SGN May 12, 2017 - Section 1

Celebrating 43 Years!

Issue 19 Volume 45

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End of the Ed Murray era Seattle mayoral race: Ed out, Bob Hasegawa and Jenny Durkan in

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announcing he will not seek re-election – Photo by Elaine Thompson / AP

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Euripides should have written the story.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced he was dropping his re-election campaign on May 9. Only 40 days before, he looked like he was cruising to an easy victory and would go down in history not only as Seattle’s first out Gay mayor but the first suc-

cessful mayor in 20 years.

On April 6, however, it all changed.

That was the day that lawyer Lincoln Beauregard filed a lawsuit charging that Murray paid for sex with his client, Delvonn Heckard, when Heckard was only 15.

The Seattle Times then ran a story charging that two other men also claimed to

see MURRAY page 7

Chechnya opens concentration camps and tortures Gay men

Russian riot police detain an LGBTQ rights activist in 2015 – Photo by Dmitry Serebryakov/AFP/Getty Images

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor In early April, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that more than 100 gay men had been detained “in con-

nection with their nontraditional sexual orientation, or suspicion of such” as part of a purge.

At first there was little verification of the claims from the remote region. Chechnya

see CHECHNYA page 16

Bob Hasegawa – Photo courtesy Senate Democrats

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer With Ed Murray dropping out of his race for re-election, who will be Seattle’s next mayor seems to be anybody’s guess.

As Murray quit the race, two new candi-

Jenny Durkan – Photo courtesy of The Seattle Tmes

dates jumped in: state Sen. Bob Hasegawa and former US Attorney Jenny Durkan.

They join Mike McGinn, Nikkita Oliver, Cary Moon, and eight other candidates.

see MAYORAL page 7

Life expectancy near normal for young HIV patients on ART, new study shows

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Advances in antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) over the past 14 years mean that HIV-positive people may live nearly normal life spans, according to a new study.

The research by Bristol University in

the United Kingdom, published May 10 in the medical journal The Lancet, analyzed 18 European and American studies involving 88,504 HIV patients over the 14-year span between 1996 – when ART first came into use – and 2010.

see HIV page 18

2 Seattle Gay News

May 12, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 3

4 Seattle Gay News

May 12, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

Equality March: For Unity and Pride

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer On October 14, 1979, over 100,000 people (including this author) took part in the first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Since then, LGBT people and our allies marched on Washington in 1987, 1993, 2000 and 2009. Though little was achieved as a result, the LGBT Marches on Washington united our community and brought attention to important issues, such as AIDS – the 1987 March was the first time the Quilt was exhibited – queers in the military, or marriage equality. Though the victory of marriage equality in 2015 led many to believe that activism was no longer necessary, the election of Donald Trump reminded us that there is still much work to be done.

The Equality March for Unity & Pride will be the first major March for LGBT rights since Trump became President. David Bruinooge announced the March on Facebook after watching the Women’s March on January 21. “I was watching the events unfold on TV and I was very proud and inspired by all the strong women in our country who were kind of taking this to the street and getting their voices heard,” Bruinooge told the Washington Blade. “And in the back of my mind as an openly gay man I thought the gay community should be doing something like this to follow up the momentum.” The March will be held on June 11, on the weekend Capital Pride holds its annual events, and organized in conjunction with Capital Pride Alliance. In addition to the main March, there will be 40 or so “sister marches” across the USA and elsewhere.

“We urge all supporters, friends, and family to descend on DC for the Pride 2017 weekend to make sure our voices are heard,” Bruinooge’s Facebook post read.

“The Equality March for Unity & Pride is a grassroots movement which will mobilize the diverse LGBTQ+ communities to

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peacefully and clearly address concerns about the current political landscapes and how it is contributing to the persecution and discrimination of LGBTQ+ individuals. ...

We will use the Equality March, and sister events across the country, to give voice to our concerns, and to support, uplift, and bring attention to those in our communities who are targeted due to immigration status, ethnicity, religion, skin color, gender, and disability.”

The Equality March for Unity & Pride is part of a wider Resistance movement organized to oppose the Trump Administration. In Los Angeles, organizers converted the annual Christopher West Pride Parade into an anti-Trump, anti-right-wing #ResistMarch. “Parades are for progress,” said Brian Pendleton, one of the organizers.

“This year, we need a human rights march, something bigger and more meaningful.

People want to make a stand and be louder this year because they’re nervous that their rights are going to be rolled back.”

In New York City, members of ACT UP, Gays Against Guns and the new anti-Trump group Rise and Resist demanded that Heritage of Pride give the Resistance a prominent space at the NYC Pride March. Heritage of Pride agreed, placing the Resistance at the front of the March. “These aren’t nor-

mal times and Heritage of Pride couldn’t possibly just go ahead and use their normal template,” said Ken Kidd, an ACT UP veteran who led the push. “Starting with his choosing Mike Pence as his running mate, everything Trump has done so far has negatively targeted our LGBT community in one way or another. His policies on transgender people, health care, seniors, people of color, children are all horrible and it’s up to us to do something about this.”

Meanwhile, organizers for the Equality March for Unity & Pride are moving along, though a bit too slow for my taste. With only a month to go before the scheduled date, organizers finally named a diverse group of national co-chairs and created a web site, equalitymarch2017.com. The exact route of the March is still being worked out with city officials, though it is agreed that the end Rally will be at the National Mall. Organizers partnered with Skedaddle and with Bus.com for low cost transportation to the March. Speakers and entertainers have not been announced, either for the National March or for any of the sister marches. And publicity has been mostly nonexistent. In any case, we shall keep our collective fingers crossed, hoping that the Equality March for Unity & Pride will be a big success. We shall see.

