SGN March 24, 2017 - Section 1

Celebrating 43 Years!

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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Ed Murray proclaims Joe McDermott Day of Action to support proposes legal defense immigrants, refugees fund for immigrants

From left: Mayors Eric Garcetti (LA), Jorge Elorza (Providence), Tom Tait (Anaheim) and Ed Murray (Seattle) – Photos courtesy of momentmag.com, Jesse Burke, Rainbold Gallery and blog.thenewstribune.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Seattle Mayor Ed Murray proclaimed March 21 a “Day of Action” in support of immigrants and refugees, calling for com-

prehensive immigration reform.

In an official proclamation, signed by himself and all nine city councilmembers, Murray reaffirmed that “Seattle is an insee DAY OF ACTION page 8

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott – Photo courtesy of heraldnet.com.jpg

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer King County Councilmember Joe McDermott is defying the Trump administration with a proposal to fund legal services

for immigrants.

McDermott wants to create what he calls a “Resilience Fund” to offer legal defense, know-your-rights training and other see MCDERMOTT page 8

Rick Perry questions HHS drops LGBT questions from annual election of openly Gay student body president aging survey

Senator Patty Murray – Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick / Getty Images

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Questions about LGBT seniors have been dropped from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) annual survey of aging Americans.

The HHS uses the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP) to decide how to allocate federal funding to groups that work with the elderly.

The NSOAAP survey is conducted by see HHS page 15

Texas A&M’s new student body president Bobby Brooks (center) – Photo courtesy of erienewsnow.com

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, broke from national politics on Wednesday to question the election of Texas A&M University’s first

openly Gay student president. Perry said he believes his alma mater’s election process was rigged in the name of diversity.

The former Texas governor wrote in an editorial, published Wednesday in the see TEXAS A&M page 20

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Celebrating 41 Years!

OBITUARY

May her legacy live on!

Vickie Williams – Photo courtesy of komonews.com

Vickie Williams, an African-American lesbian leader, elder, community builder, mentor and beloved family member transitioned on March 3rd, 2017. Vickie was the co-owner of Life Enrichment Bookstore for almost 2 decades, otherwise known as LEMS, the only Black owned and Black lesbian owned bookstore in Washington State. LEMS was a community center, a cultural hub and portal to Black ancestral heritage in Columbia City. Vickie was known for being a mentor to youth, a community leader in sharing Black heritage and culture, and a community builder in the Black LGBTQ community. She is survived by her partner Aaliya Messiah and family.

On March 14th there was a memorial for Vickie of almost 1000 people, according to a Seattle Times article, at Skyway’s Holy Temple Evangelistic Center. Vickie has touched many lives, as she has mine, so it is not surprising that her memorial was flooded with community that loved her. At her memorial King County Councilmember Larry Gossett made a proclamation that March 11th is “Vickie Williams Day” in King County.

Gossett also acknowledged that LEMS is the “epicenter for African-American” events in Seattle. Dominique Stephens, representative from the Mayor’s Office, Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, Representative Eric Pettigrew and Senator Rebecca Saldana were also in attendance and Stephens and Tomiko Santos also spoke.

I met Vickie almost 20 years ago through a previous partner and admired her strength and commitment to the Black lesbian community. At the time I met Vickie she was one of the lead organizers for Seattle’s Sister 2 Sistah group the only organization in Seattle specifically devoted to Black lesbian and bisexual women. Vickie, in her leadership, ensured that LEMS was a cultural hub for LGBTQ women of color, like hosting Sistah Sinema, a Black queer women led film forum, creating a space where women of color could see themselves in film. Whenever I attended events at LEMS I was always warmly welcomed by Vickie who was waiting by door. It was as if she wanted to know each person coming into her bookstore and get to know them.

In 2012 I reconnected with Vickie and asked her to be on LGBTQ Allyship’s Ad-

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visory Committee.

During one of my visits with Vickie, she shared with me a story about a friend of hers, an older black lesbian that fell ill and needed extra care. Her friend’s daughter admitted Vickie’s friend in a nursing home, but the daughter did not approve of her mother being a lesbian. Vickie’s friend, who had a vibrant black lesbian community, became isolated from the very community who loved her wholelistically. Sadly, Vickie’s friend passed away in the nursing home cut off from her community. It was at that time I asked Vickie to speak at the 2013 Over the Rainbow Washington State LGBTQ Aging & Long-Term Care Summit, a conference LGBTQ Allyship helped organize, on the challenges and needs of older black lesbians in Seattle and King County.

Vickie’s stories on the barriers faced by older black lesbians around aging, health care and housing have inspired me to adamantly advocate for a LGBTQ equity lens (that includes the impacts of racism, sexism

and economic injustice) in senior housing.

Her life and devotion to community has inspired and changed the lives of so many people, including mine.

I am grateful to have known Vickie and to have learned from her.

May your amazing legacy live on!

Debbie Carlsen LGBTQ Allyship P.S. Please consider supporting the survival of LEMS, the only African-American lesbian owned bookstore in Washington State, and supporting Vickie’s family to pay for funeral costs. Vickie’s legacy must live on! Donate to Vickie William’s Go Fund Me “Homegoing” page https://www. gofundme.com/5c3qc-ms-vickie-williamshomegoing Reprinted with permission from LGBTQ Allyship’s March 17 SPECIAL EDITION e-newsletter

L.E.M.S Bookstore – Photo courtesy of Komo News

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Seattle City Council approves first Renters’ Commission in US

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In a unanimous March 20 vote, the Seattle City Council created a Seattle Renters’ Commission to represent a historically neglected interest group.

About 54% of households in the city are occupied by renters, according to the ordinance’s prime sponsor, City Councilmember Tim Burgess. The commission will provide them with a vehicle to advise the mayor and city council about legal protections for renters, and also related topics like transportation, public health and safety, parks, and open space.

