SGN December 14, 2018 - Section 1

Celebrating 44 Years!

Issue 50 Volume 46

FRIDAY December 14, 2018 FREE!

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Seattle Men’s Chorus’ “Jingle All the Way” is sensational SEC 2 PG 1

Macha Theatre Works’ Veils one of the best plays of 2018 SEC 2 PG 1

Seattle Gay News S E AT T L E ’ S L G B T Q N E W S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T W E E K LY

15th Annual Stronger Together: World AIDS Day Breakfast raises over $110,000

On Friday, November 30, 2018, Seattle Counseling Service, Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center, and CareTeams by Samaritan Center of Puget Sound partnered once again to present the 15th annual Stronger Together: World AIDS Day Breakfast – this

year at the King Street Ballroom (Embassy Suites, 255 S. King St.).

This event was a convening of community to commemorate the local history of the AIDS pandemic; honor those who

see STRONGER page 5

HRC Foundation to honor Judy and Dennis Shepard for their decades of LGBTQ advocacy

Dennis and Judy Shepard – Photo courtesy of The Matthew Shepard Foundation

WASHINGTON, DC (December 10, 2018) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation announced that it will honor longtime allies and LGBTQ advocates Judy and Dennis Shepard with the

Upstander Award at the organization’s sixth annual Time to THRIVE Conference on February 15-17 at the Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, California.

see SHEPARD page 6

Lambda Legal sues Social Security Administration for third same-sex widower denied survivor’s benefits

Transgender military ban plaintiffs argue in DC Circuit Court of Appeals to keep preliminary injunction

Anthony Gonzales and Mark Johnson – Photo courtesy of Lambda Legal

Wiktor S / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

LAS CRUCES, NM (December 13, 2018) – Lambda Legal today filed a motion on behalf of a 63-year-old gay man arguing that the Social Security Administration’s denial of spousal survivor’s benefits to him, on the grounds that he was not married

for long enough despite marrying on the very first day when he was allowed to do so, is unconstitutional. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Anthony Gonzales, who was in a 15-year committed relationship with

see WIDOWER page 11

WASHINGTON, DC – The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard oral arguments [on December 10] in Doe v. Trump – the first legal challenge filed in opposition to Trump’s transgender military ban – brought by the National Center

for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).

GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi presented arguments on behalf of the plaintiffs, urging the court to

see TRANS BAN page 11

Christmas Eve Worship at Northminster in Ballard

Monday, Dec. 24 at 8:00 pm Come celebrate Christmas at 8:00 pm in our familyand LGBTQ-friendly service of lessons and carols.

Come experience the fullness and joy of Christmas Eve at our 8:00 pm traditional candlelight service, with meaningful worship and readings, and with choral excerpts from Benjamin Britten’s ‘Ceremony of Carols’.

A joyful fellowship experience!

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December 14, 2018

Celebrating 44 Years!

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Entre Hermanos Board of Directors announcement of Executive Director resignation

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

Luis Fernando Ramirez Limon – Photo by Anthony Bolante

Website Designer Barry Thorsness / Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published by Frogs and Ink, Inc. © 2018. Frogs and Ink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reprints by permission.

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

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

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

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

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

Dear Friends, In the past year, many in the LGBTQ and Latino/a community have faced unprecedented challenges brought on by changes in federal government policies. As the leading LGBTQ Latino/a Non-Profit in Washington State, Entre Hermanos is an organization uniquely situated to combat these challenges.

In 2019, we will continue to serve and advocate for our community under new leadership. Our current Executive Director, Luis Fernando Ramirez Limon will be stepping down after two years as Executive Director and a total of 11 years with the organization. Under his ambitious leadership, Entre Hermanos has seen the largest increase in its funding, staff, and programs in our history. We thank Luis for his years of service, passion, and commitment.

Entre Hermanos will soon be hiring a new Executive Director and we are currently in the recruiting process. In the interim, our current program managers will step up to lead the organization with guidance from the Board.

The future of Entre Hermanos is bright.

In 2019, we will be expanding our HIV/STI testing and case management for people

Visit us online www.sgn.org

living with HIV, and for the first time, we will be providing direct legal services. We are pleased to announce that we will soon be hiring our first full-time immigration attorney.

We look forward to continuing our work for the LGBT Latino/a community throughout this leadership transition. If you have any questions about the transition, please feel free to contact the Entre Hermanos Board of Directors.

Sincerely, Antonia Martinez President of the Board of Directors of Entre Hermanos Estimados amigas y amigos, En el último año, muchos miembros de la comunidad LGBTQ y Latina han enfrentado retos y desafíos sin precedente que han sido provocados por cambios en las políticas del gobierno federal. Como organización líder LGBTQ Latina sin fines de lucro, Entre Hermanos se ha encontrado en una posición única para combatir estos desafíos.

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En el 2019, seguiremos trabajando en el servicio y apoyo hacia nuestra comunidad para un nuevo liderazgo. Nuestro actual Director Ejecutivo, Luis Fernando Ramírez Limón, ha decidido explorar otras oportunidades, después de estar sirviendo por más de dos años como Director Ejecutivo y con un total de 11 años con la organización.

Bajo su liderazgo, Entre Hermanos ha experimentado en su historia el mayor crecimiento en términos de financiamiento, personal, así como en programas y servicios a la población con la que trabajamos.

Agradecemos a Luis por sus años de servicio, pasión y compromiso.

