SGN July 27, 2012 - Section 1

Issue 30 Volume 40

Celebrating 39 Years!

FRIDAY July 27, 2012 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & newsstands

SALLY RIDE p. 7

fAREWELL, MY QUEEN p. 25

SAN DIEGO PRIDE p. 8

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Lincoln, Nebraska SGN exclusive interview Lesbian mutilated Heather Carter, winner of in hate crime Champions for Change award

“Three men wearing masks – that’s all the victim was able to provide,” said Officer Katie Flood Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, are of the Lincoln Police Department. looking for three masked men who In addition, Flood said, “Decarved derogatory epithets into the see attack page 19 body of a Lesbian woman.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Dru Dinero for Visual Affairs

TED KIRK/Lincoln Journal Star

People hold a vigil on the steps of the Capitol, in Lincoln, Nebraska.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Heather Carter describes herself as a “humble” person.

Even when speaking to SGN about her trip to the White House to receive a Champions for Change award honoring her suicide prevention work with LGBT youth, she is quick to give credit to others.

Carter was the subject of a video submitted to the White House as part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative highlighting community activists. The video featuring Carter was one of five selected for recognition.

A White House press release called the winners “ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things across the country to ensure safety, dignity, and equality for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community.” see carter page 19

Heather Carter

Approve R-74 leads in polls, Gay Men’s Health Summit: Resiliency but it’s not a slam dunk Seattle-area edge is huge, opposition strong elsewhere

Two new polls show more Washington voters would approve Referendum 74 than would reject it, but there is not yet enough of a lead to assure victory for marriage equality.

A SurveyUSA poll released July 18 showed 50% of the respondents ready to approve R-74, and therefore the Marriage Equality Act, as opposed to 43% who would reject it. Numbers from an Elway poll released the next day show very similar results: 49% would vote to approve R-74 and 39% would reject it.

The new numbers are consistent with some previous polling, but the margin of support for marriage equality in the newest polls is somewhat less than that shown in the most encouraging of the older polls.

In a PPP poll released June 19, for example, 51% of those surveyed said same-sex marriage should be legal, while only 42% said it should be illegal. see R-74 page 21

and activism

Aleks Martin

file photo

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Sister Glo Euro N’Wei of Seattle (l) and Sister Eden Asp of San Francisco at the 2012 Gay Men’s Health Summit in Washington D.C.

by Aleks Martin Special to the SGN The 2012 Gay Men’s Health Summit was held July 20-21 in Washington, D.C., at George Washington University’s Marvin Center. More than 40 workshops and presentations from various activists, educators, advocates, and health professionals from across

proud to Be Different

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

the country were offered. D.C.’s Christopher Dyer, founder of the Youth Pride Alliance and former director of the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs, served as host, facilitating plenary sessions and providing comic relief as his alter ego, Cookie Buffet. Summit organizers, in addition to Dyer, insee health summit page 20

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Celebrating 39 Years!

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July 27, 2012

Seattle Gay News

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james whitely / seattle gay news

Mike Andrew, Miryam Gordon, Anthony Greer, Shaun Knittel, Albert Rodriguez, James Whitely

‘Hunger Games’ forum explores LGBT youth homelessness

Contributing Writers

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

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Nate Gowdy, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel, James Whitely 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. © 2012, 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

“Welcome to the Hunger Games” Forum on homelessness

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer About 50 people gathered July 25 at Southside Commons for “Welcome to the Hunger Games,” a forum on homelessness among Seattle-area LGBT youth. The event was hosted by LGBTQ Allyship as part of its ongoing discussion series, Queerly Classified.

It’s estimated that 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT, Queer, or Intersex.

“I need allies and my peers need allies,” said Betty, the opening panelist. Betty, who identifies as both Bisexual and Bi-gender, is a homeless young person and works as an intern with YouthCare.

“Please help. Keep us safe, do not look the other way,” said Betty.

The forum featured homeless youth as well as experts working in the filed and sought to not only educate, but engage attendees and even learn from them, so that everyone in attendance left in a better posi-

July 27, 2012

tion to combat homelessness among youth.

The second panelist, Luzviminda Uzuri Carpenter, a youth counselor at the Orion Center, spoke on how adults can be allies at the center, which lies just off Capitol Hill on Yale Avenue.

“When we talk about 40 percent of homeless youth, there’s a lot of youth that are immigrants and there’s a lot of youth that are people of color,” said Carpenter.

She went on to say that there are not enough organizations dedicated to LGBT youth of color, and that Queer youth of color are more likely to find their way into the sex trade here in Seattle, as well as in other cities.

Carpenter said that when people think of homelessness in youth, they often think only of the lack of food and housing, but homeless youth are at a higher risk of suicide, gang violence, and sexual violence, and they face a lack of mental health care, a lack of job skills, and a higher risk for unhealthy relationships. In addition, some deal

with a history of abuse.

The third panelist, Skyler Kaeden, identifies as a Trans man and volunteers with Camp Ten Trees, a summer camp for LGBT youth and the children of LGBT couples.

Kaeden told attendees what the nonprofit does and encouraged people to volunteer.

The final panelist, Grace McClelland, is the newly appointed division director of Seattle’s Human Services Department. McClelland is a former cop, who, after a careerending injury, began working with youth in juvenile corrections and child welfare.

Homelessness among youth is something McClelland has dedicated his life to.

McClelland told the audience how they, or anyone, can and should reach out to a young person on the street. McClelland asked attendees to stop on the street and listen to a young person, to accept them for who they are and affirm them, and to remember that coming out is not a one-time thing – that you’re always coming out, every time you meet someone, every day. McClelland asked that above all, people listen.

“Don’t interject. Reflect on your own thoughts and stereotypes about young people,” said McClelland. “Tell them [you accept them]. They never get to hear that.”

McClelland announced that the city of Seattle would allocate more funds to homeless youth programs next year, and that the funding will be focused primarily in southeast and southwest Seattle.

“We’re data-driven,” said McClelland, and southeast and southwest Seattle are where those funds are needed most.

In the audience were Seattle City Council member Tom Rasmussen, and Scott Plusquellec from the office of State Sen. Ed Murray.

“This is a great time to be holding a forum about this,” said Rasmussen. “It really matters when we’re discussing the city budget that people speak up.”

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

The next and final Queerly Classified discussion this year is “Wedding Crashers: Marriage and Economic Justice in the LGBTQ Community.” It will take place on September 19 at the Southside Commons (3518 S. Edmunds St.).