“This was truly a grassroots effort, that started up on Capitol Hill and will now benefit the entire city of Seattle,” Burgess said.

“We just want to give renters a formal voice here at City Hall…Renters need landlords and landlords need renters, so if this commission can help bridge that relationship, then that will be a positive move for our city.”

“In my district alone, we now have 49% renters and 51% homeowners, and I believe that those people should have a voice,” bill co-sponsor Debora Juarez said. “It’s important that renters are recognized and are engaged in the city process and certainly in the decisions.”

The commission will have 15 members – six appointed by the mayor, six by the city

Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess – Photo by Ellen M. Banner, The Seattle Times

council, two by the commission itself, and one young adult member from the YMCA’s Get Engaged Program.

The ordinance requires inclusion of “historically underrepresented groups such as low-income renters, LGBTQ renters, immigrant renters, renters with felony records,

those paying rent with assistance, and renters who have experienced homelessness.”

The ordinance also calls for representation of different geographic areas.

Applications and appointments are expected to begin in April, with the commission having its initial meeting

early this summer. The City’s Department of Neighborhoods will provide staff for the commission.

Capitol Hill Community Council President Zachary DeWolf spoke in favor of the measure.

“After 91 years of the same old, tired, harmful, and unjust argument, treating us renters as second to homeowners, today’s vote and hopeful victory fully affirms [that] your life, our lives as renters, and our voice matters,” DeWolf said. “Today is a big win for equity and inclusion, and I continue to be proud to live in this great city.”

Members of the Capitol Hill Renter Initiative, which pushed for the measure, also testified in favor of the ordinance.

One member, Michael Bracy, has been a renter in Seattle for some 18 years. His rent has nearly tripled in that time, he said.

“Issues around rental properties and the concerns of their inhabitants inform and affect many of the greatest challenges in front of the council,” Bracy said. “…Renters in Seattle are first-hand witnesses to and participants in the day-to-day struggles and triumphs that make our city unique.”

Another Renter Initiative member, Alex Brennan, hoped the new commission would give renters a greater voice in city policy.

“At a time when so many renters are struggling to afford to live in Seattle, this is a critical step toward a more inclusive future,” Brennan said.

Leather Community celebrates 35 years!

The Washington State Leather Community will be celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Washington State Mr. & Ms. Leather, Bootblack Contest, and the 25th Anniversary of the Washington State Leather Pride Week. The contest will be held on March 25, 2017. The contest will be held at The Cuff Complex (1533 13th Ave), with doors at 6:00pm and the contest beginning at 7:00pm. The Washington State Leather Pride Week (March 1726, 2017) took place this past week, with many events, at several locations, around the state of Washington, and continues through this weekend.

It was 35 years ago at the J & L Saloon, that the first Washington State Contest was held. It was 1983, and several men competed for the title of Washington State Mr. Leatherman (the contest/title name would later be changed to Washington State Mr. Leather). That evening Mark Sauer was the first winner, for what has become an annual celebration of Leather Pride across the State. Each year following, several men would vie for the honor to represent the Leather Community around the State and then follow-up representing the Urganization and community at various national leather competitions.

In 1989 Vik Stump, a local women’s leather leader began the first Washington State Ms. Leather competition. The competition was held at Club S. That year Lauren Burch became the first Washington State Ms. Leather.

In 2000, the title of Washington State Ms. Leather was sold to the Washington State Mr. Leather Organization, finally bring both titles under the same parent organization. The Organization adopted using the M in WSMLO for mutual recognition of both titles.

In 2014, with the ending of the Northwest Bootblack competition, WSMLO began the title of Washington State Bootblack

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From left: Clay Sales, Washington State Mr. Leather 2016, Thea, Washington State Ms. Leather 2016, Brynn, Washington State Bootblack 2016 will be celebrating their amazing year of dedication and service to the Washington State Leather Community, on March 25, 2017 – Photo by Malixe Photo

and the competition for this title is now merged into the Washington State Mr. & Ms. Leather Contest.

Clay Sales, Washington State Mr. Leather 2016, Thea, Washington State Ms. Leather 2016, and Brynn, Washington State Bootblack 2016, will end their very successful year of fundraising, extensive travel and community service this weekend. Celebrating their year will begin with a Meet and Greet for all guests of this year’s contest, being held on Friday, March 24, at 8:30pm, at Dog House Leathers (1312 E. Pike St.). Additionally, they will all speak about their year as leaders in the Washing-

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ton State Leather Community at this year’s contest.

This year’s contest, we have a distinguished panel of judges who will choose the new Washington State Mr. & Ms. Leather, Bootblack 2017. The following members of the leather community, both locally and nationally, are the selected judges. They include, Head Judge, Nyx, Washington State Ms. Leather 2012; Jim Drew, Washington State Mr. Leather, 2015; Beau, Washington State Bootblack 2015; Dara, International Ms. Bootblack 2014; Kelly Wilt, Seattle Leather Daddy 2016; Val, Ms. SF Leather 2013; Pup Kona, Northwest Puppy 2015

and Dr. Danger, WSMLO Board Member.

Returning, after originally hosting the WSMLO Contest in 1994 and his continued involvement with the contest and Washington State Leather Pride Week is, Mr. Lenny Broberg, from San Francisco.

Mr. Broberg has most recently co-emceed the International Mr. Leather Contest in Chicago. He is the first person to receive the prestigious WSMLO National Leather Emerald Award. This award is one that goes to a person, who has either assisted the Seattle leather community in the present and/or past and has provided positive leadership to the leather community in general.

On Sunday morning, March 26, a Victory Brunch will be held for the newly selected Washington State Mr. & Ms. Leather, Bootblack 2017, as well as the bestowing of the Leather Emerald Awards and Community Service Awards. Brunch will start at 11:30am at The Cuff Dance Bar (1533 13th Ave., enter on E. Pine St. side of building).