Entre Hermanos pronto estará contratando a un nuevo Director Ejecutivo y actualmente nos encontramos en el proceso de reclutamiento. Mientras tanto, personal con experiencia en la gestión de programas y servicios, estarán a cargo de liderar la organización con la orientación de la Mesa Directiva.

El futuro de Entre Hermanos es brillante. En el 2019, ampliaremos nuestras actividades relacionadas a pruebas de VIH / ITS y el manejo de casos para personas viviendo con VIH y, por primera vez, brindaremos servicios legales directos. Nos complace anunciar que pronto contrataremos a nuestro primer abogado especialista en temas de inmigración, el cual estará trabajando tiempo completo.

Esperamos continuar nuestro trabajo para la comunidad LGBTQ Latina a través de esta transición de liderazgo. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre la transición, no dude en ponerse en contacto con la Mesa Directiva de Entre Hermanos.

Sinceramente, Antonia Martinez Presidente de la Mesa Directiva de Entre Hermanos

Seattle Gay News 3

Three Dollar Bill Cinema announces office move Last Tuesday Three Dollar Bill Cinema announced that after four years at Capitol Hill Housing’s 12th Avenue Arts building they are moving their office.

“We are excited to announce that we will be moving in with our long-time partner Gay City, Seattle’s LGBTQ Center. We will start our move on December 14th and will be full-time at Gay City by late December,” said Three Dollar Bill Cinema Executive Director, Ben McCarthy, in a letter to the community. “This move will not only allow us the opportunity to work more closely with Gay City, it will provide Three Dollar Bill Cinema with an opportunity to continue to regain financial stability as we navigate through some rough organizational waters.”

“Three Dollar Bill Cinema has been in 12th Avenue Arts since the building opened. They are a vital member of the Capitol Hill community and we’re sorry to that they will no longer have offices in the building. However, we’re honored to have Ben McCarthy joining the Capitol Hill Arts District Steering Committee and [glad Three Dollar Bill Cinema will] remain part of the arts on the Hill,” said Michael Seiwerath, VP of Advancement and External Affairs at Capitol Hill Housing.

events. Moving in together will increase our ability to work on joint projects, support LGBTQ film and art and create a dynamic and vibrant community hub at Gay City.”

While Three Dollar Bill Cinema is changing office location, their slate of yearround programming is not changing. 2019 brings the return of the Academy Awards party in February, Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival in May, Reel Queer Youth in the summer, Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema in August and the Seattle Queer Film Festival in October.

“Gay City is excited to welcome Three Dollar Bill Cinema into our space, and to continue the tradition of having community partners co-locate with us in our LGBTQ

Center,” said Fred Swanson, Gay City Executive Director. “Our two organizations have a long history of successful collaboration on film projects, fundraisers and community

About Three Dollar Bill Cinema Three Dollar Bill Cinema is a nonprofit arts organization that provides access to films by, for, and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people and a forum for LGBTQ filmmakers to share and discuss their work with audiences. Annual programs include The Seattle Queer Film Festival, Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival, Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema and Reel Queer Youth. For more information, visit www.threedollarbillcinema.org.

Courtesy of Three Dollar Bill Cinema

On Human Rights Day, Seattle activists call for city to respect free speech of those confronting white supremacist violence SEATTLE (December 11, 2018) – Organizers of demonstrations against the far right brought their case to Seattle City Hall on December 10, International Human Rights Day. They called on Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle Police Department to stop denying the free speech and assembly rights of social justice advocates who are protesting the recruitment rallies of racist and misogynist groups.

Speakers at the news conference, organized by the December 1st Ad Hoc Coalition Against Misogyny, White Supremacy, and Anti-Semitism, called for a full investigation by the mayor’s office of a “pattern of biased treatment towards human rights defenders.”

Annaliza Torres, of the Freedom Socialist Party, described events surrounding a December 1 rally on the steps of City Hall, sponsored by a right-wing militia called the Washington Three Percenters. Torres said “police thwarted effective counterprotest from opponents, who were kept a block away, barricaded, and surrounded by dozens of officers. Meanwhile,” Torres asserted, “members of Patriot Prayer and Proud Boys, ‘Western chauvinist’ street brawlers, were allowed to roam freely and made several attempts to breach our security lines and instigate altercations with peaceful counter-protesters.”

Torres said, “The Proud Boys have a pattern of attacking human rights defenders, dating to a June 2017 anti-Muslim rally at Seattle City Hall.” In that instance, she said, “Seattle police pepper-sprayed counter-protesters and arrested three people who were defending themselves from punches thrown by Proud Boys.”

“Bias crimes in Seattle and surrounding areas will continue to rise if public opposition is discouraged by city officials,” continued Torres, citing the recent attack by white supremacists on an AfricanAmerican DJ at a Lynnwood bar, and the anti-Semitic vandalism of a Jewish family’s West Seattle home.

Neil Fox, speaking for the Seattle chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, expressed deep concern “about how Seattle-area law enforcement agencies are

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Radical Women speaker Helen Gilbert talked about biased policing against anti-fascist activists at this press conference at City Hall – Photo courtesy of Radical Women

responding to threats to our community – specifically, the threats posed by fascist groups.” He noted a Clark County Sheriff who was fired last summer due to her affiliation with the Proud Boys and asked, “Is the hostility of the Seattle Police toward antifascist protesters in any way based in the infiltration of our police force by fascists?

