SGN June 29, 2012 - Section 1

Celebrating 39 Years!

Issue 26 Volume 40

FRIDAY June 29, 2012 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & newsstands

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

The creator of the dress that wowed Pride 2012 speaks her mind

Murder in Texas

Shooting of Lesbian couple a mystery, FBI assisting

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

COURTESY MSNBC

NATE GOWDY / SEATTLE GAY NEWS

Mama Tits kicks ass

A teenaged Lesbian couple, Mollie Judith Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa, were shot at a park in Portland, Texas, near Corpus Christi, on June 23.

Olgin was hit in the neck and died at the scene. Chapa was shot in the head and remains in a local hospital in serious but stable condition. Police said they had not been able to interview her because she is still undergoing medical treatment.

“She is able to communicate,” Portland police chief Randy Wright told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. “But we have not yet been able to talk with her.”

The FBI and Texas Rangers, as the Texas state police are known, are assisting local police in the investigation.

According to friends, the two had been in a relationship for five months, and there was immediate speculation that their sexual orien-

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor It wouldn’t be Pride in Seattle without controversy. Leading up to Pride weekend, it began like it always does. Some community members didn’t like the Pride Parade theme.

Others did not agree with Seattle Out & Proud’s decision to raise the entrance fee for see MAMA TITS page 22 The Pride Flag flew atop the Space Needle after all – thanks to Mama Tits!

see MURDER page 21

Mary Kristene Chapa (l) and Mollie Judith Olgin

Pride ‘dance party’ bust-up Supreme Court upholds Care Act

by SPD raises questions Affordable ‘Obamacare’ mandate ruled legal Videos of event outside Madison Pub appear to conflict with official story

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer In the early hours of Pride Day, June 24, a self-described “organic” group of 50 to 100 people staged a loosely planned march and “street dance party” that moved through Capitol Hill. The group, called Queers Fucking Queers (QFQ), has taken responsibility for the action.

When the group began dancing in the streets on E. Madison St. between 12th and 14th Aves., near Pony and the Madison Pub, Seattle police ordered the revelers back onto the sidewalk. Amid some confusion, SPD officers then began deploying pepper spray and made six arrests. Those involved claimed the SPD used excessive force, and the incident has sparked a minor public backlash.

The march and dance party had been going on for some time before pepper spray was deployed.

According to the SPD Blotter, the department’s blog, here’s what triggered its use: “Shortly after 1 a.m. … a

AP PHOTO/DAVID GOLDMAN

JAMES WHITELY / SEATTLE GAY NEWS

Hudson Williams-Eynon giving his statment to the press

under government’s power to tax

Supporters of President Obama’s health care law celebrate outside the Supreme Court in Washington after the court’s ruling.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

In a 5-to-4 decision announced June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Obama’s signature health care legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The court’s decision was sursee BUST page 7 prising for two reasons.

proud to Be Different

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

First, Justice Anthony Kennedy – who was presumed by nearly all observers to be the “swing vote” who would decide the case – ended up voting with the minority. It was Chief Justice John Roberts, a Bush II appointee, who voted with the court’s more liberal wing to uphold the law. see HEALTH CARE page 24

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Celebrating 39 Years!

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Celebrating 39 Years!

COURTESY ELECT ELIZABETH BERNS FOR JUDGE

SGN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Liz Berns, candidate for King County Superior Court

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer For Liz Berns, the desire to run for Superior Court judge came gradually.

“I’ve spent three years as a pro tem [acting] judge,” she explained. “Through that experience it all came together for me. It seemed to me that as a judge, I was bringing the best of who I am to the community.

“And it’s a positive reflection of the diversity we enjoy in King County,” she added.

Born in Seattle, a graduate of the University of Washington and Puget Sound University Law School, Elizabeth Berns has been practicing law for two decades, she tells SGN. She helped found the Northwest Women’s Law Center (now Legal Voice) and is a member of the GSBA and QLaw, the LGBT bar association. Currently she is a judge pro tem in King County District Court and a commissioner pro tem in King County Superior Court.

She also has a busy family life.

“I have a wonderful partner, two teenage sons, and four dogs – I’ll know how to keep order in my courtroom,” she grinned.

“My family was very much involved in the decision to run,” Berns said. “We had the discussion at Thanksgiving. And they’ve been very involved in the campaign. My partner has been to every legislative district meeting. My oldest son has been acting as my campaign manager.”

Asked what was the most useful campaign advice her son had given her, she replied, “To keep sight of my goal – becoming a judge – and do my best to get there.”

Berns says that Superior Court is, in many ways, a microcosm of society, and all of society’s stresses and tensions come up in

court cases.

“In Superior Court you run the whole spectrum of cases,” she noted. “People might be surprised to know that the majority of cases are civil cases. Forty percent are family law cases.

“We need to be aware what the issues are.

There’s a tremendous amount of stress in the community – and that’s concentrated in the Superior Court.”

Judges have to be sensitive to community issues, Berns says, so they can apply the law in appropriate ways.

“As judges we serve our community and reflect its values,” she explained. “It’s not only applying the law to facts and circumstances – it’s putting [the law] in context.

“That doesn’t change how we apply it, but we work with human beings and we have to understand the diversity of our community and how that impacts people in situations of conflict and stress.”

Berns acknowledges that many cases – even civil cases – are “very emotional” for the people involved, and says her number one goal is for individuals who appear in court to feel she has listened to their side of the story.

“You have to give people the opportunity to tell their stories and feel they’ve been heard,” she says. “Everyone needs to have the opportunity to be heard and treated with respect.

“And then I have to explain my decision.

That’s also very important. I’ve had people tell me ‘I don’t like your decision, but you heard me out and I understand why you decided the way you did; I’ll live with it.’”

This is Berns’ first run for a public office.

Asked what she finds challenging as a can-

PFLAG turns 40

Pioneering LGBT ally group launches year-long celebration/awareness campaign

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the nation’s largest grassroots nonprofit group for families, friends, and straight allies of LGBT people, kicks off its milestone 40th anniversary

campaign this week.

“PFLAG Then & Now … 40 Years of Family and Ally Voices” will be a year-long look at where PFLAG started, all that has been achieved since then, and all that is still to be accomplished to achieve full equality for LGBT people. “PFLAG Then & Now” will also demonstrate how PFLAG’s unique

Elizabeth Berns

didate, she replied, “It’s difficult to learn the political process. This is a countywide race, in a place with 1.8 million people.

“It’s frustrating to learn just how little people know about judicial candidates.

How few people vote for judges. And candidates can’t give a lot of information because of the canons [of judicial ethics].

“I want voters to know they have a say in who they want sitting in positions that will have an impact on their lives.”

Noting that she has been endorsed by many judges – including two retired state Supreme Court justices – as well as by State

Sen. Ed Murray, State Rep. Jamie Pedersen, City Councilmember Sally Clark, former Municipal Court judge Anne Levinson, and the King County Labor Council, Berns says she hopes her endorsements will help voters know who she is.

“To have the trust and confidence of judges – and from so many wonderful leaders from the community – well, endorsements are a way for many people to get to know the candidate,” Berns says.

“They say ‘I have shared values with you.

I may not know how you’d rule in a case, but I know we have shared values.’”

family and ally voice has been, and will continue to be, a crucial part of the LGBT movement.

The campaign begins with a look back at the pivotal moment that started the organization: PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford’s historic public support of her Gay son, Morty. Forty years ago this week, Manford marched at Morty’s side in New York’s Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade after learning he had been assaulted due to his sexual orientation while police stood by and did nothing to help him. She was galvanized to take action through a simple act – walking side-by-side with him in the parade, carrying a sign that read “Parents of Gays Unite in Support for Our Children.”

The response to Manford’s gesture was overwhelming, and she was begged by other parade participants to speak to their parents and families. Through the next year, this grassroots movement spread like wildfire and in 1973 Manford, along with a small group of other dedicated parents, founded PFLAG, an organization for parents, families, friends, and straight allies to unite with LGBT people in a shared mission of support, education, and advocacy. That this movement spread so quickly – long before the age of the Internet and mobile phones – was clear evidence of the need for such an organization.

Says PFLAG’s current national president, Rabbi David M. Horowitz, “Then, Jeanne had no legal recourse through which she could protect her son. The press refused to listen to her story and the government was silent in response to her calls for justice. Now, 40 years later, parents, families, friends, and allies of LGBT people have a voice – in large part thanks to PFLAG and its nearly quarter of a million members and supporters, who work relentlessly to create

a society that not only protects the rights of their LGBT loved ones, but also celebrates their diversity and loving relationships.”

“Much has changed since 1972,” said PFLAG Executive Director Jody M. Huckaby. “Then, roughly three-quarters of the U.S. population deemed homosexuality morally wrong, vicious attacks on LGBT people were commonplace, and the idea of equality for Gays and Lesbians was a radical notion.”

Now, 40 years later, there has been a clear shift in policy, press, and public opinion.

PFLAG National will soon release its newest publication, The Hate Crimes Prevention Guide & Toolkit, which will empower PFLAGers and their supporters to understand hate-crime laws and encourage community partnerships with law enforcement.

