SGN June 30, 2017 - Post-Pride - Section 1

Celebrating 43 Years!

Issue 26 Volume 45

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PRIDE IMAGES SECTION 3

Seattle Gay News

END OF AN ERA: Ed Murray endorses Two Seattle LGBTQ landmarks Jenny Durkan for mayor demolished in one week Won’t run write-in campaign, he says

Former home to Seattle AIDS Support Group / Dunshee House – Photo by MK Scott

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer We knew this day was coming, but to lose not one, but two buildings, that each meant so much to many in the Seattle LGBTQ Community (during Pride Week, no

less): I am talking about the house on 303 17th Ave. E. (home to the Seattle AIDS Support Group, later called Dunshee House, and then Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center for 26 years)

see SASG page 5

Jenny Durkan at her mayoral announcement – Photo by Nate Gowdy

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Seattle Mayor Ed Murray will not run for re-election as a write-in candidate, he said at a June 29 press conference. Instead, Murray is backing former US Attorney Jen-

ny Durkan to succeed him.

Murray dropped out of the race after a sex scandal derailed what looked to be almost certain re-election. After Delvonn Heckard dropped his lawsuit charging

see DURKAN page 8

SGN exclusive interview: Madrid is the most Seattle mayoral welcoming city for LGBT candidate Jessyn Farrell folks, Beijing the least

Jessyn Farrell – Photo courtesy of Jessyn Farrell

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Jessyn Farrell is staking a lot on her run for mayor of Seattle. To run without the fundraising limits imposed by state law, she resigned from a safe state House seat she’s held for three terms.

Farrell represented the 46th Legislative

District – including Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and parts of North Seattle – and while she’s not so well known in other areas of the city, she’s counting on the votes of those who know her best to get her into the November general election.

Farrell tells the SGN she sees “a real

see FARRELL page 5

LGBT pride parade in Madrid, 2009 – Photo by Roberto Gordo Saez

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Strangely enough, Catholic Madrid is the most welcoming city in the world for LGBT folks, while Beijing is the least.

These ratings are based on a survey by the German housing website Nestpick and

were published by Newsweek magazine.

One hundred world cities were included in the survey.

Madrid is followed by Amsterdam, Toronto, Tel Aviv, and London. New York City and San Francisco topped the list for

see MADRID page 13

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Celebrating 43 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 3

OBITUARY

IN MEMORIAM – Jim Irish (1936 - 2017) A memorial service will be held for Jim Irish at Christ the King Parish, 405 N. 117th St., Seattle WA, on Monday, July 3rd at 10:30am.

The following obituary was originally published in the SGN March 31, 2017:

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Jim with wife Donna – Photo courtesy of Virginia Irish

Jim Irish, real estate appraiser and veteran LGBT rights activist, died March 23 at the age of 80.

Jim was a member of the GSBA for at least two decades, and the group’s communications manager Matt Landers described him as “a stalwart on the Public Policy Task Force…”

He was also one of the longest-serving members of SEAMEC’s Steering Committee, helping that organization interview and rate candidates for public office on their commitment to LGBT rights.

4 Seattle Gay News

June 30, 2017

In addition, Jim was active with PFLAG, Seattle Prime Timers, and Mature Friends. He also participated in the annual AIDS Walks.

Anyone who ever visited a place where LGBT folks were likely to congregate probably ran into Jim as he made the rounds, distributing GSBA Guides, SEAMEC voter guides, and stacks of the Seattle Gay News to locations around the city. Hip replacement surgery in 2016 might have slowed Jim down, but it did not prevent him from distributing literature to LGBT-friendly venues.

Jim’s activism was motivated at first by a desire to support his two Lesbian daughters, Virginia and Melissa. Much later in life, he would come out as Gay himself.

“Everybody loved him,” his daughter Melissa told SGN, “in all the circles he ran with. He always tried to be helpful.”

“His nickname was ‘Sunny Jim,’” Virginia added.

In 1980, while home on leave from the Marine Corps, Melissa came out to Jim. “There are two things I want,” she remembers Jim telling her. “One, don’t tell your mom – I think it would kill her.” “That wasn’t true,” Melissa continued. “Mom took it very well. The second thing he asked was ‘Help your sister come out too. I think she’s having trouble with it.’”

