SGN January 8, 2010 - Section 1

Issue 02 Volume 38

Celebrating 37 Years!

FRIDAY January 8, 2010 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

New Jersey p. 5

HIV travel ban lifted p. 6

out to quit p. 17

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

shaun knittel

The Testing America mobile van on Capitol Hill on January 6

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) partnered with Gay City Health Project and the Center for Multicultural Health to kick-off a 48 state mobile tour of free HIV testing. On January 6-7, Seattleites could stop by the AHF’s “Testing America” mobile HIV testing van, parked by the south side of Cal Anderson Park, to know their HIV status. Members from Seattle orga-

nizations, Entre Hermanos and the HIV vaccine trial unit Hope Takes Action, were also on hand to educate the public on the importance of HIV/AIDS awareness.

“AHF launched ‘Testing America,’ our second HIV testing tour, as an effort to raise local and national awareness about the importance and ease of HIV testing, and to challenge attitudes about moving see hiv testing page 17

In a dramatic turn of events, the King County Council voted on January 4 to pass over Sen. Joe McDermott (D-34) and appoint Jan Drago to the open seat created when Dow Constantine became King County Executive.

The vote was 5-3, with Democrat Larry Phillips joining the Council’s four Republicans to give the seat to Drago.

The appointment fills the seat pending an election for the position in November. Drago has promised not to run for the seat.

Phillips, who represents northwest Seattle, Magnolia, Queen Anne, Downtown and First Hill, is one of four Democrats on the Council. All held firm for McDermott in a long and contentious Council meeting on December 14.

The Council’s four Republicans held equally firm for Drago. Phillips’ decision to switch his vote to Drago broke the deadlock and enabled the Council to fill the open seat.

While former Seattle City Council member Drago is also a Democrat, the Council’s Republicans reportedly wanted a caretaker ap-

file photo

Free national County Council disappoints HIV testing tour McDermott, appoints Drago launches in Seattle

Senator Joe McDermott (D-34)

pointment. McDermott had indi“Time to break cated he would run for the seat in the impasse…”

November whether he got the apSpeaking with SGN, Phillips inpointment or not. dicated he supports McDermott’s If elected, he will be the Council’s first openly Gay member. see mcdermott page 18

Transgender woman appointed IU professor’s to Department of Commerce murder called a file photo

President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson, a member of the board of directors of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce.

Simpson will be working in the Bureau of Industry and Security.

The recent appointment of Simpson, a Transgender woman, is among the first by a presidential administration.

“I’m truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me,” said Simpson. “And at the same time, as one of the first Transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.”

According to NCTE, Simpson brings 30 years of aerospace and defense industry experience to her new post, most recently serv-

“crime of passion” nick ardizzone

Amanda Simpson has been appointed as Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce by President Obama

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

Indiana University professors, students and local community members hold a vigil at the Bloomington Courthouse Square in Don Belton’s honor

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

Michael Griffin, 25, in a “crime of passion.”

According to Bloomington poNew details emerged this week lice, Griffin has confessed to killin the brutal murder of Indiana ing Belton in retaliation for what University professor Don Belton. he said were two sexual assaults Court documents reveal Bloomington, Indiana police believe Belsee BELTON page 19 see SIMPSON page 19 ton, 53, was brutally stabbed by

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Seattle Gay News

January 8, 2010

206-362-9500 Celebrating 37 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

January 8, 2010

Seattle Gay News

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Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1973

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2010

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The day things changed

by Leslie Robinson SGN Contributing Writer

saltwater recreational anglers and spear fishermen must register to fish for “anadromous” species, like smelt, in tidal waters.

If you follow the news, you know that Jan. I couldn’t find “anadromous” in the dic1 was a big day in New Hampshire. tionary, my grasp of fish is slippery, and my That’s the day recreational fisherbrain preferred to gloss over the dull men needed to be registered facts and instead imagine the “You’re to fish for smelt. story of Jonah and the Days don’t come any infringing on personal smelt. bigger.

But I did get why freedom! If somebody If you’re a smelt this new law is imfisherman. Or a portant: A registry doesn’t want a carbon smelt. will provide accurate monoxide detector, it’s data helpful in protectJan. 1 was also the day same-sex marriage ing shared marine rehis right to die!” became legal in the Granite sources. Makes sense to me.

State. The fight for and against And since I doubt smelt marched Gay marriage was vitally important to many to Concord to testify before the state legisNew Hampshirites, and the positive out- lature, the new law made sense to enough come a huge, happy deal to the GLBT com- New Hampshire humans. munity across the country.

So did the new rule mandating carbon But from a statutory point of view, when monoxide detectors in homes built after New Year’s Day came around, the monu- Jan. 1. That one surprised me, given the mental change in marriage law didn’t stand state’s libertarian tradition. I would’ve exalone. No indeed. Other alterations to state pected the bill to collapse as some flinty law kicked in that day, each important to, legislator intoned, “You’re infringing on well, at least somebody. personal freedom! If somebody doesn’t Take that fishy law. Seacoastonline.com want a carbon monoxide detector, it’s his reported that now most New Hampshire right to die!”

Similar concerns probably arose in the debate over distracted driving. As of New Year’s Day, drivers in New Hampshire may not send text messages while behind the wheel. Ditto for Twittering and typing on laptops. Getting caught will cost $100.

So anyone who attends a Lesbian wedding or fishes for smelt and becomes emotional over either must wait to get home to tweet about it.

Another change to state law must’ve had an emotional component: There’s no more statute of limitations on assisting or concealing a murder. If you hid a murder, and texted about it while driving, you’re doubly in trouble.

Licensed physical therapists in New Hampshire saw their world expand as of Jan. 1. They can now get special certification to practice on animals. Whether most animals supported or opposed this measure is hard to say.

The law naming the Chinook as the official state dog went into effect last August, but Seacoastonline.com included the change in its roundup of laws kicking in on New Year’s Day. The folks behind the news site must still be giddy with the dog’s elevation.

A sled and work dog, the Chinook is the only breed to have originated in New Hampshire. It’s joined such luminaries as the ladybug and spotted newt as official state mascots.

Who raised the dog to its present lofty status? A group of seventh-graders. Their lobbying got the job done. If we’d turned over the fight for same-sex marriage to students from the Ross Lurgio Middle School in Bedford we’d have gotten it sooner.

Now other students are advocating for apple cider to be named the official state beverage. Maybe on Jan. 1 of next year that law will go into effect, and the Gay couples who married this Jan. 1 will drink a tart toast to their first anniversary and their state.

The kids are lobbying for regular cider, not hard cider. We got same-sex marriage, but we can’t have everything.

Leslie Robinson lives in Seattle. E-mail her at LesARobinson@gmail.com.

In Loving Memory Of Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold

4

Seattle Gay News

January 8, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

New Jersey Senate votes down Gay marriage

Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger

Gay marriage supporters console each other after a legislation legalizing same-sex marriages was defeated in the New Jersey Senate

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

vote on the bill as soon as possible. Earlier this week, after a group of 120 clergy members signed and addressed a letter to Codey On January 7, the New Jersey Senate de- urging him to pass the measure, and supfeated proposed legislation that would have porters of the bill held a rally at the Stategranted same-sex couples the right to marry. house on January 4, Codey announced the The legislators debated the merits of “The Senate would vote on the bill.

Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil During the measure’s debate, the bill’s Marriage Act” for over 90 minutes, prime sponsor Senator Weinberg resulting in the measure’s 20 to urged colleagues to support the “Who are 14 defeat. proposal.

The 14 yes votes fell “Who are any of us that any of us that we short of the 21 needed we have some special have some special for passage. Among knowledge that lets us the 22 Democrats, 13 knowledge that lets us deny marriage to anyvoted yes and six votone as inappropriate ed no. Three Demo- deny marriage to anyone as to same-sex couples? cratic senators, who inappropriate to same-sex Same-sex couples were present during are entitled to the the debate, did not couples? Same-sex couples same legal and social vote and two senators are entitled to the same rights to celebrate were absent. their love like anyone Among the 17 Re- legal and social rights to else,” said Weinberg. publicans, only one, celebrate their love like Although statewide Senator Bill Baroni Jr., polls showed New Jeranyone else,” voted for the bill. sey residents split on the The fight for same-sex marissue, Gay rights advocates riage in New Jersey had become were skeptical of its success in the an uphill battle. Thursday’s vote was seen New Jersey Senate. As early as Monday, it as a last-ditch bid for approval before Janu- seemed the measure did not garner enough ary 19, the day Republican Governor-elect support for passage.

Chris Christie takes office. Christie vowed Opponents said they voted against the bill to veto such a bill, while current New Jersey because the issue should be left to the state’s Governor Jon Corzine said he would have residents to decide. “This is about letting signed it. the residents of New Jersey decide a major Democratic Senate sponsors Loretta re-definition that has been recognized for Weinberg and Raymond Lesniak asked Sen- thousands and thousands of years,” said Reate President Richard Codey to hold a floor publican Senator Michael Doherty.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Following the bill’s defeat, Gay rights advocates said they would take their case back to court.