Huckaby looks forward to PFLAG’s year-long celebration. “Jeanne Manford has been called the Mother of the Straight Ally Movement – the simple act of supporting her Gay child empowered millions of family members and straight allies to do the same, demonstrating the force that a single voice has to transform the push for acceptance and equality for all,” she said. “Each day we hear stories about the importance of PFLAG’s unique family and ally voice in moving equality forward – even our nation’s President attributed his evolution on marriage equality to conversations he had with parents, families, and allies of LGBT people – and in our hundreds of chapters across the country, we see the impact our members’ unique voices are having in changing hearts and minds.”

To follow PFLAG National’s “PFLAG Then & Now … 40 Years of Family and Ally Voices” campaign, visit www.pflag. org/thenandnow.

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Allyship discussion series fosters LGBT common ground

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by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer LGBTQ Allyship is currently presenting the fifth season of Queerly Classed, its signature discussion series. The most recent forum, held May 30 in South Seattle and titled “Limited Access,” focused on healthcare disparities unique to the LGBT community.

Allyship says the reason it puts on these forums is twofold: to teach and to learn, in a real community setting – and this value is wholly integrated with the group’s mission.

This is what makes Allyship unique and dif-

ferent from other advocacy organizations – not just LGBT groups, but those representing other marginalized communities.

“Oppressions are interconnected, and in the possibility of a world free of oppression, we seek to work in solidarity with marginalized communities to understand the interconnectedness of oppression and to support the systematic liberation of all people,” says Allyship.

Debbie Carlsen, director of Allyship, started the organization in 2005 with about 12 other activists after conducting a needs assessment. The idea was to create a group that makes gender and racial connections, and which works outside of the LGBT community, advocating on its behalf to both government and service providers.

“People were excited about it, and nothing like this existed,” Carlsen told SGN. Regarding the “Limited Access” forum, Carlsen said, “The speakers were connected to the organization and possible campaigns that we as Allyship want to engage in. This year we want to make a stronger connection.”

In addition to featured speaker Sara Jaye Sanford of the Immunization Action Coalition of Washington, who spoke on healthcare disparities unique to Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer women, many speakers and attendees raised questions about such disparities in regard to older LGBT people.

“There’s going to be this burst of older

people retiring and needing long-term care,” said Carlsen.

The forum explored the various ways LGBT people can be institutionally discriminated against in health care and discussed how we as a community might address such discrimination.

Jack Johnson, a longtime local activist who is HIV-positive, shared a story about how his need for dental care and his HIV status put him in a life-threatening situation because of his weakened immune system.

“Seniors are going back into the closet because of inherent discrimination,” said Carlsen. “There’s a need for culturally appropriate training for caregivers, and a burst in the need for more of those caregivers [is] coming.”

Queerly Classed came from a belief that to grow and thrive, the community must have a space where it can come together, discuss issues that matter, find common ground, and take action. Over the years, topics have included the displacement of LGBT individuals, organizations, and businesses from Capitol Hill; the intersection of immigrant and LGBT rights; and many others.

Allyship’s upcoming forum, “Welcome to the Hunger Games,” will focus on how the LGBT community can be allies to homeless youth. Recently, Allyship held focus groups with homeless LGBT young people and local youth service providers such as YouthCare. At the forum, Allyship will not only present what it learned, but engage and learn from those who attend the forum. “Welcome to the Hunger Games” will be held July 25 at Southside Commons (3518 S. Edmunds St.), starting at 6:30 p.m.

From its inception, Allyship has been an all-volunteer organization, but Carlsen says she wants to take it in a more professional nonprofit direction and hire staff. To learn more, donate, or get involved with Allyship, visit www.lgbtqallyship.org.

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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Celebrating 39 Years!

Fighting the flames

Gay military personnel lend a hand as wildfire threatens USAF Academy PATRICK SANDUSKY

The current Colorado wildfire is believed to be the worst in the state’s history.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Firefighters continue to struggle against a wildfire at the edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado, that has forced at least 35,000 people from their homes and prompted a partial evacuation of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

As of late Thursday, the Waldo Canyon Fire has burned close to 20,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of houses and other structures. The fire grabbed media attention due its close proximity to the Air Force Academy and the famed mountaintop of Pikes Peak.

On Tuesday, Colorado Springs Fire Chief Rich Brown called the firestorm that hit his city a “monster” and said at that point the flames were “not even remotely close to being contained.”

Cooler temperatures and lighter winds on Thursday helped firefighters make progress, officials said.

Andy Blevins, a member of the OutServe Colorado Chapter, reports that once the group’s members and leadership heard about the situation, they sprang into action to lend a hand wherever needed. Others, he said, offered a place for the volunteers to sleep and a hot meal.

“The majority of our members in the Colorado Chapter live in Colorado Springs,” Blevins said. “Several of our members came together and offered to help with the evacuation process.”

OutServe is a group of over 5,000 actively serving Gay and Lesbian service members in the U.S. military.

Blevins described the actions of his fel-

BUST

continued from cover 25-year-old male, who was on the sidewalk, purposely stepped off the sidewalk back into the street [after SPD ordered all participants to the sidewalk] and proceeded to walk directly to, and in front of, the police commander. The man clicked his heels and stood at attention in front of the commander. The commander informed the man he was under arrest, and directed officers to arrest him.

When the man was taken into custody, the group grew agitated and verbally abusive.”

“Officers saw an unknown man jump on top of a parked car and begin to stomp and jump up and down on it. Officers ordered the man to stop and get down off the car. The man refused, and pepper spray was used.

Several members of the group surged forward and a 24-year-old male rushed forward and kicked the commander in the knee. Pepper spray was again used on the suspect.

low Colorado Chapter members as “inspiring” and said, “It really brought to the forefront a sense of camaraderie and unity that OutServe leadership has sought to provide for LGB members in the military.”

According to Blevins, the actions of the OutServe chapter inspired their family and friends to help – as well as complete strangers.

“It is truly awe-inspiring to be a part of an organization that does more than provide networking opportunities,” he said. “It provides a family.”

Officials are assessing damage after wind-driven flames swept over containment lines into Colorado Springs, burning down homes on its outskirts as authorities hurried to evacuate residents.

“This area that we’re in is extremely dense,” Colorado Springs Fire Department spokeswoman Sunny Smaldino told CNN on Wednesday. “It’s one of our worst scenarios in our city to have that many homes affected.”

A spot fire touched a vacant southwest corner of the grounds of the Air Force Academy, which continues to operate, fire officials said.

Even as smoke from the raging wildfires rose in the foothills around them, 1,045 new cadets arrived at the academy today to begin their basic training.

When the Waldo Canyon Fire began to threaten the academy, more than 2,100 families were quickly evacuated from residential areas of the academy and still have not been allowed to return.

Colorado Springs is the state’s secondlargest metropolitan area, with more than 650,000 residents.

That man was arrested for assault. As officers moved forward to assist the officer, a 30-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman immediately grabbed onto the man being arrested and attempted to pull him back into the crowd. The 31-year-old female had been arrested earlier in the week for trespassing and is well-known in the anarchist community. The two were arrested for Hindering Law Enforcement. A 29-year-old woman was arrested for Pedestrian Interference and Obstructing, while a 22-year-old woman was arrested for Pedestrian Interference during the disturbance.”

POLICE ACCOUNT CHALLENGED This might seem pretty straightforward, but a few videos that were taken during the incident reveal that the information reported

by SPD Blotter might not be true.

One such video shows Hudson WilliamsEynon, the man charged with assault for kicking an officer (Lt. Gregg Calder), being sprayed in the face by Calder, then ac-

tually being pulled into the street from the sidewalk – essentially detailing Calder as the aggressor. While it is possible that Williams-Eynon did kick the officer earlier and it simply wasn’t caught on camera, Ian Finkenbinder, an organizer with QFQ, is calling the charges “bogus.”

“I was pepper sprayed at point-blank range, grabbed by my shirt, and thrown onto my face by Lt. Gregg Calder of the Seattle Police. I spent two days in King County Jail under investigation of assault on an officer.

I was released Monday evening on the order of a King County Superior Court Judge, who found no probable cause in the police report of my arrest,” said Williams-Eynon at a press conference on June 28.

The videos reveal more details that don’t quite seem to match up with the SPD’s story as well.

Shortly after the incident, the East Precinct commander, Capt. Ron Wilson, stated that Calder was the only officer to use pepper spray that night. This is clearly not the case.

It was also reported early on that “pushing and shoving broke out,” which sparked the SPD’s use of pepper spray, but it’s still not clear that pushing or shoving actually happened.

Finkenbinder said he saw no one make a physical move toward an officer, and SPD likewise said it didn’t use force on anyone or make any sort of bodily contact while moving the group to the sidewalk. However, in one video we hear a voice screaming “Don’t fucking touch me!” as the group was moved over.

The same video shows that SPD officers began moving the group to the sidewalk when the group began chanting “Whose Hill? Our Hill!”

It’s also worth mentioning that the same video that details Calder pepper-spraying William-Eynon after the group had been moved to the sidewalk also shows the person on the car, from the time he mounted it to the time he was pepper-sprayed and forced off. According to the video, he wasn’t jumping.

