SGN December 18, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

Issue 51 Volume 48

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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

PETE BUTTIGIEG

NOMINATED AS SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer President-elect Joe Biden has named Pete Buttigieg to be the Secretary of Transportation. The choice was officially announced December 15.

He will be the first out Gay cabinet officer, as well as the youngest ever, at age 38.

Photo by Kevin Lamarque / AP

see BUTTIGIEG page 9

Bye-bye, Bill Barr

Supreme Court rejects challenge to same-sex parents on birth certificates

Photo by Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Sipa USA / AP

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Bill Barr, the man who combined a government post as attorney general with a self-appointed position as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, is quitting.

Barr went to the White House December 14 to turn in his letter of resignation.

“As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family,” Trump later tweeted.

see BARR page 8

Photo by Tom Brenner / Reuters

by Chris Johnson Washington Blade The U.S. Supreme Court, which many predicted would roll back LGBTQ rights with its new 6-3 conservative majority, has turned down a request to hear a case that

would have undercut the guarantee of full marriage equality for same-sex couples nationwide.

In its orders list Monday, the court without explanation signaled it had denied certiorari

see SAME-SEX PARENTS page 11

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December 18, 2020

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MARK MY WORDS

The push for LGBT rights continues abroad

by Mark Segal Philadelphia Gay News Want to publicly thank the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw Poland who gave me an appreciation of how resilient our government can be and how the foreign service, part of our State Department, continues to fight for women’s and LGBT rights even under a Secretary of State as radically right wing as Mike Pompeo.

For the last two years, Poland has been under the grip of a right wing government that is so much out of the mainstream that it has gone as far as outlawing abortion in any circumstance other than for the life of the mother. On the LGBT front, some Polish cities have placed signs stating that their city is a LGBT-free zone, meaning that LGBT people are not welcome in their city. The parliament and agencies of the government have introduced a mountain of anti-LGBT legislation and regulations, including outlawing same-sex adoption, calling for conversion therapy for all LGBT people, and even denying teachers the ability to say LGBT people exist. We could go on but let’s just leave it with the headline from Bloomberg on the subject: “Where Your Sexuality Can Make You Enemy of the State.”

The article goes on to state that the government has “weaponized homophobia.”

When LGBT people attempt to protest, they are met by thugs, and the police arrest the protesters, not the thugs.

But these setbacks have not stopped the LGBT and women activists in Poland. They continue to protest. They come out late at night and hang rainbow flags on public buildings and churches who have partnered with the government in their campaign to eliminate the LGBT community.

It has gotten so bad that 50 ambassadors wrote a letter to President Andrzej Duda.

Duda made opposition to gay rights a key theme of his re-election in July, calling them more destructive than the communists that ruled the country for more than 40 years.

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Photo by Kacper Pempel / Reuters

In their letter, the ambassadors expressed concern about political attacks on sexual minorities in a letter to the government.

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher said Poland is “on the wrong side of history” on LGBTQ rights.

You read that right. Our ambassador joined in with those from 49 other countries to denounce LGBT discrimination. But it didn’t stop there. The U.S. Embassy in Warsaw contacted me and asked if I was willing to be part of their speaking series. Can you guess what they wanted me to speak on? My partition in the Stonewall riots. In addition, the talk would be live streamed and promoted through universities, several of which were aligned with the protest movement. I understood what the speaking series was meant to do. It was going to be a pep talk to the LGBT activists in Poland.

My opening line was: “This is your Stonewall moment, and I am honored to be

with you and know that we support you in your struggle.”

In the Q and A that followed, when asked about the LGBT free zones I found myself giving suggestions on how the activists can fight against them.

During the event I actually felt something I have not felt in years, a joy in fighting to stop oppression. That is the actual meaning of Stonewall. My closing line to the activists was: “I hope that we get through this pandemic soon so I can join you in your protest and be arrested along your side. It would be an honor.”

I now have something to look forward to when this pandemic is over: being arrested in Poland with those brave activists who aren’t just talking the talk, but are walking the walk.

December 18, 2020

Seattle Gay News 3

Courtesy of Mark Segal and Philadelphia Gay News

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OutRight NOW: Celebrating LGBTIQ communities around the world st=PLDBBbveIozTj1IsTEAh5id0ckck4 W2s9R

by Jessica Stern Executive Director OutRight Action International For me, as for many of us, the end of the year tends to come hand in hand with reflection about the past year, and looking forward to what comes next.

It has been a hard year, unlike any other.

COVID-19 has left no person unaffected, and LGBTIQ communities in particular have faced devastating consequences around the world, leaving us more isolated, more vulnerable, more excluded, and physically cut off from chosen families and communities.

“Community is a promise that we are not alone,” said Hamed Sinno in their heartbreakingly beautiful and emotional keynote speech [https://www.youtube.com/watch?utm_sou rce=OutRight+Action+International+Up dates&utm_campaign=90a21820f6-OutRight_Now_11_20_2020_COPY_01&utm_ medium=email&utm_term= 0_ e2598f1f94-90a21820f6-93856529&mc_ cid=90a21820f6&mc_eid=5904653693& v=sS0WPpfVXXU&feature=youtu.be] at OutSummit, OutRight’s annual global conference for LGBTIQ Equality which was held virtually this year. Those words couldn’t be

Image courtesy of OutRight International

more true. Especially this year.

But while we could not be with our communities physically, we did find community in virtual spaces. And nowhere was this more clear than at this year’s OutSummit.

1650 people from over 100 countries registered to take part. The levels of engagement in sessions, in plenaries, in chats and the networking space was beyond anything we could have imagined. It was a heartfelt reminder of the strength of our community, and the potential of our movement.

WATCH RECORDINGS FROM OUTSUMMIT https://www.youtube.com/playlist?li

We sometimes say “the global LGBTIQ movement” like it’s a given, but that’s not true. It is a precious thing. It takes nurturing to create. It catalyzes progress. And it saves lives. We have a global LGBTIQ movement because we build relationships in spaces like OutSummit and because we learn to fight, not just for ourselves, but for each other.

Over the last year Bhutan and Gabon have decriminalized same-sex relations.

Sudan removed the death-penalty for samesex relations. The UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity called for a global ban on sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts (so-called “conversion therapy”). Montenegro passed partnership legislation. People around the world rose up against structural racism and police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Individuals, corporations, foundations and governments supported OutRight’s COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund, which to date has distributed 1 million dollars for LGBTIQ people around the world.

But over a third of the world’s countries

still criminalize same-sex relations. LGBTIQ populations continue to face a devastation of livelihood due to COVID-19. Forces opposing gender and LGBTIQ equality are still way more funded and organized than us. We still have an uphill battle.

The status quo is unacceptable. We must fight against invisibility, exclusion, poverty, anti-trans ideologies, anti-woman ideologies, anti-Blackness, discrimination in all its forms, and we must always fight antiLGBTIQ violence!

We are not alone. We have a global movement, and together we can, and do, move mountains. I wish you all the best for the next year, and hope that it brings with it more progress, more strength, and a return of our physical, as well as our virtual, community spaces.

In solidarity, Jessica Stern Executive Director OutRight Action International P.S. If you missed OutSummit, or particular sessions, you can watch the recordings ar https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P LDBBbveIozTj1IsTEAh5id0ckck4W2s9R

Rep. Nicole Macri: Our plan for building community trust, latest COVID-19 resources, and more

Photo courtesy of Nicole Macri

December 14, 2020 Dear Friends and Neighbors, It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to send you an e-newsletter update. During elections years, legislators adhere to a communications freeze in order to assure Washington’s taxpayers that we are not using state resources for campaign purposes. I understand it means I haven’t been able to send you the latest available resources and updates about the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we believe as a core value that good governance requires a clear distinction between official duties and campaign activities. Likewise, this also means you’ll begin seeing updates from

4 Seattle Gay News

my Facebook page again! [www.facebook. com/RepNicoleMacri/] We have many immediate challenges ahead of us as legislators. During the upcoming legislative session, we’ll need to focus our efforts to do the most good for the people facing the greatest needs in our communities. This includes preventing an eviction tsunami, pandemic relief for workers and small businesses, addressing the global climate crisis, and supporting K-12 teachers, students, and families.

Next time I’ll share more about my priorities for the upcoming legislative session and how to make your voice heard while the legislature is meeting remotely.

December 18, 2020

Our plan for building community trust through police accountability After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, historic protests against racism and police brutality took hold across the country, with the 43rd District being the local epicenter for demonstrations. I heard from hundreds of you who urged me to use my position as a state representative to rethink policing in our community. As policymakers, it is our responsibility to listen to the anguish and the rightful anger of thousands of peaceful protestors and to work with Black, Brown, and Indigenous community members to create laws that truly hold police account-

able and create equal justice in our state.

Recognizing that representation matters, House Democrats convened a leadership team to examine current policy and come up with a plan to rebuild our communities’ trust in our police. The leadership team is made up of members from the Black Members Caucus and the Members of Color Caucus.

Starting in June, the leadership team met with families of victims of police violence, community representatives, members of law enforcement, academics, young people, and other stakeholders. I was honored to join these conversations and work with my colleagues to center Black voices

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Durkan Digest: Extending COVID-19 restrictions through the winter holidays

Image courtesy of the City of Seattle

SEATTLE (December 11, 2020) – This week, Gov. Jay Inslee and public health officials made the difficult decision to extend statewide restrictions on social gatherings and businesses through January 4, 2021.

Today, Seattle surpassed 13,000 cases.

On November 1, Seattle had 7,000 cases, so nearly 50% of Seattle’s cases have been from the last six weeks. As Dr. Duchin with Public Health – Seattle & King County reported today, cases are still at a dangerous level of COVID-19 transmission, and more than 80% of intensive care beds are now occupied, with 25% occupied by COVID-19 patients, while the number of deaths has accelerated. Our hospitals are already stressed with high levels of cases like this spring.

Nine months into a deadly pandemic, I know so many of us are feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from the ongoing stress of living through 2020 and a pandemic. But in order to protect our families and vulnerable neighbors, we must continue to strictly follow all public health guidance, including testing, masking, and avoiding gatherings. The City will do all [it] can, but it’s up to each individual to slow the spread of COVID-19. This includes celebrating the winter holidays safely by remaining with your immediate household and not traveling to see relatives.

The pandemic has not only been hard on our families; so many of Seattle’s small businesses are hurting. Next week, the City Council will consider our joint legislation for additional small business relief, especially for workers who have been most impacted by the recent restrictions.

Shopping locally – and shopping safely – will have a particularly profound impact on our small businesses If you, like me, have not yet finished your holiday shopping, I encourage you to check out the Office of Economic Development’s Shop Your Block retail map [www.seattle.gov/office-of-eco-

nomic-development/shop-your-block] as you search for that perfect gift. Shopping local is a great way to support your favorite Seattle small businesses in this truly unprecedented year. Local retail businesses are already following reduced capacity requirements, but remember your mask as you shop to keep our community safe.

