SGN October 30, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

Issue 44 Volume 48

FRIDAY October 30, 2020 FREE!

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VOTE! NOV 3

SEAMEC RATINGS SEE PAGE 14

Seattle Gay News S E AT T L E ’S L GB T Q

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

#LETBOBBYPLAY Family makes a pitch for inclusion in Eastside soccer league Transgender teen says “I would rather quit... than play on the girls team.”

by Renee Raketty SGN Contributing Writer

Bobby Jones – Photo courtesy of Jones Family

Support for marriage equality at 70% Includes all religious affiliations except white evangelicals

Support for marriage equality among Americans stands at an all-time high of 70%, according to a Public Religion Research Institute poll released October 21.

The poll found that only 28% of Americans oppose marriage equality. Majorities of Democrats (80%) and independents (76%) support same-sex marriage rights, as do half of Republicans (50%).

see NEW POLL page 11

see JONES page 12

The journey to marriage equality in Washington state was approved 8 years ago this week

Photo by Jacques Brinon / AP

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Bobby Jones is like any other 13-yearold boy in his Kirkland, WA community.

He enjoys hanging out with friends, making art – especially drawing – and gushes about animals. He is fascinated by all of earth’s remarkable creatures. He and his 11-yearold brother, Hudson, also fight sometimes but always find a way to make-up before the end of the day. However, he does have one passion that he cherishes above all the rest.

Soccer. Literally, anything and everything related to the sport.

Photo by Nate Gowdy

by MK Scott Unite Seattle Magazine Before marriage equality became the law of the land in the United States in 2015, it was passed in the Washington state leg-

islature in 2012, then affirmed by a public vote in the form of Referendum 74. The man who worked long and hard to achieve this victory pushing it all the way to victory was then State Senator Ed Murray.

see ED MURRAY page 11

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October 30, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

Vote!

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October 30, 2020

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Q-Squared Men announces fall activities The mission of Q-Squared Men is to improve the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health of sexual minority men by building a stronger sense of community, increasing individual responsibility, and improving self-esteem regardless of race, background, or financial resources. We believe that need for connection and community is no greater than it is now.

For many of us it has been a long time since we gathered around a campfire with some friendly faces and it will be awhile before we can do it again. Often the hardest part of this year is the belief that we no longer have choices in how we connect. Our organization is offering a new option to connect in this unprecedented year.

Q-Squared Men invites you to attend a series of events held over three nights.

Saturday, Oct. 31 – 7pm-10:00pm Saturday, Nov. 14 – 7pm-10pm Saturday, Dec. 4 – 7pm-10pm Suggested donation for each event is $15.00. Sign up for one or attend all three.

The October and November events will be held as a Zoom video-conference where we play the Q-Camp favorite game of Werewolves: It is a quiet night in Miller Hollow until one of your fellow villagers is found dead, half devoured by werewolves. No tracks lead in or out of the village so we determine it must be one or more of your fellow villagers who is transforming into the hungry beast. Can you identify the werewolves in your midst before you are their next meal?

Our December event has a classic holiday theme. It will also be on Zoom to ring in the holidays with some virtual party time

with new games and conversation. This event offers a great way to meet new people and connect with some familiar faces.

100% of the proceeds from these events will go directly to our general fund which allows us to pay the bills and keep our virtual doors open.

All the events promise to be a lot of fun and will be an opportunity to support a summer event that has allowed guys of the Pacific Northwest to connect since 1996.

You can make sure this continues by making your donation today at https://www. qcamp.org/fundraising Sincerely, The Q-Squared Board qsquared.org

Crying foul over the Seattle LGBTQ Commission’s call for Mayor Durkan’s resignation

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer On October 15 the Seattle LGBTQ Commission voted 6-to-5, with one abstention, to request Mayor Jenny Durkan’s resignation.

The 21-seat volunteer commission is a city-sanctioned body of volunteers who advise the mayor, the City Council, and city departments on issues that affect people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. Commissioners are appointed by the mayor, by the council, and by the commission itself, and one person is appointed through a youth leadership program. Currently the commission only has fourteen confirmed members (two of whom are on leave), one seat is shared, and six seats are vacant.

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the commission said of the vote: “The LGBTQ Commission came to its decision after months of deliberation and attempts to engage with the mayor’s office.

The deputy mayor was present at our meeting and participated in the discussion when the vote took place. We believe that supporting the LGBTQ community is about more than one individual’s identity. It is Mayor Durkan’s actions and inactions in office that inform our decision.” The commission’s full letter to the mayor and City Council can be found at https://bit.ly/3mJ6IcH. Chris Brown, who sits on the commission and was appointed by the mayor, said, “Very odd that six people should be able to make a push like this.” When asked if the vote was fair, he responded that it was “questionable in merit based on the number of current commissioners.”

“For decades, Mayor Durkan has been on the forefront of LGBTQ issues in Washington state and Seattle,” Durkan spokesperson Kelsey Nyland told the Seattle Times in a response, mentioning her advocacy for civil rights and marriage equality.

Durkan was the first openly gay person appointed as a US attorney, and as mayor she has championed housing and shelter for LGBTQ seniors and youth, Nyland noted, according to the Times.

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October 30, 2020

“This year, Mayor Durkan has been leading the city at an unprecedented moment through a pandemic, civil rights reckoning, climate crisis, and the worst economic crisis that Seattle has faced in generations,” the spokesperson added in her remarks to the Times, mentioning that Durkan has recently been subject to homophobic and misogynistic attacks from some critics. “The mayor has worked to find a common path forward on each of these challenges and will continue to do so,” Nyland said to the Times.

Durkan told Bill Radke on KUOW’s “The Record” on October 22 that the resignation request used the same reasons as the failed “Recall Durkan” campaign that was thrown out by the Washington State Supreme Court earlier this month on October 8. According to the Seattle Times, these included “failing to uphold and protect the human rights of the people of Seattle,” citing concerns about her record on police violence, homelessness, and budgeting, including vetoing the City Council’s budget.

This past weekend, political publicist Roger Nyhus, one of the signatories on the Support Jenny campaign (www.supportjennydurkan.com), posted on Facebook: “Let’s call this what it really is – character assassination. Fueled by the most destructive Seattle politician in our lifetime – Kshama Sawant – there’s an orchestrated movement to delegitimize our lesbian mayor, Jenny Durkan. This is shameful and must not be tolerated. In addition to calls for her resignation, her family’s home has been targeted with profane, grotesque and sexist threats spray-painted onto her home and sidewalk. We must NOT remain silent about these attacks.

“I’ve known Jenny for 30 years, and we’ve fought side by side with so many others to advance LGBTQ equality – from basic civil rights to marriage equality and beyond. I was incredibly proud to see her become our nation’s first openly gay US attorney under President Barack Obama and our current mayor. You can disagree with our mayor, but we must reject tactics

of the far-left equivalent of Donald Trump.

“I stand with Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan as she navigates incredibly challenging issues – our global pandemic, our economic recession, and the just fight for racial equality. I call on my friends to show support for our mayor. Now, more than ever, our city’s future depends on it.”

This paper’s own late publisher, George Bakan, knew Durkan from way back as a fellow crusader for LGBT rights. The SGN was an early endorser of Jenny Durkan’s campaign for mayor. The SGN along with the Seattle Times and the Northwest Asian Weekly endorsed her candidacy in 2017.

In recent years, Bakan was not enthusiastic about the LGBTQ Commission. “The commission has outlived its usefulness,” he said.

When Ed Murray was mayor and enduring unsubstantiated accusations from decades ago, the LGBTQ Commission chose to ignore Murray’s accomplishments as a state legislator and senator (helping to pass laws on hate crimes and marriage equality), throwing him under the bus.

Now the commission wants Durkan to resign because, among other reasons, she vetoed the City Council’s plan that would cut 100 new officers (many of them people of color). The commission also accuses Durkan of not doing enough for the Black and brown members of the LGBT community; they seem not to appreciate what Durkan has already done (according to www.supportjennydurkan.com), including increasing investments in homelessness to address LGBTQ+ youth, who are at significant risk for homelessness.

If Durkan were to resign, then I wonder how long it would be before Seattle elects another woman mayor or LGBTQ person for the city council. This demand from the commission could have long-term consequences for the Seattle LGBTQ community for years to come.

If you want to support the mayor, please visit supportjennydurkan.com.

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WINTERS’ WATCH

WINTERS’ WATCH 2020

Legal marriage for same sex couples, then and now

by Roger L. Winters SGN Contributing Writer Marriage equality has become a central issue for LGBTQ+, but it was not always part of our agenda. The addition of Amy Coney Barrett to the conservative majority of the Supreme Court led by the bigotry of Justices Thomas and Alito against samesex marriage, makes us fear we may lose our hard-won legal marriages. Pope Francis’ recent comments saying that homosexuals deserve to be kept in the “family,” not made miserable by rejection, and the need for some sort of “civil union” infuriated power-hungry Christian leaders like Franklin Graham. They saw the Pope’s effort to be kinder to homosexuals as undermining the very meaning of the Bible, whose content they declare to know as the word of an anti-LGBTQ+ God. Pope Francis’ remarks were quickly clarified to indicate that he still holds to the Catholic Church’s notion that homosexuality is disordered, a problem, though he thinks it should be made less difficult legally through some form of as-yet-undefined “civil union.” The meaning of the Pope’s words remain unclear, providing only a hint of kindness toward Catholic homosexuals.

In recent national polls, however, 70% of Americans are reported as being favorable to same-sex marriages, a record high.

When the struggle for marriage equality began, however, the level of support in society was nearly 0%.

1971 – Singer vs. Carr One of the first claims for marriage equality happened in the King County Administration Building in 1971. John Singer and Paul Barwick applied for a marriage license. It was denied. They sued for the right to marry and, in 1974, the State Court of Appeals unanimously rejected their claim. No one was surprised. There were no protests in the streets.

Until the mid-1990s, I believed that it was frivolous and damaging to the cause of gay rights to claim a right to marry. That opinion was common among most Gays and Lesbians at the time.

I knew John Singer, best remembered as Faygele ben Miriam. Faygele was a radical faerie with values I was unprepared to understand when I came to Washington in 1972. Like many others involved in our movement, I was frightened by his bold challenge to a central issue that inflamed our opponents. We feared backlash and kept our demands moderate. We wanted our cause to be easier for average Americans to accept. Though we were activists, we were building our agenda from inside a political closet. I didn’t embrace the cause of freedom to marry until the mid-1990s, long after the issue was initially raised in our state.

I fondly remember a demonstration at the King County Administration Building at the Clerk’s Office where Faygele had made his claim for marriage years before.

He was present and it was great to see him.

Faygele was right and we moderates were wrong. He never got to see the achievement of the right to legal marriage for same-sex couples in 2012, some 41 years after he and Paul Barwick asked for a marriage license.

He passed away in 2000.