May 12, 2017

Seattle Gay News 5

Seattle Pride names 2017 parade announcers Seattle Pride has released the lineup for announcers for the 2017 Pride Parade. With three stages located throughout the parade route, local talent was selected by the Seattle Pride Board of Directors.

Announcing from the Westlake Stage, Seattle Pride chose Abbey Roads, The Lady B and DonnaTella Howe. Abbey Roads, an up-and-coming Seattle performer, is becoming a local big-name after a Pacific Northwest tour of Bob the Drag Queen and Peaches Christ’s “Legally Black” show.

The Lady B is a Seattle performer with a focus on community outreach to local marginalized people. DonnaTella Howe, who just finished her reign as Olympia XLV for the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle, will be returning to host the Westlake stage once again.

At the 4th and Bell Stage, the announcers will be TylahMayJackson, Violet DeVille, and Diva le Deviant. TylahMayJackson has grown her reputation in Seattle with her work fundraising for queer youth,

through organizations such as Misfits Nightclub and Lambert House. Violet Deville has been a local burlesque performer in Seattle since 2010, with a career that has toured both coasts of the country. Diva le Deviant is a burlesque performer with Seattle’s Sinner Saint Burlesque, a local burlesque troupe which has toured across the country, as well as internationally.

Wrapping up the parade route at the L Stage are the infamous Tricky D and D Dynasty of Dapper Down Productions.

Tricky D is also the first Drag King Magician, as well as the founder of Dapper Down. It is a firm belief of Dapper Down that community support and elevation of local non-profits aiding the community is an important role, and exercise their beliefs

About Seattle Pride Seattle Pride is a non-profit organization based in Seattle, WA, whose purpose is to create unity, honor diversity, and achieve equal human rights throughout our region and the world. Seattle Pride is focused on informing and educating the community on LGBT issues through community outreach and produced events, including the Seattle Pride Parade and the Volunteer Park Pride Festival.

Courtesy of Seattle Pride

W EST LA K E STAGE

Abbey Roads – Photo courtesy Abbey Roads

by organizing fundraising events to provide aid to non-profits they work with.

The Seattle Pride Parade takes place annually on the last Sunday in June. The 2017 Parade will be held on Sunday, June 25th.

Visit SeattlePride.org to register your group or find out how you can participate in creating a memorable day by becoming a Pride volunteer.

The Lady B – Photo courtesy The Lady B

L STAGE

DonnaTella Howe – Photo courtesy DonnaTella Howe

Tricky D – Photo courtesy of Dapper Down Productions

4t h & BELL STAGE

TylahMayJackson – Photo courtesy TylahMayJackson

6 Seattle Gay News

Violet DeVille – Photo courtesy Violet DeVille

May 12, 2017

Diva le Devian – Photo by Lou Daprile

D Dynasty – Photo courtesy of Dapper Down Productions

Celebrating 41 Years!

MAYORAL continued from cover

Bob Hasegawa Hasegawa kicked off his campaign May 8 on the steps of the downtown Wells Fargo Center “as a statement of his lifelong commitment to economic justice and to highlight the need for a municipal bank as the linchpin for his economic justice agenda,” according to a campaign statement.

As a legislator, Hasegawa is a longtime advocate of a state bank, and he would push for a city-owned bank if he is elected mayor, he said.

A city bank would help Seattle divest from Wall Street, raise revenue, provide small businesses with access to credit, and better leverage taxpayer dollars, Hasegawa explained.

“If we can borrow from ourselves, we’ll be borrowing probably at a better rate, and when we’re repaying it, we’ll be repaying ourselves,” he said.

Hasegawa has represented the 11th District in the state Senate since January 2013.

Prior to that he was representative from the 11th, taking office in 2005.

Shortly after taking his Senate seat, Hasegawa voted against a multibillion dollar tax break for Boeing. He also sponsored – and passed – a bill requiring state agencies to post emergency notices in languages other than English. The measure is awaiting Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature.

As former president of Teamsters Local 174 and leader of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) – a reform caucus in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters – Hasegawa was one of the leading organizers of the mass union turnout for the WTO protests in November 1999. At age 64, he is currently a Teamsters retiree.

Sources say that Hasegawa discreetly approached local labor leaders to gauge their support and was told they were still backing Murray but would view him as a “backup” in case Murray dropped out of the race. He is now expected to get significant labor support.

Unfortunately for Hasegawa, as a sitting state legislator, he is barred by law from raising money for his campaign while the legislature is still in session.

Jenny Durkan – Photo by Joshua Trujilo

MURRAY

continued from cover have had sex with Murray when they were underage. By the time Murray dropped out of the race, still another accuser entered the picture.

Murray denied the charges, and his backers stuck with him – not a single endorser withdrew their support – and when he finally announced he was dropping out of the race, many of them stood with him at the podium.

They were all there: Nicole Grant, the head of the Martin Luther King County Labor Council; Lee Newgent, leader of the State Building Trades Council; David Rolf of SEIU 775; Jamie Pedersen, who took Murray’s State House seat and then his Senate seat as Murray climbed the political ladder.

The knot of Murray supporters was testimony to the best part of Murray’s political history: his ability to deliver on promises and win over even the skeptics. He was going into the race for re-election with unanimous support from local unions, even the ones who’d backed his opponent, incumbent Mike McGinn, in 2013.

He also had endorsements from seven of the nine City Councilmembers, although, in the end, only Sally Bagshaw spoke up for him.

His staff was there too, although many were different from the ones he brought with him when he was inaugurated in 2014.

The personnel changes testified to the

rough patches in Murray’s character. He was a hard-driving boss, and his legendary temper led some staffers to look for opportunities elsewhere.

“It tears me to pieces to step away,” Murray told his supporters at the droppingout event at Alki Beach Bathhouse in the West Seattle neighborhood where he grew up.

Nevertheless, he added, “I’m happy because I have been part of some remarkable achievements.”