“His own coming out was a very, very slow process,” Melissa remembers. “He was a very private man. We both think he was Gay for a long time, but he never really spoke about it till maybe 2013.”

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1936, Jim attended West Point for three years and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic with a degree in engineering. He married his wife Donna in 1960.

Jim and Donna moved to Seattle from upstate New York in 1979. After a sevenyear stint in Topeka – 1985 through 1992 – they moved back to Seattle and remained here for the rest of their lives.

Donna died in 2012 after a protracted illness, through all of which Jim tended to her daily, while still keeping up with his commitments in the LGBT community.

Jim is survived by his daughters Virginia and Melissa Irish, and grandchildren Michael and Jessica Cook.

Jim celebrating his 80th birthday – Photo courtesy of Seattle Prime Timers

Celebrating 43 Years!

Former home to Seattle AIDS Support Group / Dunshee House, before and after – Photos courtesy of MK Scott

SASG

continued from cover and the former Brass Door/Brass Connection and later incarnations (a Gay bar and dance club with various owners and names for over 20 years) at 722 E. Pike St. For SASG, who vacated the house and moved in late 2015 to its current location on 15th Ave. E. between E. Denny Way and E. John St., it was not clear that the 2,460 SF house that was built in 1906 would ever be torn down. So last week’s demolition surprised even myself.

Even when Seattle had its LGBT Community Center from 2002 to 2008, SASG House (also called Dunshee House, from 2004 to 2011) was home to many gay men and home to special potlucks, Pride BBQs and game nights. A few other groups I be-

longed to (Q-Squared) would rent the space there for a potluck and social. While Lambert House was for the youth, SASG House was precious for the adults.

SASG’s first Christmas tree sale was in 1990. John Kolling had to do a lot of talking to convince the volunteers and staff that this would make money. What SASG would give for him to see how that event has grown: from net sales of $11,768 in 1990 to nearly $80,000 net in the year 2010.

Today, the annual Christmas tree sale is SASG’s largest fund-raising event, according to the SASG website.

Now that the house is gone, it looks like according to a plan revealed in June 2016, a 3-unit row-house development with common parking garage will be constructed.

For the building that housed the bar and nightclub at 722 E. Pike Street, this week we also said goodbye to a place that housed

one of Capitol Hill’s first gay bars, The Brass Door in 1981ish and later the Brass Connection. The restaurant portion was next door, which would later become an Indian eatery.

By the late 1990s the space housed Seattle’s first all-male strip club, Mr. Paddywacks, which later led to the emergence of the Blu Video Bar in 2001 with owners of a who’s who in the Seattle LGBT Business community headed by former Manray co-owners, Mark Spalding and Patrick Winslade; Rosebud co-owner, Robert Sondheim and former GSBA chair, Mario Morales. Blu closed in 2004, and was considered in many circles a failure.

When it was Blu I put together a fundraising event with a circus theme that was hosted by Mark Finley with Circus Contraption and Victor Janusz as headliners.

The dance floor with a large screen was fabulous and the rooftop bar was unlike

anything on Capitol Hill.

In between times thorough the years the place was also called the forgettable Harvard Tavern, Forum Tavern, Beat Box, Ghetto Technologies, and Hunter Gatherer Lodge.

Straight clubs like The War Room, followed by the sports grill, 99 Slide, took over. It was never the same again, and the space has been vacant since Spring 2015.

Expect a 7-floor 90-unit “affordable” aPodment building with no parking to go in its place.

Capitol Hill has seen many endings to establishments in the last decade with Thumpers, the original CC Attle’s at 15th Ave & E Madison St (which has since relocated to Boylston Ave E & E Olive Way), Manray, and the 1200 Bistro.

Losing these two iconic structures this past week is a loss that many of us will never forget.

Building that once housed one of Capitol Hill’s first gay bars, The Brass Door / The Brass Connection, before and after – Photos by Alex Garland (l); and courtesy of MK Scott (r)

FARRELL

continued from cover nexus with LGBT issues and all the major issues facing the city.”

“Affordability,” she cites as one example. “Whether you’re just entering the housing market, or you’ve been in your house for 40 years and can’t afford property taxes, or you’re a young new family, or you’re a senior on a limited income, this has to be a place where everyone can afford to rent, or buy a home, or retire.”