For more information on LGBTQ Allyship and Queerly Classified, visit www.lgbtqallyship.org.

Celebrating 39 Years!

Scott Kalina 1977–2012

Beloved son and a dear friend to many, Scott passed away suddenly and all too soon. Scott leaves behind his father (Ron), stepmother (Judy), aunts, uncles, cousins, and a large community of friends. We will miss his infectious smile, his warm heart, his kindness, and the loving care that he showered upon his family and friends. A celebration of Scott’s life will take place at the Broadway Grill on Sunday, July 29, from 2 to 4 p.m. There will also be a celebration in remembrance of Scott at Cal Anderson Park, Broadway at Pine Street, on Saturday, August 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. In addition, there will be a family gathering at a later date. Donations in Scott’s name can be made to Seattle Counseling Service, 1216 Pine St., Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98101.

Todd Robinson

Royal Todd Robinson, 51, son of Roy A. Robinson and Doris Christensen, died peacefully on July 15, 2012, surrounded by his family after a courageous three-year battle with cancer.

Todd was born in Everett, grew up in Woodinville, and graduated from Bothell High School.

He spent his early years in the Los Angeles area pursuing a career in advertising

and also started his own business.

Later he returned to Seattle, working in the restaurant and bar business at Thumper’s on Capitol Hill and in the commercial property management business.

Todd is survived by his partner of 16 years, Ray Smith; mother and stepfather, Doris and Al Christensen; sisters, Cheryl Robinson, Susan Robinson, and Recia Weigelt; nieces and nephews, Charles and Caitlin Legault, Emily, Lisa, Andrew, and Lucas Iverson, and Marcus Williams; grand-nephew, Thor Iverson; and numerous other family and friends.

The family would like to thank Dr. Kovach and his staff at Overlake Cancer Center in Bellevue, and Evergreen Hospice Care Center in Kirkland, for the loving care they gave Todd during his illness.

Todd was a loving, generous, and sharing person who will be missed by all of us.

To honor Todd, donations may be made to Evergreen Hospice Care Center, 12822 124th Lane N.E., Kirkland, WA 98034.

There will be a Celebration of Todd’s Life at the Evergreen Funeral Home, 4504 Broadway, Everett, on August 20th, at 11 a.m., followed by a reception.

Friends and family will also be holding a wake on Capitol Hill later in September.

Details to follow later in the SGN.

LET’S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE I write the following as an opinion piece based on no particular qualification other than having been a Queer male through several decades of late nights cruising urban mean streets in search of whatever good times seemed apropos at the moment. Thirteen of those years have been spent here on Capitol Hill, where I live in a high-rise across the street from a bathhouse.

Like many other Queers, male and female, I inherited addiction ... to everything. I drank and drugged like Wile E. Coyote for 13 years and slummed in places “where angels feared to tread” so numb to the danger around me as to be oblivious to it. I was lucky enough to get sober before I turned up dead.

Raymond Taavel was not so lucky. In the April 20 issue of this periodical (yes,

I’m way behind on everything!), which I mightily resisted reading due to the subject matter, I learned of another vibrant, loving member of the Queer community savagely beaten to death for being Gay ... and being in the wrong place at the wrong time [“One thousand mourn victim of Halifax hate crime,” SGN 4/20/12]. Would the raging psycho “with a history of violence” have visited him at his home? Probably not.

With all due respect, Ray seems to have approached the night as a moving target in search of adventure in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It has happened here in Seattle, often when Gay men and women are strolling from one alcohol-serving venue to another. (This is where it gets preachy. You’ve been warned.)

We live in a virulently homophobic culture and one needn’t vacation in Selma to be at risk of assault of one kind or another.

Fag-haters from surrounding communities know where to go when they’ve had enough booze to make them feel “manly” enough to gang-up on a Queer: Capitol Hill, the city’s concentrated “Gay ghetto,” as it were. I’ve watched the carloads of vehicles from Puyallup and wherever, cruising Broadway to give the kids an up-close and intimate view of my neighborhood’s freakish denizens ... including me. But that was on a Saturday afternoon with ample daylight and lots of witnesses – two things that Queer molesters don’t like at all. Like every other nightcrawler, they stay in the shadows (“lurk” comes to mind, like a Moray eel in its cave waiting for some reveler to pass who has gotten too giddy to remember that he is a recognizable “untouchable” in his own land.

My point: We don’t need to help them kill us or maim us or violate our spirits! I don’t know if Ray was smashed, or if Menz & Mollyz is a Gay bar [Ed. note: yes], but I know he was leaving at 2:30 a.m. with a Gay friend. The duck test assures us that if it looks like something familiar, it probably is that something. It sounds like he was a great guy who left his survival instinct at home ... or lost it earlier in the evening.

Maybe he got cornered and did nothing to escalate the fight that ended in his murder. Maybe he gave a great big, Queer-baiting psycho a hot piece of his inebriated mind. Bad idea.

Either way, he’s lost to us now, forever. With our enemies and the indifferent being so many, we cannot afford to behave in ways that smack of the suicidal. I know it’s not just. It’s simply real.

Where, oh where, was your Alaskan bear spray, Ray? American Gay men can’t afford to approach our towns and cities wearing Dorothy’s pink heels and Lolita’s heartshaped glasses. As a Viet Nam veteran, I can attest that all the Technicolor green vistas out there are as likely to be full of “tiger traps” and IEDs as coconuts and pineapples.

I’m tired of watching good, caring men lining up for the slaughter each weekend.

Don’t drink like a fish. Don’t drug like a rock star. Don’t hang on street corners oblivious to sharp eyes circling you and watching.

It may not be carefree, but everyone goes home alive. Unlike our grieved friend Ray. Bruce King Seattle

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

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

206-838-6027 or 206-898-4306

Visit us online www.sgn.org

July 27, 2012

Seattle Gay News

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james whitely / seattle gay news

Zach Silk talks money at Approve R-74 center

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer On July 19, Washington United for Marriage’s Approve R-74 Action Center held its formal grand opening on Capitol Hill.

About 50 people gathered at the center to celebrate and learn more about how they could help the campaign to keep marriage equality in Washington state in November.

“We’ve had incredible energy into the campaign from here,” said Washington United for Marriage Campaign Manager Zach Silk, referring to the center’s “soft opening” three weeks earlier. “When we win in November we’ll be here, right?”

Silk reminded attendees that the election was only 110 days away and that Washington will be the first state ever to affirm same-sex marriage by a popular vote.