Murray’s achievements as a legislator were truly remarkable: the 2006 civil rights bill offering protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, the 2007 domestic partnership law, and the 2009 marriage equality bill.

As mayor, Murray presided over groundbreaking legislation: a $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance, paid sick days, secure scheduling requirements, and the creation of a City Bureau of Labor Standards to enforce these policies.

Murray also had his setbacks. In 1995 he ran for the State Senate seat left vacant by the death of Cal Anderson but lost to Pat Thibaudeau. He ran again for the 43rd District Senate seat in 2006, driving Thibaudeau out of the race.

In 2012, at the height of his influence in the State Senate, Murray was chosen as Senate Majority Leader, but fellow Democrat Rodney Tom jumped ship and aligned with Republican senators to hijack the Senate majority and deprive Murray of his position. The next year he ran for mayor.

“Things have never come easy to me in life, but I have never backed down, and

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Hasegawa speaks on Boeing tax cuts – Photo courtesy of Senate Democrats

Jenny Durkan Meanwhile, Jenny Durkan announced on May 11 that she would formally enter the race with a Beacon Hill campaign event on May 12.

She also has been discreetly lining up support for a run, if and when Murray exited the race. Unlike Hasegawa, her support reportedly comes from business interests uneasy about the progressive tilt of other mayoral candidates.

“Based on the early framing, I think she’s looking to hold the moderate position Mayor Murray came into office with while also pushing left,” said Marco Lowe, a Seattle University professor who worked in the McGinn administration.

“Because right now, everybody else is positioned to the left of her. We’ll see them start to push back.”

An out Lesbian, Durkan was appointed US Attorney for the Western District of Washington by President Barack Obama in 2009 and served until 2014.

In 2011, Durkan joined with the ACLU and community activists to request a Justice Department review of the Seattle Po-

lice Department. The ensuing investigation led to a pattern and practice complaint against SPD and eventually a consent decree ordering police to reform.

A downside to her experience as US Attorney is that she also prosecuted medical marijuana dispensaries and advised the state not to decriminalize pot sales.

In 1994, Durkan served for several months as a staffer for then-Gov. Mike Lowry. She is also a close friend, advisor, and attorney of former Gov. Christine Gregoire. She represented the Democratic Party in the bitter legal fight over Gregoire’s 129-vote election victory in 2004.

This will be Durkan’s first run for public office, and it remains to be seen whether her powerful connections and professional résumé will translate into vote-getting power.

I will not back down now,” was the way Murray summed up his career soon after Beauregard filed the lawsuit that ultimately ended his public life.

True enough, Murray got where he was by being a fighter, but his aggressive character mortally wounded him in the end.

Murray’s response to the allegations was to attack Heckard and the other accusers. They were addicts, Murray said, petty criminals, and not to be believed. While true – Beauregard even published a photo showing one accuser sitting in King County Jail – Murray’s charges opened the way for his political opponents to profess horror at his “victim shaming.”

Probably only Ed Murray and his accusers know if the charges against the mayor are true, half true, or completely fabricated.

“My feeling is that it’s tragic if it’s true, and it’s tragic if it’s not true,” State Sen. Jamie Pedersen told the Seattle Times’ Danny Westneat after Murray dropped his re-election bid.

“I know, a lot of people have asked me: ‘Why are you here if you’re not sure what the mayor is saying is true or not?’ My answer is that no matter what happened 30 years ago, what I do know to be true is that he’s been a great mayor for this city. We should have had another four years, maybe eight years, of his talent for this city. Now we won’t.”

Ed Murray – Photo by Robin Stein

May 12, 2017

Seattle Gay News 7

Queeraoke: A karaoke and open mic night at the Seattle Public Library May 19 The Seattle Public Library will host an open mic and karaoke night for LGBTQ teens, young adults and their allies from 4pm to 7pm, Friday, May 19 at the University Branch, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, 206684-4063.

Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Free parking is available in the branch parking lot.

LGBTQ teens, young adults and their allies are invited to share original songs, poems and stories at this open mic and karaoke night. Snacks and prizes will be available. Karaoke will be provided by Ggnzla Records.

For more information, call the Library at 206-684-4063 or Ask a Librarian at http:// www.spl.org/

University Branch of the Seattle Public Library – Photo by Alan Cordova

End AIDS Washington launches speaking tour in May to destigmatize Sex Without Condoms

When we talk about sex, the conversation often focuses on safer sex, prevention, and the dangers and negative impacts of sex without condoms. Condomless sex still occurs, though – all while our conversations tend to avoid the topic. It’s time to shift the

narrative to reflect our realities.

During the month of May, End AIDS Washington welcomes HIV activist Alex Garner for a four city speaking tour of “Sex Without Condoms: A Raw Conversation” around the state to discuss and work to understand what sex without condoms means to all members of the LGBTQ community.

This honest, sex-positive and affirming conversation is a chance for LGBTQ community members to talk about complex issues surrounding the sex they have. It is also an opportunity to explore the stigma and cultural stereotypes associated with condomless sex and combat the negative consequences of such stigma. The evening aims to clarify the potential risks associated with condomless sex and how the idea of “safety” has shifted due to recent advancements in HIV science.

To broaden the scope a bit more, a representative from the HIV Law & Policy Institute will speak to the dangers and impacts of HIV criminalization laws, as well.

All four events will have local PrEP resources and navigators available on site.

These four events are the start of a much-needed conversation around queer sex and sexual health. What this evening is not is a debate about whether or not sex without condoms is good or bad. It happens. The goal is to better understand what sex without condoms means in terms of pleasure, intimacy and politics.

Check out the details below and join us for an open discussion!