The award presentation will begin at noon at The Cuff Dance Bar. In addition, several other organizations and groups will be presenting their annual awards at this event, including the Seattle Men In Leather, Generic Leather Productions of Washington, Seattle Girls of Leather, Seattle Women in Leather, to name a few.

Washington State Leather Pride Week 2917 kicked off on Saturday, March 18 when the Seattle Men In Leather held their annual Meeting, Dinner and Elections. On Sunday, March 19, WSMLO hosted the first Leather Community Barbecue at The Cuff. For more information on the events taking place for Washington State Leather Pride Week, and more contest information, you can check out the WSMLO website at: www.WSMLO.org.

Courtesy of WSMLO

Celebrating 41 Years!

Doula support for LGBTQ families

by Mica Lewis Patient Support Assistant and Doula Doula Program Swedish Health Services As a queer doula, I am passionate about supporting safe and empowering birth experiences for Seattle’s new LGBTQ parents. So, what is a doula? A doula (“doo-lah”) provides continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to pregnant people and their families before, during, and after childbirth. Let me tell you a little bit about the role of a birth doula, and how we can show up to support LGBTQ parents navigating additional complexities of queer birth, while encouraging the excitement and unscripted creativity of family building.

Research shows that parents who receive continuous labor support from doulas have better medical outcomes. They are less likely to require medical interventions like C-sections, Pitocin, pain relief medications, and forceps or vacuum assistance at delivery. Babies are less likely to be admitted to a special care nursery. And importantly, parents report feeling more satisfied with their birth experience – no matter how it unfolds – when they have a doula. It turns out that consistent emotional support makes a really big difference in the course of birth for both parent and baby! Doulas are not medical providers, but we work together with your medical care team of nurses, doctors, and midwives, to help you feel loved and reassured throughout your labor, as well as empowered in communicating your own birth preferences.

Doulas can be especially helpful in supporting the unique experiences of LGBTQ parents who are navigating the birth world. While Seattle hospitals are leading the way on training their staff in cultural sensitivity, queer and trans families, or any parents who fall outside the heterosexual, cisgendered, monogamous norms of our society, may face additional challenges in their experience of pregnancy. No matter where we choose to labor and give birth, trying to cope with the intensity of labor while facing possible issues like misidentification, confusion about family structure, lack of experience with preferred pronouns, or accidental exclusion of the non-gestational parent can be exceedingly difficult or painful. For example, lesbian parents and partners may face anxiety that their motherhood will be in question depending on their biological relationship to the child. Gay fathers working with a surrogate might be apprehensive about the task of familiarizing their care team with their specific family and birthing configuration. Trans folks may face extra stressors in hospitals if they’ve dealt with past trauma in their medical history.

As doulas, we can provide a consistently calm and validating presence, having built a comfortable and understanding relationship with the parents over several months during the pregnancy. We work prenatally with our LGBTQ clients to unpack fears, encourage helpful communication on the birth plan, and offer resources from other queer parents who faced similar situations. And on the day of the labor, we are a dynamic bridge, familiar to the medical care team and familiar to the birthing parents. We work to facilitate a nonjudgmental and safe space for communication, processing, and beautiful, safe birthing! It may even be important to you to work with a doula from within the LGBTQ community who can relate to your concerns and help you navigate the intense experiences of pregnancy and birth with grace and empowerment. I am honored to be part of a larger community of queer birth workers and reproductive justice activists in the Puget

Mica Lewis Patient Support Assistant and Doula – Photo courtesy of Swedish Health Services

Sound area who are highly trained, passionate, and available to support families from every type of background.

As awareness and access to doulas grows in our community, I am proud to be working with the cutting edge of birth support in the hospital setting. This January, Swedish Medical Center launched the first hospital-based paid doula program in Washington. The program is a collaboration between 42 independent doulas and the leaders in maternal care at Swedish; it opens doors for easily finding a great doula and facilitating all the aspects of logistics and coordination with your doula and your medical support team. Since January, our team of doulas has supported more than 200 families at our four hospital birth centers in the Greater Seattle area (First Hill, Ballard, Issaquah, and Edmonds).

The support services of a Swedish doula include 1-2 meetings during your pregnancy to discuss birth preferences and help prepare for delivery, ongoing phone and email support throughout pregnancy, 24/7 on-call availability to attend your birth, meeting at home in early labor, supporting you through your entire labor and delivery at the hospital, and an in-home visit after your baby is born to discuss feeding, sleep issues, referrals and other questions

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you may have as a new parent. If you’d like to find out more information, reach out to the Swedish Doula Program office at 206215-6106 or check out our website at http:// www.swedish.org/doulas Finally, if you or someone you know within the LGBTQ community is interested in the career path of providing birth support to families, I very much hope you will explore our newly created Swedish Doula Diversity Scholarship. The goal of this scholarship is to increase the number of birth doulas from within communities traditionally underrepresented in the doula profession by reducing cost, access, and community barriers that participants might face. We are excited to stand with other local and national organizations offering scholarships to support the development and entry of more doulas of color, LGBTQ doulas, and doulas from varied ethnic and language backgrounds into the birth support profession. The Swedish Doula Program has partnered with the Swedish Community Engagement department to establish a scholarship that includes: • Fully funded doula training at several locations • Full funding for certification fees • Access to a training library

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• Two shadowed births with a doula mentor • Drop-in study space Please email doulas@swedish.org for more information about this scholarship opportunity.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about doula support, and feel free to reach out to the Swedish Doula Services: www. swedish.org/doulas, if you have any questions or comments about the intersection of LGBTQ health and birth care, or to learn more about doula support for your birth!