“That will be something that will be heard across the country and the world,” said Silk.

Silk went to talk about two programs the campaign is using to raise funds: Millions for Marriage and Marriage Hero.

The idea behind Millions for Marriage, put simply, is to get 1,000 people to raise $1,000 each. This project enables each participant to create a fundraising page and set a personal goal. The campaign has tons of tips and resources on how to accomplish

Zach Silk at the R-74 Action Center

this. You’re asked to reach out to friends, family, and co-workers to support for the campaign.

“We’ve given you every tool imaginable,” said Silk.

To learn more or participate, visit www. waunited.org/millions. The top 50 fundraisers, and another 50 chosen at random, will receive tickets to an October performance of Wicked at the Paramount Theatre.

The other program, Marriage Hero, is an app linked with Facebook, where users can fundraise and earn rewards as the campaign moves forward.

To download the app, visit http://hero. washingtonunitedformarriage.org.

Silk also mentioned a single, “Same Love,” by recording artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis that recently went live on iTunes. Proceeds from the song go to the campaign.

The Capitol Hill Action Center is located at 517 E Pike St. in the newly expanded offices of Gay City Health Project. You can drop in to learn more about the Approve R-74 campaign, buy campaign merchandise, or volunteer for phone banks. Phone banks run Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. All are encouraged to sign up or just drop in.

Chick-fil-A sandwiches become a political statement Atlanta-based chain draws criticism, support for anti-Gay comments

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

courtesy chick-fil-a

Chick-fil-A does not support same-sex marriage. The fast-food chain has made that abundantly clear. Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press recently that the company was “guilty as charged” for backing “the biblical definition of a family.” And predictably, Cathy didn’t stop there. In a later radio interview he ratcheted up the rhetoric, saying, “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’”

Um, what? Since when did biting into a fried chicken sandwich become a political statement? And why all the God and marriage stuff as a side order with your meal?

Other than the obvious – you know, the whole “Jesus wouldn’t like it if” bullshit and the “God will be angry if” crap – Chickfil-A is actually getting some support in the face of scrutiny. Across the Bible Belt, where most of the chain’s 1,600 restaurants are situated, Christian conservatives have organized a “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” for next week, in which they have asked believers to buy at least one chicken sandwich (and waffle fries).

To its supporters, the fast-food chain puts out a delicious product and is known for putting faith ahead of profits – by closing on Sundays.

These sorts of spats always draw the crazies from out of the shadows – or churches, depending on how you look at it. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, is behind the “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” madness, saying he supports a business “whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values.”

And would you believe me if I told you that another member of the “I failed at getting

my party’s nomination for president” club, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, has also joined the cause, as have other religious leaders.

“As the son of a dairy farmer who milked many a cow, I plan to ‘Eat Mor Chikin’ and show my support by visiting Chick-fil-A next Wednesday,” the Rev. Billy Graham said in a statement, referring to the slogan in the company’s ads, which feature cows urging people to eat poultry.

The Rev. Roger Oldham, a spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Convention, said many Christians want to support businesses owned by fellow believers, and the loyalty intensifies “when Christians see a fellow Christian being persecuted.”

“They will come out of the woodwork when a theologically based position is being politicized by individuals for their own purposes,” he said.

But not everyone is as forgiving as the God fearing, Bible-thumping Christians for inequality. Chick-fil-A has seen its share of support – and business deals – evaporate in the wake of Chickengate 2012. Even the Muppets are pissed off.

Earlier this week the Jim Henson Company said it will stop providing toys for the fast-food chain’s kids’ meals because of Chick-fil-A’s anti-same-sex-marriage stance. On Facebook, the company behind the Muppets said it will donate the money it received from Chick-fil-A to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

“The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors,” reads the statement by CEO Lisa Henson.

In addition, public officials in Boston and Chicago have told the chain it is not welcome there.

Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy

A Chicago alderman vowed to block a Chick-fil-A proposed in his district, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel supported him, saying, “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values.” Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote in a letter to Cathy, “There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.”

Chick-fil-A posted more than $4.1 billion in sales last year, most of it below the Mason-Dixon Line. Just 14 of its restaurants are in the six states and the District of Columbia where Gay marriage is legal. Massachusetts has two locations, both more than 10 miles from Boston. Illinois, which does not have same-sex marriage, has around a dozen, though only one is in Chicago.

The truth of the matter is the Cathy family has never been shy about its Southern Baptist faith. Ever since Dan Cathy’s father, Truett, opened the first Chick-fil-A in 1967, the restaurants have been closed on Sundays. The company refused to make an exception even during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta – a major financial sacrifice. It also boasts that the Chick-fil-A Bowl is the only college football bowl game that still begins with an invocation.

In a more sinister vein, Chick-fil-A has

donated millions of dollars to anti-Gay groups including the Family Research Council and the Marriage and Family Foundation, according to Equality Matters. In 2010 alone, Chick-fil-A gave $2 million to such groups.

The company is well-positioned to come through the criticism relatively unscathed, even if it loses new markets in the North and elsewhere, University of Georgia marketing professor Sundar Bharadwaj told The Wall Street Journal.

He said that is because Chick-fil-A basically reflects the politics of its customers.

At a downtown Atlanta Chick-fil-A on Thursday, customers were divided over the company’s stance, reports the Associated Press.

“If you’re a Christian, you believe in the Bible. The Bible says homosexuality is wrong. [Cathy’s] absolutely right,” Marci Troutman said over her breakfast.

Her business partner, Steve Timpson, said he chose not to eat at Chick-fil-A: “You’ve got to be more tolerant if you’re going to operate in the wider market in this country.”

Nearby, Dustin Keller offered another view of Cathy: “It’s his opinion. He’s entitled to it. I’m just here to eat.”

Rich Full-Bodied Cafes Savory Homestyle Soups & Sandwiches 6

Seattle Gay News

July 27, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman to travel into space, died July 23 at the age of 61.

Outside of her family, closest friends, and her doctors, very few knew she had been battling pancreatic cancer for the past 17 months.

Outside of that same small circle, very few knew another fact about Sally Ride: she was a Lesbian.

That fact was revealed only in the last paragraph of the Associated Press obituary announcing Ride’s death.

“Ride’s office said she is survived by Tam O’Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years and a co-founder of Sally Ride Science; her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; a niece; and a nephew,” AP said.

Karen “Bear” Ride told the blog BuzzFeed that her sister “never hid her relationship with Tam. They have been partners, business partners in Sally Ride Science, they’ve written books together …

Sally’s very close friends, of course, knew.”

