SGN April 22, 2011 - Section 1

Issue 16 Volume 39

Celebrating 38 Years!

Truvada p. 9

paul Dahlquist p. 25

pride idol p. 25

Seattle Gay News

FRIDAY April 22, 2011 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“We have to remind SGN sits down with people we’re Queer” Seattle’s flash mob boss

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

cena, winner of a prestigious All-Washington State Academic/Leadership Team award.

Aw a r d - w i n ners represent 33 community and technical colleges in the state, and are chosen for their volunteer work in the community as well as their academic achievement.

“My school nominated me,” Obcena told SGN, “and I’m thankful to represent work in the LGBTQ community.”

Born in the Philippines, Obcena

Egan Orion, executive producer of One Degree Events, knows that the world is watching. His team of volunteers, choreographers, and flash mob enthusiasts are taking the game to a whole new level – locally and throughout the nation – to dance, sing, perform, surprise, and ultimately delight the masses, both in person and online.

A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an act for a brief time, and then disperse, often for the purpose of entertainment or satire.

Seattle Gay News caught up with Egan, known throughout the city for his events (most notably the annual Pridefest at Seattle Center), as he was still riding high off his most recent flash mob, which had a Glee twist.

“The first time I ever saw a flash mob I knew I just had to do one in Seattle,” said Egan, who is jok-

see obcena page 18

see flash mob page 18

courtesy dante obcena

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Dante Obcena

“It’s not me meeting the governor, it’s not me getting the medal – it’s my work,” says Dante Ob-

Mike Costales Photography

Dante Obcena, award-winning student, talks to the SGN

“Halfway there”

Egan Orion gets a Glee-inspired “slushing.”

Why Gay history is GLAMAZONIA and Lily celebrate five years American history

by Anthony Greer SGN Contributing Writer GLAMAZONIA and Lily Armani, two of Seattle’s most famous and accomplished drag superstars, celebrated their five-year anniver-

sary on April 15. Now, for the first time in any publication, the pair discusses their relationship as both Gay men and as drag performers, and from how they first met to how they’ve loved and supported one another on and off the stage ever

HOW GLAM MET LILY On the night of February 4, 2006, an out-of-the-frock GLAMAZONIA walked up the stairs to the second floor of Purr and found herself attracted to a guy in a baseball cap whose friends were calling “Lily.”

During their conversation, GLAM discovered that she was speaking to Lily Armani out of drag. Curious to see if Lily knew who she was, GLAM tested her by asking if she’d ever been to Gay bingo. Lily said she went once and thought the performer, GLAMAZONIA, was really gorgeous and a great host. When GLAM came out to her, Lily found it hard to believe.

The two flirted a little, and after a trip to The Cuff with friends, GLAM drove Lily home. Lily gave her a peck on the cheek before getting out of the car.

After their initial encounter, their friends connected the two through emails, and while GLAM found herself learning about Lily’s performances and her blog (which has since been retired), she failed to

Johannes Jordan

courtesy glamazonia

Lily Armani (l) and GLAMAZONIA

since.

The Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village was the site of the Stonewall riots in June of 1969. The riots are considered the defining event that marked the start of the Gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Forty-five years ago, a debate was raging in California.

The state Board of Education had adopted a new junior high school history textbook with inclusive treatment of the civil rights movement.

California conservatives were see glam/lily page 20

outraged. They warned of the disastrous effects this would have on the youth. They screamed and they yelled, but luckily for us all, they were unsuccessful.

Although 1966 was many years ago and we can easily look back and wonder, “What were they see history page 20

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Seattle Gay News

April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

April 22, 2011

Seattle Gay News

3

Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1973

1605 12th Ave., Ste. 31 Seattle, WA 98122

Phone: (206) 324-4297 Fax: (206) 322-7188

MEMBER

e-mail: sgn2@sgn.org internet: www.sgn.org

2011

Deadlines

Classifieds - Thursday at noon Calendar - Tuesday 6pm Display Ads: Space Reservation - Monday 5pm Ad copy (non-camera ready) - Tues. 5pm Ad copy (camera ready) - Wed. 5pm Letters to the Editor - Tuesday 5pm Obituaries - Call the SGN office All others - Tuesday 5pm

Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers

Contributing Writers

Rev. Barbara Allen, Mike Andrew, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Nevin Jefferson, Keen News Service, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Romeo San Vicente, Rex Wockner

Classifieds Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Photographers

Nick Ardizzone, Nate Gowdy, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Website Designer Barry Thorsness/Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published weekly by Frogs and Ink, Inc. © 2011, Frogs and Ink, Inc., all rights reserved. Reprints by permission.

Publication of names, photographs or likenesses of any person, organization, event or business in this publication cannot be taken as any indication of the sexual orientation of the person, organization, event or business.

Opinions expressed in bylined articles, columns, and letters are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management of this paper.

Seattle Gay News welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or reject material. All rights revert to authors upon publication.

We assume no liability for loss or damage of materials, solicited or not. We invite feedback, please write.

And please play safe.

It is our policy that no money shall be refunded if you choose to cancel your subscription or ad. However, credit towards any size ad will be given for the balance owed. No exceptions.

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

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Seattle Gay News

Daniels, who Jackson once glowingly called his “comrade in war,” easily upstaged him.

For the unacquainted, Daniels is a former drug dealer, prostitute, and military veteran turned preacher who is now running for Jacksonville City Council as a Democrat. (Yeah, that’s not a typo – she plays on the donkey team.)

However, it is her recent quotes and not her distant past that is most disconcerting.

Her bizarre beliefs include the notion that Halloween candy can be tainted by demons: “I do not buy candy during the Halloween season,” Daniels told Charisma magazine Kimberly Daniels on October 27, 2009.

by Wayne Besen “Curses are sent through the tricks and SGN Contributing Writer treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door-to-door or by purchasing it from Just yesterday, it seemed that Maryland- the local grocery store. The demons can’t based anti-Gay activist Bishop Harry Jack- tell the difference.” (Pretty dumb demons, son was a shoo-in for providing the nutty I’d say.) quote of the week. On a right-wing radio Of course, the big question we all want to show, he said that attempts to win LGBT know is whether the hard shells of M&Ms marriage equality were “a satanic plot to de- make them demon-proof. stroy our seed.”

Not surprisingly, Daniels is known as a Unfortunately for the bishop, Kimberly “demonbuster” who gives exorcisms to rid people of various maladies.

“We have experienced much success in one-session deliverances,” Daniels wrote in her book, Clean House, Strong House.

“However, there have been times when I have personally walked homosexuals, exwitches, and drug addicts through sessions that took place over a couple of years.”

There is no word on weather former Delaware U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell was among the witches miraculously saved by Daniels.

Researcher Bruce Wilson dove further into Daniels’ treasure trove of quotes this week and discovered some new gems that will likely (or should) end her political cavotekimberlydaniels.com

George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel, Miryam Gordon, Tim Peter

Anti-Semitic “demonbuster” runs for Jacksonville City Council

April 22, 2011

reer. For example, Wilson discovered a video of Wilson saying, “You can talk about the Holocaust, but the Jews own everything.”

Jews own everything? This is news to me, because I had no idea that Bill Gates, Sam Walton, Warren Buffett, and Donald Trump were Jewish. Now that I know, I hope they enjoyed Passover!

Perhaps the most shocking quote from Daniels, who is African American, came when she portrayed slavery as a heavenly gift.

“I thank God for slavery,” preached Daniels, in a sermon that was captured on video.

“If it wasn’t for slavery, I might be somewhere in Africa worshiping a tree.” (And who would be here in America to warn us about the danger of Satanic Skittles?)

On her campaign website, Daniels writes, “If I am elected, I will work with my colleagues to seek solutions to problems in our city that trouble the hearts of the people.”

One can only imagine what “solutions” this deeply disturbed woman might have in store for Jacksonville residents if she wins.

Incredibly, on March 17, she received 43 percent of the vote and forced a May 17 runoff with Republican David Taylor.

Daniels realizes that city council races usually have a low voter turnout. Her strategy is to run a stealth campaign and flood the polls with fundamentalist voters, while avoiding reporters who will ask tough questions. She will likely use the Christian media and a network of churches in heavily religious Jacksonville to disseminate her message and get voters to the polls. The Examiner website opines: “If you are running for office, you need to be available to talk to voters and reporters. This is something Ms. Daniels apparently is not able to do.”

Given her offensive statements and crackpot views, Duval County’s Democratic Party needs to step in and take a stand before it is too late. They ought to demand that Daniels immediately quit the race and apologize to voters.

If she refuses, the Democrats ought to endorse Taylor or at least make a strong, unambiguous statement distancing themselves from Daniels’ views. I’m sure the Democrats want to win, but at what cost?

The local and state Democratic Party should not allow their name to be associated with such blatant bigotry. The Party has to make it clear that Daniels outrageous views are anathema to its core principles and values. If not, they are no better than craven Republicans who pander to the Religious Right for the sake of raw power.

The thought of Daniels on the City Council is scarier than a Halloween haunted house filled with Reese’s Demon Butter Cups. Voters must be made aware of the radicalism and ridiculousness she will bring to Jacksonville if elected.

Celebrating 38 Years!

Raising a glass to Dining Out For Life

THANKS FOR THOUGHTFUL ARTICLE I appreciated your thoughtfulness in using excerpts of a recent article from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on Wesley Church in Minneapolis [“Methodist minister to defy church, bless same-sex unions,” March 18, 2011]. People who missed the article in print subsequently saw it in the Seattle Gay News. And in at least one instance, it enabled a couple to contact me.