We want to know whether the Seattle Police Department or any other local police agencies have conducted internal investigations about whether any officers are members of such extremist groups.”

Union activists were also represented at the press conference, including Kirk Duncan of Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity, who said his group “is proud to be part of a coalition that is supporting the targets of ultra-right violence, and doing something to actively stop it.” Duncan described his experience in Kent, where

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“Patriot Prayer [members] were allowed to hold a hostile rally in front of Planned Parenthood while we were pushed across the street and pepper-sprayed.” A statement from the Washington Federation of State Employees, Local 304, which endorsed the December 1 protest, referenced a resolution adopted by the statewide AFSCME and the Washington State Labor Council that calls for labor to “unite and stand up for communities under attack.”

Radical Women spokesperson Helen Gilbert said “many of the far-right groups rallying at City Hall are also harassing Planned Parenthood clinics in Kent, Seattle, and Olympia.” She also recalled “their aggressive presence at the 2018 Seattle Women’s March and the Pride Parade.”

Gilbert said they act as “a magnet for woman-hating bullies, like the so-called ‘involuntary celibates’ who have expressed

their beliefs through mass killings in Santa Barbara, Toronto, and Tallahassee.” Gilbert said she was appalled to see the police barricade of counter-protesters on December 1. “We have not been the initiators of violence. It was supporters of the far right who shot a protester at the UW campus on Inauguration Day last year.”

Party for Socialism and Liberation speaker Liam Hopkins said the only way to oppose far-right violence is through “collective self-defense” and to let ultrarightists know they are “not welcome here.”

Henry Noble, whose Jewish relatives suffered under the Nazis, called the Proud Boys and other such groups “modern-day storm troopers and brownshirts.” Noble recently attended a rally in West Seattle that was called by neighbors of the family targeted with anti-Semitic spray-painting where, he said, “participants connected the murders of worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh to the deadly rampage in Charlottesville.” Noble said that when he showed up to confront ultra-rightists on December 1, police directed him a block away. “The bigots could not even read our signs. That is not free speech.” Noble stressed that “city officials should support human rights, not Nazis! People who are against racism and anti-Semitism – and I hope more will come out – need to be able to tell the perpetrators of fear and bigotry to go back under their rocks.”

The organizations that sponsored the December 1st counter-protest were the ANSWER Coalition, the Freedom Socialist Party, the International Socialist Organization, the Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Radical Women, and the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America. Endorsers included Dyke Community Activists, the Palestine Solidarity Committee, the Puget Sound Socialist Party, Seattle Gay News, Seattle Silence Breakers, Social Equity Educators, and the Washington Federation of State Employees Local 304.

Courtesy of Radical Women

Celebrating 44 Years!

STRONGER

continued from cover have died; appreciate those who are living with HIV/AIDS; applaud the achievements we have made together in the fight against HIV/AIDS; and make a call to action to find, serve, and support those community members who are still in need, in order to eradicate this disease.

On this day, more than $110,000 was raised to support the three benefiting organizations’ work in the Greater Seattle Area.

The event’s keynote speaker was Steven Wakefield, External Relations Director for HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) at Fred Hutch. The event also honored Carol Sterling, former longtime director of the Chicken Soup Brigade, and Chad GollerSojourner, playwright and AIDS activist.

Photo by MK Scott

Seattle Counseling Service (SCS) is a community-based behavioral health organization that has been dedicated to promoting health and wellness within the LGBT community for 49 years. Over the years, SCS has become a nationally recognized leader in cutting edge approaches to therapy, education, intervention, and recovery. As we enter our 50th year of service,

we stay committed to the mission to serve, advocate, educate, and advance the social well-being and health of our LGBTQ community.

Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center is an organization where the staff and volunteers, the programs and services, and their drive and spirit reflect the resilience and power of Seattle’s many LGBTQ communities. Gay City’s Wellness Center, it’s LGBTQ Resource & Referral Program, it’s Gay City Volunteer Crew, and Gay City Arts all provide multiple ways for our community to gather, connect, find voice and serve. Gay City’s mission is to promote wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community.

CareTeams by Samaritan Center of Puget Sound offers people from all walks of life a common volunteer experience by providing a network of practical support and emotional support to people living with HIV/AIDS. Both volunteers and CarePartners (clients) express tremendous benefits through their involvement with CareTeams.

Courtesy of Seattle Counseling Service

The GSBA Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon, “New Voices of Leadership,” was a phenomenal success [On Wednesday, Dec. 12], more than 300 business members of the GSBA community came together to celebrate and share in the triumphs of what can happen when a group of equality-minded partners LEAD BOLD. The Sponsor Expo was a hit, set to festive music played by pianist Victor Janusz and Medearis on saxophone, with more than two dozen of our annual sponsors showcasing their business and sharing what “Equality is Good Business” means to them. A sincere thank you to each and every one of our participating sponsors for this, and all they do.

Opening the program, we were treated to the stunning voice of singer and multitalented performer, Lauren Du Pree of A Sensible Theatre Co. We recognized the outgoing members of the 2018 Board of Directors; Kim Bogucki, Elaine DuCharme, Kevin Gaspari, Rob Hampton, and Trinity Parker. We then welcomed in our new members of the 2019 Board of Directors; David Blandford, Leda Chahim, Shelley Gaddie, Rigo Garcia, Eve Gourley, Andrew Held, and Lisa Sterritt.

