of sexual harassment and injury of any industry. It makes me angry that until the Supreme Court reverses this decision, nonunion workers will have to wonder how their hotel will respond to guest harassment and can’t know that they’re protected.”

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, along with UNITE HERE International President D. Taylor, expressed confidence in the strength of the case, and Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda promised to work with the City Council to explore stopgap protections to keep workers safe until then.

Holmes said, “Nearly 77% of Seattle voters spoke clearly when they approved

this initiative in 2016, and my office will absolutely defend this law intended to improve the well-being of our hotel workers. We will petition our state Supreme Court to review the decision, and I’m hopeful that they’ll choose to hear our case and ultimately uphold the initiative. I’m disappointed with the court’s ruling, and we intend to argue how the initiative complies with our city charter.”

Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda stressed the backward progress this legal challenge presented, saying, “Initiative 124 provides groundbreaking safety and anti-harassment protections for hotel workers, representing some of our most vulnerable populations. At a time when governments, businesses, and institutions across our country are looking at ways to protect workers against harassment, we must protect what works. I will continue to stand with workers and look forward to working with my council colleagues and the mayor to move forward policy that ensures that Seattle remains a safe place to work.”

Councilmember M. Lorena González echoed this sentiment: “The hotel and tourism industry continues to be prosperous in our city in large part because of the hard work of thousands of hotel workers. We must continue to ensure that these workers, who are primarily women and immigrants, are protected in the workplace, consistent with our expectations in all other workplaces. I support City Attorney Pete Holmes’ vigorous pursuit to defend and uphold the overwhelming will of the voters by fighting to fully and timely implement this law.”

UNITE HERE Local 8 is calling on non-union hotel workers in Seattle to immediately contact Local 8 if management in their hotel attempts to change policies previously mandated by the law until the appeal is heard at the Supreme Court.

ATTACK

stopped as he passed the couple. Witnesses said he unzipped one woman’s jacket, grabbed her breast and refused to let go, according to the charges. The woman’s wife and several nearby fans intervened, taking the man to the ground. During the scuffle, he punched one of the women in the face, bloodying her nose and breaking her front tooth, the charges allege.

Fans flagged down police working security at the stadium and the officers responded to the fight.

“It took multiple officers to detain the defendant and he continued to aggressively fight and assault the arresting officers, punching one of them in the stomach,” Anderson wrote, noting officers ultimately had to use a stun gun on Harp to get him under control.

In a statement to police, the woman who was punched in the face wrote: “I have been an active member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community for decades and fought for marriage equality as an adult. The man’s chronic and repeated comments about our sexuality, based on my experience, suggest my sexual orientation may have motivated today’s assault.”

That woman was Jae, according to a Gofundme page that was set up on their behalf, who along with her wife, Melissa both reside in Vancouver, WA. The harassment eventually ended in the Harp punching Jae in the face.

Jae is suffering from facial fractures and is unable to work. Because of this, she may even lose her job. Melissa and Jae are left with the financial burden of not working and still needing to pay household bills.

Melissa and Jae are both trying to emotionally process what happened. Neither of them are the type of people that would ask

continued from cover cal attack that has resulted in hate-crime and assault charges being filed against him in King County Superior Court.

The charges allege the man, Jay Dee Harp III, grabbed the breast of one of the women and punched her wife in the face when they protested.

Harp spent a little over 24 hours in the King County Jail following his arrest Dec. 30 at CenturyLink Field, where the Seahawks were playing the Arizona Cardinals, jail and court records show. He posted a $12,500 bond and was released Dec. 31, according to jail records.

Harp is now facing charges of seconddegree assault and malicious harassment, the state’s hate-crime statute, and a $100,000 warrant was issued last week for his arrest due to the “violent nature” of his attack and the threat he poses to community safety, Deputy Prosecutor Rhyan Anderson wrote in charging papers.

Harp remained at large on Wednesday, according The Seattle Times.

According to the charges, the lesbian couple and the mother of one of the women were seated in the same row in Section 118 at CenturyLink Field as a man wearing Arizona Cardinals apparel who was drinking heavily. According to the charges, the man walked by the women multiple times to exit the aisle to buy beer, each time stepping on the women’s feet and making sexual comments as he passed, including asking “Do you need a man in your life?”

Sometime in the third quarter, the man returned with another beer, but this time

UNITE HERE Local 8 is the hospitality workers’ union of the Pacific Northwest and represents over 5,000 members working in the hotel, food service, and airport industries in Washington state and Oregon.

Learn more at www.unitehere8.org

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes – Photo by Elaine Thompson / AP

UNION

continued from cover state Supreme Court.

“Doing nothing as your city attorney is simply not an option,” Holmes told the union members gathered at the press conference. “Seattle is with you.”

In a separate statement, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said she backed Holmes’ appeal.

“Seattle will continue to lead the way by protecting and creating opportunity for all workers in our community,” the mayor said.