Resources for Pregnancy and Birth Support at Swedish: • Lytle Center for Pregnancy & Newborns: www.swedish.org/locations/lytle-center-for-pregnancy-and-newborns, 1-206-21-LYTLE • Swedish Doula Services: www.swedish.org/doulas, 1-206-215-6106 • Swedish Medical Center: www.swedish.org, 1-800-SWEDISH

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DAY OF ACTION continued from cover

clusive, open, and welcoming city, and we will fight today and every day for the rights and security of our immigrant and refugee communities.”

In a press conference call before issuing the proclamation, Murray and three other mayors – Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles; Jorge Elorza of Providence, Rhode Island; and Tom Tait of Anaheim, California – stressed the role city governments play in dealing with

MCDERMOTT continued from cover

forms of support to King County’s immigrant population.

The fund would be a public-private partnership, with King County investing $1 million from surplus funds in its budget and the Seattle Foundation putting in another $125,000. The Seattle Foundation would then help oversee management of the program.

“Our values are that we want people to know that they’re welcome and accepted here,” McDermott said about his proposal.

That puts McDermott squarely up against the Trump administration’s attempts to enforce his executive order

immigrants and immigration issues.

Day of Action activities are meant to highlight the vital contributions immigrants make to their cities and the nation, the mayors said. They are also urging Congress and the Trump administration to focus on “commonsense reforms that will address the nation’s broken immigration system.”

Murray said he would sign on to the US Conference of Mayor’s letter to Congress, calling on the federal government to pass immigration reform legislation.

“Today, we are standing up for [the] civil rights of all of our residents,” Murray said in a statement.

“Symbolism is important, but action is more important. And we are taking these bold actions today because we believe we have the Constitution and the rule of law on our side. Our immigration system is broken for everyone – those working in our hotels, doing our farm work, as well as those working in high-tech industries. Here in Seattle, we recognize that immigrants help to make our local economy stronger, and we know this applies to our national economy as well.”

Murray added that the City of Seattle would hold what he called an “Immigration 101 training and discussion” for all city employees, including frontline personnel who

work directly with residents – Seattle police officers, for example, and other field staff.

The mayor also announced that the city would relaunch its “Welcoming City” webpage, listing all immigration-related actions it has taken.

Finally, in a joint statement with the immigrant rights group OneAmerica, Murray urged Seattle residents to call or write their congressional representatives and urge them to support policies to benefit immigrants and refugees.

A regional conference on immigration will be held later this spring, Murray added.

against so-called “sanctuary cities.” Both Seattle and King County have said for many years that their law enforcement officers will not help federal agents locate and deport undocumented immigrants.

In fact, Seattle is already spending some $250,000 to help immigrants and refugees navigate life under the Trump administration, with a focus on children in the city’s public schools.

Both King County and Seattle made the Trump administration’s hit list of municipalities that do not cooperate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by turning over undocumented immigrants who are arrested for other crimes.

The Trump administration report, called the “Declined Detainer Outcome Report,” included Seattle and other cities, plus King,

Snohomish, and several other Washington counties. It was issued March 20.

So-called “detainer requests” are sometimes issued by ICE to local law enforcement when they take undocumented immigrants into custody. The requests ask local law enforcement hold that person for 48 hours so ICE agents can take them into custody.

King and Snohomish counties will only honor the detainer requests if ICE has a court order or warrant to hold that person, McDermott said, so he expected them to be included in the Trump report.

“The administration is trying to publicly shame jurisdictions by publishing this list,” McDermott said.

The Trump administration report tracked declined detainer requests between January 28 and February 3. Two King

County jails, South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in Des Moines and Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, were named in the report for releasing three people, despite receiving federal detainer requests.

“King County has refused to abide by these tactics,” McDermott said. “We’ve adopted a policy refusing to honor ICE detainers, except in the most serious of circumstances, recognizing that ICE detainers harm public safety in our communities…

“I want people to feel safe talking to law enforcement, regardless of whether they are a victim, witness, or reporting a crime.

I want them to feel safe having that conversation. If they are afraid of having that contact lead to detention or possibly being deported, they will not engage.”

George Weinberg, man who coined the word “homophobia,” dies at 87

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer George Weinberg, a psychotherapist who coined the term “homophobia” in the mid-’60s, died March 20 at his home in Manhattan. He was 87.

Although he was straight, Weinberg had Gay and Lesbian friends, and while thinking about his experience involving a Lesbian friend, he realized that some straight people had what amounted to a phobia about LGBT folks.

Weinberg had been invited to a dinner party by some colleagues. When they discovered he was bringing a Lesbian friend, they asked him to disinvite her. He believed they were motivated by fear – fear so extreme and irrational that it suggested symptoms of a phobia.

“I coined the word homophobia to mean it was a phobia about homosexuals,” Weinberg told Gregory Herek, a professor of psychology at UC Davis, in a 1998 interview.

“It was a fear of homosexuals which seemed to be associated with a fear of contagion, a fear of reducing the things one fought for – home and family. It was a religious fear, and it had led to great brutality, as fear always does.”

Weinberg later talked about his ideas with the Gay activists Jack Nichols and Lige Clarke, who used the new term in a column they wrote for Screw magazine on May 5, 1969. It was the word’s first appearance in print.

Weinberg wrote a number of books explaining psychology for the general reader, but he was best known for Society and the Healthy Homosexual. It was one of the first books to reject the idea, then prevalent in

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George Weinberg – Photo courtesy of nyt.com

the psychiatric profession, that being Gay was a psychological disorder.

Weinberg became a very public advocate of Gay rights and helped lead the campaign to remove homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, a handbook

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of psychological disorders.

“I felt like an apostle of the obvious, and people imagined I was doing something daring,” he told Gay Today in 2002.

In later life, Weinberg even suggested that homophobes were the ones who were mentally ill.