Vancouver: Monday, May 15, 6:00 – 8:00 PM Presented by: Cascade AIDS Project, Southwest Washington Top Shelf Martinis 600 Main Street Vancouver, WA 98660 Seattle: Tuesday, May 16, 7:00 – 9:00 PM

Presented by: Gay City Health Project Calamus Auditorium 517 E Pike Street Seattle, WA 98122 Bellingham: Wednesday, May 17, 7:00 – 9:00 PM Presented by: Lifelong AIDS Alliance Lifelong AIDS Alliance – Bellingham 115 Unity Street Suite 302 Bellingham, WA 98225 Tacoma: Thursday, May 18, 6:00 – 8:00 PM Presented by: Pierce County AIDS Foundation, Rainbow Center, and The Mix Rainbow Center 2215 Pacific Avenue Tacoma, WA 98402 Courtesy of Gay City Health Project

Wife of Pulse gunmen loses appeal, will stay in jail

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Noor Salman, wife of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, lost her appeal to be released from jail May 10.

A panel of the 11th Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled that Salman should remain in jail until her trial next March.

Salman is charged with obstruction and aiding and abetting her husband, who opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., last June. Forty-nine people were killed inside the Gay dance club in an attack that earned the distinction of being the worst mass shooting in recent US history.

In February, a federal judge in California ordered a mental exam for Salman, and a prosecutor said she was asked by her husband which would inspire more outrage – an attack on a nightclub or an attack on a Disney complex.

Federal prosecutor Sara Sweeney said at a hearing in US District Court in Oakland, Calif., in February that Salman participated in scouting the Pulse nightclub, as well

8 Seattle Gay News

as City Place and the Downtown Disney complex in Orlando, days before the shooting attack.

Prosecutors also claim that Salman changed her story to the FBI – first saying she was unaware of the attack and later admitting she saw Mateen leave their home on June 11 with a firearm and a backpack of ammunition and describing him as being “pumped up.”

“I knew when he left he was going to commit the attack,” Sweeney said Salman told investigators.

Salman appealed to the appellate panel, which said her release would pose an unacceptable risk of flight and danger to the community.

She is being held in federal custody and has pleaded not guilty.

Noor Salman and Omar Mateen – Photo courtesy of NBC News

May 12, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

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Celebrating 41 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 11

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Celebrating 41 Years!

Mothers’ Day: celebrate Mom and good union jobs

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Your mom worked hard to raise you, and if she’s like most modern moms, she also worked hard at a job to help feed you and keep a roof over your head.

Honor her and her hard work – and honor the work of millions of moms like her – by making sure to buy her some unionmade candy this Mothers’ Day. Many top-grade chocolates are made by workers represented by the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers (BCTGM) and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Ghirardelli, Hershey’s, Russell Stover, and See’s Chocolates are all union made.

Buy Mom some flowers too. Many union markets have floral sections, and they’ll be happy to help you.

The same markets will have bakeries for Mom’s favorite cake and deli sections – often with catering services – where you can get all the makings for a Mothers’ Day brunch.

You can find a full list of union grocery stores in Western Washington at the UFCW 21 website: https://www.ufcw21. org/shop-union/ UNITE HERE 8 also has a list of caterers on its website, or if you’d rather take

Mom out, a list of union restaurants: https:// www.unitehere8.org/2006/01/local-8-caterers/ If you expect visitors from out of town, or if you have to travel to Mom, UNITE HERE also has a list of union hotels: http:// www.fairhotel.org/ Finally if you want to get Mom a special gift Macy’s, Macy’s Furniture Gallery, DelTeet Furniture, and Woodside Braseth Gallery are all union shops. So is C. C. Filson if Mom’s the outdoorsy type.

By the way, the unions that will help you celebrate your mom are also leaders in the fight for a democratic and inclusive union movement that defends LGBT rights.

Christian activist pies Gay Qantas CEO

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A man shoved a lemon meringue pie into the face of Gay Qantas CEO Alan Joyce as he was speaking at a business luncheon on May 9. The assailant was subsequently identified as Tony Overheu, a rightwing Christian activist.

Overheu told reporters that he wanted to make a statement protesting Joyce’s support for same-sex marriage.

“There’s some really crude stuff going on here, and Joyce has been very much leading the issue,” Overheu told Australia’s 7News.

Overheu, who is 67, is a senior member of the Church of Christ and the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International.

Marriage equality is a contentious issue in Australian politics. The governing coalition – usually called the Liberal-National Coalition – promised to call a national vote on marriage but failed to get the necessary legislation through the Australian Senate.

The opposition Labor Party has a proequality pledge in its platform. Polling shows that 57% of Australian voters would vote yes in a referendum for same-sex marriage.

For his part, Joyce said he would continue to campaign for same-sex marriage.

“My opinion on this has not changed,” Alan Joyce said in a May 10 statement.

“We’ll continue to speak about important social issues, including indigenous reconciliation, gender diversity, and marriage equality, because it’s the right thing to do.”

Joyce has been Qantas CEO since 2003 and lives with his partner of 17 years. He will not divulge the man’s identity, however. Joyce told the Sydney Herald newspaper his partner is ‘’very private, he doesn’t like being talked about.”

Overheu was arrested after the pie incident. He will not be charged with assault, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but will be charged with giving police false information.

Alan Joyce getting pied – Photo courtesy of News.com.au

Overheu is also in trouble at home. He told reporters his wife is furious at him and says his actions were not consistent with Christianity. Meanwhile, one of his daugh-

ters posted a message on social media supporting same-sex marriage but added, “I love my idiot dad.”

Stephen Fry cleared of blasphemy charges

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Stephen Fry – Photo courtesy of Independant.co.uk

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Gay British actor, writer, and TV host Stephen Fry has been cleared of blasphemy charges by Irish police.

The Gardaí, Ireland’s national police force, launched a blasphemy investigation against Fry in February 2015, after his appearance on an Irish TV show.

The host of The Meaning of Life, Gay Byrne, always asks his guests what they’d say to God when they die and go to heaven.