995: Hawaii inspires the campaign for marriage equality On October 16, 1995, in the Seattle home of John Wilkinson and David Davenport, 16 men and women launched the quest for marriage equality in Washington state. We began a new chapter in our quest

John Singer (Faygele Ben-Miriam) and Paul Barwick apply for marriage license at King County Auditor’s Office, King County Administration Building, 1971. – Photo courtesy of Roger L. Winters

for legal equality and human dignity in our state. We didn’t know it would be 17 years before our goal would be realized. We knew, however, that the cause of legal marriage was the right thing to do.

The issue wouldn’t be settled in Washington state until 2012 when the people passed Referendum 74 by popular vote, the second vote by secret ballot to give us legal marriage for same-sex couples in Washington state. In 2015, the United States Supreme Court would rule, 5-4, in Obergefell v. Hodges, that marriage for same-sex couples was legal nationwide. With the conservative packing of the Court today, the solidity of that decision is in question.

By 1995, Evan Wolfson, founder of “Freedom to Marry,” had convinced many of us, in his writing on the subject and through conversations when he visited Seattle, that this was a cause worth our time, energy, and resources. His had long been a lonely voice among nationally known LGBTQ+ theorists, as the first and most eloquent advocate of our freedom to

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enter legal marriages as the issue for our time.

When John Wilkinson called to invite me to the meeting, he asked if I knew what was happening in Hawaii. I didn’t. He explained that the court there was about to rule that same-sex couples were entitled to be married legally under the State Constitution’s provision of equality for all. The decision was pending but it was solid. Evan Wolfson had assured him the decision was being written.

Full faith and credit Article IV, Section I, of the United States Constitution, John said, provides for “full faith and credit.” That means that the court decision in Hawaii would make legal marriage for same-sex couples available to everyone in America. I recalled the movie The Women, a 1939 film with an allfemale cast. It illustrated how “full faith and credit” was supposed to work. Then, only the state of Nevada had divorce. In the other 47 states, divorce was not allowed. If

October 30, 2020

an American wanted a divorce, she went to Nevada, staying long enough to qualify for a divorce under Nevada law. On returning home, she had to be treated as legally divorced because Article IV, Section I, requires that each state honor the “public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”

Did this mean that the Hawaii case would give us marriage for same-sex couples in America? Couples might have to travel to Hawaii, establish residency to qualify for marrying, but then they would be legally married wherever they lived.

Slam dunk! Or so we thought.

The task of educating people about marriage Only a few in the LGBTQ+ community in the mid-1990s had any notion that legal marriage was worth pursuing. Marriage, most believed, was an institution developed for straight people. Marriage between

see WINTERS’ WATCH page 6

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WINTERS’ WATCH

someone what they think of marriage for same-sex couples and from their response, it is important to determine the context in which they are thinking about the subject.

WINTERS’ WATCH continued from page 5

same-sex couples was out of reach because almost no one was willing to ask for it. We had given it little thought. With barely any support from within our own community, and virtually no support from society in general, and with no lawmakers championing the cause, legal marriage for same-sex couples seemed a distant and unattainable dream. We naively thought it would be handed to us thanks to a court case in Hawaii. We needed only to follow Evan Wolfson’s lead and educate our community about legal marriage. Of course we would have to begin by learning what legal marriage is and why freedom to marry mattered. To be educators, we had to become students first.

After some discussion of the relative merits of “freedom” versus “right” we named our new organization “The Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington (LMA).”

The prevailing reasoning was that we were pursuing marriage, but only in the legal sense of the word. To me, that was the key.

That October afternoon, we created a Steering Committee for LMA, with John Wilkinson as the President. I resisted taking a traditional organizational office. I asked to be called, informally, “Minister of Propaganda.”

The state of technology in 1995 was a bit different from today. Not everyone carried a cell phone. Google had not yet given us its universal search engine. To make our case online, we would have to prepare an FAQ, “Frequently Asked Questions,” a posting on our Web site that would make the case for legal marriage for same-sex couples, asking and answering questions that few were even thinking about yet.

The goals for LMA were to learn the meaning of legal marriage, help the community understand what it was fighting for, and to take action, when appropriate, to advance the cause. We went through a long process of change, disappointment, and, finally, achievement of our goals. I do not mean to review the history of the campaign for same sex marriage in Washington in this column. The long struggle we faced was arduous and challenging.

At one point we hoped we were on the verge of Washington’s becoming the second state, after Massachusetts, where legal marriage would be allowed. Our State Supreme Court held, however, in a 5-4 decision, to overturn a combination of cases that had been eloquently decided in our favor by lower courts. Had we won the challenge to the state’s “Defense of Marriage Act,” which simply dismissed the Constitutional principle of “full faith and credit” if it meant accepting a same-sex marriage from another state, it would have been impossible for our religious fanatic opponents to take away our right to marry by a constitutional amendment.

In Washington, to amend the State Constitution, you begin by getting a 2/3 vote for

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Evan Wolfson – Photo courtesy of Roger L. Winters

the change in both the House and Senate, followed by a favorable vote of the people.

We figured that if we couldn’t maintain the support of 1/3 plus one in either the House or the Senate, we didn’t deserve to keep the rights we wanted.

The favorable court decision in Hawaii that had so excited us to organize led to a popular vote to remove that pesky notion of “equal rights for all” from their Constitution. Soon after, a similar court decision in Alaska was also overturned by a vote to take equality out of their Constitution. The 5-4 State Supreme Court decision brought our high hopes crashing down, for the Court not only opposed us, but they completely misunderstood the nature of legal marriage, saying that since marriage had to do with procreation it made little sense to give it to us because we couldn’t make babies together. It was a childish view and totally wrong, subscribed to by a 5-4 majority.

Three meanings of marriage Marriage is easily one of the most confusing subjects to discuss, particularly when it comes up in the context of politics and the struggle for human rights and equality. It’s almost impossible to discuss it with those who seek to impose their religious and cultural beliefs on our society.

We are seeing the confusion in the reactions to Pope Francis’ “liberalized” views about same-sex couples in the Catholic Church. The same confusion faced us as we began to talk about legal marriage in 1995 and after.

I’m sharing some of what I learned over the course of the 17 years we spent seeking legal marriage equality in Washington state. These are my opinions and should not be attributed to anyone else or any of the organizations with which I worked during those years.

I think marriage can be understood as meaningful in three very different contexts: 1) Religious, 2) Cultural, and 3) Legal. Ask

October 30, 2020

Religious Marriage This is the context within which, no doubt, Pope Francis’ views on the subject should be understood. His views of the members of the Catholic Church over which he presides relate to church doctrine and the beliefs and traditions developed over the centuries within the vast empire of his church.

Marriage, in the religious sense, is usually linked with the notion that God established a pattern for the relations of men and women who would enter “holy matrimony,” generally understood to be a lifelong relationship defined and controlled by church officials. This is the same sense in which someone like Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, familiar to most 20th Century Americans thanks to his television programs and rallies, which were everywhere during the 1950s and afterwards, defines marriage.

Religious marriage is tied up with rules and regulations from the Bible or other religious texts, dictating typically that a marriage is a connection of souls blessed publicly by a church official to show that God intends that the couple remain together and have children, forsaking all others sexually during their lifetimes together.

What makes marriage a “holy” thing? It is its placement under the control and power of the church, whatever the denomination.

By mentioning “civil union,” Pope Francis seemed to separate the legal relationship he has in mind for same-sex couples from anything “holy.” The reactions of conservative, more traditional Catholics show that any church-approved “union” for samesex couples implies something dangerously close to saying that the “disordered” or “sinful” homosexual could be accepted despite church doctrine to the contrary.

Franklin Graham jumped to the conclusion that the Pope’s position on “civil union” meant he was contradicting the clear meaning of the Bible and granting homosexuals equality in their relationships with heterosexuals, despite what he and other conservative Christian evangelicals believe, namely, that there is no way that homosexual couples can be considered acceptable under their reading of the Bible and the attitude of their homophobic God. The Pope stepping away from the solid front of religious leaders threatens the power of those like Graham who reserve to themselves to understand the Bible and who tell their subjects who is acceptable and who must be hated and condemned.

Cultural Marriage This sense of the meaning of marriage usually has some religious content. We begin to learn almost from birth about the importance of marriage in life, how it defines the family, and the ways in which marriage is considered central to life. Small

children are naturally curious about the roles and relationships of the people in their lives. The meaning of “Mommy,” “Daddy,” “Grandma,” etc. has much to do with legal marital and familial or kinship relations.

We learn the lessons as to who’s who early in life. They are unavoidable.

By the time we are able to grasp the nature of relationships, we have come to understand how “blue” means “boy” and “pink” means “girl,” as part of the heterosexualism of our world. I didn’t grow up in a “gay” family, to be sure, so I became an expert on the subject of what was a bride, a groom, wedding vows, honeymoons, and all the trappings of marriage, to which I was supposed to aspire when growing up.

No matter the religion involved, a family passes along such details almost without a second’s thought. The media, the popular culture, story books, Barbie and Ken dolls…you name it…we are surrounded by things that educate us deeply about the cultural traditions, almost always, of course, with a man and a woman as the subjects.

This heavy heterosexual bias of our culture regarding marriage has meant that many same-sex couples couldn’t “marry” one another unless they complied with some or all of the cultural expectations with which they had grown up. Many samesex couples wouldn’t dream of having a wedding without key cultural elements that are important to them.

The laws about marriage do not refer to rice, bridal gowns, fathers “giving away” daughters, nor do they require the recitation of particular vows, including reciting the words “I do.” Many marriage ceremonies nevertheless, exhibit compliance with the culture in which the couple were raised.

Legal Marriage When John Wilkinson and I dug into the questions of what legal marriage entailed, we learned that legal marriage is quite different from what most people have in mind when they think of “marriage.”

Legal marriage does not require that a couple love one another. It does not require that they have or intend to have sex. There is no commitment to have children. Two can enter a legal marriage without intending to comply in any way with the requirements of a religion or cultural tradition. Our desire for legal marriage does not affect religion or culture in any way. Legal marriage is about what is common to all marriages. Religion or culture are not what makes a marriage legal.

Marriage in the United States is administered at the level of state government. The requirements of one state may be slightly different from those of another, but none require compliance with the doctrine of a church or the trappings of a cultural tradition.

Washington’s marriage laws can be found online (https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/ default.aspx?cite=26.04). Some of those laws reference the “civil unions” which Washington went through between the State Supreme Court decision upholding

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1995 Board of Legal Marriage Alliance – Photo courtesy of Roger L. Winters

the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) and the approval of Referendum 74. The law makes it clear that no religious entity or official can be forced to solemnize any marriage which they do not wish to solemnize. Thus, no one can be forced to sign off on a marriage of a same-sex couple if they believe such a marriage is unacceptable.

Under the laws, to be married, a couple must be of a certain minimum age (which may vary by state), must not be married to someone else already, must not be too closely related by blood, must be capable of freely entering into a contract, must not be under force or duress, must pay the marriage license fee ($64 in King County), must wait three calendar days, and must then have the marriage license “solemnized” by a judicial officer or a licensed or ordained religious official chosen by the applicants, with the solemnizing witnessed by two persons.

