SGN April 15, 2011 - Section 1

Issue 15 Volume 39

Celebrating 38 Years!

male VS. man p. 8

ASK MICHAEL p. 17

ORCA SWIM p. 18

Seattle Gay News

FRIDAY April 15, 2011 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

courtesy Cal Anderson Park

Bobby Morris Playfield

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor At the first sight of the summer sun, Seattleites – Gay, straight, families, students, and anyone in between – flock to Cal Anderson Park and make use of every square inch of the park and adjoining playfield.

For many nonprofit and LGBT sports teams, Bobby Morris Playfield – the south half of Cal Ander-

son Park – is of particular interest.

Major fundraisers such as Bat N’ Rouge and Jockstraps and Glitter take place on the field. This summer, however, will be different.

Bobby Morris Playfield will be closed from June 20 until the end of August, and construction and fences will replace sunbathers and sports teams. see playfield page 21

shaun Knittel

Bobby Morris Playfield OLYMPIA – Anti-bullying bill closing for summer use due to lighting upgrade passes, governor will sign

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

This year’s new anti-bullying bill – HB 1163 – passed its final test in the state House of Representatives on April 13.

It will now go to the governor for her signature.

The bill’s prime sponsor was openly Gay Rep. Marko Liias (D21).

The bill builds on work Liias did in the last legislative session, expanding anti-bullying laws passed in 2002, 2007, 2009, and Liias’ own 2010 bill.

The original 2002 bill required schools to adopt an anti-bullying policy covering all the protected classes in Washington’s hate crimes law, including sexual orientation.

In 2007, the scope of the antibullying law was expanded to prohibit cyber-bullying by students.

In 2009, the definition of sexual orientation was amended to include gender identity and expression. see bullying page 20

Representative Marko Liias

Lady Chablis birthday, $$$$$$ Seattle City Aging & for Youth Suicide Prevention Disability Services courtesy Lady Chablis

Lady Chablis reigns supreme as the queen of R Place. Nearly every night of the week, fans and friends can watch one of Seattle’s most recognizable drag entertainers bring down the house with one amazing performance after another. Chablis does it all. The Chablis we all know and love can have you in stitches one moment as she dons a fat suit and does her best Aretha, or have you dabbing tears away as she lip-synchs a song that tells you that, when she dreams, she dreams in color. She is a firecracker of an entertainer, a dedicated member of our community, and a staunch supporter of equality – and we love her for it.

A drag queen with a microphone can be two things: a powerful force or a hot mess. Chablis is the former. Over the years she has used her status as an entertainer (with a loyal, built-in audience) to help raise money for causes near and dear to her heart. Her birthday celebrations are no exception.

On April 29 and 30, Lady Chablis is asking you to join her in a cel-

asks for LGBT input

getty images

The many sides of Lady Chablis

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

The needs of the aging LGBT population have been brought to the forefront thanks to recent media attention. Gay advocacy groups and mental and physical health professionals have all joined together to jumpstart talks see chablis page 20 about how to best serve that seg-

proud to Be Different

We are conveniently located on-site at Lifelong AIDS Alliance below the Thrift Store.

ment of our aging communities unique needs.

Seattle has a large LGBT population and will not remain immune to the issue. With that in mind, the Aging and Disability Services (ADS) organization has set out to develop a community that prosee aging page 20

Call us at 206.568.2486

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Seattle Gay News

April 15, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

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April 15, 2011

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Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

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Seattle Gay News

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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

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

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

New Jersey lawsuit seeks to define: is a male always a man?

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

El’ Jai Devoureau

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

with the New York Times. “At age 5, I did everything a boy did: I climbed trees, I played football, I played with trucks.

Most of the people in my life, all they know is that I’m male.”

In 2006, after he began taking male hormones and had sex-reassignment surgery, he adopted the name El’Jai (pronounced LJ).

He obtained a new birth certificate from the State of Georgia identifying him as male, and had the gender marker changed from female to male on his New Jersey driver’s license. The Social Security Administration also made the change

in its records.

Last June, Urban Treatment Associates in Camden, New Jersey, hired Devoureau as a El’Jai Devoureau’s driver’s license says part-time urine monitor. His job was to make he is a man. So does his birth certificate. So sure that clients recovering from addiction do his Social Security records. did not substitute someone else’s urine for His former employer does not accept this their own during regular drug testing. evidence, however, and that has set the stage On his second day on the job, his supervifor a lawsuit over who is legally a man. sor approached him and said she had heard Although he was identified as a female at he was Transgender. birth, Devoureau says he has identified him“I said I was male, and she asked if I had self as a man all his life. any surgeries,” Devoureau says. “I said that “As long as I’ve been a person, I’ve lived was private and I didn’t have to answer, and as a man,” he said in a recent interview I was fired.”

After Devoureau made a complaint to the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, the treatment center filed a response saying that Mr. Devoureau’s dismissal “was not motivated by, nor related in any way to, any discriminatory intention.”

In January, Devoureau filed suit in a Camden Superior Court.

His suit is not the first job discrimination case brought by a Transgender person, but Michael D. Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, said it was the first employment

April 15, 2011

case in the country to take on the question of a Transgender person’s sex.

In US law – federal as well as state laws – “immutable characteristics” like age, race, sex, and national origin are “impermissible bases” for discrimination in employment.

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia also protect sexual orientation. An additional four protect sexual orientation only for public employees.

Thirteen states – including New Jersey, where Devoureau lives and works – add gender identity to the list.

Washington state is peculiar in that it protects for sexual orientation, but defines that category in a way that includes gender identity and expression.

State laws also differ as to when gender markers on legal documents can be changed to reflect gender reassignment. Some require surgery, while others set less strict standards.