“We’ll get the New Jersey Supreme Court to do what the legislature wouldn’t,” Senator Lesniak said.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation’s LGBT media advocacy and anti-defamation organization called on media to spotlight Gay and Lesbian couples after the vote, saying, “these stories will raise awareness among New Jersey residents of the concrete harms that couples face without marriage protections.

“Only with marriage can Gay and Lesbian families fully take care of each other and today’s vote is a painful loss for couples in New Jersey as well as across the country,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “The march towards equality is far from over.”

In 2006, the New Jersey State Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to give committed same-sex couples all the rights and benefits of marriage. But by a 4-3 vote, the court said the state didn’t have to call it marriage. Lawmakers responded by creating a civil unions law.

“Today’s vote by the New Jersey Senate perpetuates a system of inequality in the Garden State,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Failing to provide loving, committed couples access to marriage leaves them separate and unequal – civil unions are not the same as marriage.”

Garden State Equality, the state’s main

Gay rights group, says the civil unions amount to second-class status that falls short of true equality. Garden State Equality says a new lawsuit would claim the Legislature has not met the court’s mandate.

Freedom to Marry, the Gay and non-Gay partnership working to win marriage equality nationwide, said they applaud Garden State Equality for continuing the fight for marriage equality in the state.

“Today the New Jersey Senate failed to do right by the New Jersey families harmed by exclusion from marriage,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry. “Legislators themselves, even opponents, have confirmed that the civil union law does not work to protect and support families, and is no substitute for the freedom to marry.”

Lambda Legal announced plans to go back to court to seek marriage equality because, they say, the New Jersey Senate failed to bring equality to the state.

“The requirement to ensure equality for same-sex couples, established by the New Jersey Supreme Court in its decision in our marriage lawsuit in 2006, has not been met,” said Kevin Cathcart, executive director at Lambda Legal. “There is enormous, heartbreaking evidence that civil unions are not equal to marriage, and we will be going back to the courts in New Jersey to fight for equality. Too many families are at risk. We cannot wait any longer.”

In the U.S. only five states, Iowa, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont, allow Gay marriage.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

able on Google Inc.’s Youtube network – after a delay of as long as one day.

“This is a case which merits a very serious consideration for widespread distribution,” Walker said during his ruling. “This case deals with important issues that people think about, talk about, debate about, and consider. So I think it’s worth trying in this case.”

The trial would be the first federal court case in the U.S. to be broadcast.

The trial is the first to question whether bans on Gay marriage violate federal law. Gay couples and the City of San Francisco are suing the state in federal court to strike down Proposition 8, a ballot measure passed by California voters and legalized by the State Supreme Court, that outlaws same-sex marriage in California.

Walker said he did not agree with the concerns that witnesses in the upcoming trial would be harassed or intimidated. Proponents of Proposition 8 organized a multimillion-dollar political campaign to change the California Constitution, he said.

“They assumed a public face and a public response in doing so,” said Walker.

According to Walker, the faces of witnessed who don’t want their testimony broadcast will be blacked out and the cameras could be removed from the courtroom if they prove to be a distraction.

Prop. 8 federal court case update: delayed broadcast to be allowed for trial The first federal case to challenge the constitutionality of a Gay marriage ban, Kristin Perry v Arnold Schwarzenegger, will be streamed over the Internet, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughan Walker ruled on January 6.

Over objections of attorneys and supporters of Proposition 8, the voterapproved measure that placed a Gay marriage ban in the California Constitution, Judge Walker said that cameras in the courtroom were appropriate because they will provide the public with an opportunity to see how courts work. Pro-Prop. 8 attorneys objected to videotaping the trial because they say witnesses might be intimidated or harassed. They cited evidence that supporters of Proposition 8 whose names were revealed on the Internet were subjected to harassment.

The governing body for federal courts in Western states recently approved a pilot program that would, for the first time, allow cameras in civil trials being decided by judges. Walker’s decision is subject to approval by the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco, California.

Broadcasts of proceedings in the trial, scheduled to begin January 11, will be avail-

“This case deals with important issues that people think about, talk about, debate about, and consider. So I think it’s worth trying in this case.”

January 8, 2010

Seattle Gay News

5

Rob Holland sworn in

Gay Bingo 2010

by James Whitely SGN Contributing Writer

courtesy charla skaggs

Former Washington Governor John D. Spellman swears in Rob Holland on January 5

by James Whitely SGN Contributing Writer On January 5, after the approval of previous minutes, and a few laughs, the Port of Seattle Commission swore in two new Port Commissioners, Tom Albro and Rob Holland.

Commissioner Holland, who is openly Gay was sworn in by former Governor of Washington, John D. Spellman. Commissioner Albro was sworn in by his son. Also, re-sworn was Commissioner John Creighton. Commissioner Creighton was sworn in

by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.

“I truly believe that this port is poised for success,” said Commissioner Bill Bryant, President of the Port of Seattle Commis-

sion, after the swearing-in ceremony. Commissioner Bryant went on to detail the tough budget decisions that were made by the Commission last year, and that he thought that this year, with the help of Commissioners Holland and Albro, things would be better.

“Now I’m fully aware that I stand between you all and cookies,” said Commissioner Bryant, “but I’d like to thank Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and former Washington Governor John Spellman for showing up today.”

Before the commissioners went ahead with their meeting, a short break was called where anyone in attendance could meet and greet with the Port of Seattle Commissioners.

Gay Bingo is returning this year in full force. From January to June – on the third Saturday of each month (except in May when it’s on the fourth Saturday) – Lifelong AIDS Alliance will be putting on massive bingo competitions (with usually 750+ individuals in attendance) at Fremont Studios.

Gay Bingo is sponsored primarily by MOMS pharmacy.

One can expect to see representatives from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan, fabulous entertainment and emcees, guest callers/announcers, revealing costumes, and of course, prizes.

Each month will have its own special theme. On January 16, “Boot Camp Gay Bingo,” on February 20, “Racy and Lacy Gay Bingo,” on March 20, “When in Rome Gay Bingo,” on April 17, “Biker Babe Gay Bingo,” on May 22, “Blue Hair Gay Bingo,” on June 19, “Beach Blanket Gay Bingo.”

Costumes are encouraged for Gay Bingo, but not required. Costume contests, with prizes, will be hosted by the Sisters of Per-

petual Indulgence and will be held at each bingo tournament.

Gay Bingo, now in its 17th season, is designed for experienced bingo players as well as those new to the game. One ticket will buy ten games, each with $100 cash prizes. VIP tickets, colorfully nicknamed “Queen for a Day” tickets are also available. Gay Bingo includes a full bar, proceeds from the bar go to Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

Special Games, which aren’t included with the general admission price, can also be bought into.

Some special games are $2 to play, others are $4. Special games have up to $1,000 prize packages.

This year Gay Bingo is moving to the Fremont Studios, 155 N. 35th St., and a full bar will be available.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m., bingo begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends between 9:30 - 10:00 p.m. Gay Bingo is a 21+ event. For more information, or to make a reservation, visit www.gaybingoseattle.com. For questions, call the Gay Bingo hotline at (206) 3230069 or email gaybingo@llaa.org.

Sharon Parker Sharon Parker, at the age of 64, passed away at home on December 3, 2009, after a long illness. She is survived by her son Michael Witmer.

U.S. lifts HIV travel ban

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

The U.S. government has lifted the ban on foreign nationals with HIV entering the country. For the past 22 years, people who are HIV-positive needed a special waiver to visit, or travel through, the U.S. – a requirement that was dropped on January 4.

President Barack Obama announced the ban repeal on October 30, 2009.

“Twenty-two years ago, in a decision rooted in fear rather than fact, the United States instituted a travel ban on entry into the country for people living with HIV/AIDS,” Obama said. “Now, we talk about reducing the stigma of the disease – yet we’ve treated a visitor living with it as a threat.”

The Bush administration approved the end of the travel ban in June 2008, but failed to implement the regulatory changes to end the restrictions.

Since the ban went into effect in 1993 by an Act of Congress, international HIV/ AIDS activists and people living with the disease have pushed for the ban’s removal.

It was believed that although the U.S. government encouraged HIV-positive citizens around the world to come forward for treatment, doing so would limit their civil rights because of discriminatory policies, such as travel and immigration bans. The ban limited international travel of HIV-positive foreign nationals by preventing them from entering the U.S. without a special waiver, which only permitted short-term travel and required a complicated application process.

Additionally, the ban prohibited HIV-positive people from obtaining legal residency, and denied citizenship to thousands of people already living in the United States.

According to On Top Magazine, the first HIV-positive person to enter the country since the lifting of the ban was Clemens Ruland, a youth worker from the Netherlands.

6

Seattle Gay News

Gay advocacy group Immigration Equality welcomed him and his partner Hugo Bausch when they arrived in New York on January 4.