“Sally didn’t use labels,” Bear explained.

“Sally had a very fundamental sense of privacy – it was just her nature, because we’re Norwegians through and through.”

O’Shaughnessy was always welcome in the close-knit Ride family circle, Bear said.

“We consider Tam a member of the family.”

Ride and O’Shaughnessy first met as 12-year-old tennis players in California.

Ride would become a nationally ranked tennis player before her interest in science led her to earn a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford.

In 1978 Ride joined NASA, flying space missions in 1983 and 1984. O’Shaughnessy went on to become a professor of school psychology at San Diego State University.

Although Ride was married to fellow astronaut Steve Hawley between 1982 and 1987, she and O’Shaughnessy became a couple in 1985 and were together until

Ride’s death.

O’Shaughnessy is the chief operating officer and executive vice president of Sally Ride Science, the foundation the couple organized to encourage young students to pursue scientific careers.

Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Encino, California. As a girl, her favorite toys were a chemistry set and a telescope.

She earned bachelor’s degrees in physics and English from Stanford University in 1973, a master’s in 1975, and her doctorate in 1978. That same year, she joined NASA after responding to an ad in the student newspaper calling for scientists and engineers to apply to become astronauts.

After retiring from NASA in 1987, she went to Stanford’s Center for International Security and Arms Control. In 1989, Ride became professor of physics at UC San Diego and director of the California Space Institute. With O’Shaughnessy, she founded Sally Ride Science in 2001.

One of Ride’s last projects was enabling middle school students to take their own pictures of the moon using cameras aboard NASA’s twin GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) spacecraft.

“Sally literally could have done anything with her life. She decided to devote her life to education and to inspiring young people.

To me, that’s such a powerful thing. It’s extraordinarily admirable,” MIT professor Maria Zuber, who heads the GRAIL mission, told AP. “While she never enjoyed being a celebrity, she recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential,” said Ride’s former husband, Steve Hawley, in a statement released by NASA. “The fact that Sally Ride was a Lesbian will further help round out Americans’ understanding of the contributions of LGBT Americans to our country. Our love and

Astronaut Sally Ride aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1983.

condolences go out to her partner,” HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement to BuzzFeed.

Bear Ride, who is a Presbyterian minister and also identifies as a Lesbian, hopes her sister’s story would be helpful to LGBT youth.

“People did not know she had pancreatic cancer – that’s going to be a huge shock,” she noted. “For 17 months, nobody knew – and everyone does now. Her memorial fund is going to be in support of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer sufferers, Bear said, are “going to be absolutely thrilled that there’s

now this advocate that they didn’t know about. And, I hope the GLBT community feels the same.

“I hope it makes it easier for kids growing up Gay that they know that another one of their heroes was like them,” she added.

BuzzFeed asked Bear to comment on religious conservatives who oppose legal recognition of same-sex relationships like her sister’s.

“Who cares about them, really?” she replied. “There are those who are stubbornly ignorant, and if they want to continue in that, God bless them, but probably best not to talk to my family.”

Crisetti Quimson

Aleksa Manila marches on Washington

Associated Press

Remembering Sally Ride, the first Lesbian in space

Seattle drag celeb does DC, joins Wyclef Jean onstage

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer “Keep the Promise!” was the theme of the 2012 AIDS March on Washington, which took place July 22 and attracted more than 2,000 participants. Among them was Seattle drag star Aleksa Manila.

The event coincided with the 19th International AIDS Conference and the 2012 Gay Men’s Health Summit, both of which also were held in the nation’s capital.

Organizers said they intended the march to serve as a “clarion call” for universal access to AIDS care and treatment and the efficient use of funding – and to send a message to President Obama to keep his promises to the LGBT community. The march began at the Washington Monument and ended at the Capitol Building.

“Walking towards the Washington Monument, I was just sort of overwhelmed. Realizing that I am part of this LGBT rights movement … I am one of thousands of advocates from around the globe who are going to participate in this in this event,” Manila told SGN. Manila stood in awe as the Rev. Al Sharpton addressed the audience before the march.

“He is very dynamic, just a powerful

speaker,” said Manila. “To know about him is great, but to be in his presence was ethereal.”

The Most Rev. Desmond Tutu of South Africa, an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights, addressed the marchers by video.

Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest community-based HIV/AIDS medical provider in the United States, also gave a speech, as did noted TV and radio talk show host Tavis Smiley.

Flag bearers representing various countries and U.S. states spoke on the problems associated with HIV/AIDS unique to where they were from. Manila noted that Washington was not represented in that group.

Entertainment prior to the march was provided by comedienne Margaret Cho and musician Wyclef Jean. Both celebrities also participated in the march.

During his performance, Jean invited Manila to join him, saying “I can’t be singing this song with no ladies on stage.”

“I was feeling very empowered,” Manila told SGN. “For me it was a very personal statement, going in drag.”

Onstage, Manila also met Cho and was given the “March on Washington/Keep the Promise 2012” poster hanging from the podium where Sharpton had just spoken. Cho

Aleksa Manila (far right) at the 2012 AIDS March on Washington

later signed the poster for Manila.

“With my Mac lip pencil,” Manila said.

“I really did get tearful, though,” said Manila of the march. “I consider myself of that younger generation. Growing up, I did not see my friends die, but when you’re in the midst of such a powerful congregation of HIV advocates, young and old and of the future … I can’t help but be affected by the passion in their voices as we scream ‘Medi-

cation for every nation! When do we want it? Now!’ “I’m in the middle of this continuum of LGBT individuals. This is what our elders were fighting for. This is what I’ve experienced … and ultimately [the youth] are part of this history,” said Manila.

“It’s a good reminder. To be rejuvenated, to be reenergized, to come back home and to realize there is so much work to be done.”

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

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

206-838-6027 or 206-898-4306

Visit us online www.sgn.org

July 27, 2012

Seattle Gay News

7

Advocates launch TV spot about why marriage matters courtesy the olympia report

Senator Cheryl Pflug

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Pride Foundation, the nonprofit, Seattlebased community foundation, which has led an ongoing public education campaign on why marriage matters to all loving and committed couples, has unveiled a new statewide TV ad that will debut during the

opening ceremony of the Olympics, focused on the importance of the freedom to marry for all Washingtonians.