Drew Ness, our fearless leader who is finishing his term as GSBA Board Chair, was recognized for his leadership by our incoming Chair Stephanie Dallas. Additionally, we celebrated our GSBA Ambassador of the Year, Toraya Miller, for her commitment to promoting the voice of GSBA. As we wrapped up our annual meeting, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan gave insight-

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan – Photo by MK Scott

ful remarks about progress in Seattle for small businesses and for equality, and outlined more of the work to come. Mayor Durkan described Seattle as a beacon of hope as we continue our fight for equality across the entire LGBTQ spectrum.

President & CEO, Louise Chernin introduced panel moderator, former Seattle City Councilmember and current UW Director of Regional and Community Relations, Sally Clark. Sally and our panelists, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise

Juneau and Seattle Chief of Police Carmen Best, captivated the audience with their conversation about breaking glass ceilings, community and police relations, the safety of LGBTQ students, racial equity, and a few Seattle quirks – including fingersnapping as an expression of approval. We are truly thankful to have these leaders in our community and to have them spend the afternoon with us.

The GSBA Annual Meeting & Holiday Luncheon is made possible with support from our incredible event sponsors, Antioch University and our newest Pearl Jewel sponsor, Olympic Hot Tub. And, of course, we give our thanks to our event host, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall for once again sharing with us the perfect festive backdrop for a holiday meeting.

This year has been full of successes for the GSBA and we are so thankful to the entire GSBA family who made 2018 another year for the books. From our hearts to yours, we wish you the happiest of holidays and a great start to your 2019.

Thank you, GSBA

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau, UW Director of Regional and Community Relations Sally Clark, and Seattle Chief of Police Carmen Best – Photo by MK Scott

Visit us online www.sgn.org

December 14, 2018

Seattle Gay News 5

POCAAN’S 3rd annual gala raises $16,000

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer It is always a delight to get all dressed up (and wear a mask) for a great cause and honor people who have left a mark on the community. That certainly was the case at POCAAN’s Black and Gold Masquerade Gala, held last Saturday (December 8th) at the Northwest African American Museum.

Executive Director, Steven Sawyer was all decked out wearing a gold jacket and other notables were spotted that included Mike Evans (Seattle Black Pride), Jason Plourde (The AMP) and Fred Swanson (Gay City).

Hosted by Ladie Chablis, the event began with a red carpet cocktail reception, followed by a buffet dinner, drinks, and live musical guests. This year’s event featured performances by Shelby and Latin Rose as well as a live-auction led by auctioneer, Laura Michalek.

The event honored both current and former pioneers by recognizing outstanding individuals and organizations that continue to empower communities on the margin by fighting for health and socioeconomic equity.

Each year POCAAN nominates people and organizations from a wide range of backgrounds including the LGBTQ, African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian American communities.

This year POCAAN honored the following individuals:

Photo by MK Scott

• Outstanding Agency Support Award went to Miss Bridgette Washington (Withstyle Catering)

• Political Advocate Award went to Judge Wesley Saint Clair (40 years in the justice system) • Community Exchange Resources Award went to Gerald Bradford (Employment Councilor) • Equity Award for Advocacy went to Charles Gooding (Peer/Outreach Specialist) and Nature Carter-Gooding (YWCA Seattle King Snohomish) • Community Partnership Award went to Russell Campbell (Legacy Project/Fred Hutch) • Community Engagement Award went to Dominique Stephens (Activist) Dr. Steven Wakefield from HIV Vaccine Trial Network was the Keynote Speaker and he encouraged the crowd to go home and have sex.

The total amount raised at the gala dinner and auction was $16,000 which will assist POCAAN in furthering their mission to embrace and mobilize communities of color by providing the necessary tools to promote personal responsibility for one’s health and holistic well-being.

For more information about the important work that POCAAN does not only in supporting people with HIV/AIDS and in their AIDS prevention work, but also in their work supporting at-risk youth and individuals who are re-entering the dayto-day world after having been in jail or prison, visit www.pocaan.org.

MK Scott is a Seattle-based political and arts writer. Check out his site at uniteseattlemag.com

SHEPARD

continued from cover “We are thrilled to honor Judy and Dennis Shepard with our Upstander Award for their tireless and fearless work for the LGBTQ community. For decades, they’ve not only been members of the HRC family but true friends,” said the HRC Foundation’s Acting Senior Vice President Jay Brown. “After the horrific murder of their son, Matthew, 20 years ago, Judy and Dennis chose to bravely rise up and confront the hate violence that plagues our country by establishing a foundation in their son’s name. They have since dedicated their lives to working to create a world where no LGBTQ or other marginalized person has to live in fear.”

The couple’s work through the Matthew Shepard Foundation continues to inspire, bringing hope and support to LGBTQ people around the world who are striving to be who they are, often in the most difficult of circumstances. Judy Shepard has served on the HRC Foundation Board of Directors since 2001.

In the aftermath of Matthew Shepard’s murder in Laramie, Wyoming, Judy and Dennis Shepard also joined with the family of James Byrd Jr., brutally murdered by white supremacists just months before Matthew’s death, to help pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) in 2009. They continue to advocate for comprehensive efforts to prevent and prosecute hate crimes.

In October of this year, on the 20th anniversary of his death, Matthew Shepard was laid to final rest at the Washington National Cathedral. Said HRC President Chad Griffin, “Our nation will never forget Matthew, and his life and legacy continue to inspire progress. By honoring his memory and his family, and by continuing to support the crucial work of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, we can help create a world where no

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Image courtesy of HRC

person lives in fear because of who they are or who they love.”