Farrell says that if she is elected mayor, she will “preserve Capitol Hill as the cultural heart of the LGBT community,” hopefully reversing the trend of LGBT people dispersing to cheaper neighborhoods.

“That means several things,” she explains. “First, it has to be a safe place for the LGBT community. We have to devote city resources to public safety, but that’s not enough. We also can get matching grants for additional safety measures.

“Hate crimes are on the rise, and many populations just don’t feel safe in the neighborhoods where they live. Prosecuting hate crimes is very important.”

How would she ensure that LGBT residents feel at least safe, if not comfortable, calling on Seattle police for help?

“We have to build on the efforts towards inclusionary policing,” Farrell replied. “For example, the new [SPD] training video where members of the Trans community speak for themselves in their own voices.

We need to do more of that.

“We also need to hire police from the LGBT community, so they know the community and they look like the community.”

Perhaps the main reason for the LGBT exodus from Capitol Hill is the skyrocketing cost of housing, especially affecting minimum-wage workers and people on fixed incomes.

“People need housing options,” Farrell says. “I think we need to look at LGBT senior housing.”

Reminded that Capitol Hill advocates have been talking about LGBT senior hous-

Visit us online www.sgn.org

ing for decades without much progress, Farrell replies that she would adopt a practical strategy to make senior housing work.

“Look, you don’t start by trying to raise however many millions of dollars for the project,” she says. “The cost of the land is the highest cost, so you can dedicate the city’s surplus properties to developing publicly owned affordable housing. And you prioritize senior housing.

“We started with that idea around Sound Transit stations. There’s not a lot of surplus property on Capitol Hill, but if you develop around mass transit hubs, that could work.”

Youth are also a critical category in discussing housing issues, Farrell adds.

“We need specific and focused efforts toward LGBT youth,” she says, “because they make up a sizable proportion of the homeless population.

“Part of that has to be mental health support and appropriate health care delivery. A very sizeable proportion of our homeless youth are enrolled in schools, so we can use public schools as the framework for that.

But we have to have trained professionals to deliver appropriate care – trans-inclusive care, for example.”

In any case, homeless people “need safe places to sleep,” Farrell insists. “That means a range of things. We should have sanctioned encampments with services – health care and mental health care. More temporary housing. Tiny houses. More shelter beds.”

All of which raises the issue of funding in an era when the federal government – under Trump – is a declared enemy of the City of Seattle.

“The state is not going to come to our rescue,” Farrell warns. “Even if they fully comply with McCleary [the court order to fund K-12 education], it will be up to the City to fund these supports. The supports we do have are inadequate in the first place, and it will be up to us to do more.

“I want to remind your readers that I have legislative experience so I know how to work with the City Council. And I’ve been a community activist, so I can dialogue with the community.”

June 30, 2017

Seattle Gay News 5

SELECT ENDORSEMENTS: US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal AG Bob Ferguson

“I have dedicated my career to making sure no one is left out or left behind.

On the Council, I will put that experience to work every day to: • Ensure Seattle has affordable housing for workers, students and retirees • Build a local economy that works for all by promoting good living wage jobs, child care and family leave

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6 Seattle Gay News

June 30, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

Flagship tasting event at Fremont Studios to showcase Washington’s leading distilleries

Meet and learn from top local spirits experts at PROOF

A world champion ice sculpturist and local entrepreneur. A top distiller and educator. A noted spirits historian with an artisan flair. These are just a few of the interesting and unique presenters who will take the stage at PROOF: The Washington Distillers Festival, to share their wit and wisdom with lovers of craft spirits from throughout the Seattle area.

PROOF – the one-night-only, flagship tasting event of the Washington Distillers Guild, runs from 5:30-9pm (VIP admission at 4:30pm) on Saturday, July 8 at Fremont Studios (155 N 35th St). Full information, including a list of participating distilleries and restaurants, plus ticket prices and more, is available online at PROOFWashington. org.

Through its first four years, PROOF has been a huge hit with distillers and consumers alike. More than 45 craft distilleries attended last year’s sold-out event, where attendees met and mingled with the craftsmen and women of the Washington Distillers Guild – the largest of its kind in the nation – while enjoying award-winning spirits, delicious local bites and more in a hip, urban setting designed to showcase grand

tasting programming and education.