WHY PEPPER SPRAY? SPD had been following the group for approximately an hour prior to deploying pepper spray. Prior to its deployment, SPD claims that members of the group were lighting fireworks, dragging garbage cans into the street on Broadway, yelling at the officers, and “placing bandanas over their faces” – none of which Finkenbinder denies, although he says their fireworks were only sparklers.

Seattle police trainees receive 120-plus hours of scenario-based and simulator training on use of force. According to an SPD training manual published in 2000, there are no “cookie-cutter” guidelines for officers to follow when they use force. Instead, they are expected to use their training, experience, and judgment.

The manual goes on to say, “It is recommended that officers meet force with superior force. This is because studies have shown that officers are at great risk of injury when they use force, and that there is a greater chance of both suspect and officer injury when officers fail to meet suspect resistance with a greater amount of force.”

This said, if someone struck an officer, or even resisted if an officer made bodily contact when moving the group to the sidewalk, one could see why the officers might decide to use pepper spray. But there’s no apparent evidence that anything like this happened, other than the testimony of officers on the scene. QFQ feels that they were discriminated against and flat-out targeted because of their radical politics.

ny, begs the question, are the police stalking anarchists? Or, perhaps more to the point, is it a crime to be an anarchist?

Finkenbinder told SGN that some of the people present were “very visible” activists from Occupy Seattle and various radical Queer groups, and that they were known and targeted by the SPD. But police say that they had an increased presence during Pride weekend because of a similar event that happened last year.

In 2011, a much larger group marched through Capitol Hill during Pride weekend, inflicting damage to cars and windows and attacking the fences of the Wildrose beer garden. The East Precinct stated that it was prepared for a repeat of the event this year.

While this seems an acceptable reason for an increased police presence, Finkenbinder claims that many of the people involved with the event this year were involved last year, and it’s further evidence of police targeting radical organizers.

Conspiracy theories aside, it seems that “anarchists” (note the quotes) have made it into the regular SPD and local FBI lingo.

“I have to infer that they are using that label to target people for police violence and surveillance,” Williams-Eynon told SGN. WHY DANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE? That’s the $24,000 question. Why attack the fences of the only girl bar in town? Are Queers Fucking Queers fucking over other Queers? Did their actions on Pride weekend, this year and last, spoil anyone’s fun?

Finkenbinder said the “the heart of the matter” is that “there are Queer youth who aren’t able to celebrate Pride in the way that the mainstream Gay community celebrates it – namely, going to bars – partly because of their age and partly because of their income. So the goal was to provide a space for that.”

It’s worth noting that the all those arrested were of age, the youngest being 22. While it cannot be assumed that the arrestees’ ages represent the ages of everyone in the group, it is obvious that some of the participants were indeed old enough to go to bars.

However, as Finkenbinder pointed out, finances also come into play. Everyone can agree that not being able to afford a night at a bar is a reality for many people. There are other options – not many, according to some LGBT youth – but there are. Dancing in the streets is one of those options. So why didn’t the group do it legally, and get a permit?

“You shouldn’t have to have a permit to dance in the street when half the streets are already blocked off for events [you] have to pay to go to,” Finkenbinder told SGN. Finkenbinder went on to say that “Paying for permits is akin to paying the mob protection money.”

However permits are often granted by the city at no cost. So what it comes down to is the principle of the matter, which is revealed in the group’s signature marching chant: “Whose hill? Our hill! Whose streets? Our streets!”

THE FIGHT GOES ON All arrestees except Williams-Eynon were released from custody the next morning. While Williams-Eynon has yet to be formally charged with anything, two other arrestees have not had their charges dropped.

The Seattle Police Department Disciplinary Office reportedly will investigate Calder, who was “Incident Commander” for Pride events.

“The fact that there’s no civilian oversight in this investigation is ridiculous,” Finkenbinder told SGN. At press time, Williams-Eynon has not been contacted by the Disciplinary Office in ARE ‘ANARCHISTS’ regard to the investigation.

BEING TARGETED? A solidarity rally and dance party is “It appeared to officers that some in the group might be affiliated with the various scheduled for Friday, June 29, at Seattle Central Community College, starting at 8 anarchist groups,” said the SPD Blotter.

This, along with Finkenbinder’s testimo- p.m.

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States – the National Council of La Raza – endorsed marriage equality at its June 9 board of directors meeting, NCLR leaders told The Washington Blade.

The vote reportedly was unanimous, and came only a month after the NAACP board also endorsed equal marriage rights for Gay and Lesbian couples.

After President Obama’s statement on marriage in May, NCLR President Janet Murguía applauded him for his “historic remarks expressing support for marriage equality.”

“The board in essence validated that, and said we fully support Janet’s position.

Consistent with that belief, they expressed

COURTESY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS

National Council of La Raza endorses marriage equality for themselves the belief that marriage equality is consistent with the mission – the civil rights mission – of our organization,” NCLR vice president of public policy Eric Rodriguez told the Blade.

“NCLR has taken a strong stand on marriage equality and our board of directors wanted to affirm and support that decision, which I very much appreciate,” Murguía said.

Former NCLR board chair Danny Ortega confirmed that all 25 board members supported the pro-equality resolution.

“We had a discussion about this and clearly some people had more questions than others, but at the end of the discussion it was unanimous,” he said.

NCLR board member Catherine Pino said the group’s resolution reflects growing support for same-sex marriage among Latinos.

“There’s just all this momentum,” she

National Council of La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguía

said. “For NCLR to do something like this is huge. This is really, really important for our community. The board, the organization, realizes that there are many, many Latino LGBT people who are part of our community.”

An Arcus Foundation poll released by NCLR and Social Science Research Solutions in April showed that 54% of Latinos support marriage rights for same-sex couples.

The same poll found that 78% of Latinos support repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and 83% support laws prohibiting discrimination against LGBT workers.

Nevertheless, the poll also found that the majority of Latinos who identify themselves as religious remain opposed to same-sex marriage. Only 43% of Latinos who identify as Protestant back marriage rights for samesex couples, for example.

Pino said that the majority of Latinos she has encountered support equality.

“Our community is really evolving,” she said. “We’re coming to a place where we’ve realized that marriage equality is basically a civil rights issue.

“It doesn’t mean that Latinos want to get

married in any of the churches. It’s about equality. And I think that a lot of our Latino brothers and sisters realize that and don’t think we should be denied that opportunity.”

NCLR claims more than 300 affiliated community-based organizations in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. It has regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, and San Antonio.

Other Latino civil rights leaders have also endorsed marriage equality.

The Texas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens passed a same-sex marriage resolution during its annual convention earlier this month. LULAC National President Margaret Moran also applauded Obama’s public support of marriage equality.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s president, Thomas A. Saenz, has also endorsed same-sex marriage.

His organization has not only represented people with HIV in discrimination cases, but has also filed briefs supporting challenges to California’s Prop 8 and similar laws in other states.

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

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

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mary Cheney marries partner Heather Poe

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer Mary Cheney, the openly Lesbian daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, married her longtime partner, Heather Poe, on the morning of Friday, June 22, in Washington D.C. Same-sex marriage was signed into law in the District of Columbia on December 18, 2009, and has been legal there since March 3, 2010.

“Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized,” said the Cheney family in a statement. “Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness.”

The Cheneys are likely the most prominent Republican family to endorse marriage equality. Vice President Cheney came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2009, in a specific reference to his daughter.

“Well, I think that freedom means freedom for everyone. As many of you know, one of my daughters is Gay and it is something that we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free

Heather Poe (l) and Mary Cheney

Last known Gay Jewish Holocaust survivor dies FILE PHOTO

the children of such marriages as mischling, or “half-breeds.” Consequently, Beck and his father were arrested and carted off to a holding compound in central Berlin.

After the non-Jewish wives of the prisoners staged a massive street protest in 1943, Beck was released. There were “thousands of women who stood for days ... my aunts demanded, ‘Give us our children and men!’” he later recalled.

The Rosenstrasse demonstration, as it came to be known, helped debunk the myth that nonviolent resistance against Nazism was futile.

“The Rosenstrasse event made one thing absolutely clear to me – I won’t wait until we get deported,” said Beck.

Following his release, Beck joined Chug Chaluzi, or “Circle of Pioneers,” an underground Jewish youth group dedicated to providing Jews with supplies and hiding places, and smuggling them across the border to neutral Swtzerland.

According to an entry about him at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, Beck said, “As a homosexual, I was able to turn to my trusted non-Jewish, homosexual acquaintances to help supply food and hiding places.”

During this time, he conceived a daring plan to rescue his boyfriend, Manfred Lewin, who was still in Nazi custody and was to be deported to Auschwitz.

Donning a Hitler Youth uniform, Beck approached the commander of the holding compound where Lewin was being held.

He told the Nazi officer he needed Lewin to work on a construction project, and the commander released him.

Once outside the compound, however, Lewin refused to go with Beck.

“Gad, I can’t go with you,” Beck remem-

Gerhard “Gad” Beck, anti-Nazi resistance fighter and the last known Gay Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, died in Berlin on June 24, six days short of his 89th birthday.

He is survived by his partner of 35 years,

Julius Laufer.

Beck was born in Berlin in 1923, the son of a Jewish father and a Lutheran mother who had converted to Judaism. The family lived in a predominately Jewish neighborhood.