The ad features Republican State Sen. Cheryl Pflug emphasizing that all loving and committed couples, whether Gay or straight, hope to marry for similar reasons: to make a lifetime promise to another per-

son and to share the joys and challenges that life brings.

The TV spot is powerful. In the ad Sen. Pflug says, “I know a number of Gay and Lesbian couples that have been together for 40 years. I saw these couples’ love, commitment, and sharing of a life together – everything that makes for a good marriage.”

“Everybody wants to say this is the person that I love,” she continues, “and stand up and have a ceremony with their family and friends. As a Republican I believe in freedom. And that includes the freedom to marry the person you love.”

Pflug joined fellow Republicans Joe Fain, Andy Hill, and Steve Litzow in voting for the marriage equality bill earlier this year.

She was the second Republican senator to come out in support of the bill. Pflug also voted for domestic partnership benefits both times they were up for debate.

The Maple Valley senator is one of a growing number of Republican lawmakers and other prominent conservatives who favor marriage equality.

“The freedom to marry has broad support across our state,” Sen. Pflug said.

“The Golden Rule is a value deeply held here, and that means that same-sex couples should to be able to be part of a family. No one should be denied the freedom to marry the person they love. When a couple has made a promise of love and commitment, they should have that commitment recognized under the law, and that commitment is called marriage. This is an historic moment

in Washington state history, and I’m proud to be able to speak in favor of the freedom to marry.”

Kris Hermanns, executive director of Pride Foundation, says the ad reflects the fundamental values of Washington state, “where all families are treated with respect and dignity under the law – and that is why it will be so powerful.”

“We took this step of investing in television because it will invigorate and expand the conversations we’ve had across Washington about the importance of marriage for all loving and committed couples,” said Hermanns. “Washington is a state where we treat others as we want to be treated, and that includes being able to marry the person you love.”

The ad campaign is an extension of Pride Foundation’s effort to reach out and educate the public on how the freedom to marry impacts real Washingtonians’ lives. Pride Foundation has done comparable education efforts for years in Washington and across the Northwest on critical issues facing the LGBT community and, according to officials, it will continue to run education campaigns like this in the future.

Pride Foundation is a donor-supported community foundation providing grants, scholarships, and community leadership in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. As a catalyst for change, Pride Foundation supports transformative philanthropy, programs, and individuals advancing equality for the LGBT community.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On July 21, for the first time in our nation’s history, members of the U.S. military marched in a Gay Pride parade in uniform.

Led by a Marine sergeant wearing her dress blues and bearing the American flag aloft, several hundred servicemembers marched through the streets of Hillcrest, San Diego’s Gay neighborhood. A crowd estimated at 200,000 whistled, waved, cheered, and applauded the march. Some saluted. Others shouted, “Thank you for your service!”

All branches of the military were represented and although most of the military personnel wore T-shirts designating their branch of service, four dozen active-duty and retired servicemembers wore their uniform.

“This is history,” Navy Petty Officer Erica Tello, 29, who has deployed as a firefighter aboard the carriers Nimitz and Carl Vinson, told the Los Angeles Times at the event.

“Being able to wear our uniforms says that we really are equal, at last.”

Gay advocates hailed the announcement, made by a deputy assistant secretary of defense on July 19, to authorize military personnel to wear their uniforms in the San Diego parade as a clear sign that DADT is gone forever. Because the DoD has clear guidelines prohibiting uniformed servicemembers from making a political statement, the Pentagon told members of the military they could participate in the Pride parade provided they did nothing to bring “discredit” to the service.

Many of those marching have deployed to combat zones or told reporters they have partners who are deployed to Afghanistan or on ships. The flag bearer, Marine Sgt. Bris Holland, 30, has done two tours in Iraq.

Stewart Bornhoft, 65, retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of Colonel. A West Point graduate, former Army Ranger and

8

Seattle Gay News

Vietnam veteran, Bornhoft marched with the contingent in uniform. He said the chance to wear the uniform in a Gay Pride parade “is what we’ve been working for. It says, ‘It’s OK to be Gay.’” The event also drew groups of servicemembers assigned to the same unit or ship.

Six sailors from the guided-missile destroyer William P. Lawrence marched in uniform.

“We all took an oath to support and defend the Constitution,” said Petty Officer Virginia Hansen, 27, whose job involves guiding weapon systems. “Being able to wear our uniforms shows that it’s not just straight people who serve their country, it’s all of us.”

The historic event also saw servicemembers from different parts of the country participate.

Marine Sgt. James Dunn, 24, a reservist who did two tours in Iraq, came to San Diego from his home in Montana to be in the parade with his partner, a civilian.

“Finally we can stand up and be counted,” Dunn said.

Not everyone celebrated the decision to allow servicemembers to march in a Pride parade, however. Congressional Republicans challenged Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Tuesday to explain why the Defense Department allowed active-duty troops to wear their uniforms while marching.

In a letter to Panetta, Sen. Jim Inhofe (ROkla.) said department rules bar servicemembers from participating in political activities while in uniform, and he pressed Panetta on why a waiver was granted, who requested it, and why it was considered over others.

Inhofe, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, also pointed out that administrative action has been taken against servicemembers who have violated the rule, said the Associated Press.

“If the Navy can punish a chaplain for participating in a pro-life event or a Marine

July 27, 2012

associated press

Historic: Uniformed servicemembers march in San Diego Pride parade

Sailors in uniform marched in the 2012 Gay pride parade in San Diego.

participating in a political rally, it stands to reason that the Defense Department should maintain the same standard and preclude servicemembers in uniform from marching in a Gay Pride parade,” Inhofe wrote.

In a statement accompanying the letter, Inhofe said he was concerned that the Obama administration “continues to force its liberal social agenda on the military by promoting the homosexual agenda, mandating the use of high-cost green energy initiatives, pursuing abortion rights, and suppressing the free exercise of religious liberties.”

According to the Pentagon, officials had already explained the exception. The department said it was made because organizers had encouraged military personnel to march in their uniforms and the event was getting national attention.

The waiver applied only to this year’s pa-

rade in San Diego.

The Obama administration, with the backing of Congress, ended DADT last year. Nevertheless, several Republicans in Congress have been critical of the change in policy and have pushed legislation to limit it. In direct contrast to GOP politicians, high-ranking military officials have said the repeal has not had a negative impact on the moral and welfare of troops or military readiness.

In fact, Pentagon officials were supportive of the DoD’s decision to allow uniformed members of the military march in the San Diego Pride parade.