Since its formation, the HRC Foundation has centered its efforts on providing a voice and support for LGBTQ youth, combating hate crimes, and creating community dialogues around hate and acceptance.

The HRC’s Time to THRIVE Conference is the premier event addressing the safety, inclusion, and well-being of LGBTQ and questioning youth. The event brings together a wide range of youth-serving professionals to discuss best practices for working with and caring for LGBTQ youth and their families in schools, community

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centers, healthcare settings, and beyond. It is co-presented by the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association. BBVA Compass and AT&T are presenting sponsors of the event.

The Time to THRIVE Conference features 65 workshops by more than 45 national and grassroots organizations dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ youth. The HRC’s Youth Ambassadors and Welcoming Schools will also be featured at the conference. Additional speakers and honorees will be announced at a later date.

To register, visit www.TimeToTHRIVE. org.

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

Courtesy of the HRC

Celebrating 44 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

December 14, 2018

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Celebrating 44 Years!

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Celebrating 44 Years!

appellants filed their opening brief in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.

• October 22, 2018: Plaintiffs-appellees filed their opposition to the defendants’ appeal, asking the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to leave in place the preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the transgender military ban.

• October 29, 2018: A wide array of former military leaders, veterans’ and civil rights organizations, women’s groups, military scholars and historians, and states went on record opposing President Trump’s ongoing efforts to exclude transgender people from military service, in thirteen friend-of-the-court briefs filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

NCLR and GLAD have been at the center of the legal fight challenging the Trump-Pence transgender military ban since filing Doe v. Trump, the first of four cases filed against the ban, on August 9, 2017.

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keep Doe’s preliminary injunction in place, which prevents implementation of Trump’s transgender military ban while the case is being heard in court.

There are four lawsuits challenging the ban, and all four federal judges in these cases have issued nationwide preliminary injunctions blocking it. In issuing those orders, the courts each determined that the plaintiffs challenging the ban – including current service members, ROTC, military academy students, and enlistees – would likely prevail on their claim that the ban violates their constitutional guarantee of equal protection. [The] argument concerned the government’s appeal of DC federal district court judge Colleen KollarKotelly’s forceful denial of its request to dissolve her injunction after the administration released its implementation plan for the ban in March. Judge Kollar-Kotelly reiterated her finding that there has been no change in circumstances to invalidate the injunction in a November 30 ruling denying the government’s subsequent request for a stay while the Supreme Court considers its application for cert before judgment.

“The government is playing word games by arguing that transgender people can serve in their birth sex. That is a contradiction in terms,” said GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi.“ This is not a game. What’s at stake here is the lives of dedicated service members, who are willing and able to serve and are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”

“Throughout this case, I have been privileged to meet and represent courageous young people who want nothing more than to meet the military’s high standards and to serve their country,” said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter. “Instead, they have been swept up in a discriminatory political firestorm that has nothing to do with either what’s best for the military or their ability to serve. Their futures and who we are as a country are at stake.”

For more information, go to NCLR and GLAD’s website outlining the history and status of the Trump-Pence transgender military ban at https://notransmilitaryban.org/.

Background • June 30, 2016: The United States Department of Defense (DOD) adopted a policy permitting transgender people to serve in the military based on a nearly twoyear DOD review [that determined] that there was no valid reason to exclude qualified personnel from military service simply because they are transgender.

WIDOWER

continued from cover his husband, in the US District Court for the District of New Mexico argues that the SSA’s imposition of a nine-month marriage requirement for social security survivor’s benefits is unconstitutional where samesex couples were not able to be married for nine months because of discriminatory marriage laws.

“Over the past three months, we have filed lawsuits against the Social Security Administration in three different states – Washington, Arizona and, today, New Mexico – all underscoring the ongoing harm that a number of same-sex couples continue to experience from marriage bans, despite those laws having been struck down,” said Lambda Legal Counsel Peter Renn. “Anthony and his husband, Mark Johnson, got married literally on the very first day they could in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was August 27, 2013.

Tragically, cancer claimed Mark’s life six months later. Because they were not married for nine months, as Social Security requires, Anthony was denied access

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

Lambda Legal client Army Staff Sergeant Cathrine Schmid speaking at a press event.

– Photo courtesy of Lambda Legal

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) was the first national LGBTQ legal organization founded by women and brings a fierce, long-standing commitment to racial and economic justice and our community’s most vulnerable. Since 1977, we have been at the forefront of advancing the civil and human rights of LGBTQ people and their families through impact litigation, public policy, and public education. Decades ago, the NCLR launched the first LGBTQ Immigration Project, the Transgender Rights Project, the Youth Project, and the Elder Law Project, and began working to end conversion therapy through what is now our Born Perfect campaign. www.nclrights.org

• July 26, 2017: President Trump tweeted that “the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US Military.”

• August 9, 2017: NCLR and GLAD filed Doe v. Trump, the first lawsuit filed to stop the ban, challenging its constitutionality and requesting that the court issue a nationwide preliminary injunction to stop it from taking effect while the case is being heard in court.

• August 25, 2017: President Trump issued a memorandum ordering Secretary of Defense James Mattis to submit “a plan for implementing” the ban by February 21, 2018. Secretary Mattis delivered this (the “Mattis Plan” and panel report) to President Trump on February 22, 2018.