Already in 2017, 38 distilleries and 15 restaurants have committed to PROOF, while ticket sales are tracking towards a fourth-consecutive sellout.

In addition to the chance to taste locally made whiskey, gin, bourbon, vodka and other craft spirits, attendees will be able to discover a new favorite cocktail made by local restaurants, and purchase bottles of their favorite new finds. Plus, leading experts from throughout the region – including Creative Ice artisan Steve Cox, The Barrel Thief’s Christopher Gronbeck and Raising the Bar’s Renee Cebula – will take

to the Use The Booze stage throughout the evening, sharing tips for enjoying your favorite spirits in new or interesting ways.

General admission tickets are $50; VIP tickets – including an extra hour of tasting, a commemorative Glencairn tasting glass and two additional tasting tokens (for a total of 12), plus the chance to learn more about Washington’s fastest-growing beverage market in a more intimate setting – are $75.

Of the 200 VIP tickets made available in 2017, fewer than 30 remain, so advance purchase is recommended. Tickets can be purchased online at PROOFWashington.org.

Since its initial announcement in 2013,

PROOF has generated considerable buzz in the Seattle food-and-beverage industry, where craft spirits represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the market.

Owned by the Guild and produced by local event team Varsity Communications – who also co-produce the long-running and successful Taste Washington wine-tasting weekend – PROOF was the first event of its kind to bring together so many Washington distillers under one roof. For more information, visit PROOFWashington.org.

Courtesy of the Washington Distillers Guild

Adoption Center

WEEKLY PETS

Sunday – Wednesday | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

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

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

LOCKET TAYLER

Meet Tayler, a beautiful 5-year-old medium-haired sweetheart! Tayler is an absolutely gorgeous girl with luscious white fur and a few patches of brown tabby markings and a brown tail. She’s a sweet cat who enjoys pats and ear scratches as well as naps, often in silly positions. Tayler is currently cozied up and available for adoption on Seattle Humane’s mobile adoption bus, the MaxMobile. Check the website for locations or talk to adoption staff about meeting her today-- you’ll be glad you did! As with all of our cats, Tayler is spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated. She will go home with a certificate for an examination by a King Country veterinarian and an identification tag. PLUS, most cat adoptions include 30 days of pet insurance from Trupanion-a great way to start off on the right paw!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Meet Locket, a 1-year-old Chihuahua who would love to be your love bug. She prefers a little extra time to get to know her surroundings, but once she trusts you (hint, she’s a sucker for a good tummy rub), she’ll be right by your side wherever you go. She’s a super happy girl with a big heart, and enjoys cuddling by your side and giving kisses. Locket would do well with a quiet and patient owner who can help her personality shine. She’s sure to be a sweet and loyal member of your family. If you have room in your heart and home for this loving girl, then come meet her today at the Seattle Humane – you’ll be glad you did! As with all of our dogs, Locket has been spayed, microchipped, vaccinated and behavior-tested. She 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!

June 30, 2017

Seattle Gay News 7

Washington Won’t Discriminate: State should reject I-1552 petitions Text violates state constitution and laws

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Washington Won’t Discriminate – the group fighting anti-Transgender Initiative 1552 – has asked Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman to reject I-1552 petitions for multiple violations of the state’s constitution and laws.

In its letter, delivered June 23, the group lists three kinds of violations committed by I-1552 promoters: • Misrepresenting the court-established ballot title for the initiative; • Incorrectly presenting the court-approved summary of the ballot measure; and • Failing to print the full text of the measure on the reverse side of the petitions.

Washington Won’t Discriminate was joined in its complaint by Legal Voice and

DURKAN

continued from cover Murray with sexual abuse, the mayor hinted he might run as a write-in candidate.

Murray spokesperson Jeff Reading said Murray would “shake up” the mayoral race with his press conference, touching off speculation that he would jump back into the race.

the ACLU of Washington.

As Secretary of State, Kim Wyman is the official charged with enforcing state election laws and ensuring that petitioners adhere to all the legal requirements for placing measures on the statewide ballot.

The letter calls on Wyman to make a speedy decision on whether she will allow improper petitions to be presented.

