SGN October 27, 2017 - Section 2

Seattle Gay News

Issue 43, Volume 45, October 27, 2017

Arts & Entertainment

Glorious Ragtime a must-see musical!

Douglas Lyons and Danyel Fulton in Ragtime – Photo by Mark Kitaoka

by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer RAGTIME, THE MUSICAL 5TH AVENUE THEATRE Through November 5 Ragtime is the newest production currently at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. It is what is called a “Must See.” It is a sweeping epic of a musical that is not only beautiful to watch, but also has glorious music and a fantastic cast to make this show excel in every way. It carefully blends the real and the fiction into a tapestry showing impor-

tant events and characters taking place in American history.

The story takes place in New York and several surrounding areas, in the year 1906, and America is quickly growing as a country. Three groups of people are introduced with main characters to represent each of them. The Family (known only as Mother, Father, etc.…) represents the affluent WASP community living in New Rochelle, New York. Coalhouse Walker Jr. and Sarah represent the African-American community of Harlem, finding their place

see RAGTIME page 7

Baker’s Florida Project an empathetic masterwork

Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite in The Florida Project – Photo courtesy of A24 Films

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer THE FLORIDA PROJECT Now playing It’s hard to believe I’ll see a better motion picture than The Florida Project in 2017. Director Sean Baker’s follow up to 2015’s stunning comedy Tangerine, the movie is a funny, gut-wrenching, emotionally complex masterwork of the human condition that exudes warmth and humility in every frame. Never shying away from the stark, tragic truths always silently lurking

in plain sight, there is something universal here that stops the heart right in its tracks, everything building to a single moment of selfless friendship that is as fantastical as it is breathtaking.

Just down the road from Disney World, a series of Florida motels dot the landscape.

Inside the freshly painted The Magic Castle lives six-year-old ball of mirth and mayhem Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), her young, recently unemployed mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) coming up with a variety of creative ways to pay each week’s bill. Oversee-

see FLORIDA PROJECT page 5

Embodying The Bodyguard: Surprise in discovery: An interview with Deborah Cox

Deborah Cox in The Bodyguard – Photo by Matthew Murphy

by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer BROADWAY AT THE PARAMOUNT THE BODYGUARD, THE MUSICAL PARAMOUNT THEATRE November 14-19 Deborah Cox’s talent is without question. Starting her singing career at age twelve, the Canadian sensation Ms. Cox

soon began singing backup for Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. Her hit single, “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” topped Billboard’s charts for over 14 weeks, holding the record for almost eight years.

Currently moving her talents to stage, the Seattle Gay News caught up with the superstar as she takes the lead role in the stage musical version of The Bodyguard.

see DEBORAH COX page 8

Director Sean Baker on the childlike realism of The Florida Project

Sean Baker (c) with Willem Dafoe on the set of The Florida Project – Photo courtesy of IMDB

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer THE FLORIDA PROJECT Now playing Sean Baker’s The Florida Project is the best film I’ve seen in 2017. It’s one of those rare motion pictures where I knew I’d just watched something monumental the second it had come to an end. Much like

other recent instant classics like Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon, John Carney’s Once, Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset, Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty or Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation, I was so completely blown away by what I had just experienced I was utterly speechless as I left the theatre. Baker’s latest held me in complete and total awe, allowing the film to transcend

see SEAN BAKER page 8

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Celebrating 43 Years!

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Sam Smith, Franz Ferdinand and Judas Priest all headed to Seattle in the coming weeks and months

Sam Smith – Photo courtesy of Capitol Music Group

Franz Ferdinand – Photo by Alexander Matukhno

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer The Music Lounge was on a break for a few weeks and in that time a slew of new concerts were announced. Here are some of the artists who are Seattle-bound in the coming weeks and months.

Sam Smith is finally returning to the Emerald City next fall, as part of his forthcoming “The Thrill of It All Tour.” The openly gay singer-songwriter, who rose to international fame with his major label debut In the Lonely Hour in 2014, will release a new album on November 3 that matches the title of his tour. Smith is set to perform September 8, 2018 at Key Arena.

For tickets, go to www.stgpresents.org.

Also returning to Seattle is alternative rock group Franz Ferdinand, who’ve interviewed multiple times with Seattle Gay News. The band has booked a date at The Showbox Market next month, as part of a nationwide tour, although to my knowledge they are not promoting a new album; however, the four-piece has released a few singles in the past two years, including the anti-Trump number “Demagogue.” Tickets to see Franz Ferdinand on December 4 are on sale now at www.aeglive.com.

Metal legend Judas Priest, led by gay frontman Rob Halford, are performing live again next year to promote a new album, Firepower, that doubles as their road out-

4 Seattle Gay News

October 27, 2017

Judas Priest – Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images

ing title, “The Judas Priest: Firepower 2018 Tour.” Besides Halford, the tour will feature guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis.

Judas Priest will play the Accesso Showare Center in Kent on April 15. Tickets are on sale now at www.LiveNation.com, www. accessoShoWareCenter.com, the Accesso ShoWare Center Box Office, or charge by phone at (866) 973-9613.

Here are more new concerts to announce: St. Vincent at the Moore Theatre on January 18 and 19, Queens of the Stone Age at Key Arena on January 25, First Aid Kit at the Moore Theatre on January 28, Clean Bandit at The Showbox Market on March 27, Weird Al Yankovic at the Moore Theatre on May 29 and Kenny Chesney at CenturyLink Field on July 7.

Speaking of Judas Priest, the hard rock icons are one of several nominated acts vying for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joining them on the ballot are Bon Jovi, Kate Bush, The Cars, Depeche Mode, Dire Straits, Eurythmics, J. Geils Band, LL Cool J, MC5, The Meters, Moody Blues, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Nina Simone, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Link Wray and The Zombies. An international voting body of more than 900 artists, historians and members of the music industry will cast their votes

to decide the actual nominees, who will be inducted early in 2018.

The Grammy Awards are returning to New York City for the first time since 2003.

After a 15-year run in LA, “Music’s Biggest Night” is being stage at Madison Square Garden in late January. The nominations are being revealed on November 28.

You may have heard, but it’s worth rementioning, that Justin Timberlake has been tapped to headline the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 4 in Minneapolis. It’s the pop star’s first appearance on the NFL championship game since the infamous “Nipplegate” performance with Janet Jackson, in which she bared part of her breast due to a “wardrobe malfunction.” Timberlake will likely perform a medley of songs, including “SexyBack,” “My Love” and his Oscarnominated hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling”; unknown is whether his former N’Sync bandmates will join him for a reunion.

Finally, if you were planning on seeing Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band at Key Arena on November 11, then you’ll need to change your plans because the concert is postponed due to Seger’s unexpected surgery to repair a pinched vertebra in his neck. A rescheduled date will be announced soon.

Celebrating 43 Years!

“Never Let Me Down” – Depeche Mode triumphs at Key Arena

Depeche Mode's "Global Spirit Tour" – Photo by Randall Michelson

by Jessica Price SGN A&E Writer DEPECHE MODE KEY ARENA October 21 As many musical icons from the ’80s have learned, it’s a slippery slope bringing in new fans and keeping your old ones happy while still maintaining your relevance and – let’s be honest – your cool.

Time isn’t kind to artists touring ten or fifteen years from their prime. Remarkably Depeche Mode is still going strong nearly forty years since their 1981 debut, Speak & Spell, was released. Despite career highs and personal lows, they have continued to refine and innovate while influencing mul-

FLORIDA PROJECT continued from cover

ing things is the stern if remarkably patient Bobby (Willem Dafoe), the motel manager doing his best not to get too caught up in the various types of upheaval and strife many of his residents appear to be going through.

Moonee, however, is happily oblivious to a lot of this, and while she knows things aren’t as they should be, the child still finds happiness playing with her friends, especially fellow Magic Castle resident Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and the quietly inquisitive Jancey (Valeria Cotto), a little girl who just moved in at the motel next door and is living with her indomitable grandmother Stacy (Josie Olivo).

There’s not a lot more to say as far as plot goes. Baker and frequent collaborator Chris Bergoch (Starlet, Tangerine) have composed an observational scenario that allows life to just sort of happen. The majority of the movie is seen entirely through Moonee’s eyes, with little asides focusing on both Halley and Bobby sprinkled throughout. Yet this is mostly a saga of how children view the world as its given to them and how the friendships they craft

tiple generations of electronic musicians along the way. Depeche Mode is not a nostalgia act, and never have been.

The “Global Spirit World Tour” stopped at Seattle’s Key Arena Saturday night, midway through a sprawling nearly year-long journey around the world. (The tour ends in March 2018 in Brazil.) The energetic set pulled heavily from later period albums and Spirit, their current release and 14th studio album. The core trio comprised of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher looked sharp; still every bit the understated, handsome dark horses of electro-pop they always have been, Dave’s bombastic micstand twirling and vest-sans-shirt paired with elegant trousers notwithstanding.

Fluffy ’80s singles like “Just Can’t Get Enough” or “See You” weren’t present,

instead favoring stylish albums like Music for the Masses all the way to Violator and Playing the Angel.

In addition to showcasing the distinct DM sound they have mined since the late’80s, there were songs that bridged the two halves of their career (“A Question of Lust,” “Everything Counts,” “Stripped,” “Somebody”) followed by “Enjoy the Silence” and “Never Let Me Down Again,” songs that established the band’s current look and feel. Having collaborated with Dutch photographer and music video/film director Anton Corbijn since the Black Celebration era, Corbijn’s creative direction and stark, grainy style have kept Depeche Mode en vogue for three decades now. “So Much Love” and “Poison Heart” built momentum to truly epic tracks like “I Feel You” and

“Personal Jesus,” both of which closed the set along with “Walking In My Shoes” and a cover of “Heroes” (David Bowie certainly has been on many artists’ minds these last two years in concerts).

Though some fans may have left without their staple songs, Depeche Mode delivered a balanced show with ease and obvious enjoyment in both the present and the not too distant past. Perhaps working together for a lifetime while exorcising your personal demons many times over either makes or breaks a lifetime partnership. In the case of Depeche Mode, they’re definitely winning.

can make even the most fragile of circumstances more tolerable. It is a movie that overflows in the promise of what each new dawn can bring no matter what the current situation, the stark realities of economic despair coupled with each person’s unique human frailties the dark tragedy silently waiting in the wings to pounce.

Baker walks in some familiar cinematic footsteps. Influences here range from Ken Loach’s 1969 gem Kes, Carroll Ballard’s 1979 classic The Black Stallion, François Truffaut’s timeless 1959 stunner The 400 Blows, John Boorman’s graceful 1987 drama Hope and Glory and Andrea Arnold’s 2009 marvel Fish Tank. It brings to mind Larry Clark’s Kids, Ramin Bahrani’s 99 Homes, Patricia Cardoso’s Real Women Have Curves and Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s Quinceañera.

And yet, while those comparisons and more can be made, the truth is that Baker’s latest effortlessly becomes its own idiosyncratic and unique animal as it moves forward. Moonee’s story is universal, becoming easier to relate to and increasingly more affecting as events progress. It’s excruciatingly genuine, the director never sugarcoating the reality of this world yet at the same time still finding great joy in the way chil-

dren not-so-cluelessly go about trying to persevere.

Newcomers Prince and Vinaite are superb. They craft a sisterly mother-daughter bond that is undeniably genuine. The connection between the two is consistently fascinating, the way their relationship evolves as things become increasingly dire planting a lump in my throat that refused to disappear. There are some twists to their story that, while not surprising, are still brutally startling, both actresses doing a stupendous job of showing how this evolution is taking place, each in their own, imaginatively personal way. Vinaite takes a character who could have been impossible to embrace and somehow got me to care for her, and while Halley isn’t anything close to the definition of what most think of as a good mother, there is never a doubt she loves her daughter with every fiber of her being.

Then there is Dafoe. The veteran actor slips into Baker’s stripped-down minimalist world with ease, Bobby becoming a three-dimensional figure of authority and compassion as events avalanche to their upsetting termination. Whether interacting with the children like a tired curmudgeon coming close to the edge of sanity, to the

way he deals with business matters relating to his hotel’s inhabitants, to little observational quirks that show just how much he cares even though he can never admit to doing so, Dafoe is masterful. He is responsible for some of the films biggest laughs as well as many of its strongest tears, his interactions with Prince absolute perfection.