In my opinion, the most significant benefit of marriage to same-sex couples is that the couple become next of kin to one another.

Kinship is significant because the person who is our next of kin is the one who will inherit our property, if we die without leaving a will, make medical decisions for us, often significant end of life decisions. If one is not legally married to someone, then one’s next of kin is a family member, such as a sibling, parent, or other relative. For so many LGBTQ+ individuals, family are not well disposed toward them. For us to have the chance to be truly independent persons in our society, we needed and now have the right to select our next of kin through marriage. This gives us the ability to be adults, for without the right to marry we remain tied to our family, forever subject to their authority.

There are other important benefits to legal marriage. You can’t be compelled to testify against your spouse in court. This makes a legal marriage the most privileged of all relationships, for the duty to tell the truth in court is one’s greatest obligation to the body politic, but the exception for testimony regarding one’s spouse means marriage trumps citizenship. There are tax benefits granted to married couples, designed no doubt to promote procreation and child rearing. Money transferred between

spouses is not necessarily a taxable event.

Finally, legal marriage, once divorce was allowed in the states, became the subject of a considerable body of family laws governing the relations of spouses during the marriage and at the time of dissolution of their union. It is a service of government to ensure the best interests of children, to prevent and penalize domestic violence, and to oversee the distribution of property.

Objection to same-sex marriage remains high on the list of the political right, the churches who have seen their power over their subjects diminish as LGBTQ+ people have been freed from their internalized and overtly enforced homophobia. The ability of Popes and preachers and “pro-family” organizations to dictate lifestyles, beliefs, and behaviors

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has been undermined by the successes of the LGBTQ+ rights movement throughout the world.

As the right wing, the conservative controlled U.S. Supreme Court, and the coalition of religious dictators of all stripes and types renew their hostile battles against us, we will be challenged to renew and take up the work to maintain the achievements we have won over the past 50 years. If we are willing to rise to the battle, to link our cause with other campaigns against injustice, and devote our time, resources, and creativity to it all, we can hope to live in a world where diversity is respected, where love is valued over control and conformity, and where the institutions of society and government turn away from the themes of the primitive, fear and power driven world in which we have

lived for too long, to working for the welfare, rights, and equality of all.

I hope we will be up to the struggle ahead against the conservative, reactionary forces which have been strengthening their position without pause. We can be complacent and assume we have sufficient popular support or we can recognize that millions still want our previous degradation and disrespect to be reality. We have made the world realize the value of diversity, but we have not won. There is a renewed assault against us, demonizing our people and relationships, and it will grow in strength no matter what we do. It is time again, no matter the outcome of this election, to join with others in the ongoing campaign for freedom, life, and happiness for all, not just for the privileged few.

Legal Marriage Alliance Board 2005 – Photo courtesy of Roger L. Winters

October 30, 2020

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HRC: Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation is a sham, threatens LGBTQ equality

WASHINGTON, DC (October 26, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, released the following statement following the final Senate vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States: “Despite Amy Coney Barrett’s troubling anti-LGBTQ record and rhetoric, Senate Republicans rushed through the fastest Supreme Court confirmation process in modern history. This was a power grab, plain and simple, and voters must hold these senators – and Donald Trump – accountable at the polls,” said Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The process was a sham, the hearings were fast-tracked, and once again, Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump have chosen power over people. We must reject this bald power grab and elect officials – especially in the White House and the US Senate – who will ensure our judicial branch lives up to its potential. Voters should hold Sens. Daines, Ernst, Gardner, Graham, McSally, Sullivan, and Tillis accountable at the ballot box. Our democracy and our lives depend on it.”

The Human Rights Campaign recently released a report on Amy Coney Barrett’s troubling record. To read the full report, [go to https://bit.ly/37PIxov].

Over the past few weeks, the Human Rights Campaign generated more than 50,000 signatures on a petition opposing Barrett’s nomination and more than 50,000 unique contacts into Senate offices.

Barrett has demonstrated hostility toward LGBTQ rights in her words and rulings. She defended the Supreme Court’s dissenters on the landmark marriage equality case of Obergefell v. Hodges, questioning the role of the court in deciding the case. She said Title IX protections do not extend to transgender Americans, claiming it’s a “strain on the text” to reach that interpretation. She misgendered transgender people, referring to transgender women

Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges, speaks in Austin in 2015 after the Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States. – Photo by Eric Gay / AP

as “physiological males,” while casting doubt on transgender rights. Barrett has also consistently demonstrated opposition to reproductive rights, calling Roe v. Wade an “erroneous decision.” She also refused to rehear a racial segregation case, raising significant concerns about her approach to civil rights law.

She has criticized the ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act – which has helped millions attain quality, affordable health care – and expressed opinions that suggest she would strike down the law.

Days after the election, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an argument in a case that could undermine this transformative

piece of legislation, and with it the health care security of tens of millions of people, including a disproportionate number of LGBTQ people.

The day after Election Day, the Court will hear Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which considers whether governments must allow taxpayer-funded organizations to discriminate against LGBTQ people when providing critical services. A ruling hostile to equality in this case could have staggering consequences for American social safety net programs including services for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, runaway youth, refugees, and those needing emergency shelters and services.

Her hostility toward many of society’s most marginalized, victimized, and vulnerable groups raises serious concerns about her ability to be impartial and fairly consider the rights of all who come before the Court, including LGBTQ people.

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

Courtesy of the HRC

HRC and top LGBTQ organizations release formal letter of opposition to Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination WASHINGTON, DC (October 22, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, released a formal letter to the full United States Senate in opposition to the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States. The letter, signed by 185 organizations, outlines her problematic and disturbingly anti-LGBTQ past writings, rhetoric, and association with extremist groups. The letter urges each senator to vote “no” on her nomination.

“Too often, the LGBTQ community’s rights hinge on the Supreme Court,” said Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign. “From the freedom to be ourselves without fear of arrest to receiving protections from being fired from our jobs, from marriage equality to health care access, we rely on the Court to affirm our dignity and rights. We implore the Senate to reject Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination. If it does not, it is an endorsement of Judge Barrett’s prejudicial professional statements and deeply concerning allegiances, and an abdication of the Senate’s responsibility to protect the rights of all Americans. ” The letter reads, in part, “With all that is at stake for LGBTQ people, we urge you to take

seriously your responsibility to ensure that the Supreme Court remains a forum that is genuinely open to all, committed to the principles of equality and justice for all, and a bulwark against tyranny, the scapegoating of vulnerable groups, and the abuse of public power.

“As Judge Barrett has acknowledged, she embraces a conservative judicial philosophy that aligns her with former Justice Scalia, one of the most conservative justices ever to sit on our nation’s high court, and one who consistently voted against LGBTQ people in every LGBTQ rights case decided by the Court during his tenure. Her presence on the Court would change the current balance of the Court dramatically, in ways that are highly likely to cause lasting harm to LGBTQ people and other vulnerable groups. We urge you to oppose Judge Barrett and vote no on her confirmation.”

The Human Rights Campaign also recently released a report on Amy Coney Barrett’s troubling record. To read the full report, [go to https://bit.ly/3owDNde].

Coney Barrett has demonstrated hostility toward LGBTQ rights in her words and rulings. She defended the Supreme Court’s dissenters on the landmark marriage equality case of Obergefell v. Hodges, questioning the role of the court in deciding the case. She said Title IX protections do not

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October 30, 2020

extend to transgender Americans, claiming it’s a “strain on the text” to reach that interpretation. She misgendered transgender people, referring to a transgender women as “physiological males,” while casting doubt on transgender rights. Coney Barrett has also consistently demonstrated opposition to reproductive rights, calling Roe v. Wade an “erroneous decision.” She also refused to rehear a racial segregation case, raising significant concerns about her approach to civil rights law.

She has criticized the ruling that upheld the Affordable Care Act – which has helped millions attain quality, affordable health care – and expressed opinions that suggest she would strike down the law. Days after the election, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an argument in a case that could undermine this transformative piece of legislation, and with it the health care security of tens of millions of people, including a disproportionate number of LGBTQ people.

The day after Election Day, the court will hear Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which considers whether governments must allow taxpayer-funded organizations to discriminate against LGBTQ people when providing critical services. A ruling hostile to equality in this case could have staggering consequences for American social

safety net programs, including services for veterans, people experiencing homlessness, runaway youth, refugees, and those needing emergency shelters and services.

Her hostility to many of society’s most marginalized, victimized, and vulnerable groups raises serious concerns about her ability to be impartial and fairly consider the rights of all who come before the court, including LGBTQ people; therefore, the Human Rights Campaign opposes her nomination in the strongest terms and will work steadfastly against it. Today, the HRC is launching a “We Dissent” campaign, with an ask to members and supporters to sign a pledge to “dissent” to this process and to Coney Barrett.

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

The HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

Courtesy of the HRC

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GLAAD condemns full Senate vote on confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court NEW YORK (October 26, 2020) – GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is condemning the pending vote by the US Senate on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court today, a nominee with a history of discrimination and ties to extremist anti-LGBTQ groups.

Barrett’s anti-LGBTQ record includes time served as a trustee of a school that discriminated against LGBTQ families, stated views against marriage equality, and associations with extremist groups promoting dangerous policies against LGBTQ youth and work to undermine legal rights of LGBTQ people. Barrett testified, under oath, that she “has never” and “would not ever” discriminate on the basis of “sexual preference,” a term used by groups that Barrett has worked for to inaccurately suggest sexual orientation is a choice, and therefore changeable by harmful conversion therapy these groups advocate.

“Amy Coney Barrett’s pending confirmation is alarming for LGBTQ people and for all Americans whose fundamental rights should never be up for debate,” said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. ”Barrett’s time at a school that discriminated against LGBTQ families and hurt LGBTQ youth is disturbing and should disqualify her from the Court. Her stated views against marriage equality, rulings against access to abortion, and her public criticism of the Affordable Care Act are out of step with fairminded Americans and threaten the progress our country has made to become a stronger and more equitable home for all. Her record against LGBTQ families and rights has no place in American life, let alone the highest court in the land. The rush to confirm her in this unprecedented way will undermine Judge Barrett’s credibility throughout her time on the court, and will be another point of

Judge Amy Coney Barrett speaks during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. – Photo by Susan Walsh / AP

evaluation for voters witnessing this process during an out-of-control pandemic, economic crisis and as millions are casting ballots.”

GLAAD and state equality groups South Carolina Equality, Equality North Carolina, and One Iowa Action are also releasing research on the anti-LGBTQ records of senators responsible for rushing Barrett’s confirmation, including: South Carolina senator and Senate Judi-

Rep. Jayapal on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court SEATTLE (October 26, 2020) – US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on the Senate’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States: “The injustice this country witnessed over the last 30 days will be remembered in history as exactly what it was: a disgraceful Republican power grab to use an illegitimate, rushed, hypocritical process to confirm a nominee whose dangerous views have not been thoroughly or fairly vetted to the highest court in our land just days before a presidential election in which more than 60 million Americans have already voted.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that a nominee for a lifetime appointment who has such troubling positions on life-anddeath issues would be rushed through, especially after Republicans outright refused to allow even a vote for Merrick Garland when he was nominated more than seven months before an election.