Nazi racial laws prohibited intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews, and defined

Visit us online www.sgn.org

bered him saying. “My family needs me. If I abandon them now, I could never be free.”

The two parted without saying goodbye.

“In those seconds, watching him go,” he recalled, “I grew up.”

Lewin and his entire family were sent to Auschwitz, where they were murdered.

Shortly before the end of the war in 1945, a Jewish spy working for the Gestapo betrayed Beck and some of his fellow resistance fighters.

He was arrested and held at a Jewish transit camp in Berlin. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, Beck helped Jewish survivors emigrate to Palestine. He lived in Israel between 1947 and 1979.

After his return to Germany in 1979, the first post-Holocaust head of Berlin’s Jewish community, Heinz Galinski, appointed Beck director of the Jewish Adult Education Center in Berlin.

Judith Kessler, editor of the Berlin Jewish community’s monthly magazine, Juedisches Berlin, remembered Beck organizing Gay singles’ meetings at the center.

“He was open, sweet, and would speak with everybody,” she said.

Kessler, who knew Beck since 1989, added that he would attend the annual Pride parade in Berlin and wave an Israeli flag.

Beck was featured in the film The Life of Gad Beck and the HBO documentary Paragraph 175. The title refers to the part of the German penal code that outlawed same-sex relations.

In 2000, Beck published his autobiography, An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin.

“The Americans in New York called me a great hero,” he once said on a German talk show. “I said no – I’m really a little hero.”

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Gad Beck as a young man

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish,” said Cheney in 2009.

“The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute that governs this, I don’t support. I do believe that historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that’s the way it ought to be handled today, that is, on a state-by-state basis.”

Since leaving office, Cheney has continued to oppose the federal Defense of Marriage Act. “Mary and Heather have had a tremendous impact on the way America views Gay people,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, cofounder of the conservative Gay advocacy organization GOProud.

“Simply by living their lives openly, honestly, and as authentic conservatives, they have done more to change hearts and minds in this country than any Gay advocacy group.”

Mary, 43, is the younger of Dick and Lynne Cheney’s two daughters. She and Heather live in Virginia and have two children, Samuel and Sarah.

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NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

VOICES RISING – “FIERCE PRIDE” On Friday, June 29, doors 7 p.m., show 8-10 p.m., at Washington Hall (153 14th Ave.), Voices Rising presents “Fierce Pride” with special guest Blackberri. Blackberri is a singer, song-maker, poet, writer, photographer, health educator and community advocate. Born in 1945 in Buffalo, NY, Blackberri grew up in Baltimore. He has written and performed original music for films, including Word is Out and Looking for Langston, as well as recording the soundtrack for the Haight-Ashbury radio history of San Francisco “Knocking at the Gateway of Gold.” He appeared in the first anthology of Gay Men’s music. His debut album Blackberri and Friends (1981) featured the classic song “Eat the Rich.” Blackberri has performed music and appeared in Marlon Rigg’s groundbreaking films, Tongues Untied, No Regrets, Anthems, Affirmation, and Black is Black Ain’t. He has become one of the most visible Black Queer artists in the country and lives in Oakland, CA. Joining Blackberri on the program will be Amber Flame, Crystal Ybarra, Imani Sims, and Okanomode. Last of the Red Hot Mamas is a collaborative band created by poet and singer Amber Flame. This ensemble weaves lyrical poetry and soul-based blues with instrumental and vocal grooves. Crystal Ybarra – Automatic, Iconoclastic, Psychosomatic, Enigmatic, Melodramatic, Erratic, Traumatic, Climactic, Whackytastic and smoothly Charismatic. Imani Sims is a brilliant Queer poet who uses her poetry as a vehicle for community transformation.

Okanomode (pronounced u-kahn-uh-mahday) is the grandson of a pastor & protégé of afronauts, poets, sex therapists and porn stars. A musical, literary and visual shapeshifter, he ceaselessly re-defines genre, gender, spiritual and sexual expression with irrefutable funk and grace. Tickets: $10-$25. www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/255606.

TRIANGLE RECREATION CAMP AT BENDER CREEK – BLACK FOREST LEATHER WEEKEND JUNE 29-JULY 2 Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek hosts LGBTQ camping all summer long. TRC also hosts several special weekend theme parties during the summer, including Black Forest Leather Weekend from June 29-July 2, Underwear/Foam Weekend, August 10-12, and Mardi Gras Weekend, August 31-September 3. www.camptrc.org.

EMERALD CITY CLASSIC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT JUNE 30-JULY 1 www.emeraldcitysoftball.org

10 Seattle Gay News

SEATTLE TENNIS ALLIANCE – SEATTLE CLASSIC 2012 JUNE 30-JULY 2 www.seattletennisalliance.org SEATTLE CENTER FESTAL – FESTIVAL SUNDIATA: BLACK ARTS FEST JUNE 30-JULY 1 On Saturday, June 30, noon-8 p.m., and Sunday, July 1, noon-6 p.m., at Seattle Center Armory/Center House and Fisher Pavilion, explore and experience the cultural roots and contemporary influences of African-American culture through live performances, hands-on activities, food, fashion and worldly gifts. Join in African dance workshops, learn traditional drumming rhythms, and take in the richness of black culture during a FREE weekend filled with continuous entertainment. www.festivalsundiata.com “PORTRAITS OF PRIDE 2012” Gay City (517 E. Pike St., at Belmont) hosts “Portraits of Pride 2012,” an art show featuring original work by local LGBT community artists – thru July 22.

REEL QUEER YOUTH VIDEO PRODUCTION Reel Queer Youth is a media literacy and video production training program for LGBTQ-identified and allied youth ages 14-20. The program runs from July 16-20.

Use professional camera and editing equipment to express yourself in a safe, open, and fun environment with a team of professional filmmakers and mentors. Working in small groups, participants will complete a short film. Deadline to apply for the program is Saturday, June 30. For more information and application, visit: http:// threedollarbillcinema.org/programs/RQY/ application, http://reelqueeryouth.org; www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-QueerYouth/208139612538906 ROMEO AND JULIET ON THE WATERFRONT Arts on the Waterfront presents Romeo and Juliet on June 30 and July 1 at 7 p.m., at 1300 Alaskan Way. The event is totally FREE for all. All donations from this event will go to The Trevor Project. www.artsonthewaterfront.com.

NORTHWEST NETWORK HOSTS WEBINARS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Tuesday, July 3, noon-1:30 p.m. http:// bwjp.ilinc.com/register/hpbtkkk.

“Moving Beyond the Wheel: Understanding Domestic Violence in LGBTQ Communities.”

Tuesday, July 10, noon-1:30 p.m. http:// bwjp.ilinc.com/register/xcyrhit.

“Rethink Tank: What’s All This Then? DV Interventions, Survivors Use of

June 29, 2012

Violence and Services for Men” “FEMMETASIA!” – A NIGHT Sponsored by the Northwest Nework of OF QUEER FEMME CABARET Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors On Friday and Saturday, July 6 and 7, of Abuse. 206-568-7777; www.nwnetwork. door at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., at Theatre Off org Jackson (409 7th Ave. S.), enjoy an evening of Queer Femme Cabaret with Cattitude, ZOO TUNES Amber Flame, Tamara the Trapeze Lady, OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES Lily Divine, Ginger Snapz, Pidgeon Von PRESENTS K.D. LANG Tramp and more! Tickets: $10-advance; On Tuesday, July 3, doors at 5 p.m., show $15 at the door. www.bpt.me/e/251300. at 6 p.m., Zoo Tunes, Woodland Park Zoo’s annual outdoor summer concert series, presNATE GOWDY AROUND TOWN ents k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang with Celebrated SGN photographer Nate The Milk Carton Kids. www.zoo.org.

Gowdy is displaying and selling his photographs around town at four locations this “FREEDOM FANTASIA” summer! His work can be seen at Poco Wine On Tuesday, July 3, and Friday and Sat- Room (1408 E. Pine St.) thru mid-July, at urday, July 6 and 7, at 7:30 p.m. (17+) and Adobe’s Fremont Campus (801 N. 34th St., 10:30 p.m. (21+), at The Triple Door (216 near the Fremont Bridge) thru July, The Union St.), join Kitten LaRue, BenD- Grill on Broadway (314 Broadway E.) thru eLaCreme, and Lou Henry Hoover for their August, and Frame Central (901 E. Pike St.) second Fourth of July spectacular: “Free- in the storefront window during June and dom Fantasia,” a liberty-encrusted, justice- the upstairs gallery in August. His work “Elsoaked, apple pie scented pageant of patrio- derly Drag Queen” was recently selected to tism, featuring a bombastic and diverse cast be published in the leading juried photograof Seattle’s drag, cabaret, music, burlesque, phy annual in North America. For inquiries and contemporary dance all-stars. Tickets: regarding his event and wedding photo ser$22 advance, $25 day of show; www.triple- vices, Nate can be reached at nate.gowdy@ door.net; 206-838-4333. gmail.com or 206-992-5857.