“Such guidance would also be helpful in determining whether there may be the need for litigation over the inexplicable failure of I-1552’s proponents to comply with the basic, simple requirements of Washington law by creating petitions that violate the law in multiple respects,” the letter says.

“The proponents of I-1552 did not follow the law in creating the petitions for I-1552. Petitions that include these flaws should be rejected by the Secretary of

State,” explains David Ward, legal and legislative counsel for Legal Voice.

“It’s not surprising that an anti-LGBT campaign with a record of deceptive and unethical practices would be circulating flawed petitions for signature,” says Seth Kirby, a Transgender man and chair of Washington Won’t Discriminate.

On June 20, Washington Won’t Discriminate filed a separate complaint with the state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) charging that Just Want Privacy – the group behind I-1552 – violated Washington state disclosure laws by failing to report numerous contributions from antiLGBTQ groups.

Among the complaints to the PDC were charges that the anti-Trans initiative backers used so-called “Gender Revolution” events sponsored by the Family Policy In-

stitute of Washington in several Washington cities to recruit volunteers and gather signatures on their petitions. The institute is run by Joseph Backholm, who also heads the Just Want Privacy group.

The anti-Trans campaign also failed to report resources it obtained from the antiLGBTQ group Alliance Defending Freedom and from right-wing former state Rep. Graham Hunt.

“I-1552’s unreported backers are focused on furthering an anti-LGBTQ and discrimination agenda that will undermine public safety by encouraging more harassment and violence,” said Monisha Harrell, chair of the board of Equal Rights Washington.

Murray endorsed Durkan, however, saying she is “head and shoulders above the rest” of the 21 candidates in the race.

Murray’s decision not to run is very good news for Durkan, since a Wilson Strategic poll released June 21 showed that if he jumped back in the race, her support would be cut nearly in half.

“I’ve known Jenny for almost three decades,” Murray said.

“We worked together during the dark days of the anti-LGBT initiatives in the

’90s. We worked together in her role as US attorney on police reform.

“She has the experience, the temperament, the political skills, and she also has strong relationships regionally and nationally, to move this city forward during uncertain times.”

Murray said that by endorsing Durkan, he hoped to keep Seattle from returning to the “divisive” politics he had inherited.

“I want to have a transition that represents what is best about democracy,” he

said.

Durkan, who appeared with Murray at the press event in the lobby of the Paramount Theater, said she was “honored” to have the endorsement of a “strong and good mayor.”

While many business leaders and organizations who were backing Murray have already endorsed Durkan, Murray’s union backers have lined up behind Bob Hasegawa or Jessyn Farrell.

4th Circuit rejects challenge to North Carolina same-sex opt-out law

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a challenge to North Carolina’s law allowing magistrates to opt out of performing same-sex marriages.

In a unanimous decision on June 28, the judges said the three couples who brought the lawsuit lacked standing to sue.

Two of the plaintiff couples are Lesbians. The other plaintiffs are a husband and wife who won a 1978 court ruling against North Carolina magistrates who refused to perform their interracial marriage because of religious beliefs.

The appeals court rejected their suit because two of the couples are already married and one has obtained a marriage license. They could not show they had been harmed by SB2, the North Carolina law that allows state officials to opt out of performing same-sex marriages on religious grounds.

In their court filings, the couples said they were suing as North Carolina taxpayers, whose taxes went to pay the salaries of

8 Seattle Gay News

state magistrates who refused to perform their proper functions.

Two of the plaintiff couples are from McDowell County, where all magistrates recused themselves from same-sex marriages after SB2 was passed.

According to the law, the state must offer alternative officials to marry same-sex couples if magistrates opt out, and in McDowell County the state paid a magistrate from nearby Rutherford County to come several days a week to marry McDowell County couples. Only a fraction of magistrates statewide have recused themselves.

While the law was passed in response to the US Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriages, the 4th Circuit panel said that same-sex marriage was not the issue.

“The outcome here is in no way a comment on same-sex marriage as a matter of social policy. The case before us is far more technical, whether plaintiffs, simply by virtue of their status as state taxpayers, have alleged a personal, particularized injury for the purposes of (federal court) standing,” Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson wrote in the 3-0 ruling.

June 30, 2017

Photo courtesy of weddingswithpridenc.com

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they are considering whether seek a hearing before the full 4th Circuit or take their challenge of the law to the US Supreme Court.