As I tried to indicate to the Star-Tribune, we believe that all persons in “responsible, mutually respectful, and reverent relationships” deserve to have their relationships blessed by us or any other spiritual community or religious tradition. Your gracious reprint of the article helped make that possible. Thank you. Every good wish to everyone at the Seattle Gay News.

Greg Renstrom, Minister Wesley Church, Minneapolis GROWING OLDER IN THE GAY COMMUNITY

participating.

This year, you can also “Dine Out and Win.” On April 28, you can enter to win The 18th annual Dining Out For Life one of several gift certificates to participatevent is scheduled for April 28, when par- ing restaurants. To enter, visit a participatticipating restaurants, grocery stores, cafés, ing restaurant, fill out a raffle envelope, and and bakeries will donate a percentage of drop it in the Dining Out For Life donation their proceeds to Lifelong AIDS Alliance to box.

You also have the option to enjoy the support the fight against illness and hunger privileges of being a Dining Out For Life in our community.

You can support Dining Out For Life dur- supporter year-round. When you make an ing breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late-night additional donation of $25 or more on April hours. Up to 30% of your bill will go to- 28, you will receive a “20% off Tuesday” membership card in the mail along with a wards the benefit.

Nationally, more than 3,500 restaurants tax-deduction receipt. The card entitles you will donate to the licensed agency in their to 20% off your table’s food bill on Tuesday city. Nearly $4 million is raised each year to evenings (excluding holidays and alcoholic support the mission’s agencies throughout beverages) throughout the year at participatNorth America. The money raised in each ing restaurants.

Visit www.DiningOutforLife.com for a city stays local.

This year, the city has really come togeth- complete list of restaurants, to make your er to show support for the great cause, with online reservations, or for more informabusinesses from Capitol Hill to West Seattle tion.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

I’ve had a lot of time to think since I retired as a counselor. Especially as it relates to being a part of the Gay community and how I fit in (or lack thereof) as an older man.

I still keep in good shape, as that’s important to me, not only for my health but admittedly for my looks as well.

I remember recently seeing a comment on Facebook from a man who said that after he turned 35 he no longer associated with the Gay community. He now hangs out with his straight friends. He said that he was treated as though “he didn’t exist” (my words), any more in the Gay community.

I understand how he feels. I am no longer 35 (even though I still think I’m 30), and I do find it a little difficult to feel included anymore. Times have changed. I have changed, but one thing I have learned is that it’s easy to create our own image of who we are and how we fit in. I think I responded to this man, and I thought sometimes it’s our own perception of ourselves that tends to be the problem, and to hell with the “twinks”

and their fashion icons.

Well, I don’t really feel to hell with the twinks and their fashion icons. They are just trying to define who they are and how they fit in to the Gay community as well.

We were there once ourselves. Didn’t you ever change clothes about a dozen times before you went out, and didn’t you spend an hour on your hair to make sure you were just perfect and attractive to everyone? Been there, done that. Now my hair is thinner and my face is beginning to show my age, but admittedly I try to dress reasonably well. I have always felt that how a person dresses defines how they feel about themselves, and that hasn’t changed.

It shouldn’t matter what other guys think of me, and if it does, then that’s my problem. If I sit in a club and no one talks to me, whose problem is that? Am I putting myself out there so that I am approachable? Or do I just sit there feeling isolated and don’t talk to anyone myself? As older men, we have to get past that. Rejection is not fun – it wasn’t fun when I was younger and it isn’t now, but we move on. If I feel I am being rejected by a younger guy or even an older guy, I try to think “It’s too bad, they don’t know what they are missing out on.” There is more to me than what’s on the outside. Too often we see guys with their “trophies” and know that when the fun wears off and you strip them down to their very souls, it won’t last, and they move on to the next trophy to show off.

I’m a relationship kind of guy. I always have been and, yes, it has its problems as well, but even as I get older I know there is more to relationships than who you look good with. It goes much deeper than that.

So the “twinks” will get older, and one day they will be in the same boat that we are, and then what do they have to fall back on?

Getting older has its advantages. We are smarter, wiser, more mature, and get into movies cheaper (I had to add that), and who we are is not defined by what others think of us, but what we think of ourselves. As you grow older, love yourself and love those “twinks” with their fashion icons, because one day, they will be right where you are.

Dennis

GLSEN holds students of color organizing event

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, will hold a Students of Color Organizing Conference (SOCO) on May 7 at Seattle University.

The event, made possible by a generous grant from the Arcus Foundation, will gather high school students of color from the Puget Sound (Seattle and Tacoma area) and throughout Washington state.

According to GLSEN officials, SOCO aims to provide networking and skillsbuilding opportunities to empower young people of color to organize and become engaged in work for safer schools. In addition, SOCO will afford LGBT and allied students of color with an opportunity to network with organizers from the Seattle and Tacoma area, create action plans for organizing in their communities, look at their work

through an anti-oppression lens, and explore the intersections of their identities.

The weekend will also provide an opportunity for students and adult allies to network with one another.

GLSEN will cover the costs for the event (lunch and dinner are included) which is by invitation. Students will be selected based on their community involvement, safe schools work, organizing background, and their commitment to social change.

If you are a high school student who would like to be considered to attend the conference, submit an application to GLSEN at www.glsenwa.org or http://bit.ly/cuh4mq for the direct application. The application deadline is April 25.

If you are an adult and would like to be a part of SOCO as a volunteer or supporter, email Joe at joe@wagsa.org for more information about getting involved.

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

Go 1605 12th Avenue at Pine, Seattle (In liquor store parking garage.) Seattle Storm!

206-838-6027 or 206-898-4306 Visit us online www.sgn.org

April 22, 2011

Seattle Gay News

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INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer

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Seattle Gay News

courtesy jamesforchange.com

Indian Penal Code so that it no longer applies to the activities of consenting adults.

The section bans “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal” under penalty of 10 years to life in prison.

The court said 377 violated a constitutional guarantee of equality under the law, a constitutional ban on discrimination based on sex, and constitutional promises of personal liberty and protection of life.

“Section 377 IPC targets the homosexual community as a class and is motivated by an animus towards this vulnerable class of people,” the court wrote. “It has no other purpose than to criminalize conduct which fails to conform with the moral or religious views of a section of society.”

Given India’s population of 1.2 billion people, the High On April 5 James Cappleman became the second Court’s decision had the effect openly Gay alderman to be elected in Chicago. of decriminalizing 17 percent Moscow Pride: of all LGB people on the planet.

Sixth time’s a charm?

Gay activists will try again next month to Gay groups denounce draft stage a Gay pride march in Moscow.

Hungarian Constitution This time, they are armed with a final Hungary’s Parliament was scheduled to ruling from the European Court of Human vote April 18 on a new national constitution Rights that previous years’ bans by the ex- that LGBT groups say is problematic. mayor and the city were illegal.

ILGA-Europe – the European Region of Last October, the ECHR determined that the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, the bans placed Russia in violation of the Trans and Intersex Association – said the European Convention on Human Rights in draft defines marriage as between a man and the areas of freedom of assembly and as- a woman, and omits sexual orientation from sociation, right to an effective remedy, and an anti-discrimination provision’s list of prohibition of discrimination. banned grounds of discrimination.

The Russian government appealed the rul“Such a restrictive definition [of marriage] ing to a higher chamber of the court, where clearly shows that Hungary wants to instituthe “referral request” was “rejected” April tionalize homophobia in its supreme law,” 11, according to the court’s website.

ILGA-Europe said. “While Hungary al“The Court’s Chamber judgment of 21 ready has registered-partnership legislation October 2010 has thereby become final,” for same-sex partners, such a constitutional the court’s registrar reported. provision, if adopted, will mean that sameOn April 12, Moscow Pride applied to the sex partners will be deprived from enjoying police department and mayor’s office for full legal equality as different-sex partners. permission to hold this year’s march.

Additionally, [it] would create serious reThe group asked to hold a “mass cultural strictions in terms of the implementation of and educational event” this time rather than the [European Union] free-movement direca “political rally” – which had been banned tive as same-sex partners married in other each of the past five years.

EU countries would not be recognized as “I really hope that this time common sense married in Hungary.” will finally prevail and our Gay pride events The co-chair of ILGA-Europe’s board, will not be banned by authorities,” co-orga- Martin K.I. Christensen, said “the proposed nizer Nikolai Baev told UK Gay News and draft signals a worrying sign of Hungary’s GayRussia.ru. “It’s enough of such madness departure from the EU principles of equal[as] bans, arrests, riots, and so on. I think ity and nondiscrimination for all, and from that nobody is interested in such ... things European legal traditions.” except extreme right groups.”

He called on EU institutions “to interfere Previous years’ unsanctioned events were with what appears to be a conscious move attacked by anti-Gay hooligans, picketed by against principles of equality and nondisreligious protesters, and broken up by riot crimination on the grounds of sexual oripolice. entation enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU freedom of Indian Supreme Court movement directive.” considers ruling that legalized Gay sex Euro Parliament India’s Supreme Court was scheduled on scolds Macedonia April 19 to begin hearing 15 separate apIn adopting its annual report on Macedopeals of the Delhi High Court ruling that nia’s progress toward joining the European struck down the nation’s ban on Gay sex in Union, the European Parliament on April 7 July 2009. told the nation to legally ban discrimination The appeals were launched by various based on sexual orientation. groups and individuals. Other groups have Such a ban is a requirement of EU memintervened to support the decision, includ- bership. ing famed filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a The parliament called for “the swift aligngroup of 19 parents with Gay children, a ment of national provisions in this field with group of 16 academics and teachers, and a [EU law] and for strengthening of the monigroup of 14 mental health professionals. toring mechanisms.”