Impeccably shot by cinematographer Alexis Zabe, there is a sundrenched crispness to The Florida Project I couldn’t resist. Baker seems to get that the intimate nature of the visuals only augments the emotional veracity of the story being told, all of which helps make the events that climax the film echo with even more profound confidence than they ever would have otherwise. Additionally, it makes the final scene even more suitably surreal, this delirious bit of unabashed eccentric whimsy hitting home for me in a way that had me drowning in tears while also wanting to stand up and cheer. Friendship, even when darkness descends to take its pound of flesh from the guilty and the innocent alike, can sometimes salve even the deepest wound, a second of happiness maybe the bit of hope a breaking heart needs to see them through until a new dawn can rise.

October 27, 2017

Seattle Gay News 5

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Ragtime and The Crucible How theater brings historic content to current life

The Crucible – Photo by Chris Bennion

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer RAGTIME THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE www.5thavenue.org Through November 5 THE CRUCIBLE ACT THEATRE www.acttheatre.org Through November 12 Seattle has a unique opportunity over the next two weeks to see two top-notch “best theater” productions that not only are wonderful evenings of theater but exemplify the specific way that theater can provide political commentary through historic examples. With meticulous technical support and very large casts of some of Seattle’s best, these productions demonstrate the power of theater to penetrate into people’s feelings in a most unique art form.

The beautiful musical, Ragtime, at The 5th Avenue Theatre, tells us some history, both good and bad, of the turn of the 20th Century and the difficulty of melding gentrified whites, struggling blacks whose artistic innovation (Ragtime music) was being appropriated even as they were overtly treated as second-class citizens, and immigrants, many who were very poor Jews from Eastern Europe and Russian.

But their history is clearly also our current events! Ragtime shows a black man whose car is vandalized and who seeks justice from every regular form of law enforcement and municipal leader and is denied until he is so incensed that he commits a crime of his own as a form of civic rebellion. Not only do we see why he does it, we see and feel his outrage and are even made to confront both his grace and his failure.

Musician Coalhouse Walker, Jr. is not created (by novelist E. L. Doctorow and then by book writer Terrence McNally and composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens) as a bad and evil man. He is a good man who loves his family and strives for success and is beaten down by prejudice at every turn. His search for justice becomes perverted and breaks him.

Ragtime also shows the hardships that immigrants faced at a time when there was

6 Seattle Gay News

no such thing as food stamps or welfare or almost any other social program, and people literally died of hunger if they could not find a way to make money. And Ragtime also shows how innovation and ideas could help people make themselves an outsized success, if they could stumble on a better way.

Ragtime also focuses on “Mother,” who is supposed to represent ascendant White America Womanhood, the gentrified and subjugated woman figure who begins to question and slowly break free from her husband’s commands. She doesn’t have a name other than “Mother.”

When her husband, “Father,” goes on a long journey, Mother is suddenly in a position to start making decisions she has never had to make before, and those decisions change her and teach her what she believes, rather than what she has been told to believe. Here, then, is an example of where suffragettes came from, and upon which we can all ponder where we have arrived

regarding women’s roles in our society and how far we have yet to go.

Similarly, the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible, in a powerful production at ACT Theatre, is already an example of using history to make commentary on current events, because Miller, himself, wrote the play to exemplify the demonizing happening in 1953 with the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, where the hunt for Communists was going strong. Miller used real events in 1692 and the Salem Witch Trials for his story, but mirrored the strong intention not to falsely confess with that of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (executed June 19, 1953), who were still resolutely silent, when the play debuted, though both facing the electric chair and held in Sing Sing prison.

The play is based on mob mentality, fear of the unknown, and belief in authority figures, no matter how faulty those authorities might be. The fear of the occult and “witches” of those more uneducated times

is easily equated with the fear of the Communists, though the way that fear manifested in the United States was focused most on Jews and the Lower East Side of New York City, since the head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, equated Jews with Communism as an obsession. Their witch-hunt demanded names with little proofs, and devastation to follow.

Now, we watch the same play and see parallels in the demonization of the media and the “othering” of climate change and science in general in our own current events. The gathering together of clans and like-minded people into enclaves of belief systems that threaten our justice and our democracy. It might not be too far an assumption to believe that we could see trials of scientists, if we carry the cautionary tale to a logical conclusion.

Both companies employ acting talent of varied ethnicities, which speaks also to the continued evolution of broadened casting efforts that have become more and more normal in Seattle over the past five years.

Ragtime demands a specific set of AfricanAmerican actors in the script itself. The Crucible could be presumed to be written for a cast of all Caucasian actors, since historical accuracy might call for that, but the ACT production simply allows the casting to include “minority” actors without regard to making sure that families are “matched up.” Only one character in The Crucible was written to specifically be a Barbados “native” and so a person-of-color.

Theatrical productions, live and immediate, touch audiences more deeply than many other forms of art. The opportunity to challenge audiences, allow them or encourage them to feel empathy or identification with characters they may not connect with in real life, and bringing understanding to the plight of folks very different from their own circle is what theater can do. Sometimes, that power is dispensed with in going after “entertainment” value. But these two productions are examples of how theater can encourage change in a current society’s attitudes for the betterment of our world.

Discuss your opinions with SGNcritic@ gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/ SeattleTheaterWriters. More articles can be found at MiryamsTheaterMusings. blogspot.com.

The Crucible – Photo by Chris Bennion

October 27, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

RAGTIME

continued from cover within the American dream. Tateh and his daughter represent the Immigrant populace flooding into America from Eastern and Western Europe. The musical shows how all three groups interact, for better and for worse, in a grand and epic way to find their corner of Americana.

The musical not only shows the sweeping landscapes of turn-of-the-century America, but also blends the lines of fiction and history. Several real personalities appear throughout the show interacting with their fictional counterparts. Henry Ford and JP Morgan are represented as the “wealthy” upper class; the unlimited success anyone can achieve if they work at it.

The anarchist Emma Goldman pleas for the equality of the struggling lower classes.

Harry Houdini and Evelyn Nesbit show us the appeal of sensational and scandalous entertainment that captivated/inspired the general public. Booker T. Washington shows the balance of the educated, upper class African-American opposed to those experiencing prejudices and hardships on a much grander scale. Although their interactions with the story are strictly fictional, these true people help further the storyline.

The results are not only a great musical, but also a wealth of information on American history.

There is not an unimportant character or actor in this ensemble. Everyone contributes to make this show fantastic in every way. Billie Wildrick plays Evelyn Nesbit in a wonderfully charming presentation. The real life original “Gibson” girl was the center of one of the first “Crimes of the Century,” after which she transitioned to media star. Ms. WIldrick’s voice shines in the vaudevillian mockery of her own sensationalism. Eric Ankrim plays Houdini (and also “Willie Conklin”). Mr. Ankrim is a pleasure to watch on stage, as he always seems to bring that “something

The cast of Ragtime – Photo by Tracy Martin

extra” to any role he plays. Andi Alhadeff is absolutely fantastic as Emma Goldman.

She completely embraces the spirit of the Anarchist, fighting for the rights of her fellow immigrants.

“Younger Brother” is played by Matthew Kacergis. Mr. Kacergis is excellent as the lost young man, who finds his purpose from Emma Goldman’s speeches. His voice roars with strength during the awakening

song, “The Night That Goldman Spoke at Union Square.” “Father” is portrayed

by Louis Hobson who does a very good job showing the staunchness of the newly emerging Middle Class, resisting change and trying to provide for his family.

Danyel Fulton takes on the heartbreaking role of “Sarah.” The full emotional range Ms. Fulton displays nightly on this stage is absolutely amazing! She lets Sarah charm us with her innocence, ambition, and fears. When Ms. Fulton starts to sing “Your Daddy’s Son” she reaches out to the audience in a hauntingly seductive way, until she lets herself go. Then the audience is taken on a rollercoaster of emotion that is rarely seen, seldom sung, and one of those moments in theatre that makes us want to stop, rewind and experience it all over again. The powerful feelings the song stirs up are largely due to the pure talent Ms. Fulton possesses (the other credit goes to the songwriters).

Douglas Lyons is Coalhouse Walker, Jr..

Mr. Lyons is excellent as the Ragtime pianist trying to find his piece of the American pie, only to find bigoted responses. Mr. Lyons doesn’t miss a single beat showing Coalhouse’s transformation from an in-love optimist to a bitter revolutionary, forced to fight for his own justice. His voice is powerful from the optimistic “Wheels of a Dream” to the sentimentality of “Sarah Brown Eyes” to his own proclamation of “Let Them Hear You.” He captures the audience, exposing them to the glory and grit of his journey, bringing us along every step of the way.

Joshua Carter portrays Tateh, the Jewish immigrant from Latvia, and he delivers an absolute perfect performance. He skillfully shows how the scared man desperately tries everything to make a better life for his daughter in the new world. Tateh struggles from the sweatshops, to the fear of losing his child, to finally finding his own opportunity to reinvent himself, and Mr. Carter takes us along for an incredible journey.

His voice empowers the songs from tender ballad, “Gliding” to the comical “Buffalo Nickel Photoplay Inc”. Mr. Carter delivers the goods.

The very talented Kendra Kassebaum brilliantly plays “Mother.” Ms. Kassebaum is not afraid to show us the fear and confusion of a woman trying to remain loyal to her husband’s vision, while struggling to do what she believes is right from her own conscience. From the very beginning of her journey (literally with the song “Journey On”), Ms. Kassebaum expresses

the full change from obedient housewife to a woman of independent thought. Her singing voice never wavers from the hesitant confusion of “What Kind of Woman” to the strongly defiant anthem of “Back to Before.”. Ms. Kassebaum does an excellent job of showing the great transformation of her character’s journey.

A definite nod needs to be directed to Michael Hoover, the show’s Scenic Designer. The scenery is extremely minimalistic, optimizing a large wall with several doors to open as needed, and large ladders on wheels to represent motion or position of standing. In another scene, a large flowering branch hangs over the stage giving the feel of a picnic. Other than that, it is only the barest of necessities that are presented – or that are needed. Mr. Hoover recognizes that there is no reason to overshadow the full effects of the incredible songs and the efforts of the very talented cast.

Ragtime is an excellent show and the 5th Avenue Theatre does an incredible job. If anything negative should be said about it, it is that the majority of the songs are large, sweeping mantras making the audience want to leap to their feet as if at a rally. The music and songs are excellent, several that will stay with you long after the curtain falls. The storyline is compelling, if not by being historical fiction then by telling a tale of morality and justice that are paralleling events still happening today.

Don’t miss this show!

October 27, 2017

Seattle Gay News 7

Ragtime is based on the novel of the same name, by E.L. Doctorow. It was adapted for the eponymous 1981 film (including Mary Steenburgen as Mother, Mandy Patinkin as Tateh, Debbie Allen as Sarah, Elizabeth McGovern as Evelyn Nesbit, and Norman Mailer, Fran Drescher, Jeff Daniels and James Cagney as various others) and nominated for 8 Academy Awards.

The stage musical opened on Broadway December 1997 and ran for over 850 performances. Stephen Flaherty composed the music, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens (who also teamed to write “Once on This Island” and “School House Rock”), and a book by Terrence McNally. The show starred Marin Mazzie (Mother), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Coalhouse Walker), Lynette Perry (Evelyn Nesbit) and Judy Kaye (Emma Goldman), and was originally nominated for 14 Tony Awards in 1998. Ragtime won four Tony Awards – including Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Audra McDonald as Sarah).

Kendra Kassebaum as Mother in Ragtime – Photo by Mark Kitaoka

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morning! Josephine struggled with not having children, and then sort of went over her head. Rachel is dedicated to her son. These two women allowed me to pick things from their storylines and bring them together.

Andrews-Katz: The Bodyguard has become an iconic film. What influences do you retain from the film, and how do you make the role your own?

Cox: That’s a really interesting question. It’s the hardest thing about this, is finding my own voice and finding Rachel’s voice on stage. We all know and love the film, we know the songs and you get to hear all the passion and love because we sing the song in its entirety. I don’t think you can get that if it were in snippets. You really get to experience the emotional roller coaster; all the suspense in the show and then, it’s like a big dance party. We sing, “I’m Every Woman,” and it takes you on a journey. It’s what I love about the show.

Andrews-Katz: If you could play any role – regardless of limitations – what would it be and why?

Cox: Probably Tina Turner. Yeah, if there were a musical about her, that would be a compelling story.

Andrews-Katz: Rumors say there is already a “Tina Turner musical” being planned?

Cox: Yeah? Well, maybe I’ll get my chance, then.

DEBORAH COX continued from cover

Eric Andrews-Katz: Who were your earliest influences in becoming a singer?

Deborah Cox: Whitney Houston was the highest on the list. Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight were influences. I also liked a lot of jazz. Those are the ones that I most remember because they were the records my parents’ played all the time. Whitney was definitely the biggest influence. It was The Bodyguard soundtrack that helped me shape my voice and tonality, by my listening to that album over and over and over.