Ruland was infected in New York by an ex-lover and diagnosed HIV-positive in 1997. Anti Retroviral Therapy has kept his virus load undetectable. He returned to visit the U.S. once, but said he feared being detained – a fear Ruland no longer had to harbor. The lifting of the ban made it possible for the couple to visit old friends, shop and enjoy the city during their one-week stay.

Martin Rooney, a Canadian citizen, says he was denied access to the U.S. on November 11, 2007 when he tried to cross the border to get a turkey for Thanksgiving.

Because of the ban, Rooney, who is HIVpositive, was not permitted to cross into the country.

Rooney has since become an activist, and created a large Facebook group entitled, “HIV Travel to US OPENS January 4th – join me in Crossing the Border!” Rooney says he created the group to raise awareness about the ban as well as organize people to celebrate its official repeal. Rooney and company traveled to Bellingham, Washington on January 4, to buy the turkey he was to get on November 11, 2007, the day he was denied entry.

While in Bellingham, Rooney will also speak about the lifting of the travel and immigration ban at Bellingham’s Coronation 2010, hosted by the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire, a branch of the International Court System.

“The repeal is very much a liberation of sorts,” Rooney said. “I have always believed in the freedom of travel and I thought the ban to be very discriminatory.”

The 2012 World AIDS Conference will be held in the US in recognition of the lifting of the ban.

January 8, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

REUTERS/Eldson Chagara

Malawi couple goes to trial Jan. 15 Bride identifies as Trans woman

By Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Ending a week of international speculation about her gender identity, Tiwonge Chimbalanga told reporters on January 4 that she is a woman.

Chimbalanga married Steven Monjeza in a traditional ceremony on December 26. Within 48 hours the couple was in jail, charged with “gross indecency” in violation of Malawi’s law against homosexuality.

BBC News, which reported extensively on the wedding and subsequent legal proceedings, has consistently referred to the pair as a “Gay couple” and has used male pronouns for both. The same practice has been followed by almost all international media.

Chimbalanga, however, wore a wedding dress at the December 26 ceremony and has continued to wear women’s clothes in jail. She is reportedly known to friends and neighbors as “Auntie Tiwonge.”

“I am a woman,” she said flatly to reporters at her bail hearing on January 4. “I can do what a woman can do. I love Steven for what he is, he doesn’t give me money. In fact, I do everything for him, but love is love.”

The couple’s request for bail was denied, and they will likely go to trial on January 15. If convicted, they face up to 14 years in prison.

Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa said the couple risked mob violence if they were released on bail, although this claim was rejected by their lawyers.

Usiwa-Usiwa added that he might set bail on January 10 if prosecutors had finished their investigation by then.

The couple told reporters they are being beaten in prison, and Monjeza seemed totally demoralized by the experience.

“I am sad I am going back to Chichiri Prison,” he said after learning bail had been denied. “The conditions are terrible there.

People are exaggerating this thing. I may just as well dissolve this marriage.”

Monjeza also told reporters, “Well, I was drunk. I guess I wanted to be famous but I am now regretting. Prison life is no good. I realized we have broken the laws. I am calling this off.”

Chimbalanga, on the other hand, seemed buoyant, smiling and waving to a crowd of supporters who chanted “Auntie Tiwonge!

Auntie Tiwonge!”

She also chastised reporters for “writing stupid things.”

After the latest hearing the pair was surrounded by hundreds of chanting and cheering supporters. Previous appearances had drawn about equal numbers of supporters and detractors who jeered them.

According to British Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, who is in contact with Malawian activists, the couple will deny the charges of unnatural practices between males and gross indecency.

He said they would challenge the prosecution on the grounds that it is illegal under the equal rights and non-discrimination clauses of the Malawian constitution.

Rhode Island legislature overrides governor’s veto U.S. Department of Education

Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer Rhode Island lawmakers and members of the General Assembly overrode a veto by Governor Don Carcieri on January 5, to approve a bill that allows LGBT couples the same rights to plan the funerals of their deceased partners as married couples.

The legislators overwhelmingly approved the bill in November of 2009, with only three members of each chamber voting against the measure. Governor Carcieri, a Republican, vetoed the bill saying the legislation would erode heterosexual marriage.

“This bill represents a disturbing trend over the past few years of the incremental erosion of the principles surrounding traditional marriage, which is not the preferred way to approach this issue,” the governor said in a letter to lawmakers last November.

“If the General Assembly believes it would like to address the issue of domestic partnership, it should place the issue on the ballot and let the people of the State of Rhode Island decide.”

Many LGBT community activists and Rhode Island legislators were appalled by the governor’s veto.

“I opposed the veto from the moment it left the governor’s desk. In November, I wrote the House and Senate leadership, urging their override of the veto. Later that month, I attended and addressed the candlelight vigil at the State House protesting the veto,” said Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth

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Steven Monjeza (l) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga appear before a magistrate court in Blantyre, January 4

In a media release, Tatchell said the couple were suffering “appalling” conditions in prison and are being threatened with forced physical examinations to determine whether they have had sex.

But he added that they had been given food and money by supporters and were being represented by a team of five lawyers.

Their case has been taken up by the Malawian human rights group, the Center for the Development of People (CEDEP). CEDEP Executive Director Gift Trapence, told LGBT website PinkNews.co.uk that the couple’s lawyers are fighting for the trial to be held in a higher court where more judges sit.

“Because of the penal code in Malawi, Gays are seen as unnatural,” Trapence said.

“This is the first case. There is a lot of atten-

tion in Malawi and lots of newspaper coverage. Gays are afraid of the law, they are not open, they are not visible.”

“The problem is the violence is there but it is not reported,” he added. “There are lots of blackmail issues. They think they will be prosecuted.”

An administrator for CEDEP was arrested January 4, on charges that the Center’s safer sex HIV education materials are pornographic.

Tatchell described the charges as “trumped up,” and said the arrest was “almost certainly in retaliation” for CEDEP’s public support of Chimbalanga and Monjeza.

On January 5, CEDEP called for a nationwide referendum on homosexuality, saying that consensus was needed.

H. Roberts. “Today I thank the assembly for reversing the decision to undo the legislation.”

Roberts says that although she has long been a supporter of the right of same-sex couples to marry, this legislation is not about the issue of Gay marriage.

“This legislation honors the fundamental right in our society to grieve for the loss of a loved one in a way that matches personal beliefs and honors the deceased,” she said.

Kathy J. Kushnir, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, echoed the sentiment, saying, “On behalf of the board and tens of thousands of statewide supporters of equal civil marriage rights, we are thrilled that the legislature overrode the governor’s mean-spirited veto of the funeral arrangements legislation and restored some measure of dignity and respect to LGBT Rhode Islanders.”

Kushnir said that now, at one of the worst times of their lives, people won’t have to fight simply to lay their loved ones to rest.

“We urge the legislature to embrace full equality for all Rhode Islanders by passing marriage equality legislation this year, unafraid of another gubernatorial veto,” she said. “It’s what our citizens need and deserve.”

Carcieri, who will be term-limited out of office next year, remains a major obstacle to passing a Gay marriage bill in Rhode Island. The governor has stated he would back an effort to place a Gay marriage ban in the Rhode Island Constitution. Carcieri and his wife, Sue, are members of the National Organization for Marriage, the nation’s most vocal opponent of Gay marriage.

In New England, Rhode Island is the only state that does not recognize Gay unions.

Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut have legalized same-sex marriage. Maine offers limited domestic partnership for Gay couples.

Under the new Rhode Island law, a couple must be at least 18, have lived together for one year and prove they were financially dependent to qualify for the funeral planning rights.

January 8, 2010

Seattle Gay News

7

INTERNATIONAL gaybelarus.by

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer

Two of the three protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in Minsk

Christmas Eve Homosexuality arrests in Senegal Twenty-four men were arrested at a house in Saly, Senegal, on Christmas Eve for “homosexual activities,” local media said.

They were held overnight and may face prosecution.

Evidence collected by police included cosmetics, wigs, condoms and lube.

Having Gay sex in Senegal can lead to imprisonment for up to five years.

In August, two men from the town of Darou Mousty were convicted of sexual acts “against nature” and jailed for two and five years respectively after neighbors claimed

NEWS

Mastermind of California and Maine marriage defeats has Lesbian sister Frank Schubert, the brains behind the campaigns that took marriage away from Gay people in California and Maine, has a Gay sister.

And he loves her and her domestic partner and their kids, Schubert told the Bay Area Reporter Dec. 31.

Schubert’s sister, Anne Marie Schubert, is running for Sacramento County Superior Court judge. She lives with Julie Greenberg and the couple is raising two children.

“She and Julie are in a domestic partnership, and they have two wonderful children,” Mr. Schubert told the Bay Area Reporter (BAR). “Of course I consider them and their children to be part of my family, and I love them very much.”

Frank Schubert told the BAR that “Anne Marie and I disagree on the marriage issue.”