“All these have been admitted into the MEP Ulrike Lunacek, co-president of the case, which goes a considerable way to- parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, wards balancing the 15 petitions opposing said: “Nondiscrimination is a fundamental us, most of them from extremist religious right in the EU. Macedonia must stop avertgroups,” said activist Vikram Doctor. ing its eyes from minorities, and provide The government did not appeal the deci- full protection to all citizens without excepsion. tion.”

In striking down the ban nationally, the Intergroup Co-President Michael CashHigh Court “read down” Section 377 of the man added: “There is literally no way

April 22, 2011

around this. Entering the European Union Van der Toorn was in New York, where will require amending the anti-discrimina- Eisfeld works for Global Action for Trans tion law.”

Equality, on a business trip.

Eisfeld underwent gender transition after Dutch university gives graduation from the university.

Transgender man Approval to issue the revised diploma new diploma came in November via a ruling from the The president of the executive board of Dutch Equal Treatment Commission. the University of Amsterdam, Karel van der The decision also applies to other Dutch Toorn, presented Transgender activist and Transgender people. alumnus Justus Eisfeld with a new diploma reflecting his correct gender April 6 in New With assistance from Bill Kelley York City.

NATIONAL

NEWS

Gay bills introduced in Congress Two recurring LGBT-rights measures were introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in April: the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Uniting American Families Act. ENDA would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in workplaces that have 15 or more employees.

UAFA would give U.S. citizens and permanent residents the right to sponsor a same-sex permanent partner for U.S. residence – a right that is available to oppositesex binational spouses.

“Thousands of committed same-sex couples are needlessly suffering because of unequal treatment under our immigration laws, and this is an outrage,” U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in announcing UAFA’s introduction.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said: “Our nation’s discriminatory immigration laws force binational same-sex families to decide between breaking up or living in exile. No American family should face this decision.”

According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, at least 25 nations allow residents to sponsor same-sex permanent partners for legal immigration, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

ENDA and UAFA may face a tough road in Congress, in part because Republicans control the House of Representatives.

Laws similar to ENDA exist in 21 states and Washington, D.C., for sexual orientation and in 12 states and D.C. for gender identity.

Delaware Legislature passes civil-union bill, governor to sign Delaware’s Senate and House of Representatives passed a civil-union bill April 7 and April 14, respectively. The Senate vote was 13-6. The House vote was 25-16.

The measure grants same-sex couples the state-level rights, benefits, and obligations of marriage, and recognizes same-sex civil unions and marriages from other states, treating them as Delaware civil unions.

“I congratulate everyone who worked so hard to make these rights real and look forward to signing this bill into law,” Gov. Jack Markell said April 14. “When it came to this legislation, it was clear that it was about rights, it was about opportunity and it was about time.”

Seven other states have similar laws, and five states and Washington, D.C., let samesex couples marry. Five additional states recognize people married in other states and countries as married.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Same-sex marriages from elsewhere are recognized as marriages in Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and California (if the marriage took place before Proposition 8 passed). Eleven other nations allow samesex couples to marry – Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Mexico (where same-sex marriages are al-

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer lowed only in the capital city but are recognized nationwide).

The states with civil-union laws that grant all marriage rights are California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington. The Hawaii and Illinois laws were passed recently and have not come into force. Five other states have Gay-union laws that extend some rights of marriage: Colorado, Hawaii (an older law), Maine, Maryland, and Wisconsin.

Prop 8 judge comes out to reporters The judge who struck down California’s Proposition 8 last August came out to reporters April 6 in San Francisco.

Former U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker also said he’s in a relationship with a doctor.

Walker said his sexuality was irrelevant to his handling of the Prop 8 case, and that things such as gender, ethnicity, and national origin also should not affect which cases judges hear.

Walker’s strikedown of Prop 8, which amended the state constitution in 2008 to reban same-sex marriage, is on appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The case has been delayed because the people who were sued – including California’s governor and attorney general – have no interest in defending Prop 8. As a result, the people who put Prop 8 on the ballot have intervened in the case to defend it, but it’s unclear at this time if they have legal “standing” to defend the amendment in federal court.

The 9th Circuit recently asked the California Supreme Court for its opinion on the “standing” question. The California court is not expected to give an answer until late this year at the soonest.

Chicago elects another Gay alderman Chicago voters elected the city’s second openly Gay alderman April 5. James Cappleman will represent the 46th Ward on the North Side.

Gay Alderman Tom Tunney has represented the heavily Gay 44th Ward, just south of the 46th, since 2003.

In the Illinois state capital, Springfield, voters also elected an openly Gay alderman April 5. Republican Cory Jobe will represent the city’s 6th Ward.

Maryland Trans rights bill dies A Transgender nondiscrimination bill that had passed the Maryland House of Delegates died in the Senate on April 11. Senators voted 27-20 to return it to committee.

The development took state LGBT activists by surprise, as they believed they had lined up the needed votes for passage. In the end, 16 Democrats voted with the majority.

“Senators ... took a walk on justice and fairness today and turned their backs on the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Equality Maryland Executive Director Morgan Meneses-Sheets.

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey added, “Without legal protections, Transgender people are made particularly vulnerable to ... neglect, bias and abuse.”

With assistance from Bill Kelley

Celebrating 38 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR SEATTLE PRIDE PARADE www.seattlepride.org

GENDER ODYSSEY SHOW SEEKS ART SUBMISSIONS As part of Gender Odyssey’s 10th anniversary conference, the We Made This Road

by Walking art show is an opportunity for reflection and celebration. We Made This Road by Walking references creating a path for oneself when the road to a desired destination doesn’t already exist. Our theme is not limited to Transgender topics, but contextualizes our individual and collective experiences in terms of the actions we have taken to move our lives and our community forward.

The submission deadline is June 30, 2011, and the exhibition dates are August 4-7, 2011.

Entry of artwork to this show is open to members of our collective transgender communities. Original 2- and 3-dimensional works and original multimedia works – subject to technical requirements – will be accepted. Display space may be limited so please get your submissions in early. Gender Odyssey 2011 does not guarantee space for all art submissions.

Please visit http://www.genderodyssey. org/submit-art/ for further details, as well as an entry form.

“DINA MARTINA: LIVE AT RE-BAR PLACE” On Fridays and Saturdays, through April 30, at 8 p.m., at Re-bar (1114 Howell St.), join the talent-stuffed Dina Martina and ultra-gifted accompanist Chris Jeffries for their semi-awaited return to Re-bar for a Spring show that’s oozing with razzledazzle – minus the dazzle! Dina Martina’s shows are brimming with unwittingly hilarious songs, point-free stories, astoundingly funny videos, bizarre audience gifts, costumes on their deathbeds and, as The Village Voice says, “comedy that’ll make you piss your pants!” Tickets are $20 and available online at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/143300 and at the door. NOTE: There are two Sunday matinees on Sundays, April 17 and 24, at 2 p.m.

SEATTLE PRIDE IDOL On Sundays through June 19, doors at 6 p.m., competition at 7 p.m., at Neighbours (1509 Broadway. entrance in alley off E. Pike St. between Broadway and Harvard), join Seattle Out and Proud (SO&P) for Seattle’s Pride Idol talent competition to see who will represent Seattle Out & Proud on the Pride Idol Float in the Seattle Pride Parade on Sunday, June 26. For complete details, visit www.seattlepride.com.

THE ELITE HOSTS FREE ASL LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS Have you ever wanted to learn basic American Sign Language? If so, you can get some beginning ASL instruction at the Elite (1520 E. Olive Way). The FREE lessons will be held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the loft.

AND KCTS TV On Saturday, April 16 from 2-4 p.m. at Northwest Film Forums (1515 12th Ave.), the public is invited to a FREE screening of American Experience’s 90-minute documentary, Stonewall Uprising, which tells the dramatic story of the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village, NYC in 1969.

KCTS-TV, channel 9, will broadcast the documentary on Monday, April 25 at 9 p.m.

SAKURA-CON 2011 From Friday, April 22 to Sunday, April 24 at the Washington State Convention Center, Sakura-Con 2011 will be held. Come experience anime, gaming, and music, with musical guests Berryz Kobo and Exist Trace.

Fan, industry, and guest panels, Japanese arts and culture, dances, art shows, cosplay, and much more.

For more information, visit www.sakuracon.org.

CAMP TEN TREES ANNUAL DINNER & AUCTION On Saturday, April 23, at 6 p.m., at Herban Feast’s SODO Park (3200 1st Ave. S.), join Camp Ten Trees staff and supporters for “BELIEVE: A magical evening in support of Camp Ten Trees.” Believe in the children and youth of LGBTQA comunities.

Believe in the possibilities created in their lives when they find support and connection at this loving, engaging summer camp.

This annual dinner and auction raises the vital funds necessary to ensure that every child and youth who needs this camp can attend, regardless of ability to pay. Tickets are $55-individual; $125-VIP individual. Register online at www.camptentrees.org or call 206-288-9568.

IMPROV FOR JAPAN FUNDRAISER IN SEATTLE AND EMI JAPAN RELIEF AUCTION ONLINE On Sunday, April 24, at 7 p.m., Wing-It Productions presents “Improv for Japan” at the Historic University Theater (5510 University Way NE). Local Seattle improv groups will gather together to help raise money and awareness for stricken areas of Japan in need of aid.

Wing-It Productions is organizing the event, which is completely volunteer. All performing groups will be waiving their performing fees. Groups performing include Carskee, Unexpected Productions, The Collective, Safeword, Wing-It Productions and more. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door and online at www.jetcityimprov. com/improvforjapan. All proceeds will benefit Mercy Corps.

EMI around the world have united to help raise money for the Japanese Red Cross with a very special auction on Ebay, which started April 5. Artists and songwriters from across the EMI family are raising funds for the disaster relief effort through an incredible worldwide auction of personal items and memorabilia. www.ebay.com/EMIfamily4Japan.