While Seattle continues to work creatively to provide direct financial assistance to our workers and small businesses, it is more important than ever that our federal government immediately passes a COVID-19 relief package that includes direct assistance to workers, small businesses, and cities. Many of our residents are relying on unemployment assistance, direct food relief, and student loan forbearance, to name a few programs.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Seattle has worked quickly to launch COVID-19 relief programs, including rent relief, expanding shelter for people experiencing homelessness, grocery vouchers for working families, and financial assistance to small businesses.

Next week, I’ll be announcing additional extensions of COVID-19 policies in the City of Seattle, but you can find a list of existing COVID-19 relief resources and policies [at www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19].

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

announced this summer to create 600 new units of permanent supportive housing, bring the 2020 total housing investments to $115.8 million, a historic level of investment in a single year for the City.

In addition to the first-ever Permanent Supportive Housing Pilot [https://bit. ly/381ciRP] investments awarded this summer, for the first time in a decade, the Office of Housing offered two rounds of funding to more quickly support affordable rental and homeownership housing: one in the spring and one in the fall. Mayor Durkan and the Office of Housing’s decision to increase the number of funding opportunities in a single year was made in direct response to the city’s urgent need for more affordable homes.

Read more at https://bit.ly/3niyQnq.

Additional investments in affordable housing; historic total of $115 million in 2020 This week, Mayor Durkan announced additional investments of $55.8 million to support 840 low-income and affordable rental and homeownership opportunities in neighborhoods throughout Seattle.

These investments, along with $60 million

3,100 more Seattle families will receive monthly fruit and vegetable benefit, as the City expands food supports The addition of $1.3 million for Fresh Bucks in the newly approved 2021 City budget, combined with year-end program savings, makes it possible to enroll 3,100 people currently on the Fresh Bucks wait-

and experiences in this important work – that’s the only way our work can be successful.

I am committed to working with the leadership team and community stakeholders in developing a comprehensive package of legislation to: • Strengthen police accountability measures • Limit questionable police tactics and the use of deadly force • Increase transparency of police activity and • Ensure truly independent investigations and prosecutions of egregious police misconduct

When someone is shot or killed by police and the law doesn’t offer a pathway to justice, it damages the community, the reputation of law enforcement, and the entire concept of justice. That’s why rebuilding our communities’ trust in law enforcement and in tangible systemic action is of paramount importance. Police officers are the first and often only interaction the public has with our government. We must ensure that preserving human life is the highest priority for our law enforcement and that they are being held to the highest standards. This will be one of the Legislature’s top priorities this year. Black Lives Matter, and that needs to be reflected in every policy we consider and pass.

Latest COVID-19 news and resources COVID-19 information and resources change quickly. Please refer to the following links for the most current guidance and to find available assistance.

On Tuesday, December 8, Gov. Inslee announced additional funding to aid small businesses as he extended the current COVID-19 restrictions through January 4.

Read more about the governor’s reasoning for extending the current restrictions [at https://bit.ly/3gLjNQE] and find info about new small business aid [at http://startup. choosewashingtonstate.com/workingwashington-round-3].

King County Eviction Prevention and

Rent Assistance Program [https://kingcounty.gov/depts/community-human-services/COVID/eviction-prevention-rentassistance.aspx] Information for workers, including unemployment and worker rights [https://coronavirus.wa.gov/information-for/workers] Washington state coronavirus response homepage [https://coronavirus.wa.gov/]

December 18, 2020

Seattle Gay News 5

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Over 3,700 grants through Disaster Relief Fund for Immigrant and Refugee Families The City’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) – in partnership with Scholarship Junkies – has provided 3,703 individuals and households with direct cash assistance through its Disaster Relief Fund for Immigrants. This fund was created to support vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but shut out of federal assistance through the CARES Act and state unemployment insurance.

Read more at https://bit.ly/2Kn3sWu.

list to begin receiving vouchers in December and continuing through 2021. This expansion brings the total Seattle households served by the Fresh Bucks program to 12,100 in addition to the City’s emergency grocery voucher program that has supported 14,000 households.

Read more at https://bit.ly/2KqFLMG. Mayor leads 16 bipartisan mayors from across the country in a letter urging executive action from Biden & Harris to address COVID-19 As Congress continues to negotiate a COVID-19 relief bill, Mayor Durkan led a letter to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris highlighting executive actions needed to help cities address COVID-19 in the initial days of the administration. The proposed actions focus on providing immediate relief to cities, residents, and small businesses across the country, specifically while cities continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and begin distributing a vaccine. Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York, NY; Ted Wheeler of Portland, OR; Lori E. Lightfoot of Chicago, IL; Joe Giles of Mesa, AZ; and Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, CA are among the 15 other mayors who signed the letter.

In the letter, the mayors highlight key areas where the President-elect can help cities, states, and residents such as using the Defense Production Act for supplies for testing, vaccinations, PPE, student loan forgiveness, and supporting local vaccine distribution.

Read more at https://bit.ly/387Nzv2.

Read the letter at https://bit. ly/2LCUc0X. Courtesy of Mayor Jenny Durkan

Courtesy of Rep. Nicole Macri

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HRC reacts to the US surpassing 300,000 COVID-19 deaths

WASHINGTON, DC (December 14, 2020) – Today, as the United States reaches a grim milestone of surpassing 300,000 deaths caused by COVID-19, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Alphonso David issued the following statement: “When the pandemic began, it was the responsibility of our elected leaders to take real action to avoid the needless deaths of people in this country. The Trump-Pence administration’s response has been an abject failure. They should have trusted the scientists and developed a plan to do more to ease the suffering of people across the country.

Today, we recognize the grim truth that the administration’s botched handling of the pandemic has now led over 300,000 people losing their lives.

“Each and every day we have seen Black and Brown people bear the impact of this

virus, and we have seen LGBTQ people face particularly daunting economic hardships as the economy has struggled to recover from an ongoing public health crisis. With the holidays around the corner, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell must put our country first and work with Speaker Pelosi to swiftly pass comprehensive COVID-19 relief to provide unemployment aid, fund vaccine distribution, and ensure we support our health care workers, first responders, and other frontline workers who have risked their lives to save lives.

Trump and McConnell need to stop playing games with our lives.”

It is impossible to know how many LGBTQ people have contracted the virus, as many states do not collect data on sexual orientation or gender identity. The HRC has long called for LGBTQ-inclusive data collection in order to understand the full impact of

health crises, like COVID-19, on the community. assistance.

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

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

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

LGBTQ people of color are 70% more

likely and bisexual people are 80% more likely than the general population to have lost their jobs since some states initiated reopening policies due to COVID-19.

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

The Human Rights Campaign 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

KCLS Foundation awarded $66,000 in grants from the KC Office of Equity and Social Justice ISSAQUAH, WA (December 11, 2020) – The King County Office of Equity and Social Justice awarded the King County Library System Foundation (KCLSF) two grants totaling $66,000: a Digital Equity for Adults with Barriers to Access and Services grant for $46,000 and a COVID-19 Community Response Fund grant for $20,000. The King County Library System (KCLS) will use the funds to help bridge the digital divide for at-risk populations most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since closing library buildings in March, following orders by Gov. Jay Inslee to help slow the spread of COVID-19, KCLS staff expanded access to digital collections and resources, and transitioned programming and services to online platforms. Hardest hit by the closures are those who rely on KCLS’s inperson services and may have limited access to technology, including seniors, people experiencing homelessness, and residents with

limited English proficiency (LEP).

To address digital inequities, and help reduce barriers to learning, telehealth, job training, and other vital services, KCLS will use the King County grant funds to purchase 270 Wi-Fi hotspots with data plans and 220 remote patron laptops (RPLs). The hotspots and RPLs will be delivered to designated assisted living and retirement centers, homeless communities, service provider locations, and refugee organizations. The long-term loan hotspots and RPLs may be checked out for up to one year.

The grants will also fund teleconferencing technology to outfit study rooms at select library locations. Once it is safe to reopen KCLS’s buildings to the public, residents may use the teleconferencing rooms as a secure space to access telehealth, career services, learning opportunities, and more. KCLS staff will be available to help residents, especially those who may have limited digital literacy,

schedule services vital to their health and well-being.

“Ensuring that all communities have equitable access to information and resources is not only an essential library service, it helps level the playing field and gives everyone an opportunity to realize their full potential,” stated KCLS Executive Director Lisa Rosenblum. “These grants provide funding to expand digital access across King County at a crucial time, and help KCLS create communities of inclusion and belonging.”

“Computers and broadband internet services are unaffordable to many people in our community,” added KCLSF Executive Director Ken Ryals. “Yet, especially today, they are absolutely essential to access education, health information, job services, and much more. That’s why we’re excited to fund these vital assets to help get computers and technology directly into the hands of those who need it most.”

Founded in 1942, the King County Library System (KCLS) is one of the busiest 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 740,000 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.

The King County Library System Foundation promotes literacy, learning, and libraries by providing support beyond public funding for initiatives and resources that enable the King County Library System to better serve the needs of our community.

Courtesy of KCLS

Urban Libraries Council honors KCLS with 2020 Innovation Award ISSAQUAH, WA (December 11, 2020) – The Urban Libraries Council named the King County Library System (KCLS) one of 10 Top Innovators today during the virtual 2020 Innovations Celebration.

The annual Innovations award program recognizes and raises the visibility of cutting-edge programs, strategies, tools, techniques, and ideas from ULC’s member library systems across the US and Canada.

KCLS’s Find Financial Assistance program was selected by a panel of expert judges from 260 submissions in 10 categories that showcase creative thinking and imaginative applications of library resources. KCLS won in the category of Workplace and Economic Development and is being recognized for ingenuity, outcomes achieved, and the ability for other libraries to adapt and implement KCLS’s work.

Find Financial Assistance helps residents recover from financial loss brought on by COVID-19. Sudden changes in economic status – a lost job, a long-term furlough,

failing business, reduced work hours – left many unsure about where to go for help or how to navigate the complex and rapidly changing web of relief programs. As experts in connecting people with trusted information, KCLS librarians are well equipped to help people find and learn about the financial resources available to them, from small business loans, to unemployment claims, to assistance with rent, food or tuition. In the program, librarians work directly with residents to provide a customized list of resources and referrals in the patron’s preferred language, either by phone or email.

“KCLS is honored to be recognized by the Urban Libraries Council as a Top Innovator,” stated KCLS Executive Director Lisa Rosenblum. “Find Financial Assistance offers compassionate and customized oneon-one assistance, and connects residents to critical resources and information. This program has been a lifeline for those who have been financially impacted by COVID-19, and it illustrates the importance of libraries dur-

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December 18, 2020

ing both good times and challenging ones.”