Federal law does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, but under the Obama administration, several federal departments have adopted rules that establish more equal treatment for Transgender individuals.

Even in states where Trans-inclusive anti-discrimination laws are on the books, exceptions can be made for “bona fide occupational qualification.” In other words, employers may select for certain characteristics if the characteristics are important to the work being performed.

In Devoureau’s case, he was expected to observe male clients urinating into specimen cups, and therefore in theory it could be lawful for his employer to hire only males for that job.

In its January filing, Urban Treatment said that firing Devoureau was legitimate, “since the sex of the employee engaged in that particular job position is a bona fide occupational qualification.”

Their argument implies that Devoureau is not really a man, in spite of what his legal documents demonstrate. His employers are therefore claiming that their judgment as to his gender is more valid than the states of Georgia and New Jersey, or the federal Social Security Administration.

Devoureau’s complaint specifically states that “He has permanently transitioned to male and his government-issued identification documents reflect the fact that he is male. Defendants hired him as a man.”

Devoureau has so far refused to discuss precisely what changes have been made to his body, or to say what name he was originally given.

“They were judging me for who I am, not for the job I was being asked to do, and that’s wrong, and I was hurt,” he said. “I’m doing this so everyone knows it’s wrong, so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

Celebrating 38 Years!

courtesy laurie Jinkins

Governor Christine Gregoire (center) signed HB 1649 into law in Olympia, WA, on April 5, 2011. HB 1649, sponsored by Representative Laurie Jinkins (center left), recognizes legal unions of same-sex partners formed in other jurisdictions as valid domestic partnerships in Washington state.

DC REPORT – 12 activists arrested for taking over Rep. Cantor’s office Jill & Michelle tour leaves activist group.

Health GAP describes itself as “an organization of U.S.-based AIDS and human rights activists, people living with HIV/ AIDS, public health experts, fair trade advocates, and concerned individuals who campaign against policies of neglect and avarice that deny treatment to millions and fuel the

spread of HIV.” According to Republican sources, the protest took place outside of an office that Cantor uses infrequently. He has a large suite of offices in the Capitol because of his position in the Republican Congressional leadership.

Cantor did not comment on the protest.

ap

Gay military families out

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A dozen AIDS activists were arrested at the office of Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on April 11. According to witnesses, they were chanting “GOP spreads HIV.” The 12 were charged with unlawful conduct, Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said.

The protest was organized by Health GAP (Global Access Project).

The group’s press release said they were protesting budget cuts to international aid programs for people living with HIV/AIDS, and Republican efforts to bar the District of Columbia from using local tax dollars to fund local needle exchange programs.

“Majority Leader Cantor and the House Republicans are about to introduce a bill to balance the federal budget on the backs of people living with HIV in Africa,” said Michael Tikili, a Health GAP member.

While details of the compromise 2011 budget deal remain sketchy, Republican plans are said to include hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to the Global Fund to

Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Those cuts would cost at least 1 million lives around the world to AIDS and related diseases, Health GAP said.

Congressional leaders are reportedly still negotiating over whether to re-impose a policy barring Washington, D.C. from using local tax dollars to finance needle exchange programs.

Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of HIV infection in the country – in part because syringe exchange was barred for years by previous Republican Congresses, resulting in thousands of preventable HIV infections.

“House Republicans are once again abusing Washington, D.C. residents in a play to enact their extremist ideology – putting thousands of lives at risk so they can please their base. Syringe exchange programs have been proven effective and cities around the world have cut their HIV rates through their use. Denying science-based HIV prevention to Washington, D.C., leaves blood on the hands of Republican leaders,” said Larry Bryant of D.C. Fights Back, a local AIDS

Visit us online www.sgn.org

On April 12, first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden kicked off a nationwide tour “to address the unique challenges” faced by military families.

Is anyone in need of a little sand thrown in their face? Well here it is: The White House launch event did not include representatives for Gay military families.

“The president has been crystal clear that the administration is moving forward with the repeal of DADT quickly and efficiently,” Kristina Schake, communications director for Mrs. Obama, told The Advocate. “However, it still remains a law. The White House, including the first lady and Dr. Biden, look forward to working with the families of Gay and Lesbian servicemembers after certification occurs and repeal goes into effect.”

It doesn’t give you a warm and fuzzy feeling about the success of a repeal, does it?

Maybe someone should inform the president that actions speak louder than words.

The service chiefs came forward last week to say that Gay troops could serve out in the open as soon as September. So, if they know that to be the truth, why not invite Gay families to the table now?

The irony of the situation is that the twoday military family tour to bases in North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, and Ohio will highlight some of the so-called ongoing challenges resulting from a DADT repeal; in part, how to put Gay spouses and partners of servicemembers on equal footing with their

straight counterparts wherever possible.

The logic that the White House is using to deal with this challenge is mind numbing. In other words, heterosexual women are going to travel from base to base to tell other heterosexual spouses how to include Gay and Lesbian spouses in base functions. Unbelievable.

“There really is no reason to continue to exclude Gay families or their advocates from the first lady’s events for military families,” said Alex Nicholson, executive director for Servicemembers United. “It would be a lot more practical to make a gesture of inclusion for the White House event than a gesture of inclusion for events around the country.”

Once again, partners of Gay and Lesbian military members are left asking, “What about our benefits?”

Because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, partners of Gay servicemembers are not only denied crucial benefits such as health care, but are faced with day-to-day limitations including access to child care and commissaries.

“We’re a lot tougher than people give us credit for. That said, there are some challenges and difficulties,” one partner of an active duty Gay service member (who requested he not be named) told The Advocate.

“At the moment, I can’t even buy a stamp on base. That’s pretty sad. Our primary interest is just being treated the same as other military families. We’re not looking for anything novel beyond that.”