“I am certain that she opposed Prop 8,” he said. “Neither of us has allowed that single issue to define our relationship as brother

8

Seattle Gay News

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer and sister.”

Anne Marie Schubert told the BAR that the California Code of Judicial Ethics prevents her from publicly discussing Prop 8 or Gay marriage.

Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors told the BAR the group wants to “interview” Ms. Schubert.

“We ... hope that she, unlike her brother, believes that it is a violation of the constitution to deny any minority the same rights the majority has,” Kors said. “It would be terrific to have a member of the Schubert family on the bench who understands the public danger and harm that Frank Schubert has helped inflict on so many.”

Cynthia Nixon joins Florida Gay adoption campaign Openly Lesbian Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon will be at the Shore Club in Miami Beach on Jan. 9 to help the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida kick off a campaign to end Florida’s ban on adoption

by Gays and Lesbians.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtin-

January 8, 2010

Georgian Gay group raided, Gay leader held for two weeks The Gay group Inclusive Foundation was raided by police in Tbilisi, Georgia, Dec. 15 and the organization’s leader, Paata Sabelashvili, was jailed for two weeks.

Gay activists in Western Europe say the group remains under surveillance and that its phones are tapped.

“We are very concerned with the way the police forces treated the staff of the Inclusive Foundation and with the damage they caused to the office,” said Martin K.I. Christensen of the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. “The other worry is that Georgian police still monitor the office and that other leaders of the Inclusive Foundation, Tinatin Japaridze and Eka Agdgomelashvili, continue to be under police surveillance.”

The raiding officers did not wear uniforms, identify themselves, produce a search warrant or explain the raid, activists said.

The officers confiscated cell phones and denounced members of the Women’s Club, who were meeting at the time, as “perverts,”

“sick people” and “Satanists,” activists said.

Police threatened to out the women and threatened to kill Agdgomelashvili when she would not stop demanding a search warrant and the officers’ identification documents.

Inclusive Foundation leaders say they are constantly followed by “cars full of men without uniform” and that “one such car is permanently stationed outside the entrance to the house of one of the staff members.”

Belarusian activists fined for picket at Iranian Embassy Three members of GayBelarus were fined a total of about $467 Dec. 23 for picketing the Iranian Embassy in Minsk to protest Iran’s treatment of Gay people.

Sergey Androsenko was fined $307 for organizing an unauthorized protest and Sergey Praded was fined $123 for taking part in it.

A third participant was fined $37.

An embassy employee testified that among the people handed protest material was the Iranian ambassador himself.

Androsenko said his fine was unusually harsh for nations of the former Soviet Union and equals one month’s worth of his salary.

“I am going to appeal for review ... to the U.N. Human Rights Committee,” he said.

“It will reveal the roughness of Belarusian legislation to issues of organizing such actions and restrictions on expressing one’s own thought.”

“The world can’t hear the voice of Iranian Gays, who are being executed,” he added.

“We, activists of LGBT movement, have to become this voice.”

With assistance from Bill Kelley

The new law further requires that same-sex couples who got married anywhere in the world after Nov. 5, 2008, be given all the rights, protections and responsibilities of married spouses when in California – except the right to use the word “marriage” to describe their marriage.

“This vital bill will provide much-needed protections for samesex couples who have legally married out of state, or will in the future, and who deserve to be treated like any other married couple,” said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California.

“This bill will allow same-sex couples to get married in other states and countries and ensure they are treated equally under the law when they return to California.

Ultimately, however, restoring the freedom Sex in the City star Cynthia Nixon to marry is the only way to ensure that all en also will attend.

Californians receive the dignity and respect The Florida ban is the only law in the that come with marriage.” country that categorically prohibits Gay A second new law increases LGBT sermen and Lesbians from adopting children, vice providers’ access to state funding for the ACLU said. domestic-violence programs. The money, “This discriminatory law hurts thousands administered by the California Emergency of children who are languishing in Florida’s Management Agency, comes in part from a foster care system by denying them a per- $23 fee on domestic-partner registrations. manent home,” the group said.

Lastly, the Harvey Milk Day bill that roiled Gays’ enemies took effect Jan. 1.

Gay laws take effect The law marks the first time in U.S. histoin California ry that a state has officially recognized and New laws that do good things for Gays celebrated the contributions of an openly took effect in California Jan. 1.

LGBT person with an annual “day of special The Marriage Recognition and Family significance.”

Protection Act recognizes as valid all sameEach May 22, California public schools sex marriages from anywhere in the world and educational institutions will remember that took place prior to Nov. 5, 2008, the Milk, recognize his accomplishments and day that California voters amended the state teach about his contributions to the state. constitution to prevent Gay couples from marrying.

With assistance from Bill Kelley Craig Blankenhorn

NATIONAL

they were having Gay sex.

Numerous other men have been arrested since early 2008 for “crimes” variously called “homosexuality,” “incitement to debauchery,” “corruption of good behavior,” “acts against the order of nature,” “indecent conduct” and “homosexual marriage,” according to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

Last May, Prime Minister Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye called homosexuality “a sign of a crisis of values,” IGLHRC said.

Celebrating 37 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

SAFE SCHOOLS COALITION LGBT SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES www.safeschoolscoalition.org/RG-scholarships.html SUNDAY DISCUSSION SERIES AT REVOLUTION BOOKS Revolution Books, 89 S. Washington St., will host a 3-part Sunday discussion series, January 10, 17 & 24, from 3-5 p.m., on a new talk by Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, titled: “Unresolved Contradictions, Driving Forces for Revolution,” available to read at www.revcom.us.

Topics are: January 10, Part I: “Once More on the Coming Civil War… and Repolarization for Revolution;” January 17, Part II: “(Some Observations on) The International Movement;” January 24, Part III: “The New Synthesis and the Woman Question: The Emancipation of Women and the Communist Revolution – Further Leaps and Radical Ruptures.”

SOUTHEND LGBTQ POTLUCK On Sunday, January 10, from 4-7 p.m., meet other Southend Seattle LGBTQ folks for a community potluck and to help plan fun programs for the over 40 LGBTQ crowd. Bring your favorite dish to share.

FREE. Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S. Holly St. For more information, contact Ruth at 206-722-0317 or email ruthe@seniorservices.org.

STATE OF EMERGENCY RALLY IN OLYMPIA TO PRESERVE BASIC HEALTH AND OTHER HUMAN SERVICES On Tuesday, January 12 at 11 a.m., while Governor Chris Gregoire gives her “State of the State Address,” activists will demonstrate on the steps of the Capitol Building in Olympia to call for the legislature to preserve Basic Health and other human services by instituting a tax on the wealthy and corporate profits. For more information or to carpool from Seattle, call 206-722-6057 or 206-722-2453 or email RWseattle@ mindspring.com. This event is sponsored

by Sisters Organize for Survival, a group focused on a campaign to save the WA State Basic Health Plan. Future organizing meetings will be held in Seattle on Thursdays, January 21, 28, February 4 and 25, at 7 p.m., at New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave. S. All welcome. Wheelchair accessible.

GSBA’S JANUARY PRIME TIME MIXER AT SORRENTO HOTEL On Wednesday, January 13, from 5:307:30 p.m., the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), Seattle’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, hosts their January Prime Time Mixer at the Sorrento Hotel, 900 Madison St. The Sorrento Hotel offers a sumptuous decor along with tantalizing drinks and morsels high atop First Hill. “Join us as we celebrate the new year and the 100th anniversary of one of Seattle’s best boutique hotels. The event will be held in the hotel’s exclusive Top of the Town and Penthouse Suite, with an outdoor deck providing stunning views of the city. Cost: $10 for members and students; $15 for non-members.

206-363-9188; www.thegsba.org.

POZ SEATTLE HOSTS JANUARY POZ SOCIAL “PORN-EXCHANGE” AT THE CUFF COMPLEX On Wednesday, January 13, from 6-8 p.m., POZSeattle is pleased to present their first monthly POZ Social of 2010, at The Cuff Complex, 1533 13th Ave. at E. Pine St. Meet in the downstairs bar for food, socializing, to catch-up with old friends, to make new ones, and a whole lot of fun.

In keeping with their New Year’s tradition, POZSeattle will be hosting a “CleanOut-Your-Drawer-Because-You-Got-New-

Porn-For-Christmas-Porn Exchange!” To participate, simply bring in any magazines, books, DVDs, and yes, even VHS tapes you want to swap and trade, preferably clean and free of any stickiness and not too many pictures cut out.

This event is FREE as always (except for the cost of beverages from the bar), and donations are gladly accepted, and is for all HIV-Positive men and their friends, regardless of age, shape, size or color.

SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BOOK CLUB AT DUNSHEE HOUSE The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Dunshee House, 303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St. January – The Immoralist by Andre Gide; February – A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. All GLBTQ folks in the community are welcome to participate in this free book club. The reading list is chosen and the discussion facilitated by Nick DiMartino.

For more information, email nickdimartin@ earthlink.net or contact Dunshee House at 206-322-2437.