“If Donald Trump and his Republicans think that breaking with precedent and ramming through a right-wing nominee will silence our voices, slow our movement for justice, and stop our march for equality, they are mistaken. They could not be more wrong. We are only going to grow stron-

ger and redouble our efforts to protect and expand our rights.

“We will fight even harder to guarantee health care as a human right and to stop Republicans’ deadly effort to take health care away from millions of families at a time when more than 87 million people are already uninsured or underinsured during a pandemic. We will fight even harder to expand voting rights and civil rights as we see voter suppression across America and equality under assault. We will fight even harder to defend reproductive rights as states continue attacking our constitutional right to make our own choices about our bodies. We will fight even harder for the rights of workers as they are too often called essential but treated as expendable. And we will fight even harder to protect immigrant rights, disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and Indigenous rights as Republicans try to undermine them at every single turn.

“We will never forget this illegitimate confirmation process and shameless power grab by Republicans, but I guarantee you that they will never forget how the people responded to it with the future of our country at stake.”

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Courtesy of Rep. Pramila Jayapal

ciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham, who allowed misleading testimony from Barrett on the Obergefell marriage equality ruling and used his committee leadership to smear LGBTQ couples, inaccurately and repeatedly comparing marriage equality to polygamy.

Iowa senator and Judiciary Committee member Joni Ernst, who rather than using her time in the public hearing to evaluate Barrett’s role at a school that discriminated against LGBTQ families, accused Democrats on the committee of attacking Barrett’s religious beliefs, even though Republicans were the only ones bringing up religion in the hearings. Sen. Ernst has consistently worked to overturn Iowa’s

pioneering marriage equality ruling and criticized the landmark ruling to legalize marriage nationwide. She has also voted against benefits for spouses and children of LGBTQ servicemembers.

North Carolina senator and Judiciary Committee member Thom Tilis has supported policies to undermine marriage equality and repeated baseless rumors from the anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory movement QAnon. Sen. Tillis’s judgment and priorities were further on display as he tested positive for COVID-19, likely infected while maskless at White House events announcing Barrett’s nomination, and where countless others were also infected in a superspreader gathering. Sen. Tillis then participated in Barrett’s hearings without a mask.

Sens. Graham, Ernst, and Tillis become the first sitting senators added to GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project, an ongoing compilation of anti-LGBTQ policies and rhetoric from President Trump, his administration and staff, and now, his supporters in the US Senate.

Senators Graham and Ernst, with fellow Senate Judiciary Committee members Marsha Blackburn, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and Ben Sasse, also signed briefs to the US Supreme Court to defend a taxpayer-funded agency’s right to discriminate against qualified LGBTQ couples from becoming foster parents. The case, Fulton v City of Philadelphia, will be heard by the Supreme Court next week, November 4, the day after Election Day. The Trump administration also filed a 35-page amicus brief supporting the agency’s right to discriminate.

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. More at www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

Courtesy of GLAAD

Rep. Smith condemns Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court appointment WASHINGTON, DC (October 26, 2020) – Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) issued the following statement after the United States Senate voted to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as the newest justice on the Supreme Court: “Senate Republicans just took the unprecedented action of confirming President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee just days before the election. This confirmation is further evidence that Republicans are putting politics ahead of the people. Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the highest court in the land is a direct threat to the Affordable Care Act, protections for people with pre-existing conditions, civil rights, election security, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, the environment, and more. American families and businesses desperately need a COVID-19 relief bill, not a Supreme Court Justice whose career reflects a willingness to strip these rights, protections, and health care they need in the middle of a pandemic.

“Nine months before the 2016 election, Senate Majority Leader McConnell said that a Supreme Court nominee should not be appointed and confirmed during an elec-

tion year. Yet mere weeks before the 2020 election, Senate Republicans decided that they must confirm the late Justice Ginsburg’s replacement. Senate Republicans purported to act on principle when they refused even to grant Judge Garland a hearing – if there was ever any doubt, we now know definitively that they are more than willing to abandon principle when it no longer suits them.

“President Trump’s moral bankruptcy is on full display in his latest power grab to secure a place for ‘his’ Justice on the Supreme Court. The President and the Republican Party’s refusal to confront the virus, protect our country, and provide relief for the American people is rooted in that same moral bankruptcy. We have no national plan for testing, tracing, treatment, mask-wearing, and social distancing.

We cannot safely reopen our schools and economy. Despite Republican efforts to distract from their capitulation to the virus by rushing to confirm Justice Barrett, I will continue to fight alongside my colleagues to deliver relief for the American people.”

October 30, 2020

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ELECTION

Wall Street thinks Biden will win, and that’s fine with them

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Wall Street investors believe Joe Biden will win the presidency – and they’re fine with that prospect, according to an analysis

by Politico.

The news magazine reports that Wall Street traders “have been piling into bets” on a “blue wave” election, one in which Biden wins the presidency and Democrats win control of the Senate and an enhanced majority in the House.

In spite of Republicans’ traditional association with big business and Trump’s claims that the stock market will crash unless he’s reelected, investors now believe that a Democratic victory “will produce an economy-juicing blast of fresh fiscal stimulus of $3 trillion or more that carries the US past the coronavirus crisis and into a more normal environment for markets,” Politico says.

“The market very much believes that Biden is going to win and the Senate is going to tip to Democrats,” said the CEO of one of the largest banks on Wall Street, speaking on the condition that he not be identified.

“And the assumption is that we are going to have a very significant increase

Photo by Andrew Harnik / AP

in stimulus very quickly, and that’s very positive for markets. But the fact is there is still a tremendous amount of uncertainty around the outcome of the election and when stimulus might actually come, if it ever does.”

Traders and investment managers told

the magazine they’d be fine with a change in the White House that “reduces the Trump noise, lowers the threat of further trade wars, and ensures a continuation of the government spending they’ve seen in recent years.”

“The market is focusing on an end to

the uncertainty around the Trump administration, and that in many respects is what underscores the pricing action around a possible Biden scenario and a blue wave,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at consulting firm RSM US. “Firms and investors crave stable expectations and that is how the Street is interpreting a likely Biden victory.”

For Wall Street, the least desirable outcome is a divided result in which Biden wins the White House but Democrats fail to take the Senate, or Trump wins in a contested outcome and Congress becomes more divided.

In those scenarios, investors only see more Washington gridlock and far smaller – or even no – new fiscal stimulus.

Some Wall Street insiders see an upside to divided government, however.

“The thing I’m concerned about with the blue wave is that we go too far on fiscal support and we don’t act responsibly,” said the Wall Street CEO. “A Biden win and the GOP holding the Senate would temper a lot of that. And everybody actually agrees that we need more stimulus.”

HRC, Fair Fight, and HIT Strategies release research highlighting impact of voter suppression on LGBTQ voters WASHINGTON, DC (October 29, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization – alongside Fair Fight and HIT Strategies released research highlighting how COVID-19 has exacerbated voter suppression [of] voters who are LGBTQ and people of color. The research survey included a sample of individuals from across the United States, including focus groups in Wisconsin and Georgia.

“Voters across the country this fall will face unprecedented challenges as they attempt to safely make their voices heard at the ballot box this November,” said Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David. “Yet Donald Trump, Mike Pence and the Republican leadership continue to deliberately suppress the vote for marginalized communities, adding roadblock after roadblock in their misguided attempt to make it harder for us to vote. LGBTQ voters are hopeful, resilient and ready to cast their ballots this November – from the voting booth to the mailbox.”

“LGBTQ voters are making their voices heard by mail and through early voting in droves despite a myriad of obstacles,” said Fair Fight Senior Advisor Lauren GrohWargo. “Understanding what motivates and what deters voters of all backgrounds is crucial in overcoming voter suppression.

With the challenges to Americans of voting during the pandemic, the Human Rights Campaign and HIT Strategies have done the hard work of applying an evidencebased approach to ensure that LGBTQ voters are able to make their voices heard and have their votes counted.”

“Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress have consistently targeted the LGBTQ community from their first day they came into office. But their petty intimidation tactics nor COVID-19 are going to prevent the LGBTQ community from casting ballots in this cycle,” said

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Photo courtesy of HRC

Terrance Woodbury, partner at HIT Strategies. “In fact, 94% of LGBTQ voters say they’re going to vote despite the pandemic, and as we’re seeing throughout the country, whether it is by voting early, voting by mail, or standing in line wearing gloves and masks, LGBTQ voters are making sure their votes are being counted.”

Even as LGBTQ people continue to suffer the disproportionate negative economic and health impacts of COVID-19, research shows that the LGBTQ community is also being impacted by COVID-19 in ways that could impact how or if they vote in November.

LGBTQ rights and combatting discrimination are priority issues on the ballot motivating the LGBTQ community to vote in November. Voting to remove Donald Trump and Mike Pence is a priority after their administration has enacted numerous policies targeting LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities. As the nation continues to grapple with an epidemic of killings and injustice faced by Black peo-

October 30, 2020

ple across the country, LGBTQ voters are motivated to hold elected leaders accountable, including voting for leaders who will address over policing, police brutality, misconduct and harassment affecting Black people throughout the nation.

The research also shows: • 76% of LGBTQ voters feel that Donald Trump and 70% of LGBTQ voters feel that Republicans are making it harder for people to vote.

• 66% of LGBTQ voters feel that politicians in general are making it harder to vote.

• 59% of LGBTQ voters feel that special interests and corporations are making it harder for people to vote.

• 72% of LGBTQ voters believe that Democrats are trying to make voting easier.

Last year, the HRC and Stacey Abrams’s Fair Fight announced a partnership to combat voter suppression in the critically important upcoming 2020 election. Through this new partnership, the HRC is making a six-

figure investment in Fair Fight’s crucial work and leverage the existing resources and staff power the HRC brings to bear. Founded

by Stacey Abrams, Fair Fight promotes fair elections in Georgia and around the country, encourages voter participation in elections, and educates voters about elections and their voting rights.

The HRC recently released “Banned from the Ballot Box: The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws on LBTQ Women of Color,” a new HRC report detailing the United States’ history of felony disenfranchisement and how laws have suppressed the voices of communities of color, women, and LGBTQ people and led to overpolicing and mass incarceration.

Within the LGBTQ community, people of color, LGBTQ youth, and transgender individuals are often the most impacted by weakened voting rights laws. A poll found that African-American and Latino voters were three times as likely as white voters to report trouble finding their polling place. With one-third of transgender people reporting having no government identification that reflects their gender identity, voter ID laws often forcibly “out” transgender voters to poll workers, putting them at risk for discrimination and harassment.