Andrews-Katz: Your professional singing career started at age 12. When did you start songwriting?

Cox: That came later – out of necessity.

When I knew it was time for me to find my own voice and cut my own identity as an artist. Putting pen to paper started when I was 17 or 18. I wrote poems before that, but I never considered myself a strong songwriter. But it was those songs that got me my deal, so I guess they weren’t too bad.

That was a part of me trying to find my own voice.

Andrews-Katz: Who were your earliest influences in becoming a stage performer?

Cox: It was from watching artists like Tina Turner, Cher, Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Whitney. When I think about performance on stage, I think about those women.

They did tons of costume changes, and I feel like that’s what I am doing in this show.

Rachel Marron is a throwback to those women who are larger than life on stage.

We have amazing costumes and an amazing ensemble, tons of dancers. It’s a fun, big show. When I’m doing “I’m Every Woman” or “Queen of the Night” those kinds of big productions make this show fun. You’ll be sitting in the audience and are transported to the Oscars, then Rachel’s mansion, or at one of her concerts.

Andrews-Katz: On Broadway you performed in AIDA, Jekyll & Hyde, and now The Bodyguard. What is it about stage work that you like that differs from concerts?

Cox: This one is totally different because it is about a celebrity that is being stalked. It is similar to my world [of concert performing] so I feel like I’m doing one of my own shows. But with Jekyll & Hyde, it

SEAN BAKER continued from cover

it’s relatively simple story to become something deeply affecting on a level going way beyond the personal.

At the center of things is six-year-old Moonee, portrayed magnificently by newcomer Brooklynn Prince. She lives with her unemployed, hard-living mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) at The Happy Castle motel in Kissimmee, Florida just down the road from Disney World. A thorn in the side of scrappy, if still understanding building manager Bobby (Willem Dafoe), this little girl spends her summer exploring the environs surrounding the motel with her small cadre of friends, not quite understanding just how tenuous things are for both she and her mother, the two of them always on the precipice of being completely homeless with no one to turn to for help.

The secret of the movie’s success is just how completely it keys into this childlike mindset, how fully it comprehends how a kid views the world, their innate ability to find the beauty in even the most disgusting or abhorrent of situations, an ability deserving of being cherished. Additionally, much like Baker’s award-winning 2015 comedic stunner Tangerine, this film is a celebration of friendship, Moonee’s ability to make long-lasting connections with everyone she comes into contact with a beguiling talent

8 Seattle Gay News

Judson Mills and Deborah Cox in The Bodyguard – Photo by Matthew Murphy

was me taking on a different persona, and a different character to play. In The Bodyguard, the experience is taking the film and putting it on stage, but it’s more than that.

We’ve added other songs from Whitney’s catalogue, so you are getting a full songbook of incredible music with a backdrop of suspense thrill and love story.

Andrews-Katz: How did you first get involved with The Bodyguard?

Cox: The producers of the show approached me to originate the role here in the US and start touring. I was reluctant at first but I read the script and loved the way the story was told. I felt really connected to it because the film was such an impact on my life – I saw it when I was shaping my own self into an artist, so I fell in love with the whole thing.

Andrews-Katz: In 2013 you participated in a stage musical workshop about the life of Josephine Baker. Can you tell us more about the show?

Cox: We ran it in Florida for about a month to workshop it. The project is still on hold and we’re not sure if it will get a feeder. That process also helped me as an artist to not be inhibited. When I was getting ready for the photo session for The Bodyguard, I was finishing up with Josephine. It was great to see how similar these women were.

Andrews-Katz: Does that mean we get to see Rachel doing a Banana Dance?

Cox: (laughing) No. There’s no Banana Dance, although she is scantily clad at times. For “Queen of the Night” I can’t believe I’m dressed like that on a Sunday

that ultimately is able to bring her some form of cathartic solace as events in The Florida Project move towards their heartbreaking conclusion.

I had the chance to sit down with the talented Baker to talk about his latest feature during his recent visit to Seattle. Literally less than an hour before our scheduled interview, the Gotham Awards, a set of independent film awards voted on by a small panel of New York journalists in October that signal the start of awards season, which culminates with the Oscars in February, were announced for 2017. The Florida Project was one of the big winners, the film receiving three nominations for Best Feature, Best Actor Willem Dafoe and Breakthrough Actor for Brooklynn Prince.

With that information as the prelude, here are some of the highlights from my conversation with Sean Baker:

like, wow.

The first thing I saw was Brooklynn Prince [nominated for Breakthrough Actor], so the fact that she was nominated means everything. Her performance, I didn’t have to manipulate it with editing or anything like that. Her performance is there and she is deserving of this, so I’m so happy. Also, I mean, I just have to say, that company! Get Out and Call Me By Your Name and Good Time and Lady Bird and I, Tonya. I’m just honored to be in that crowd.

Sara Michelle Fetters: Is this still a little surreal for you? All of this recognition?

Or are you used to it after all the awards and nominations that went to Tangerine just two years ago?

Sean Baker: Yeah, it’s nice. And it’s really nice because [the awards] bring attention to the older films, too. It is a great feeling. It’s really wonderful that audiences are connecting; I appreciate it. I always thought these films, at least the last two, Tangerine and The Florida Project, I thought these were going to be polarizing films. And this film does have its polarizing aspects. The ending, I can tell is polarizing.

I didn’t know that it was at the time, that was a surprise, actually, but it’s also a great thing as it means people are really attempting to find meaning in every second of the film.

But to tell you the truth? To have that support from the critics, to also have the public that’s into movies like these embrace

Sara Michelle Fetters: So, how’s your morning going? I’m just going to assume today is nothing more than a boring, relatively humdrum day, right?

Sean Baker: Yeah. [laughs] Exactly.

It’s good to be in Seattle talking about the movie.

Sara Michelle Fetters: Were you surprised at all by this morning’s announcement? Any of the nominations catch you off guard?

Sean Baker: I woke up to them, the Gotham Awards announcement, so it was

October 27, 2017

Deborah Cox has had 13 hits reach the number-one position on the Billboard charts.

On Broadway she played “Lucy” in Jekyll & Hyde as well as the title role in Elton John’s AIDA. Tickets for The Bodyguard are available online at https://www.stgpresents.org/ tickets/alphabetical/eventdetail/3157/-/thebodyguard. By phone at 1-800-745-3000. Inperson at the Paramount Theatre box office.

The Paramount Theatre box office is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm for ticket purchases to Paramount, Moore and Neptune Theatre shows. Our box office is closed on most major holidays. In the evening and on weekends, our box offices open 90 minutes prior to showtime for sales to that day’s event.

them so completely, that means everything.

It took me so long to get recognition from the industry and the studios, so the fact that it’s been coming from people who care about films, who care about great stories, that’s great.

Sara Michelle Fetters: I know that you and co-writer Chris Bergoch had worked on this idea for The Florida Project for quite some time. If I read correctly, you actually had a general idea for this film before you made Tangerine.

Sean Baker: Yeah, and we just couldn’t get funding for it, because it was a low budget, but not a micro budget. We would actually have to go there, to Florida, and I wanted to shoot on film. Then there are the kids, of course, which was another complication. We couldn’t find financing. We were actually really upset. I mean like Chris and I were just like, how many times do we have to prove ourselves in this industry? Starlet did well to a certain degree, at least critically, so we were understandably upset.

We went ahead, we asked [Tangerine producers] Mark and Jay Duplass whether their offer was on the table to make a micro budget movie. It was, so we went ahead and made Tangerine. That film opened up the doors and found us financing for The Florida Project, and then in hindsight Chris and I were like, if we had made this in 2011, not only do I think it would have been stylistically different, because Tangerine actually helped guide us to how we realized this

Celebrating 43 Years!

Christopher Rivera, Brooklynn Prince, and Valeria Cotto in The Florida Project - Photo courtesy of A24 Films

one, but Brooklynn would have been oneyear-old. I mean, the movie is Brooklynn. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we made the movie at that time. We’re very happy now, to say the least.

Sara Michelle Fetters: Where do you find that balance in telling a realistic, issuedriven story? I mean, there are hard issues at play in The Florida Project, but they are seen through the eyes of a child. Maintaining that level of innocence, that level of humor, that level of empathy and compassion, all of which that is very child-like yet still ends up being universal, how do you do that? How difficult is this to accomplish?

Sean Baker: It’s subjective. Every audience member will feel slightly different about it. To tell you the truth, it was a balancing act where I had to just rely on what we thought was appropriate in terms of how far to push things in one direction or another, how much to show the audience and how much to keep them in the dark just as much as Moonee is. It was a balancing act, being there on location and figuring out our camera angles and how much we would be separated from the adults. All of that.

Then in post-production, where I basically had to decide what to include and what to leave on the cutting room floor.

We had actually shot some scenes – I don’t know if you know this, but we shot some scenes for safety purposes that explained a little more in detail in a procedural way how the Florida Child Protection Services would happen, how they would get involved, as well as some more adult-oriented scenes. We wrote and shot them, and I think they’re good. They’re fine, but they don’t belong in this movie, in Moonee’s story. In post-production, that was like my balancing act, removing those scenes and putting in stuff that had to do more with just extraneous hanging out with the kids. That stuff I thought got us closer to what our goal was, to have audiences connect with the kids and feel for [them].

Sara Michelle Fetters: There was a lot here that reminded me of early Ken Loach films, especially Kes. Sean Baker: Oh, my gosh, yes! Well, he’s my hero, and I’m trying to get [Ken] to see the movie. I have to write him a letter. I know his producer saw the film at the London Film Festival just the other day.

But he’s an inspiration and somebody who I think has always had a singular mission.

A lot of people don’t talk about this, but actually he has a lot of humor in his films as well, behavioral humor. Even Kes had it.

I mean, God, the whole soccer scene, right?

The soccer scene is one of the funniest scenes ever shot.

Sara Michelle Fetters: But that scene also leads to a subsequent moment of

drama that’s…

Sean Baker: Yes! Exactly.

Sara Michelle Fetters: …quite emotional.

Sean Baker: It’s pretty amazing.

Sara Michelle Fetters: The Florida Project does that as well. I don’t want to spoil it for viewers, but there’s this scene where a stranger wanders onto the hotel grounds and is watching the children play, and Willem Dafoe during this sequence, he’s hysterical. But the kicker to the scene is almost like a punch in the gut. It adds so much insight into his character and how seriously he takes his job. It’s something else.

Sean Baker: That’s why you have to find that balance, because that’s what life is.

It’s always a combination. It’s always a little bit of both, comedy and drama. Every scene had a little bit of that balance. I mean, when we were shooting it, that scene, we were all trying to contain our laughter. But at the same time there was a wait to when the minute would come where we would think about the crux of the scene and how serious it was. It would change everybody’s mood on set.

I wanted to capture this exact thing. It was like it was this constant attempt to play with people’s emotions in a way. Because that’s what life is, right?

Sara Michelle Fetters: I feel like we were introduced a little bit to this world in Ramin Bahrani’s 99 Homes.

Sean Baker: Oh yeah. Definitely.

Sara Michelle Fetters: In that film, we weren’t really given enough information to fully understand what’s going on at these Orlando hotels. I love that The Florida Project doesn’t really mention the housing crisis, doesn’t really say this is what has happened, not just in Florida, but pretty much everywhere; it’s all just sort of a given. There is some fairly obvious commentary, however, I think, these hotels being right in the shadow of Disney World.

Walt had very definitive utopian ideas as to what he felt defined “The Florida Project,” and in many ways that’s what Epcot was supposed to be all about.

Sean Baker: Well, it is where we got the title of the movie, after all. [laughs] In all seriousness, I think so many Americans have actually been either affected by the housing crisis personally, or they’ve experienced it via second or third degree. I think Americans get it. I mean, I think they understand the situations so many at this budget motel “The Happy Castle” are going through going in. It’s like a given. There’s a political and an economic landscape that they’re already familiar with as well.

But again, we see the story through

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a child’s perspective. They don’t understand the housing crisis. They’re just living through its aftermath.

Sara Michelle Fetters: As to seeing things through a child’s eyes, when did you know Brooklynn was the one to play Moonee?

Sean Baker: I have to re-watch her audition, but I’m pretty sure that I felt it in my soul within a few seconds of her walking into that room. I knew she was going to be in the film, definitely, but I was pretty convinced she was going to be Moonee even within those first few minutes. She came in and just was like, wow. She just took over the room. She came in with Christopher Rivera [who plays Scooty]; we had grouped them together just by coincidence. Their energy, even though they didn’t know each other, it was amazing.

They had an undeniable chemistry. They were doing these exercises on the floor to get all psyched up. It was really funny to watch.