“As long as homophobia exists, as long as gay people suffer from homophobic acts, the word will remain crucial to our humanity,” he wrote in the Huffington Post. “Indeed, the next big step should be to add ‘homophobia’ to the official list of mental disorders…”

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Celebrating 41 Years!

Seattle Sounders team captain Brad Evans discusses championship win and new season ahead

by Albert Rodriguez SGN Staff Writer The Seattle Sounders FC celebrated the best year of its franchise history on December 10, 2016 when it captured professional soccer’s ultimate title, the MLS Cup. They weren’t expected to emerge as champions, in fact midway through the season they weren’t even on track to make the playoffs.

But the Sounders, led by team captain Brad Evans, muscled through the second half of the season, earned a playoff spot and suddenly found itself within a match of winning it all, and in a nail biting finale that went down to the wire, they prevailed over their opponents, Toronto FC. Since the match took place away from the Emerald City, on the other side of North America and in a different time zone, the players did most of the celebrating on their own.

“It was a little bit weird because the game was an 8 o’clock kickoff,” explains Evans, when I spoke with him in person at CenturyLink Field last week, after watching the team practice in preparation for its season opener on March 19. “So we went into overtime and then we do the penalty kicks and then there’s media after that and a celebration on the field. We didn’t get back to the hotel until 1:30 in the morning, so it was already too late to plan anything or go out, so the team held a big party at the hotel with family members, food and drinks. It was a really fun celebration, a lot of guys were exhausted, but at that point there are no more games, so you stay up till 4 o’clock just wired, buzzed, drinking and celebrating with your family.”

Evans is currently on the injured list, unable to play but upbeat for a full recovery.

“I think in another 2 and a 1/2, or 3 weeks,” he replied when asked when he’d be back in action. “The problem is I really haven’t played a 90-minute game since last August when I first got injured, so even though I feel good now I have to build up slowly. I don’t want to risk getting injured again, so I’m being smart with it, making sure that I’m ready for the next 30 games after that.”

Although the Sounders were victorious over the New York Red Bulls last Sunday in its first match of the new season, it’s a long road ahead for the team to repeat as champions. But that isn’t stopping them from set-

HHS

continued from cover the federal government every year, and helps to evaluate the effectiveness of programs funded under Title III of the Older Americans Act, including who is being served by such programs.

Survey results are used to determine how to direct billions of dollars toward older people’s needs through publicly funded senior centers, home-delivered meals, family caregiver support, transportation, and other key supports.

In 2014, questions about sexual orientation and gender identity were added to the survey, helping researchers determine that the United States is home to about three

Brad Evans (in the middle, shirtless) celebrating MLS Cup win – Photo courtesy of Seattle Sounders FC

ting their sights on it.

“The ultimate goal will always remain to win an MLS Cup because for us that is the ultimate championship,” Evans stated, dressed in street clothes and a baseball cap after changing out of warm-up gear following his practice session. “We’ve always been a club and we want to get as many trophies as possible throughout the year, and there’s four trophies at the beginning of the year that are up for grabs. The last thing you want to do is what Portland did last year; they win and then they don’t even make the playoffs. So, a realistic goal is having a better season than last year throughout the course of the year, not having to win 9 of those 12 last games, or whatever it was, to make the playoffs and not putting ourselves in that position.”

With a squad comprised of men from throughout the country and from overseas I wondered whether Evans or anyone on the team was concerned about recent political events, such as the travel ban, or players not kneeling during the National Anthem as several NFL players did last year.

“Ultimately, this is a brotherhood and it’s a family, and whenever one of your family members or brothers is affected in any way it can take its toll on the group,” the 6’ 1” captain pointed out. “The one thing about soccer is that as soon as we step out of that tunnel and onto the field, ultimately 99% of the other things are out of your brain and the focus is on soccer. And then after the game, on the carpool ride back home, we can talk about real issues.”

But what about that whole kneeling thing? Could that happen here in Seattle?

Evans answers quickly and confidently.

“One way that I’ve interpreted that is that our league is so diverse that if you ask any of these guys from Cuba, who honestly gave up everything, his whole family and defected here, is because of the flag,” he said. “We have guys from Panama who could’ve played overseas, guys from Trinidad and the list goes on from the amount of countries that we have on this team. One thing they love is America and the American dream, and the flag represents a lot, so you’ll never see one of those guys take a

knee during the National Anthem. They’re so honored to be here in this country.”

You might recall Evans interviewing twice with Seattle Gay News during the past season and talking about his precious dog Coto. Unfortunately, his beloved pet, who he covets like a child, had a setback this winter and though it’s difficult to deal with Evans looks to soccer as a great escape.”

“My dog, in December, was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor,” Evans told me.

“So we had to have his leg removed - that’s tough, that’s my son, we don’t have kids, we don’t plan on having kids – and on the way to training I’m always thinking about it, but once I step on the field I don’t think about it.”

At press time, the date for this year’s Seattle Sounders Pride Day was still being decided, however, it is expected to happen in late June to coincide with the city’s Pride festivities. Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement on that. In the meantime, the team welcomes everyone to any and all of its home matches at CenturyLink Field.

To view the 2017 schedule, go to seattlesoundersfc.com.

million self-identifying LGBT people over the age of 55.

In the 2017 draft survey released by the Trump administration, there was only one noticeable change from previous years – the LGBT questions are gone. Despite that fact, the notice announcing the new survey says that “no changes” were made.

Advocates for LGBT seniors denounced the move, and called for restoration of data collection.

Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders (SAGE) announced that it is launching a nationwide effort to oppose the Trump administration’s “erasure of LGBT elders from the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP).”

Specifically, SAGE says it opposes any changes that would prevent the federal government from assessing “the extent to

which LGBT older adults are receiving federally funded elder services.”