“We are reviewing the court’s opinion published this morning and will make a decision about whether to pursue any further appeals, either to the full 4th Circuit or to the Supreme Court,” said Luke Largess, a partner at Tin Fulton Walker & Owen and lead counsel in the case.

“The fundamental question here is when a legislature acts to target a specific community, which is clearly what happened with SB2, there has to be a way to challenge a law that’s based on animus and bias. And SB2 absolutely fits those criteria,” said Campaign for Southern Equality

Executive Director Rev. Jasmine BeachFerrara.

“SB2 is unjust and distorts the true meaning of religious freedom,” she added.

“From day one, it’s been clear that SB2 is about one thing – finding a new way to discriminate against same-sex couples and privileging one set of religious beliefs over others. We will keep standing up to discrimination until LGBTQ North Carolinians are equal in every sphere of life.”

Utah and Mississippi also have laws allowing public officials to recuse themselves from performing marriages because of religious beliefs, according to a tally by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Celebrating 43 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

June 30, 2017

Seattle Gay News 9

Northwest Harvest invites you to join us in making a difference in the lives of those who struggle with hunger.

We know that fighting hunger requires much more than just feeding the hungry. Eliminating hunger requires addressing its root causes in poverty and social disparities.

Poverty and hunger are experienced at disproportionately higher rates for people of color, women, LGBTQ communities, and other oftenmarginalized minority groups. The reasons for the disparate impact of poverty are often rooted in structural barriers created by discriminatory laws, racist policies, and prejudicial societal practices—resulting in generations of lost opportunities for education, employment, health care, and housing.

In order to better understand and identify solutions, we need to question these structural barriers. And to end hunger, we must help end practices that widen opportunity gaps, as well as instill the practices that help create opportunities and lead to a more equitable society.

Advocacy on behalf of marginalized people is nothing new to Northwest Harvest. For 50 years, we’ve been building coalitions and partnerships to help those in need. During this time, we’ve grown from a project of local social activists to our position today as the foremost leader in fighting hunger in the state of Washington.

Every day, we are proud to be a loud and active voice for those who are too often voiceless in our society. And, in today’s current social and political climate, we must do everything we can to turn up the volume.

We ask you to join us. Make yourself heard. Donate. Volunteer.

Be a voice. Together, we can end hunger in our state.

10 Seattle Gay News

June 30, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

SODO & SOUTHCENTER

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June 30, 2017

Seattle Gay News 11

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Use the AsylumConnect catalog: A free online connector that can help you gather quick, high-quality local resource referrals for your LGBTQ asylum seeker clients.

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12 Seattle Gay News

June 30, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

Truth Wins Out closes after 11 years

Wayne Besen – Photo courtesy of waynebesen.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Wayne Besen, founder of Truth Wins Out, announced on June 27 that his organization was closing on its 11th anniversary.

Truth Wins Out was founded to counter socalled “ex-gay” groups, and it has served its purpose, Besen said in a statement.

“Truth Wins Out is closing because we accomplished our major goals,” he wrote.

“We helped expose and ultimately vanquish (with the help of other heroes) major ‘ex-gay’ programs, including Love Won Out, Exodus International, and JONAH [Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality].”

In a final fundraising appeal, Besen

asked for donations to keep the group’s websites – TruthWinsOut.org, LGBTScience.org, and TWOCARE.org – “operating in perpetuity.”

Besen also listed the major accomplishments of Truth Wins Out: • Got the APA to send a letter condemning Focus on the Family and NARTH by name in 2006 • Protested dozens of “ex-gay” conferences across the country from Alaska to Alabama • Launched undercover investigation proving that Rep. Michele Bachmann (RMinn.) and her husband Marcus own a clinic that practices “ex-gay” therapy (with John Becker in a key undercover role) • Organized the American Prayer Hour, an event that shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill • Led a successful petition campaign to have Apple remove Exodus International’s “ex-gay” iPhone app • In a joint investigation with South Florida Gay News in 2010, exposed JONAH’s Arthur Abba Goldberg as a Wall Street con artist and convicted felon • Worked with the Southern Poverty

Law Center in their amazing and successful legal effort to shut down JONAH • Brought enormous attention to the harm caused by the “ex-Gay” myth, including on “ABC World News Tonight,” ABC’s “Nightline,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” “MSNBC News with Thomas Roberts,” MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” CNN’s “AC360,” Fox’s “O’Reilly Factor,” FOX’s “The Sean Hannity Show,” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and in print, in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Advocate, Newsweek, TIME, The Nation, and Mother Jones.