Then when we were asking Brooklynn to do these scenarios, we would say, “Hey, we’re younger kids and we’re in the pool.

You guys have to come over and kick us out and tell us the reasons that we have to leave.” She would come over and be like, “You younger kids, you’re not cool. You know why? Because you don’t even know what cool is. You know what cool is? Getting to stay up after 8pm. That’s what cool is, so get out of the pool.” She would improvise this stuff that was really from a child’s point-of-view. It was pretty incredible, and I knew that she would have that skill of comedic improvisation if we needed her to do that. And we eventually used a lot of that, too, because she was so good at it.

Sara Michelle Fetters: Brooklynn not only has to interact with the other kids in a believable way, but she has to have real chemistry with Bria Vinaite, who plays her young mother, Halley, too. These two together…

Sean Baker: It’s amazing, right?

Sara Michelle Fetters: Exactly. When did you know you had something special with these two?

Sean Baker: They got along very quickly. I think they had a matched energy, and that’s what I was looking for. When they actually read together, Bria had read the script, so she understood it was like a mother/daughter relationship, but I told her, “Don’t go into the audition thinking that. Think like this is a sibling relationship.” Halley is a young girl who never had the chance to grow up, so she’s child-like herself. I wanted her to act like Moonee’s sister, not her mother. I think that really helped, because from the first minute they were singing Top 40 songs that even I didn’t

know, but they did. It was really great to see. I also think that Brooklynn actually likes hanging out with Bria and is excited by her. That certainly helped.

Sara Michelle Fetters: Over the course of all of your films, but especially these last two, Tangerine and now The Florida Project, you’ve developed a definite track record of being able to work with acting newcomers, guiding them to do just extraordinary work.

Sean Baker: Thank you! And thank you for calling them newcomers. Because a lot of people refer to these cast members as “nonprofessionals,” which I don’t think is correct. They’re newcomers. They’re first timers. They are not non-actors or nonprofessionals. Calling them such just isn’t right.

Sara Michelle Fetters: With that being the case, how does someone like Willem Dafoe walk into a mix like this? How did he fit in?

Sean Baker: I actually throw all of the credit to him. I mean, Willem really wanted to blend in. He’s transformative. He’s such a patient, nice guy who is just incredibly kind and wants to help. He doesn’t have that Hollywood diva thing. I didn’t have to deal with any of that. Instead, he was just there to be a part of the ensemble. He gave words of encouragement to Bria, and he genuinely liked the kids. He was very patient with the kids. Christopher would always be jumping on his lap saying, “It’s the Green Goblin!” and then take a selfie. But was I concerned if this would be the case? Certainly. But those concerns vanished almost immediately. Willem was very patient. A team player. He’s an extraordinary man.

Look, every time I put in any face who is recognizable in any of my films, like James Ransone in Tangerine, I always get a little bit worried. But when you can choose actors that are this talented who can slip into worlds like these so effortlessly? It’s pretty cool. It’s cool being able to choose actors who can do that.

Sara Michelle Fetters: I have to wrap things up, but I do have a couple of final questions. The first of which is arguably a little more personal than I should probably ask, if that’s all right.

Sean Baker: Certainly. Shoot.

Sara Michelle Fetters: For me, while I am not a person of color or have ever been a Transgender prostitute, it’s still pretty obvious Tangerine was still pretty affecting for me. I’ve always felt, my journey is my journey, my story is my own, and in the end I want my work to speak for itself outside of anyone’s preconceptions or misconceptions about who I am.

October 27, 2017

Seattle Gay News 9

see SEAN BAKER page 17

Authentically heartfelt Goodbye Christopher Robin easy to adore

Domhnall Gleeson and Will Tilston in Goodbye Christopher Robin – Photo by David Appleby / Twentieth Century Fox

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN Now playing One of my earliest memories is my mother reading me The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh before I was even in preschool. I remember sitting there in rapt attention, listening to these tales of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and the rest of the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood whilst dreaming of joining Christopher Robin and this merry band on each of their numerous adventures. I wanted to hunt Heffalumps. I wanted to soar to the top of the tallest tree utilizing a bevy of red balloons. I wanted to rush outside and play Pooh Sticks. I wanted to go visit Rabbit for lunch and enjoy tea with Owl in the midafternoon. It was all wonderful, every second, these memories living inside of me so strongly I can say with absolute certainty they’ll be there forever.

As I grew older, I read Milne’s book on my own, finding so much more to this genius’ writing as I poured through every word on my own. I fell in love with Disney’s interpretation of these characters, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh one of my favorite animated features and a movie that just the thought of brings a smile to my face and makes me feel like all the world’s problems can somehow be fixed. Now, as an aunt to five nieces and one nephew, I’ve made sure each of them has their personal copy of The Complete Tales

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of Winnie-the-Pooh to call their own, and I hope as each grows older they will cherish these stories and characters even a tenth as much as I do.

With all that being the case, it’s likely I was in the bag for director Simon Curtis’s (Woman in Gold) drama Goodbye Christopher Robin before I even set one step into the theatre. Working from a script by Frank Cottrell-Boyce (The Railway Man) and Simon Vaughan, the movie is a look at what led Alan Alexander Milne (Domhnall Gleeson), still reeling from the horrors he suffered and the atrocities he witnessed while fighting during WWI, to write the very first story featuring everyone’s favorite “silly old bear.” A successful playwright and author, Milne retreats from the hustle and bustle of London to the peace and quiet of the countryside, much to the consternation of his socialite wife, Daphne (Margot Robbie). The pair are joined by their son Christopher, a.k.a. Billy Moon (Will Tilston), and his doting nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald), the four of them attempting to make the most of their seclusion as best they can.

After Daphne retreats back to London, claiming she will not return until her husband starts writing again, and Olive is forced to take time off to go take care of her ailing mother, Alan and Billy find themselves alone. The pair begin to bond, the author fascinated by the imaginative stories he and his son come up with involving the child’s various stuffed animals. Asking friend, illustrator and fellow war veteran E.H. Shepard (Stephen Campbell Moore) to

October 27, 2017

come out for a visit, Alan begins planting the seeds that will lead to the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926. What happens next changes both the author’s and his son’s lives forever, each having to live in the shadow of a fictional character they together mutually imagined into existence.

There’s so much that Curtis’s film does right I almost don’t even want to talk about the few missteps that happen along the way towards the story’s cathartically tearful conclusion. Even so, Cottrell-Boyce and Vaughan’s screenplay spends so much glorious time on Alan and Billy’s relationship, that by the time it gets to the hysteria revolving around all of the Pooh books, most of these sequences can’t help but feel rushed and dramatically undernourished.

Daphne’s character, as strong as Robbie’s performance proves to be, is also noticeably underwritten, and while it’s historically accurate she and her son didn’t exactly get along (especially as he got older), as presented here this mother is such a selfish shrew and a self-centered narcissist having anything approaching sympathy for her proves to be impossible.

Then there is the climactic act, Billy now 18 (and portrayed wonderfully by Alex Lawther) and wanting to head off to take part in WWII, looking to follow in his father’s footsteps (much to his dismay) as well as in the hope by doing so he’ll finally get out from underneath Winnie-the-Pooh’s gigantic shadow. This stuff happens all at once. I just didn’t feel like I was given ample enough of an opportunity to get to know Billy at this new age, and as such the

drama of his going off to war didn’t have the impact upon me as I assumed it would going into the press screening.

Even so, I adored Goodbye Christopher Robin. There were numerous scenes that reconnected me with Milne’s world in ways I hadn’t felt since I was a child, and I couldn’t help but recall those moments, so very long ago, looking up at my mother in wide-eyed love and admiration as she read to me these stories for the first time. The scenes between Gleeson and Tilston are perfection, their time wandering through the forest inventing the tales that would eventually blossom into the author’s books holding me rapturously spellbound. Curtis manages to tap into the mature sensitivity of these various stories in a way that’s magnificent, maintaining an intelligent maturity that works for adult and child audiences alike throughout.

It’s possible I’m biased. There’s a chance when I go back and watch the film again, my various nitpicks might grow to become something far more frustratingly bothersome than they are at this moment. But I have trouble believing that will happen.

Curtis gets far too much right, and there are so many bits and pieces that wormed their way into my heart I have trouble believing they’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. My love for Winnie-the-Pooh and his many adventures knows no limitations; my admiration of Goodbye Christopher Robin almost equally as strong. Silly old bear, indeed.

Celebrating 43 Years!

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Celebrating 43 Years!

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Exquisitely acted Breathe oddly lacking in emotion

Sensational Only the Brave an honest tale of heroism and sacrifice

Only the Brave – Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer

Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in Breathe – Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street / Participant Media

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer BREATHE Now playing While working in Africa in 1958, former British soldier Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) contracts polio and soon finds himself paralyzed, doctors giving him a scant handful of months to live while he struggles to breathe on a respirator strapped into a bed from which he cannot move. On the verge of giving up, wife Diana (Claire Foy) will not stand for her husband falling completely into depression and despair. Instead, she convinces him to fight on, even finding a way to get him out of the hospital, crafting a clunky portable breathing apparatus constructed with the assistance of family friend Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville).

Producer Jonathan Cavendish was right there at the center of Breathe, his parents Robin and Diana living a rich, full and complex life that lasted long after his father was stricken with polio. Screenwriter William Nicholson (Shadowlands, Gladiator) tells the family’s tale, while Cavendish’s friend and frequent collaborator actor Andy Serkis steps behind the camera in order to make his directorial debut. It’s a handsomely mounted production, made with confidence and restraint, all involved doing everything they can to not overwhelm the viewer with ham-fisted emotive shenanigans that could be considered overwrought or maudlin.

Even so, as obvious a labor of love as this might be, the film proves to be nowhere nearly as intriguing or as emotionally satisfying as I kept hoping it would be.

While presenting a stiff upper lip that’s as British as they come, for whatever reason Nicholson and Serkis seemingly refuse to allow the viewer to embrace Robin and Diana, keeping them at arm’s length from the audience for the majority of the feature’s 117-minute running time. For a story about a family’s ability to overcome a horrifying tragedy, there’s a ho-hum predictability to events that’s oddly boring. I had trouble caring about almost anything that was transpiring, not exactly the outcome I expected before sitting down to give this film a look.

There is a saving grace. The performances by Garfield and Foy are rich, complex, heartfelt and authentic. The pair strip themselves metaphorically naked, reveal-

16 Seattle Gay News

ing much about Robin and Diana with a subtle dexterity that’s transfixing. Foy, in particular, is a force of nature, transitioning from joy to anger, fury to euphoria, sorrow to rapture and a plethora of emotions in-between with an ethereal ferocity I was stunned by. While Garfield gets the showier role, tackling it with assertive virtuosity, Foy is the one challenged to carry almost all of the narrative load. It is through her so much of this story is told, in her eyes we see the struggle, not just of her husband, but of her son Jonathan (Dean-Charles Chapman) and their friends as well, all using her as their guide to figure out what it is they are supposed to do. The actress is outstanding, and any emotional connection I did end up having to Robin and Diana’s story was in large part thanks to her and her alone.

Bonneville admittedly has a few nice moments, while Tom Hollander appears to be having a grand time portraying Diana’s twin brothers Bloggs and David Blacker.

There’s also some dazzling camerawork on the part of cinematographer Robert Richardson (The Hateful Eight), the Oscarwinning veteran playing with shadow, color and light in ways that are continually entrancing. As for Serkis, he shows definite promise from a directorial standpoint, creating a palpable air of paranoia, apprehension and disbelief during the early moments of Robin’s affliction that is breathlessly affecting in ways so much of the rest of the film frustratingly never equals. There’s also a sinister and bleakly disturbing trip to a German facility that cares for polio patients similar to Robin, all of them stacked together in iron lungs as if they’re trapped inside metal coffins being made ready for burial.

I don’t want to make it sound like Breathe is a bad movie. Far from it. The performances are extraordinary, and from a technical standpoint things are pretty much flawless across the board. But things are just too straightforward and underdeveloped for their own good, so much of this story told in a way that distanced me from the protagonists to such an extent I had trouble caring about what was going to happen to either of them. As sensational as Garfield and especially Foy are, as remarkable as Robin and Diana’s story undeniably is, there just wasn’t enough going on inside this movie to keep my attention for a full two hours, a disappointing a turn of events to say the least.

October 27, 2017

ONLY THE BRAVE Now playing Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) has a dream.