SALLY CLARK’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF On Tuesday, April 26, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Mary’s Place (314 Bell St.), join Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark along with friends and supporters to kick-off Sally’s reelection campaign. Suggested donation: $50-friend, $100-host, $250-sponsor.

For more information and to volunteer, visit www.electsallyclark.com.

performances throughout the season. Voted number one on the RIAA and NEA’s “Songs of the Century” list, Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” is an American Songbook selection that unites generations and ties the 2011 Spring Pops Season together – from the opening-night Judy Garland tribute to the finale “Triple Crown” performance celebrating America’s Heartland. The signature Boston Pops sing-along has long been an audience favorite, so this year the orchestra is opening the sing-along to a national choir.

Participants of all ages can submit video of themselves singing “Over the Rainbow” by adding a video to YouTube and e-mailing a link and contact info to overtherainbow@ bso.org. Videos will be featured on the Boston Pops YouTube channel, on the Boston Pops website www.bostonpops.org, and at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. All video submissions are due by Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

GAY CITY PRESENTS THE MAGIC PILL On Wednesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. at Erickson Theater Off Broadway (1524 Harvard Ave.), Gay City presents The Magic Pill, a community forum about all sides of the important issue of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Featuring speakers from the SW School of Public Health, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Center for Multicultural Research, and the Gay City Health Project. Hosted by Aleksa Manila and Tony Buff.

For more information, visit www.gaycity. org.

DINING OUT FOR LIFE TO BENEFIT LIFELONG AIDS ALLIANCE On Thursday, April 28, the 18th Annual Dining Out For Life event will take place.

Participating restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and cafes in King, Kitsap, and Snohomish Counties will donate up to 30% of your dining bill to support Lifelong AIDS Alliance and our mission to care for those living with HIV and AIDS. Dining Out For Life is the one day each year where you make a difference simply by dining out – any time of day! For you early risers, it’s as easy as grabbing a coffee and pastry on your way to work. Or plan an office lunch with colleagues. Dining Out For Life is a perfect day to plan a special evening out with friends and family at your favorite restaurant. There has never been a better reason to order an extra appetizer or indulge in a decadent dessert.

Participating is as easy as Dining Out! One Day, All Day! Please visit our at website www.diningoutforlife.com for a complete list of restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and cafes.

GSBA APRIL WOMEN AT THE TOP WITH KATE KENDALL, NATIONAL CENTER FOR LESBIAN RIGHTS On Thursday, April 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., join GSBA (Greater Seattle Business Association) women members and women friends at Sheraton Seattle Hotel, 6th Ave. and E. Pike St., for wine, hors d’oeuvres and a special presentation by Kate Kendall, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco.

Cost is $10-members, $15-nonmembers, $10-students. To RSVP, visit www.thegsba. org or call 206-363-9188.

Women at the Top is THE quarterly cocktail hour for professional LGBTA women.

Whether you’re in business, nonprofits, academia or government, Women at the Top is a social melting pot for women to meet and mingle atop beautiful GSBA member venues. Please continue the buzz around Women at the Top and invite other colleagues and friends to kick back, raise a glass and chat with 100+ women colleagues. The GSBA is Seattle’s LGBTA chamber of commerce.

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.). All GLBTQ folks in the community are welcome to participate in this FREE book club.

The book for April is We Think the World of You by J.R. Ackerley. The book was made BOSTON POPS into a movie in the ’80s starring Alan Bates “OVER THE RAINBOW” and a very young Gary Oldman.

LADY CHABLIS NATIONAL For more information, e-mail nickdimarBIRTHDAY FUNDRAISER SING-ALONG COLLAGE tin@earthlink.net or contact Dunshee House FOR YOUTH SUICIDE To pay respect to the shared cultural heriat 206-322-2437.

PREVENTION tage of the American Songbook, the Boston On Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 Pops is asking for video submissions of fans STONEWALL UPRISING singing “Over the Rainbow” for inclusion in at 9:30 p.m. at R Place (619 E. Pine St.), join COMMUNITY BROADCAST a video collage to be shown at Boston Pops Lady Chablis for an evening of entertain-

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April 22, 2011

ment with the incomparable Lady Chablis and friends to celebrate Chablis’ birthday and raise money for Seattle Youth Suicide Prevention’s OUTLoud Program.

FREE HEALTH CLINIC On Saturday, April 30, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome (2727 E. D St.), the National Association of Free Clinics and the Washington Free Clinic Association will hold a free health clinic. This event is free and for individuals who do not have health insurance. Space is still available, and patient appointments must be made in advance at 1-877-233-5159. Volunteers, medical and non-medical, are needed for the clinic. Volunteers can register at www. regonline.com/wacare.

For more information, visit http://freeclinics.us/event/Washington-state-care-clinic THREE DOLLAR BILL CINEMA PRESENTS “OUTLAW: JEAN GENET ON FILM” Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s 6th Annual Spring Film Series “Outlaw: Jean Genet on Film” ends on Saturday, April 30, at 7 p.m., at the Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave.) with the screening of groundbreaking German director Rainier Werner Fassbinder’s Querelle, which follows a muscular French sailor’s surreal sexual adventures in a seedy seaport. Tickets: $12. For more information, visit www.threedollarbillcinema. org/calendar/outlaw-genet-on-film.

LANGSTON HUGHES AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL From Saturday, April 30 to Sunday, May 8 at Central Cinema (21st and Union), the 8th Annual Langston Hughes African American Film Festival will be screening films in Seattle. LHAAFF, co-sponsored locally by 4Culture and Comcast, offers a unique blend of returning filmmakers whose careers have grown much in line with LHAAFF’s amazing growth (Alrick Brown, Ava Duvernay, Charles Officer, and Joe Doughrity).

Among the 22 Seattle premieres are two films which will screen on the GLBT Interest Night on Tuesday, May 3: 1 In A Million (5/3 at 7 p.m.) is a re-creation of the creation myth. It is the story of a Lesbian couple’s dogged pursuit of suitable sperm to start their family. The film is a fast-paced, funny action flick – a story of moms-to-be on a precarious journey in cars, ‘copters and cyberspace, relentlessly pursuing and welcoming new life.

Children of God (5/3 at 7 p.m.) is set against the backdrop of a nation grappling with violent, homophobic crime and offers a scathing examination of the underlying hatred for Gays rampant in Caribbean societies. This is an uncommon portrayal of love, loneliness, tolerance, secrets and selfacceptance.

Tickets are $5 for youth under 16 and seniors and $8 for adults. The All-Access Langston Pass is $50. All film details, including show times, locations and ticketing information, are available at www.langstonblackfilmfest.org or by calling 206-3261088.

LGBTQ IMMIGRANT RIGHTS CONTINGENT On Sunday, May 1 at 12:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church (20th and S. Weller St), join LGBTQ allies and LGBTQ immigrants at the Washington-Arizona-Wisconsin immigrant rights march and rally. Organized by El Comite and the May 1st Coalition.

For more information, email allyship@ yahoo.com or call 206-279-8169 or visit lgbtqallyship.org.

TEN MORE GOOD YEARS DOCUMENTARY SCREENING On Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. at the Community Hall at the Phinney Neighborhood Association (6532 Phinney Ave. N.), watch a screening of Ten More Good Years, a documentary about the unique challenges facing Gay and Lesbian seniors. The one-hour films will be followed by a 45-minute discussion.

To RSVP or for more information, email katiep@phinneycenter.org or call 206-7832244.

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Low Income Housing Institute to build affordable housing for youth

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) announced plans to develop 50 units of housing in the University District for formerly homeless youth and those transitioning out of foster care. A new home for the University District Food Bank will be located on the first floor.

LIHI recently purchased the 13,600-square-foot site, located at 5019 Roosevelt Way N.E., which is next-door to the University Branch Library.

According to LIHI officials, Runberg Architecture Group will design the four-story building where residents aged 18 to 25 will receive support to finish their education and pursue employment. LIHI will partner with two experienced non-profit service providers, YouthCare and Sound Mental Health, to provide counseling, employment services, and other supportive services.

“The studios will be 425 square feet and will provide a safe home for a population that in many cases has been abused, neglected, or abandoned,” stated LIHI executive director Sharon Lee. The University District Food Bank has been searching for a new home as it has outgrown its existing space.

“We are excited to partner with LIHI on

this important project,” stated Food Bank Executive Director Joe Gruber. “We’ll have room to accept significantly more food donations and offer outreach and training onsite so more customer families can be linked to the important services they need to help meet their basic needs.”

The agency distributes 40,000-45,000 pounds of food each week. Visit their website at www.udistrictfoodbank.org.

The vibrant University District is a good place for the apartment complex, Lee said, as residents can access transit nearby while staying close to jobs and educational opportunities in the neighborhood.

“In these times of economic devastation, young people become the last to bear the burden of homelessness and the last to be considered for help out of homelessness,” said YouthCare Executive Director Melinda Giovengo.

YouthCare (www.youthcare.org) provides emergency services, housing, education, and job training for homeless and runaway youth.

An estimated 800 to 1,200 young adults are homeless in King County, and there are few housing options linked with appropriate over 1,800 affordable housing units in the viduals and families most in need, including services to address their needs.

The Low Income Housing Institute is a Puget Sound region. LIHI’s housing serves seniors, youth, veterans, large families, and non-profit organization with a portfolio of low-income and formerly homeless indi- people with special needs.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Former Rutgers University freshman Dharun Ravi has been charged with a hate crime and 14 other counts in the suicide of his college roommate, Tyler Clementi.

Clementi, then 18, took his own life last fall by jumping off the George Washington Bridge, after Ravi allegedly taped him having sex with another man in his dorm room and live-streamed the encounter on a video chat line.