“With overwhelming support, voters spoke clearly that Seattle will ensure fair treatment in the workplace. I support City Attorney Holmes’ decision to appeal the court’s ruling, and we hope to ultimately see the initiative upheld. Working with the City Council, we will put forward new legislation to provide the important protec-

tions for the health and safety of employees working at hotels in Seattle.”

D. Taylor, president of UNITE HERE – the union that represents hospitality workers – also spoke at the press conference, surrounded by his members in their signature red-and-black union T-shirts.

Pledging the support of the whole union to UNITE HERE Local 8 members in Seattle, Taylor said this case could have national consequences.

“They want to take us on here in Seattle, because you set the trend [for greater legal protections for workers],” he noted.

Local hotel workers expressed frustration with the ongoing legal challenges to safety measures in their workplaces.

“I’m so angry and sad that the hotels keep attacking I-124,” Sonia Guevara said.

Guevara works as a hotel housekeeper and is a member of UNITE HERE 8. “They know they can do these things for workers.

They just don’t want to.”

for money or anything from anyone. But they are going to need all the support they can get.

Anyone that knows these two ladies knows that they have kind hearts and would do any thing for anyone, without question.

Let’s do the same for them.

According to the gofundme page they are 50% away from their goal. Please check it out. https://www.gofundme.com/support-for-jaeand-melissa

Attempts to reach out to both the Seahawks and Mayor Durkan’s office for comment were made Thursday afternoon but were not returned by press time.

NAIL SALON

queer, f*g, eat my pu**y, eat it. How’s that f*g? Queer. Queer, ’cause you want a pu**y?”

Brown says he struggled with posting the video at first, having many sleepless nights, but in the end he felt it was the right thing to do and he hopes others will get something from it.

“Please take a minute to view and share this,” he writes, “and know that even in the Seattle region, life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows for the LGBT community.”

He adds: “I hope her family and friends see this one day, and are embarrassed by her despicable behavior. There is still work to do folks.”

According to Casabella Spa & Nails, where the event took place, they say Brown was polite the entire time.

“I know this was just words,” Brown told KOMO News. “But they really do matter.”

continued from cover

That’s when he says she decided to have a FaceTime conversation with her daughter; a discussion that he says irritated not only the staff but other customers.

“Being the outspoken gent that I am, I say “mam (sic), would you kindly mind taking your phone off speaker in the spa, pointing to the signs asking patrons to keep their noise down.”

He says the woman told her daughter, “hold on, I need to take care of this fa**ot,” and that’s when he began to record.

At first the unidentified woman gives the staff an ultimatum, “either he goes or I go,” she says.

“He bothered me for no reason. He harassed me for no reason, telling me to get off of my phone… Keep recording sissy, keep recording because you probably wish you had a c**t like me, right?”

When they refuse to ask him to leave, she makes good on her threat and storms out leaving in her wake a barrage of nasty, graphic profanities.

“I should show you my parts. Fa**ot, sissy,

January 11, 2019

Information in this article from various news sources.

MK Scott is a Seattle based public affairs blogger. Check out his site at uniteseattlemag.com.

You can watch the uploaded video at https://www.facebook.com/seattlecatdad/ videos/10157436976514252/ It contains graphic language.

Courtesy of Timothy Rawles and San Diego Gay & Lesbian News.

Seattle Gay News 9

Sen. Murray to DeVos: extend comment period for Title IX Senator urges Education Secretary to allow students the opportunity to make their voices heard WASHINGTON, DC (January 10, 2019) – US Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Education Committee, urged Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to extend the comment period for her proposed Title IX rule on harassment and assault. Secretary DeVos’s rule would drastically change the way schools have to address sexual violence, and Sen. Murray requested the extension so students have the opportunity to fully understand the rule and make their voices heard. The comment period falls in the middle of final examinations and winter break for many students.

“For students, the proposed rule would mean huge changes in terms of when and how their school will be required to respond to sexual harassment and assault, including the very definition of sexual harassment itself, if implemented,” wrote Sen. Murray. “Expectations for schools would also change under the proposed rule, including new requirements for live hearings that would involve many more officials than are involved in the current process.

Complicated changes such as these require providing more time for schools to fully understand their potential new responsibilities in order to be able to respond appropriately in the comment period. Understanding exactly what the Department’s expectations are in these processes will be challenging, and schools and other stakeholders must have sufficient time to respond.”

The new letter follows Sen. Murray’s previous efforts to press Secretary DeVos to scrap her proposal altogether and work with students and survivors to strengthen protections and ensure that colleges and universities are working to prevent sexual assault.

The full text of the letter is below: January 9, 2019 The Honorable Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education US Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20202 Dear Secretary DeVos, We write to urge you to extend the comment period for the proposed rule on harassment and assault protected under Title IX by an additional 30 days beyond the

SCHOOLS

continued from cover data from 41 states and Puerto Rico – every state except for Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

A majority of LGBTI students in every state for which GLSEN has data reported hearing anti-LGBTI remarks made by other students. This includes slurs and negative comments about both sexual orientation and gender identity.