No group of municipal firefighters has ever achieved the designation “Hotshots,” a term the Forest Service utilizes for special units that battle forest fires from the outside in, drawing lines in the sand while fighting fire with fire, trying to establish borders and creating back burns they can utilize against the wildfire. Only federally-trained units could be cataloged as Hotshots, and with the assistance of Prescott, Arizona Wildland Fire Chief Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges) Marsh was determined to prove that his 20-man unit could perform at a level equal or above any the Forest Service currently employed.

Only the Brave is the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a courageous group of municipal firefighters from Prescott, who quickly made a name for themselves as an elite unit of wildfire experts tasked with battling blazes throughout the United States. The movie focuses on Marsh, his relationship with wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly), the unit’s struggles to be designated “Hotshots” and the introduction of a troubled new member, Brendan McDonough (Miles Teller), just at the moment the Forest Service was starting to take the crew seriously. It follows them as they crisscross around the United States doing what they do best, emphasizing the relationships between the men, everything culminating at the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona that proved to be one of the deadliest in recent U.S. Forest Service history.

It takes screenwriters Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) and Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle), working from the GQ article “No Exit” by Sean Flynn, and director Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion) a little while to find solid footing as far as this movie is concerned. The opening passages are lumpy, featuring ham-fisted introductions to a few of the primary characters while at the same time showcasing a potentially maudlin heavy hand that would unquestionably grow increasingly tiresome had it been utilized for the film’s duration. True story or no, there came a point during the introductory act where I wondered why all involved had been drawn to tell this particular tale, the thought I needed to sit there for roughly another two hours not exactly bringing a smile to my face.

How wrong those sentiments proved to be. Quickly, and with striking authority, Kosinski finds his directorial footing and Nolan and Singer’s script starts showcasing an authentic character-driven complexity that’s immediately mesmerizing.

The filmmakers dig deep into who these various men are, what makes them tick and how they banded together to become the heroes they unquestionably prove to be. Couple that with dazzling firefighting sequences, magnificent camerawork by Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi), dynamic editing from Billy Fox (Straight Outta Compton) and powerful score from composer Joseph Trapanese (The Raid 2), the movie starts hitting on all cylinders with a vigorous suddenness that’s astonishing, everything building to a shockingly heartfelt and bracingly honest climax of sacrifice and grief that ripped my heart clean from my chest and left it on display for all to see.

Brolin is superb. The level of depth he brings to Eric Marsh is something else, the easygoing way he makes all the varying emotions this haunted everyman is feeling positively stunning. He’s matched by Connelly, her performance an unexpected gem that builds in vigorous nuance as the story progresses. Together, they are as dynamic a pair as any 2017 has offered up to this point, their journey having a naturalistic intensity that held me spellbound.

But they’re not the only ones doing exemplary work. Teller’s turn as the battlescarred addict trying to turn his life around for reasons that are as fiercely personal as they are heartbreakingly universal is one of the best of the young actor’s career, and that includes his unjustly overlooked tour de force in the Oscar-winning Whiplash.

Yet he’s matched by Taylor Kitsch and James Badge Dale, the duo portraying two longtime members of Marsh’s unit, the fasttalking showman Christopher MacKenzie and the stoic Granite Mountain Hotshots second-in-command Jesse Steed. Both men have far more to do than initially meets the eye, their expressive, multifaceted performances building in passion, power and urgency in hypnotic parallel with the film itself.

I’ve always felt Kosinski was talented, but looking at both TRON: Legacy and Oblivion it’s hard not to walk away from either sci-fi endeavor and not think this is a filmmaker who enjoys putting gorgeous, beautifully realized style up on the cinema screen over anything remotely substantive any day of the week. But that is simply not the case here. Only the Brave understands character has to come first, that if the viewer cannot relate to these men, their families and what it is they are setting out to accomplish nothing that happens during the film itself will resonate. Kosinski shows a subtlety I freely admit I did not anticipate, the level of restraint utilized in order to bring things to life frankly incredible. This is a seriously magnificent motion picture, one I’m almost certain to still be talking about as the year inches closer to its conclusion.

Celebrating 43 Years!

Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite in The Florida Project – Photos courtesy of A24 Films

SEAN BAKER continued from page 9

Sean Baker: Exactly. That’s how it should be.

Sara Michelle Fetters: But, even so, what affected me so much about Tangerine was how universal Sin-Dee and Alexandra’s stories proved to be. I was shocked at just how much I could relate to what they were going through even though their individual Transgender experiences were so far removed from my own.

So, I wonder, how do you do that? How do you make these stories in Tangerine, in Starlet, in The Florida Project, these tales about marginalized people living on the edge of society and make them so universal?

Sean Baker: That’s very nice of you to say. All of that. Thank you.

To try and answer, I honestly feel

that it’s really about finding the common threads. I mean the universality of everybody, and looking for those story lines that could happen anywhere, in any corner of the Earth. I mean if you look at Starlet, it’s about an inter-generational relationship, and that could happen anywhere. Tangerine had to do with friendship and infidelity, and a lot of people have obviously been through that. I mean everyone has a best friend, everybody has been hurt and everybody has had a broken heart. Then with this film, it’s about childhood. We’ve all had our childhood. To represent that collective childhood, that’s what the goal…I mean not the goal…I mean…I don’t know. It’s honestly hard to say it’s a goal, but it is something that I know as a moviegoer, when I go to a movie, I always want to connect with the protagonist, and I feel you often connect with the protagonist when you see a little bit of yourself in them.

I think that that’s what people are

responding to here with these films. They’re saying, I never thought that I would be able to identify with a Trans woman of color on the corner of Santa Monica and Highland, but I can. I love them and I feel like they remind me of the relationship I have with my sister or my best friend. That’s what’s helping, I think. See, when people say, “You humanize characters,” what they maybe fail to see is that they are already human.

It’s really difficult to speak about it, but I just feel that the goal with these films, if there is a goal, it’s to really show the common thread amongst all of that. Hopefully that leads to empathy, because if you can empathize with a character, even if you can’t 100-percent put yourself in their shoes and walk in their shoes, that helps make the world a better place. Don’t you think that’s the case? I hope it is.

Sara Michelle Fetters: Finally, at the end of the day, what do you hope people take away from this film? More impor-

tantly, if they come out wanting to learn more, to do something about the issues discussed and highlighted by The Florida Project, what advice would you give them?

Sean Baker: Well, thank you for asking that, because that’s very important.

To answer the first questions, I want there to be 100 minutes of entertainment in the theater, okay? People are putting out their hard-earned money and they’re dedicating a night, which is a big deal to ask people in today’s day and age when they can go home and do pretty much whatever.

You understand?

Sara Michelle Fetters: Definitely. I do indeed.

Sean Baker: But that second question, that’s the important one. So very important, because the thing about a film like The Florida Project is to actually hope that awareness is brought to this issue, which I think is one that does not have the light shined upon it all that often, if it all. I certainly didn’t know about it. Not before making the movie. And it’s nationwide. It could be happening in your own community, it probably is happening in your own community, so if you care about these characters, Moonee and Halley and Jancey and Scooty and Ashley and Grandma Stacy and the others, and you care about the real Moonees out there, the first step is to look into your own community. In every community, there will be an organization focused on trying to develop affordable housing, and I think that whatever one can do to support them they should do.

And that doesn’t always mean donations. I’m not asking anyone to throw money at any organization, even though that can be a great thing, but support can come in other ways as well. It can come in advocacy, in volunteering. It can come just via awareness, by spreading that awareness, and so that’s what we’re really asking people to do.

They don’t have to focus on Kissimmee and Orlando, of course, but if they do, there’s a wonderful organization there called The Community Hope Center, hope192.org, and they’re outstanding. But this is a film that is obviously addressing a national issue. So look into your own community. Right here in Seattle. You’ll likely be surprised at what you’ll discover.

Willem Dafoe and Brooklynn Prince in The Florida Project – Photos courtesy of A24 Films

Visit us online www.sgn.org

October 27, 2017

Seattle Gay News 17

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RESTAURANTS & BARS

PORT ANGELES SPOKANE

BELLINGHAM

POCO WINE ROOM - 1408 E. Pine St. - 322-9463 POKE BAR - 1542 12th Ave - 402-5178 PONY - 1221 E. Madison St. - 324-2854 PURR - 2307 24th Ave E. - 325-3112 QUEER BAR - 1518 11th Ave - 687-7491 R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - 322-8828 RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - 233-9873 ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - 420-3214 SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591 SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - 441-5449 STOUT -1530 11th Ave - 397-3825 TOULOUSE PETIT 601 Queen Anne Ave N - 432-9069 UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - 325-6492 WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210 ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS 5633 Airport Way S - 466-5954 9614 14th Ave SW - 763-1347

DES MOINES

18 Seattle Gay News

October 27, 2017

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 2 21635 Pacific Hwy S - 878-7780

EVERETT

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 11732 Airport Road - (425) 290-7555 LOVER’S - 112 SE Everett - (425) 353-3607 LOVER’S - 3402 Broadway - (425) 252-8754

KENT

OVER’S - 25801 104th Ave. S.E. - (253) 852-1720 THE FANTASY SHOP 604 Central Ave. S. - (253) 850-8428 NASHVILLE’S SPORTS BAR (Drag Shows) 114 - Railroad Ave. N. - (253) 852 - 0909

BELLINGHAM DES MOINES

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E. PIKE ST. • CHOP SUEY • MADISON PUB • DIESEL BAR • PONY

WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210 ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS 5633 Airport Way S - 466-5954 HOT MAMA’S PIZZA - 700 E. Pine St. - 322-6444 9614 14th Ave SW - 763-1347 THE HERON INN & WATERGRASS DAY SPA CASTLE #17 CLUB Z - (men) JAZZ SUPERSTORE ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. E. - 441-9729 BATHS 117 Maple Ave. - (877) 883-8899 1017 E. Pike- 300 St - 204-0126 1117 Pike near Boren - 622-9958 JULIA’S Broadway Ave. E. - 860-1818 info@theheron.com DOGHOUSE LEATHERS HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women) KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - 682-2935 CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17 CLUB Z - (men) 1312 E. Pike St.PUB - 257-0231 MADISON - 1315 E. Madison - 325-6537 SW corner of Pike & 11th 1017 E. Pike St - 204-0126 1117 Pike near Boren 622-9958 EMERSON SALON - 909 Broadway E. Pike St. - -323-7437 NEIGHBOURS - 1509 324-5358 (stairs behind Wildrose) - 568-3240 DOGHOUSE LEATHERS HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA (women) OUT WEST - 5401California SW HASHTAG - 3540 Stone Way N - Ave. 946-8157 STEAM WORKS - (men) 1312 E. Pike St. - 257-0231 SW corner of Pike & 11th PINEEXCHANGE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - 588-0375 DARBY’S NEWTHE YORK

1520 Summit - 388-4818 CAFE EMERSON SALON - 909 E. Pike St. - 323-7437 (stairs behind Wildrose) - 568-3240 WINE 225POCO Broadway E. ROOM - 726-3300 HASHTAG 3540- (360) Stone357-6229 Way N - 946-8157 211 5th Ave.- S.E. STEAM WORKS - (men) 1408 E. Pine St. - 322-9463 ONYX LEATHER - 1605 12th Ave. #8 - 328-1965 NEW YORK EXCHANGE LOVER’S 1520 Summit - 388-4818 BAR -Way 1542N12th Ave - 402-5178 225 Broadway 726-3300 OZ -POKE 3831 Stone - 251-0630 3959 Martin WayE. E.-Suite D - (360) 456-7300 88 KEYS - 315 2nd Ave. S. - 839-1300 PONY -- 1221 E. Madison - 324-2854 ONYX- LEATHER - 1605 #8 - 328-1965 PANACHE 225 Broadway E. -St. 726-3300 JAKES 311 4th Ave. E. - 12th (360)Ave. 956-3247 BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - 625-4444 PURR 1465 - 1518 Ave. -St. 325-3112 OZ - 3831 Stone Way N - 251-0630 RUCKUS E 11th Republican - 257-4805 RESTAURANTS & BARS THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE PLACE - 619 E. Pine - 322-8828 PANACHE THERFANTASY SHOP 2328 E. Madison St. - 323-1098 RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - 233-9873 225 Broadway E. - 726-3300 9630 16th Ave. SW - 762-3299 88 KEYS 315 2nd Ave. S. 839-1300 C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - 420-3214 RUCKUS 1465 E Republican St. - 257-4805 TABOO ADULT VIDEO BALTIC1701 ROOM 1207 Pine St. 625-4444 MAPLE ROSE INN E. Olive Way - 726-0565 SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591 THE FANTASY SHOP 9813 16th Ave SW - 767-4855 THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE