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Celebrating 38 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

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

music, and informational booths from local organizations. The Festival takes place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Pathfinder K-8 School, on SW Genesee St. in the Delridge neighborEVELYN HARRIS hood of West Seattle.

TO HEADLINE For more information on sites, volunteer VOICES RISING SHOW sign-ups, sponsors and participating organiOn Friday, April 15, doors at 7 p.m., show zations visit www.DuwamishAlive.org. at 8 p.m., at Washington Hall (153 14th Ave.), Voices Rising presents Evelyn HarMUJERES DIVERSAS AND ris.

THE LGB LATINO COMMUNITY Evelyn Harris has dedicated her voice to COMMUNITY FORUM – giving depth and meaning to an extensive “WOMEN OPENING PATHS array of musical styles. Her 18-year tenure TOWARD CHANGE” with the internationally acclaimed Black On Saturday, April 16, from noon to 4:30 women’s acapella ensemble Sweet Honey p.m., at Miller Community Center (303 19th in the Rock guided her studies as an art- Ave. E.), Mujeres Diversas invite you to a ist, performer, arranger and composer. The community forum to: discover the power of show will also feature: Rosco Kickingstone, community involvement, improve services Fabiola Romero, Christine Cruz Guiao and for the Latina Lesbian community, enhance April Nishimura. communication networks in the pursuit of Tickets: $10-$25 sliding scale. www. social justice, strengthen women’s presence brownpapertickets.com. www.voicesrising- in the community. All women who want to seattle.org. work for social change, regardless of sexual orientation, creed, race, etc. are invited. To FRIENDS OF SEATTLE RSVP, call 206-856-8267; 206-322-7700.

PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK SALE Free lunch and childcare. Co-sponsored by APRIL 15-17 AT MAGNUSON PARK Entre Hermanos.

On Friday, April 15, through Sunday, April 17, Friends of Seattle Public Library STONEWALL UPRISING holds their biannual book sale at Magnuson COMMUNITY SCREENING Park, 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Hanger AND KCTS TV BROADCAST 30, in support of the Seattle Public Library.

On Saturday, April 16, from 2 to 4 p.m., Over 200,000 books in all categories will at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave.), be on sale – most at $1.00 each. The Friday the public is invited to a FREE screening of Members Preview Sale runs from 6:30-9:30 American Experience’s 90-minute docup.m. Memberships are $15 in advance at mentary, Stonewall Uprising, which tells www.friendsofspl.org or $30 at the door. On the dramatic story of the Stonewall Riots in Saturday, April 16, the sale runs from 9 a.m. Greenwich Village, NYC in 1969. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday, April 17, from 11 KCTS-TV, Channel 9, will broadcast the a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no admission charge documentary on Monday, April 25 at 9 p.m. for the sale on Saturday and Sunday. Please bring your own bags and boxes.

ALIX DOBKIN IN CONCERT On Saturday, April 16, at 7 p.m., at Shore“DINA MARTINA: line Unitarian Universalist Church (14724 LIVE AT RE-BAR PLACE” 1st Ave. NE, Shoreline), legendary Lesbian On Fridays and Saturdays, through April singer/songwriter Alix Dobkin will give a 30, at 8 p.m., at Re-bar (1114 Howell St.), rare Seattle area concert. join the talent-stuffed Dina Martina and Alix was out and in front of microphones ultra-gifted accompanist Chris Jeffries three years before the first Michigan Wofor their semi-awaited return to Re-bar for myn’s Festival. To hear a Lesbian sing of a Spring show that’s oozing with razzle- being out, proud and beautiful was a revodazzle – minus the dazzle! Dina Martina’s lutionary act in the 1970s and ’80s. And she shows are brimming with unwittingly hi- is still singing for us! To this day, Alix Doblarious songs, point-free stories, astound- kin’s music has the ability to move women ingly funny videos, bizarre audience gifts, to tears, fire them up, and most importantly, costumes on their deathbeds and, as The Vil- get them to sing along. lage Voice says, “comedy that’ll make you Tickets: $10-$20. For reservations, 206piss your pants!” Tickets are $20 and avail- 545-3521. able online at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/143300 and at the door. NOTE: There SEATTLE RAINBOW are two Sunday matinees on Sundays, April CONTRA DANCE 17 and 24, at 2 p.m.

On Saturdays, 4/16, 5/7, 5/21, 6/4, 6/18, no dance 7/2, resumes 7/16, at Ballard Odd DUWAMISH ALIVE! Fellows Hall (1706 NW Market St.), join EARTH DAY LGBTQ folks and friends (and all who want RIVER RESTORATION to dance) for this fun, easy-to-learn, easyOn Saturday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 to-dance, gender-neutral contra dance, with p.m., volunteers will roll up their sleeves live calling and live bluegrass music. No at multiple sites along Seattle’s industri- experience or partner necessary. All dances alized watershed to perform cleanup and taught. Free lesson at 7 p.m. Dance from restoration work in the ongoing effort to 7:30-10 p.m. Cost is $8. keep Seattle’s only river alive. Duwamish Organizers suggest bringing water to Alive! brings together over 30 conservation drink. A bin for non-perishable food donagroups, businesses, and government entities tions is available at the hall. Please come to organize hundreds of volunteers to work fragrance free in consideration of those with at 13 work sites in the river’s lower water- allergies. Bring a dry shirt to change into if shed. Refreshments will be provided. you sweat a lot. No drunkenness, rude or Work sites include a river cleanup by abusive behavior will be tolerated. kayak and canoe, shoreline salmon restorahttp://seattledance.org/contra/rainbow; tion, and native forest revitalization. Fami- YouTube: Seattle Rainbow Contra Dance. lies, company groups, clubs, individuals, schools, fraternities and sororities are enTHREE DOLLAR BILL CINEMA couraged to participate, and no experience PRESENTS JEAN GENET ON FILM is necessary. These volunteer restoration Three Dollar Bill Cinema presents its 6th projects complement government efforts to Annual Spring Film Series. Showcasing clean up the contaminated sediments at the four provocative films based on the work of bottom of the Duwamish River. Improve- the radical Queer writer Jean Genet, these ments in the health of the river will benefit rarely seen prints showcase Genet’s brilliant people, wildlife, and runs of threatened satire and celebration of beauty in evil. The salmon on the Green/Duwamish River. films will screen on select Thursdays and After the work parties, Nature Consortium Saturdays in April at the Northwest Film is sponsoring an Earth Day Festival that in- Forum (1515 12th Ave.) at 7 p.m. cludes free food, hands-on art projects, live “In times when it’s increasingly important