GAY CITY HOSTS QUEERITUALITY DISCUSSION GROUP On Wednesday, January 13, from 6:308:30 p.m., Gay City Health Project hosts their monthly reading and discussion group about Gay/Bi men’s spirituality at Kaladi Brothers Coffee, 511 E. Pike St. 206-8606969; www.gaycity.org.

CIVIL RIGHTS LEGEND JOHN LEWIS TO KEYNOTE KING COUNTY’S 23RD ANNUAL DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CELEBRATION AT THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE On Thursday, January 14, from noon to 1 p.m., King County will celebrate their 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St. The event is FREE and open to the public.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew his dream of a country where all people are judged by the “content of their character” is a journey that requires the participation of all Americans, if we are to reach that destination. King County and its employees once again invite everyone to help them honor the memory of Dr. King and celebrate his vision of what America can be.

“We are honored to be joined at this year’s event by a legend of the Civil Rights era and a participant with Dr. King in shattering America’s racial barriers. Congressman John Lewis was a “Freedom Rider,” a keynote speaker at the historic 1963 March on Washington, and a survivor of the “Bloody Sunday” attack of peaceful protesters marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in March, 1965. Congressman Lewis is scheduled to deliver this year’s keynote address.

Former King County Executive Ron Sims will be honored at this year’s event. The Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will receive the 2010 Humanitarian Award.

The celebration will also recognize young people from throughout King County whose essays have been selected to receive the 2010 Essay Award.

Music at this year’s ceremony will be performed by Dr. Quinton Morris, accompanied by Kevin Kauki.

OUT FOR SUSTAINABILITY HOSTS MONTHLY SOCIAL AT BOTTLENECK LOUNGE On Thursday, January 14, from 6-8 p.m., join members of OUT for Sustainability at the BottleNeck Lounge, 2328 E. Madison St. for their “every 2nd Thursday LGBTQ community version of Greendrinks where you’ll meet and mingle and hear a 2 minute talk from a local nonprofit or company who has something to teach us about sustainability.” For more information, email OUTsus-

Visit us online www.sgn.org

tainability@gmail.com.

IMPERIAL COURT OF SEATTLE’S JC/LADY GRAYTOP MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND www.imperialcourtofseattle.com. Applications must be postmarked by January 15, 2010.

POZ SEATTLE GAYME NIGHT AT DUNSHEE HOUSE On Friday, January 15, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., POZ Seattle will host Gayme Night at Dunshee House, 303 17th Ave. E., at E. Thomas St. Dunshee House has many board games on hand, but if you have a favorite you want to bring, please do so. This event is FREE and for all HIV-Positive men and their friends, regardless of age, shape, size or color.

CITY YEAR SEATTLE/KING COUNTY’S DAY OF SERVICE TO HONOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. On Saturday, January 16, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., join City Year and more than 400 Seattle area community members for a day of transformative community service projects in the Central District to build community and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Meet at Washington Middle School, 2101 S. Jackson St., registration from 8-8:30 a.m., with coffee and pastries; kick-off event from 9-10 a.m., with the Eriam Sisters from America’s Got Talent; service projects (including painting, landscaping and community mural projects) from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Lace up your boots and make a difference by joining us in a powerful day of service. To pre-register, contact Lauren at 206-219-5008 or email Lguzauskas@cityyear.org.

Q-SQUARED BOOK GROUP TO DISCUSS IN A SHALLOW GRAVE On Saturday, January 16, at 1 p.m., at the Capitol Hill Branch Library, 425 Harvard Ave. E., the Q-Squared Book Group will discuss the novel In a Shallow Grave

by James Purdy. Publisher’s Weekly called the book, “A marvelous tour-de-force. A novel that engages as it entertains, draws the reader in as it draws something out of him.

In other words, a very impressive book.”

Tennessee Williams had this praise for the author: “Purdy may shock and offend some partisans of the well-trodden paths in fiction, but he will surely enchant the reader who values a new expression of new feeling and experience in our very new times.”

Q-Squared Book Group is open to men who are interested in Gay literature and always welcomes new members. For more information, visit www.qsquared.org.

GAY BINGO RETURNS Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s long running Gay Bingo season returns on Saturday, January 16 with “Boot Camp Gay Bingo” at a NEW VENUE – Fremont Studios, 155 N. 35th St. – doors at 6 p.m., game starts promptly at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and a full bar will be available. Due to Washington State Liquor Control regulations, all guests must be 21 years of age or older.

Visit the NEW Lifelong AIDS Alliance Gay Bingo website at www.gaybingoseattle.com for more information and to buy your tickets. Or contact Gay Bingo at 206323-0069 or gaybingo@llaa.org.

and dinner). For information or to make reservations, call 206-223-7504 or visit www.

ChefsDinner.org.

GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE (GSA) SEVENTH ANNUAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT On Monday, January 18, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., GLSEN Washington State/Washington GSA Network invites all educators, students, advisors and interested adults to the Seventh Annual Washington State Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Leadership Summit, presented by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Washington State. The event will be held at the Kirkland Teen Union Building, 348 Kirkland Ave., Kirkland.

“You are a vital part of the LGBTQA community! Educate yourself on new and interesting ideas that can help you work with your school, community, or those you come in contact with. GLSEN provides curriculum ideas, sensitivity trainings, and resources for all educators, students, advisors and interested adults.

“Learn about opportunities for your GSA, hear new ideas and meet other students in GSA’s across Washington State. Clock hours available for certified educators!”

Cost is $15, which includes lunch with advance registration. (If students can’t pay the full amount, they can pay what they can at the door.) For more information, contact joe@glsenwa.org or call 206-330-2099 or 877-220-4213. To register, visit www. brownpapertickets.com/event/89894 or www.glsenwa.org. To help underwrite this event, donations can be sent to GLSEN WA, 1605 12th Ave., Ste 35, Seattle, WA 98102.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., DAY CELEBRATION IN SEATTLE On Monday, January 18, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration Committee hosts the annual region-wide Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Celebration in Seattle with workshops, rally and march. This year’s theme is “Justice Now! Healthcare, Housing, Jobs & Education.” The day’s event will begin at Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave. E., with workshops, including several geared toward youth, from 9:30-10:45 a.m. The rally with speakers, poetry and music follows at 11 a.m. At noon, the march steps off from Garfield to the Jackson Federal Building, 2nd Ave. & Marion St., in downtown Seattle, for a brief outdoor rally. The day’s events are FREE and a collection will be taken to cover the cost of the event.

“Seattle has one of the largest annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Celebrations in the U.S. We honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for his work toward racial equality and toward economic justice for all people, for his commitment to non-violence, and for his stand against war and militarism.” www.

MLKseattle.org.

“RE-ENVISION THE DREAM” – DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY CELEBRATION AT SEATTLE CENTER On Monday, January 18, from noon to 5 p.m., the Center House at Seattle Center hosts an afternoon of entertainment and reflection on how we uphold the dream now that we have our first African-American President of the United States. The celebration takes on a youth focus this year with presentation of the MLK Youth Peace Awards, the MLK Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Awards and a full afternoon of activities in honor of Dr. Martin Luther, Jr. BAILEY-BOUSHAY HOUSE’S The Legacy of Leadership Exhibit in HarANNUAL CHEFS’ DINNER rison Street Gallery features visual art work AT BELL HARBOR

by MLK award recipients of the past nine INT’L CONFERENCE CENTER On Sunday, January 17, Virginia Ma- years. For a complete schedule of events, son hosts their annual Chef’s Dinner, a visit www.seattlecenter.com. culinary extravaganza to benefit BaileyGAY SKATE PARTY AT Boushay House, Seattle. Guests enjoy the BELLEVUE SKATE KING best that Seattle chefs have to offer at an On Monday, January 18, from 7-10 p.m., hors d’oeuvres reception and silent auction. Then 300 guests go on to an exclusive enjoy an evening of roller skating at Bellemulti-course dinner prepared by more than vue Skate King, 2301 140th Ave. NE, Bellea dozen celebrated area chefs. The event vue, at this LGBTQ community social event is hosted by the Bell Harbor International for friends and family. Cost is $8 at the door; Conference Center, beautifully situated at $5 under 18. Regular skate rentals: FREE. Pier 66, 2211 Alaskan Way, on Elliott Bay. Inline skate rentals: $4 or bring your own Reception and wine auction at 5 p.m. ($75 skates. For more information and directions, per person); dinner at 7 p.m. ($300 or $600 call 425-458-4707. per person, includes reception, wine auction

January 8, 2010

Seattle Gay News

9

10 Seattle Gay News

January 8, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

Saturday January 23rd

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January 8, 2010

Seattle Gay News 11

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Celebrating 37 Years!

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January 8, 2010

Seattle Gay News 15

Jamie Pedersen introduces relationship recognition bill

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-43) has introduced legislation to make it easier for samesex couples married in another state to gain legal recognition for their relationship in Washington.