“This year’s winners have quickly taken bold moves to ensure that the library continues to serve the needs of the people in their community – especially those most vulnerable including children, stressed families, isolated seniors, and struggling small businesses,” said Urban Libraries Council President and CEO Susan Benton. “In the 10th year of our Innovations Initiative, we received the most dynamic and cutting-edge submissions to date. We celebrate the King County Library System for creating an initiative that will positively impact their community and serve as a model to public libraries throughout North America.”

All 2020 ULC Innovations entries can be viewed at urbanlibraries.org.

Founded in 1942, the King County Library System (KCLS) is one of the busiest 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 740,000 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.

The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) is an innovation and impact tank of North America’s leading public library systems. ULC drives cutting-edge research and strategic partnerships to elevate the power of libraries as essential, transformative institutions for the 21st-century. More than 150 urban member libraries in the US and Canada rely on the ULC to identify significant challenges facing today’s communities and provide new tools and techniques to help libraries achieve stronger outcomes in education, digital equity, workforce and economic development, and race and social equity.

Courtesy of KCLS

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HRC Equality Votes PAC launches GOTV effort to mobilize Equality Voters ahead of the Georgia runoff elections GEORGIA (December 15, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Votes PAC launched a six-figure digital ad campaign focused on voter education and turning out the vote in Georgia early in person, by mail and on Election Day. The campaign, consisting of new videos and peer-to-peer postcard campaign, is focused on educating voters on early voting, and mobilizing them to turn out to vote

by January 5 to elect Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.

Watch the video “It’s on us, Georgia”: https://youtu.be/XbbDYlRW-DM “Georgia Equality Voters turned out at higher rates than the general public in the fall election – slamming the door shut on Trump and Trumpism,” said HRC Deputy Campaign Director Jonathan Shields.

“Now, they will finish the job they started in November and ensure that we have a proequality majority in the United States Senate for the 117th Congress.

“The Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Votes PAC is investing a significant six-figure effort to educate and empower Equality Voters to turn out the vote in the critical Georgia Senate runoff elections.

Their votes for Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff will help Joe Biden and Kamala Harris end this pandemic, protect our health care, address systemic racism, and build back our economy.”

The HRC’s Equality Votes PAC also launched a postcard campaign to make sure that at least 15,000 pro-LGBTQ Georgians,

Rev. Raphael Warnock, Common, and Jon Ossoff – Image courtesy of HRC

who may be at risk of not voting, have the information they need to cast their ballots.

Learn more about the campaign at hrc.im/ postcardstogeorgia.

The ad campaign targets over 400,000 Georgia “Equality Voters” under 55 years old whose turnout is critical to the outcome of the Georgia runoff election. Nearly 60% of this statewide audience is under 35 years old, over 80% are Black, and a plurality are

women. Partnering with the data and analytics firm Catalist to create an “Equality Voter Model,” the HRC built on decades of voter and polling data to assess the degree to which a person is likely to support proLGBTQ policies – from marriage equality and adoption by LGBTQ parents, to laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Supporters in Georgia can go to hrc.org/

georgia to verify their voter registration, find out about early in-person or mail voting options, and receive election reminders. For more information on how to get involved, sign up to volunteer, or join an advocacy training, visit hrc.org/georgia.

Courtesy of the HRC

Massachusetts’ older LGBTQ residents experience higher rates of depression, poverty, and injuries due to falls than their straight, cisgender peers BOSTON (December 14, 2020) – A new report from the Fenway Institute finds that older LGBTQ adults in the commonwealth report being diagnosed with depression at twice the rate of their straight, cisgender peers, and are twice as likely to fall and be injured in a fall over the past year. It also finds that while older LGBTQ adults are more likely to hold a college degree, they are more likely to report having had difficulty paying for housing or food over the past year.

LGBTQ older adults living in rural areas of the state expressed concern about the lack of options for LGBTQ-affirming health care, as well as their ongoing experiences with strong anti-LGBTQ prejudice and harassment in public settings and senior housing.

Titled “LGBT Aging 2025: Strategies for Achieving a Healthy and Thriving LGBT Older Adult Community in Massachusetts,” the report is based on data collected during nine listening sessions – five in-person and four virtual – organized between June 2019 and June 2020. The report also contains new information about LGBTQ people age 50 to 75 based on new analyses of public health data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the state’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Problems related to social isolation and the lasting impact of trauma associated with systemic anti-LGBTQ discrimination were raised most frequently at each of the nine listening sessions. LGBTQ older adults who are also Black, Indigenous, and People of Color reported feelings of deep alienation from the

LGBTQ community when they experienced racism from White LGBTQ older adults.

Long-term survivors of HIV expressed concerns about being able to find doctors skilled in providing HIV care. LGBTQ adults of every race and gender expressed concern about their ability to pay for health care.

The public health data show that as compared with their straight, cisgender peers, LGBT older adults report higher rates of fair or poor overall health. They experienced suicidal thoughts in the past year at four times the rate of their peers, and were more likely to report serious difficulty in concentrating, remember, or making decisions.

“These findings are deeply troubling and point to the need for vigorous enforcement of existing state and federal law prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination, as well as targeted interventions to reduce social isolation among LGBTQ older adults and meet their unique health care needs,” said Sean Cahill, PhD, director of health policy research at the Fenway Institute and author of the report.

One successful intervention witnessed in real time as the listening sessions proceeded was the creation of online, virtual social gatherings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the first five listening sessions were conducted in person in Barnstable, Boston, Pittsfield, Salem, and Worcester, the last four were conducted online. Although many listening session participants reported difficulties with accessing the internet and navigating online platforms such as Zoom, some said that they were able to connect more eas-

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ily with others because everything is online.

Many isolated elders with mobility issues are less socially isolated now because so much programming is virtual.

Other themes brought up in the listening sessions include the following: • Lack of reliable and affordable transportation, especially in rural and suburban areas • The need for affirming, ongoing mental health care, including grief support for widows and widowers • Anti-LGBTQ discrimination in assisted living and senior housing facilities • Gender-based anti-LGBTQ sexual harassment in businesses and health care settings in the Berkshires • The need for LGBTQ-friendly housing • The need for computers and tablets and assistance using them, and Internet access in order to participate in virtual support groups that have been created during the COVID-19 pandemic • The need for assistance navigating Medicare insurance options and the health care system • The need to change existing rules so that HIV-positive individuals younger than 60 can access home care services Although much of the data documented health disparities, some data evidenced resilience. For example, despite decades of anti-LGBTQ policies, LGBTQ older adults in Massachusetts were almost as likely as straight, cisgender older adults to be raising children and to be veterans.

“Although a lot of the information in this report focuses on health risks and disparities, we also found that LGBTQ older adults are resilient, in part, because they’ve had dramatically different life experiences than their straight and cisgender peers,” Cahill added.

“They came of age when same-sex behavior or crossing gender boundaries was subject to imprisonment or institutionalization. Homosexuality was against the law in all 50 states into the early 1960s, and classified as a mental illness until 1973. Many LGBTQ people were shunned by their families. Many LGBTQ elders lost their life partners and social networks to HIV/AIDS. This is a population that has experienced a lot of trauma and its affects are ongoing. But they are survivors.”

The report “LGBT Aging 2025: Strategies for Achieving a Healthy and Thriving LGBT Older Adult Community in Massachusetts,” is available at fenwayhealth.org/wp-content/ uploads/LGBT-Aging-2025-Report-December-2020.pdf.

December 18, 2020

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Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhoods, the LGBTQIA+ community, people living with HIV/AIDS, and the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education, and policy development focusing on national and international health issues.

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Trump administration destroys religious freedom protections across ten federal agencies WASHINGTON, DC (December 14, 2020) – Today, the civil rights organization American Atheists denounced the Trump administration’s announcement today [https://bit.ly/2LDaffd] that it would strip nondiscrimination and religious freedom protections for Americans receiving taxpayer-funded services from religious providers. LGBTQ Americans will be particularly impacted, American Atheists warned.

The ten agencies affected are the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, and Veterans Affairs, and the Administration for Children and Families and USAID.

The final regulations will be published on December 17 and will go into effect on January 16, Religious Freedom Day. “Once again, the Trump administration is stripping away religious freedom protections from LGBTQ Americans in the name of ‘religious freedom.’ The irony is palpable,” said Alison Gill, vice president for legal and policy at American Atheists.

In 2010, President Obama signed executive orders to add protections for people receiving government services through taxpayer-funded religious organizations.

These protections were based on recommendations made by the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neigh-

Lambda Legal condemns 400-page, nine-agency “monstrosity” of a federal rule change WASHINGTON, DC (December 14, 2020) – The Trump/Pence administration today released yet another rule change that further expands the ability of federal contractors to inject religion and religious practice into the public sphere. The new rule governs grants provided by nine federal agencies and instructs states and federal contractors that grants and subgrants must be dispersed to churches and religious organizations as well as secular groups. Jennifer C. Pizer, director of law and policy at Lambda Legal, issued the following statement: “From day one, nonstop through to its final moments, the Trump/Pence administration has been taking a sledgehammer to the wall of separation between church and state. This nearly 400-page monstrosity of a federal rule change sweeps away safeguards designed to alert members of the public that none of us is required to get our publicly funded, often-critical services in religious settings or with religious content mixed in.

“The Trump/Pence administration justifies this massive rule change with a series of erroneous and alarming premises and repeats the common claim that giving discriminatory agencies federal funding increases the number of service providers. But a dollar can only be spent once, whether it is public or private money. The same is true for public contracts. When

discriminatory agencies obtain those contracts, welcoming agencies – and the people they serve well – lose out.

“In these final days of this administration, as we enter the winter months in the grip of an unchecked devastating pandemic, the Trump/Pence team is accelerating its commitment to elevating ultra-conservative religious interests above everyone else’s basic rights. Equal treatment and protection from discrimination are among these rights, especially when we, the general public, are paying to provide essential services to alleviate urgent human needs.”

The nine agencies involved in today’s rule are: the US Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; and the US Agency for International Development.

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 policy work. More at www.lambdalegal.org.

Courtesy of Lambda Legal

borhood Partnerships. Council members included the President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA; the General Counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and the Vice-President of Evangelization, North American Mission Board, and Past President of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2016, agencies throughout the government passed regulations to implement these protective executive orders.

By wiping out these religious freedom protections, the Trump administration will increase the likelihood of discrimination in government services. Religious providers will no longer have to give beneficiaries written notice of their rights, including the fact that the provider cannot discriminate against them based on religion nor force them to participate in religious activities. If the person receiving the government-funded service objects to forced proselytization while receiving services, the religious provider will no longer have to take steps to find the person an alternative provider.

“Religious groups should not be allowed to take taxpayer funding, mistreat LGBTQ people in need, and then make them think that they have no other options. It’s immoral and unconstitutional,” said Gill. “There’s a reason why both secular advocates and religious leaders came to the consensus view that these religious freedom protections are

necessary – it’s because they are.”