Earlier this year, the HRC Foundation and HIT Strategies released the first results of a national survey of voters of colors, including LGBTQ voters of color, to determine voter sentiment in regards to vote by mail.

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

Courtesy of the HRC

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ED MURRAY continued from cover

It has been a little over 3 years since Murray left [Seattle’s] Office of the Mayor, and we couldn’t be more grateful that he agreed to respond to questions about his greatest accomplishment: marriage equality in Washington state.

MK Scott: As we mark the 8th anniversary of the passage of Referendum 74, one of the national LGBTQ movement’s greatest triumphs is the achievement of marriage equality. But before the U.S. Supreme Court made it the law of the land, you, as a state senator, made it a state issue. What was the process?

Ed Murray: Let me say that there were so many in our community – friends, governors, legislators, unions, and businesses, among other organizations – that made both LGBT civil rights and marriage a reality. I know you have a limited amount of time, but someday I hope to write about the incredibly courageous people who worked with each other, argued with each other, and cried with each other. Particularly I want to write about the incredible work of our own LGBT community members.

To your question: the issue of marriage equality cannot be separated from the 29-year struggle to pass the Washington state LGBT civil rights bill. That effort began in 1977, when members of our community were able to get the bill introduced in the legislature.

Former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray (r) and Sen. Jamie Pedersen (l) – Photo by Nate Gowdy

previous election, the Democrats had suffered heavy losses, and the Republicans had a majority in the 60s; the Senate was barely Democratic. While we continued to introduce the now LGBT civil rights bill (I added “bisexual” and “transgender”), our efforts were focused on fighting DOMA. It was a difficult time in our community: Cal had died, I was new, and it was the darkest days of the HIV/AIDS crisis. There was

– and of one member of their body: me.

Governor Lowry and I decided we needed to send a message of hope, and in 1997, we introduced one of the first marriage equality bills in the nation.

During the late ’90s, the state did not have a functioning statewide LGBT political organization, so I and others went around to various organizations, seeking to put one together and to hire a lobbyist.

Photo by Nate Gowdy

By the late 1980s, what was then just the lesbian and gay civil rights bill picked up momentum with the election of Cal Anderson to the Washington State House of Representatives. While Cal was fighting HEP-C to HIV/AIDS, he did not live to see his bill passed. But he blazed a trail for the rest of us.

I was appointed to the House in 1995, and during my first day of my first session, the Washington State Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was introduced. In the

even discussion in the community about not fighting [DOMA] at this time. In the end we did fight it, and because of that, it ended up taking them three years to make it law.

The legislative debates were ugly, and when they finally passed it on the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day 1998, I remember being sick to my stomach and walking out of the rotunda, not speaking to anyone. I had just watched the legislature restrict the rights of the people of this state

NEW POLL

a majority opposes marriage equality (34% favor, 63% oppose).

When it comes to anti-discrimination laws, the trend is even more pronounced.

More than eight in ten Americans (83%) favor laws that would protect LGBTQ people against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing, compared to only 16% of Americans who oppose such laws.

Large majorities of Democrats (94%), independents (85%), and Republicans (68%) favor nondiscrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people.

Substantial majorities in every major religious group favor nondiscrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people, ranging from 59% among white evangelical Protestants to 92% among religiously unaffiliated Americans.

continued from cover Majorities in every major religious group except for white evangelical Protestants support marriage equality: • 90% of religiously unaffiliated Americans • 79% of white mainline Protestants • 78% of Hispanic Catholics • 72% of members of non-Christian religious groups • 68% of Hispanic Protestants • 67% of white Catholics • 57% of Black Protestants • 56% of members of other Christian religious groups White evangelical Protestants stand out as the only major religious group in which

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Our community nonprofits were a bit worried that too much political activity would negatively impact their tax status, so we launched an education effort, and the result was Equal Rights Washington. It hired two women lobbyists who could work both sides of the aisle, which was one of the smartest moves by our community.

We also changed our message from one of victim hood to “we are your neighbors, your businesses, your family.” We emphasized what we added to the vitality of the state.

When the Democrats regained the majority in the House (the Senate would flip back and forth, it seemed, with every election), we passed the civil rights bill over to the Senate, where it died. Finally, in 2005, we were one vote away. The religious right made some of our business supporters very nervous, and we lost by one vote.

As we entered the 2006 legislative session, we had strengthened our support in all sectors, and the LGBT civil rights bill finally passed by a single vote, when Bill Finkbeiner, the brave leader of the Senate Republicans, voted with us and stepped down from his leadership position. He really has never been fully honored by this community.

The reason I spent so much time on the LGBT civil rights bill was not only because it was a victory that was supremely important, it gave us a blueprint, a strategy for passing marriage equality.

October 30, 2020

MKS: When you got the votes for the bill, what was going through your mind?

Murray: It was an incredible moment.

It was the one thing I wanted to accomplish in life, to help make my friend Cal’s vision a reality. Twenty-nine years of so much pain, work, loss, death, and vision had changed the future for the better. The celebration in Seattle was moving beyond words.

MKS: What came next?

Murray: Our post-victory strategy included a possible fight at the ballot to overturn the legislation. We were ready and organized, but Tim Eyman failed to get the signatures needed to do so.

I ran for the Senate [in 2006] and won, and Jamie Pedersen won my House seat.

We believed the time had come to legislatively overturn DOMA and pass marriage equality.

We had to also face the cold, hard reality that we could win in the legislature and lose at the ballot box. As always in our community, we argued a great deal before we landed on a multi-year strategy of public education breaking marriage out into its individual parts, each year focusing on, for example, the right to hospital visitation and funeral arrangements. Year by year the public saw families with real struggles, which dialed down the culture wars and brought us closer to our goal. Educating the public until we believed we could withstand a ballot challenge deeply influenced all parts of our strategy.

One crisp morning in 2012, Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, a Democrat who represented a Republican district, came in to my office. [My partner] Michael happened to be with me that morning. She told us she would be the 25th vote – the vote we needed – to pass marriage equality in Washington state. I remember feeling how momentous that was and also the price I knew Sen. Haugen would pay.

MKS: When Ref. 74 did pass [upholding the marriage equality law], what did you and Michael say to each other?

Murray: Michael said to me, “We are getting married this year. My parents are in their nineties. I don’t care how it looks during your campaign; I want my parents at our wedding.”

I realize I have told only a tiny slice of an enormous story involving thousands of people; in time I hope as a community we take on an oral history project of all these many legislative efforts past, present, and future.

This interview first appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of Unite Seattle Magazine. A few minor revisions have been made including bringing date references current to today’s date. Reprinted with permission.

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JONES

continued from cover According to his mom, Eleanor, he has played soccer since he was two-years-old.

Over the years, he’s played just about every position, but currently plays the keeper and goalie positions with the Titans [Soccer] Club. Bobby added that he found the sport to be “enjoyable” and “fun.” He put it this way: “I like how it’s played.”

Everything was as it should be or so his parents thought until one day in June of this year when Bobby, holding back tears, poured his heart out about what he had come to know about himself. He had finally seen – for the first time – himself reflected in a character on the TV show “Council of Dads.” You see, like the character J.J., Bobby too is transgender.

Finally, he had the words to articulate what he had been feeling inside since 2nd Grade.

“I can remember, vividly, when Bobby was four. We were preparing for a family portrait session when I asked him to wear a flower blouse and yellow sandals. He immediately broke down into tears,” Eleanor recalled. “My husband Dakota and I didn’t understand it at the time, but this was the first sign of things to come.”

So, with their newfound knowledge of their son’s gender identity and his desire to play on the boys team, the family approached the Titans. “The Club was really supportive and moved him over to the boys team. The coaches, families and players took to him immediately,” said Eleanor. “However, the team warned us that although Bobby could practice with the boys team, he would have to play on the girls team on game day.

“The league that oversees the Club, Puget Sound Premier League (PSPL), has a policy in place that does not allow transgender players to play games on the team they identify with.”

For Bobby, the news was devastating.

“I’m not a girl,” he said. “I told my mom that I would rather quit soccer than play on the girls team.”

The PSPL and the Titans have similar non-discrimination statements on their websites, minus one detail. The Titans include the phrases “gender identity” and “gender expression” while the other does not.

the player and their family left the sport because of PSPL’s policy,” she said. “All I want for our child is for them to continue to thrive in the sport that they care about and to be able to look around at their teammates and feel a part of something.

“Since Bobby came out to us, I’ve met so

them anywhere, everywhere, if it helps,” she said. “We are also using the hashtag, #LetBobbyPlay, to help draw attention to the issue.

“We are so proud of Bobby and support him in this endeavor. At 13-years-old, he is advocating for himself and he is being his

However, this time, Bobby was able to play the sport as just another one of the boys.

“A week ago, the Club informed us that Bobby had been given a ‘conditional waiver.’ We have no timeline on when or if PSPL will change their policy. They have a track record of no communication or com-

Photos courtesy of Jones Family / Family portrait captured by Candace Photography

“I’m hoping that they’ll change it so that people like me feel comfortable playing,” Bobby explained. “So, that I’m not playing with the gender that I’m not supposed to be.

So, kids like me can be themselves.”

Eleanor said she has shed a lot of tears for her son over the discriminatory policy and lack of inclusion at PSPL. “We were told by the Club that they had a similar circumstance with another player last year and that

many families like ours who just want their kids to be happy and belong. We have the added fear of our children being in a marginalized group in society. As a parent, it’s incredibly frustrating.

“Please, just give our son his sport and a fair chance – just like any other player.”

Eleanor changed her Facebook name to “LetBobbyPlay.” She printed up signs and face masks for friends and allies. “I’ll send

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October 30, 2020

authentic self. We are pretty damn lucky to have him as our son.

“We only want him to be safe and happy.

Transgender youth already have barriers in place and we need to help remove these for them so they can stay safe – physically and mentally.”

Sunday, Bobby returned to the field for two scrimmages. The governor had lifted more restrictive requirements for soccer.

munication that is insensitive and unprofessional,” said Eleanor. “The PSPL oversees about 60 clubs in the area. So, that’s a lot of players if you consider how many play for each team. We have to change this policy before the next Bobby comes along.

“Today, I wept tears as my son took the field and played all four halves of his games. I could not be more proud of his grace, courage and boldness.”

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Astraea celebrates its 2020 Intersex Grantee Partners NEW YORK (October 26, 2020) – This Intersex Awareness Day, it is with great pride and excitement we share Astraea’s 6th annual cycle of Intersex Human Rights Fund (IHRF) grantee partners! On this day, we recognize the work of the incredible intersex activists and organizations whose advocacy and self-determination have built a powerful global intersex movement and visibilized the lives and experiences of intersex people everywhere.

Astraea is proud to support many of these activists through our Intersex Human Rights Fund – the first of its kind – which accounts for almost three-quarters (73%) of all grants to intersex organizations in the world. This year, the IHRF granted $480,000 in grants to 53 groups in 41 countries, with 15 of these grants going to new grantee partners. This marks a 65% increase in funding from our 2019 cycle, reaffirming our commitment to supporting the growth and sustainability of intersex movements. It has been so exciting to continue to see the emergence of new intersex-led groups, some of which were formed as a direct result of the connections built through regional movement convenings in past years!