Visit us online www.sgn.org

to be politically active, we’re proud to pay tribute to an esteemed artist who was both unapologetically Gay and a radical activist,” says Jason Plourde, Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s programming director. “Jean Genet rallied against censorship, fought for civil rights, and exposed the politics of oppression.”

The “Outlaw: Jean Genet on Film” series provides an arousing mix of films, themes and performances. Two films (Deathwatch on Saturday, April 16, and The Balcony on Thursday, April 21) feature a pre-Star Trek Leonard Nimoy. His support helped Three Dollar Bill Cinema acquire the rare print of Deathwatch, a homoerotic story behind bars that is not available on video.

Finally, Querelle on Saturday, April 30, the final film from groundbreaking German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, follows a muscular French sailor’s surreal sexual adventures in a seedy seaport.

Tickets are $12. For more information, visit www.threedollarbillcinema.org.

“PASTIES & PASTRIES – A BURLESQUE & BAKE SALE EXTRAVAGANZA” TO BENEFIT BABES NETWORK On Saturday, April 16, at 8 p.m., at The Wildrose (1021 E. Pike St.), join The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Abbey of St. Joan for “Pasties & Pastries – A Burlesque and Bake Sale Extravaganza.” Featuring performances

by Lucky Penny, Iva Handfull, Dolly Domino, Miss Kitty Baby, Randi Rascal, Lucy Loire and many more. Proceeds benefit the BABES Network, a support network for women with HIV. 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.

GSBA APRIL PRIME TIME NEW MEMBER & VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION CRUISE On Wednesday, April 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Argosy Cruises, Pier 55, join GSBA (Greater Seattle Business Association) members and friends for an early evening boat cruise on Elliott Bay celebrating new GSBA members and volunteers. Enjoy fun, food, good company and fabulous views. New members and volunteers attend for free. Cost is $10-members, $15-nonmembers, $10-students. To RSVP visit www.thegsba.org or call 206-363-9188.

The GSBA is Seattle’s LGBTA chamber of commerce.

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

April 15, 2011

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 ww.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.

BOSTON POPS “OVER THE RAINBOW” NATIONAL SING-ALONG COLLAGE To pay respect to the shared cultural heritage of the American Songbook, the Boston Pops is asking for video submissions of fans singing “Over the Rainbow” for inclusion in a video collage to be shown at Boston Pops 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.

DINING OUT FOR LIFE TO BENEFIT LIFELONG AIDS ALLIANCE THURSDAY, APRIL 28 www.diningoutforlife.com 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.

KNIGHTS OF MANTRA CAMPOUT 2011 AT MILLER RIVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND MAY 27-30 For details - kofmnews@comcast.net

Seattle Gay News 15

Republican Alan Simpson Former NOM staffer retracts attacks against says homophobes are “disgusting” LGBT families

hateful people.”

The 750,000-member Courage Campaign, which live-blogged NOM’s Summer for On April 8, Louis J. Marinelli, online Marriage Tour at www.nomtourtracker.com strategist and lead organizer for the anti- and regularly interacted with Marinelli on Gay National Organization for Marriage’s the road, welcomed the news of Marinelli’s 2010 “One Man, One Woman Summer for announcement.

Marriage Bus Tour,” announced his “Louis Marinelli’s stunning ansupport for “civil marriage nouncement today is a testaequality” for LGBT famiment to the accelerating “I was largely lies. shift in public opinion taken aback by the fact on the issue of LGBT In an interview with Jeremy Hooper for his that the [Facebook] page I equality, and underblog, Good As You, scores the ignorance Marinelli described created had become such and hate that ultimately the circumstances that lies at the foundation a hateful place.” led to his about-face on of NOM’s attacks on the the issue of marriage equalLGBT community,” said Courity, which he had dedicated the last five age Campaign National Field Director years of his life to opposing. Specifically, and 2010 NOM Tour Tracker Arisha Hatch.

Marinelli credited his personal interactions “Louis’ change of heart is instructive of with the thousands of pro-equality counter- what the courts and a growing majority of demonstrators at each stop of NOM’s 2010 Americans have come to realize about our Summer for Marriage Tour, and the hateful LGBT brothers and sisters – that they are rhetoric espoused by marriage equality op- our friends, neighbors, and colleagues; they ponents on the Facebook page that Marinel- share the same hopes and dreams as every li had created for NOM in the tour’s after- other American; and that they are entitled to math. the same rights as any other loving family.” “[On the tour], the Lesbian and Gay peoThe Courage Campaign has also joined ple whom I made a profession out of op- with the Human Rights Campaign to expose posing became real people for me almost the shadowy finances and hateful rhetoric instantly. For the first time I had empathy behind Marinelli’s former employer, the Nafor them, and remember asking myself what tional Organization for Marriage, at www.