“Yes, similar programs will always exist, as charlatans will provide a supply of snake oil to fill a demand,” Besen said in his final statement.

“However, Truth Wins Out has created a robust legacy that irrefutably proves ‘exgay’ activists are frauds and such programs are a hoax that exploits hate. We battled these groups tooth and nail, in their heyday, when they were truly a threat to LGBT rights.”

Same-sex couples must get equal treatment on birth certificates, SCOTUS says

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The US Supreme Court sided with two Lesbian couples in an Arkansas lawsuit, ruling that both partners must be listed as parents on the birth certificates of the couples’ children.

The decision in Pavan v. Smith was announced June 26. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and the newly installed Neil Gorsuch dissented from the brief and unsigned majority opinion.

Under the Arkansas procedure struck

MADRID

continued from cover US cities (at numbers 9 and 10 worldwide).

Seattle came in at 55.

Just ahead of Beijing at the bottom of the list are Belgrade, Bratislava, Sofia, and Zagreb – all Slavic cities. However, Johannesburg (number 94) was the only African city included in the survey.

“We asked over 2,500 participants from each city to give three lifestyle factors a rating out of five stars: the strength of their city’s gay dating scene, the quality of its LGBT nightlife, and the openness of their fellow citizens,” Nestpick explained.

“Cities needed to average at least two out of five stars for each of the three lifestyle factors in order to qualify the final shortlist.”

After narrowing down the list, the Nestpick pollsters added a fourth category – safety.

down by the court, a woman’s husband is routinely listed as the father of her child – even if he is not the actual biological father – while only the biological parent of a child of a same-sex couple would be listed as a parent.

The plaintiffs sued to have the same presumption of parenthood applied to same-sex spouses.

The case involved two married Lesbian couples who had each jointly planned their child’s conception by means of an anonymous sperm donor. State officials listed only the biological mothers on the chil-

“This used public data provided by police departments of each of the 100 cities on the official number of hate crimes reported in 2016 per capita,” they explained.

“The city with the lowest number of crimes reported was awarded a maximum safety score of 5, and the city with the highest number of crimes reported was awarded a minimum score of 1.”

Finally, the survey considered the civil rights of LGBT residents in each of the 40 countries whose cities were included.

“We conducted an in-depth review of regional and national legislation (as of May 2017) affecting members of the LGBT community in each of the respective countries,” Nestpick said. “A maximum score of 5 was awarded to countries that allow same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples, LGBT citizens to serve in the military, [and] anyone to change their gender identity, and ban all anti-LGBT discrimination.”

The sum of all five factors determined

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dren’s birth certificates and refused to list their partners, saying they were not entitled to a husband’s presumption of paternity.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said their clients and the children involved in the case suffered harm as a result of Arkansas policy.

“A child’s birth certificate affects parental decision-making authority in the medical and educational context,” the lawyers said in court documents. “For example, some Arkansas public schools allow only those parents named on the child’s birth certificate to receive educational informa-

tion absent a court order.”

Lawyers for the state argued that “parental rights flow from biology, not marriage,” and that “in the overwhelming majority of cases, the mother’s husband is a marital child’s biological father.”

The Supreme Court’s ruling in this case is viewed as a reaffirmation of its 2015 Obergefell decision, which specifically listed birth certificates as one of the “governmental rights, benefits, and responsibilities” that typically accompany marriage.

Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid – Photo courtesy letraslibres.com

the overall score. Madrid scored 4 or more in each of the five categories, while Beijing scored between 1.84 and 2.15.

Seattle scored in the mid-3 range for our dating scene, nightlife, and openness, and a 4 for LGBT rights.

June 30, 2017

Seattle Gay News 13

Insurance Commissioner: CBO report reveals GOP health plan is not reform, it’s a disaster

Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady and Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden answer questions about the American Health Care Act – Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued the following statement in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the US Senate Republicans’ Better Care Reconciliation Act: “Today’s analysis from the nonpartisan

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reveals what can happen when you draft such monumental legislation in secret. Twentytwo million people would lose their health insurance under the proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act – with 15 million losing coverage as early as next year.