This year, as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, the IHRF provided an additional $2000 to all our renewal intersex grantee partners. The pandemic and associated restrictions on movement have heightened the exclusion and discrimination many intersex people already face in communities around the world, and has left many without jobs, unable to access the medical and mental health services they need, and isolated from their loved ones.

Still, intersex movements have continued to be tireless in their efforts to build community solidarity, advocate for their rights to bodily integrity, raise awareness of and fight for their human rights, and collaborate across movements, issues, and regions to make their voices heard!

Here are just a few examples of the powerful ways our intersex grantees show up for their communities: • Círculo Violeta (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) has created a safe space for intersex, trans, and nonbinary artists who have been otherwise invisibilized and marginalized, to gather, connect, and share their experiences with each other. They exist to create a living catalogue and archive of each of their artistic practices, and to come together to build collective narratives of intersex, trans, and nonbinary artists in Puerto Rico and its diasporas.

Photo courtesy of Astraea

• Potencia Intersex (Córdoba, Argentina) came together during the Second Intersex Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization was born out of the need to educate Argentinian society about the lived realities of intersex people.

Working alongside feminist and LGBTQI movements in the country, the group raises awareness of the human rights violations committed against them and mobilizes people to support the bodily integrity, autonomy, and self-determination of intersex people.

• Intersex-Nigeria (Lagos, Nigeria) was formed in 2019 by intersex people, many of whom have lived through their own pain, trauma, and stigmatization as a result of violence, nonconsensual medical procedures, and ongoing discrimination. The

HRC announces new resource for Intersex Awareness Day Intersex Awareness Day [https://interactadvocates.org/intersex-awareness-day/] is observed every year on October 26 and is meant to highlight human rights issues that intersex people face every day. To mark the day, HRC has launched a new resource page [https://www.hrc.org/resources/ understanding-the-intersex-community] in collaboration with interACT. The resource page contains information about what it means to be intersex, challenges that intersex people face in their daily lives and recommendations on how to support intersex people. This critical resource provides key information about the intersex community and will serve as a valuable hub of information for anyone who is intersex or who is looking to be an ally to intersex people.

Intersex people come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, faiths, and political ideologies. Some intersex people may identify as LGBTQ, while others may not. However, intersex people face similar bias and fear of difference that the entire LGBTQ community also faces. As such, intersex people are valuable members of our communities who deserve recognition and respect.

To learn more about intersex people and the issues they face, check out interACT’s Intersex FAQ [https://interactadvocates. org/faq/] or the additional resources available at HRC’s resource page.

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October 30, 2020

Courtesy of Human Rights Campaign

organization is the first intersex-led group in Nigeria and is working to advance public understanding of intersex people’s issues, visbilize intersex realities, and build community for intersex Nigerians. The group’s mission is to build a community space for intersex people, provide well-being support to intsersex Nigerians, and advocate for intersex rights.

While intersex activism has been growing around the world, intersex issues and communities remain immensely underfunded, receiving less than 2% of global foundation funding for LGBTQI people and/or women and girls. Despite this, intersex activists are continuing to tirelessly advocate against the pathologization of intersex bodies and to address issues of violence, social exclusion, and lack of access to quality health care and education. The global intersex movement is calling for protections from human rights violations experienced by intersex children, adolescents and adults across the world.

Join us in recognizing the brilliant and powerful activism of our Intersex Human Rights Fund grantee partners around the world!* *Note: We do not publicize a number of our courageous grantee partners because of security threats they face in their local contexts, so organizations may be missing from this list.

Associação Brasileira de Intersexos (ABRAI), Brazil; Association of Russian Speaking Intersex people (ARSI), Russia; Bilitis Resource Center Bulgaria; Brújula Intersexual, Mexico; Campaign for Change, Nepal; Círculo Violeta, Puerto Rico; Collectif Intersexes et Allié-e-s -OII France (CIAOII France), France; Comité Visibilité Intersexe, Canada; DeGeneration Confederation, Vietnam; Egalite Intersex Ukraine; iCon UK, United Kingdom; INTER2, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia; Interaction - Association Suisse pour les Intersexes, Switzerland; Intersex Advocate Trust Zimbabwe; Intersex Anatolia/ Intersex Turkey/ Intersex Shalala,

Turkey; Intersex and Faith, United States; The Intersex and Family Support Network, Brazil; Intersex Asia Network, Regional; Intersex Chile, Chile; Intersex Community of Zimbabwe; Intersex Danmark, Denmark; Intersexesiste, Italy; Intersex Greece; Intersex Human Rights Australia; Intersexioni, Italy; Intersex Ísland -félag intersex fólks á Íslandi, Iceland; Intersex Justice Project, United States; Intersex-Nigeria; Intersex Peer Support Australia; Intersex People’s Human Rights – ISIO Finland; Intersex Persons Society of Kenya - IPSK; Intersex Society of Zambia (ISSZ); Intersex South Africa - ISSA; Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand (ITANZ); IntersexUK, United Kingdom; Ivy Foundation, Malawi; Jinsiangu, Kenya; Magda Rakita, Poland; Mulabi - Espacio Latinoamericano de Sexualidades y Derechos, Costa Rica; Organisation Intersex International Europe (OII Europe), Regional; Organisation Intersex International Germany/IVIM (OII Deutschland), Germany; Organization Intersex International-Chinese (Oii-Chinese), Taiwan; OII Sverige, Sweden; Potencia Intersex, Argentina; Rainbow Identity Association, Botswana; Support Initiative for People with atypical sex Development (SIPD), Uganda; Trans Aid, Croatia; Trans Smart Trust, Zimbabwe; Tzk’at - Red de Sanadoras Ancestrales del Feminismo Comunitario, Guatemala; Verein Intersexuelle Menschen Österreich (VIMÖ), Austria; Vivir y Ser Intersex, Mexico; XY Spectrum, Serbia The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is the only philanthropic organization working exclusively to advance LGBTQI human rights around the globe. It supports hundreds of brilliant and brave grantee partners in the US and internationally who challenge oppression and seed social change. It works for racial, economic, social, and gender justice, because we all deserve to live our lives freely, without fear, and with dignity.

Courtesy of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

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11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act

Photo by Gina van Hoof / Courtesy of Matthew Shepard Foundation

WASHINGTON, DC (October 28, 2020) – The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, signed by President Barack Obama 11 years ago this month, was a milestone hate crime law that increased the jurisdiction of the FBI and Department of Justice to investigate bias-motivated violence targeting vulnerable individuals, and added gender- and gender-identity-based violence to the list of hate crimes.

“In the wake of losing my brother, my family fought to bring attention to the tragic consequences of racial hatred and reduce the number of hate crimes,” said Louvon Byrd Harris, sister of James Byrd Jr. and president of the Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing. “The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act is an important tool in combating the existence of hate within the United States.”

“Every October, in addition to mourning the loss of Matt, we are also grateful and hopeful to mark the passage of the federal hate crime law named for him and for Mr. Byrd,” said Judy Shepard, board chair and co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “Our country has made mean-

ingful progress in addressing bias motivated violence, but we urgently need to do more, especially to protect trans women of color, who face a grim threat of harm. The Shepard-Byrd Act provides them coverage, but it must be harnessed to not only address these crimes but also prevent them.”

On June 7, 1998, James Byrd Jr., a Black 49-year-old father of three, had left a friend’s anniversary party and was walking home when three white supremacists picked him up. They drove to an isolated road, where Mr. Byrd was tortured and brutally murdered, a tragedy that shocked the country. The Byrd family committed themselves to fighting hate with love after they lost James, and started the Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing.

Just a few months later, on October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally attacked and tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, Wyoming and left to die. In the aftermath of Matt’s death, his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, started the Matthew Shepard Foundation and, in sharing Matt’s story, have highlighted the

Photo courtesy of The James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate

importance of standing up for the LGBT community.

“The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law recognizes the tireless advocacy of the Byrd and Shepard families to fighting bigotry and improving our country’s response to hate crimes,” said Arusha Gordon, associate director of the James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “This critical work continues today.

We encourage individuals or communities targeted for bigotry to reach out and report hateful activity at 844-9-NO-HATE.” In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, strengthening the legal tools available to prosecutors to bring assailants to justice. The ShepardByrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act was an important step in recognizing the nature of hate crimes in our country. However, crimes motivated by perceived gender, race, sexual orientation, and disability continue to exist in the United States and the critical work fighting hate continues.

The James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate at the Lawyers’ Committee supports communities and individuals targeted for hate and challenges white supremacy by using creative legal advocacy, disrupting systems that enable hate, and educating the general public and policy makers. The Byrd Center’s resource and reporting hotline for hate incidents, 1-844-9-NO-HATE (1-844-9664283), connects people and organizations combating hate with the resources and support they need. More at www.lawyerscommittee.org/project/stop-hate-project.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation’s mission is to amplify the story of Matthew Shepard to inspire individuals, organizations, and communities to embrace the dignity and equality of all people. Through local, regional, and national outreach, it empowers individuals to find their voice to create change and challenge communities to identify and address hate that lives within our schools, neighborhoods and homes.

Courtesy of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

HRC on the anniversary of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act

WASHINGTON, DC (October 28, 2020) – Today marks the 11th anniversary of the historic signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. After strong advocacy from Judy and Dennis Shepard and the Human Rights Campaign, the legislation was signed into law in 2009 by the ObamaBiden administration within its first year in office, clearly demonstrating that protecting LGBTQ lives was a major priority. To mark the anniversary, Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David issued the following statement: “Twelve years ago, we elected a president and vice president focused on the dignity and safety of all communities, including the LGBTQ community. Within their first year in office, they delivered for us and enacted the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, providing critical federal authority in combating violent

anti-LGBTQ hate crimes. Today, we are in the midst of another election and our community faces a choice between a president who dehumanizes us and does not believe in our inherent human dignity or a candidate who has stood with us, when it was popular and when it was not.

“Twenty-two years after the deaths of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., our community remains under attack. Thus far in 2020, 33 transgender and gender-nonconforming people have lost their lives to fatal violence, including a disproportionate number of Black and Brown transgender women. The number of killings this year has set a record, but rather than provide solutions, President Trump and Vice President Pence have only inflamed the epidemic of violence with rhetoric and actions that dehumanize transgender and gendernonconforming people.

“The fight for our community’s safety is

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far from over. We must replace the TrumpPence administration and install true allies like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to continue the progress made with the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Joe Biden doesn’t just recognize the epidemic of violence facing the community, but has a plan to help reduce it. As president, he will pass the Equality Act, prioritize prosecutions of anti-LGBTQ hate-fueled violence, expand economic opportunities for LGBTQ people, and reform our treatment of marginalized communities including LGBTQ people in our criminal justice system.”