I was doing,” said Marinelli. “I was largely nomexposed.com. taken aback by the fact that the page I creatMarinelli joins a growing list of high-proed had become such a hateful place. … I be- file conservatives, including former RNC gan to understand why the Gay community Chair Ken Mehlman, former Vice President was out there claiming opposition to same- Dick Cheney, and former First Lady Laura sex civil marriage was all about hate. … I Bush, who have come out in support of marsoon realized that there I was surrounded by riage equality.

16 Seattle Gay News

April 15, 2011

file photo

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Former Republican Senator Alan Simpson now finds homophobes in his own party “disgusting,” he said recently.

Simpson made the remark in an April 11 interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.

Matthews asked the former senator for his impressions of the field of Republican presidential hopefuls. He got a characteristically blunt response.

Simpson said that Republicans should focus on fiscal issues rather than social issues, pointing to Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as examples.

“We won a governorship there in New Jersey, one in Virginia, by not talking about social issues,” Simpson said.

Simpson then launched into a blunt discussion of reproductive choice and Gay rights.

“Who the hell is for abortion?” he asked.

“I don’t know anybody running around with a sign that says ‘Have an abortion, they’re wonderful.’ They’re hideous.

“But they’re a deeply intimate and personal decision and I don’t think men legisla-

tors should even vote on the issue.”

“Then you’ve got homosexuality – you’ve got ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” Simpson continued.

“We’ve got homophobes in our party.

That’s disgusting to me. We’re all human beings, we’re all God’s children.

“Now if you’re going to get off in that stuff, Santorum has said some cruel things – cruel, cruel things about homosexuals. Ask him about it. See if he attributes the cruelness of his remarks years ago. Foul.”

“If that’s the kind of guys that are going to be on my ticket,” he continued, “you know, it makes you sort out hard what Reagan said, ‘Stick with your folks,’ but I’m not sticking with people who are homophobic, anti-women – moral values, while you’re diddling your secretary, while you’re giving a speech on moral values. Come on, get off of it.”

Simpson could be referring to many of the leading Republican presidential contenders, New Republican front-runner Donald Trump ditched his past support for Gay rights and reproductive choice in order to curry favor with the Republican Party’s right wing.

Newt Gingrich recently defended his support of the anti-Gay American Family Association. Two of his three marriages ended in divorce after his wives discovered he had been involved in affairs with staffers.

Mike Huckabee recently announced that he “would love the world to be led by people who have a Biblical worldview.”

Tim Pawlenty also announced that he would never view same-sex relationships as equal to traditional opposite-sex marriage.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), while not a presidential candidate, committed the House to defend DOMA in federal courts, following Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement that the Justice Department would no longer do so.

Boehner also insisted on cutting off all federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the latest round of budget negotiations.

Simpson represented Wyoming in the U.S. Senate from 1979 to 1997. He decided not to run for reelection in 1996 after losing his Republican Whip position to Trent Lott (R-Miss.).

While in the Senate, Simpson had a mixed record on social issues. He was generally pro-choice, but he voted for DOMA in 1996.

Celebrating 38 Years!

nity more cohesive. It reflects an important quality of our community: caring!

I was talking socially to someone once and asked about a loved one. She told me that he had died. For a split second I thought, “Oh shit, I’m going to make her feel bad,” but then I asked her what happened. She proceeded to tell me her story and tell me about him. I asked questions. We both shed a tear.

At the end, she thanked me and said, “No one ever asks. They always change the subject.”

Of course, I wish there wasn’t any HIV/ AIDS. However, compared to how it was in the 1980s and early 1990s, I am so happy and thankful for modern medicine. I am so happy that, for the most part, young men and the memories, but they have no one to and women with HIV won’t face what my talk to. They feel like few are interested and friends faced. fewer even understand. Where is the support for those who have lost so much?

This brings up the second important reason to highlight this: in my opinion, there is a disconnect in the community between the “generations.” There is a younger group of men and women who haven’t experienced the devastation of AIDS because modern medicine has made HIV/AIDS much more of a manageable, chronic condition. I don’t believe for a moment that it is about lack of caring. The younger generation just doesn’t have the frame of reference that those of us in the forgotten generation have. This unintentional disconnect, though, creates a sense of isolation and not belonging. Some survivors fear connecting more because of the pain of more loss and they don’t feel that anyone cares because no one takes an interest in what they’ve been through.

However, this chasm doesn’t have to exist. We don’t have to hold our losses silently. We need to be talk to one another about those we loved, what we went through, and how much we still miss them. We don’t need to be afraid of opening old wounds. Sharing the heartache and the love is about keeping the legacy alive. We need to acknowledge that we’ve been through one of life’s most challenging phases – and for many of us, we did it far too many times.

For the “younger generation,” it’s OK to ask. It’s OK to take an interest and take a moment to hear about some wonderful people that you won’t ever have the opportunity to know. It’s important because the act of listening does so much. We all know how much we appreciate when someone just takes a few minutes to listen to us and care about what we went through. It does untold good! It’s important because it brings people together and that makes the commu-

Friends gone, generation forgotten

by Michael Raitt SGN Contributing Writer As I talk to various people, it occurred to me that the HIV/AIDS plague that ravished our community by taking so many of our loved ones also created a generation that has, for the most part, become invisible and forgotten. This is the generation of men and women who have lived through the epidemic and who have experienced great love and heart-wrenching, incalculable losses. These are men and women who, without hesitation, gave time and love and who now live their lives holding the memories of those they loved while dealing with their own feelings of loneliness and isolation.