A Middlesex County, New Jersey, grand jury charged Ravi with bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, witness and evidence tampering, and other counts.

According to the indictment, an alleged accomplice, Ravi’s friend Molly Wei, was not charged by the grand jury “at this time.”

The indictment says Ravi targeted Clementi and invaded his privacy knowing that Clementi would be intimidated because of his sexual orientation.

Ravi “disclosed a photograph, film, videotape, recording, or other reproduction of

the image of [Clementi] … whose intimate parts were exposed,” the indictment reads.

Evidence retrieved from Twitter and various social networking sites suggests Ravi had an aversion to Clementi’s sexual orientation from the start of their freshman year.

“Found out my roommate is Gay,” Ravi tweeted on August 22 last year.

He then posted a link to a Gay men’s website where he said Clementi had placed posts.

It is believed to be the same website, JustUsBoys, that Clementi posted to after he discovered that Ravi had secretly filmed him with another man.

“So my question is what is next,” user “cti2mo” – believed to be Clementi – wrote on September 21. “I could just be more careful next time ... make sure to turn the cam away.”

In the same post, cit2mo continues, “I’m kinda pissed at him (rightfully so I think, no?)”

A Twitter page that appears to have been operated by Ravi but has since been taken down shows messages in which Ravi takes credit for the alleged videotaping of Clementi.

Ravi apparently tweeted about his roommate on September 19 before live-streaming Clementi’s sexual encounter.

“Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into Molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay,” he wrote.

And two days later, another message went out to Ravi’s 148 Twitter followers: “Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it’s happening again.”

The next day, a chilling post from Clementi showed up on his Facebook page.

He wrote in a message dated September

file photo

Indictment in Rutgers suicide case

Tyler Clementi

22 at 8:42 p.m., “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”

Ravi subsequently became worried about being charged with a crime, prosecutors say.

According to their indictment, he then sent false tweets in an attempt “to mislead a public servant who was engaged in such proceeding or investigation.”

He also attempted to destroy tweets from his Twitter feed, prosecutors allege. In addition, the indictment says that Ravi tried to convince other students to not testify against him.

Clementi’s parents, Jane and Joe Clementi, said in a statement released Wednesday

that they were eager for the case to move forward.

“The grand jury indictment spells out cold and calculated acts against our son Tyler by his former college roommate. If these facts are true, as they appear to be, then it is important for our criminal justice system to establish clear accountability under law. We are eager to have the process move forward for justice in this case and to reinforce the standards of acceptable conduct in our society,” the statement said.

Lawyers for Ravi say the webcam stream was viewed on only a single computer and did not show Clementi and his companion having sex.

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

Go 1605 12th Avenue at Pine, Seattle (In liquor store parking garage.) Seattle Storm!

206-838-6027 or 206-898-4306 8

Seattle Gay News

April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Family Health International (FHI), a nonprofit AIDS research organization, announced on April 18 that it was abandoning its study on the AIDS-prevention potential of the drug Truvada.

FHI said it made the decision because an interim review of data by the trial’s independent data monitoring committee showed that they could not demonstrate Truvada’s effectiveness even if their research continued to its planned conclusion.

The group launched the study two years ago and had enrolled about 2,000 women subjects in Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. Half the women were given Truvada and the others received a placebo.

As of last week, FHI said, 56 new HIV infections had occurred, half in each group.

“We were surprised by the outcome,” said Dr. Timothy Mastro, vice president of Health and Developmental Science at FHI. “We were advised that there was no benefit to continue for the next several months.”

A number of possible reasons could have contributed to the findings, according to Mastro.

One reason, he said, could be that the women may not have been taking the medication as advised, if they were taking it at all. Or the medication might not work for women the way it seemed to work for men

in a previous study.

“The final data have not been confirmed,” said Mastro. “So at this point, all we can say is that the study was not able to conclude that Truvada works for women.”

Based on a University of California San Francisco (UCSF) study of men who have sex with men which was released in November of 2010, researchers had hoped that Truvada might prove to be an effective “pre-exposure prophylaxis” (PrEP) drug, that might be used by HIV-negative people to prevent initial HIV infections.

CDC directors Kevin Fenton and Jonathon Mermin said the FHI study was “wellconducted,” but expressed their disappointment at the results.

“These preliminary results are disappointing, especially given that this approach has already been shown to be effective in reducing HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM).” their statement said.

The UCSF study involved 2,499 Gay and Bi men and Transgender women in six countries, including the U.S. That study was, itself, controversial.

While the CDC was hopeful that Truvada might be effective as a PrEP drug, AIDS Healthcare Foundation – which describes itself as “the nation’s largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care” – noted that the UCSF study showed only a 44% effectiveness rate.

AHF went to the expense of running full-

file photo

African Truvada study halted, anti-HIV drug found ineffective for women

Truvada

page ads in major Gay newspapers warning urged people not to extrapolate from the FHI that consistent condom use was a better pre- study. ventative than Truvada.

“It must be seen for what it is: the closure “We are concerned about the implications of a single trial in a field that has generated of a recent study of pre-exposure prophylax- exciting results in the past,” he said. is (PrEP) using Gilead Sciences, Inc.’s drug The drug marketed as Truvada contains Truvada using 2,500 Gay men and showing oral tenofovir and emtricitabine and is apa 44% effectiveness rate in preventing HIV proved as an anti-retroviral medication for transmission. AHF supports continued re- people who are already HIV-positive. It is search on HIV prevention, but opposes quick manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc. fixes that run the risk of contributing to the Seattle’s own Gay City Health Project is spread of HIV and drug-resistant viruses. hosting a forum on PrEP on April 27. Titled Our community must consider these issues “The Magic Pill?” the forum asks the quesif we are going to offer up hundreds of thou- tion, “How far would you go to stay HIVsands of Gay men for this totally misguided negative?” experiment,” the AFH statement said.

It will be hosted by Aleksa Manila and Two other large studies of PrEP in women Tony Buff, and features a panel of HIV/ are under way in sub-Saharan Africa and AIDS healthcare experts. will continue.

Gay City’s forum begins at 7:00 p.m. at Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS Vac- Erickson Theater Off Broadway, 1524 Harcine Advocacy Coalition in New York City, vard Avenue.

Thousands of students observe National Day of Silence

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Students from thousands of schools around the country observed a day of silence on April 15.

Sponsored by GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), the National Day of Silence is a day of action during which students across the country take some form of a vow of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of antiLGBT bullying and harassment in schools.

Through their activities, students can speak out against harassment and organize for

change for their schools and communities.

Every year, more and more students participate in the Day of Silence, which began 13 years ago when University of Virginia students sought a way to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying, and harassment on campus.

As the day’s popularity and exposure have increased, many misperceptions have spread about what the Day of Silence is, why the day exists, and what participating in it means.

While students do have a right to participate in the Day of Silence between classes and before and after school, they may not

Visit us online www.sgn.org

ers ahead of time are more likely to be able to remain silent during class.

The goal of the Day of Silence is to make schools safer for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity/ expression. In a Harris Interactive study on bullying, students said two of the top three reasons students are harassed in school are actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression. Additionally, nearly nine out of 10 LGBT students experience harassment at school.

The Day of Silence is an opportunity for students to work toward a better school climate for all students. GLSEN advises students interested in participating to discuss their intentions with their administrators and teachers long before the event. The day is most successful when schools and students work together to show their commitment to ensuring safe schools for all students.

Many schools allow students’ participation throughout the day. Some schools ask students to speak as they normally would during class and remain silent during breaks and at lunch. There is no single way to participate, and students are encouraged to take part in the way that is the most positive and uplifting for their school.

For the latest GLSEN findings about antiLGBT bullying and harassment on campus, go to www.glsen.org/research.

have the right to stay silent during instructional time if a teacher requests for them to speak. According to Lambda Legal, “Under the Constitution, public schools must respect students’ right to free speech. The right to speak includes the right not to speak, as well as the right to wear buttons or T-shirts expressing support for a cause.”

However, this right doesn’t extend to classroom time. “If a teacher tells a student to answer a question during class, the student generally doesn’t have a constitutional right to refuse to answer.”

GLSEN officials say they remind participants that students who talk with their teach-

April 22, 2011

Seattle Gay News

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10 Seattle Gay News

April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

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12 Seattle Gay News

April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

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14 Seattle Gay News

April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 15

Malaysian authorities send 66 boys to anti-Gay camp

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Authorities in the Malaysian state of Terengganu have sent 66 Muslim schoolboys to a four-day camp to discourage them from being Gay. The boys, all between 13 and 17 years old, were singled out by their teachers for “effeminate” behavior.

Their stay at the camp is meant “to guide them back to the right path in life before they reach a point of no return,” Terengganu Education Director Razali Daud said in an Associated Press interview. “Such effeminate behavior is unnatural and will affect their studies and their future.”

“As educators, we have to do something about it before the young ones misunderstand people and reach the point of no return,” Razali told the New Straits Times newspaper.

Razali added that Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender people exist in Malaysia, but the authorities want to limit their number.

While the camp is the first such program in Terengganu, it is in line with the conservative Muslim political agenda of the state’s government.

Over the years, Terengganu’s officials have initiated programs aimed at promoting Muslim morality, for example offering free honeymoons to save the marriages of couples considering divorce.

Although the anti-Gay camp is officially designated a “self-development course,” it is illegal under Malaysian law and should be abolished, one of the country’s government ministers said on April 20.

Malaysian Women’s Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said that singling out children based on perceived feminine mannerisms was traumatizing and harmful to their men-

Truth Wins Out in Burlington, VT, recently called on Ugandan authorities to investigate anti-Gay activist Martin Ssempa for potential extortion, perjury, and fraud, following the New York Times’ discovery that

“I’ve always been Gay,” Mr. Oundo said, in a timid but growing voice. “I didn’t choose it.”