Fry, an atheist, shot back, “Bone cancer in children? What’s that about? How dare you?”

“How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault?”

Fry continued. “It’s not right, it’s utterly, utterly evil.”

Byrne was too stunned to reply, so Fry went on to ask, “Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god that creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?”

Byrne finally managed to stammer, “And you think you’re going to get in?”

“But I wouldn’t want to,” replied. “I wouldn’t want to get in on his terms.”

According to the Gardaí, a man subsequently called to report Fry’s words. They then launched an investigation under Ireland’s 2009 Defamation Act. That law forbids speech that is “grossly

May 12, 2017

abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred to any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion.”

Violators may be fined up to €25,000, or $27,000.

However, the Gardaí’s initial investigation found that “not enough people had been outraged” by Fry’s remarks for them to pursue the case.

“This man was simply a witness and not an injured party,” a police source told the Irish Independent newspaper.

“Gardaí were unable to find a substantial number of outraged people. For this reason the investigation has been concluded.”

Fry is a veteran of British stage and TV productions, but he is best known to US audiences through his work in the British comedies series Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster – both of which were replayed on American TV. Fry had a cameo in the film A Fish Called Wanda and starred as the voice of the Cheshire Cat in Tim Burton’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland. He also played the Master of Lake-town in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy.

Fry is married to comedian Elliott Spencer.

Seattle Gay News 13

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May 12, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

Trump losing ground with his base, new poll shows

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Donald Trump is losing ground with his core constituencies, a new Quinnipiac poll shows. The poll, released May 10, shows Trump with a negative-22-point approval rating, a near-record low.

Trump is now down 36%-58%, just slightly higher than his all-time low of 35%-57% on April 4. His numbers in the poll immediately prior, released on April 19, showed him with a 40%-56% negative approval rating.

While previous polls had indicated that Trump’s support was still solid with people who voted for him, the latest numbers show significant erosion among Trump’s base.

“Critical are big losses among white voters with no college degree, white men,

and independent voters,” Quinnipiac concluded.

Trump is down 29%-63% among independent voters, a drop of 16 points from his April 19 rating of 38%-56%.

Among white voters with no college degree – the demographic that arguably delivered the presidency to Trump – his approval is now evenly split, with 47% approving and 46% disapproving. In the April 19 poll, he was 19 points ahead with this group, 57-38.

Among white men, Trump dropped from a 53%-41% approval margin in the April 19 poll to a near-even split now, with 48% approving and 46% disapproving.

Voters are also taking a dim view of several of Trump’s personal qualities: • By 61% to 33%, respondents said that Trump is not honest, compared to 58% to 37% on April 19.

• By 56% to 41%, respondents said that he does not have good leadership skills, about the same margin as in the previous poll.

• By 59% to 38%, respondents said that he does not care about average Americans, compared to 57% to 42% on April 19.

• By 66% to 29%, respondents said that he is not level-headed, compared to 63% to 33% last month.

• By 64% to 32% respondents said that he does not share respondents’ values, compared to 61% to 35% in the April 19 report.

“There is no way to spin or sugarcoat these sagging numbers,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

“The erosion of white men, white voters without college degrees, and independent voters; the declaration by voters that

President Donald Trump’s first 100 days were mainly a failure; and deepening concerns about Trump’s honesty, intelligence, and level-headedness are red flags that the administration simply can’t brush away,” Malloy added.

On the other hand, not everything is bleak for Trump. Quinnipiac’s respondents believe that Trump is a strong person, by a 62%-35% margin. And they say he is intelligent, by 56%-41% points.

Nevertheless, respondents said they want Democrats to control Congress after the 2018 midterm elections, by a 54%-38% margin.

“This is the widest margin ever measured for this question in a Quinnipiac University poll, exceeding a five-percentage point margin for Republicans in 2013,” Quinnipiac noted.

Lesbian collects $1.43 million in discrimination suit

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Jane Meyer, former senior associate athletic director at the University of Iowa – Photo by Lori Ann Cook-Neisler

A Lesbian former employee of the University of Iowa has collected $1.43 million in a discrimination suit against the school.

Jane Meyer charged her employer, the University of Iowa athletics department, with discriminating against her because of her gender and sexual orientation after they discovered she had a longtime girlfriend.

Meyer had been associate athletic director – the highest-ranking woman in her department – until she complained that new male employees were being hired at a higher pay grade than she was getting.

When she complained, she was reassigned to another department and eventually fired.

Her girlfriend, Tracy Griesbaum, was also fired from her job as field hockey coach.

Her lawsuit went to trial on April 18 and wound up on May 5 with a total victory for her. Griesbaum also filed suit against the university, and her trial will begin in June.

“This is much bigger than Jane Meyer,” the plaintiff told reporters after the court verdict.

It was “a matter of standing up to say: ‘This is bigger, and we need the university to be better,’” she said. “This is for everyone and anyone who has fought discrimination.”

Meyer’s attorneys will ask for an additional $2 million from the judge, an amount that includes her legal fees and triple the initial award of $374,000 in back pay.

Iowa law allows Meyer to ask a judge to

triple the award because jurors reportedly found the university’s actions were “willful.”

Meyer attorney Tom Newkirk added that his client would also like to return to her job at the university, which a judge could order as relief in the case.

“The question is whether or not she can do it safely,” he said. “I don’t know, does [her boss] need to leave?”

Her attorneys said they expected the university to appeal the verdict.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office, which defended the university during the case, would not comment. The university only said it was “disappointed by the jury’s decision.”

Gay bashing not a hate crime, West Virginia Supreme Court rules

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Gay bashing is not a hate crime, at least according to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

In a 3-2 ruling issued on May 9, the court said that West Virginia’s hate crime statute does not protect LGBT residents.