According to the Center for American Progress, LGBT seniors face acute levels of economic insecurity, social isolation, and discrimination, including difficulty accessing critical aging services and supports.

“Data on LGBT program recipients would help HHS ensure its programs are meeting the need of LGBT seniors,” the Center noted. “By rolling back data collection on LGBT people, the HHS is giving up the tools it needs to ensure its effectively and equitably reaching all elders, including LGBT elders.”

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, also condemned the HHS’s erasure of LGBT seniors.

“I am deeply troubled that the Trump administration has moved to stop collecting data on LGBTQ individuals in two key national surveys,” she said.

“There can be no possible justification for this action. I have repeatedly urged the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies to include LGBTQ individuals in data collection efforts to help us better understand the challenges they face, and what can be done about it.

Secretary Price should immediately resume this data collection and provide a detailed explanation for why this decision was first ordered – and he should know that he will be held accountable, every step of the way, for any harm that arises from his actions against LGBTQ Americans.”

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Seattle Gay News 15

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As with all of our cats, Tres and Quattro have been neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. All of our cats have been tested for Feline Leukemia/FIV and go home with a certificate for an examination by a King County veterinarian and their very own identification tag and collar. PLUS, most cat adoptions include 30 days of pet insurance from Trupanion – a great way to start off on the right paw.

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March 24, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

Washington congresswomen host antibullying reception in DC

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Washington congresswomen Pramila Jayapal and Suzan DelBene hosted an antibullying reception on March 17 in Washington, DC. They were joined by two other members of the Washington state delegation, Rep. Adam Smith (9th District) and Derek Kilmer (6th District). Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Reps. Jan Schakowsky (DIll.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) also attended and spoke at the reception.

The event was prompted by the Bully Busters – a group of 11- and 12-year-old girls from Jayapal’s district in Seattle. After hearing from them, Jayapal invited members of Congress to stand up to intimidation tactics and sign the Bully Busters pledge.

Those who signed the pledge promised to “represent the people of the United States of America without engaging in bullying or being a bystander [to] bullying tactics.”

“Opportunity only comes if you’re not discriminated against, if you’re not targeted, if you’re given the resources to actually

Congresswomen (l) Suzan DelBene and Pramila Jayapal – Photos courtesy of wikimedia.org and Pramila Jayapal

do the things that you’re capable of doing,” Jayapal said.

“What the Bully Busters are standing up for today is about all of that. It’s about how we continue to preserve this country as a

great and diverse nation that respects – and not just tolerates, but actually believes in – diversity as a core principle.”

“I’m a firm believer that words matter.

And we need elected officials who under-

stand that and respect the important contributions others make,” DelBene added.

“These young women are doing an amazing job, and I would hope all lawmakers agree to sign their anti-bullying pledge.

After such a divisive year, we should be working to bring our country together, not creating deeper divides.”

Bully Busters was formed shortly after the 2016 presidential election, when Seattle sixth-graders noticed an increase in hate speech and intimidation.

The girls began the project to encourage congressional representatives to take action against bullying and avoid being bystanders. The group began with letter-writing campaigns encouraging politicians to recognize and report bullying.

There are now Bully Busters chapters in several states.

“Politicians have been behaving like bullies or acting as bystanders,” said Eliza Amon, mother of a Bully Busters organizer.

“I’m proud that Congresswoman Jayapal and Congresswoman DelBene have stood with our kids against bullying in politics.”

One in five hate attacks is now done in the name of Trump BTQ communities and the mental and physical well-being of said communities.

Studies have shown that LGBTQ people who live in areas with high levels of antiLGBTQ prejudice die 12 years earlier than peers in other communities.

Another study found that LGBTQ people living in states without anti-discrimination protections are five times more likely than those in other states to have two or more mental disorders.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Since the election of Donald J. Trump as president, you’ve no doubt heard people – particularly marginalized communities – say that they are scared. People of color are in fear. LGBTQ folks are on alert. Immigrants from near and far look over their shoulder. In short, anyone who doesn’t fit the right-wing conservative view of who an acceptable American citizen is feels under attack – because we are.

In particular, attacks against LGBTQ folks are on the rise.

According to Yahoo! News, attackers are now threatening Gay victims by saying they live in “Trump America.”

In fact, researchers believe that one in five attacks is done in Trump’s name.

Since November, groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and ProPublica have been working together to create a comprehensive database of hate crime incidents across the country. So far, they have recorded 1,400 incidents, according to Heidi Beirich, who leads the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “From our perspective it certainly looks like there have been more hate crimes since the election,” she said.

“Hey, snowflake!”

Robert Richard Brice Kohler was walking his dog in a Washington, DC, neighborhood when he heard someone yell from behind, “Hey, snowflake! This is what a Trump America looks like, faggot!”

Kohler told Broadly, a Vice News affiliate, that before he could turn completely around, four men had begun punching and throwing objects at him.

Two of them wore hats that read “Make America Great Again.”

Kohler’s assault isn’t an isolated event in the months after Trump was sworn in.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a man shot pellets into a Gay community center after telling the person at the front desk, “I wish you would all die.”

In Brooklyn, an attacker hurled antiGay slurs and slashed two men with a knife

fy if he thought Trump’s withdrawal of federal protections for Transgender students was emboldening bigots, Spicer dismissed any link.

“I don’t believe there is any connection,” Spicer said. “I think that would be a stretch, to say the least.”

While Trump hasn’t directly spoken out against LGBTQ people in his speeches, he has surrounded himself with people who hold anti-Gay views: Vice President Mike Pence wanted to use HIV/AIDS money to fund conversion therapy, and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos helped the antiGay Family Research Council establish its first Washington, DC, office.

Their appointments send a message to bigoted Trump supporters that LGBTQ people can be harassed with impunity.