This is important for two reasons. First, this generation of friends and family, from their late 30s onward, are the ones who suffered the staggering losses because from early 1980s to mid 1990s, when we were in our late teens and 20s, AIDS was much more deadly – it usually killed within months or a few short years. These are the men and women who lost dozens, if not hundreds, of friends. Appropriately so, at the time, energy was focused on those we loved who were sick and dying. Survivors quietly moved on with their lives and continue to carry the pain, hurt, and anger of the losses. Many still feel these emotions today.

Grief is not a linear process (though it is often outlined as such in books). You never go through it step-by-step and get over it in a month. Grief is complex, and it goes on for years. Although you may not be aware of it as much, those moments when you are reminded of someone you’ve lost and you get sad or shed a tear, you are still grieving.

This is good. We don’t ever want to forget! I know there is a cadre of women and men in our community who are still grieving. There are a number of people who hold the stories

Yet, because we are blessed with this, we also can’t forget those we’ve lost and those who have lost so much! I think of my friends and boyfriends who have died every day! No one knows of them or how much I miss them. But if you asked, I’d be thankful and very appreciative that you cared! As a community, let us continue to love the ones we’ve lost and remember the ones who have lost so much.

Michael Raitt, MA LMHC, is a therapist and a contributing writer to the SGN. He writes a bi-monthly column in the SGN. If you would like to comment on this column, ask a question you’d like him to write about, or suggest another topic of interest, please contact him at askingmichael@comcast. net.

There is a younger group of men and women who haven’t experienced the devastation of AIDS because modern medicine has made HIV/AIDS much more of a manageable, chronic condition.

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Seattle Gay News 17

SGN ’s Anthony swims with the Orcas

courtesy anthony Greer

waii for the championships.

The Orcas have weekly practices on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Attending these practices are not required and there are several levels of memberships that are sure to fit everyone’s schedules and swimming needs.

“A lot of people enjoy swimming but may not identify themselves as a swimmer, so we have punch passes where people just drop in,” Stone explained. These passes are for whatever fits their schedule and their level of fitness.

The punch passes are $60 and allow you to swim with the Orcas for 10 practices. Annual passes are $500 and quarterly passes are $145. For first-timers who aren’t sure if the Orca swim team is a good fit for them, there is also a three-day pass. In order to become an Orca, you also have to join the U.S. Mastering Swimming (USMS) for insurance, which is $35 a year. According to the Orcas, the experience is worth every penny.

The practices take place at Seattle University, where they’re coached by SU swimmers.

“We’re fortunate to have a really good relationship with them. We pay money for them so that they can support their swim team. It’s a great collaborative effort,” Stone said. “This last swim meet, they provided volunteer support for us. That kind of support from them is invaluable.”

The practice pools have six lanes and are all based on a swimmers’ skill levels. The beginning swimmers take lanes one and Members of the Orca Swim Team at Gay Pride two, while some of the more seasoned Orby Anthony Greer sports,” Jason Stone, the Orca’s webmaster, “When I first started, I didn’t know a lot of cas splash through lanes five and six. There SGN Contributing Writer said. people.” Since joining the Orcas, he said that are generally somewhere between 20 and 30 Some members are part-time swimmers he’s met a lot of diverse people and made a people present during the practices, which With the sun slowly creeping back into just looking to stay healthy and fit, but some lot of friends. Being a part of the Orca team tend to last around 75 minutes. The first the Seattle skyline, many people find them- of the more diehard Orcas have their eyes has helped him as well as many of the other 10-15 minutes are for announcements and selves preparing for swimsuit season. The fixed on the International Gay and Lesbian team members socialize more with both the warm-ups. Afterwards, the SU coach will Orcas, however, are in their swimming at- Aquatics (IGLA) Championships held in swimming community and the Gay commu- choose a swim style and distance for the Orcas to participate in. The Orcas also have the tire all year long.

Hawaii in July. Stone plans on being one of nity.

In 1983, Seattle swimmer Dana Cox in- them.

“It’s a social group, too,” Lind empha- option of focusing on other styles and disformed former WSU varsity swimmer Rick “In 2006, I went to the Gay Games in Chi- sized. “We do a potluck once a month and tances if they’d like.

“You get a better workout when you work Peterson about the Gay Games and sug- cago, and I was the only athlete from Mon- dinner once a week on Fridays.” gested the start of an “informal Gay swim tana. I had an amazing time and wanted to “We have a ‘bring a friend to swim’ night out with a team,” Stone said. He added that night” at Seattle’s Queen Anne Pool. A year stay a part of it,” Stone said, “I knew that I once a month, and then usually invade the “swimming is really gratifying in that a little later, the Emerald City Orca Swim Club was wanted to become an Orca before I moved Lobby Bar for an after-swim practice party,” tweak in your technique will go a long way formed, and Peterson was elected captain. to Seattle.”

Stone said, “As a team, we try and support with how fast and efficient you are.”

Those “little tweaks” can sometimes mean Since then, the Orcas have grown to a roster Matt Lind has been an Orca and attending local businesses that support us.” of roughly 200 men and women, both Gay IGLA championships since 1989. He has “At least as a community, if not as a team,” all the difference when it comes to championship meets. Just ask Orca member Lisa and straight, young and old, fast and slow. participated in the Gay Games, as well.

Lind added.

“I think that swimming is a good sport “I’ve been a swimmer all of my life, so The Orca swim team will also be selling Dahl who holds a world record with IGLA. While the Orca swim team is flourishing whatever your level is. It’s not hard on your I needed to find a swim team – and a Gay Jell-O shots at the Eagle on April 30 as part joints like running, basketball, or other swim team is just a perfect fit.” Lind said. of a fundraiser to get their teammates to Ha- now, it’s been a long and trying journey for

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April 15, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

courtesy anthony Greer

openly Gay state legislator, Representative Cal Anderson – to rally behind them and got the Pacific Northwest Aquatics (PNA) to sanction them.