• October 30, 2017: The United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Doe v. Trump plaintiffs had established a likelihood of success on their claim that President Trump’s ban violates equal protection, that the plaintiffs would be irreparably harmed without a preliminary injunction to stop the ban, and that the public interest and balance of hardships weighed in favor of granting injunctive relief and temporarily halting the ban while

the case is heard by the court.

• March 23, 2018: President Trump accepts the “Mattis Plan” and issues a memorandum in which he “revoked” his August 25 memorandum.

• April 20, 2018: Defendants file a motion to dissolve the October 30 nationwide preliminary injunction enjoining the transgender military ban issued by the US District Court for the District of Columbia; a motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint; and a Motion for Summary Judgment.

• May 11, 2018: Plaintiffs file their crossmotion for summary judgment, as well as motions in opposition to the defendant’s motions to dissolve the injunction and dismiss the plaintiffs’ complaint.

• August 6, 2018: Judge Colleen KollarKotelly denies the defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and Motion to Dissolve the Preliminary Injunction.

• August 27, 2018: Defendants filed a notice of appeal to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals of Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s denial of their motion to dissolve the preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the transgender military ban.

• September 21, 2018: The defendants-

to the survivor’s benefits to which Mark contributed. Social Security’s nine-month rule serves only to continue the harms that invalid marriage bans created. It’s past time for a change.”

“I met Mark in 1998, and five months later, we moved in together,” Gonzales said.

“We established a joint checking account, named each other as our beneficiaries, and cared for each other when sick – basically, all the things that committed couples do.

And then New Mexico’s marriage ban was struck down. We were together for 15 years, and we got married as soon as humanly possible, but I’m still barred from receiving the same benefits as other widowers, even though my husband worked hard and paid into the Social Security system with every paycheck. The government tells me we weren’t married for long enough, but we literally married the first day we could.

How is that fair?”

Anthony Gonzales and Mark Johnson were in a committed relationship from 1998 until Johnson died in 2014. They lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Gonzales worked for a local nonprofit and Johnson was an elementary school teacher.

Then, in August 2013, when a New Mexico

state court struck down the state’s marriage ban, Gonzales and Johnson immediately got married. They were among the dozens of same-sex couples who participated in a mass wedding ceremony on Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza the day after the court ruling and the first day marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples.

“Same-sex couples who weren’t able to marry for most of their relationship faced discrimination throughout their lives, and now surviving spouses like Anthony face it all over again, after their loved one has died,” Renn added. “Even the Social Security Administration’s own judge urged Anthony to file in federal court so it could rectify the obvious inequality that samesex surviving spouses like Anthony now face. These benefits are as essential to the financial security of surviving same-sex spouses in their retirement years as they are to heterosexual surviving spouses. But the government is holding their benefits hostage and imposing impossible-to-satisfy terms for their release.”

Read about the case, Gonzales v. Berryhill, at: https://www.lambdalegal.org/ in-court/cases/gonzales-v-berryhill. This is the third lawsuit Lambda Legal has filed in

the past year challenging Social Security’s requirement that couples be married for at least nine months to qualify for survivor’s benefits. In September, Lambda Legal filed Thornton v. Berryhill in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. Read about that case at: https://www. lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/thornton-vberryhill.

And in November, Lambda Legal filed Ely v. Berryhill in the US District Court for the District of Arizona. Read about that case at: https://www.lambdalegal.org/ in-court/cases/ely-v-berryhill.

Lambda Legal’s attorneys working on the case are: Peter Renn, Tara Borelli, and Karen Loewy. They are joined by Albuquerque attorney Maria E. Touchet and Santa Fe attorney Helen Laura Lopez.

December 14, 2018

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. It brings the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. It advances civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating, and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those it serves. www.

EQCA.org Courtesy of the NCLR

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

Courtesy of Lambda Legal

GLAAD CEO on William Barr: “He will continue the Trump administration’s objective of erasing LGBTQ Americans from the fabric of this nation”

William Barr in 2003 – Photo by Chris Kleponis / Bloomberg News

NEW YORK (December 7, 2018) – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today panned President Trump for nominating William Barr to be his next US attorney general. Much like his predecessor Jeff Sessions, Barr has a vicious anti-LGBTQ history [https:// www.glaad.org/tap/william-barr], even suggesting that equality for LGBTQ Americans has “led to America’s decline.”

“William Barr, who has wrongfully suggested that LGBTQ people – not Trump and his destructive policies – have harmed the United States, is the latest in a long line of replacements who President Trump has appointed to his cabinet who are just as anti-LGBTQ as their predecessors,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD. “If confirmed, there’s little doubt that William Barr would continue the

Trump administration’s objective of erasing LGBTQ Americans from the fabric of this nation.”

For more information about William Barr, see below. Also, check out GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project that highlights anti-LGBTQ members of the Trump Administration [at https://www.glaad.org/ trump].