A majority of LGBTI students in all states also reported being verbally harassed for their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender. Only a handful of states had less than half of all LGBTI students reporting verbal harassment based on gender.

Puerto Rico was the only territory where less than half of all LGBTI students (35%) reported hearing negative comments about trans people.

This is in line with other reports, such as the HRC and the University of Connecticut’s 2018 LGBTQ Youth Report.

10 Seattle Gay News

US Senator Patty Murray – Photo by Alex Brandon / AP

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos – Brendan Smialowski / Getty

currently scheduled public comment deadline. As you know, the ability of students to access higher education relies heavily on a student being safe and free from discrimination and harassment. In light of the great interest in this rule and the perception the Department of Education (ED) is failing to listen to students and survivors, we encourage you to use your authority to extend the comment period for the proposed rule published on November 29, 2018, by an additional 30 days to provide all interested parties, especially students, sufficient time to review and respond to the proposed rule.

The proposed rule is expected to have a significant impact on schools by dramatically changing the requirements placed on them for when and how to respond to sexual violence, and, as such, represents a drastic change in ED policy. According to Executive Order 12866, an agency must provide the public with the opportunity to meaning-

fully comment on any “significant regulatory action,” including those with significant economic effects or raising new legal or policy issues.[1] For students, the proposed rule would mean huge changes in terms of when and how their school will be required to respond to sexual harassment and assault, including the very definition of sexual harassment itself, if implemented. Expectations for schools would also change under the proposed rule, including new requirements for live hearings that would involve many more officials than are involved in the current process. Complicated changes such as these require providing more time for schools to fully understand their potential new responsibilities in order to be able to respond appropriately in the comment period. Understanding exactly what the Department’s expectations are in these processes will be challenging, and schools and other stakeholders must have sufficient time to respond.

Additionally, final examinations and winter break fall in the middle of the current 60-day comment period for many schools. Some administrators have indicated they would welcome additional time to review this very complex and potentially burdensome rule.[2] Addressing sexual harassment and assault in educational settings is something we all take very seriously. We fear this proposed rule will move us in the wrong direction – making it easier for schools to ignore harassment and assault and harder for survivors to get justice. We ask that you ensure every voice is heard in this process and that includes allowing the public a meaningful opportunity to comment by extending the comment period for an additional 30 days. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Washington State “Findings from the GLSEN 2017 National School Climate Survey demonstrate that Washington schools were not safe for most lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) secondary school students,” GLSEN concluded.

According to the report, many LGBTQ students in Washington did not have access to important school resources, such as an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, and were not protected by supportive and inclusive school policies.

The vast majority of LGBTQ students in Washington regularly heard anti-LGBTQ remarks. Some also regularly heard school staff make homophobic remarks (18%) and negative remarks about someone’s gender expression (39%).

Most LGBTQ students in Washington experienced anti-LGBTQ victimization at school. They also experienced victimization at school based on religion (22%), disability (25%), and race/ethnicity (23%).

Most never reported the incident to school staff (53%). Only 26% of students who did report incidents said it resulted in effective staff intervention.

Many LGBTQ students in Washington reported discriminatory policies or practices at their school. Nearly 3 in 5 (57%) experienced at least one form of antiLGBTQ discrimination at school during the past year.

In Washington, 30% of LGBTQ students and half of transgender students were unable to use the school restroom aligned with their gender. Additionally, 1 in 4 LGBTQ students (26%) and over 2 in 5 transgender students (43%) were prevented from using their chosen name or pronouns in school.

More than one-quarter of LGBTQ students (27%) in Washington were disciplined for public displays of affection (PDAs) that did not result in similar action for non-LGBTQ students.

LGBTQ students in Washington experienced other forms of school discrimination: being unable to form a gay-straight alliance (GSA) (12%), being unable to wear LGBTQ-supportive apparel (11%), being prevented or discouraged from playing school sports due to an LGBTQ identity (10%), being unable to bring a same-gender date to a school dance (7%), and being

disciplined at school for identifying as LGBTQ (2%).

January 11, 2019

Courtesy of Sen. Patty Murray

Comparison to other states By way of comparison, 37% of LGBT students in Alabama said school officials prevented them from wearing clothing considered “inappropriate for their gender.”

Nearly half (49%) in Mississippi said school figures prevented them from showing any form of PDA. In California, however, only 15% said they were prevented from wearing certain types of clothing. Meanwhile, 19% in New York said they couldn’t show PDAs. These disparities are also present in LGBTI resources.

In California and New York, more than half of all LGBTI students reported having a supportive administration. They also reported having six or more supportive educators and a GSA. Around a quarter or less of LGBTI students in Mississippi and Alabama reported having these support networks.

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January 11, 2019

Seattle Gay News 11