In 1994, Peterson (who was the Federation of Gay Games co-president by then) met with the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala in Washington, D.C., to successfully lift a U.S. ban preventing HIV-positive athletes from entering the United States to participate in the Gay Games III in New York City. The water in the pool has been much smoother ever since.

While the Orcas continue to train for the championships in IGLA, or even just try to make it to the other end of the pool, they support one another and work together to become more disciplined swimmers and

create stronger bonds in and out of their swim lanes. They are also gearing up for pride in June, which occurs just a week before several of them compete in Hawaii.

Stone and Lind are excited for both events.

Stone said, while laughing, that what makes the Orcas unique is that “we’re the only ones in the Pride parade that wear Speedos for a legitimate reason.” He also hinted that since the championships are held in Hawaii immediately after Seattle Pride, that will be incorporated in their float.

“We would also like to thank the Lobby Bar for their support of the Orca swim team,” Stone concluded.

If you’re interested in joining the Orca swim team, please visit their website at www.orcaswimteam.org.

Members of the Orca Swim Team at a swim meet

some of its members to earn the right to be both Gay and swim competitively. The Orca team was formed during the beginning stages of the HIV crisis, and thus had to work their way to acceptance.

“There was a pretty significant pushback from the swimming community for allowing Gays to swim with them,” Stone explained. But since then, “we’ve developed a lot of connections with the [swimming] community.”

Peterson, the Orca’s first captain, was unavailable for an interview, but still told his

story in a timeline of events starting from the birth of the Orcas to today. He revealed that he and his teammates participated in a plethora of fundraisers and events to raise awareness and gain equal rights for Gay swimmers.

In 1986, he and fellow Orca Rene Oldrich swam across Lake Washington to fight the anti-Gay-rights Initiative 490 in King County. The following year, when the Orcas had difficulty getting USMS sanctioning, they managed to successfully get several political leaders – including Washington’s first

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Seattle Gay News 19

Navy reverses decision on bed-sharing sailor

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor For the second time in two weeks, U.S. Navy officials have dropped DADT charges against a sailor who, a few short months ago, would’ve been given the boot under the discriminatory policy that prohibited

come under fire for sexual behavior, but he said the sailor violated a command instruction of not sharing a bed in a Navy barracks.

Servicemembers United Executive Director Alexander Nicholson isn’t buying it, saying, “We strongly suspected that his command was trying to find a round about way to discharge Jones because it suspected open Gay service. him of being Gay, and we simply were not Petty Officer Second Class Stephen Jones, willing to stand by and watch a new version who was notified he would be discharged of DADT emerge under the new label of under DADT for falling asleep in the same ‘unprofessional conduct.’” bed as his colleague, will be able to keep his post, the Navy announced.

According to earlier reports, Jones, 21, fell asleep in the same bed as Petty Officer continued from cover Bryan McGee after the two spent the evening watching television in a barracks room The bill Liias sponsored last year called at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Comfor a new revision of the state’s model antimand in Charleston, South Carolina.

Jones’ roommate walked in to find them bullying policy, and designation of one indilying on the bed, though both sailors con- vidual in each school district to be the point tend that they were both clothed and that person for implementing the policy.

Liias’ latest bill does several things. they did not engage in any sexual conduct.

• It requires the state Education OmbudsThe situation made the roommate feel uncomfortable, prompting him to move to an- man and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to set up an ongoing work group other room the next day.

Originally, the Navy was to punish the on bullying and harassment prevention.

• It requires the governing boards of the two men by a nonjudicial procedure, which McGee agreed to, but Jones did not, prompt- state’s community and technical colleges to ing the officials to begin the process of dis- create and evaluate anti-bullying policies and procedures. charging him.

• It adds mental health and suicide preIn March, Jones received his discharge orders for “willful failure to exhibit profes- vention education to the essential learning sional conduct,” said his lawyer, Gary My- requirements in health and fitness.

• It requires that all school districts make ers.

A Navy spokesman says that Jones did not their anti-bullying policies and procedures public.

The bill first passed the state House on March 22, by a margin of 76 to 21.

In the Senate, it passed on April 4 by 41 votes to only six against.

Since the Senate amended the original bill, it had to return to the House, where the members agreed to the Senate amendment by a 73 to 23 margin on April 13.

The governor has indicated she will sign the bill.

bullying

aging

continued from cover motes quality of life, independence, and choice for older people and adults with disabilities in King County – including LGBT persons.

“The Area Plan is a state-required document that reflects the needs of the community, highlights our goals, and serves as the guide for our work over the next four years,” Karen M. Winston, MSW, an official working with Aging and Disability Services for the Seattle Human Services Department told Seattle Gay News. “The four-year plan we are currently developing is for 2012-2015.”

ADS plans, coordinates, and advocates for a comprehensive service delivery system for older adults, family caregivers, and people with disabilities in King County. ADS is a division of the Seattle Human Services Department and works in partnership with

King County and United Way to improve the health and quality of life for seniors and adults with disabilities, connect seniors and adults with disabilities with helpful resources, and provide help and support for caregivers.

The Area Plan charts the course ADS will follow as they seek to create an elder-friendly community.

ADS is engaging community members in activities to better understand local needs.

Thanks to an in-depth online questionnaire, ADS hopes to address basic needs, improve health and well-being, promote civic and social engagement, and increase independence for frail older persons and adults with disabilities.

“We have encouraged broad circulation of the questionnaire among these partners,” said Winston. “Copies of the questionnaire were also widely distributed for those who may not have access to computers.”