In addition to LGBTQ people, religious minorities, atheists, and women will be particularly impacted by the removal of these religious freedom protections.

“No person in need should be forced to worship as a religious service provider does or convert to that religion simply to access basic, taxpayer-funded services,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “The common-sense protections the Obama administration put in place were not an ‘attack’ on religious freedom. These new regulations, on the other hand, are.”

“Starting on day one of the Biden administration, we will work with the new leadership at these departments and agencies to fix these discriminatory changes that undermine Americans’ religious liberties,” Fish added.

BARR

out a critical ally in the Justice Department and it throws into question a number of key investigations, especially the probe into Hunter Biden’s taxes.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, once a Trump rival but now a close ally of the president, said he was surprised by Barr’s departure.

“I think he did an incredibly good job trying to repair damage done to the Department of Justice, trying to be fair and faithful to the law. I think he’s got a lot to be proud of,” Graham said.

“He fought for the president where he could, as every attorney general and administration should, but he also didn’t cross lines that he shouldn’t have crossed.”

Graham also praised Rosen as a “good man” who he said would “be an ethical leader and a steady hand” at the Justice Department.

Democrats did not lament Barr’s departure.

“Good riddance,” tweeted House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. Barr “lied to cover for Trump, launched political investigations, subverted justice and the rule of law, and violently cracked down on protestors,” Schiff added.

continued from cover Barr came to the Justice Department in 2019, succeeding the ill-fated Jeff Sessions, who angered Trump by recusing himself from ongoing investigations into Trump’s ties with Russia.

Early on in his term, Barr distinguished himself as an apologist for Trump, deliberately obstructing Robert Mueller’s investigation and then mischaracterizing Mueller’s findings in a now-notorious press conference.

In the end, however, Barr found himself unable to comply with the increasingly outrageous demands of his boss.

Trump publicly denounced Barr for the attorney general’s statement to the Associated Press saying that he’d found no voter fraud that would change the outcome of the election. Trump was also angry that the Justice Department did not publicly announce it was investigating Hunter Biden ahead of the election.

Barr will be succeeded by Jeffery Rosen as acting attorney general in the twilight weeks of the Trump administration Barr’s resignation leaves Trump with-

American Atheists is a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that defends the rights of atheists, freethinkers, and other nonbelievers; advocates for the absolute separation of religion and government; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy. American Atheists was founded in 1963 by Madalyn Murray O’Hair.

Courtesy of American Atheists

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

HRC on newly passed anti-LGBTQ laws in Hungary WASHINGTON, DC (December 16, 2020) – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to news today that the Hungarian parliament passed a package of laws on Tuesday including some that specifically target and discriminate against the LGBTQ community. The new laws bars same-sex couples from adopting children in Hungary.

“The Hungarian parliament has blatantly and maliciously attacked the human rights of LGBTQ people and their families,” said

Alphonso David, HRC president. “These measures are discriminatory, and leaders in Hungary must right this wrong by reversing these antiquated and harmful laws.”

Only married couples in Hungary are permitted to adopt children, with exceptions made for single people – previously providing a pathway for same-sex couples. The new law defines family as man as the father and a woman as the mother, thereby excluding same-sex couples and making it harder for single parents to adopt. Hungary only recognizes civil unions for same-sex couples, and the ruling Fidesz party opposes allowing

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December 18, 2020

legal marriage for same-sex couples.

In May, the country made it illegal for transgender people to change their gender identity on identification documents, and earlier that month Hungary lost points in a ranking of European countries for LGBTQ rights by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) because of “policies targeting LGBTQ communities.”

The Háttér Society, a leading LGBTQ advocacy organization in Hungary and part of the HRC’s global network, addressed why these laws are harmful for all Hungar-

ians citizens and children [twitter.com/hattertarsasag/status/1338883596711505922].

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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HRC on the historic nomination of Pete Buttigieg to be Secretary of Transportation

President-elect Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg – Photo by Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters

WASHINGTON, DC (December 15, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to media reports of the historic nomination of Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation. If officially nominated

by President-elect Biden and confirmed by the US Senate, Buttigieg will become the first openly LGBTQ, Senate-confirmed person to lead the department and hold a cabinet-level position. In response, Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David issued the following statement: “With the reported historic nomination of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as Secretary-designate of Transportation, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are keeping their promise, representing a significant step in creating an administration that reflects the diversity and life experiences of America.

“Mayor Pete Buttigieg was open and honest about his identity throughout his time on the national scene, giving a voice to our community, and a new vision of who and how our leaders can love. His voice as a champion for the LGBTQ community in the cabinet room will help President-elect Biden build back our nation better, stronger, and more equal than before.

“This is a historic moment for our community, though not the end of our advocacy.

We have and will continue to engage with the Biden-Harris transition team to ensure that LGBTQ people will be appointed at all levels of government and that those appointments will reflect the full diversity of our community, including and especially LGBTQ people of color and transgender and gender-nonconforming people. It is absolutely critical that we as a community continue to uplift and empower the most marginalized among us to ensure the full tapestry of our voices are heard.

We strongly urge speedy confirmation

of Mayor Buttigieg’s nomination by the United States Senate so the Biden-Harris administration can hit the ground running and address the many crises facing our community and our nation.”

In early 2019, Pete Buttigieg was the first openly gay candidate to run for a Democratic presidential nomination, where he became the first openly LGBTQ person of any party to earn a delegate and win a state caucus or primary.

A longtime public servant, Pete Buttigieg has served as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, since 2012. After coming out as gay in 2015, Buttigieg became the first openly LGBTQ executive in the state and the highest elected official in Indiana to come out. In late 2015, he was re-elected

to his second term as mayor of South Bend with more than 80% of the vote. A champion of LGBTQ equality, Buttigieg helped lead the fight against then-Indiana governor Mike Pence’s efforts to license discrimination against LGBTQ Hoosiers in 2015.

Buttigieg is an outspoken advocate of the Equality Act – critically important, bipartisan legislation that would finally provide clear protections against discrimination for LGBTQ people across the country.

The HRC recently released the Blueprint for Positive Change 2020, an important brief that includes 85 policy recommendations, reaching across the federal government, aimed at bettering the daily lives of LGBTQ people at home and abroad. Recommendations include ensur-

ing consistent administrative implementation of Bostock v. Clayton County across all agencies enforcing civil rights statutes and provisions and appointing openly-LGBTQ justices, judges, executive officials, and ambassadors.

BUTTIGIEG

given his thin transportation policy résumé,” Politico commented dryly.

Still others found the Buttigieg appointment unwelcome. Black community leaders in South Bend, where Buttigieg served two terms as mayor, were critical of Biden’s move.

“He did a really bad job for this community and my district in particular,” South Bend City Council member Henry Davis Jr. said. “Bus lines have been shut down and cut off in one of the poorest census tracts in this country.”

The Associated Press suggested that Buttigieg won the cabinet spot because Biden came to like him personally during the campaign.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done this before, but he reminds me of my son Beau,” Biden said at one point. “I know that may not mean much to most people, but, to me, it’s the highest compliment I can give any man or woman.”

Buttigieg was also the first of Biden’s presidential primary rivals to endorse him. Now, the personal good feeling between Biden and Buttigieg has elevated the former mayor to “a key role in the incoming administration’s push to rebuild American infrastructure and

the economy,” according to AP sources.

Buttigieg reportedly wanted to be appointed US Ambassador to the United Nations, but that spot went to Linda ThomasGreenfield, an African-American woman and former assistant secretary of state.

After Biden announced his choice of Thomas-Greenfield, Buttigieg was rumored to be in line for nomination as Ambassador to China, another key diplomatic post. According to Politico, he was also under consideration for Commerce Secretary.

After an unsuccessful run for DNC chair in 2017, Buttigieg became a top-tier presidential contender in 2019, eventually winning the Iowa caucuses and finishing in second in the New Hampshire primary.

His presidential bid ran out of steam after the first four states, however. He failed to make any inroads with Black or Latinx voters, key constituencies in the Democratic primaries. Curiously enough, he also failed to win the affections of LGBTQ voters. Polls consistently showed them favoring Bernie Sanders, with Elizabeth Warren in second, and Buttigieg a distant third.

December 18, 2020

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continued from cover LGBTQ organizations were predictably ecstatic over the news. The HRC, for example, called the nomination “a historic moment for our community.”

“With the reported historic nomination of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as Secretary-designate of Transportation, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are keeping their promise, representing a significant step in creating an administration that reflects the diversity and life experiences of America,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement.

“Mayor Pete Buttigieg was open and honest about his identity throughout his time on the national scene, giving a voice to our community, and a new vision of who and how our leaders can love. His voice as a champion for the LGBTQ community in the cabinet room will help President-elect Biden build back our nation better, stronger and more equal than before.”

Other observers were more restrained.

“Buttigieg’s landing spot comes as a surprise

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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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NCLR statement on SCOTUS denial of certiorari in case regarding rights of LGBTQ families to be recognized on children’s birth certificates

Image courtesy of NCLR

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the United States Supreme Court denied a Petition for Certiorari in Box v. Henderson, a case out of Indiana about the state’s obligation to recognize same-sex spouses and different-sex spouses equally on their children’s birth certificates.

“We are so happy for our clients, and other same-sex parents and their children in Indiana, who can finally breathe a sigh of relief that they will continue to be recognized families on their children’s birth certificates,” said Cathy Sakimura, NCLR Deputy Director and Family Law Director (she/her).

“The Supreme Court rightly denied this case because it has already clearly decided that same-sex spouses and different-sex spouses must be treated equally.”

When Indiana began allowing same-sex couples to marry in 2015 after the Supreme Court recognized that same-sex couples have a right to marry in Obergefell v.

Hodges, the Indiana Department of Vital Records refused to place same-sex spouses on their children’s birth certificates as they do for different-sex spouses. Eight female same-sex couples who conceived children through sperm donation sought the right to be recognized on their children’s birth certificates in federal court.

In 2016, the federal District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ordered the state to begin placing the spouses of people who give birth on their children’s birth certificate regardless of the gender of the spouse. The state of Indiana appealed to the Seventh Circuit, which in January 2020 upheld the ruling and ordered the state to treat same-sex and different-sex couples equally, noting that Obergefell v.

Hodges required this equal treatment and that the U.S. Supreme Court had also specifically required states to place same-sex spouses on birth certificates according to

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the same procedures available to differentsex spouses in Pavan v. Smith.

The state of Indiana filed a Petition for Certiorari, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case in June 2020. The Supreme Court denied their Petition on December 14, 2020, upholding the Seventh Circuit’s opinion that Indiana must list same-sex spouses on their children’s birth certificates in the same manner that it does for different-sex spouses.

“By declining Indiana’s petition, the Supreme Court affirmed Obergefell and the requirement that states must treat married same-sex couples equally,” said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter (he/him).