112 Reservoir Rd - (800) 570-2007 THE CANTERBURY - 534 15th Ave. E. - 322-3130 SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - 441-5449 9630 16th Ave. SW - 762-3299 BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - 328-2914 2328 E. Madison St. 323-1098 CHANGES IN -WALLINGFORD STOUT -1530 11th Ave - 397-3825 TABOO ADULT VIDEO UNDER U 4 MEN C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE 2103 N. 45th - 545-8363 TOULOUSE PETIT 9813 16th Ave SW - 767-4855 709 Broadway Ave. E. 324-6446 1701 E. Olive Way - 726-0565 THE CRESCENT - 1413 E. Olive Way - 720-8188 601 Queen Anne Ave N - 432-9069 TOYS IN BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - 328-2914 UNCLE IKE’S - 1118 E Pike - 325-6492 THE CANTERBURY - 534 15th Ave. E. - 322-3130 THE CUFF COMPLEX UNICORN ANDY’S W. 1st Ave. - (509) 747 - 0304 UNDER -U1401 4 MEN 2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD STRAY NIGHTCLUB 709 Broadway Ave. E. - 324-6446 501 15th Ave E - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 2103 N. 45th - 545-8363 415 W. Sprague UNCLE IKE’S Ave. - (509) 624 - 4450 9822 15th Ave SW - 1-800-GET-DRUGS THE CRESCENT - 1413 E. Olive Way - 720-8188 2310BAR E Union StBISTRO - 1-800-GET-DRUGS NYNE AND WILD AT HEART THE CUFF COMPLEX - 1533 13th Ave. - 323-1525 501W. 15th Ave EAve. - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 232 Sprague - (509) 474 -1621 1111 NW Leary Way - 782-5538 DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - 322-1080 9822 15th Ave SW - 1-800-GET-DRUGS GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - 324-2577 WILD AT HEART HOT MAMA’S PIZZA - 700 E. Pine St. - 322-6444 1111 NW Leary Way - 782-5538 JAZZ ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. E. - 441-9729 JULIA’S - 300 Broadway Ave. E. - 860-1818 KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - 682-2935 LOVER’S LOVER’S MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - 325-6537 193 Telegraph Road - (360) 752-1862 193 Telegraph Road - (360) 752-1862 NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - 324-5358 RUMORS CABARET RUMORS CABARET OUT WEST - 5401California Ave. SW 1119 Railroad - (306) 671-1849 1119 Railroad - (306) 671-1849 THE PINE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - 588-0375 1533 13th Ave. - 323-1525 DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - 322-1080

RETAIL GLO’SSHOPS - 1621 E. Olive Way - 324-2577

• THE GASLIGHT INN

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E. UNION ST.

SEATTLE SEATTLE

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E. UNION ST.

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THE HERON INN & WATERGRASS DAY SPA 117 Maple Ave. - (877) 883-8899 - info@theCASTLE SUPERSTORE heron.com 6015 Tacoma Mall Blvd. - (253) 471-0391 CLUB SILVERSTONE 739½ St. Helens Ave. - (253) 404-0273 DARBY’S CAFE SHOP THE FANTASY 211 5th6th Ave. S.E. - (360) 357-6229 2301 Ave. - (253) 272-6640 LOVER’S LOVER’S 3959 Martin Way E. Blvd., Suite D 7002 Tacoma Mall #F- -(360) (253)456-7300 475-2271 JAKES - 311- 4th E. - (360) THE MIX 635 Ave. St. Helens Ave. 956-3247 - (253) 383-4327 RAINBOW CENTER 2215 Pacific Ave. - (253) 383-2318 SHAKABRAH JAVA CAFE MAPLE ROSE INN 2618Reservoir 6th Ave. -Rd (253) 572-2787 112 - (800) 570-2007

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Celebrating 43 Years!

community calendar

Meetings Events Activities

TO GET A CALENDAR LISTING: To have your meeting or event considered for the Community Calendar, please mail, fax, or drop off details to: SGN, Attn: Community Calendar, 1707 23rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98122.

SGN phone: (206) 324-4297. E-mail: sgn2@sgn.org.

INCLUDE: Date, time, location, contact phone # for publication (if possible), brief description of event & sponsoring organization. DEADLINE: Tuesday 5pm.

ACCESSIBILITY: Is your event accessible to LGBTQ people with visible or hidden disabilities? See Jean’s List webpage www.scn.org/activism/calendar/disabilities. html for Marla Nonken’s disabilities accommodations lists.

NOTE: 10-digit dialing has come to the Seattle area.

The (206) area code must now be used to dial local calls. Location of meetings/events is in Seattle unless otherwise noted.

SATURDAY - October 28

Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 9am. Greenlake (outside Evans Pool). Every Saturday. GLBT running & walking club sponsors weekly runs, monthly potlucks, track & field activity, annual Run With Pride. (206) 4488518. www.seattlefrontrunners.org.

Seattle Weavers’ Guild Annual Sale. (10/26-10/28).

Thurs: 5-8pm; Fri: 10am-8pm; Sat: 10am-5pm. St Mark’s Cathedral, Bloedel Hall (behind Cathedral), 1245 10th Ave E. Over 3,500 one-of-a-kind hand-crafted items, including items for the home, wearables, jewelry, gifts, yarns and more. All items made by local weavers. Also weaving demonstrations. FREE parking and FREE admission. www.seattleweaversguild.com Crystal Meth Anonymous. 10:30am. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Mon @ 6:30pm, Thurs @ 6:30pm, Sun @ 6:30pm. crystalmeth.org.

Seattle Center Festal - “Dia de Muertos: A Mexican Celebration to Remember Our Departed” (10/28 & 10/29). Seattle Center, Armory. The art and spirituality of Mexican culture is celebrated at Dia de Muertos. This “Day of the Dead” festival honors the lives of loved ones who have passed.

Mature Friends Monthly Potluck. 6pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Suite 140. Monthly potluck meets last Saturday most months, but in April it’s the 3rd Saturday. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends.org [Remaining schedule for 2017: 11/18 one week early due to Thanksgiving, 12/30.]

Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 6pm-12 midnight. Call for location & details. Every Saturday. (253) 671-2838. www.oasisyouthcenter.org.

(Also meets Thursdays & Fridays 4-10pm.)

SUNDAY - October 29

Center for Spiritual Living. 8:25, 9:45, 11:30am. 5801 Sand Point Way NE. (206) 527-8801 ext 203, www. cslseattle.org Ravenna United Methodist Church. 8:30am “Seattle’s most dangerous Sunday school” - 9:45am Worship. 5751 33rd Ave NE. (206) 525-7988.

Seattle Unity Church. 9am & 11am Sunday Services.

200 8th Ave N. (206) 622-8475; www.seattleunity.org.

Seattle Soto Zen. 9:15am Zazen Instruction, 9:30am Zazen. 101 Nickerson St, Lower Level. (206) 323-1659, www.seattlesotozen.org Gay Men’s Bowling in Everett. 9:30am. Glacier Lanes, 9630 Evergreen Way, Everett. Every Sunday. Spectators welcome. Join us for lunch afterwards! Sponsored by the Snohomish County Gay Men’s Task Force. For info email John at johndmarsh@mac.com; www.gaysnohomish.org Tacoma First United Methodist Church. 9:30am Worship, 11am Adult Education. 423 Martin Luther King Way, Tacoma. (253) 627-0129, www.fumctacoma.org University Lutheran Church. 9:30am Worship, 10:30am Coffee Fellowship, 11am Adult Forum & Education Hour. 1604 NE 50th St. (206) 525-7074. universitylutheranseattle.org University Unitarian Church. 9:30am & 11:15am Sunday Services. (Late June-Aug 9:30am only.) 6556 35th Ave NE. www.uuchurch.org for details.

Central Lutheran Church. 10am Worship. 1710 11th Ave (just north of E Pine St). (206) 322-7500.

East Shore Unitarian Church. 10am Sunday Service.

12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue. (425) 747-3780.

Gethsemane Lutheran Church. 10am Worship. 911 Stewart St. (206) 682-3620.

Plymouth Church United Church of Christ. 10am Workship. 1217 6th Ave. (206) 622-4865, plymouthchurchseattle.org Queen Anne United Methodist Church. 10am Worship. 1606 5th Ave W. (206) 282-4307.

Unity Church of Kent. 10am. 218 State Ave S, Kent.

A welcoming congregation open to people of all races, religions, creeds & lifestyles. Join us any Sunday for an inspirational message, joyful fellowship & a fresh spiritual outlook. (253) 854-9747.

University Congregational United Church of Christ.

9am all ages education;10am Worship. 4515 16th Ave NE. (206) 524-2322; www.universityucc.org.

Wallingford United Methodist Church. 10am Worship. 2115 N 42nd St. (206) 547-6945 (office); (206) 285-5077 (George).

October 28 thru November 5 Freely Speaking Toastmasters. 7pm. Seattle Unity Church, 200 8th Ave N. Every Monday (except holidays & the last Mondays in August & December). Seattle’s only LGBT speaking club. www.FreelySpeaking.org Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Trans Youth Group. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. A chance for youth to talk with others about their experiences & concerns related to identifying as Transgender. www.lamberthouse.org Lambert House Art Night. 7:30-9:30pm. 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. Bring your ideas & let’s have some fun.

(206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org Unity Gay Men’s AA Group in Tacoma. 7:30pm. New Heart MCC, 759 S 45th St. Tacoma. Every Monday.

(253) 474-8897.

Washington Gender Alliance Support Group Meeting in Shoreline. 7:30pm. Center for Human Services, 17018 15th Ave NE, Shoreline. Meets every Monday. www.washingtongenderalliance.com Queers, Crackpots & Fallen Women AA. 8-9pm.

SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Monday. Open women only AA group. www.sasgcc.org

TUESDAY - October 31

All Pilgrims Christian Church. 10:30am Worship.

500 Broadway E. (206) 322-0487, www.allpilgrims.org Seattle Sunday Bowling. 10:30am. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW (at SW Oregon St). Open bowl every Sunday for the GLBT community & friends. You don’t have to worry about how you bowl! $6.50 + $3 shoe rental. (425) 785-4729.

Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

10:30am. 7141 California Ave SW. (206) 935-0418, office@wsuu.org, www.wsuu.org Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle. 11am Worship. Chapel at University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 NE 43rd St. (206) 325-2421, www.mccseattle.org.

Meditation for GBT Men. 11am-1pm. Cal Anderson House, 400 Broadway. Suitable for beginning & experienced meditators. Sponsored by Dharma Buddies.

Contact Forrest Rode, (206) 920-6117, or Doug Allison, doug.l.allison@gmail.com. Find us under “Dharma Buddies” under Meetup.com or DharmaBuddies.org.

(Women may wish to contact our sister meditation group at www.LotusSisters.org.)

St Paul’s United Church of Christ. 11am Worship.

6512 12th Ave NW. (206) 783-6733; www.stpauluccseattle.com.

St Paul’s Episcopal Church. 11:15am (also 7:30am, 9am, 5pm). 15 W Roy St. www.stpaulseattle.com Holy Covenant International Christian Community Church. 12pm. 4525 19th Ave NE. holycovenantccc@ gmail.com Just for Today. 12-1:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Sunday. Drop-in 12-step (Narcotics Anonymous) group open to anyone in recovery. www. sasgcc.org Paths to Recovery Al-Anon Family Group. 12-1:30pm.

Seattle University Student Center, 901 12th Ave, Room 122. Every Sunday. LGBTQ supported. The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives & friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength & hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness & that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number (206) 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org Seattle Center Festal - “Dia de Muertos: A Mexican Celebration to Remember Our Departed” (10/28 & 10/29). Seattle Center, Armory. The art and spirituality of Mexican culture is celebrated at Dia de Muertos. This “Day of the Dead” festival honors the lives of loved ones who have passed.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

SOBER - On Meds. 1-2pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Monday. 12-step group open to anyone in recovery & living on a medicine regimen. www.sasgcc.org Strength Over Speed. 2-3:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12 step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth.

Crystal Meth Anonymous. 6:30pm. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. crystalmeth.org.

HALLOWEEN Orca Swim Team Workout. Morning. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Mayoral Forum at Seattle Public Library. Noon-1pm.

Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. The discussion between Seattle mayoral candidates Jenny Durkin and Cary Moon will be moderated by Q13 FOX News’ C.R. Douglas. It will feature questions about current issues and challenges facing the city, including those related to the Library. Attendees may bring written questions to submit for the discussion.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Seattle Public Library and the Seattle Library Foundation. This event is FREE. LGBTQ+ Group. 1:15-2:15pm. Orion Center, 1828 Yale Ave. Every Tuesday. A group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 & their allies. Sponsored by Youthcare.

(206) 622-5555.