PRIDE EVENTS

CALENDAR

VICTORIA PRIDE On Sunday, July 8, Victoria’s annual Pride Parade steps off from Pandora St. and Government St. in downtown Victoria at noon, traveling down Government St. to Belleville St., down Belleville St. past the Legislature, to Menzies St., Kingston St., and Oswego St. to MacDonald Park (Oswego and Simcoe Sts.) for the Pride Festival which starts at 1 p.m. www.victoriapridesociety.org.

TACOMA PRIDE FESTIVAL From Friday, July 13, to Saturday, July 21, celebrate nine whole days of Pride in Tacoma. The highlight is the annual Out in the Park event, Saturday, July 14, from noon to 6 p.m. on Broadway (between 9th and 11th) in the city’s historic downtown theater district.

Other events include three days of LGBT films at the Grand Cinema and a staged reading of Lanford Wilson’s Fifth of July at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. www.tacomapride.org; www.rainbowcntr.org.

VANCOUVER (WA) PRIDE SATURDAY IN THE PARK On Saturday, July 14, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Vancouver, WA hosts their 18th annual LGBT Pride event, “Saturday in the Park.” This year’s theme is “Gateway to Equality,” celebrating the passage of Washington’s marriage equality law. This family-friendly event takes place at Esther Short Park (610 Esther St.) downtown and features music and cultural performances, community groups, games, and other activities for all ages. The day will begin with

“Lyle’s Miles,” a 5K run/walk fundraiser for the Cascade AIDS Project. Details at www. gayvancouverwa.org.

BELLINGHAM PRIDE From Wednesday, July 11, to Sunday, July 15, B Proud hosts a series of Pride events in Bellingham, including film screenings, parties, dances, a drag show, and more. The parade begins at noon on Sunday, July 15, at noon at Bellingham High School (2020 Cornwall Ave.), ending at Depot Market Square (Railroad Ave. between E. Chestnut and E. Maple Sts.), followed by the Pride Festival at the Bellingham Farmers Market at Depot Market Square. www.bhampride. org.

KITSAP PRIDE IN BREMERTON On Sunday, July 22, Kitsap Pride holds their annual celebration at Evergreen Park (1400 Park Ave., Bremerton) beginning at noon. This year’s theme is “Pride Links Us Together.” www.kitsappride.org.

VANCOUVER (BC) PRIDE PARADE AND FESTIVAL On Sunday, August 5, the Vancouver Pride Society hosts Vancouver, BC’s annual Pride Parade and Festival. The Parade steps off on Robson St. at 11 a.m. and travels west to Denman St., follows Denman St. to Beach Ave., and continues on Beach Ave. to Sunset Beach for the Pride Festival which continues until 6 p.m. www.vancouverpride.ca.

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 Broadway 

Farmers Market 12 Seattle Gay News

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14 Seattle Gay News

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e t o v o t R e t s i g e R

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18 Seattle Gay News

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INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

BERLIN ACTIVISTS MOCK RUSSIAN ANTI-GAY LAWS Gay activists created a fake Berlin Wall checkpoint in the city during the annual Christopher Street Day Gay Pride march, to protest “homosexual propaganda” laws in Russia.

Around 750,000 people attended the June 23 event, reports Gay Star News. The parade was led by a two-story-high float sponsored by Lufthansa Airlines, featuring hunky air stewards with their uniforms painstakingly painted onto their toned bodies.

Berlin has been in the forefront of protests against Russian legislation that bans the “promotion” of homosexuality. Activists fear the laws will silence any debate on Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Trans issues in Russia.

Near the Russian embassy in Berlin, a Checkpoint Charlie-style sign was erected, warning Pride-goers that they were “entering the Russian sector” where “homo propaganda” and “free speech” were banned.

Activists fired rainbow tickertape and silver glitter over the marchers as they passed the sign.

The parade floats were packed with revelers dancing and celebrating, enjoying the sunshine.

But as the parade passed the Jewish and Gay holocaust memorials, the sound systems were shut off and the partygoers fell silent in respect and remembrance.

The party continued late into the night at the Brandenburg Gate and at clubs across the city.

ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE LEBANON’S FORCED ‘MEDICAL EXAMS’ Lebanese human rights activists are objecting to so-called “medical” examinations that some doctors there say can determine sexual orientation.

Men suspected of being Gay are taken by police to a doctor, who has them undress and submit to a rectal exam.

The doctor checks for traces of semen and takes a picture of the anus to study its shape.

While it still is illegal to be Gay in Lebanon, the Middle Eastern country has been considered more tolerant than its neighbors.

French newspaper Le Monde reported that lawyer and activist Nizar Saghieh is leading the opposition to what he described as “examinations of shame.”

Saghieh said that in one recent case, three men were arrested near the home of a Lebanese political leader. Police determined they were not spies, criminals, or activists, but as one of the men was considered effeminate, they all were taken to a police station where they were forced to submit to anal exams to determine whether they were Gay. Saghieh said, “These young men hadn’t done anything wrong, which shows how absurd this method is.”

He added that the goal of the examinations was not only to humiliate, but also to intimidate.

Lebanese artist and activist Alexandre Paulikevitch said, “There’s something perverse, some sort of sick pleasure, in submitting alleged homosexuals to such examinations.”

Human Rights Watch, which has denounced similar abuses in Egypt after mass arrests at a Gay club in 2001, described the exams as akin to “acts of torture.”

MALAYSIA TACKLING ITS HOMOSEXUAL ‘PROBLEM’ Gay Star News reports that Dr. Mashitah Ibrahim, a deputy minister of Malaysia, recently told officials that the government is mounting a number of initiatives to “stop

by Scott Wittet SGN Contributing Writer the spread of homosexuality,” including “prevention efforts” and legal enforcement.

She also asserted that the national constitution does not protect the rights of LGBT citizens.

“A series of rehabilitation and treatment courses will be given to Muslims who have deviated from societal norms,’ said Ibrahim.

These, she said, will include a touring show that aims to educate teenagers about social ills caused by “homosexual lifestyles,” such as HIV/AIDS, as well as a program for “repented Transsexuals.”

There are no legal and religious provisions in Malaysia that allow homosexuality, free sex, or same-sex marriage, she said, adding that being LGBT is against Islam.

When asked about the legality of targeting LGBTs, Ibrahim replied that the Gay community is not protected by the constitution.

“Article 8 of the federal constitution says there must be no discrimination of citizens in terms of religion or sex. ‘Sex’ has never been interpreted to mean sexual orientation – it has always been interpreted to mean either male or female, and they are [the only ones] protected by the constitution,” said Ibrahim.

Also in Malaysia, Deputy Education Minister Mohd Zarkashi recently told parents to look out for the “signs” of LGBT tendencies in youth. He said parents must “prevent youngsters from experimenting and making a choice of this unnatural practice as a lifestyle later on.”

A Malaysia Lesbian, who gave her name as Suzie, said she is fed up with the ongoing government-sponsored campaign against the LGBT community.

“How long are Malaysian politicians and government officials going to take before they understand that we are not choosing to be Gay?” she asked, adding that the “crackdown” on LGBT youth is “going to cause more damage to young people than they realize.”

NEW DOCUMENTARY ON TRANS MEN IN INDIA Sangama, an NGO that fights for the rights of sexual minorities in India, last week released a documentary on Indian Trans men, who are known as hijras.

The 74-minute film, Chittegalu Haaradali (Let the Butterflies Fly), premiered in Bangalore.

It had already won the award for best feature-length documentary at the Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, where it competed against 120 other films from 30 countries.

Kerala High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur was a special guest at the launch event. She commented on the importance of accepting sexual minorities in society and urged people to think about the difficulties that hijras face before pointing fingers at them.

The film candidly illustrates the personal struggles that hijras go through in their daily lives, depicting the true story of a hijra named Shilpa, who was forced to undergo castration.

SECOND KIEV PRIDE ORGANIZER ATTACKED The committee chairman of Kiev Pride 2012 was beaten up last week in Kiev, Ukraine.

Taras Karasiychuk was assaulted by a group of men around midnight while returning to his home, according to Gay Star News. They used homophobic slurs during the attack and did not steal anything from Karasiychuk, leading Pride organizers to believe the attack was pre-planned.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

“There is no question that this was a homophobic attack, and possibly a specifically targeted attack on a Kiev Pride organizer,” Kiev Pride organizer Stanislav Mishchenko said.

Following the attack, Karasiychuk was taken to hospital where an MRI revealed a double fracture of the jaw.

Karasiychuk is due to undergo surgery soon and has been moved to a safe location while he recovers.

The attack came a month after authorities cancelled the planned Kiev Pride march, just 20 minutes before it was scheduled to start. The reason they gave was that a group of 500 right-wing thugs were en route to disrupt the event.

After marchers had been evacuated from the area by police, Svyatoslav Sheremet and two other activists were beaten and teargassed by a group of about a dozen young people.

The day before, an LGBT-themed photo exhibition was attacked and vandalized at Kiev’s Visual Culture Research Center.

The attack on Karasiychuk comes as the Ukrainian Parliament considers a bill which would amend the country’s public morality laws, media laws, and criminal code to further stigmatize Gay people and criminalize the so-called “promotion” of homosexuality, as has already happened in several cities in Russia.