“The Court has ruled on this issue twice before, first in Obergefell, which included a married lesbian couple from Tennessee who obtained a district court order requiring the state to list both women on

their child’s birth certificate, and again in Pavan v. Smith, in which the Court summarily reversed a decision by the Arkansas Supreme Court permitting the state to exclude a birth mother’s female spouse from a child’s birth certificate. Thankfully, the Court has let these decisions stand and declined Indiana’s invitation to revisit this settled law. Marriage equality is and remains the law of the land.”

“Thank you to the incredible clients for their bravery and perseverance in this case, and to Indiana counsel Karen CelestinoHorseman, along with Raymond Faust, Richard Mann, and William Groth, who brought this case over 5 years ago,” said Cathy Sakimura. “Thank you also to Ropes & Gray LLP’s Supreme Court team for joining the NCLR and the Indiana counsel before the Supreme Court.”

NCLR, along with Ropes & Gray LLP,

represented the couples before the U.S. Supreme Court, along with Indiana counsel Karen Celestino-Horseman, Raymond Faust, Richard Mann, and William Groth.

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

HRC on Supreme Court reaffirming rights for same-sex couples WASHINGTON, DC (December 14, 2020) – Today, the US Supreme Court denied certiorari in the case Box v. Henderson, which sought to allow Indiana to refuse to place both mothers on their child’s birth certificate. The court’s denial effectively leaves in place the 7th Circuit decision in favor of the mothers and maintains the court decision Pavan v. Smith as precedent.

In 2017, the US Supreme Court ruled in Pavan v. Smith to overturn an Arkansas Supreme Court decision that allowed the state to bar married same-sex couples from

December 18, 2020

automatically having both parent’s names listed on their children’s birth certificates.

In response, HRC President Alphonso David issued the following statement: “Today’s Supreme Court decision once again affirms that marriage equality under Obergefell v. Hodges means that married same-sex couples are entitled to be treated equally under the law. By refusing to hear this case, the Court effectively reaffirms its ruling in Pavan v. Smith that unequivocally ruled states must issue birth certificates on equal terms to same-sex parents.

“We refuse to allow our love to be

treated any differently under law, and will fight to make sure skim-milk marriage never becomes the law of the land.”

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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Ruby, left, and Ashlee Henderson in 2015 – Photo by Dave Bangert / Journal and Courier via AP

SAME-SEX PARENTS continued from cover

in the case, known as Box v. Henderson, which seeks to undermine the Obergefell v. Hodges decision in terms of birth certificates for children born to lesbian parents.

Despite the widely held perception marriage equality for LGBTQ families is settled law and beyond any challenge, the question before the court was squarely framed as a challenge to same-sex marriage and asked the court to “take this case to address whether Indiana’s paternity-presumption law is consonant with Obergefell.”

The petition, which had been pending since June, was an early test for newly confirmed U.S. Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whom many feared would undermine LGBTQ rights from the bench given her publicly stated religious views against same-sex marriage.

Barrett’s views on the petition, however, aren’t known. It takes a vote of at least four justices to agree to take up a case, but the recorded tally for any petition isn’t publicly recorded.

The petition was filed by the state of Indiana, which sought in cases of children born to same-sex parents who are women to refuse to place the name of a non-birth mother on the child’s birth certificate, even if the two same-sex parents in the relationship are married to each other.

In a filing before the Supreme Court on Nov. 23, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill contended “common sense” should allow states to presume the child born to lesbian parents had a biological father.

“In the vast majority of cases, a birth mother’s husband will, in fact, be the bio-

logical father of the child, with all the rights and obligations attendant thereto,” Hill writes. “But a birth mother’s wife will never be the biological father of the child, meaning that, whenever a birth-mother’s wife gains presumptive ‘parentage’ status, a biological father’s rights and obligations to the child have necessarily been undermined without proper adjudication.”

The state of Indiana has continuously failed in convincing courts to agree to its demands. State courts had ruled the state must place the names of both lesbian parents on their children’s birth certificates consistent with Obergefell. When the case reached the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the appellate court affirmed those decisions and concluded the law must be applied the same for different-sex and same-sex parents.

In an opposition brief to the Supreme Court on Nov. 10, lawyers with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and other attorneys maintained the Seventh Circuit “correctly construed state law.”

“Based on its analysis of Indiana statutes and case law, the court of appeals found that Indiana law affords a birth mother’s husband the right to be listed on the birth certificate of a child born during the marriage, including when a child is born through donor insemination and it is known that the husband is not the child’s biological parent,” the brief says. “Having made that determination, the court of appeals held that…the same rule must be applied to married same-sex couples.”

The U.S. Supreme Court explicitly addressed the issue of birth certificates in the landmark 2015 Obergefell decision, determining same-sex couples are entitled to the “constellation of benefits” of mar-

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riage, including the issue of birth certificates for their children.

After all, Obergefell was a consolidation of several lawsuits seeking marriage rights for same-sex couples on different grounds.

Among them was Henry v. Wymylso, which involved four lesbian couples in Ohio seeking to have their names listed on the birth certificates of their children.

Just two years later, the Supreme Court had affirmed Obergefell applies to birth certificates in a separate case. In Pavan v.

Smith, Arkansas challenged the decision as it pertains to birth certificates by refusing to place the name of the non-birth mother on the birth certificate of a child born to lesbian parents via an anonymous sperm donor.

In summary reversal to decisions against the parents in Arkansas state court, the Supreme Court affirmed Obergefell applies to birth certificates to child with same-sex parents (U.S. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, however, wrote a stinging dissent, concluding “nothing in Obergefell indicates that a birth registration regime based on biology, one no doubt with many analogues across the country and throughout history, offends the Constitution.”)

Hill, however, wrote in his Nov. 23 filing neither Obergefell nor Pavan applies to the issue at hand. Indiana was challenging having to place the names of both lesbian mothers on their children’s birth certificates in a different way, Hill writes, because the cases presented involve situations in which the identity of a birth father is known, not an anonymous donor as with Pavan.

“The question presented to the court in this case is therefore distinct from the question presented in Pavan, where all parties agreed that ‘the requirement that a married woman’s husband appear on her child’s

birth certificate applies in cases where the couple conceived by means of artificial insemination with the help of an anonymous sperm donor,’” Hill writes. “Indiana does not require, or even lawfully permit, the birth mother’s husband to be on the birth certificate as a matter of presumption in such circumstances.”

Based on the Supreme Court’s decision to turn down the challenge, however, justices appeared to have signaled the cases are no different and reaffirmed Obergefell and Pavan’s guarantee same-sex parents to have their names on the birth certificates of their children.

Drew Anderson, spokesperson for the Indiana Democratic Party, chided Indiana state officials for seeking to challenge parental rights for same-sex couples in the first place.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has now made it clear to everyone that LGBTQ Hoosiers should have the same God-given privileges as everyone else, which includes having job security, getting married, and starting a family with the person they love,” Anderson said. “The Indiana GOP is still not longremoved from the days of Mike Pence and RFRA, and we suggest Hoosier Republicans get with the times and stop creating useless political theater that does nothing but destroys our trust and divides the state.”

December 18, 2020

Seattle Gay News 11

Chris Johnson is Chief Political & White House Reporter for the Washington Blade. Johnson is a member of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Follow Chris on Twitter at @chrisjohnson82 Reprinted with permission of the Washington Blade

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Nonreligious LGBTQ youth face more discrimination than their cis, straight peers, new study finds WASHINGTON, DC (December 8, 2020) – Today, the nonreligious advocacy organizations American Atheists and the Secular Student Alliance released “The Tipping Point Generation: America’s Nonreligious Youth.” The report, which draws on survey responses from nearly 34,000 nonreligious participants ages 18 and above, finds that nonreligious LGBTQ 18-24-year-olds face more discrimination than nonreligious cis, straight youth.

“With younger Americans more supportive than older Americans of LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections, we are at a tipping point in this country for greater inclusion. Nonetheless, LGBTQ nonreligious youth still face significantly more hardships than their cis, straight peers,” said Alison Gill, vice president for legal and policy at American Atheists, who herself identifies as trans and lesbian.

The “Tipping Point Generation” report found that LGBTQ youth participants encountered a higher level of family rejection than other youth. LGBTQ youth were more likely to say their families are somewhat or very unsupportive (40.4%) of their nonreligious identity compared to heterosexual, cisgender youth (34.9%).

Increased family rejection correlated with decreased mental health. Youth participants with very unsupportive parents were 45.4% more likely to screen positive for depression than those with very supportive parents, and they scored 9.7% higher on loneliness. Overall, LGBTQ youth partici-

pants experienced 9.3% more stigma than cisgender and heterosexual nonreligious youth, who already experience a heightened level of stigma.

“LGBTQ organizations must take into account the dual identities of the nonreligious youth they serve – that they often face discrimination for being both LGBTQ and nonreligious,” said Kevin Bolling, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance, who identifies as gay. “In working with students across the country, I often hear it was ‘easier to come out as LGBTQ to my parents than it was to come out as an atheist.’”

Among multiple policy recommen-

dations, the “Tipping Point Generation” report urges states, school districts, educational institutions, and advocates to work to prevent and repeal any school voucher programs that redirect funds to discriminatory private and religious schools. Voucher programs harm public schools and have a disproportionate negative impact on students that more often face religion-based discrimination, including LGBTQ youth, religious-minority youth, and nonreligious youth. 86.7% of youth participants identified maintaining secular public schools as a “very important” priority.

“As a result of the Supreme Court’s recent Espinoza decision, any state that offers vouchers must also provide them for anti-LGBTQ religious schools. We must end school vouchers programs in every state in the country. There’s no way around it. Until then, taxpayers will keep funding discrimination,” said Gill.

In addition to supporting secular schools, 81.7% of youth participants rated LGBTQ equality as a “very important” policy priority.

“With nearly half of LGBTQ Americans religiously unaffiliated, as well as the shared goal of ensuring equality, LGBTQ and secular organizations and activists need to strengthen cooperation. LGBTQ youth, religious minorities, and nonreligious youth have increasingly been the target of the same Christian nationalism and religious-based institutionalized discrimination for several decades. Together, we are

stronger,” said Bolling.

Read “The Tipping Point Generation: America’s Nonreligious Youth” [at www. secularsurvey.org/youth].

American Atheists is a national civil rights organization that works to achieve religious equality for all Americans by protecting what Thomas Jefferson called the “wall of separation” between government and religion created by the First Amendment. It strives to create an environment where atheism and atheists are accepted as members of our nation’s communities and where casual bigotry against our community is seen as abhorrent and unacceptable. It promotes understanding of atheists through education, outreach, and community-building and work to end the stigma associated with being an atheist in America.