This month, the Human Rights Campaign confirmed the United States has set a new, tragic record of fatal violence against transgender and gender-nonconforming people, largely against Black and Brown transgender women, surpassing the record of 31 deaths set in 2017. This makes 2020

the deadliest year on record for transgender people. Despite this, the Trump-Pence administration has not even acknowledged the epidemic of violence. Earlier this month, Joe Biden issued the most comprehensive statement by a presidential nominee in history condemning anti-transgender violence and setting an agenda to combat and reduce violence.

October 30, 2020

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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.

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November writing activities hosted by the Seattle Public Library SEATTLE (October 23, 2020) – The Seattle Public Library will offer online open mics, writers groups and workshops, and poetry readings in November. Our mission during this time of distraction, artistic fatigue, and social isolation is to create a regular time and space for writers to write and to meet each other.

Schedule • Writers Read: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. Local writers will read from their diverse repertoires of poetry, short stories, novels, and essays. The event will end with a Q&A session, followed by an open mic session. This program is presented in partnership with African-American Writers’ Alliance on the second Sunday of the month. Registration is required.

• Virtual Arts for 50+: Writing Poetry: 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. During this workshop, we’ll engage in writing exercises focused on helping you craft poems reflective of your life experiences and moments. Registration is required.

• Seattle Writes: Writing Circle with Hugo House: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. Attend a free writing circle facilitated by established local writer Brett Hamil from Hugo House! Bring something you’re working on, or just come ready to write. Registration is required. In this group, writers introduce themselves, talk about their writing, and discuss an evocative opening topic. You are given a prompt and 20-30 minutes of silent writing time, with the opportunity to read what you wrote in a mutually supportive, welcoming environment.

• Seattle Writes: Writing Circle with Hugo House: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. Attend a free writing circle facilitated by established local writer Jeanine Walker from Hugo House! Bring something you’re working on, or just come ready to write. Registration is required. In this

group, you’ll focus on writing with poetry prompts. The session will begin with introductions and a short warm-up, after which we’ll read two separate poems and write in response to those. At times writers will be invited to create community through sharing words or ideas with other writers in small groups. Attendees will leave the class with 2-3 new drafts of poems.

• Virtual Arts for 50+: Landscape Poetry: 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16. During this workshop, we’ll explore the settings that hold special meaning through reminiscence activities. We’ll sing songs that recollect and songs we remember. We’ll share personal stores and, together, create a mural of landscape memories – captured in visual images, words, and phrases. Registration is required.

• Seattle Writes: Writing Circle with Hugo House: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,

Nov. 17. Attend a free writing circle facilitated by established local writer Alma García from Hugo House! Bring something you’re working on, or just come ready to write. Registration is required In this group, writers introduce themselves and receive optional fiction, poetry, and nonfiction prompts to work on for 60-70 minutes of sustained silent writing time. Small group breakout sessions at the end of our time together encourage you to share and respond to work generated during the session, or just get to know the other writers in the group.

More information The Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people’s lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.

On Oct. 6, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that public libraries may allow some indoor service at 25% capacity in Phase 2 of his Safe Start reopening plan. The Seattle Public Library is assessing the new reopening requirements with current planning efforts to expand services. The safety of our patrons and staff is our top priority.

More details will be announced soon at the Library’s Road to Reopening page.

The Seattle Public Library also has many free online services, resources, and programs available while its physical buildings remain closed. You can find out more on our digital resources page or by contacting the Library by phone at 206-386-4636.

Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information during this challenging time.

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

Online “Medicare Made Clear” workshops at the Seattle Public Library in November SEATTLE (October 22, 2020) – New to Medicare? Get answers to your questions about Medicare health care and coverage at the Seattle Public Library’s online, two-part “Medicare Made Clear” series in November.

Medicare specialist Jean Cormier of Cormier Insurance will provide an overview of the different parts of Medicare, what each part covers, and how they work.

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

Schedule • Medicare Made Clear: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. This workshop will provide an overview of the different parts of Medicare (Parts A, B, C, and D, and supplements). There will be a discussion of the different ways to receive benefits, including the pros and cons of each and approximate costs. Enrollment and eligibility guidelines will also be covered.

• Medicare Drug Coverage 101: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. This workshop gives an overview of Medicare Part D drug coverage, including when to enroll, how to calculate costs and select a plan, the four stages of coverage, and additional resources for the cost of prescriptions.

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More information The Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people’s lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.

On Oct. 6, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that public libraries may allow some indoor service at 25% capacity in Phase 2 of his Safe Start reopening plan. The Seattle Public Library is assessing the new reopening requirements with current planning efforts to expand services. The safety of our patrons and staff is our top priority.

More details will be announced soon at the Library’s Road to Reopening page.

The Seattle Public Library also has many free online services, resources, and programs available while its physical buildings remain closed. You can find out more on our digital resources page or by contacting the Library by phone at 206-386-4636.

Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information during this challenging time.

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

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FILM

Award winners announced

by Friday Harbor Film Festival FRIDAY HARBOR, WA (October 27, 2020) – As in each of the last seven years, the Friday Harbor Film Festival is delighted to honor filmmakers who have done outstanding work on projects screened during the festival.

We are very pleased to present the following awards this year: Local Hero Award, two Laszlo Pal Emerging Filmmaker Awards, and Audience Choice Awards for the Best Short Film and the Best Feature Film. Full information is available at fhff.org.

THE LOCAL HERO AWARD is presented to a present or former resident of the San Juan Islands who has made outstanding contributions to our quality of life, impacting people, animals, the arts, health, or the environment. The 2020 recipient is documentary filmmaker and photographer James Longley, who spent most of his childhood on San Juan Island. He will receive a personalized metal salmon sculpture made by Chuck Moen of Sandy, Oregon. Additional information about Longley’s work is available at jameslongley.com.

THE LASZLO PAL EMERGING FILMMAKER AWARD, recognizing

Photo courtesy of FHFF

emerging young talent in filmmaking, honors the legacy of Laszlo Pal, Emmy Award– winning director, cinematographer, writer, editor, and producer, who educated young filmmakers at the University of Washington.

The winning films were chosen by votes of viewers of the Student Film Showcase. This award is presented to the creators of the fes-

tival’s best student short films in two age categories. The winning filmmaker aged 11-17 years is Madelyn Cross for Hamsters and Friends. The winning filmmaker aged 18-26 years is Maxfield Biggs of Brooklyn, NY, for Stomach of the Earth. Each winner will receive a Lewis and Clark compass.

THE AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

are presented to the filmmakers whose films were chosen by audience votes in two categories: Best Short Film and Best Feature Film. Two films tied to win in each category. Each awardee will receive a personalized metal salmon sculpture made by Chuck Moen of Sandy, OR. The Best Short Films are Vertical: The Future of Farming, directed by Scott Morris and Jay Windland of Kirkland, WA (vertical-film.com), and Through Her Eyes: The Science and Beauty of Intertidal Life in the Salish Sea, directed by Michael Noonan, PhD, of Friday Harbor, WA. The Best Feature Films are Love Is the Way, directed by Jeremy Là Zelle and Kristin Gates (jeremylazelle.com), and Our Gorongosa, directed by James Byrne of Amsterdam, Holland (gorongosa.org).

Recordings of the livestreamed Q&As with filmmakers are available free for viewing at fhff.org through October 31.

Courtesy of the Friday Harbor Film Festival

KCLS Executive Director Rosenblum and Rep. DelBene inaugurate new contactless library lockers ISSAQUAH, WA (October 28, 2020) – King County Library System (KCLS) Executive Director Lisa Rosenblum and Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01) came together today at the Bothell Library for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate KCLS’s new library locker system.

The electronic lockers, located at both the Bothell and Covington libraries, provide a safe and convenient way for patrons to access KCLS’s physical materials during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockers are available 24/7, and compliment KCLS’s other contactless pickup service, Curbside to Go. KCLS is one of the first large library systems in the country to offer locker pickup services. The leading-edge lockers were made possible with funds from the KCLS Foundation.

“We are excited to offer another contactless pickup option for patrons,” stated Rosenblum. “Our service may look different these days, but we will continue to adapt to the changing needs of our diverse communities, and expand access to both our digital and physical materials.”

“Libraries are a part of the fabric of our communities and many of our neighbors rely on their services for information,” said Rep. DelBene. “I am happy to join the King County Library System today to inaugurate their new electronic locker system. This will allow patrons to utilize library services without endangering their health or the health of others. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this innovative new service.”

A strong supporter of KCLS, Rep. DelBene has participated in past events, such as the Bellevue Library ideaX Makerspace inauguration and the Summer Meals program at Kingsgate Library.

King County residents may access the new lockers with their KCLS library card and PIN/password. Learn more about how

Photo courtesy of KCLS

to choose a locker for your next library hold pickup [at kcls.org/news/comingsoon-pick-up-holds-anytime-in-a-24-hourlocker/].

Founded in 1942, the King County Library System (KCLS) is one of the busi-

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est public library systems in the country.

Serving the communities of King County (outside the city of Seattle), KCLS currently has 50 libraries and more than 700,000 cardholders. In 2019, residents checked out more than 5.6 million digital e-books and audiobooks through Rakuten OverDrive,

making KCLS the No. 3 digital circulating library in the world. In 2011, KCLS was named Library of the Year by Gale/Library Journal.

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Seattle Gay News 21

Courtesy of KCLS

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FILM

The Craft: Legacy crafts a seductively inclusive spell

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer THE CRAFT: LEGACY Premium Video-On-Demand (PVOD) Although it suffers from a few of the same shortcomings as its predecessor, The Craft: Legacy is actually a bit better than 1996’s The Craft. This is in large part thanks to the presence of writer/director Zoe ListerJones (Band Aid). Not to minimize what director Andrew Fleming and screenwriter Peter Filardi accomplished with that popular cult favorite, there’s just a distinctly feminine sensibility permeating this follow-up that was oddly lacking in that pair’s endeavor.

In what can only be described as a soft sequel, Lister-Jones’ effort takes place a little over two decades after the events of the previous motion picture. Here, teenager Lily (Cailee Spaeny) is whisked away by her mother Helen (Michelle Monaghan) to the secluded home of her beau, men’s health selfhelp guru Adam (David Duchovny) and his three sons Abe (Julian Grey), Jacob (Charles Vandervaart) and Isaiah (Donald MacLean Jr.). Out of her element, and after an embarrassing first day of school, she is befriended by the quirkily idiosyncratic trio of Lourdes (Zoey Luna), Frankie (Gideon Adlon) and Tabby (Lovie Simone) in the ladies room.

Turns out, they are self-described witches, and they are beyond excited to meet Lily because they’re certain she’s going to be their fourth. This would complete their coven, and before you can say, “Light as a feather, stiff as a board,” this gaggle of teenagers are overjoyed to discover they have honest to goodness magical powers. Making a bond to never attempt any spells alone, they begin experimenting, including putting a hex on school bully Timmy (Nicholas Galitzine) in an attempt to get him to see the

The Craft: Legacy – Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

error of his misogynistic ways.