RIGHT-WING ISRAELI POLITICIANS SLAMMED FOR ANTI-LGBT RANTS Anastasia Michaeli, a conservative member of the Israeli Knesset, spoke out again on June 20th against the country’s LGBT community.

“Young girls get pregnant, get abortions, which hurt their chances of having children, and in the end they become Lesbians,” Michaeli said.

Her remarks came a week after she apologized “if anyone was hurt” by an earlier statement that Gays were sexually abused as kids, commit suicide at 40, and are “turning Israel into Sodom.”

Days later, another right-wing MK, Uri Ariel, stated that Gays shouldn’t be drafted into the Israeli army, as they “negatively affect its effectiveness.”

Condemnation of both politicians came swiftly, and from across the Israeli political spectrum. However, in an interview after her most recent comment, Michaeli remained indignant and unapologetic. “[Homosexuality] is an attack on children’s rights, an attack on family rights, and an attack on women’s rights,” the lawmaker said. “It is violent and vulgar. It is ignorant and a completely unacceptable perversion.”

A police complaint has been lodged by a private citizen against Michaeli, asserting that her remarks were not only insulting but constituted criminal incitement, as they legitimized attacks against LGBT people.

Shai Doitsh, chair of the Israeli LGBT Association, said, “Michaeli shows immense ignorance and there is no connection between her words and reality. It is regrettable that her and MK Ariel’s attempts at selfpublicity are based on attacking the LGBT community, without fully understanding the serious implications and weight such incitement by legislators carry for the public at large.”

He concluded, “My redress is less aimed at her or MK Ariel’s hateful ignorance, but more at their masters, Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman … and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have stayed silent following such statements.”

UGANDA BACKS OFF LGBT GROUP BAN One day after Uganda Minister for Ethics and Integrity Simon Lokodo announced he would ban 38 groups he claims promote homosexuality (see last week’s SGN), he appeared to backtrack, saying, “No government official is supposed to harass any

June 29, 2012

section of the community and everybody in Uganda enjoys the freedom to lawfully assemble and associate freely with others.”

Lokodo’s apparent reversal may have been due to continued international pressure on Uganda to improve its abysmal LGBT rights record.

However, based on the earlier threat, activists predict there may still be arrests and closure of HIV/AIDS clinics soon.

Lokodo told Reuters, “I have got a record of meetings that they have held to empower, enhance, and recruit [homosexuals].”

Although the non-governmental organizations which he intends to “de-register” have not been named, activists say if the plans go ahead it will not only affect LGBT rights work in Uganda.

Award-winning activist Frank Mugisha of Sexual Minorities Uganda said, “NGOs in Uganda don’t just do LGBT work but also do work on HIV/AIDS, legal support for women, and other things, so if they were to shut down these groups, it will affect lots of different people in the country.”

That said, Lokodo’s statement is the first time the Ugandan government has in any way recognized rights of Gay people.

Mugisha told the Associated Press, “I think we’ve really challenged Lokodo now, as this statement shows. He’s facing the pressure.”

The statement followed an internal government meeting in which Lokodo was reportedly told to tone down his anti-Gay rhetoric due to the increasing international news coverage.

Lokodo also is the subject of a court case claiming he violated the right of Ugandans to assemble when he had police break up a Gay meeting in February.

“We are seeking a declaration that his acts were illegal,” said Francis Onyango, the lawyer who filed the case on behalf of Uganda’s Gay community.

LESBIAN ALIEN COMPANION RUMORED FOR DOCTOR WHO The Time Lord may be joined by a Lesbian alien in the upcoming season of the longrunning British TV show Doctor Who. According to the Daily Star, Madame Vastra, from the planet Sirulia, is set to return in 2013.

Vastra, played by Neve McIntosh, was popular with fans when she starred in the 2011 episode “A Good Man Goes to War.” In the episode, Vastra is seen living with her partner, Jenny (Catrin Stewart), in Victorian London. She is asked by the Doctor to help protect the daughter of his companion, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan).

Fans loved Vastra and Jenny, and they were soon asking head writer Steven Moffat to create a spin-off show featuring the pair.

“I was pleased by the reaction to them, but not surprised. They really cut through as characters, given how little screen time they had,” Moffat said.

“I certainly wouldn’t be averse to them returning. It’s just a thing that worked, isn’t it?”

If Vastra does return, she will surely meet the Doctor’s new companion, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman – who portrayed a Lesbian in the British soap Emmerdale.

TOP TEN WEDDING DESTINATIONS FOR GAY COUPLES PinkNews reports that the online travel advisor Cheapflights has released a list of the 10 favorite destinations for Lesbian and Gay couples who wish to marry. Washington, D.C., tops the list.

The U.S. capital city legalized equal marriage in 2009 and has long been host to a large LGBT community, the company says.

It is one of only three U.S. destinations to make the list.

After Washington, the top destinations are, in order: Montréal, Amsterdam, Madrid, Provincetown (Mass.), Stockholm, Buenos Aires, New York City, Reykjavik, and Oslo.

Seattle Gay News 19

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Pride parade in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, was attacked on June 24.

According to Associated Press reports, about 50 people threw eggs and plastic bottles of water at some 400 Pride paraders.

Police then moved in to cordon off the attackers, but made no arrests.

No injuries were reported.

The June 24 parade was the climax of a three-day Pride festival, the first in Thessaloniki’s history. The event included a film festival and a health fair as well as the parade.

Pride events in Athens went on as scheduled, with no disruptions. Athens has celebrated Pride every year since 2005.

The Thessaloniki attackers were not immediately identified, but the neo-Nazi Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) organization has launched similar attacks against socialist rallies and immigrant-rights groups.

The Greek Orthodox bishop of Thessaloniki, Anthimos, had condemned the Pride celebration as “an unacceptable event on our city’s ethics.”

“We feel puzzled and saddened over this

TEACHER DUDE

Pride parade attacked in Thessaloniki, Greece parade and demonstrate against it since we are aware of the fact that our fellow citizens, both men and women and mostly young people, have already announced they will protest against this immoral parade which is about to take place in our city. We react especially because they will pass in front of our two big churches, that of St. Grigorios Palamas and St. Catherine,” Anthimos told Kathimerini newspaper.

Anthimos is notorious in Greece as an outspoken right-winger who has taken on Gay rights, immigrants, the EU, and the previous Socialist government.

“Gay people warp human nature with unspeakable, unnatural acts,” the bishop once told a church service in Thessaloniki.

Anthimos has also condemned any sort of sexual relationship outside of heterosexual marriage.

“The Church of Greece’s Holy Synod responded by labeling any form of union other than that of a married couple as prostitution,” he said.

The head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Ieronymos II, who won his position over Anthimos’ opposition, has taken a more moderate stand on same-sex marriage.

In 2008, the Socialist mayor of Tilos mar-

Police hold back Christian protestors at the first Thessaloniki Gay Pride Parade in Greece.

ried one Gay and one Lesbian couple, under a civil marriage law that failed to specify the gender of couples allowed to marry.

Some Orthodox bishops, including Anthimos, were outraged, but Ieronymos said, “They were not church members and they were not married in church, so the church

has nothing to say about it.

“You have to change with the times,” the archbishop added.

Greek courts subsequently invalidated the marriages, but the couples appealed to the Greek Supreme Court. The case is still pending.

German court bans circumcision No religious exemption granted

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A regional court in Cologne, Germany, ruled on June 27 that circumcisions of young boys amount to “grievous bodily harm” and therefore may not be performed by doctors even if parents request them.

The decision came in the case of a doctor in Cologne who circumcised a four-yearold Muslim boy at his parents’ request. The doctor was charged with grievous bodily harm, but was acquitted by a lower court on the grounds that the boy’s parents had given consent to the procedure.

The regional court upheld the original charge of grievous bodily harm, but found the doctor innocent on the grounds that the law was ambiguous on the issue of religious circumcision.

“The body of the child is irreparably and permanently changed by a circumcision,” the court said.

“This change contravenes the interests of the child to decide later on his religious beliefs.”

Holm Putzke, a criminal law expert at the University of Passau, told the Financial Times Deutschland that the ruling was “enormously important for doctors, because for the first time they have legal certainty.”

“Unlike many politicians, the court has not allowed itself to be scared off by charges of anti-Semitism or religious intolerance,” added Putzke.

Thousands of young boys are reportedly circumcised every year in Germany, especially in the country’s large Jewish and

20 Seattle Gay News

June 29, 2012

Muslim communities.

Circumcision of males is required in Islam and Judaism. The Torah commands that Jewish boys are to be circumcised on the eighth day of their life. Circumcision is not mentioned in the Quran, but the practice is considered one of the traditions established

by Muhammad.

In the United States, circumcision of children is presumed to be legal and is a common practice. An ordinance that would have banned circumcision in San Francisco qualified for the ballot last year, but was blocked by a judge before the election. California’s legislature later passed a law prohibiting local governments from outlawing circumcision.

Even in countries where circumcision is presumed to be illegal – South Africa, for example – it is allowed for religious purposes.

Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, of which Germany is a signatory, guarantees freedom of religion and could be the basis for a lawsuit to overturn the court’s decision.

“Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety; for the protection of public order, health, or morals; or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others,” the convention says.