The Secular Student Alliance is the largest network of atheist, humanist, and nonreligious students at high schools and colleges. It is a national educational and advocacy nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering secular students to proudly express their identity, build welcoming communities, promote secular values, and set a course for lifelong activism. With over 300 student chapters in high schools, colleges, and universities across the country, it provides support for secular student leaders, scholarships, leadership training, an annual conference, and resources for educators and administrators.

Courtesy of American Atheists

New report from Grantmakers In Aging offers recommendations to improve care, increase inclusion for older people living with HIV/AIDS WASHINGTON, DC (December 8, 2020) – HIV has become an aging issue now that more than half of people living with HIV/AIDS in the US are 50 or older.

Thanks to advancements in treatment, people with HIV can now live for decades, but longevity with HIV is relatively new, underexplored, and underresourced, and the HIV/ AIDS and aging services networks operate almost totally separately, with few age-specific services.

Grantmakers In Aging, a national membership organization of philanthropies, created “Moving Ahead Together: A Framework for Integrating HIV/AIDS and Aging Services” to help end the painful isolation and improve the care of older people living with HIV. “People living with HIV age into a sort of no-man’s-land that can be a lonely and potentially dangerous place,” said John Feather, PhD, CEO of Grantmakers In Aging (GIA).

“Aging services and HIV services both deliver excellent care but have no history of working together, and people aging with HIV can get lost. The need for greater coordination, expertise sharing, and inclusion has been strongly affirmed by leaders in both sectors, and, importantly, by people who are themselves aging with HIV/AIDS.” A blueprint for integrating aging and HIV services The framework covers three areas: social complexities and challenges, including low awareness of the issue and the stigma and social isolation many older people with HIV face; the need for a whole-

18 Seattle Gay News

person approach to coordinate medical, mental, and behavioral health care with social and psychosocial support; and updating state and federal policies.

For example, the framework calls for efforts to: • Help geriatricians and primary care providers build their knowledge of HIV in older people, including testing, prevention, sexual health counseling, and considering HIV in diagnosis. ◦About ◦ 17% of new HIV infections happen among people age 50+.

• Incorporate principles of traumainformed care and increase cultural competency of providers and staff in all care settings, including senior centers and longterm care, to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.

December 18, 2020

◦Trauma, ◦ stigma, and fear of rejection or being “outed” in an unfamiliar care setting can drive older people living with HIV away from treatment and into isolation.

• Help HIV specialists gain expertise in geriatrics issues (multiple chronic conditions, geriatric syndromes, medication management, cognitive impairment, etc.) and in HIV’s effect on the aging process.

• Co-locate or coordinate HIV and aging services, including social work and social services, to help people manage complex care needs.

• Improve access to mental and behavioral health care, and educate providers that trauma is part of the experience of many people aging with HIV, including longterm survivors.

• Address psychosocial challenges, such as isolation, and social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, unstable housing, disability, and poverty.

• Prepare Medicare, Medicaid, and longterm services and supports (LTSS) to meet the medical and social needs of people aging with HIV. • Expand caregiving options and research for HIV-specific concerns about cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

• Make existing policies more inclusive, such as adding aging issues to the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) plan and reconsidering eligibility for aging services. ◦The ◦ accepted age for onset of aging in people with HIV is 50, but eligibility for many federal and state aging programs starts at 60 or older.

These recommendations were guided by

the distinguished Moving Ahead Together steering committee, comprised of leaders in the aging and HIV service sectors, and by participants in a virtual summit.

A racial and social justice issue The framework also examines outdated assumptions about HIV, social justice issues such as racial disparities in prevalence and access to care, and parallels between the AIDS epidemic and COVID-19.

Respecting the Denver Principles of ensuring meaningful involvement by people with HIV in decisions that affect them, the report also includes first-person reflections and video interviews with older people living with HIV, and all featured artwork was created by older people living with HIV. GIA’s multi-year Moving Ahead Together initiative and this report are supported by a grant from Gilead Sciences. For more information, please [go to www.giaging.org/initiatives/hiv-and-aging/].

Grantmakers In Aging is a national membership organization of philanthropies.

Believing a society that is better for older adults is better for people of all ages, GIA acts as a relevant and responsive network, resource, and champion, amplifying the voices of older people and issues of aging. Its vision is of a just and inclusive world where older people are fully valued, recognized, and engaged in ways that matter. Learn more at www.GIAging.org.

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Broadway for Georgia releases special “Georgia on My Mind” recording and video in support of Fair Fight NEW YORK (December 14, 2020) – Producers Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, alongside Broadway superstar Audra McDonald, director Schele Williams, and Broadway Inspirational Voices’ Joseph Joubert and Michael McElroy, announced today that they have released a very special recording and music video of the beloved song “Georgia on My Mind” to mark the first day of voting for the January 5th Georgia Senate runoff elections.

The song, which premiered during Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight organization’s “Rock the Runoff” virtual concert, will help to raise funds and awareness for Fair Fight’s work to ensure that every eligible Georgian has the resources and information they need to vote in the January 5th runoff election.

The single is released by Broadway Records, and is available wherever digital music is sold and on BroadwayRecords. com. The video, which was directed by

Billy Porter and Lin-Manuel Miranda – Image courtesy of Fair Fight Action

Schele Williams, is available for viewing via Fair Fight’s YouTube Page [https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=EAHNIGOaHck].

The song was recorded by an all-star line-up of stage and screen stars who contributed from all over the country, from the

safety of their own homes! Those joining McDonald, Rudetsky, and Wesley include: Danielle Brooks, Andréa Burns, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Raúl Esparza, Santino Fontana, Josh Gad, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Mandy Gonzalez, Celia Rose Gooding, Angela Grovey, Crystal Monee Hall, Wilson Jermaine-Heredia, Carly Hughes, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeremy Jordan, LaChanze, José Llana, Allen Louis, Beth Malone, Anastasia McClesky, Michael McElroy, Idina Menzel, Ruthie Ann Miles, Bonnie Milligan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Javier Muñoz, Jesse Nager, Kelli O’Hara, Adam Pascal, Steve Pasquale, Peppermint, Rosie Perez, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Conrad Ricamora, Lauren Ridloff, Jai Rodriguez, Anika Noni Rose, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Rashidra Scott, Keala Settle, Ephraim Sikes, Phillipa Soo, Will

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MUSEUMS

“Set in Motion” public art project now on Metro buses

Nikita Gale, Find One Another, 2017/2020. Image courtesy of the artist

The Henry is pleased to present “Set in Motion”, the museum’s first citywide public art exhibition, December 2020 through February 2021. The work of ten artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond will be presented on public buses throughout the Seattle area.

Participating artists include Marin Burnett, Natalie Dupille, Amir H. Fallah, Genevieve Gaignard, Nikita Gale, Fay Ray, Gabriella Sanchez & Se Young Au, Rafael Soldi, Nina Vichayapai, and Crystal Worl.

The title of the exhibition, “Set in Motion”, while in part referring literally to the mobile and transitory aspect of the exhibition format, also provided a loose thematic framework for artists to consider.

To set in motion, by synonym, is to activate, to initiate, to get under way, to instate, to usher in, to open.

There are myriad ways to interpret the phrase and how movement might be considered in this moment. Through their work, artists were able to respond to the rapidly

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changing social, political, economic, and environmental climates in which we find ourselves, interpreted through their different perspectives, aesthetic/conceptual approaches, and personal narratives.

The ten artworks in “Set in Motion” form a decentralized group exhibition on the city’s public transportation and communication infrastructure. The presented artists were selected through an open call as well as by curatorial invitation.

To view the artworks online and to learn

more about the artworks and where to find them, to learn more about the artists and to read artist statements about their work, visit https://henryart.org/exhibitions/set-inmotion.

Spot a “Set in Motion” bus? Snap a selfie and use #HenryInMotion in your posts!

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NBJC and Cartoon Network launch comic strip celebrating gender diversity WASHINGTON, DC (December 14, 2020) – The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is excited to announce the latest installment in its ongoing collaboration with the Cartoon Network. On Monday, December 14, the Cartoon Network released a comic strip highlighting the power and importance of respecting gender identity through the use of gender pronouns. The comic was designed by members of the NBJC Youth and Young Adult Action Council (YYAAC) with artist Steven Lowe (@steeeeevn), a team of talented creators from Cartoon Network Studios, and leadership from the NBJC’s director of education programs and research, Dr. Kia Darling-Hammond.

This collaboration grew out of the Cartoon Network’s commitment to meaningfully engage with organizations serving the LGBTQ+/SGL community and is a part of the network’s continued support for the NBJC. On December 1, Gallery Nucleus launched an online art show benefiting the NBJC that features art centered around community. Created by Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation artists, the artwork can be purchased through December 31.

Roughly 150,000 teenagers identify as transgender in the United States, and an asyet-uncounted number of children as young as three years old are transgender or gender-nonconforming as well. In fact, each year the number of self-identifying transgender people grows, suggesting that the more accepting society becomes, the easier it is for people to be their whole selves unapologetically. In light of this trend, this new comic strip is timely and important in its ability to increase awareness about pronouns and how to use them.

“At the heart of our work at NBJC is affirmation of the dignity and beauty of our Black transgender, gender-nonconforming, nonbinary, and other gender-expansive sib-

Image courtesy of NBJC

lings,” said Dr. Darling-Hammond. “This comic strip advances our goals by showing what it looks like to treat people with respect, while finding a sense of common humanity. Our hope is that this strip’s audience, of all ages and backgrounds, will feel inspired to begin volunteering their own gender pronouns, respect those of others, and normalize awareness of the existence of people across the gender universe. We believe that recognizing and celebrating

HRC statement on MEGA-TV not renewing La Comay WASHINGTON, DC (December 12, 2020) – In response to the news of the contract of La Comay, a popular show in Puerto Rico show, not being renewed, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued the following statement from President Alphonso David: “Racist, homophobic, and transphobic propaganda has no place on or off screen.

For far too long, Kobbo Santarossa hid behind the puppet La Comay to spread hateful and dangerous messages that contributed to upticks in killings of LGBTQ people on the island. The Human Rights Campaign commends MEGA-TV for not renewing their contract with a bigoted public figure, signaling to LGBTQ and racial justice advocates that the hateful antiLGBTQ and anti-Black extremists they are fighting against should not have a leading place in Puerto Rico’s public discourse.”

En español: “La propaganda racista, homofóbica y transfóbica no tiene cabida dentro o fuera de la pantalla. Durante demasiado tiempo, Kobbo Santarossa se escondió detrás la muñeca La Comay para difundir mensajes peligrosos llenos de odio que contribuyeron al aumento de asesinatos de personas LGBTTI en la isla. La Campaña de Derechos

20 Seattle Gay News

Image courtesy of MEGA-TV

Humanos elogia a MEGA-TV por no renovar su contrato con una figura pública intolerante, señalando a los activistas por la justicia racial y equidad LGBTTI que los odiosos extremistas anti-LGBTTI y anti-negros, contra los que lucha, no deberian tener una posición principal en el discurso publico de Puerto Rico.”