“David Kato was the first one who taught me to protect my human rights,” Mr. Oundo added.

Mr. Oundo said that his presence alongside Mr. Ssempa at Parliament had been to “protect” himself and that he had been contacted only that morning by Mr. Kagaba about the meeting and offered about $42 to attend. He said Mr. Ssempa had offered him about $2,000 in 2009 to repent and switch sides in the debate, but later reneged. Either way, Mr. Oundo became a poster-child for Mr. Ssempa’s anti-homosexuality movement.

Mr. Ssempa declined to comment on the allegations.

Mr. Oundo admitted that he had picked up boyfriends at high schools and universities, what the anti-Gay movement calls recruiting. But he said Uganda’s Gay population was full of “natural-borns,” like himself.

Mr. George Oundo, 26, a Transgender per“If I live or die, I am Gay, and if I am burson who used to go by the name Georgina , ied, bury me Gay,” he said. went next [to testify to Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi].

“It is clear that George Oundo came un“I used to call myself the Queen Mother der an inordinate amount of pressure to lie and Lady of the City,” Mr. Oundo said. “I about his sexual orientation and suppress was recruited into homosexuality many his actual position on the this bill,” said years back, when I was 12.”

TWO’s Besen. “Ugandan officials should “When I joined Mr. Ssempa, I told him all question Ssempa to see if blackmail, extormy problems,” he said. “I had to come out tion, or fraud led to Oundo’s false testimoand join the struggle. ny. If it is determined that Ssempa lied or “Please help us; let the bill pass,” he said. forced Oundo to lie at any time under oath, But an hour later, in a quiet hotel, Mr. he should be charged with perjury. Martin Oundo recanted much of what had been said Ssempa should not be above the law.” at the meeting.

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organiza“David Kato was murdered; it was a plot,” tion that fights anti-LGBT religious extremMr. Oundo said. “I don’t support the bill.” ism. TWO specializes in turning informaAs for being a “former homosexual,” that, tion into action by organizing, advocating, too, was not true. and fighting for LGBT equality.

tal health.

The camp violates the country’s Child Act, which protects all children without prejudice, she said.

LGBT rights activists charge that Malaysian educators are persecuting children for expressing their personalities and identities.

The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality said “corrective boot camps” violate the rights of people who are perceived as different.

“It should be strongly opposed and challenged as it promotes homophobia and prejudice,” the group said in a statement.

“We should send a clear message to institutions that they have no business meddling with an individual’s identity and personal preference.”

Pang Khee Teik, a prominent Malaysian sexual rights advocate and co-founder of the group Seksualiti Merdeka, described the camp as outrageous and an example of homophobia.

“All the students will learn from these camps is that they are expected to behave a certain way,” Pang said. “And in order to avoid further ridicule, perhaps they will learn to pretend better. In the end, we are only teaching them how to be a hypocrite.”

Same-sex relations are illegal in Malaysia, and may carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison, although no one has alleged that any of the 66 boys involved had been sent to camp because their sexual behavior.

Malaysia’s most high-profile use of its anti-sodomy law involves political opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is on trial on charges of having sex with a male former aide.

Anwar, who is married with six children, by Mike Andrew insists the charge was fabricated to smear SGN Staff Writer his reputation. The government denies plotting against him.

Fourteen leaders of the Serbian neo-Nazi organization Obraz were sentenced to prison terms by Serbia’s Higher Court in Belgrade on April 20.

All had been charged in connection with riots they instigated at Belgrade’s 2010 Pride Parade.

Obraz leader Mladen Obradović was sentenced to two years in prison for organizing the riots.

His wife Jelena was sentenced to Ssempa may have paid and pressured a wit- a year, and Obraz ness to give false testimony in favor of the members Krsta Milovanović and Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

In a last-ditch effort to bring the “Kill the Damir Grbić to a year Gays” bill up for a vote, Ssempa brought so- and a half in prison.

The remaining 13 defencalled “ex-Gay” activist George Oundo to dants received sentences ranga meeting with the speaker of Parliament, ing from eight months to a year and Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi. In the meeta half.

The sentences handed down were reportedly minimum sentences. Maximum jail time for the acts they committed is 12 years.

Obradović and the other 13 defendants were accused of organizing a group which deliberately caused riots at the Belgrade Pride Parade last year.

More than 5,000 riot police were deployed by the Serbian government to separate the Pride marchers from the neo-Nazi group.

Neo-Nazis hurled Molotov cocktails, bottles, and bricks. Police retaliated with tear gas to disperse attackers.

The Serbian government later said that

Serbia sends anti-Gay neo-Nazis to prison

Truth Wins Out calls for investigation of antiGay Ugandan activist Martin Ssempa

by Wayne Besen SGN Contributing Writer

ing, Oundo said that he had gone from Gay to straight and strongly urged the speaker to pass the notorious measure.

However, with Ssempa no longer present, Oundo reversed his testimony and told New York Times reporter Josh Kron that he was paid by Ssempa to say he had gone straight and actually opposed the anti-Gay bill.

Clearly, there appears to be coercion (if not extortion) involved, given Oundo’s quick repudiation of his testimony and his allegation that he was paid for delivering a bogus sexual conversion tale.

“Clearly, something stinks in Martin Ssempa’s corrupt campaign to get a vote,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “Ugandan authorities should immediately launch an investigation of Ssempa to find out if he has engaged in coercion or illegal activity in pursuit of passing the Anti-Homosexuality bill.”

The following is what was written in New York Times:

124 police officers and 17 rioters were injured in the fighting.

Afterward, 249 people were detained by the police, including 49 minors, with 100 remanded in custody for violent behavior and looting.

At the trial, prosecutors said that the defense claim that the accused were motivated by their devotion to the Serbian Orthodox Church was unacceptable, and that their actions amounted to antiGay discrimination and rioting.

The prosecution said in its closing argument that the Obraz slogan, “We will fight with all means,” is not in the spirit of Orthodox Christianity.

The defense claimed that the defendants had been on their way to pray, not to riot.

Defense lawyers accused Serbian authorities of causing the riots and claimed that the trial represented political persecution of their clients.

The Serbian Republic Public Prosecutor filed a motion to ban the extreme-right organization Obraz two years ago, claiming that its members were inciting hatred and discrimination.

The Constitutional Court still has not ruled on it.

Serbia has applied for membership in the European Union, and its government is eager to show that it will comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, which all EU members must uphold.

The sentences handed down were reportedly minimum sentences. Maximum jail time for the acts they committed is 12 years.

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April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

courtesy q syndicate

Puck buddies

by Dan Woog SGN Contributing Writer One day a couple of months ago, Craig Brownstein was enjoying a Washington Capitals game. He turned to his partner, Doug Johnson, and said, “You’re my puck buddy.” The two hockey fanatics laughed at the pun – a sly reference to you-know-what.

A couple of weeks later, a Gay hockey blog with the same name launched.

Puckbuddys.com (the more grammatically correct “puckbuddies” URL was already taken) may not be the only Gay hockey site in the blogosphere. But it sure staked out great territory.

The tagline is “For boys who like boys who like hockey.” Brownstein and Johnson make no apologies: They like both the game, and the guys who play it.

The attraction of hockey is clear, they write: “the speed, the flash, the unpredictability of a bouncing puck.” They also like “the coaches, the fights, the crowds.”

But mostly, the pair write, “we like the players – their amazing athleticism and physical abilities. And let’s face it: an extraordinary number of hockey players are simply hot – and that includes every single

Doug Johnson and Craig Brownstein

Cap.” Johnson calls himself “a journalist by day and a Brooks Laich fan in the off hours.”

(Laich is a 6-foot-2, 210, very good-looking left wing.) Brownstein – who works in PR – says he “spends his free time building shrines to Sasha Semin and learning to speak Russian.” (Semin is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound right wing. He too is quite attractive.)

Puckbuddys is not your average hockey blog. A preview of a game against the Florida Panthers first mentioned injuries, then quickly noted: “Let’s get to the meat of the post. … As painful as this is to say, as a rule, the Panthers are an exceptionally goodlooking lot. Bienvenido a Miami indeed.”

To prove their point, Brownstein and Johnson posted photos of several Panthers.

Two wore hockey gear. One shot showed players clad only in Speedos. A fourth had one guy wearing – well, it could have been nothing at all. Google Images is a wonderful tool.

Other posts include NHL news, player profiles, and random items like a tongue-incheek photo of the Rev. Fred Phelps holding a sign “God Hates the Caps.” At least, I think it was a joke.

One thing Puckbuddys does not do is

“granular-level stuff – plus/minus ratings, minor league stats, all that,” Brownstein says. “We’re not puckheads. We couldn’t even fake it.”

In fact, Brownstein says, he never much cared for hockey as a kid. Growing up in Rochester, N.Y., he “wasn’t much of a jock.”

By his early teen years, he knew he was Gay. But he hid his sexuality, and joined – of all things – his high school football team.

“We were OK, but I sucked,” he says (referring to his skill level, nothing else). Still, that was an important part of his high school experience. “I was a crappy, directionless student,” Brownstein says. “I needed the discipline of football. It was my first immersion into a team – experiencing dizzying highs and horrible lows together with other guys.” He formed friendships that last 30

years later.

Neither he nor Johnson cared much for hockey. But – like many Washingtonians – they were drawn in by the Capitals’ playoff run a few years ago. Hi-def TV made the game come alive; the announcers were engaging and funny. A passion was born.

Then came Brownstein’s casual “puck buddy” comment to Johnson. The blog soon followed.