The World Health Organization has estimated that nearly one in three males under the age of 15 has been circumcised.

Celebrating 39 Years!

Scottish government delays decision on marriage equality

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The government of Scotland has postponed its decision on a marriage equality bill until July 10.

A formal discussion will take place at the cabinet meeting that day, and government ministers will then make a decision on whether to propose a new law giving equal marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Equality advocates and some members of the Scottish Parliament have expressed disappointment that a decision on marriage has been postponed for the second time this year.

“Supporters of equality will be disappointed that a decision on equal marriage has been delayed again,” Equality Network policy coordinator Tom French said.

“There is clear support for equal marriage across the country and in the Scottish Parliament, so we are now calling on the Scottish government to stick by their principles and bring forward legislation.”

Scotland has been internally self-governing with its own parliament since 1998, and will not be affected by marriage equality legislation pending in the British Parliament in London.

Like the British government, the government of Scotland undertook a “consultation” on marriage equality intended to gauge public opinion on the issue. The 50,000 responses were expected to be published in March, but will now probably be published after the July cabinet meeting.

Opponents of same-sex marriage have claimed that a majority of responses are against a change in the law, but the Scottish Equality Network has warned against “prejudging” the consultation or treating it as “a numbers game.”

“This is a consultation, not a referendum or an opinion poll,” the Equality Network said in a statement. “What matters most is the quality of the arguments and the strength of the evidence, not the volume of responses.”

The Equality Network said it is optimistic that the government will announce mar-

riage equality legislation, but added that it is working with Parliament members from all political parties to secure a “member’s bill” if the government decides otherwise.

A member’s bill is a measure introduced by individual members of Parliament, rather than by the government that controls a majority in the body.

Members of minority parties said they believed most members of Parliament would vote for equal marriage rights.

“After delaying the decision in March, and the First Minister assuring me it would be made in June, perhaps it is ‘third time’s a charm’ with the Scottish government on equal marriage,” Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democratic Party, said.

“The majority of [Parliament members] support it, the majority of the Scottish public support it – it is time that the Scottish government began legislating for equal marriage without further delay.”

Opinion polls have shown consistent public support for same-sex marriage.

An Ipsos MORI poll conducted in June for the Equality Network showed support at record levels, with 64% of Scots in favor of a change in the law and just 26% opposed.

Separate polls conducted over the past two years by Populus, YouGov, Angus Reid, and the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey have all shown similar results.

“After months of public debate it is now clear that equal marriage has the support of a majority of the public,” Marco Biagi, a member of the governing Scottish Nationalist Party, said.

“There have been impassioned discussions across letters pages, phone-ins, and online, but now the vision of an inclusive, accepting, and understanding Scotland has won out. That is a Scotland where all faiths are free to decide for themselves their understanding of marriage and what it requires. This is the kind of Scotland that can be a beacon to the world. The hotly anticipated bill on equal marriage is worthy of speedy introduction and will undoubtedly now receive widespread backing from both public and Parliament.”

“We are now calling on the Scottish government to stick by their principles and bring forward legislation.”

MURDER

continued from cover tation might be the motive for the shooting.

“That’s always something that we’re looking for, but as of this point, we have not been able to establish that [sexual orientation] had anything to do with the attack,” Wright said June 24.

On June 26 local police released an even more definitive statement.

“A motive in this case has not been established,” Wright said. “There is no current evidence to indicate the attacks were motivated by that relationship … There’s no evidence to suggest that this crime was committed as a bias against the girls [sic] or their lifestyle.”

Texas has had a hate crimes law on the books since May 12, 2001, covering “sexual preference” as well as race, religion, color, sex, disability, age, and national origin, but a bias crime charge depends on identification of a suspect and the suspect’s apparent motive.

Police said that while the shootings “have some of the earmarks of a targeted attack,” they had no suspects in the case.

“If we had a name, you know, we’d be having a different conversation right now.

But we have not been able to gather enough information to identify a suspect yet,” Wright said. “It appears as if … this was not just a random attack but that’s something that we really have to develop over time.”

According to Houston FBI spokesperson Shauna Dunlap, FBI agents from the Corpus Christi branch office are assisting local police in the investigation.

“But don’t read too much into that,” Dunlap cautioned. “We often assist local police departments. And that can range from resources and manpower to technical assistance.”

Dunlap told SGN that local police had requested help from the FBI but remain in charge of the investigation. She declined to comment on possible motives for the shooting.

Investigators are also being assisted by the Texas Rangers.

“We offered our assistance and … have been actively involved in the investigation since Sunday,” Tom Vinger, spokesman for Texas Department of Public Safety, told MSNBC. He declined to discuss details of the case.

Wright said police had recovered a bullet casing from a large-caliber gun at the scene, but had not found the weapon.

The murder scene, Violet Andrews Park, was described by local KRIS-TV reporters as “more of a nature area with some parts overgrown and no lights.” Police said the ground was muddy and they discovered no footprints.

“We’re not really sure how they got to the point that they were found,” Wright said.

“It is a scenic overlook with a wooden deck and there is a place at the edge of the deck where you can actually go down a very steep incline into a grassy area that leads down to the shoreline, and that’s where they were found.”

Olgin, 19, was a student at Texas A&M and lived in Corpus Christi. Her car was found near the crime scene.

Chapa, 18, was described by friends as an athlete who loved softball.

Friends of the couple said they knew of no one who would want to hurt them.

“You always hear, ‘They never did anything wrong. Why was it them? They were so innocent.’ In all actuality, Mollie and Kristene were innocent. They never did anything wrong,” Samantha Garrett, Olgin’s roommate, told local station KZTV. “I’ve been trying to think of anybody I know who would try and hurt them for any reason – especially them being a couple, and not one person has ever come to mind.”

“It’s something that I think all of us are going to carry with us for a while,” Frank Reyna, a friend of the women, told MSNBC. “It’s going to take a while to get past this, the idea that there is somebody still out there who did this to these two amazing, beautiful people, and that they’re walking free right now.”

The Human Rights Campaign and Equality Texas released a joint statement Tuesday saying they had reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, and Portland police to urge a thorough investigation.

“Regardless of the motivation behind this tragedy, we must send a strong message that violence against anyone is never acceptable,” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said in the statement.

“We have reached out to law enforcement officials at both the federal and local level, and hope to see a thorough investigation.

These women, and all victims of violent crimes, deserve nothing less.”

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June 29, 2012

Seattle Gay News 21

MAMA TITS

continued from cover politicians to march in the parade. And, once again, the community found itself asking Space Needle officials to raise the Pride flag atop the Needle as a show of support for the LGBT community.

But then something magical always happens. I don’t think anyone can quite describe it exactly. However, it is a tangible thing. Pride weekend arrives and we come together as a community and celebrate.

There are more smiles, more hugs and kisses – more everything – all weekend long.

It’s fabulous. It’s amazing. Pride is a party that is as much a part of our community as our quest for equality is. And no matter how much boo-hooing some spectators may do, annually we continue to celebrate all things LGBT, including people getting naked in the Seattle Center fountain, hot boys in their underwear – and, of course, drag queens.

Mama Tits is definitely a drag queen, but

you could hardly describe her as “one of those.” In fact, Seattle’s Skyscraper Queen (Get it? She’s tall!) will tell you that 2012 has been a banner year for her. She is, literally, here, there, and everywhere. She social-networks people to death and performs at events ranging from the parties and brunches she headlines to fundraising events and LGBT youth-focused events.

In other words, when RuPaul told queens, “You betta’ weeerk!” Mama Tits heard him loud and clear. Work she does – and the crowds can’t seem to get enough of Mama.

On Pride weekend, Mama Tits pulled off one of the smartest public relations moves I’ve ever seen. Dressed from head-to-toe as the iconic Seattle Space Needle, she was the single most photographed person of the weekend. Debuting the dress while performing her duties as a Pride Parade announcer, with the real Space Needle looming in the background bereft of the Pride flag, Mama Tits’ Space Needle Dress proudly waved the rainbow-colored banner that has come to mean so much to LGBT

people around the world. The imagery was striking. While it seems fitting that one of the tallest drag queens on the planet wore the dress (she tells SGN she’s 6 feet, 6 inches out of drag, but add pumps and a wig and you’re talking an 8-foot, in-your-face, outand-extremely-Proud drag queen), it wasn’t her height that had anything to do with it.

What caused so many camera flashes, laughter, smiles and, in some cases, tears of joy, from people who saw her was the fact that Mama Tits was making the bold statement that the LGBT movement is alive and well and that entertainment and political or social statements can – and do – coincide.

The very moment Mama Tits put on that dress, she overshadowed the Space Needle and all of the bullshit that the “will-they-orwon’t-they-fly-theflag” argument brought the community. Brilliant.

SGN spoke with Brian Daniel Peters, the man who created the Mama Tits character and who served the community for many years as Sister Stella Standing of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of Saint Joan, about the infamous dress, community service, and the campaign to Approve Referendum 74.

The first thing Peters wanted to tell SGN readers is that, although the dress was his concept, there were other people who deserve some of the credit for making the idea a reality.