Courtesy of the HRC

December 18, 2020

gender expansiveness will move us closer to a world where we can all be healthy, happy, and whole.”

Sage Grace Dolan-Sandrino, one of three of the NBJC’s YYAAC members who worked on the project, said that “visibility and representation on a wide scale is exactly what we need to ensure the safety and appreciation of our queer youth. For many of us, seeing ourselves reflected in fictional worlds allows us to envision a

“GEORGIA”

continued from page 19 Swenson, Chris Sullivan, Anastacia Talley, Tracie Thoms, Allyson Tucker, Leslie Uggams, Blair Underwood, Jenna Ushkowitz, Fredi Walker, Adrienne Warren, Susan Kelechi Watson, Lillias White, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Schele Williams, Vanessa Williams, and BD Wong.

“Now more than ever it is crucial for every American to have access to the resources to make their voices heard during an election, whether that be on a national scale or in their local races. We are in awe of the work that Stacey Abrams and Fair Fight have been doing to ensure that that is a reality for all Georgians, and knew that we wanted to raise our own voices to raise awareness about this important election in the way we know best – through music,” said McDonald.

“You will flip when you hear this beautiful, soulful arrangement and the stunning vocals on this recording. James and I have it on repeat non-stop, and we hope everyone will join in our obsessive listening, ” added Rudetsky.

“We are so grateful to everyone who dedicated their time and energy to this project without hesitation. And we are especially excited to be working alongside Broadway Records to give this iconic song new life and make it available for all, with proceeds going toward this amazing cause!

We encourage fans and supporters to join us by signing up and making a donation at fairfight.com,” said Wesley.

The single was arranged by Joseph Joubert and Michael McElroy.

place for ourselves in the real world. The Cartoon Network’s partnership with the NBJC will play an integral role in saving and improving the lives of young queer kids across not only the nation, but the world.”

The NBJC’s YYAAC member Tyler Miles added that “part of the excitement of this project is that we are engaging a topic that young people almost always have experience with but don’t often have the space to discuss. Whether these youth identify as transgender, gender-nonconforming, cis, or the multitude of identities therein, this comic is a radical act of trust and care to reach all youth who are beginning to, or have already, thought critically about gender. They are heard, they are seen, they are accepted, and they are loved.”

“This comic was created to embrace and acknowledge the role of selfhood and inclusion,” said the NBJC’s YYAAC member Justin Calhoun. “This partnership between the NBJC and the Cartoon Network is an act of visibility that centers the needs of queer youth to ensure that they are not only accepted but also thriving!”

The NBJC is proud of what [it has] accomplished, together with Cartoon Network and other creatives, and [is] excited for young people to see themselves reflected in this work.

Join feature characters Craig, Chloe, and Stevonnie as they meet new friends Kam and Alex while learning about gender, respect, and belonging. You can check out the comic [at https://bit.ly/3oPQijA].

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is America’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and same-gender-loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV. Courtesy of the NBJC Since March 16, Rudetsky and Wesley have become household staples with their daily series “Stars in the House,” raising over $610,000 for the Actors Fund and other causes. Seth and James bring a masterful combination of music, storytelling, and community to each episode, ensuring that the show goes on in viewers’ homes even while performance venues across the world are closed. “Stars in the House” airs new episodes Mondays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET on its YouTube channel and starsinthehouse.com.

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. Fair Fight brings awareness to the public on election reform, advocates for election reform at all levels, and engages in other voter education programs and communications.

Rudetsky and Wesley are the proud recipients of the National Leadership Award from the LGBTQ Task Force for their work on Broadway for Orlando’s “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” For their work on Stars in the House, they have received the Gotham Icon Award from the Museum of the City of New York, the Founders Award for Resilience from the Cancer Support Community and a Drama Desk Award.

Broadway Records (Van Dean, president) is the Grammy-winning record label dedicated to preserving musical theatre and theatre vocalists. To learn more, visit BroadwayRecords.com.

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15 emerging composers and librettists will create works for the Seattle Opera

SEATTLE (December 8, 2020) – The Seattle Opera has announced the inaugural cohort of the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab, which aims to support a new generation of storytellers in opera. The initiative is open to Washington artists ages 18–30 of all backgrounds – including those without opera experience. The 15 people selected will create short works, which will be performed in Tagney Jones Hall at the Opera Center in 2021.

“Opera cannot continue without new stories and new voices to complement great works of the past,” said Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann. “I am so glad that the project has attracted high-caliber and accomplished artists, who bring diverse experiences to the program.”

In addition to musicians and theaters artists, participants include a fiction writer, a film producer, and a Juilliard student, [among others].

James T. Washburn, a selected librettist, said the new program makes him feel hopeful.

“As a trans and disabled artist, I’ve found it can be difficult to get the same mentorship, training, connections, and funding as my peers. The fact that Seattle Opera is using its resources to bridge that gap will make a significant impact on my development as a playwright/librettist and enable me to do what I love: tell stories about people like me.”

Additional librettists include Aaron Jin, a gay Asian-American writer and filmmaker who has previously worked with 5th Avenue Theatre; and Brian Dang, a 202021 Hugo House fellow whose play h*llo k*tty syndrome is supported by 4Culture and Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.

Mirabai Kukathas, a two-time winner of the Young Playwrights Project and finalist for MoPOP’s SoundOff!, will also participate, in addition to E. Lily Yu, author of On Fragile Waves, forthcoming from Erewhon Books, and recipient of the Artist Trust/

LaSalle Storyteller Award (’17).

Composers include Chess Albaneze, a genderfluid autistic trans man who’s been composing for six years; Rheanna Atendido, a second-generation Filipino-American singer-songwriter and playwright-composer; and Drew Swatosh, who’s participated in the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium and holds degrees in music composition from Western Oregon University.

Additional participants include Christopher Reed, an award-winning composer for film and concert; and Steven Tran, a self-taught composer, orchestrator, and music producer.

Elise Winkler, currently studying at the Juilliard School, is also excited to join Creation Lab. Winkler’s work has been performed by members of the Seattle Symphony and the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra.

Most participants applied independently and will be paired off into composer/librettist teams. But the cohort also includes established teams: Larisa Juno (librettist) and Rico Lastrapes (composer), plus Julia Koyfman (librettist) and Paul Stovall (composer). Juno, a songwriter and lyricist with roots in symphonic music and brass instruments, has created original works over the last decade, and Lastrapes, an Equity actor, is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, choreographer, and teaching artist. Stovall is a graduate student at the Seattle Film Institute studying film composition, and Koyfman is an award-winning lyricist/librettist, screenwriter, filmmaker, and comedian.

“Opera has always intimidated me,” Koyfman said. “Musically it was complex, visually it was gargantuan, and culturally it felt out of reach. Though it overwhelmed me, I still listened. I attended performances at the Seattle Opera. I sat fearfully out of place in my seat, waiting for the rollercoaster ride to begin. Having the opportunity to be part of the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab is incredibly meaningful to me.

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(Row 1) Aaron Jin, librettist; Brian Dang, librettist; Chess Albaneze, composer; Christopher Reed, Composer; (Row 2) Drew Swatosh, Composer; E. Lily Yu, librettist; James Washburn, librettist; Julia Koyfman, librettist; (Row 3) Larisa Juno, librettist; Mirabai Kukathas, librettist; Paul Stovall, composer; Rheanna Atendido, librettist and composer; (Row 4) Rico Lastrapes, composer; Steven Tran, composer – Photos courtesy of Seattle Opera

It’s an opportunity to turn years of fear into power and excitement.”

Participants were selected and began work in November 2020 and will receive support throughout the development process, refining and developing their pieces through table readings and music workshops. In addition to working with Seattle Opera administrators, each team will have dedicated time with mentors from across the music and theater world. The composers and librettists will have approximately five months to complete their works, with final rehearsals and performances slated for April–June 2021.

Mentors for this year’s lab include Tazewell Thompson (librettist and director), cocreator of Blue, an opera about the love, loss, and resilience of a Black American family; Aishé Keita (actress), recognized for her work in Danai Gurira’s Familiar at the Seattle Repertory Theater; Kamala Sankaram (composer), whose work is in demand all over the world; and the creators of The Falling and the Rising (’19), Jerre Dye (librettist) and Zach Redler (composer).

This new initiative is made possible thanks to the Jane Lang Davis Creation Fund, an endowed fund at the Seattle Opera Foundation to support the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab annual programming. Learn more at seattleopera.org/creationlab.

December 18, 2020

Seattle Gay News 21

Established in 1963, the Seattle Opera is committed to serving the people of the Pacific Northwest with performances of the highest caliber and through innovative educational and engagement programs for all.

Each year, more than 95,000 people attend Seattle Opera performances, and more than 400,000 people of all ages are served through school performances, radio broadcasts, and more. By drawing our communities together, and by offering opera’s unique fusion of music and drama, it creates lifeenhancing experiences that speak deeply to people’s hearts and minds. Connect with the Seattle Opera on Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, and 98.1 Classical KING FM. Courtesy of the Seattle Opera

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FILM

Histrionically unrestrained Prom a gleefully unbearable high school musical

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer THE PROM Netflix A rambunctious kaleidoscope of colorful excess, director Ryan Murphy’s (Eat Pray Love) adaptation of Broadway hit The Prom is a hyperactive mess that seems to think turning the volume up to 11 is the key ingredient for musical success. A mixture of heartfelt melodrama and schlocky, treacle-ridden nonsense, this movie both gave me a headache while it also produced a couple of honest tears.

Can I say I liked the movie? No. Will I admit that I was impressed with certain moments and more than a few of the performances? Yes. Would I ever watch it again to see if I’d change my mind and start thinking about it in a more overall positive light?

While I’d be open to doing that, its overall obnoxious quotient is so freakishly high I can’t say a return engagement is going to happen anytime soon.

After their expensive Broadway musical based on the life of Eleanor Roosevelt catastrophically flops, megastar Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) and her costar Barry Glickman (James Corden) are inspired by chorus girl Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman) and bartender/former child star Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells) to find some sort of altruistic endeavor that could quickly change the public discourse in their favor.

They find just that and more in the form of Indiana high school student Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman).

The local PTA, led by their haughty, self-righteous president, Mrs. Green (Kerry Washington), has canceled Emma’s school’s prom because she’s a lesbian and they can’t bar the senior student from attending with a girlfriend. Fellow seniors are unsurprisingly angry, while school principal Tom Hawkins (Keegan-Michael Key) is determined to get this decision by the PTA overturned and ensure Emma gets to attend with whomever the heck she wants. It’s a volatile situation that only

(center, l-r) Ariana DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman in The Prom – Photo courtesy of Netflix

gets more cantankerously bizarre with the arrival of Dee Dee, Barry, Angie and Trent, their supposedly helpful high-profile presence only making the situation worse.