“I got an e-mail from my admiral last night supporting my decision to wear my uniform,” Navy Senior Chief Dwayne Beebe, 38, a culinary specialist who has done multiple deployments, told the Times.

“That’s a major change.”

Celebrating 39 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

CONCERT UNDER THE COLUMNS Every Friday from June 1 to September 7, noon-2 p.m. and 4-8:30 p.m., the public is invited to FREE concerts by local musicians at the Columns (Boren Ave. & Pike St.).

Bobby Morris Playfield/Cal Anderson Park (11th Ave. E. & E. Olive St., just north of E. Pine St.). Hosted by drag comedienne Lily Armani. A post-game victory celebration will be held at Purr (1518 11th Ave.).

BELLEVUE ARTS MUSEUM ARTSFAIR & BELLEVUE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS JULY 27-29 On Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., the Bellevue Arts Museum hosts their annual ARTSfair at Bellevue Square (NE 8th Ave. & Bellevue Way NE). From jewelry and wearables to paintings and ceramics, BAM ARTSfair is one of the largest, most prestigious arts festivals in the Pacific Northwest, featuring over 300 juried artist booths, performance art, live music, arts demonstrations and delicious food. The Bellevue Festival of the Arts is held across the street in front of Cost Plus and there are also arts and crafts vendors situated along a walkway and in a plaza east of Bellevue Square. www. bellevuearts.org; www.bellevuefest.org.

BINET SEATTLE PICNIC On Saturday, July 28, from 3-7 p.m., at Seward Park, Picnic Shelter #1 (5895 Lake Washington Blvd. S.), BiNet Seattle invites you to join the Bisexual community for their 13th annual picnic. They’ll provide burgers, sausages, vegetarian burgers, and plates; you bring a non-alcoholic beverage and something to share, such as a salad or dessert. This is a family-friendly event. Bring your kids and your partners and enjoy the sun and the shade. Please RSVP at http:// socialzr.punchbowl.com/parties/4263809binet-seattle-picnic.

THREE DOLLAR BILL CINEMA OUTDOOR MOVIE SERIES – “ROAD TRIP” Celebrate summer nights with four irresistible on-screen adventures at Cal Anderson Park (11th Ave. & E. Olive St., just north of E. Pine St.). Movies start at sunset (approximately 8:30 p.m.) and admission is FREE. The movies: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventures (July 27) Elvis in Viva Las Vegas (August 3) The Wizard of Oz (August 10) The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (August 17) Bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on.

Hot popcorn, cold drinks, candy and other concessions will be for sale and a limited number of lawn chairs will be available for rent. Donations to Three Dollar Bill Cinema will be happily accepted. Come early to enjoy music with 12HR NOTICE DJs and the Shopping Cart Soundsystem. www.threedollarbillcinema.org.

RADICAL WOMEN SOUTH END BOOK SALE On Saturday, July 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, July 29, noon-4 p.m., stock up on some great reading – novels, suspense, fantasy, history, sci-fi, ethnic and women’s studies, plus movies, music and more – at New Freeway Hall (5018 Rainier Ave. S.).

For more information and to donate books, call 206-722-6057; RWseattle@mindspring.com.

“JOCKSTRAPS & GLITTER” On Saturday, July 28, kick-off at 2 p.m., join the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Abbey of St. Joan, and Seattle Quake Rugby Football Club for “Jockstraps & Glitter” at

IMPERIAL COURT OF SEATTLE – KING & QUEEN OF THE SEAS On Saturday, July 28, door at 5 p.m., pageant at 6 p.m., at R Place (619 E. Pine St.) the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle presents “Wet and Wild,” the 2012 King and Queen of the Seas Pageant. Contestants in the pageant will compete in Theme Wear, Swim Suit, Evening Wear, and a Question and Answer segment. Winners will be selected by audience vote. $7 donation at the door. (Contestant applications accepted until 5:30 p.m. day of show. Contact Madison Lane-Weston for more information and contest rules – madisonlaneweston@yahoo. com.

OUT FOR SUSTAINABILITY – “LOVE THE LAKE CRAWL” On Sunday, July 29, starting at 1 p.m. at the Center for Wooden Boats (1010 Valley St.) OUT for Sustainability and friends will be walking around Lake Union on the Cheshiahud Loop as out and proud advocates for this vital urban trail and to bring attention to this trail’s need for civic and community support. The clockwise trip on the Cheshiahud Loop will stop off at the Nickerson Street Saloon near the Fremont Bridge, Ivar’s bar on NE Northlake, and Little Water Cantina on Eastlake E. before returning to South Lake Union. For more information and to RSVP, visit www.out4s. org.

On Saturday, September 15, OUT for Sustainability will participate in the International Shoreline Cleanup Day at Ocean Shores, WA, followed by a Beach Ball with food, music and fun. On Sunday, September 30, OUT for Sustainability will host “Coming Out Local,” their annual dinner, discussion and auction that will highlight how a thriving local economy fosters a local community that celebrates diversity. www,out4s.org.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BOOK CLUB – GOODBYE TO BERLIN The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club meets every Wednesday from 6-7:15 p.m., at Seattle Area Support Groups Community Center (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St.).

“For August, Christopher Isherwood is our man. We all know his name. His stories were behind the musical, Cabaret. Several years ago we read his short American novel, A Single Man, and went to see the film with Colin Firth. Of all his works, the ones that are probably the most famous and long-lasting are his Berlin Stories. Let’s start there.

Part of that collection, Goodbye to Berlin, is called a novel. Looks like a collection of stories to me. One of those stories is “Sally Bowles,” the basis of the character made famous by Liza Minnelli. Mr. Norris Changes Trains is in Britain published separately as a short novel, but in the USA is included in Berlin Stories.

There is so much supporting film material that we’ll have a great time. There’s the musical Cabaret, of course. There’s a documentary called Chris and Don that sounds excellent. Isherwood’s novel about the ten years he spent in Berlin, Christopher and His Kind, was also made into a film. If this turns out to be a thoughtful and provocative direction, we might think of reading Christopher and His Kind for September and making this a two-month jaunt through Isherwood and Berlin, 1929-1939, and the last wild flourish of sexual freedom before the rise of the Nazis into power. Or not. Maybe we’ll do Rimbaud next month. Who knows?

Let’s play it by ear, and this month, together let’s discover Goodbye to Berlin.”

All GLBTQ folks are welcome to participate in this free book club. For more information email nickdimartin@earthlink.net, visit http://faculty.washington.edu/swittet/ SGLBookClub/ or contact SASG at 206322-2437; www.sasgcc.org. For discount on cost of books, email Nick.