“Jamie von Stratton built the frame out of PVC pipe and sewed the gown together,” Peters said. “BenDeLaCreme created the wig, which lit up and had a lightening storm inside of it, a nod to the rain we experience in the Pacific Northwest.”

“It was a true collaboration,” he said proudly.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a dress – or art piece, depending on how you look at it – costs money: in this case, over $1,000. It is safe to say that in 2012, most people simply don’t have that kind of cash set aside. So Peters explained that, with the intention of promoting something intrinsically Seattle while announcing the Pride parade, he reached out to the community for donations. Although he was clear about his request, some members of the

Seattle drag community objected, saying what he was doing was inappropriate. The reaction caused Peters, a man who has devoted so much of his time and talent to raise awareness and funds for the LGBT equality movement and HIV/AIDS epidemic, to take a step back and reflect.

He reached out to friends, business owners, and community leaders for advice, and many of them, including me, told Peters to go for it. Peters set out on a mission and, through individual donations and a pledge by the Grill on Broadway to cover 25% of the cost, raised the money needed to pay for the construction of the Mama Tits Space Needle Dress.

Peters and I discussed why some people scoffed at the idea. After all, we are in the middle of a costly campaign to keep our state’s marriage equality bill intact. And there is also that whole tired bitchy sniping thing that some drag queens feel obligated to do. At the end of the day, however, Peters told me that it was the positive reinforcement and words of encouragement from members of the same community as his detractors, that helped him come to the decision that, yeah, this wasn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea – but it will make an impact.

It is important to note that Peters – whether in or out of face – is a vocal advocate for LGBT history and equal rights, and continually urges people to Approve Referendum 74 in November. The fact is entertainers like Peters help raise far more than $1,000 annually for the community. Whether or not you like the guy – or his character – is not the point. The community will always embrace those who work to support and fund it. In this case, because of the work he’s done and continues to do, Peters got the dress made.

“The symbolism of the dress was to represent the city, which I love,” said Peters.

“The City of Seattle, from the mayor on down to the City Council members, is in support of marriage equality. Space Needle officials gave some lame-ass excuse as to why they wouldn’t fly the flag and that really got to me. I get that the Needle is not owned by the city. But guess what? When you buy a city icon, ultimately it doesn’t belong to you. The Space Needle will always

Pride is a still a protest. It is maddening that so many in our community don’t get that.

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www.sgn.org 22 Seattle Gay News

June 29, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

NATE GOWDY / SEATTLE GAY NEWS

Sylvia O’Stayformore (l) and Mama Tits at the 2012 Pride parade in Seattle

belong to the people of Seattle, figuratively speaking. So I decided I would fly the flag on the next best thing – Mama Tits dressed up as the Space Needle!”

While Peters admits that he had no way of knowing beforehand that the Pride flag would not fly atop the Needle this year, once he learned that it would not, he knew Mama and her dress would become the talk of the town.

And not just the town: Mama Tits became the talk of social media. SGN photographer Nate Gowdy captured images of Mama during the Pride parade and the SGN Facebook page, where the images are posted, tells the story of a community that liked the dress more than Peters could have ever imagined.

In all, Mama Tits and her dress got more “likes” (nearly 1,000) than any other images throughout Pride weekend.

Peters takes his role as a drag queen seriously. “Stonewall was the birth of our revolution and a drag queen had the balls to start it all,” he said. “People love drag queens being a part of Pride. We have always been there. We are such an amazing part of Gay history.”

“Pride is a celebration that we can all take part in,” he continued. “But, big picture, it isn’t just for us who live in the Queer community of Emerald City. It is a show of support and love for all those people who travel to Seattle after sneaking away from places where they are afraid to come out of the closet and where discrimination against LGBT people is normal practice.”

Peters says these visitors want to “come to the city to be over-the-top Gay. What is more over-the-top Gay than a drag queen?”

Pride is still a protest. It is maddening that so many in our community don’t get that.

Until we are no longer second-class citizens demanding equality, our very existence as a community remains a political protest.

Armed with the knowledge of our past and motivated by the work that still needs to be done, Peters pledged that Mama Tits would impress upon Pride audiences that there has never been a better time to get actively engaged in our movement.

“My mantra is to entertain and educate,” he told SGN. “We, as entertainers, have a responsibility to do good whenever we can.

Our first and foremost job is to entertain –

but right next to that is the obligation to use the microphone to help educate people on our cause.”

Peters reminds us, “It can’t always be fun and games.”

“There are people in this world who have been attacked, disfigured, and murdered because of who they are,” he said. “There are LGBT people in jail, lives ruined, out of work. We cannot forget them and we must honor them by advancing our movement forward until we achieve full equality.”

Peters ended our interview, with his partner Daniel Jason (DJ) Klaudt at his side (they met 11 years ago at Pride, moved in together one month later, and have been a happy couple ever since), by allowing me to see a vulnerable, yet enduring, side of himself. “The character Mama Tits and the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, Stella Standing, are message characters. I really want people to know that. Through these manifestations I’ve grown to become a better person. It is not all about me. I worry incessantly about the perception some might have of me – that I am selfish because I entertain audiences and promote the events I am involved in.”

Peters admitted, “I am HIV positive. The larger-than-life character that is Mama Tits, and the activism and community work she allows me to do while entertaining people, touches my soul. I have something to live for.”

“I look around and I see entertainers who only say, ‘Look at me! Look at me!’ and I don’t understand that,” he said. “Yes, I am going to entertain you, and audiences look at me, but my goal is to give them something. I say, ‘Look at you.’ People need to feel something and in today’s society it’s all go, go, go. I challenge people to look at yourself, look at the person next to you, because when we look at each other – and really, truly see each other – we can begin to have fun. Because we then recognize just how amazing our community is.”

Mama Tits is a part of a very robust drag community that exists in Seattle. For more information, visit www.PinkIsTheNewEVERYTHING.com, or catch her as the host of Elektro Pop! Thursday nights at the Baltic Room, and at the Grill on Broadway for Mimosas with Mama, Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m.

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June 29, 2012

Seattle Gay News 23

HEALTH CARE continued from cover

Second, a majority on the court rejected the Obama administration’s claim that the individual mandate to buy health insurance is constitutional under the interstate commerce clause, but upheld the provision anyway. Even though Congress may not mandate coverage under the commerce clause, the court said, it may do so using its authority to collect taxes.

Roberts wrote the majority opinion, in which Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor joined him.

“In this case … it is reasonable to construe what Congress has done as increasing taxes on those who have a certain amount of income but choose to go without health insurance,” Roberts wrote in the key passage in his opinion. “Such legislation is within Congress’s power to tax.”

“The federal government does not have the power to order people to buy health insurance,” Roberts added. “The federal government does have the power to impose a

tax on those without health insurance.”

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the principal dissent, with Justices Samuel Alito, Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas joining him.

Thomas also added a separate dissent that focused on the commerce clause.

“To say that the Individual Mandate merely imposes a tax is not to interpret the statute but to rewrite it,” Scalia said in his dissent.

“Imposing a tax through judicial legislation inverts the constitutional scheme, and places the power to tax in the branch of government least accountable to the citizenry.”

In a statement after the court’s decision was announced, Obama explained the importance of the individual mandate to health care reform as a whole.

“Today, the Supreme Court … upheld the principle that people who can afford health insurance should take the responsibility to buy health insurance,” the president said.

“This is important for two reasons.

“First, when uninsured people who can afford coverage get sick, and show up at the emergency room for care, the rest of us end up paying for their care in the form of higher premiums.

“And second, if you ask insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing

conditions, but don’t require people who can afford it to buy their own insurance, some folks might wait until they’re sick to buy the care they need – which would also drive up everybody else’s premiums.”

Predictably, Democrats hailed the court’s decision and Republicans deplored it.

“All Americans won today!” Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) exclaimed, speaking to SGN by phone from D.C. “Think what it will mean to people with AIDS – it means you can still pay for your meds without worrying that you have a lifetime cap on benefits. Or that you’ll be excluded [from coverage] because of your pre-existing condition.”

“You know, I went to the oral arguments,” he continued, “and I watched Kennedy, and I watched Roberts, and I came back and told my staff, ‘It’s gonna be 6–3.’ I was wrong about Kennedy, but I was right about Roberts.

“Roberts is a right-winger, but he’s not so far out that he’s unaware of what affects real people.”

“This is a victory for the health care security and stability of Washington families,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “Today’s ruling means that families

and small business owners will continue to benefit from better access, more choices, and a health care system that no longer works only for those who can afford it.

“It means that health care decisions will be in the hands of patients and their doctors, and that insurance companies will be forced to compete for the business of Washington state families.”

Washington’s other U.S. senator, Maria Cantwell, also a Democrat, promised to work on reducing health care costs even further.

“Following today’s decision, I will continue to strongly advocate for the principles of increasing access to quality health care, controlling health care costs, and improving the efficiency of our medical delivery system,” she said in a statement.

“As a member of the [Senate] Small Business Committee, I will continue to work with Washington state small businesses to reduce the costs of health care and support small business job growth.”

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, on the other hand, promised, “I’ll do what the justices didn’t” and repeal the law if he is elected.

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Seattle Gay News 25

26 Seattle Gay News

June 29, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

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June 29, 2012

Seattle Gay News 27