Director Murphy overdoes it in every way imaginable. The film is in constant motion, rarely slowing down even for the most personal of moments. Characters have to feel things out loud, and any interior machinations that may happen do so more by the strength of an actor’s performance than anything having to do with input from the director. I felt like I was constantly being shouted at, the lack of any subtly whatsoever close to inexcusable.

And yet, there are times when something marvelous inexplicably transpires.

One such instance is a glorious musical number with Kidman and Pellman all about Bob Fosse and finding the “zazz.” It’s superbly staged and stupendously played by both actors, the smile on my face entirely authentic. Another is a pivotal number that once again features Pellman, this time matching her up with co-star Ariana DeBose. She plays Emma’s secret girlfriend Alyssa, a popular cheerleader who planned to come out at Prom before it was canceled. There is a heartfelt playfulness to Pellman and DeBose’s interactions as they dance across that screen that’s joyously infectious, and it is here I do admit a few of those aforementioned tears started to fall.

Pandemic drama Songbird an uncomfortable viral outbreak thriller

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer SONGBIRD PVOD (Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, Xfinity, iTunes, etc.)

I do not believe Songbird should exist. Or, more to the point, should exist right now. I get that there are future filmmakers who are going to make thrillers and action movies out of this pandemic. Heck, I’ll bet in a decade (if not less) there will be an all-star HBO threepart miniseries on what we all have been living through since February and it will likely have Emmy nominations and critical platitudes rained down upon it as if it is the greatest production to ever hit television.

Maybe it’s hypocritical, but while some variation of all of that (and more) is going to transpire not too far in the foreseeable future, it still sends icky chills up my spine that producer Michael Bay and director Adam Mason (Hangman) joined forces to

see SONGBIRD page 25

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K.J. Apa in Songbird – Photo courtesy of STX Films

December 18, 2020

But goodness gracious are moments like these few and far between. For every rhapsodic moment featuring the likes of Key singing about his love for Broadway (as well as for Dee Dee herself) with melodically passionate grandeur, there are so many leaden ones that fall disappointingly flat. While neither Streep nor Corden is bad, they’re both so larger-than-life the majority of the time that the few scenes where they try to tone it down come across as deplorably facile. Only Kidman rises above the fray, her performance a genuine triumph I utterly adored.

The whole thing reminded me of watching Murphy’s hit television series “Glee,” and not the early seasons which helped make the program a pop culture sensation. No, it feels more like the latter ones, the episodes that were all Whiz! and Bang! and Squee! and so much more insincere nonsense that watching the show felt like getting continually punched in the face at a certain point. Sure, moments of sincere emotion slipped in here and there, but overall each episode proved to be more of a test of endurance than anything else, and how devoted viewers stuck all the way until the end is way beyond me.

That’s how I felt watching The Prom.

I can see why and how this was a hit on Broadway. The music is great, and the scenario, while not exactly groundbreaking, still easily captures a viewer’s imagination. It’s impressively shot by veteran cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Black Swan), and editors Peggy Tachdjian and Danielle Wang do a fine job coherently cutting all the pieces together into a seamlessly energetic whole.

But even with a star-studded cast and performances from youngsters Pellman and DeBose that should put them on every casting agent in Hollywood’s radar, the histrionically unrestrained presentation of the material did me in. Murphy’s joy in slapping me silly for every second of the film’s laborious 130 minutes was more than I could take, this laudably inclusive LGBTQ high school musical a celebratory dance I’d rather not have been invited to attend

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.

December 18, 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

Queer Japan a colorfully fascinating LGBTQ travelogue

Artist and drag queen Vivienne Sato – Photo courtesy of Queer Japan

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer QUEER JAPAN PVOD (Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play) Flipping vicariously between Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Okinawa and chronicling several noteworthy subjects, Queer Japan is a leisurely paced documentary travelogue into Japanese LGBTQ culture. Weaving something like 100 interviews into the narrative, director Graham Kolbeins paints with broad strokes, revealing a portrait of identity, labels and culture that’s pretty dang enthralling.

Not to say I always had a clue as to what the point was or where the filmmaker was taking things. Don’t let the film’s lackadaisical manner fool you; this is a sprawling,

SONGBIRD

continued from page 23 make this film. It is a COVID dystopian thriller, shot, edited and released right when we are all still living through all of this, so watching it feels wrong in ways I admittedly cannot quite put words to.

The crazy thing? I didn’t hate Songbird.

Heck, had this come out in three or four years, it’s possible I’d give the film a polite, somewhat appreciative pass and move on to whatever might be released next. But right now?

In this moment? Mason’s latest is as uncomfortable to sit through as I’m almost certain anyone with a pulse can imagine it would be.

As professionally made and acted as it is, the idea that anyone thought this was a good idea to make right now, in this climate, boggles the mind. What else is there to say?

For those who are curious (for the right reasons, not morbidly so), the plot is basic dystopian nightmare fuel. It is 2024. The COVID virus was not contained and has mutated multiple times. Los Angeles is on permanent lockdown with mandatory virus scans every morning utilizing a citizen’s smartphone. If an infection is detected, no

Hiroshi Hasegawa and Gengoroh Tagame – Photo courtesy of Queer Japan

unwieldy pop culture explosion that isn’t nearly as focused or as coherent as I kept hoping it was going to be. Keeping up with its subjects and its themes is more difficult than it initially appears, and because of that my overall enjoyment was somewhat muted.

But only somewhat. There’s plenty to love about Kolbeins’ doc. Arguably the key figure in his mélange is Japanese manga artist Gengorah Tagame. While I admit I’d never heard of him, it’s immediately eyeopening how well-known his controversial work is all across the globe. His BDSMthemed illustrations have made him a cult figure, and it’s fascinating to learn how much those images have meant to such a diverse community of fans.

Part of this section also features some mesmerizing conversations with Tagame’s friend and fellow G-Men magazine editor

Hiroshi Hasegawa. These touch on a variety of topics, mostly concerning the publication’s early days and the long, sleepless nights the men spent getting each issue finalized. They also speak on the early days of AIDS in Japan, and while the conversations are mostly light and cordial it’s equally clear how emotional it is for both Tagame and Hasegawa to recollect on their shared histories.

There are great moments with multimedia artist Nogi Sumiko which are outstanding. Their refusal to live by any labels that might box them into a box they have no business being placed in is honest, circumspect and refreshing. Constructs involving gender and identity are blown completely out of the water in ways that are surprisingly edifying, and I almost wish Kolbeins would have spent more time with Sumiko than he ultimately does.

All of this can be a little overwhelming.

There are bits with former drag queen and performance artist Atsushi Matsuda that hint at numerous topics of interest yet were still somewhat lost on me as the director progresses from one subject to the next. I was also a bit perturbed there wasn’t more with Aya Kamikawa, the first transgender elected official in Japan.

Even so, Queer Japan is worth seeing.

It’s a look into LGBTQ culture unlike anything I anticipated, and while the universality of many of the life experiences depicted here is clear, there is also an insight into Japanese life that’s continually spellbinding. Kolbeins has crafted a wonderful documentary I’m glad I took the time to see.

I’m almost certain curious viewers will undoubtedly feel the same.

matter how serious or life-threatening, the individual along with all residing within their domicile is immediately apprehended

by Waste Management and taken to a lockdown zone where they will remain.

Individuals who have been classified as immune are considered essential workers and are free to roam around the quiet and deserted city. Courier Nico (K.J. Apa) is one of those lucky few. He spends his days speeding from one stop to the next, most of his deliveries going to the remaining wealthy elite, a high-profile clientele that includes a former music industry executive (Bradley Whitford), his beautiful wife (Demi Moore) and their 12-year-old daughter (Lia McHugh).

The thriller elements involve Sara (Sofia Carson), a gorgeous twenty-something who Nico inadvertently made the acquaintance of during a delivery. The pair have been interacting via social media and face-messaging software for who knows how long, and it’s safe to say that even though they’ve never touched or been in the same room together that they’ve still fallen in love. After Sara’s grandmother catches COVID and Waste Management comes calling, it’s only a matter of hours before she’s shuttled off to the lockdown zone, and Nico is going to do whatever it takes to

make sure that does not happen.

The stacked supporting cast also includes Craig Robinson, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Walter Hauser and a pitchperfect Peter Stormare chewing up as much scenery as he can as the despicable head of Waste Management. Lorne Balfe (Bad Boys for Life) supplies a suitably lively score, the visual effects are pretty terrific considering the rushed production schedule and editor Geoffrey O’Brien (Bright) cuts things together with coherent efficiency.

If we were looking at Songbird under normal circumstances, I’d talk about how the relationship between Nico and Sara is cute and charming but equally difficult to fully engage with. I’d also mention how a subplot involving Hauser and Daddario’s characters, respectively portraying an Afghan War vet in a wheelchair who’s a drone-piloting wizard and a wannabe pop starlet who has to make due singing for her remaining fans online to survive, is potentially more interesting than the primary narrative ends up being. There would also be a little bit about Moore, how good her performance is and how nice it is to see the veteran actress back up on the screen.

These are not normal circumstances.

With almost 300,000 Americans dead from COVID-19 at the time of this review, Mason’s thriller can’t help but ring far too many alarm bells to be easily passed off as popcorn entertainment. His script, co-written with Simon Boyes (Misconduct), could be construed in some ways as unintentional accelerant for the QAnon-loving, government conspiracy theory set. It pushes buttons that feel ugly and inappropriate, all of which makes giving the film any sort of fair assessment difficult to do.

I guess what I will say is this: I did not hate Songbird. I ended up not feeling like those involved with its production were trying to cash-in on a worldwide tragedy and likely thought they were lending their talents to a B-grade thriller that could give viewers a little bit of enjoyment at an otherwise undeniably bleak moment in history.

Be that as it may, I still couldn’t stop that unpleasant feeling from crawling up and down my backbone. Mason’s film lives in this moment, and try as I might I cannot disassociate it from current events. Make of that what you will.

December 18, 2020

Seattle Gay News 25

Visit us online www.sgn.org

26 Seattle Gay News

December 18, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

It’s time to start healing.

Sacred Rain Healing Center is open for therapeutic massage & acupuncture six days a week. Strict COVID precautions followed, with client arrivals staggered & deep sanitizing between every treatment. Masks required to enter the facility & during treatment.

Outdoor spa pool, sundeck and locker room are open by appointment for private rental with your household pod of one to five persons for 90-minute sessions. Sauna is closed until at least Phase 3.

Open Monday through Saturday 10am - 8pm Temporarily closed Sunday

Sacred Rain Healing Center

1100 NW 50th St. Seattle ~ 206.789.6288 ~ sacredrainhealing.com ~ info@sacredrainhealing.com

Visit us online www.sgn.org

December 18, 2020

Seattle Gay News 27