LGBTQ Questioning & Allied Youth Drop-in Group in Renton. 6-8pm. Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS), 1025 S 3rd St, Renton. Meets every Tuesday. Confidential. Snacks provided. Bring friends or come alone - anyone 12-18 is welcome. Questions? Call Sarah Hardin, (425) 271-5600 ext 155, or email sarahh@rays.org Strength Over Speed. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12 step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. www. strengthoverspeed.org.

Diverse Harmony. 6:30-9pm. Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave. Every Tuesday. Diverse Harmony is the nation’s first Gay/Straight Alliance Youth Chorus. Youths ages 13-22 are welcome regardless of sexual orientation. www.diverseharmony.org Queer Young Females Group - For Female-Identified Youth, Ages 22 & Under. 6:30-7:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Tuesday. Topics range from family issues to school happenings to like/lust/love relationships. All Queer females welcome. Come discuss how smart. strong Queer women live their lives. (206) 3222515, www.lamberthouse.org Over 40’s Group - For Lesbian Women 40 & Older.

7-8:30pm. University Congregational Church, 4515 16th Ave NE, Pilgrim Room. Every Tuesday. Open group for Lesbian women, 40 & older, in every stage of coming out or being out. Lots of social activities in addition to Tuesday meetings. (206) 545-3521.

Tuesday Night Sex Addicts Anonymous (GLBTQI).

7-8:30pm. All Pilgrims Christian Church, 500 Broadway E (enter at 509 10th Ave E; buzz in, Dickson room). Every Tuesday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women whose primary purpose is to stop addictive sexual behavior & help others recover from sexual addiction. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828. SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191.

Different Drummers. 7:15-8:30pm. Every Tuesday.

Hand drumming classes for Gay men. It’s easy, it’s fun & anyone can do it! Learn traditional African & AfroCaribbean rhythms & basic hand drumming techniques.

Experience connection, community & spirituality. Drums are provided. For info & location call Dennis at (206) 363-4500 or www.outdrum.com What About Me? 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Tuesday. Drop-in social, support & discussion group for Gay & Bi men of all ages. www. sasgcc.org Here & Now Gay & Lesbian AA Meeting in Tacoma.

7:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma.

Every Tuesday.

Spiritual Empowerment. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. A group for all LGBT & friends of any spiritual belief to explore how spiritual practice can enrich their life. www.sasgcc.org Seattle Otters Water Polo Team. 8-9:30pm. Medgar Evers Pool, 500 23rd Ave E (at E Cherry St). Every Tuesday & Thursday. GLBT & GLBT-friendly co-ed water polo team is open to all who want to play. Beginners & experienced players welcome. Check our website for up to the minute details, or call the Otter Hotline (206) 414-8797. www.otterpolo.com.

October 27, 2017

Seattle Gay News 19

SLAA New Beginnings. 12 noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E #201, O’Neil Room. Meets daily (except Saturday). SLAA is a 12 Step/12 Tradition-oriented Fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope to overcome sex and love patterns of addiction. www.sasgcc.org Orca Swim Team Workout. Sun: Afternoon; Mon/Weds/ Fri: Evenings; Tues/Thurs: Mornings. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. Preregistration required. Orca Swim Team workouts are for both competitive & recreational swimmers. www. orcaswimteam.org Book Reading - “The Big Party!” by Nick DiMartino.

3pm. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE. Rain City Soccer Club - Kickabout. Sunday afternoon usually at 3pm. Location varies. Join us for Seattle’s mostly-weekly mostly-LGBTQ pickup soccer game. We play an organized, 2-hour scrimmage on nice fieldturf surface. Sometimes there is a brief training/practice session before we play. Usually there is a “one-beer” after the scrimmage. To sign up visit www.raincitysoccer.org Shame to Grace Sunday SAA. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Sunday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women who share their experience, strength & hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction & help others recover from sexual addiction or dependency. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828, SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191.

Crystal Meth Anonymous. 6:30pm. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Mon @ 6:30pm, Thurs @ 6:30pm, Sat @ 10:30am.

Pride League Bowling. 6:30pm. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW. Every Sunday. Regular league bowling. Jeff, (206) 932-3731; leagues@wsbowl.com.

[EXCEPT no bowling June, July & August.]

Integrity/Puget Sound. 7pm Worship & Fellowship.

St. Mark’s Cathedral, Thomson Chapel, 1245 10th Ave E. (425) 226-2746.

Noche Latina - Latino Night. 10pm. Neighbours, 1509 Broadway. Every Sunday.

MONDAY - October 30

Seattle Poetry Slam. Doors 8pm, Show 8:30pm. Rebar, 1114 Howell St. Every Tuesday. A spoken word poetry event that features a weekly open mic, feature poet, and slam (poetry competition). Come out and express yourself. LGBTQ- & QTPOC-friendly; all genders welcome. $5. 21+. seattlepoetryslam.org

WEDNESDAY - November 1

Mature Friends Walk Around Greenlake. 11am. Meet up at 10:50am with a group of older men gathered at the north end of the parking lot that is next to the boathouse along the southwest side of Greenlake. Every Wednesday. Walk around Greenlake followed by lunch at a local restaurant. www.maturefriends.org True Colors: Connecting LGBTQ Teens in Shoreline.

4-5pm. Every Wednesday. Discussing your important issues, building a supportive community. For information, location & to REGISTER call Lindsay Bagley (206) 362-7282 x 8018 or email lbagley@chs-nw.org GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): A Support Group for GLBTQ+Youth (14-20) serving Snohomish County & surrounding communities. 6-8pm. Phone or email for location. Every Wednesday. Sponsored by PFLAG Everett. Brenda, (425) 263-2908. globeleaders@hotmail.com The Rowing Team Peer Recovery Group. 6-7:30pm.

All Pilgrims Church, 500 Broadway E. Meets every Wednesday. This peer recovery group provides a safe & supportive faith community to share your recovery journey with, God answers our prayers & sends us a boat.

Sometimes rowing furiously for yourself & sometimes for others. All are welcome.

Seattle Gay Book Club. 6pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E (upstairs). Meets every Wednesday. www.sasgcc.org Southeast Seattle Lesbian Evening Group. 6pm.

Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S Holly St. Meets the 1st Wednesday of every month. RSVP to Kate Hawkins (206) 722-0317. www.sessc.org. FREE. Lotus Sisters Meditation & Dharma Discussion North. 6:15-8pm. Ravenna Bryant neighborhood. Meets every Wednesday. Call (206) 525-7295 for location. www.LotusSisters.org.

Center for Spiritual Living. 6:30pm-Meditation, 7pmService. 5801 Sand Point Way NE. Blessings & we hope to see you soon! Info (206) 527-8801 ext 203, www.cslseattle.org Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 6:30pm. Volunteer Park (in front of Black Sun across for museum). Every Wednesday. (See Saturday at 9am.)

Ingersoll All-Trans Drop-In Support Group. 7-9pm.

Seattle Counseling Services, 1216 Pine St, Suite 300.

All Transgender, Gender Variant, Gender Queer, Gender Questioning, allies, family & friends are welcome. This is a drop in group to get & give support, social interaction & information for the whole Gender community. No fee, donations welcome. www.ingersollcenter.org Mature Friends Weekly Bridge Group. 7pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, lower level of Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnywide Ave N. Every Wednesday. All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www. maturefriends.org PFLAG/Renton Monthly Meeting. 7pm. St Luke’s Episcopal Church, 99 Wells Ave S, Renton. Meets 1st Wednesday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses & families of GLBT persons, as well as those minorities. PFLAG/Renton: 425-235-4139. PFLAG/ Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724. www.seattle-pflag.org.

HIV/AIDS Newly Diagnosed or Newly Dealing. 7:309pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave, Suite 200. Meets 1st & 3rd Wednesday each month. Ongoing support group for anyone who is HIV+. www.sasgcc.org Mature Friends Pinochle Group. 7:30pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, lower level of Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnywide Ave N. Meets the 1st & 3rd Wednesday each month All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends.org Washington Gender Alliance Open Support Meeting in Everett. 7:30-9pm. Everett United Church of Christ, 2624 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. Every Wednesday.

Trained peer facilitators lead a structured support meeting helping people deal with issues of gender identity & expression. All adults are welcomed, including those who are questioning, allies, or identify as FTM, MTF, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex, among others. (360) 445-2411; www.washingtongenderalliance.com.

Pride Skate Seattle. 8:30-11pm. Southgate Roller Rink, 9646 17th Ave SW. First Wednesday of every month. $8 admission includes skate rental. Must be 18+, with 21+ bar. Performances, roller skating, and fun! See you there! www.southgaterollerrink.com

THURSDAY - November 2

Orca Swim Team Workout. Morning. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

International Comic Arts Forum (11/2-11/4). University of Washington, Husky Union Building (The HUB), Rooms 340, 332 & 337. Annual academic conference dedicated to promoting the scholarly study and appreciation of comic art, including comic strips, comic books, comics albums, and graphic novels, magazine and newspaper cartooning, caricature, and comics in electronic media. Guests: Nick Sousanis, Moto Hagio, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Jim Woodring, Gary Growth, Jesus Cossio, Emil Ferris. Keynote: Ramzl Fawaz (U Wisconsin, Madison). Presented in collaboration with the Short Run Comix & Arts Festival and the Comics Studies Society. www.internationalcomicartsforum.org

20 Seattle Gay News

are dreaming toward; 3) Workshops on community land trusts, decolonizing approaches to housing justice, and more. Register at: tinyurl.com/houseofqueer. Questions? kelsen@allyship.org.

54th Annual Gay Seattle Pageant - “Space Galaxy: A Night of Peace, Love and Unity” - With Special Guest: Vicky Vox. 5-9pm. Neighbours Nightclub, 1509 Broadway (entrance in alley between Broadway Gay Male Sexuality & Relationships. 7:30-9pm. & Harvard off E Pike St.) Cost: $15 general admission; SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. A $25 VIP. Presented by the Imperial Sovereign Court of discussion group that is strictly focused on sexual top- Seattle and the Olympic & Rainier Empire. www.impeics and relationship issues related to being a Gay male. rialcourtofseattle.com; www.facebook.com/ISCSORE www.sasgcc.org Northwest Bears Potluck and Meet & Greet Beer Seattle Otters Water Polo Team. 8-9:30pm. Medgar Bust. 6pm. The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave at E. Pine St. Evers Pool, 500 23rd Ave E (at E Cherry St). Every Meets 1st Saturday each month. Northwest Bears is a Tuesday & Thursday. (See Tuesday listing at 8pm.)

Gay men’s social and service organization providing a focal point within the Gay community for Bears and Bear FRIDAY - November 3 admirers. www.nwbears.com.

International Comic Arts Forum (11/2-11/4). UniversiSUNDAY - November 5 ty of Washington, Husky Union Building (The HUB), Rooms 340, 332 & 337. (See Thursday or Saturday (See previous Sunday for ongoing activities.) lisitng for details.) www.internationalcomicartsforum.org.

Border Riders Motorcycle Club First Sunday Ride.

AA Ageless in Recovery. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 Contact Border Riders for details and rendezvous point.

15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. A drop in Meets 1st Sunday most months. BRMC provides a soAA group for older & wiser people 55+. www.sasgcc.org cial & educational fraternity for individuals interested in Re-Parenting Ourselves. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 recreational motorcycle touring. www.borderriders.com 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. A peer Northwest Orchid Society Fall Show & Sale (11/4 support group for adult children of any addiction. www. & 11/5). Sat: 9am-5pm; Sun: 10am-4pm. Swanson’s sasgcc.org Nursery, 9701 15th Ave NW. This regional show features SLAA Road to Recovery. 12noon-1:30pm. SASG, 115 breathtaking orchid displays by orchid societies from 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. Ongoing throughout the Pacific Northwest with orchid vendors 12 step group for sex & love addicts. www.sasgcc.org in attendance. Superior orchid specimens will be comOasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, peting for coveted orchid awards issued by accredited Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages judges from the American Orchid Society. FREE admis14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Friday. sion, FREE seminars, FREE repotting service and FREE orchid care advice. www.nwos.org.

(253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org Comic Artists Nicole J. Georges and Julia Wertz Strength Over Speed. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave Reading at Seattle Public Library. 2-4pm. Central E, Suite 201. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12-step) Library, 1000 4th Ave, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. www. Acclaimed cartoonists Nicole J. Georges and Julia strengthoverspeed.org.

Wertz will read from new works and discuss the proCascades Rainbow Community Center - in Mount cess of making comics with local artist E.T. Russian.