According to reports, research has indicated that there is a correlation between policies that restrict protections for LG-

Not just LGBTQ people under attack in Seattle Hate crimes against members of the Seattle LGBTQ community have spiked over the past few years. However, there is some debate about whether the number of attacks has increased or where reporting has.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that a combination of the two is at play. With the Seattle Police Department launching initiatives like SAFE PLACE (www.SPDSAFEPLACE.com) and most recently its bias crimes dashboard (www.seattle.gov/police/ information-and-data/bias-crime-unit/biascrime-dashboard), members of the LGBTQ community have a way to contact the department’s LGBTQ Liaison Officer as well as track when and where attacks have occurred.

In Seattle, however, it isn’t only the LGBTQ community that is experiencing attacks since the Trump election.

The head of the FBI in Seattle spoke last Wednesday to “Q13 News This Morning” about a recent string of hate crimes, including threats against Jewish community centers and a shooting in Kent targeting a man of the Sikh faith.

Jay S. Tabb Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle, said a spike in hate crimes has left communities on edge.

“Right now, this type of event causes people to be fearful. It undermines their faith that they can be protected in our communities,” he said.

The FBI has launched a civil rights investigation into the March 3 shooting in Kent.

During the attack, the suspect is alleged to have told the victim to go back to his own country, before shooting him in the arm.

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Seattle Gay News 17

Robert Richard Brice Kohler – Photo courtesy of lgbtchat.net

inside a Crown Fried Chicken.

A New York drag queen club owner was reportedly beaten up early one morning in San Diego for being Gay; he later recorded a video on Facebook blaming the hateful atmosphere Trump had created for the attack.

In Key West, two Gay men were allegedly attacked while riding their bikes by a gay-basher who proclaimed, “You live in Trump country now.”

“A stretch, to say the least.”

Confronted by a reporter last week about the rash of attacks on the LGBTQ community, White House press secretary Sean Spicer played down any links between Trump’s rhetoric and gay-bashings.

“I think one of the points that we’ve made in previous statements is that this is not the way that we as Americans solve our differences,” he said.

But when pressed by a reporter to clari-

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March 24, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

Right-wing “Clash of the Titans”: Trump vs. Koch brothers on health care law

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer It’s Donald Trump vs. the Koch brothers as Congress prepares to vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare).

Not that either side cares about the 24 million Americans who will lose health insurance if the ACA is repealed. The issue is how much of the ACA to repeal.

The official Republican plan floated

by Speaker Paul Ryan – now being called Trumpcare by opponents – includes some holdovers from the Obama plan. There are regulations that govern what insurance plans must cover, for example. There are also tax subsidies included in the Republican plan to help individual buyers pay for their insurance.

These provisions were intended to reassure people who are now insured under the ACA that the new Trump administration would not strip them of their health care entirely. They were not successful in that effort, because in fact, millions actually will lose health care under the Republican plan.

But there was another unintended consequence of the GOP plan. Republican extremists – the so-called Freedom Caucus in Congress, and now the Koch brothers – looked at the Trumpcare provisions and they were appalled.

Somewhere between 22 and 28 Republican congressmen say they will vote against Trumpcare because it doesn’t go far enough in repealing all the provisions of the ACA. The Koch brothers’ group Freedom Partners has labeled the GOP bill “Obam-

The Koch Brothers, (l) David and Charles – Photo courtesy of capoliticalreview.com

acare 2.0” and said it falls short of truly repealing the ACA. “Republicans have been promising to fully repeal Obamacare since it became law. This bill doesn’t do that,” said James Davis, executive vice president of Freedom Partners.

“We will stand with lawmakers who keep their promise and oppose this legislation – and work toward a solution that reduces costs and provides Americans with the relief they need and deserve.”

The statement provides political cover for members of the House Freedom Cau-

cus and other conservatives who want to vote against the bill. The Koch brothers promised more than just verbal support, however. They put their money where their mouths are.

Extreme right-wing congressmen have been under increasing pressure to support the bill, with Trump himself getting into the act.

On March 21, Trump arrived at the US Capitol for a meeting with the Freedom Caucus. According to a number of people in the room, Trump asked caucus chair Mark Meadows to stand up, and then threatened

“I’m gonna come after you” if he insisted on opposing the Trumpcare legislation.

In response, the Koch brothers said they would put up a “seven-figure” fund to help re-elect congressmen who voted no on Trumpcare. The Koch-funded groups Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners would spend the money on TV ads, direct mail, and boots-on-the-ground canvassing in congressional districts.

Americans for Prosperity has already begun a digital ad campaign thanking House members who have said they plan on voting against the bill.

“In seven years, we have never wavered in our commitment to a full repeal of this disastrous law,” the group’s president, Tim Phillips, said in a statement.

“We want to make certain that lawmakers understand the policy consequences of voting for a law that keeps Obamacare intact. We have a history of following up and holding politicians accountable, but we will also be there to support and thank the champions who stand strong and keep their promise.”

As the SGN goes to press on March 23, the House vote on Trumpcare is scheduled for this evening – or possibly the wee hours of tomorrow morning. House GOP leaders are trying to revise the bill up until the last moment in hopes of attracting the 216 votes necessary to pass it.

If at least 22 of the Republican no votes hold up, the bill will be dead. Either way, there are sure to be repercussions in 2018, as Trump retaliates against the no-voters and the Koch brothers defend them.

Ivanka Trump hit with class action lawsuit Rival retailer charges unfair competition

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A class-action lawsuit charging Ivanka Trump with “unfair competition” in marketing her line of clothes and accessories was filed March 22 in a California state court.

The lead plaintiff, a family-owned boutique called Modern Appealing Clothing (MAC), says that Ivanka’s brand has been “promoted by using the power and prestige of the White House.”

Among other complaints, the lawsuit names Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer as public officials who helped promote Ivanka’s line of products.