GENDER ODYSSEY 2012 CONFERENCE AUGUST 2-5 www.genderodyssey.org

July 27, 2012

KEXP & SEATTLE CENTER’S CONCERTS AT THE MURAL On Fridays, 8/3, 8/10, 8/17 and 8/24, starting at 5:30 p.m., KEXP and Seattle Center present four FREE concerts at the Paul Horiuchi Mural Amphitheatre just south of the Center House/Armory building at Seattle Center. For complete details, including “rules” and line-up of bands, visit www.kexp.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.

GSBA PRIME TIME EAST On Tuesday, August 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., come enjoy a warm August evening at Sky River Meadery, 14270 WoodinvilleRedmond Rd NE, Redmond, at the south end of the Woodinville Winery district for GSBA’s Prime Time East. Connect with other LGBT and allied Eastside residents and businesses while sampling mead from the meadry and food provided by Snappy Dragon Restaurant. Invite your friends and colleagues to join the community. Cost: $10 members, $15 non-members, $10 students.

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

NATE GOWDY – PHOTO EXHIBITS AROUND TOWN Celebrated SGN photographer Nate Gowdy is displaying and selling his photographs around town at two locations in August! His work can be seen at The Grill on Broadway (314 Broadway E.) and Frame Central (901 E. Pike St.) in the upstairs gallery. His work “Elderly Drag Queen” was recently selected to be published in the leading juried photography annual in North America. For inquiries regarding Nate’s event and wedding photo services, he can be reached at nate.gowdy@gmail.com or 206992-5857.

Seattle Gay News

9

Dru Dinero for Visual Affairs

e t o v o t RegisteR

www.myvote.wa.gov

10 Seattle Gay News

July 27, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

July 27, 2012

Seattle Gay News 11

 Broadway 

Farmers Market 12 Seattle Gay News

July 27, 2012

Broadway & E. Pine at Seattle Central Community College Sundays, 11am - 3pm, April 22 - Dec 23.

Celebrating 39 Years!

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July 27, 2012

Seattle Gay News 13

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14 Seattle Gay News

July 27, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 15

Time to end the AIDS epidemic

by Paul Kawata Special to the SGN The last time I was arrested was in May of 1987. The International AIDS Conference was happening in D.C., and ACT UP challenged all the conference officials (of which I was one) to get arrested. This was not my first arrest – that happened in 1985 in front of the South African embassy, to protest apartheid and demand the release of Nelson Mandela.

We got arrested at the White House to protest the fact that President Reagan had not even said the word “AIDS,” let alone provided any leadership to stop the epidemic. To get arrested you had to lie on the ground in front of the White House gates.

I was wearing a new cashmere jacket and didn’t want to get it dirty. I asked if they would arrest me without lying down, but rules are rules. Luckily there was a friend nearby to take my jacket. As we were arrested, the police tied our hands behind our backs – not with handcuffs, but with plastic ties.

Getting arrested next to me was Dan Bradley. He was a hero in our movement – one many people don’t even remember.

Dan was past president of the Legal Services Corporation, the independent, federally sponsored agency that provides civil legal representation for the poor. He was an out Gay man at a time when the vast majority of people were still in the closet. Dan was adept at building coalitions and I admired the way he moved through the corridors of power on Capitol Hill and within the administration.

After we were arrested, we were held in buses until the demonstration was over. To pass the time we sang and chanted. I think we sang “We Shall Overcome” at least 100

times. Through all the laughter and singing, beepers would go off continually. In those days you had to take your AZT at very specific times. We were told that if you missed one dose, it might mean the difference between getting sick and staying well. As the beepers sounded, we realized we had a problem: our hands were tied behind our backs and there was no water. I remember screaming for help, but the police were too busy arresting others to hear our cries.

So like everything in the epidemic, we fixed it ourselves. Working in teams, each person would reach into the pocket or jacket of their neighbor to take out their pills.

Since there was no water, we broke open the capsules and poured out the drug like lines of cocaine onto a bus seat. We then licked the bus seat, trying desperately to in take as much medicine as possible. I prefer to remember the laughter and the singing – sometimes it’s just too painful to remember the rest.

Next week the International AIDS Conference is coming back to D.C. I’m marching on Tuesday, July 24, at the We Can End AIDS March and Mobilization (http://www. wecanendaids.org). I am not a leader of this march and was not involved in organizing it, but I’m joining it because it’s important to stand up and be counted. I will march in the same spirit as 25 years ago, only now I’m marching to end the epidemic. President Obama has not only said “AIDS,” his administration has also developed a national HIV/AIDS strategy, fought for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and committed to the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act. Do we have everything we need? No. I’m not sure any President could meet all of our needs. But we must acknowledge the progress we’ve

Obama administration will end ADAP waiting lists Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced new grants by the Obama administration intended to eliminate waiting lists for lifesaving HIV drugs and medical care.

In a July 19 statement, HHS said nearly $80 million would be made available

through the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a joint state-federal program providing FDA-approved HIV meds to low-income patients.

“The entire Administration is dedicated to fulfilling President Obama’s goal of an AIDS-free generation, and today’s announcement is one more step in that ongoing effort,” Sebelius said.

“These grants will help make a real differ-

16 Seattle Gay News

July 27, 2012

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

made.

I am very concerned about the narrative surrounding the IAC. Three thousand members of the press have registered to attend.

What message will they send to the world?

There is some very important science to be released. I hope it doesn’t get lost in a sea of competing messages. There are some very real problems that need to be discussed: the ongoing criminalization of HIV transmission; funding for the Global Fund; ADAP waiting lists; the repeal of restrictions on programs that target sex workers; and the particular challenges HIV/AIDS poses to women (especially women of color), Transgendered communities, communities of color, Gay communities, and injection drug users, among others.

Hopefully we will also acknowledge our successes and the support we’ve received

from many political leaders. For me, it would be wrong to lay all of these problems at the feet of the President. This time I’m not getting arrested in front of the White House. I’ve been invited inside to talk about real solutions to a long list of problems that still need to be resolved.

Dan Bradley died at age 47 in January of 1988, less than a year after we were arrested together. I will always remember the dignity and poise he displayed. By then he was so sick and frail, I was surprised to see him at the demonstration at all. We walk in the footsteps of so many great leaders. This is our moment to turn the tide. We may fight in different ways, but we must all continue the fight.