HB 2482 would allow out-of-state marriages to be recognized as domestic partnerships under Washington state law. The bill says A legal union of two persons of the same sex that was validly formed in another jurisdiction, and that is substantially equivalent to a domestic partnership under this chapter, shall be recognized as a valid domestic partnership in this state and shall be treated the same as a domestic partnership registered in this state regardless of whether it bears the name domestic partnership.

Pedersen’s bill would revise laws already on the books regulating this state’s recognition of same-sex relationships formed in other states.

“In 2008 we passed the first – or one of the first – recognition statutes,” Pedersen explained to SGN. “In other words, recognized relationships in other jurisdictions, like civil unions or domestic partnerships, would be treated as domestic partnerships here and given the same legal effect.”

The problem Pedersen wants to correct is that same-sex marriages – as opposed to civil unions or domestic partnerships – are exempted from recognition.

seen as a direct challenge to DOMA. “Maybe I’m too much of a Pollyanna, but I hope people will view this as just a cleanup of the existing statute,” he said. “It’s not related to DOMA. It doesn’t amend the section on what constitutes a marriage. It’s just another small move toward equality for all families.”

“The leadership has to be very careful,” Pedersen explained. “You have to budget how many controversial things you bring up for debate in one session.”

“There’s only one issue for the legisla“At that time we exempted marriages,” Pedersen explained. “That was a political ture right now – the budget,” he continued, decision as much as anything. We didn’t want it to seem like we were undermining the state DOMA. And anyway, Massachusetts was the only state that had marriage at that time.”

“Since then the world has changed,” Pedersen continued. “There are now seven states that have marriage. We’ve gone from a couple of thousand married couples to tens of thousands of couples. So it becomes by Shaun Knittel statistically much more likely that married SGN Staff Writer couples will come here and need to have their relationship recognized in some way.”

New Hampshire has become the 5th U.S. Under Washington state’s Defense of state to allow same-sex marriage. As of midMarriage Act (DOMA) even legal same-sex night, New Year’s Eve, a bill passed in June marriages concluded out-of-state would be by the state’s government that allowed martotally disregarded unless the legislature riage equality for same-sex couples became passes HB 2482. active law.

“Now there’s another complication,” PedAbout 15 Gay couples waited on the stateersen added. “Vermont, Connecticut, and house steps in Concord for the midnight New Hampshire had civil unions, and then marrying moment, according to Associated they passed marriage. And they decided that Press. A reported 150 people gathered in the they would automatically make the Transi- state capitol to witness the marriages by a tion from civil union to marriage. So if you justice of the peace as the new year dawned. had a civil union before, then after a certain In addition to the Concord nuptials, many date, you’re married.” other same-sex couples planned private cer“Now that means if you come to Washing- emonies around the state. ton state before that date, then you’re recNew Hampshire passed its law in June ognized,” Pedersen says, “but if you come amid an emotional national debate. The law after that date you’re not. That’s not fair and grants no new rights to Gays, but eliminates it’s not good public policy.” the separate status for civil unions.

Pedersen cautioned that his bill does not New Hampshire couples already in civil recognize out-of-state same sex marriages unions have three options to convert their as marriages, and he doesn’t want it to be status to marriages. They can have marriage ceremonies, file marriage paperwork with their town clerks to convert their status during 2010 or wait until the unions automatically convert in 2011.

referring to the state’s $2.6 billion revenue shortfall. “You can’t schedule eight hours of floor time for debate on other issues, otherwise nothing will get done.”

Asked if he thought the bill will pass this session, Pedersen answered, “I’m confident it will get out of my [Judiciary] committee, no problem. I’m confident it will pass the House.”

“I’ve been talking with Sen. Murray about the Senate,” he added, “but I can’t say for certain it will get through the Senate. Half the legislation we send over there dies because the Senate runs out of time.”

NH same-sex couples marry just after midnight

Specialized Services

New Hampshire joins Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts in the group of states that allow same-sex marriage despite determined opposition from religious leaders. Washington DC’s move to legalize same-sex marriage awaits Congressional approval.

Despite another state joining the group, the Gay marriage issue is far from over. Last month, New York officials voted down a marriage equality bill, as did California in 2008. Maine, one of the first states to allow Gay marriage, repealed its marriage equality law in November. Additionally, a same-sex marriage bill is stalled in New Jersey.

President Barack Obama has said he is against Gay marriage, though he does support civil unions or domestic partnerships, as well as other causes of the LGBT community.

Mo Baxley, executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, says that despite some of the setbacks the community experienced in 2009, the country is heading in the right direction.

“People focus on the setbacks, but last year there was one state and now there are five states,” he said.

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Out to Quit

clear my mind. I tend to smoke more here at work, when I’m writing articles. It helps me to remember the details, subtleties and nuances of whatever I’m writing about. I’ve taken two smokes breaks to get this far.

Lark says that a few weeks in, we’ll collectively decide on a “goal date” for the a restaurant of our choosing, paid for com- group. The goal can be individual, whether it’s quitting or reducing, but we all have to pletely by Gay City.

We’re given a chance to ask questions – I promptly ask if we will get smoke breaks.

Surprisingly, Lark says yes. Lark says that we will be in control of “The Program” on continued from cover our own terms, and that it’s really an individual program in a group setting. “There toward a streamlined model of HIV testing are people here with different goals,” he and counseling nationwide,” AHF officials says. “Some of you are here to quit, others told SGN. The organization’s recent and ambitious are here to cut down.” One man says, “I just 14 city AHF “Magic Johnson HIV Testing don’t want to rely on it so much.”

We talk about how tobacco companies tar- Caravan” in mid-2009 was a major success. get LGBT people and marginalized commu- Building on the momentum, AHF officials nities. The advertising campaign, colorfully told SGN the “Testing America” tour is a six referred to as “Project SCUM” or “Sub-Cul- month, 48 state cross country tour. The moture Urban Marketing,” works to identify bile unit, a large caravan, is a state-of-thesmoking with certain minority groups, thus art unit manned by Azul Mares-DelGrasso, field services manager, and Eric Boyd, momaking smoking more desirable to them.

Someone suggests that LGBT people may bile testing unit program manager.

“Working with respected local communibe more susceptible to depression and stress.

True or not, I certainly have a lot of straight ty partners like Gay City Health Project and friends that smoke for those reasons, as well the Center for Multicultural Health, we plan as Gay friends that don’t smoke at all, and on demonstrating just how easy HIV testing appear to live relatively stress-free lives. can be,” said Mares-DelGrasso. “After six Lark mentions that we may also be more months on the road, our ‘Testing America’ brand loyal as Queers, which is often the tour will culminate with a major testing case with our alcohol, as we tend to pick event in New York City on Sunday, June 27 the cocktails we like rather than hitting the – National HIV Testing Day.” DelGrasso said for each state they visit, wells.

About fifteen minutes after my arrival, a they work closely with local HIV/AIDS ortall man dressed in dark clothes stumbles in. ganizations to find out the best location for His name is Ryan. This brings the total in the mobile unit to park, help get the word the group to 15. I feel relieved that I’m no out, and because “we are a guest in their city longer the late one. We learn that he is from and there is a real benefit when everyone Free and Clear, a smoking cessation phone works together.”

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control line that people can call when they want to (CDC) began recommending routine HIV light up.

Lark tells us that “The Program” is con- testing for all people ages 13-64, a recomstantly evolving. We throw out ideas for the mendation that, according to AHF officials, group, like exchanging phone numbers and has not been widely implemented to date.

The free HIV test conducted inside the creating a buddy system, competing with each other in seeing how long we can go “Testing America” mobile unit are perwithout a cigarette, sharing tips and success formed by certified testing counselors, usstories and looking for our triggers in order ing two different types of tests. The first, Clearview COMPLETE HIV 1-2 is a single to develop a plan.

The last, I expected. I already feel like I use, self-contained closed system for colknow my triggers. I’m most definitely a so- lection, processing and analysis of a whole cial smoker. If any of my friends decide to blood, serum or plasma sample for the desmoke, I’ll almost always go with them – tection of HIV 1 and HIV 2 antibodies in as little as 15 minutes. The second, OraQuick and I have a lot of friends that smoke.

I also smoke when I’m stressed out, or to ADVANCE, provides results in 20 minutes, enabling patients to learn their status in a single visit and allows HIV positive patients to be connected to care immediately. This test is also approved for oral fluid, plasma, finger stick or venipuncture whole blood specimens. According to AHF, both tests are

Going through “The Program” – Week 1

by James Whitely SGN Contributing Writer It is 6:37 p.m., I awake slowly and realize I hadn’t set an alarm. In a matter of seconds the bed goes from a place of peace to an incomprehensible shit storm of trying to find my glasses. I have to be at my first smoking cessation course at 7 p.m. at Gay City Health Project on Capitol Hill. It’s twenty minutes till, I can’t see two feet in front of me, and I’m in North Seattle – I’m stressed the fuck out!