“The Senate bill would drastically cut financial support for everyone trying to buy a plan in the individual market. The result: worse coverage and vastly increased costs, especially through higher out-of-pocket costs and deductibles.

“The Senate bill employs smoke and

mirrors to make it look like someone would get a better deal – until you read the fine print of the legislation. The bill lowers the value of benefits, eventually leading to coverage that is worthless for many, especially those with lower incomes.

“Hundreds of thousands of people in Washington state would lose their health coverage if this legislation were to become law, and I doubt our individual health insurance market would be sustainable.

“The GOP-controlled Congress continues to ignore input from people on the front lines of our health system and is pushing through their repeal of the Affordable Care Act in order to gain huge tax cuts for a wealthy few.

“For months, insurance regulators across the country along with providers, hospitals, and consumer advocates have shared concrete evidence on how this legislation would affect real people and the country’s health insurance market. Today’s score from the CBO illustrates our case even further.

“A healthy insurance market needs good risk and bad risk. By not having an effective individual mandate, requiring everyone who can to purchase health insurance, this is impossible to achieve. If people only buy coverage when they need it, the availability becomes nonexistent for those desperate for good coverage. This is not reform, it’s a disaster.”

Pew poll: The whole world hates Donald Trump (except Russians and Israelis)

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The whole world hates Donald Trump – with the exception of Russians and Israelis – according to a new Pew poll released June 27.

The poll involved 40,447 respondents in 37 countries and was conducted from February 16 to May 8.

Only 22% of the respondents said they had “confidence” in Trump, compared with the 64% who said the same about Barack Obama at the end of his term.

In the eyes of Pew poll participants, Trump compared poorly to other world leaders. In fact, he got the lowest ratings among those tested. Forty-two percent said they had confidence in Germany’s Angela Merkel, and 28% in China’s Xi Jinping.

Even Russian president Vladimir Putin inspired more confidence than Trump, with 27% saying they trusted him.

As a country, the favorable rating of the United States fell from 64% in the Obama era to only 49% now. Israel and Russia were the only countries surveyed where the public prefers Trump to Obama.

Pew said the overall view of the United States, which Pew has followed since 2002, tends to correspond to approval for the president, even if US culture and Americans as people tend to win higher ratings than their leaders.

“The drop in favorability ratings for the United States is widespread,” Pew said.

14 Seattle Gay News

“The share of the public with a positive view of the US has plummeted in a diverse set of countries from Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.”

According to Pew, the most severe decline came in European allies such as Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany, and also in South Korea.

The decline was less pronounced in some majority-Muslim countries such as Turkey, Tunisia, and Jordan, partly because approval for Obama was already low.

Trump’s character traits got particularly unfavorable notice, with 75% of respondents saying he’s “arrogant,” 65% saying he’s “ignorant,” and 62% calling Trump “dangerous.”

Among the positive characteristics tested, his highest rating was for being a strong leader. Fewer believed he is charismatic or well qualified, or cares about ordinary people.

Pew also polled attitudes on five major policy proposals that Trump has supported.

Globally, none of them are popular.

As a candidate, Trump repeatedly pledged to withdraw the United States from the nuclear weapons agreement with Iran.

The poll’s respondents opposed this idea.

Only in Israel and Jordan did majorities support US withdrawal from the agreement.

About a third of the respondents supported Trump’s proposed Muslim ban, but the ban was popular in four countries – Hungary, Poland, Israel, and Russia – gov-

June 30, 2017

Donald Trump and Europe – Image courtesy of BBC News

erned by right-wing nationalist parties. As might be expected, opposition was especially strong in several countries with Muslim-majority populations, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Senegal.

There was widespread opposition to the US withdrawing from international climate change agreements, although the poll was taken before Trump scrapped the Paris climate accord. Only 19% support the US backing away from international climate treaties. The sentiment was especially strong in the European nations polled.

Only 16% endorsed Trump’s plan to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Fully 94% of Mexicans opposed the wall, and the wall was strongly rejected throughout Latin America, as well as in much of Europe. There was no country among the 37 surveyed in which a majority endorsed a border wall between the US and Mexico.

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Seattle Gay News 15

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