Background Information: William Barr would continue Trump administration’s erasure of LGBTQ Americans • Delivered multiple speeches in the early ’90s condemning the “permissiveness,” “sexual revolution,” and “moral upheaval” that he insisted had led to America’s decline (More analysis of these speeches [at https://theclosetatheist39.files.wordpress. com/2018/05/closet-rhet-crit-paper.pdf])

• Condemned church/state separation in public schools: “This moral lobotomy of public schools has been based on extremist notions of separation of church and state or on theories of moral relativism which reject the notion that there are standards of rights or wrong to which the community can demand adherence.” [https:// www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/ag/ legacy/2011/08/23/04-01-1992.pdf] • Insisted Georgetown University’s equal footing for LGBTQ rights groups was an attack on morality: “The second way in which secularists use law as a weapon is to pass laws that affirmatively promote the moral relativist viewpoint. Such laws seek to ratify, or put on an equal plane, conduct that previously was considered immoral...Another example was the effort to apply District of Columbia law to compel

Georgetown University to treat homosexual activist groups like any other student group. This kind of law dissolves any form of moral consensus in society. There can be no consensus based on moral views in the country, only enforced neutrality.” [https:// scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/ &httpsredir=1&article=2355&context=tcl] • Bemoaned the attention shown to “the homosexual movement”: “It is no accident that the homosexual movement, at one or two percent of the population, gets treated with such solicitude while the Catholic population, which is over a quarter of the country, is given the back of the hand. How has that come to be?” [same URL as previous bullet] Courtesy of GLAAD

Profiled because he was homeless, harassed because he was Gay, shot because he was black Family sues Walgreens over in-store shooting

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Jonathan Hart – Photo courtesy of KTLA5

12 Seattle Gay News

A family in California is suing the Walgreens company after Jonathan Hart, a Gay black man, was shot and killed by a security guard employed by the pharmacy chain.

On December 2, Hart was accused of shoplifting by a security guard at a Hollywood Walgreens store. The encounter turned into a fight, during which the guard reportedly pulled his gun and shot Hart in the neck, killing him.

Hart was only 21 at the time of his death, and was experiencing homelessness.

According to reports, the as-yet-unidentified security guard has not been arrested or charged in the killing.

December 14, 2018

Hart’s family is now suing Walgreens for $525 million and calling for a boycott of the company’s stores.

“I dare say, Jonathan Hart was profiled because he was homeless. He was harassed because he was Gay, and he was shot because he was black,” said the family’s attorney, Carl E. Douglas.

“I gave this family a pledge: that Jonathan will not have died in vain, and that, on behalf of the people of America, through the spirit of Jonathan Hart, we are gonna make Walgreens pay,” Douglas added.

Douglas was one of O.J. Simpson’s defense attorneys.

Walgreens has not commented on the lawsuit, but the company did issue a statement.

“We have extended our deepest and

most sincere condolences to Mr. Hart’s family,” Walgreens said.

“As a result of this tragic incident, we immediately terminated the security company, and we continue to fully cooperate in the ongoing police investigation.

“We are committed to providing a safe environment for our employees, patients, and customers in the communities we serve. We contract for armed and unarmed security, as well as video surveillance, in our stores based on the public safety needs of each location.

“We operate in thousands of communities and neighborhoods across the nation, and the suggestion that we would inappropriately serve any community is simply false. We firmly believe everyone should be welcomed and treated equally in all of our stores.”

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Trump administration bars NIH research involving fetal tissue New order disrupts HIV study

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Trump administration has ordered scientists employed by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to stop acquiring new human fetal tissue for experiments, according to ScienceInsider.

The new order affects two laboratories run by the agency, NIH officials say. In one case, it disrupted a study probing how the HIV virus initially colonizes human tissues.

The HIV study was being conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

“Yes, we have instituted a pause of further procurements [of human fetal tissue] pending the audit/review that HHS [the federal Health and Human Services Department] is undertaking,” an NIAID spokesperson confirmed.

The HIV experiment disrupted by the administration’s order was being conducted at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana, which focus on infectious diseases.

Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana – NIH Image Gallery

Researchers there use fetal tissue donated by women who have had legal abortions to create so-called humanized mice, which have immune systems that behave like a human’s. Humanized mice have played a key role in testing and developing treatments for HIV/AIDS. According to emails provided to ScienceInsider by Warner Greene, director of the

Gladstone Center for HIV Cure Research in San Francisco, RML researcher Kim Hasenkrug had prepared humanized mice for a trial of an antibody that the researchers believed could prevent HIV from establishing reservoirs in the human body.

On September 11, researcher Kim Hasenkrug informed Greene and her postdoctoral student Thomas Packard that he had obtained needed reagents and the mice were ready.

Packard responded that they were excited at the prospect of getting the study started, and would immediately send Hasenkrug a batch of the antibodies.

“I’ll not be able to get [the antibodies] on the 3 PM FedEx today, but I’ll ship [the antibodies] to you tomorrow, so you should have it on Thursday,” Packard wrote in an email.

By September 28, however, all bets were off. Greene received a message from Hasenkrug that left him stunned, he said.

The email, which bore the subject line “HHS directive,” read in part: “[HHS] has directed me to discon-

tinue procuring fetal tissue from ABR, the only source for us. I think that they are the only provider of fetal tissue for scientists in the nation who don’t have direct access to aborted fetal tissue. This effectively stops all of our research to discover a cure for HIV.” Hasenkrug had not yet launched the experiment, Greene says, and his supplies of existing mice were too small to conduct the repeated experiments required to reach convincing scientific conclusions.

The order to discontinue fetal tissue was issued covertly, without any public announcement, as part of a review of all fetal tissue research funded by the federal government.

“We were all poised to go and then the bombshell was dropped,” Greene said.

“The decision completely knocked our collaboration off the rails. We were devastated.”

Many of Donald Trump’s evangelical supporters oppose fetal tissue research because the tissue is procured as a result of abortions.