Traveling 15 mph over the speed limit, speeding south on the I-5 with NPR booming from the radio, I know I’m going to be late – I hate being late. I park near Madison St. and immediately light a cigarette as soon as I leave my car. This is why I’m going to this program. I’ve got to quit this habit.

As I arrive in front of Gay City at 511 E. Pike St., at 7:07 p.m., I notice a makeshift sign that reads “Out 2 Quit upstairs” in black permanent marker. “A laid back place,” I think, which relieves a little bit of the stress of not being timely. I take a few more drags of my menthol American Spirit and head through the door.

I ascend the stairs and enter the bright room. Thirteen people are seated at a large table. I sit down and create a nametag for myself at the behest of Lark, who appears to be in charge of the six-week smoking cessation program, which from now on I will refer to simply as “The Program.”

As my eyes adjust to the bright fluorescent lights in the room, I find out that this is the orientation. Everyone is very welcoming, not just the staff, but the participants as well. For some of us, like me, it’s the first time we’ve done anything like this. Others are veterans of similar programs. I now find myself in a good mood, borderline excited, and thinking, “This program is completely free. I know I’ll leave tonight feeling grateful towards Gay City, with a stronger desire to quit.”

Lark begins to tell us a little bit about “The Program.” We’re told that we’ll have homework, that we’ll get free patches, that we’ll be offered small personal video cameras to create a video log and that at the end of the six weeks, we’ll have a celebratory dinner at

hiv testing

Religion & Spirituality

strive to meet our goal at the same time.

I get the impression that Out To Quit is a quality program, but do I think I’m actually going to quit smoking because of it? Let’s just say I’d certainly like to.

This is Part One of a multi-week series about going through Gay City Health Project’s “Out To Quit” program.

99.9% accurate.

William Fowler was the first Seattle resident to get the “Testing America” free HIV test on January 6. “Knowing your HIV status is required where I work,” he told SGN. “I would get tested even if it wasn’t a work requirement. I think it is extremely important to know your status. If you are positive, then you have all the resources provided for care and counseling right here.”

According to an HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation “The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States,” the CDC reports that there are approximately 1.1 million people currently living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., more than 468,000 of whom are living with an AIDS-defining illness. Among the 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, an estimated 21% do not know they are infected.

According to the study, many people living with HIV are diagnosed late in their illness; in 2006, 36% received an AIDS diagnosis within one year of testing HIV positive.

“It is crucial that people know their HIV status and learn how to avoid becoming infected with HIV; or if they are infected, know their status, and seek medical treatment, if needed,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF president. “AHF is proud to spearhead this national ‘Testing America’ tour as a collaborative effort to raise awareness – and reduce stigma – around HIV testing.”

During the six month testing tour, AHF will present $1,000 grants to each of the local partners they collaborate with along the way. In addition, throughout the course of the cross country tour, HIV testing counselors will supply a steady stream of updates, videos and images via new media: YouTube, Facebook and Twitter postings from along the route, interviews with local partners, government officials and, when appropriate and available, interviews with people who were tested on the mobile unit. To follow the “Testing America” tour on these social media outlets, visit www.freehivtest.net for more information.

AHF is a global organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to over 100,000 people in 22 countries. It is the nation’s largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care. Since 1987, AHF has cared for thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

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Seattle Gay News 17

mcdermott continued from cover

for the appointment by a 12-member advi- to use a stronger word. We agreed to meet sory committee chaired by attorney Anne again soon.”

Levinson.

Phillips said he assured McDermott that he would support McDermott’s run for the “Dow asked us to hurry up…” Council seat in November.

According to Phillips, Constantine wanted “I’m very, very, very supportive of Sen. his seat filled as soon as possible.

McDermott,” Phillips said.

“Dow asked us to hurry up,” Phillips said.

SGN also called McDermott for comment, “Dow implored us, ‘Please have this ap- but he was reportedly in meetings all day. pointment done as soon as possible.’ Dow McDermott is considered the favorite had a big hand in coming up with the pro- to win the seat in November, since the 34th cess, even coming up with the composition Legislative District, where he is hugely popular, makes up 60% of the Council District. of the committee.”

Asked why Republicans would want to Constantine’s office has not returned SGN’s calls for comment on the appoint- block the appointment of a candidate who is likely to be elected to the Council anyway, ment.

Phillips told SGN that in the end, he be- Phillips replied “I don’t know. You get into lieved it was better to fill the seat, even if it public motivation versus private motivation. meant voting with the Republicans, than to Their public motivation was they wanted a caretaker.” keep it open.

“Some members have really strong feel“To be candid,” he said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to take repeated negative votes. ings about that,” he added. “I don’t care that It would have been a bad situation for Sen. much about it personally, but some of them feel strongly.”

McDermott.”

run for the post.

“I absolutely support Joe McDermott,” he said. “I think he’ll be great on the Council.

I’m 100% supportive.”

Phillips explained that his vote was intended only to break the 4-4 deadlock on the Council and get the seat filled.

“Since Dow left, there are eight votes,” he said. “Four opposed Sen. McDermott.

No matter how you want to count it, or how much you want to change it, that’s how it was.”

“It was time to break the impasse,” he added.

Phillips revealed that Council members had tried and failed to come up with possible compromise candidates who would please both Democrats and Republicans.

“We went back to the advisory committee,” he said, “and asked would they come up with some new names? And they said “Have them call me!”

Phillips calls McDermott ‘no, we won’t reconvene, pick from the four Phillips vigorously denied “off the record” Phillips also revealed he’d called McDerwe sent you.’” reports that he voted for Drago because he Both Drago and McDermott, along with mott soon after the vote.

“I talked to him yesterday [January 4],” was still angry that Constantine had won the Rep. Zack Hudgins (D-11) and Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-34) were selected as finalists Phillips said. “He was stunned. I don’t want County Executive position. McDermott has been an ally of Constantine and was seen as Constantine’s choice to succeed him.

“Let’s set this straight,” Phillips told SGN. “Within a few days of the primary I approached Dow and I endorsed him. I’m meeting with [Deputy County Executive] Fred Jarrett this afternoon [January 5]. We have a lot of things we need to work on.”

“When Joe’s name came up for the [Council] seat, I called Joe and I told him ‘I’m endorsing your campaign,’” Phillips continued. “We had a very pleasant conversation.

Joe told me my endorsement was the first in the door.”

“And on a personal level that was hard

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New Council member Jan Drago New County Council member Jan Drago revealed to SGN that she had been approached to run for the open Council seat in November.

“I went to [Dow’s] swearing-in [on November 24, 2009],” she told SGN. “I was busy, busy, busy. I was in high gear getting ready to leave the [City] Council. And I was celebrating.”

“I was approached to run for the open [County] Council seat,” Drago continued, “and I said ‘no, I’m not interested in more campaigning, but if you want a caretaker – let’s say an interim member – I might be interested.’”

Drago would not reveal who approached her.

“A couple of people,” she said in response to the question. “We should just let that remain where it is.”

According to Drago, she then dropped by the Council offices for “an informal chat with the members who were there. Both Democrats and Republicans.”

“I talked with [County Council Chair] Bob Ferguson, but just about process issues,” she added.

“One advantage to an interim appointment,” Drago told SGN, “is that you can fully devote yourself to doing the job. You can take the hard votes without worrying about the political consequences.”

Asked if that meant she saw herself voting with the Council’s Republicans on some issues, Drago answered, “Oh, I’m not envisioning that. The single hardest issue will be the budget. If there were easy cuts they would have been made already. That’s what I’m talking about.”

While Drago insists she will keep her promise not to run for the Council seat in November, she declined to endorse McDermott for the spot.

“I have not gone there yet,” she said. “I expect Joe will be elected. And I think he’ll do a great job.”

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for me,” Phillips added, “because I have a long history with Jan.” Drago managed one of Phillips’ runs for the state House of Representatives before he joined the County Council in 1991.

“My actions speak louder than their words,” Phillips said of the “off the record” sources. “Have them call me! Have them call me! We’ll have a conference call and you can sit in if you want.”

“They say these things off the record because they know these doubts and these rumors will get into your paper and they don’t have to take responsibility for it,” he added.

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continued from cover on Christmas Day that Belton refused to apologize for.

What Bloomington Police Lt. David Drake says he doesn’t know is, was the sexual encounter between the well-respected professor and an ex-Marine the start of a new relationship or an assault?

The probable cause affidavit said a journal found at Belton’s house contained notes he wrote in the week prior to Christmas that, “(Belton) is very happy that an individual by the name of Michael has come into his life.”

Griffin has been charged with murder in the December 27, 2009 attack that shocked Belton’s colleagues at IU Bloomington where he taught English as an assistant professor.

“He was a generous and talented professor who had much potential,” Provost Karen Hanson said in a statement on the school’s website. “We were shocked and saddened by his death.”

Along with the diary that spoke of Belton’s happiness with “Michael”, police said they also found a 4 x 6 card by the computer with a phone number, e-mail and directions to the home for someone with the name “Griffin.” On December 29, the address led investigators to Griffin’s home, where he was taken into custody without incident.