ADS staff also assisted with planning and co-sponsored the 2010 LGBTQ Summit, coordinated by Senior Services. ADS will review the report generated from the summit and incorporate findings in the Area Plan, said Winston.

“Between July 25 to August 12, we will conduct a public review process for the draft plan that will include public hearings located throughout King County,” she said.

“We will announce the exact dates and locations of the public hearings as soon as they are available.”

ADS will use public input to develop goals and objectives for the 2012-2015 Area Plan on Aging, said Winston.

If you have any questions, please email karen.winston@seattle.gov.

To take part in the survey visit www. zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22BXX4UU7DX. The survey will be available through April 29 and should take 10 minutes to complete.

chablis

continued from cover ebration of her birthday and, in doing so, to donate to the Youth Suicide Prevention Program (YSPP) to help save the lives of LGBT youth.

“People can donate whenever they want from now until April 30 at any of my shows,” Chablis told Seattle Gay News. “I will add up the donations and announce the grand total at the Lady Chablis Birthday Extravaganza: A Celebration of Life For Our Gay Youth finale on April 30.”

The money that Chablis and the community raises will go to YSPP’s OUTLoud program, which provides public education (through trainings and community outreach) focusing on LGBTQ youth and their risk for suicide, self-harm, and depression, and also focuses on bullying and bias-based harassment and the links these experiences have to lifelong negative mental health outcomes.

Chablis has set a goal of $3,000 for her

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20 Seattle Gay News

April 15, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

birthday extravaganza, and she needs your help to get there.

Anyone that has ever been to a Chablis show can tell you she brings it every time!

“The audience can expect a fun show with lots of drag queens and friends,” she told SGN. Chablis says that friends show up at her birthday party and do their best impersonations of her. “One year, R Place manager Floyd Lovelady dressed as a ‘big woman’ and lip-synched to Jennifer Holiday. I still have nightmares,” she joked.

Helping to raise money for YSPP has become something of a tradition for Chablis.

During the holiday season, Chablis rallied with Seattle Gay News and Absolut Vodka for the Tree of Life program. In just four days, Chablis raised over $1,600 dollars.

“When I heard about the Gay youth who were committing suicide, my heart just crumbled,” recalled Chablis. “I asked myself, ‘How does a child put a gun to his head and pull the trigger?’ I began to question myself about what I was doing to reach out to these kids. How many more will there be, and when will it stop? I thought about the hate groups that were taking joy in my little Gay brothers and sisters destroying themselves, and I got pissed, turned my anger into motivation, and decided to do something about it.”

From then on, there was no turning back.

“It’s so important to continue to fight,” says Chablis. “It’s crazy that we give or reach

out when disaster strikes and we all care at the moment, but then we forget a couple of months later. Well, we may not see it on TV or the newspapers every day, but LGBT youth are still harming themselves. These kids need us and they need a program that they know they can come to when they have no other place to go. I was bullied as a kid and it’s not a comfortable feeling, especially when you know you’re different from others.”

Chablis says that local entertainers “should take a piece of their talent and use it to help the community.”

“When I hear that a drag queen is hosting a fundraising event and demands payment, that tells me that they are only doing this for themselves,” said Chablis. “If a queen can ask for donations to buy a new dress for a pageant, then by all means, they should turn around and give back to the community.

There are many queens out there I respect because they know that drag is an inspiration to others, and we should use it in a positive way.”

“We have an obligation, and that is to protect and support our Gay youth,” concluded Chablis. “It’s important to give. Please come out and support the cause. That will be the best birthday present you could give me.”

For more information about the Youth Suicide Prevention Program and OUTLoud, or to make a donation, please visit www.yspp.org.

playfield

continued from cover “We are closing the field in order to install a new lighting system at Bobby Morris Playfield, which involves construction work and heavy equipment that makes the site unsafe for the public,” Dewey Potter, communications manager of Seattle Parks and Recreation, told Seattle Gay News. “The rest of the park will stay open.”

The scheduled maintenance has many in the community asking why the playfield is being closed during the peak months of good weather and usage.

“Trenching is necessary to install the new conduit,” counters Potter. “This will be difficult due to the limited space at the site and needs to be completed in the dry season to limit the site restoration required.”

“Once the trench work and crane work is complete, we should be able to reopen the field,” she continued. “However, it is the contractor’s right to establish the sequencing of this work, so we need to block out a work window when activities are not scheduled for the field.”

So what exactly is the problem with the existing light system at Bobby Morris Playfield? According to Seattle Parks and Recreation officials, the current lighting system was installed in 1964 and is outdated. The current system consists of 88 unshielded

1,500-watt floodlights on wood poles ranging from 75-90 feet high. The existing floodlights are beyond their useful life and require significant maintenance to keep them operational. Lighting levels produced by the floodlights are below recommended standards for safe play. The existing floodlights also create light pollution in the form of glare, light trespass, and “sky glow.”

Parks and Recreation officials say the new system will fix these problems and more.

“The latest advances in athletic field lighting technology consist of floodlights that are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly,” say officials. “The current generation of athletic field lighting delivers more light to the field and not into the surrounding community. The proposed shielded floodlight system would reduce the number of floodlights and light poles; reducing the overall connected load of the lighting system, resulting in a reduction in the amount of energy used at this field over the 30-year life of the system.”

The project is funded through the Cumulative Reserve Fund for Ballfields, Athletic Courts & Play Areas. Total project budget for planning, public process, design, and construction is estimated to be $600,000.

Seattle Parks and Recreation officials told SGN that the tennis courts will remain open during construction, but “there will be some time that the lights are off.” In addition, the restrooms and shelter house will remain usable during construction.

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Seattle Gay News 21

22 Seattle Gay News

April 15, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 23