The ruling came in the case of former Marshall University football player Steward Butler, who was charged with assaulting two Gay men, Zackary Johnson and Casey Williams. According to the complaint, Butler was driving his car in April 2015, when he noticed Johnson and Williams on the sidewalk. He stopped his car, got out, shouted homophobic slurs at the men, and punched them.

Butler was charged with battery. Cabell County prosecutors later added a charge of violating his victims’ civil rights.

Butler’s lawyers pointed out that West Virginia law only prohibits civil rights violations based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, or sex. Consequently, the trial court dismissed the civil rights charge against Butler.

In her appeal to the state Supreme Court, Cabell County Assistant Prosecutor Lauren Plymale said the trial judge was wrong when he dismissed the charges because the word “sex” also covers sexual orientation.

The majority of Supreme Court justices disagreed, however. In an opinion written

by Chief Justice Allen Loughry, the court said the word “sex” is undefined in the code and therefore must be interpreted under its common and ordinary meaning.

“We find the word to be clear and unambiguous and to have a very different meaning and import than the term ‘sexual orientation,’” Loughry wrote.

Loughry added that that since the hate crimes statute was passed in 1987, lawmakers had tried to add the words “sexual orientation” to the hate crimes statute on at least 26 occasions but failed to get a majority every time.

“It is certainly not absurd for this Court to recognize not only the Legislature’s right to define crimes and their punishment but also the Legislature’s indisputable intent not to expand West Virginia Code § 61-6-21(b) to include sexual orientation,” Loughry wrote.

“It is imperative to remember that ‘[i]t is not for this Court arbitrarily to read into a statute that which it does not say.’ Just as courts are not to eliminate through judicial interpretation words that were purposely included, we are obliged not to add to statutes something the Legislature purposely omitted.”

The case now goes back to the Cabell County Circuit Court for trial on the battery charge.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, whose office argued in favor of the circuit judge’s ruling, said that only the legislature has legal authority to expand the

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2017 West Virginia Supreme Court – Photo courtesy of Slate.com

scope of the state’s civil rights law.

“The state Supreme Court of Appeals interpreted the law as written, respecting the Legislature’s authority to determine criminal law,” Morrisey said in a statement.

“The facts of this case are deeply disturbing and heinous, and I remain stead-

fast in describing the alleged behavior as despicable, but such conduct does not give the judicial system a license to rewrite state law. That authority lies with the state legislature, and this decision preserves that balance.”

May 12, 2017

Seattle Gay News 15

Police carry out an inspection in Grozny, Chechnya – The Guardian

CHECHNYA continued from cover

isn’t exactly the easiest place to verify things for several reasons, but chiefly because the government of its pro-Moscow president, Ramzan Kadyrov, is known for suppressing media and other freedoms, as well as committing human rights violations that include kidnappings and torture.

Reports that authorities in Chechnya have been rounding up Gay men were verified by human rights groups nearly one week after the Novaya Gazeta story broke.

Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group, both of which cite on-theground sources in Chechnya, confirmed that something horrendous was indeed taking place.

Human Rights Watch stated: “The number of sources and the consistency of the stories leaves us with no doubt that these devastating developments have indeed occurred.”

According to Human Rights Watch, over 100 men have been detained, beaten and tortured. At least three detainees are reportedly dead, although Russian LGBT activists believe that number to be much, much higher.

Two television reporters, a waiter, and numerous other men ranging in age from 16 to 50 have been reported missing. In one instance, a 16-year-old boy was detained but reappeared later with severe injuries from being beaten.

Human rights activists in the area believe that authorities have been arresting and killing the missing men, because they were believed to be Gay. A spokesman for Kadyrov denied the Novaya Gazeta report, calling the article “absolute lies and disinformation.”

“You cannot arrest or repress people who just don’t exist in the republic,” Kadyrov said through his spokesman, Alvi Karimov.

Activists believe that the arrests and murders began after a Gay rights group in the local area sought out permits to hold Gay pride parades. The group knew that it would be denied the permits but was collecting evidence it needed to build a case to take to the European Court of Human Rights.

However, according to media reports, a permit was not ultimately sought in Chechnya, but in neighboring Russia instead. The move resulted in several anti-Gay demonstrations. In fact, it is alleged that Russian president Vladimir Putin gave the order himself for local leaders to undertake a “prophylactic sweep” and target Gay men.

16 Seattle Gay News

Putin has never been a friend to our community. While Russia has always been seen as socially conservative when it comes to the acceptance of LGBT people, it has undoubtedly moved toward a more oppressive and dangerous place for LGBT people under Putin’s watch.

Although same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults in private was decriminalized in 1993, same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for legal protections, and there are currently no laws prohibiting discrimination regarding sexual orientation.

Since 2006, numerous regions in Russia have enacted laws that restrict the distribution of materials promoting LGBT relationships to minors. The worst one yet, passed in June 2013, is a federal law criminalizing the distribution of materials among minors in support of “nontraditional” sexual relationships. Enacted as an amendment to an existing child protection law, it has resulted in numerous arrests of LGBT Russians who publicly oppose the law, and the country has experienced a surge of homophobic propaganda, violence, and hate crimes in its wake, as the law seemingly justifies violence towards LGBT people. Putin and the law received international criticism from human rights observers, LGBT activists, and media outlets who view it as de facto means of criminalizing LGBT culture.

Back in Chechnya, however, a perfect storm is brewing for Gay men. Not only do you have anti-LGBT Putin backing (and possibly even orchestrating) the actions undertaken by the anti-LGBT Kadyrov, you’ve also got jihadist groups in the region, including those aligned with the Islamic State terrorist organization (ISIS).

Gay men have cause to be fearful not only of the Chechen government but they also their own families, who, if the men were found to be Gay, would end their life in socalled “honor killings.” Gay men have begun fleeing the region.