During the arrest, Lt. Drake said Griffin was in possession of a 9mm gun and had his 2-year-old son with him. According to the police lieutenant, they had received a report that Griffin had made comments about “wanting just one more night with his son,” and authorities were concerned he might try to harm himself or the little boy.

Once in police custody, Griffin waived his rights and told investigators that he went to Belton’s home on December 27, 2009, to confront him about the two sexual encounters, which Griffin described as assaults.

Griffin pleaded not guilty during a December 30, 2009, court appearance. He is being held without bond and according to police, has no prior criminal record.

ARGUMENT TURNED PHYSICAL During police interrogation on December 29, 2009, Griffin said the sexual incidents allegedly occurred at his house on Christmas Day. Griffin had invited Belton to a gathering of friends, according to his confession.

He declined to elaborate on the nature of the

sexual acts.

Griffin says that when he went to Belton’s home that Sunday, the conversation turned into a scuffle and he, according to the affidavit, brandished a knife called a “peace keeper” that he had purchased before deploying to Iraq with the Marine Corps.

Griffin states that when he confronted Belton about the two (alleged) sexual assaults, he felt Belton was in no way apologetic and that he did not show or express any type of feeling that what had taken place was a mistake.

According to court papers, once the argument turned physical Griffin “stabbed him until he quit moving” then left the house and changed clothes in his girlfriend’s pickup truck.

Police were called to Belton’s home on December 28, 2009, after a colleague found his body. He had been stabbed multiple times in the back and side, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Shortly after Belton’s body was discovered, police in Batesville, Indiana called Bloomington detectives to tell them a woman, later identified as Griffin’s girlfriend, had called to report that her boyfriend may have been involved in Belton’s murder.

Bloomington police say that Griffin told them he went about running errands before dumping a white trash bag containing his bloody clothes. According to the affidavit, police searched the dumpster where Griffin said he dumped the clothes. Investigators were unable to recover those clothes – the trash had already been collected.

Because it appeared that nothing had been taken from Belton’s home, officers believe the murder “to be a crime of anger or passion.”

Many other friends and colleagues also said the Belton they knew had yet to surface.

“We want to change the public perception … while they are still paying attention,” Greiner said.

Former IU undergraduate Justin Way took Belton’s 2008 advanced fiction writing workshop. He says Belton’s class students would not read the typical fiction.

“That’s a thing about him, he opened up

your reading taste to be more eclectic,” Way said.

He added that Belton’s class was the antithesis of the competitive atmosphere writing could often have. Way said his attitude toward writing changed because of Belton.

“It really is tragic,” Way said, reflecting on Belton’s murder.

Adjacent to the courthouse square where the vigil took place is Monroe County Jail, where Griffin is incarcerated.

SIMPSON

ACLU and Equality Arizona.

In 2004, the YWCA recognized her as one of their “Women on the Move,” and in the same year, she won the Democratic nomination to the Arizona House of Representatives. In 2005, she was given the Arizona Human Rights Foundation Individual Award.

The appointment makes good on a promise made by White House Office of Public Engagement Brian Bond, who stated the LGBT community would take on a more visible role in the Obama Administration.

“Obama is the first U.S. president to appoint openly Transgender individuals to executive branch positions,” the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that backs openly Gay elected officials, said on its website.

The Obama administration is on track to setting a new record on openly LGBT appointees. President Clinton appointed about 140 Gay official over 8 years. In his first year in office, Obama has appointed nearly 100 openly LGBT officials.

continued from cover ing as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. While working at Raytheon, Simpson transitioned from male-to-female over a six-year period. She successfully lobbied to add gender identity to Raytheon’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

Simpson also holds degrees in physics, engineering and business administration along with an extensive flight background.

She is a certified flight instructor and test pilot with 20 years of experience.

In addition, Simpson has been very active in political and community groups.

She has served on the Board of Directors of two national organizations: Out & Equal and NCTE. In Arizona, she has been on the board of Wingspan, the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance, the Southern Arizona

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL IN BELTON’S HONOR IU professors, students and Bloomington community members held a candlelight vigil at the Bloomington Courthouse Square on New Year’s Day in Belton’s honor. The hundreds of attendees walked in solidarity to mourn the loss, as well as to express their disbelief and anger that Belton’s murderer had accused the professor of sexual assault.

“It has been incredibly taxing, emotionally draining and saddening,” said D. Rae Greiner, an IU assistant professor of English, who organized the vigil.

Greiner said not only is she dealing with the sudden loss of her friend and colleague, but she has been dealing with inadequate media coverage of his character.

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Seattle Gay News 19

courtesy Q Syndicate

A new decade for GLBT sports

by Dan Woog SGN Contributing Writer As one decade ends and another begins, The OutField pauses to survey the GLBT sports world. We’ve come a long way, baby, from the days when the term “Gay athlete” was regarded as an oxymoron at best, repulsive at worst.

Life is still not peachy-keen, of course.

Players and coaches remain closeted. AntiGay rhetoric still flows. But a tipping point seems nearer than ever.

Take this story – one of several reported

by Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation intern Emily Witko in a roundup titled “Media Paying Attention to LGBT Sport Issues.” When Outsports.com reported that Dallas Mavericks basketball player Drew Gooden referred to two Los Angeles Clippers fans as “faggots,” one of the men e-mailed Mavs’ coach Mark Cuban from

his BlackBerry. Cuban quickly responded: “I appreciate you telling me. I will deal w Drew.”

Similarly, when Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson used anti-Gay slurs, the football team docked him a week’s pay – about $315,000 – and suspended him for a game. His agent said, “Larry apologized. He learned from it, and hopefully other people learned from it. My hope is that people learn that something positive can come out of this, and that there are words that should not be used because they demean people.”

Homophobic slurs are not confined to the U.S. Witko reports that Danish soccer team FC Midtjylland fired star goalkeeper Arek Onyszko for writing in his book, Fucking Polak: “I hate Gays, I really do. I think it’s fucking disgusting to hear them talk to each other as if they are girls. I can’t be in the same room as someone who’s Gay. Look

Former pro hockey player Justin Bourne

at them kissing each other – it’s sickening.”

Onyszko is no stranger to controversy. In 2008 he was fired from another squad, after a conviction of assault on his ex-wife. He served three months in prison.

Back in the U.S., Major League Baseball welcomed its first openly Gay owner in October. Laura Ricketts – who serves on the board of Lambda Legal – joined her family in purchasing the Chicago Cubs, for $845 million. The earth did not stop revolving – and the Cubs, a non-World Series contender since 1908, did not immediately become competitive – but Ricketts’ ascension to the highest level of the baseball world may be significant simply because no one cared.

The Gay sports world heard a voice for equality from a straight source, too, when former pro Justin Bourne wrote a column in USA Today headlined: “It’s Time to End the Use of Gay Slurs in Hockey.”

Bourne – who, Witko says, used anti-Gay slurs “many times himself” during his career – recognized that the atmosphere in homophobic locker rooms may keep talented Gay players out of the game.

“It’s time to acknowledge we’ve been unfair to the Gay community,” Bourne said.

“The culture of our sport can be misogynistic, homophobic and cruel. More important, it’s time to make a stand that we want it to change.”

One hockey player who may benefit from Bourne’s stand – if it is heeded, and adopted, by the sport – is a 17-year-old named “Mikey.” He lives in a suburb of Minneapolis, is captain of his high school team, and blogs regularly Writing in blog-speak, Mikey says: “im Gay and not out and spend my whole life with jocks who are mostly anti Gay. it usually sucks, but its cool i get to play hockey.”

He writes about the usual: practices and

games, shoveling snow and worrying about waking up in a hotel on a road trip where teammates sleep two to a bed, spooning with a teammate and – well, this is a family column. Check out http://hockeykidmn. blogspot.com for a look into what it’s like to be a Gay high school athlete these days – and, in many ways, just a normal teenager.

Finally, a shout out to an entire hockey team. This one is the girls squad from Woodstock, New Brunswick. The Lady Thunder team won a Canadian provincial human rights award for standing up for two teammates who came out.

According to CBC News, Alyssa McLean and Sierra Paul were supported by Lady Thunder players – but taunted by rivals.

The opposing team refused to shake the two girls’ hands. The same girls were then treated rudely at a fast-food restaurant.

Their Woodstock teammates devised a plan. They created rainbow-colored buttons, with the word “homophobia” crossed out. The girls wore the buttons to games.

A team in Edmundston, Canada asked what the buttons were about. The Woodstock players gave them some – and their opponents immediately put them on.

The Woodstock girls were “a model for the promotion of human rights among youth,” said New Brunswick Human Rights Commission chair Gordon Porter, in making the award.

Happily, they are not the only ones speaking out – and standing up – for GLBT athletes everywhere.

Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, Gay activist, and author of the Jocks series of books on Gay male athletes.

Visit his Web site at www.danwoog.com. He can be reached care of this publication or at OutField@qsyndicate.com.

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