Vernon. 6:30-10:30pm. 1508 N 18th St, Mount Vernon. FREE admission. Presented in partnership with Short Every Friday. Weekly social get-togethers including Run Seattle. potlucks and movie nights for LGBTQAI folks in Skagit Knights of Mantra Monthly Meeting. 3pm. The Cuff, County and beyond. The Center has the largest LG- 1533 13th Ave. Meets 1st Sunday each month. K of M/ BTQAI library in Skagit County with an online catalog Jet Chapter is a fun-loving leather/Levi social & chariof their collection. (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook. table organization that raises money for various causes Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, & organizations. (206) 329-0886. www.facebook.com/ Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See kofmjetchapter/ Sunday afternoon listing.)

PFLAG/Kittitas County. 4-5:30pm. First United MethLambert House Queer Movie Night. 7-9:30pm. Lam- odist Church, 3rd & Ruby Sts, Ellensburg. Meets 1st bert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Friday. Lambert House Sunday each month. For information, (509) 925-7937. is a nationally-recognized activities & resource center for Seattle Jazz Vespers. 6-8pm. Seattle First Baptist GLBT & questioning youth, ages 14-22. (206) 322-2515, Church, Seneca St & Harvard Ave. 1st Sunday of every www.lamberthouse.org month (October-June). The historic Gothic sanctuary of Rain Country Dance Night. 7-11pm, lessons at 7:15pm. Seattle First Baptist Church is offered to the best jazz The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave. An evening of country-western groups in the city to perform 100 minutes of their own dancing for the LGBTQ community. FREE. www.rain- popular music. FREE. For info (206) 325-6051, www. countrydance.org. seattlefirstbaptist.org/sjv Destiny Gay AA Group in Tacoma. 7:30pm. New COMMUNITY RESOURCES Heart MCC, 759 S 45th St, Tacoma. Every Friday.

(253) 474-8897.

Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting LGBT Friday Night Al-Anon Family Group. 8pm. for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship.

SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201 - in the O’Neill Room. org, allyship@yahoo.com, (206) 279-8169.

Every Friday. The Al-Anon Family Groups are a felAmerican Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us lowship of relatives & friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength & hope in order to solve their Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/Anothercommon problems. We believe alcoholism is a fam- Gay-Social-Club/ ily illness & that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane.

Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number (206) 625-0000; com/guide.html www.seattle-al-anon.org BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www.

SATURDAY - November 4 binetseattle.org.

(See previous Saturday for ongoing activities.)

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org Green Seattle Day - Volunteer Tree Planting Around Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount VerSeattle. 9am. Coffee, snacks, tools and gloves pro- non) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook. vided. No experience necessary. Sign-up in advance at COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and GreenSeattle.org to volunteer in these neighborhoods: caregivers into a network of peers and supports them Columbia City, Crown Hill, Delridge, Green Lake, Leschi, as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, Magnolia, N. Beacon Hill, Northgate, Phinney Ridge, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective comQueen Anne, Rainier Beach, Ravenna, S. Beacon Hill, munities - www.colage.org Seward Park, South Park, West Seattle.

Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) Northwest Orchid Society Fall Show & Sale (11/4 963-1994. & 11/5). Sat: 9am-5pm; Sun: 10am-4pm. Swanson’s DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Nursery, 9701 15th Ave NW. This regional show features Fighting AIDS). (206) 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest. breathtaking orchid displays by orchid societies from org throughout the Pacific Northwest with orchid vendors in attendance. Superior orchid specimens will be com- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis peting for coveted orchid awards issued by accredited Clinic, (206) 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County judges from the American Orchid Society. FREE admis- Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour sion, FREE seminars, FREE repotting service and FREE crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Network orchid care advice. www.nwos.org. support & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay International Comic Arts Forum (11/2-11/4). UniSurvivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, (206) 568-7777 versity of Washington, Husky Union Building (The (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce HUB), Rooms 340, 332 & 337. Annual academic conCounty Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) ference dedicated to promoting the scholarly study and 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual appreciation of comic art, including comic strips, comic Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: books, comics albums, and graphic novels, magazine 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence and newspaper cartooning, caricature, and comics in Unit, (206) 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence electronic media. Guests: Nick Sousanis, Moto Hagio, Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911.

Kelly Sue DeConnick, Jim Woodring, Gary Growth, Report domestic violence and sexual assault.

Jesus Cossio, Emil Ferris. Keynote: Ramzl Fawaz (U Wisconsin, Madison). Presented in collaboration with Equal Rights Washington - (206) 324-2570; www. the Short Run Comix & Arts Festival and the Comics equalrightswashington.org Studies Society. www.internationalcomicartsforum.org. Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org LGBTQ Allyship presents House of Queer Intergen- Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeakerational Housing Justice Conference. 10am-4pm. ing.org South Seattle College, Georgetown Campus, 6737 Cor- Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities son Ave S. Join us to learn together from the past, situate by providing health services, connecting people to reourselves in the present, and build toward a just future. sources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City The conference will feature: 1) A panel of Queer, Trans, Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous and POC Community Leaders from across generations; & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More 2) Listening sessions where you get to share about info or to schedule an appointment, (206) 860-6969. housing challenges you are facing and the solutions you www.gaycity.org

community calendar

ALISS - Aging Lesbians in South Seattle Lunch Gathering. 11:30am-2:30pm. Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S Holly St, Rainier Ave S & S Holly St., Arts & Crafts Room. Meets 1st Thursday each month. This is a group primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Facilitator: Fai Coffin; Cost: Free for gathering; $5 suggested donation for lunch. Metro route 7. Wheelchair accessible. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org.

Alcoholics Anonymous “Safe & Sober Group.”

12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Open meeting of AA. www.sasgcc.org BABES Women’s Support Group/Lunch Meeting.

12 noon-2pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. The BABES Network is a peer led agency; a sisterhood of women facing HIV together. (206) 720-5566 or 888-2921912; www.babesnetwork.org.

Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Thursday. (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org “Dia De Los Muertos” at El Centro de la Raza. 5:308:30pm. 2524 16th Ave S. Dia de los Muertos is a time for remembering and rejoicing in the lives of those who have passed. This year we want to honor all those who have fought to build bridges not walls, arm in arm together, working against the injustices in our communities and remember those who have died fighting for freedom and justice. The FREE celebration includes dinner, ofrenda/altar displays, new poetry and guitar music from 7-8:30pm.

First Thursday Art Walk in Downtown Seattle/Pioneer Square. 5-9pm. Art galleries in Downtown Seattle/Pioneer Square host opening night receptions. Seattle Art Museum is free today.

Rouge at Maximilien. 5-7pm. 81a Pike Place Market.

Live Parisian music during First Thursday Art Walk.

Seattle Human Rights Commission. 6-8pm. Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Ave. Meets 1st Thursday each month. SHRC is made up of 15 citizen representatives who advise the Mayor, the City Council, & all City of Seattle Depts in matters regarding human rights. The commission advocates for justice & equal opportunity & collaborates with & educates the public & private sectors about how to prevent & eliminate discrimination city-wide. Meetings open to the public. (206) 684-4540.

Shifting Gears. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. Drop-in support group (non 12-step) for anyone of any orientation or gender who desires recovery from drugs or alcohol. www.sasgcc.org B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group). 6:30-8pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. Sponsored by Youth Eastside Services, which offers many programs for GLBT youth.

(425) 747-4937.

Crystal Meth Anonymous. 6:30pm. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Mon @ 6:30pm, Sat @ 10:30am, Sun @ 6:30pm. crystalmeth.org.

Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation Contemplative Service. 6:30pm. 7141 California Ave SW. (206) 935-0418, office@wsuu.org, www.wsuu.org Women Resist Fascism: Yesterday and Today. 6:308:30pm. Radical Women, 4710 University Way NE #100.

Are you concerned about recent actions by bigots and white supremacists? Learn about the far-right’s misogynist and racist agenda and how women have opposed it. Discuss why the rightwing and neo-Nazi groups are growing and how we can stop them. Everyone welcome.

Please call 206-985-4621 to enter the building. Hosted

by Radical Women. www.radicalwomen.org (Also meets 11/9, 11/30 & 12/7) Boys’ Group - For Male-Identified Youth, Ages 1422. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Thursday. Youth take the opportunity to talk about issues that relate to their everyday lives, with the facilitation of a male volunteer. (206) 322-2515 ext 16. www. lamberthouse.org Seattle Prime Timers Coffee Reunion. 7pm. Kaladi Brothers Coffee, 517 E Pike St. Meets 1st Thursday each month. Monthly social meet & greet. Bus routes 2, 9, 10, 11, 43, 47, 49 & 60 and the new Capitol Hill/First Hill streetcar go within 3-4 blocks of Kaladi Bros. www. seattleprimetimers.org 21st Century Bowling. 7pm. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW. Every Thursday. Regular league bowling.

Jeff, (206) 932-3731; leagues@wsbowl.com. [EXCEPT no bowling June, July, August.]

Buddhism & Recovery. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. A meditation/recovery group. www.sasgcc.org Emerald City Social Club. 7:30pm. Call for details & location - phone staffed most Tuesday evenings or leave message. Meets 1st Thursday each month. ECSC is a confidential crossdressing social & support organization for Transvestite & Transsexual individuals, primarily MTF, which offers confidential membership, private monthly meetings, frequent events on the town, & help in coming out. (425) 827-9494.

Gay Fathers Association of Seattle. 7:30-9pm. Group Health, 201 16th Ave E, Central Bldg, Lower Atrium.

Every Thursday. Support meetings for Gay fathers & Gay men who are currently or previously married. Safe, anonymous, non-judgmental environment of caring fathers & friends. You are not alone. For information, community events & “questioning” visit www.gfas.org or our message board at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/ gayfathersseattle

October 27, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country.

Generations Aging With Pride empowers elder LGBTQ adults to live with pride and dignity by promoting, connecting, and developing innovative programs and services that enhance belonging and support, eliminate discrimination, and honor the lives of older members of our community - (206) 495-8312; info@gapseattle.org; gapseattle.org GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - (206) 363-9188; www.thegsba.org HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979.

Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse.org LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - (206) 250-5002; LGBTMSConnection@gmail.com. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.org; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples. org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www.seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www.tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org.

Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly.org Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) making a difference within local companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Xerox. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State: www. pflagwsc.org.

PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle,

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - (206) 860-3666; www.theabbey.org Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays.

(425) 339-5298.

South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.SouthSoundQCal.com Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club: www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Different Spokes Bicycling Club: www.differentspokes.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby. com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball.org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www. puddletownsquares.org; Rain City Soccer: www.raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance. org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@ gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefrontrunners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www.seattlegaybasketballassociation. com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam. org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www.seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@ aol.com, www.teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www. theprideleague.com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, (206) 367-4064, www. teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org,

1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934.

Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www.SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity: www.genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born Support Group: (206) 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: (206) 329-6651, www. ingersollcenter.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/Olympia-Trans-DiscussionGroup/262449878114; [trans] ACTION: Trans* & Gender Non-Conforming Sex Workers’ Support Group - a safe, peer-led space. mail@utopiaseattle.org; Trans Resource & Referral Guide: kctransguide.org; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www. washington genderalliance.com WOMEN: A.B.L.E. - Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange.

We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; ALISS - Aging Lesbians in South Seattle - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Lesbians Over 40: (206) 722-0729; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol.com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle.wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www.sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www. tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, in Seattle, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way; (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www. llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace.com; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www.mockingbirdsociety.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www. oasisyouthcenter.org; OUT There Adventures: www. outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/Puget Sound: (206) 3257724, www.seattle-pflag.org; Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets (PSKS) Drop-In Center & Young Adult Shelter: 1609 19th Ave @ E Pine St., (206) 7268500; www.psks.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www.pizzaklatch.org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup - Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www. facebook.com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS): LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth drop-in group, ages 12-18 - Sarah Hardin, (425) 271-5600, ext 155; sarahh@rays.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

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Seattle Gay News 21

community calendar

www.utopiaseattlewa.org Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; pridefoundation.org Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - (206) 682-6711; www.q-law.org; Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - (206) 235-7235.

Queer Geek! - queergeekseattle.org Safe Schools Coalition - www.safeschoolscoalition. org; (206) 451-SAFE; (206) 451-7233.

SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www.voteseamec.org Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network - BiSeattle.wixsite. com/SBWN and on Facebook.

Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. (206) 323-1768.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503.

Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org Seattle Treatment Education Project (STEP) E-zine is an electronic resource distributed to people affected

by HIV/AIDS, case managers, front line workers & other health professionals. Now a part of Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979, www.thebody.com/step/ steppage.html Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org

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22 Seattle Gay News

October 27, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

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October 27, 2017

Seattle Gay News 23