Sen. Murray continues fight against President Trump’s far-right judicial nominees, opposes nominee tied to fake women’s health clinics WASHINGTON, DC (December 11, 2018) – Today, US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) outlined her opposition to Jonathan Kobes’ nomination to serve on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in a speech on the Senate floor. Sen. Murray made clear that not only does Mr. Kobes lack the qualifications for the position but that his past work with fake women’s health centers – clinics that seek out women looking for information about their health care needs and reproductive rights, and then use misleading or false propaganda to scare and pressure them – is utterly disqualifying. In her speech, Sen. Murray highlighted the importance of continuing to stand up for women’s health care and rights, particularly in light of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation earlier this year, and made clear she is going to keep fighting against Republican efforts to ram through President Trump’s far-right ideological judges.

Key excerpts of Sen. Murray’s speech: • “Like many of President Trump’s nominees before him, Mr. Kobes lacks almost any real experience to qualify him for a seat on the 8th Circuit Court. He has little trial experience, little appellate experience, and no record of legal scholarship to speak of. And I’m not the only one concerned by that – the American Bar Association has also rated him unqualified. That makes Mr. Kobes the sixth judicial nominee from President Trump opposed by his professional colleagues. But the thin record he does have is disqualifying – because it shows he will put extreme right-wing ideology ahead of women and science.”

• “Hours before the final vote on Judge Kavanaugh, I came here to speak about how angry I was when the Senate failed Anita Hill back in 1991 and confirmed Justice Thomas, how I decided to run for Senate after that so I could fight to change things, and how I hoped everyone who was angry about Judge Kavanaugh would stay angry and keep fighting for change. And then, I also promised – right here – that whatever happened, I was going to get up the next day and keep fighting too, and I meant it. I’m going to keep standing up, speaking out, and making clear just how harmful President Trump’s ideological nominees are.”

Photo courtesy of the Office of Sen. Patty Murray

Watch video of Sen. Murray’s floor speech [at https://youtu.be/fzNPPZtSLsQ].

The full text of Sen. Murray’s floor speech is below: “Thank you M[r]. President. I come to the floor today to oppose Jonathan Kobes’ nomination to serve on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.

“People across the country know how important it is we fight back against extreme – and extremely unqualified – judicial nominees.

“Earlier this year, during Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation, we saw just how far President Trump and Senate Republicans are willing to go to jam through extreme judges who will work to strip away women’s rights.

“But that wasn’t all we saw.

“We saw how many millions of women and men across the country were inspired to stand up and fight back against his nomination.

“We saw people speak out and share their own personal stories about what was at stake – about sexual assault and how important it is we believe survivors, about the right to safe, legal abortions and what it means for women and their families, about what kind of country we want to live in.

“And we saw without question that people across the country want us to stop President Trump from swinging our courts far-right by packing them with ideologi-

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cal judges. Judges like Mr. Kobes, who will continue the Trump-Pence agenda of rolling back women’s rights and access to health care.

“M[r]. President, I want to spend a few minutes today making sure families know exactly what Mr. Kobes would mean for women if he is seated: weaker rights and less access to health care.

“Like many of President Trump’s nominees before him, Mr. Kobes lacks almost any real experience to qualify him for a seat on the 8th Circuit Court. He has little trial experience, little appellate experience, and no record of legal scholarship to speak of.

“And I’m not the only one concerned by that – the American Bar Association has also rated him unqualified. That makes Mr. Kobes the sixth judicial nominee from President Trump opposed by his professional colleagues.

“But the thin record he does have is disqualifying – because it shows he will put extreme right-wing ideology ahead of women and science.

“Mr. Kobes is an outspoken advocate for fake women’s health care centers – sometimes called ‘crisis pregnancy centers.’

These fake clinics seek out women looking for information about their health care needs and reproductive rights, and then use misleading – and even blatantly false – propaganda to scare and pressure women.

“Mr. Kobes even went out of his way to

December 14, 2018

represent some of these fake clinics free of charge. He voluntarily defended a law requiring providers to give a lecture full of ideological propaganda and fear-mongering to women seeking safe, legal abortions.

The required lecture in this case actually went so far as to demand providers lie to women and claim abortion increases their risk of suicide – it does not.

“Think about that. He argued for a law that directly interfered with the relationship between patients and health care providers.

A law that said women making their own decisions about their own bodies, and seeking health care that is their constitutional right should be lied to – should be frightened out of their decision with fake information – including fake information about suicide.

“That is utterly wrong and disqualifying for any judicial nominee.

“And Mr. Kobes hasn’t merely represented these fake clinics in court, he served on the board of an organization which aimed to deceive and frighten women out of getting abortions.

“It’s clear Mr. Kobes wasn’t chosen for his bona fides in the legal field – because he doesn’t have them.

“M[r]. President, women and men across the country are paying attention, because they know how much is at stake.

“Hours before the final vote on Judge Kavanaugh, I came here to speak about how angry I was when the Senate failed Anita Hill back in 1991 and confirmed Justice Thomas, how I decided to run for Senate after that so I could fight to change things, and how I hoped everyone who was angry about Judge Kavanaugh would stay angry and keep fighting for change.

“And then, I also promised – right here on the Senate floor – that whatever happened, I was going to get up the next day and keep fighting too, and I meant it.

I’m going to keep standing up, speaking out, and making clear just how harmful President Trump’s ideological nominees are.

“I strongly oppose Mr. Kobes’ nomination, and I hope all of my colleagues will do the same.”

Courtesy of Sen. Patty Murray

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