According to some of the men who were captured but later released by Chechen police, as part of the sweep, investigators posed as men looking for dates or sex on social media. As news spreads about the entrapment, witnesses say Gay men have begun deleting online accounts across the country.

United Nations officials have noted that much of the abuse is reported to have taken place at an unofficial detention center near Argun, a town about 10 miles east of Grozny, the Chechen capital. Nobody knows for sure though, exactly how many of these camps exist and to what extent the prisoner count is.

“The arrested men are subjected to physical and verbal abuse, torture including with electric shocks, beatings, insults, and

humiliations,” the experts wrote. “They are forced to give contact details of other Gay people and threatened with having their sexual orientation disclosed to their family and community – a move which could put them at risk of ‘honor killings.’”

While the idea of anything even slightly resembling an “honor killing” might seem impossible to believe for most Americans, the fact is they happen around the globe at an alarming rate. And the Kremlin-backed Kadyrov defends such crimes. On the very day that his spokesman denied that there were any Gay men living in Chechnya at all, he also told the Interfax news agency, “If such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to worry about them, as their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never return.”

This, say some of the men who were rounded up but later released, allows for the authorities to blackmail Gay men into giving up others who are Gay in return for silence from the police, who would otherwise contact family members to all but ensure their death.

A survivor, who managed to escape from one of the torture camps, told France 24 News that police told parents of Gay men to “sort it out” or risk authorities taking matters into their own hands.

“They tell the parents to kill their child.

They say, ‘Either you do it, or we will,’” the man said.

“They call it: ‘Cleaning your honor with blood,” he said.

“They tortured a man for two weeks (then) they summoned his parents and brothers who all came,” said the man. “The authorities said to them: ‘Your son is a homosexual – sort it out or we’ll do it ourselves’.”

The victim added, “We’ve always been persecuted, but never like this. Now they arrest everyone. They kill people, they do whatever they want.”

The man’s name has been suppressed to protect his identity.

The man described the facilities that captured men are taken to as “modern-day concentration camps.” Beatings, indefinite detention, electrocution, emotional abuse, and bizarre, forced quasi-sexual acts have all been reported to have taken place in the horrific prisons.

Although Gay men from around the world have been targeted throughout various times in history, what’s going on in Chechnya marks the first time since World War II and Hitler’s Third Reich that Gay men have been rounded up and kept in camps like this.

As one could imagine, corruption abounds within the Chechen ranks. Survivors report that most of the men hunted by

Russian policemen surround Russian gay-rights activists standing next to boxes alledgedly containing signed petitions calling for a probe into a reported crackdown on Chechnya’s LGBT community – Photo by Marta Khromova/AFP/Getty Images

May 12, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

Chechen forces are blackmailed and forced to pay large ransoms for their freedom.

Some are imprisoned over and over again, treated as cash cows by corrupt officers.

Survivors say that their mobile phones were kept on while they were detained, so if any lovers or Gay friends phoned or messaged them, they could be rounded up too.

Novaya Gazeta helped a Russian LGBT network set up a hotline for Gay men to share their experiences recently, and they report that it has been flooded with messages from people who had survived the camps.

The reports of Chechnya’s so-called Gay purge have attracted international attention and light condemnation. World leaders have all offered the obligatory “It’s horrific” statements (except for President Trump, who hasn’t even mentioned this tragedy has occurred, let alone condemned it), which will, of course, have no impact whatsoever on helping these men.

So far, the highest-ranking American official to speak out against the crimes is America’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who is calling for an investigation.

“We continue to be disturbed by reports of kidnapping, torture, and murder of people in Chechnya based on their sexual orientation and those persecuted by association,” Haley said in a statement to the media April 29.

UK Foreign Office minister Baroness Anelay has called on Russia to investigate the mass detentions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has emerged as the strongest opposition to Putin and his stooge Kadyrov. Last week Merkel pressured Putin to investigate reports of torture and the persecution of Gay men in Chechnya and ensure the safety of LGBT people across the region.

Making her first trip to Russia in two years, Merkel raised concerns with Putin about the reported violent crackdown during a meeting in Sochi.

“I asked President Putin to use his influence to protect these minority rights,” Merkel told reporters.

On Friday, Putin said he would personally ask the prosecutor general and interior minister to help Kremlin rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova check the reported abuse. During a meeting with Moskalkova, Putin referred to the reports as “rumors, you could say, about what is happening in our North Caucasus with people of ‘nontraditional orientation.’”

Still, the rife homophobia goes much deeper than Putin and his leadership. To fix this problem is to dedicate years, perhaps decades, to changing the way Gay men are accepted on a social level. In fact, homophobia is so prevalent that the reporters at Novaya Gazeta now fear for their lives.

Chechen Muslim clerics met on April 3, two days after the paper’s revelations, and said the report had insulted their faith and

This image of Vladimir Putin has been banned from Russia for being too “extremist.” – Photo courtesy Youtube

the dignity of Chechen men.

“Retribution will catch up with the true instigators, wherever and whoever they are,” their resolution said.

Novaya Gazeta says it amounts to a call for “reprisals against journalists.”

“We urge the Russian authorities to do everything possible to prevent actions aimed at inciting hatred and enmity towards journalists, who are doing their professional duty,” the paper said.

And as for honor killings – those have already happened too. Last week the world learned that a teenager was pushed to his death from a ninth-floor balcony in Chechnya after his uncle discovered he was Gay. The 17-year-old was allegedly thrown from the building by his uncle after his family was reportedly told to “wash the shame” of the teenager away, according to Russian media reports, who did not name the boy.

The good news is that the brave people that make up the Russian LGBT Network, an interregional, nongovernmental human rights organization that promotes equal rights and respect for human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, has successfully evacuated more than 30 Gay men from Chechnya.

On April 17, officials at the Russian LGBT Network said in a statement to the media, “To date around 60 people have contacted the Russian LGBT Network.