The Gay perspective was natural. “A lot of players are ripping hot,” Brownstein observes. “Add athleticism to their natural beauty – and the fact that they kick the crap out of each other – and it’s perfect. Plus the traditional mainstream media never talk about how hot Alex Ovechkin is. He’s a vision.”

The blog has received boosts from mainstream sources, though. Yahoo Sports mentioned it, and Johnson and Brownstein were interviewed by Washington’s CBS radio affiliate. Local hockey blogs have thrown a bone to Puckbuddys too, although the Capitals’ front office never responded to an email from Brownstein.

A video produced by the pair caught some eyes. They took a ubiquitous YouTube clip and fashioned it into a hilarious “Hitler reacts to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ loss to the Caps in the 2011 Winter Classic” video.

One thing the pair disagrees on is just how Gay hockey actually is. Johnson’s Gaydar constantly goes off in the Caps’ arena.

Brownstein, though, sometimes feels that he and his partner are the only Gay fans in the place.

Meanwhile, the NHL playoffs beckon.

The pressure will build on players, fans – and bloggers. Brownstein and Johnson are ready to cover whatever lies ahead. But they promise not to lose their sense of humor. After all, their blog notes, “We’re here, we’re Queer, we’re red all over.”

Yes, red – as in the Caps’ colors. You don’t need to be a puckhead – or a Puckbuddy follower – to get the pun.

But it helps.

Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, Gay activist, and author of the “Jocks” series of books on Gay male athletes. Visit his website at www.danwoog. com. He can be reached care of this publication or at OutField@qsyndicate.com.

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Seattle Gay News 17

flash mob continued from cover

courtesy dante obcena

ingly referred to as “The Mob Boss.” “I had no idea what I was doing. We were winging it.”

Following the death of Michael Jackson in 2009, Egan decided it would be fitting to organize a flash mob on the King of Pop’s birthday. “The first time was exciting and a little edgy,” he explained. “We didn’t even have a permit from the city. We barely knew what the formula was. Still, a lot of people showed up, and it just kind of took off from there.”

A successful flash mob looks like it formed miraculously, seemingly out of the blue. But the reality behind the scenes is much different, according to Egan. “You’ve got to pick locations, get the volunteers to learn choreography, and then try your best to keep the mob scene secret until the event takes place.”

He says the best way to get attention is to pick a vanity location (such as Seattle Center or Westlake Center) because the media likes to get shots of places that are intrinsic to Seattle, and then choose a performance location which will garner a large audience – although it may seem a bit disruptive at first.

“Just before we go on, we pass out the confidential location sheets to all the flash mobbers,” said Egan.

“Anyone who does a flash mob gets addicted,” he said. “Flash mobs are their crack, and they can’t get enough.”

Egan says he even knows people who get a bit sad in between the flash mobs because “it is such a high for them to be a part of, they just can’t wait for the next one.”

Another unique aspect of the flash mob community, he says, is that it is the great equalizer. “The experience is just great. We get kids as young as 4 or 5 years old, and adults as old as 70. Our flash mob crew is made up of people of all shapes and sizes and from every ability level, such as professional dancers or the uncoordinated white guy who can’t dance,” he said.

A lot of work goes into each event, but in the end it all pays off, Egan said. “In order to properly create the unique participatory experience, we have to work at it. Flash mobs are done by people – without payment – who give 100 or more hours of their time.

Dante Obcena (l) and Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire

Each flash mob that we do seems to grow in participation and excitement,” he said.

Egan and his crew have produced flash mob experiences in New York City for Microsoft, performed at the halftime show at Qwest Field, and even shut down traffic in Seattle as they performed. The success of the flash mobs has eclipsed the other areas of his business and has become somewhat of a full-time gig for Egan.

The latest venture took place on April 11 in the form of a Glee flash mob.

Egan wrote, “We came, we mobbed …

GLEE! … Our Glee flash mob today was truly epic – 1,100-1,200 dancers came out to three locations around Seattle and gave the town a show. It’s Seattle’s largest flash mob to date, and one of the largest flash mobs in America.”

“We want the flash mob experience to feel cool and relevant,” Egan told SGN. “It’s all about people of various backgrounds and experiences sharing in this together. Flash mobs are a culmination of months of work where every person who participates cares

about the outcome. Flash mobs are great for the audience too, because they get to watch people experience a certain level of happiness and joy and fun – and experience that for themselves.”

For more information about Egan and One Degree Event’s flash mobs, visit them online at www.onedegreeevents.com/flashmobseattle/index.html.

obcena

continued from cover

moved to the U.S. to attend high school.

“I was a very good student back home,” he says. “I gave up a scholarship to come to the States. I wanted to experience a U.S. high school.”

Obcena says he never regretted his decision to move to the U.S., although the initial adjustment was hard.

“I was the only Asian guy in Vancouver, Washington. My first week, I was sort of, like, shocked. It didn’t deter me, though,” he says.

After graduating at the top of his high school class, Obcena spent two years traveling. He has been back in Washington for a year and is now a nursing student at South Seattle Community College.

Asked about his favorite travel experiences, Obcena tells SGN about the six months he spent on a kibbutz in Israel.

“I don’t know why I went to Israel,” he smiles. “At the kibbutz, I thought, ‘This is the closest to a utopia I could ever be in.’

Everything was about sharing.”

Obcena also traveled in Cambodia and Vietnam, where he worked with Vietnam Scholarship Foundation founder Tam Nguyen raising money to help educate Vietnamese street kids.

Once back in Seattle, Obcena decided to study nursing after running across a booklet about nursing careers at the downtown library. The idea resonated with him, he tells

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April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

SGN, because of his family history.

“My mom’s family were healers – traditional healers,” he says. “My grandma was the village shaman. My cousin back home is hoping she will inherit that.”

“In the Philippines, only women would be healers,” Obcena continues. “When I was back home, I asked my grandma, ‘What if I want to be a nurse?’ She said, ‘Well, you have to prove yourself.’”

Obcena hopes eventually to get a Master of Public Health degree, and work on issues relating to LGBT aging.

“Why just be a nurse?” he asks. “Why not be a policy-maker if you can?”

He is interested in aging issues, he says, because he has had the benefit of older mentors and wants to repay the help he has received.

“Older people in our community – they have to go back in the closet if they go to a nursing home. How many Queer-friendly nursing homes are there? We need a longterm care system that is inclusive.”

If Obcena’s career choice was motivated by family and personal history, his community activism comes from an encounter with Three Dollar Bill Cinema.

“I never really got involved in the LGBTQ community,” he says. “Then I volunteered for Three Dollar Bill Cinema. That gave me a good grounding. I enjoyed it so much. I was like, ‘Let me do this, let me do that.’”

He has also volunteered at Bailey-Boushay House, and is the LGBTQ student commissioner at South Seattle Community Col-

lege, filling a position that had been vacant for more than a year.

“No one wanted to do it,” Obcena says.

“It’s a very diverse population. It’s not Seattle Central. There’s a big Muslim population, a big immigrant population from so many countries….”

“It’s a straight world. We have to remind people we’re Queer,” he adds.

At his college, Obcena has organized a Queer-straight alliance and an anti-bullying campaign.

“A Queer-straight alliance is not an easy thing to maintain,” he says. “You have to deal with so many layers – you deal with so many differences.

“Even in the Queer community, we’ve created these lines – fences. Lesbians don’t want to talk to Gay men, Gay men don’t want to talk to Trans folks, bears don’t want to talk to this or that….”

Obcena says his anti-bullying work built on his experience with Three Dollar Bill Cinema. One of his initial efforts was showing the documentary film Bullied, which tells the story of one student’s experiences as the target of bullies in his school.

“I met the producers [of Bullied] because I’d worked with Three Dollar Bill.” Obcena explains. “Then I brought in Lambert House and GLSEN.” He also wrote the president of South Seattle Community College, inviting him to the film showing.

“I told him, ‘If you want to set the right tone for the college, you have to be there,’”

Obcena recalls with a smile. “My boss [at the college] said, ‘How could you do that?’

– but the president came.”

Since then, Obcena has taken the antibullying campaign to a West Seattle high school, North Seattle Community College, and Seattle Central Community College.

He also plans to show a film about Gay Muslims, so other students will see that “you can be Queer and not renounce your religion and culture.”

Obcena’s own experience with religion was not so happy, however. As a child in the Philippines, he went to Catholic schools.

“Every year we had a Bible quiz,” he recalls, “and every year I was the Bible champ. I always knew I was Queer. I guess I thought maybe I could get healed by being close to the word of God. But for me, it was

like a bandage – just temporary.

“At some point, I just diverged. I said, ‘I don’t want to be part of something that doesn’t celebrate who I am.’”

Obcena’s latest project is a Queer student of color conference in Portland at the end of the month.

“It will be students talking to students,” he says enthusiastically. “As Queer people of color, we have to bring out the positives. We have different stories. We have to connect all our stories.”

Surprisingly, Obcena refuses to acknowledge that he is anything special.

“We’re all born leaders,” he tells SGN. “We’re leaders of our own lives. It’s just a question of how much you want to show, how much you want to share.”

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April 22, 2011

Seattle Gay News 19

history

continued from cover thinking?” a similar debate is now raging: Gay rights advocates say the same arguments are being used to defeat a bill that would make the state the first in the nation to require the teaching of so-called “Gay history” in public schools.

The California Senate approved the landmark measure last week, but it needs to clear the Democratic-controlled Assembly and Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk to become law.

The debate about what children should learn in public schools is not a new one.

However – with all due respect to other cultures, of course – we refer to our country’s history lessons as “American history.”

American history is Gay history – it’s that simple. Including profiles of important countrymen who just so happen to be Gay or Lesbian should be a non-issue in 2011.