The favoritism created for Ivanka’s brand by her relationship to the White House isn’t just unfair, MAC charges, it’s also unlawful. Under the Constitution, creating commercial preference is “specifically prohibited,” the filing says.

It is also in violation of California statute §17200, which reads, in pertinent part: “unfair competition shall mean and include any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue, or misleading advertising.”

Ivanka is the sole owner of her apparel company but turned over management of the firm to another officer, Abigail Klem, when her father became president. MAC charges that Ivanka still retains broad control over the company and its dealings.

Legal experts say that all the Trumpowned companies are likely involved in ethics violations, but the lawsuit still faces

Ivanka Trump – Photo courtesy of 24-hours-news.com

serious challenges.

“I do believe that the Trump family businesses are engaged in unfair competition,” Norman Eisen, chief ethics lawyer for the Obama administration, told the Washington Post. “The ways in which the whole Trump family uses the White House and the presidency as the world’s greatest infomercial does strike me as unfair.”

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On the other hand, proving the link between the Trumps’ conduct and the damages alleged can be tricky, according to Misty Marris, a trial attorney.

“The biggest issue here will be proving causation,” Marris told the Law Newz website.

“An increase in Ivanka’s profits does not necessarily translate to harm to these re-

tailers, without proving that the entire class of retailers was harmed in a similar way as a direct result of any improper conduct.

That’s a tough hurdle for the plaintiff to prove causation and harm on a class-wide basis. It will be tough to show that Ivanka’s sales would have gone to these other companies but for Ivanka’s connection to the White House.”

March 24, 2017

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TEXAS A&M

continued from cover Houston Chronicle, that the election of Texas A&M University junior Bobby Brooks, 21, is a “mockery of due process transparency” and alleges Brooks won based on the university’s “quest for diversity.”

Perry wrote, “At worst, the [student government association] allowed an election to be stolen outright.”

Brooks was elected student body president of the traditionally conservative school on Monday.

Perry has taken issue with the fact that Brooks lost the popular vote to his opponent Robert McIntosh, but later won the election after McIntosh was disqualified by the student government, based on reports that his campaign didn’t provide receipts for glow sticks used in a Facebook campaign video.

Additionally, in what Perry called “a series of dirty campaign tactics,” he points out that several voter intimidation complaints were made against McIntosh by Brooks’ supporters.

In his 850-word editorial, Perry asks, “Does the principle of ‘diversity’ override and supersede all other values of our Aggie Honor Code?”

McIntosh, a senior at the school, has said he is “grateful and humbled” by Perry’s support.

Texas A&M didn’t waste any time pushing back against Secretary Perry’s questioning of the student body president election results, saying that McIntosh’s disqualification represents the school’s com-

Rick Perry – Photo courtesy of dallasnews.com

mitment to accountability.

“To suggest that the same decision of disqualification would not have been made if the roles were reversed is to deny the Texas A&M of today, where accountability applies to all,” said Texas A&M spokesperson

Amy Smith to NBC News.

Smith admits the school was surprised

by Perry’s editorial. Still, she insists that the election results were determined in accordance with the student government constitution and by-laws.

Brooks told the Houston Chronicle that he is focused on improving diversity at Texas A&M but says he did not make his sexuality the focal point of his campaign.

Brooks will begin serving as the school’s student body president in April.

London defiant as IS claims attack by British ex-con

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Authorities on Thursday identified UKborn Khalid Masood, 52, as the man who drove a car into a crowd of people and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London. Officials said the man had a long criminal record and was once investigated for extremism, although Masood was not currently on a terrorism watch list.

In all, Wednesday’s rampage, which the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for, killed four people and injured 30.

On Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May had a message for other would-be attackers: “We are not afraid.”

“Today we meet as normal – as generations have done before us, and as future generations will continue to do,” May said to lawmakers’ cheers in the House of Commons.

Authorities released details about the attack on Thursday. Masood was a resident of the West Midlands in Central England. He rented an SUV and plowed into pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge, killing an American man and a British woman. The injured pedestrians represent almost a dozen nationalities. He then fatally stabbed a policeman inside the gates of Parliament before being shot to death by a police officer.

The dead were identified as Kurt Cochran, 54, of Utah and British school administrator, Aysha Frade, 43 – both struck on the bridge – and 48-year-old Constable Keith Palmer, a 15-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police. The fourth victim, a 75-year-old, was not identified, but authorities confirmed that person died from their wounds on Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, police arrested eight people – three women and five men – on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts as authorities sought to ascertain Masood’s motive and uncover any possible support network. One arrest was in

20 Seattle Gay News

British Prime Minister Theresa May – Photo by Richard Pohle / AFP / Getty

London, while the others were in Birmingham. Police said they were searching properties in Birmingham, London, and Wales.

Masood had a lengthy arrest history. His convictions between 1983 and 2003 included assault, weapons possession, and public order offenses, London police said.

“He was not the subject of any current investigations, and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack,” police added.

Birmingham resident Iwona Romek said that Masood lived next door to her for about five months last year. She said Masood had a wife and child about six years old and that

March 24, 2017

he would walk the child to school each day.

He rarely left home in the evening she said.

“He seemed like a normal family man who liked to take care of his garden,” she said.

But one day last year she saw him packing his family’s belongings in a black van and they were gone.

Wednesday’s attack echoed deadly vehicle rampages in Nice, France, and Berlin, Germany, last year, which were claimed by the Islamic State group.

IS said through its Aamaq News Agency that the London attacker (whom it did not name) was “a soldier of the Islamic State”

who “carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition” fighting IS in Syria and Iraq.

IS has been responsible for violence around the globe, although the group has also claimed events later found to have no clear links to it.

British Police believe Masood acted alone, May told lawmakers, with no reason to believe “imminent further attacks” are planned.

British security forces say they have foiled 13 plots in the past four years.

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