The first half is kind of glorious, and I imagine the target audience of teen and pre-teen youngsters will find much to enjoy.

Lister-Jones constructs an aria to sisterhood and friendship, to honesty, acceptance and openness, and in doing so casts a beguiling spell that had me grinning ear-to-ear.

Utilizing an inspired bit of shorthand, she manages to make Lily, Lourdes, Frankie and Tabby real without an excess of expository nonsense. These young women show who they are through their actions and their interactions, so even when things suddenly sprint

into the fantastical as if propelled by a jet engine, as characters all four of them remain enchantingly authentic start to finish.

Much like the original, things do start to fall apart a bit during the climactic act. First with a sudden tragedy, then with a (not so) shocking reveal as it relates to one of the four witches, and finally, with the introduction of a big bad who isn’t nearly as clueless as it pertains to the dark arts as they’d like others to assume, things get a little obnoxiously convoluted. As empowering as the moment might be, the climax still comes across as moderately underwhelming, and while I appreciate

Heartbreaking His House a subtly terrifying immigrant song

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer HIS HOUSE Netflix His House is not your prototypical haunted house tale. Working from an original story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables, writer/director Remi Weekes has delivered a powerful and thought-provoking immigration thriller that proves in its second half that it has far more on its mind than delivering a few well-crafted thrills and chills. It is a masterfully measured tale of tragedy, triumph, survival and guilt, all of it cleverly concealed inside a slick genre funhouse where what is shown up on the screen is rarely (if ever) what it appears to be.

Refugees from a bloody conflict ripping apart South Sudan, a determined husband (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and his cautious wife (Wunmi Mosaku) have made it to Great Britain and are eager to start their lives fresh. This is difficult, not only because of the complex nature of current British politics, but also due to the fact they are reeling from the death of their child during the chaotic escape from their homeland. But the agent (Matt Smith) in charge of their case has high hopes the two can assimilate, especially as they’ve hit the jackpot as far as the government-assigned home they must reside at for the next year is concerned.

Things do not go smoothly for the Sudanese couple. There’s a reason this house has laid vacant and why the government

His House – Photo courtesy of Netflix

can assign it to them, and in no time at all the husband becomes certain that there is a supernatural presence lurking within the walls. He begins to tear away at the rotting drywall, searching for an answer to the ominous happenings that transpire throughout the night and make sleep an impossibility.

It is here that Weekes makes a rather sly change in direction. Facets of this setup are a clever red herring. Not the couple’s travails as they deal with the governmental regulations monitoring their every move or the glares constantly being sent their way from other members of their neighborhood. All of

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that is very real. But the supernatural aspect?

The events slowly driving the husband mad and causing the wife to wonder if all these hardships are worth the unimaginable cost of fleeing Sudan? These elements go places I never could have anticipated, Weekes slyly crafting an eloquently human tragedy that hits the heart like a sledgehammer.

The transition between ghost story and ghosts-of-the-recent-past story isn’t entirely successful. The shift in tone is rather abrupt, the realization that what is

see HIS HOUSE page 21

October 30, 2020

that Lister-Jones takes things in a much different direction than what transpired in the original feature, that doesn’t mean what she’s come up with is entirely satisfying.

Even so, there is a refreshing candor to The Craft: Legacy that I could not resist.

Much like Brad Michael Elmore’s criminally underseen modern-day vampire thriller Bit from earlier this year, there is a freshness to how this supernatural venture treats gender, sexuality, attraction and friendship that’s remarkable. The film wears its inclusivity proudly on its sleeve like a badge of honor but not in ways that could be construed as being false or facile.

It’s genuine through and through, and I’m not sure that’s something I can say about the original.

We have a Trans character played by a Trans actress (Luna, best known for the television documentary “Raising Zoey” and who is superb) who is not defined by being Trans. We have another character speak frankly about their bisexuality for this first time, doing so with a heartfelt authority I can’t say I’ve ever seen in a major studio PG-13 genre entry. The multicultural casting doesn’t feel like a stunt.

The mother-daughter journey shrewdly lurking at the heart of Lister-Jones’ story isn’t just tossed in for good measure like an afterthought.

Heck, even the reveal linking the 1996 feature to this one surprisingly works.

While that disclosure is a little heavyhanded, the way the central characters most affected by this revelation relate to one another is so emotionally brazen, so nakedly raw in its honesty, I kind of didn’t mind how goofily convoluted it was. Additionally, it leads to an unexpectedly powerful final scene that brought a quick tear to my eye, and as a fan of the original (and even though some might look at the moment as a shameless attempt to set up a sequel) I couldn’t help but smile.

Will The Craft: Legacy achieve the same sort of long-lasting cult status as its predecessor? Only time will tell on, and I can’t say being released via Premium VOD and not in theatres (and with precious little marketing to boot) is going to help. But for my part, I enjoyed what Lister-Jones accomplishes here even if not everything she conjures up successfully manifests.

There’s magic being performed by this quartet of young witches, and here’s my hope that the target audience is there to bear witness.

Seattle Gay News 23

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

24 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.

October 30, 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

FILM

Mischievously tense Come Play a frightfully fun surprise

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer COME PLAY Now playing in movie theaters Autistic 8-year-old Oliver Sutton (Azhy Robertson) has trouble speaking and utilizes an app on his cell phone to communicate.

Virtually friendless, the boy spends much of his time watching SpongeBob SquarePants cartoons while trying to ignore his parents Sarah (Gillian Jacobs) and Marty (John Gallagher Jr.) when they are yelling at one another for reasons he doesn’t understand.

One night, a new picture book pops up on Oliver’s cellphone about a lonely monster named Larry looking for a friend. Once he begins to read it, it quickly becomes clear that this isn’t just any story. Larry is real. Powered by social media, he is fueled by the loneliness he feels emanating from the flip side of a cellphone, laptop, tablet or television screen, and once he decides on a person to be his friend, he’ll do anything to make that happen.

Based on his popular 2017 short film Larry, I imagine some viewers are going to compare writer/director Jacob Chase’s feature-length debut Come Play to Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook. Both concern vaguely supernatural monsters stalking young children who have been ostracized from kids their own age. Each has as their central protector a frazzled mother who briefly wonders if she’s capable of protecting her child from harm.

That is where their similarities end.

Kent’s film dealt with themes of trauma and grief while at the same time was a tale of visceral terror, and because of this became more dramatically complex and thoughtprovoking as it went along. Chase’s effort, while dealing with some interesting topics involving child autism and societal reliance on handheld technological devices, is still fairly light and not altogether interested in examining weighty issues in a nuanced or complex way. It’s looking to thrill and chill, and honestly that’s pretty much it.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Chase knows what he is doing, and from Poltergeist to Something Wicked This Way Comes, from Gremlins to Arachnophobia, the filmmaker has unquestionably done his homework. He builds up his characters, adding subtle layers that make them instantly relatable. This doesn’t just apply to the primary trio of Oliver, Sarah and Marty, either, but also to the majority of the

HIS HOUSE

continued from cover happening to this duo has more to do with their flight from Sudan than it does with anything happening inside the house coming with a jarring suddenness that’s a bit too noticeable for my taste. It also dilutes the aura of overwhelming terror that rains down upon the first third of the picture, considerably reducing the inherent suspense of the pair’s situation in the process.

Yet, this is hardly an item to be annoyed or frustrated with. Or, more to the point, at least not for very long. Once the painful human drama of what these two went through to escape the deadly situation ripping their former country to shreds is disclosed, the effect it had upon me was like a horrifying punch to the gut. This becomes

Come and Play – Photo courtesy of Focus Features

supporting players who end up having an impact on the overarching story. Chase also doesn’t waste any time introducing Larry, doing so with an effective mix of mischievous goofiness and ominous foreshadowing that works rather nicely.

It helps considerably that the relationship between Oliver and Sarah is so strong.

This boy, dealing with issues and uncertainties he is unable to clearly articulate and unsure if he even should in the first place, feels alone for a reason, and this has quite a bit to do with the actions of his mother whether she realizes it or not. Sarah is also reeling, desperately wanting to protect her son from a world that seems engineered to be against him while at the same time long-

ing for any sign of love or affection from him to be pointed her way.

These are heady issues, and Chase doesn’t always deal with them as cleanly or as concisely as he possibly could have.

But the performances from Robertson and Jacobs are so strong, so finely detailed, that there isn’t a ton of clarity as it pertains to this mother-son connection isn’t nearly as big a deal as it could have been. The pair do just enough to create an effective emotional bond, all of which gives the film its undeniable power and ends up leading to a startlingly haunting final scene that genuinely caught me by surprise.

From a technical standpoint this is a handsome production across the board.

Composer Roque Baños (Evil Dead), cinematographer Maxime Alexandre (Crawl), editor Gregory Plotkin (Get Out) and production designer David J. Bomba (Mudbound) are A-list talents and each does exquisite work. Their combined efforts elevate the material a few notches higher than it likely would have ascended to without them. Couple that with the marvelous practical effects and inventive creature design utilized to give Larry his life, Come Play ends up being a fun, frequently tense little genre shocker that’s also a sublime calling card for Chase that has me excited to see what he’ll get up to next.

a survival tale, a saga of sacrifice and resilience, one littered with decisions good, bad and next to unforgivable. The choices they make to escape Sudan are ones no person should ever be put in the position to ponder let alone actually act upon, the presence in their new house the price they are forced to pay for making it to Great Britain alive.

There are aspects of what happens that I cannot talk about. Reveals during the second half are delivered slowly, authentically and with unnerving precision. Before I even realized what was happening I discovered I was choking back tears, desperately trying to remain composed as the truth of the situation for these immigrants is unmasked in all its bleakly shocking clarity. Weekes fills the screen with a collection of deeply upsetting yet bracingly genuine images that do more to frighten than any ghoul or ghost inhabiting their dilapidated new home ever could.

Dìrísù and Mosaku are outstanding, the latter in particular. The actress has a stupendous sequence where she gets lost on the way to the medical clinic, encountering a group of Black teens she wrongly assumes will be happy to help her find her destination. But they’re just as brashly xenophobic as the white residents in their neighborhood are, and the look of crushed mortified embarrassment that slowly washes across her face is heartbreaking. Mosaku’s performance fearlessly builds in complexity from there, her scenes during the final act flawless in their emotional transparency.

Weekes’ feature-length debut is something special. Its themes are universal, and how it analyzes a myriad of topics ranging from immigration to genocide to any number of additional subjects in-between are extraordinary. While shifts in tone are noticeable, they ultimately do not dis-

tract from the motion picture as a whole.

His House is something special, the line between forgiveness and punishment an ethereal enigma that’s as haunting as it is imperceptible.

October 30, 2020

Seattle Gay News 25

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DONATE TO SGN TODAY! www.gofundme.com/f/seattle-gay-newsneeds-your-support-now 26 Seattle Gay News

October 30, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

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October 30, 2020

Seattle Gay News 27