Some of these people are still in the area and are in need of urgent evacuation, while others have managed to relocate themselves but nevertheless need further assistance.

More than 30 people have already been provided with support.”

“Among those who have applied to us for help, there are two victims of the persecutions, with whom we suddenly lost contact for unknown reasons,” continued the statement. “We presume some people may have decided to delay their decision to leave the region, but unfortunately, we cannot rule out the possibility that something more untoward has happened to them.”

“We know that people and organizations all over the world are collecting money in order to support our work in evacuating people from the region, and we are greatly appreciative,” said officials. “This money will go toward transportation, accommodation, basic goods, and medical and psychological support, as well as the preparation of necessary documents. It is dangerous for most of the survivors to stay in Russia; therefore, we are preparing for their evacuation from the country.”

If you want to learn more about what the Russian LGBT Network is doing to help Gay men in Chechnya, or if you would like to make a donation, go to www.lgbtnet.org/ en.

In addition, a Canadian human rights organization that assists LGBT people in escaping places where they face persecution is launching a campaign to help Gay men get out of Chechnya.

“Since we first received initial reports of Gay concentration camps being established in Chechnya, Rainbow Railroad immediately reclassified Eastern Europe as a priority region,” said Rainbow Railroad’s executive director, Kimahli Powell, in a statement. “This means we’re expanding our on-the-ground contacts as well as increasing our capacity to identify and assess

new or alternative safe routes out of Chechnya.”

Rainbow Railroad is collaborating with the Russian LGBT Network. The two plan to identify specific individuals who need to be evacuated, and Rainbow Railroad will provide travel assistance for those people.

“An important part of our emergency response plan is to support the Russian LGBT Network in their rescue campaign,” Powell said. “This includes fundraising to support the organization while allocating resources to increase the number of people we can support in the region. In addition, we are formally requesting the Canadian government provide direct assistance to those in need by way of emergency visas.”

On Thursday, five Gay rights activists were detained in Moscow as they tried to deliver a petition to the office of Russia’s prosecutor general.

Police said they were held because their action was unauthorized.

The activists said more than two million people had signed the petition to investigate alleged torture and detentions of Gay people in Chechnya.

Demonstrators take a selfie inside a police van after being detained in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 11, 2017 – Photo by Nikita Safronov / AP

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May 12, 2017

Seattle Gay News 17

HIV

continued from cover According to the new research, 20-yearolds who began ART in 2010 are predicted to live up to 10 years longer than those who started on the older version of the treatment in 1996. This suggests that life expectancy of a 20-year-old who began ART from 2008, responded well to it, and continued on the regimen would get close to the life expectancy of the general population – 78 years.

When the scientists looked specifically at deaths due to AIDS, the number during treatment declined over time between 1996 and 2010, probably because more modern drugs are more effective in restoring the immune system.

“Our research illustrates a success story of how improved HIV treatments coupled with screening, prevention, and treatment of health problems associated with HIV infection can extend the life span of people diagnosed with HIV,” Adam Trickey, medi-

cal statistician at the University of Bristol, said in a statement.

“Combination antiretroviral therapy has been used to treat HIV for 20 years, but newer drugs have fewer side effects, involve taking fewer pills, better prevent replication of the virus, and are more difficult for the virus to become resistant to.”

However, further efforts are needed if life expectancy is to match that of the general population, Trickey added.

Strategies adapted for people in developing regions of the world to get better access to treatment are also needed.

The Bristol University team hopes the findings help reduce the stigma associated with living with HIV, so those infected can keep working and have smoother access to medical insurance, where needed.

In addition, the outcome should encourage people to start treatment as soon as possible and adhere to it, the researchers said.

Bottles of antiretroviral drug Truvada are displayed at a pharmacy in California – Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

WEEKLY PETS: Adoption Center Sunday – Wednesday | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Phone: (425) 649-7563 Email: adoption@seattlehumane.org

ANNIE Meet Annie, a beautiful 7-year-old white and grey kitty! Annie is a gentle soul who seeks a quiet house without children or other pets. In return for this peaceful home, she offers love and affection galore. She is a very sweet cat who loves to follow her best friends around and receive pats and head scratches, or get a good snuggle session. Annie is currently cozied up at PetSmart in Overlake, a Seattle Humane satellite partner location.

Come meet Annie today – she might be the best friend you’ve been searching for! As with all of our cats, Annie is spayed, 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!

BUSTER BROWN Meet Buster Brown, Meet Buster Brown, a 1-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier, who would love to be your adventure buddy. This sweet boy loves to explore & his nose will happily lead you anywhere you want to go. His tail is nonstop and he’d do well with an energetic owner who can let his personality really shine. If you have room in your heart and home for this sweet boy, then come meet him today at the Seattle Humane – you’ll be glad you did!

Resident dogs are recommended to visit Buster Brown prior to adoption. Buster Brown would do best in a cat-free home without any children under the age of 8. Please see our adoption advisors for additional behavior information. As with all of our dogs, Buster has been neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and behavior tested. He will go home with a certificate for an examination by a King County veterinarian and an identification tag. PLUS, most dog adoptions include 30 days of pet insurance from Trupanion and a training rebate when you complete a dog behavior course - a great way to start off on the right paw!

Mother’s Day Discount | May 8-14 Motherhood requires dedication, energy and unconditional love. Good pet owners share the same qualities. Meet fur babies this weekend at Seattle Humane in Bellevue. These sweet pets long for cuddly connections and deep understanding with their new moms-tobe. From May 12th through May 14th, meet your animal child and take $25 off adoption fees. It’s time to cherish your nurturing side and fall in love with a pet in need.

18 Seattle Gay News

May 12, 2017

Celebrating 41 Years!

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May 12, 2017

Seattle Gay News 19