SGN February 8, 2013 - Section 1

Page 1

Celebrating 40 Years!

Issue 06 Volume 41

Seattle Gay News

FRIDAY February 8, 2013 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & newsstands

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The Pentagon announced this week that it plans to extend new benefits to the spouses of Gay personnel. The move comes about 17

while the Defense of Marriage Act – which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman – remains in effect. The Obama administration has made it clear that it believes equal rights and benefits should be extended to all military families, re-

Carolyn Kaster / ap

Pentagon announces plan to extend spousal benefits

SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

ing, and the social fabric doesn’t tear, that does make it easier down the line to do away with DOMA,” said Tammy S. Schultz, the director of the National Security and Joint Warfare Program at the Marine Corps War College, who has studied implementing the repeal of

“If you provide benefits to individuals seen as the most deserving, and the social fabric doesn’t tear, that does make it easier down the line to do away with DOMA.” months after repeal of the longstanding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy prohibiting service by openly Gay personnel. While no final decision has been made as to which benefits will be extended, reports indicate they may include housing privileges, access to base recreational facilities, and joint duty assignments for uniformed couples. However, legal experts say, the Pentagon is unlikely to offer health-care coverage and more than 100 other spousal benefits

gardless of sexual orientation. In his inaugural address last month, President Obama appealed for Gay Americans to be “treated like anyone else under the law.” A WELCOME CHANGE Advocates for LGBT service members welcomed the news, noting that it could boost support for marriage equality in the lead-up to a Supreme Court ruling this spring that may legalize same-sex unions. “If you provide benefits to individuals seen as the most deserv-

the ban on openly Gay troops. “It could be a flanking maneuver to keep chipping away at it.” The new guidelines will be departing Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta’s final imprint on the armed forces. They come on the heels of two landmark changes undertaken during his relatively short tenure: the rescinding of the ban on openly Gay service members and the decision to allow women to serve in combat units. see military page 9

Empress Nicole

The ICS grande dame reflects on a lifetime of activism International Court System

Weddings By the Sea

Spreading the love Freedom to Marry plans $2M campaign for 2013

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer On Saturday, February 16, The Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle will hold its annual Coronation. Now in its 43rd year, the Coronation is one of the longest-running LGBT events in the Northwest. SGN chatted with Empress Nicole the Great de San Diego, head of the International Court System (ICS) and Queen Mother of the Americas, about the event on Presidents’ Day weekend, the history of the Court, and its direction today. YEAR OF THE ELDERS Empress Nicole was given control over the Court at the 2007 Coronation in Seattle, when Empress José Sarria, founder of the ICS, retired. This year, Empress Nicole is “returning to the scene of the crime” to give her State of the Empire Address. In honor of Sarria’s 90th birthday, Empress Nicole has proclaimed 2013 as “the Year of the Elders.” “Our community needs to treat our seniors with more respect and also recognize them for being the

Empress Nicole the Great de San Diego

Outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta

see empress page 17

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Freedom to Marry announced on February 7 a 2013 drive to raise and invest $2 million through the Win More States Fund, with an initial focus on passing marriage equality legislation in several more states across the country. According to officials of the same-sex marriage advocacy group, in its first wave of contributions for 2013 Freedom to

www.oceanshoresweddings.com 206-403-8170 Let us make your wedding day as fun as a day at the beach.

Marry is investing $800,000 in states where marriage bills are currently being debated. These states include Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. The group is calling on others to be a part of these victories through strategic and early Win More States Fund investment. “Building on our four-for-four ballot victories in November, Freedom to Marry is calling on supporters to join us in continusee freedom page 5


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