Within our own community, we know that the 1969 Stonewall uprising was the spark that ignited the flame of the modern Gay rights movement. And now, if this bill passes, so will thousands of straight boys and girls. No harm done; history shows us this with the inclusion of the civil rights movement, women’s rights movement, and so on.

“It’s fine to imagine we would have these expert educators deciding what history education should look like, but that’s counterhistorical in and of itself,” New York University history and education professor Jonathan Zimmerman told the Associated Press. “It’s citizens’ groups who want to see themselves in the curriculum and see the curriculum as a rich, symbolic battlefield, which it is.” Zimmerman teaches a course in how culture wars play at schools.

The California legislation would add LGBT people to the extensive list of social and ethnic groups that schools must include in social studies lessons. It would also re-

quire (starting with the 2013-2014 school year) the California Board of Education and local school districts to adopt textbooks and other teaching materials that cover the contributions and roles of sexual minorities.

In addition, the measure would prohibit the adoption of any materials that “reflect adversely” on Gays or particular religions.

School districts would have flexibility in deciding what to include in the lessons and at what grades students would receive them.

So what’s the big deal? Why the pushback? California already requires schools to teach about women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, and American Indians, and supporters argue that requiring instruction about Gays in history would close an observable gap in the state’s existing social studies curriculum and curb anti-Gay stereotypes.

Conservatives say that LGBT history would expose students to a subject that many parents might find disagreeable. And of course, the ultra-conservative nut jobs entered the tussle by declaring that the new history lessons would indoctrinate children to accept homosexuality.

Is anyone else as tired as I am of the ancient and ridiculous “Those Gays are after our kids!” argument? The problem is that argument actually works in California.

During the successful campaign to ban same-sex marriage in California, Gay marriage opponents’ most effective message was warning that schoolchildren would be taught about same-sex couples if they could marry, and that was enough to turn the tide.

Still, the lead sponsor of the bill, openly Gay Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, maintains that adding LGBT history into mainstream American history in public schools is the right thing to do.

“We are conspicuous in our absence.

This corrects that,” Sen. Mark Leno told the Associated Press. “Should we delete the inclusion of all the groups that are currently in the statute? Why is that OK, but not LGBT? That is discriminatory.”

glam/lily

continued from cover

see Lily’s post the day after they met, “Sufferin’ Sappho,” which recalled Lily’s impression of her. Lily then suggested that she and GLAM go out to dinner, and although GLAM was interested, she didn’t realize that it was an invitation and didn’t call Lily back.

“GLAM has since admitted to being a goober and not connecting the dots of the email or the blog,” Lily said.

GLAM’s “gooberness” didn’t end there.

“I ran into [Lily] a few weeks later at the Honey Hole. I said hello and told her that I’ve been meaning to come to one of her

shows, but I had a date,” GLAM said, hitting herself in the head.

They met again on April 15 (a date the pair now observes as their anniversary). Lily had gone up to the bar at Purr to get another round of drinks when she ran into GLAM and started another conversation.

“We just kept talking,” GLAM continued, noting that Lily never went back to her booth, “and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

Their true test, however, came that following Friday, when GLAM went to see Lily perform.

“I was a little nervous. ‘What if she sucks?’” GLAM recalled. “Fortunately, she came out and blew me away. She was funny and beautiful and her timing was great. She dedicated the last song to me. It was ‘Time After Time.’ She was in an evening gown and she handed me a white rose. She’ll probably say that I cried like a baby … they were tears of relief that she didn’t suck.”

When Lily gave GLAM the white rose, “I stroked the back of his head, smiled, and he began to tear up,” Lily said. “I thought, ‘What a pussy!’ So this became our song.”

THE DUO AS DIVAS “Recently I asked GLAM – mid-bra attachment while we were trying on outfits from that day’s shopping trip – ‘What do regular boyfriends do? I mean, if were weren’t shopping and fitting and fussing in front of a mirror, what would we be doing?’

We both laughed,” Lily said.

Being both Gay men and drag queens in a relationship could’ve gone either way for Lily and GLAM. “In most cases, being a drag queen can be another layer of ‘coming out,’” Lily explained.

“We respect each other as performers. We kind of have an unspoken rule where if we have an issue or a fight, it’s not projected on show day. When we have to focus on work, we give each other the place to do that,” GLAM added. “Because we both do the drag, we both understand everything it encompasses. Before and after. It’s time-consuming … people don’t really understand that about drag.”

GLAM likes to give herself four hours before her call time to get ready for a performance.

When the two return home after a show, they both describe their process as “shedding.” GLAM even went as far as to call it a “drag explosion.”

“We hurt, we ache, we moan,” Lily said, “I swear that if this were the ’90s and there wasn’t a GRINDR, the 1-900 numbers could make a killing off our sound effects when we reach home after a gig. Back in the day, folks paid a pretty nickel to hear sounds like that!”

Despite being in a relationship for half a decade, it was only when the two agreed to co-host showings of the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race at the Lobby Bar that they found themselves collaborating on a consistent basis for the first time, thus putting their abilities as both performers and

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20 Seattle Gay News

April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

as a couple to the test. Luckily for them, because of their very different drag styles, they’ve found that they complement each other quite well.

“I feel like I definitely have a physical presence,” GLAM, who is roughly seven feet tall (depending on her pumps), said. “I tend to always have the command of an audience even when I’m not talking. … I also think I’m good on a microphone when reacting to an audience.”

GLAM also tends to return to the ’80s. “I love that music. Rock Lobster [’80s music night] at Neighbours is tailor-made for me. I grew up with that music. I love it, I embrace it. Because of my circus background, I’m kind of more drawn toward the costumes, props, characters … anything that helps in creating a visual nugget.”

While GLAM harnesses her strengths with her size and love of the ’80s, Lily is a master of pop culture references and monologues. “She just thinks so quickly and has such a broad knowledge base,” says GLAM. Her recall is amazing. She scans all of the blogs and her entertainment knowledge is unsurpassed. She also mixes her own music. I can’t do all that.”

After three months of banter, monologues and musical numbers ranging from GLAM’s “It’s Not Easy Being Green” to Lily’s “Living on a Prayer,” both Lily and GLAM said that they’d gladly work together again if signed on for Ru Paul’s Drag Race next season.

LIFE OUTSIDE OF DRAG Despite what Facebook would have you believe, GLAM and Lily’s relationship goes far beyond snapshots, makeup tips, and public appearances.

“When we do get the chance to just hang and be dudes, we like to shop (we share a passion for thrift/antique stores), both love to read, and movies are great, especially with Netflix,” Lily explained. “One of the things we love, love, love to do is YouTube stuff together. Either on the couch or in bed, we surf YouTube for anything and everything you can think of. Our favorite: news anchor bloopers!”

In addition to being both in a Gay and drag relationship, the two are 17 years apart in age. While such a dichotomy can be problematic for some couples, the generational gap hasn’t affected their relationship in any negative fashion.

“I have always been attracted to older men,” Lily said. “They are sexier and, for the most part, more distinguished – notice I didn’t say older men are more mature; maturity is based on a helluva lot more than the date on your driver’s license!”

GLAM agreed with Lily and said that mentally and aesthetically speaking, she is very mature for her age. Lily also still challenges her, and when they perform, that age gap is even smaller. “When we’re in drag, we feel the same age. Lily’s persona and package purposefully skews a little older.”

After five years, Lily and GLAM have de-

fied and surpassed what many would consider relational boundaries. Relationships in themselves can give birth to a plethora of complications, but while some people might see their commonalities and dissimilarities as potential weaknesses, Lily and GLAM have made them their strengths.

GLAM emphasized that some of their best attributes as a couple have been their respect for one another and their ability to communicate proactively.

“People tell us all the time, ‘Oh, it’s five years – that’s like 25 years in the Gay world!’ like it’s a major hurdle. It is major.

I think five years is significant, but I don’t know of anybody that has a relationship that’s always easy. Even though we can’t legally get married, I have made a commitment to this relationship, and I don’t give up on things easily. I think that it just takes making that commitment to yourself,” GLAM explained.

While GLAM plans on using such logic in her and Lily’s future endeavors, Lily had a different approach in conveying what she thought the future had in store for them.

“Any time you ask someone about their hopes for their relationship in the future, you get a bunch of mush,” Lily said. “You end up inviting your lover to be a guest star on your show, and wear stupid shirts that say ‘I Love Brad!’ He then fucks and runs off with an orphan collector. You are left watching a stupid rerun of this on MyQ2 on a Tuesday night, with a bucket of chicken and a carton

of Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food.

“Eventually you’re listening to Nancy O’Dell ponder hidden meanings of your endorsement deal for SmartWater, debating whether or not there was enough happy water that could have ‘saved your marriage to Brad?!’ She’s polling viewers on whether or not you are going to die alone. This fades to a promo of an upcoming story about Snooki flashing her Cheeto-colored puss to the paps while getting out of a car to buy a pack of Camels and a Vanity Fair, of which you are on the cover.”

On a more serious note, an ongoing phrase often murmured by the two is that they’re “halfway there.”

GLAM added that while it is something silly, she also likes the concept of the term.

“The ‘halfway there’ thing is something that Lily was saying even on our one-year anniversary. If we keep saying ‘halfway there’ each year, then I guess, exponentially, the relationship will have to go on forever.”

For family reasons, Lily was out of town during the day of their actual anniversary, leaving GLAM to host RuPaul’s Drag Race alone. GLAM mentioned that this past week has been one of the longest times the two have ever been separated. In honor of their five years as a couple, she took the microphone and performed a number that has an indefinable amount of sentiment for her: “Time After Time.”

The two are currently making belated plans for their anniversary.

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22 Seattle Gay News

April 22, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 23