Paul Kawata is executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council (www. nmac.org).

ence in the lives of Americans living with HIV/AIDS, especially those in underserved communities.”

Of the $80 million earmarked for HIV/AIDS care, $69 million will be sent to states and territories to offset cuts in state ADAP funding and to eliminate ADAP waiting lists. As state revenues declined as a result of the national financial crisis, some state governments cut back on ADAP and instituted waiting lists for new applicants.

Some 25 states and territories are slated to receive money. Washington will get more than $1 million, including $340,512 to support existing programs and an additional $660,158 for new ones.

The rest of the money will be distributed to Ryan White community-based health clinics nationwide, to expand essential

medical and support services to 14,000 more people living with HIV/AIDS. These funds will also help states and communities fulfill the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, HHS said, particularly efforts to increase access to HIV care and to reduce HIVrelated health disparities.

In its statement, HHS notes that “a portion of this funding was made available through the Affordable Care Act.” Each individual clinic received a grant of $38,000. Three of them are in Washington: Harborview Medical Center, in Seattle; the Community Health Association of Spokane; and the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, in Toppenish.

In addition to the $80 million, HHS said, an additional $6 million in supplemental funding will be made available through the remainder of 2012 to states that demonstrate ongoing need.

“With these funds, we’re putting the National HIV/AIDS Strategy into action,” said Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency within HHS. “These investments allow us to further improve access to life-saving drugs, and increase access to HIV care and treatment for Americans living with HIV.” The grants are funded by HRSA through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the Bureau of Primary Health Care.

“The entire Administration is dedicated to fulfilling President Obama’s goal of an AIDS-free generation.”

Celebrating 39 Years!

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

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

206-838-6027 or 206-898-4306

Visit us online www.sgn.org

July 27, 2012

Seattle Gay News 17

Openly Gay Olympic athletes still a small minority Number rises from 11 four years ago to 20 this year london 2012 olympics

Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are officially open, with more than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries participating.

Twenty of those elite competitors are openly Lesbian or Gay. This may seem like very few – and it is – but it’s nearly a 100% increase from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where there were only 11.

noe, U.S. (soccer); Alexandra Lacrabére, France (handball); Mayssa Pessoa, Brazil (handball); Seimone Augustus, U.S. (basketball); Carole Péon, France (triathlon); Jessica Harrison, France (triathlon); Lisa Raymond, U.S. (tennis); and Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel, Netherlands (field hockey).

The men are: Matthew Mitcham, Australia (diving); Edward Gal, Netherlands (dressage); and Carl Hester, Great Britain (dressage).

The small number of out Olympians as well as the apparent disparity between women and men begs the question, Why? “It goes still to fear, because sports are kind of a last bastion of homophobia,” said Rob Smitherman, sports director of the 2014 Gay Games, an international LGBT sporting event. “You see it in Europe in the elite soccer/football leagues. They still don’t have an openly Gay player [in men’s soccer]. Why is that? In women’s soccer they do.”

Smitherman told SGN that while Europe has become much more accepting of Gays and Lesbians in general, sports – especially soccer – seems to be untouchable.

He also pointed out that the three openly Gay men in this year’s Olympics all participate in individual events, not on teams.

“That’s where it becomes, for the person who needs to be out or could be out, more difficult for him,” Smitherman told SGN of team sports.

Most of this year’s out Olympians are somewhat outspoken about their sexuality,

which Smitherman says is much-needed.

“I feel like sports in general are still homophobic, in the sense that not a lot of people are out,” said Megan Rapinoe in an interview with OUT magazine earlier this month, in which she came out. “In female sports, if you’re Gay, most likely your team knows it pretty quickly. It’s very open and widely supported. For males, it’s not that way at all. It’s sad.”

The Gay Games began in the 1980s, when, according to Smitherman, there was very little opportunity for Lesbians and Gays to participate openly in sports.

“With the Gay Games … we’re moving forward and having Gay and Lesbian athletes become more open at home and more accepted in the general [athletic] community, but that is not happening at the league level yet,” Smitherman told SGN. He added that much like soccer in Europe, in the “big three” here in America (football, baseball, and basketball) there is still the culture of the closet.

“I think we’re stating to change that,” Smitherman told SGN. “Some [athletes] have done ‘It Gets Better’ campaigns, and many teams have Gay days. … But the elite athletes, the men, are still afraid to come out.”

“When Major League Baseball does it, that’s it,” added Smitherman.

The 2012 Summer Olympics will feature 302 events in 26 different sports between now and August 12. The ninth Gay Games will take place from August 9 to 16, 2014, in Cleveland.

Scottish government promises marriage equality by 2015

Of those 20 out Gay and Lesbian athletes, 17 are women and three are men.

The women are: Natalie Cook, Australia (beach volleyball); Judith Arndt, Germany (cycling); Marilyn Agliotti, Netherlands (field hockey); Maartje Paumen, Netherlands (field hockey); Rikke Skov, Denmark by Mike Andrew (handball); Imke Duplitzer, Germany (fenc- SGN Staff Writer ing); Hedvig Lindahl, Sweden (soccer); Lisa Dahlkvist, Sweden (soccer); Jessica The Scottish government announced July Landström, Sweden (soccer); Megan Rapi- 25 that it would introduce a bill to legalize

Glasgow archbishop opposed; insults dead Gay official

same-sex marriage, with marriages beginning by January 2015.

The Scottish Nationalist Party, which is proposing the legislation, controls 67 votes out of 129 in the Scottish parliament and should have no trouble passing the bill.

When it is passed, the marriage bill would make Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to legalize same-sex marriages.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are internally self-governing, with their own parliaments. The British parliament in London legislates only for England and Wales in matters such as marriage laws. However, Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, changes to the U.K. Equality Act are needed for Scottish legislation to be effective.

The British Home Office said that would

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18 Seattle Gay News

July 27, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

not be an obstacle.

“If changes are needed, they will be made,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

The Scottish government’s announcement was made in after a public consultation that produced a record 77,508 responses. Some 64% of those who responded by postcard and petition said they were against samesex marriage, while 65% of those who responded in some other way were in favor and only 35% against.

The Church of Scotland – a Presbyterian church – and the Roman Catholic Church cooperated to run a petition campaign against the legislation.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, called on the government to submit the marriage bill to a referendum, but the government rejected his demand.

O’Brien has branded marriage equality a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right.”

The cardinal also authorized a plan to raise £100,000 (about $150,000) through special church collections to support the “Scotland for Marriage” campaign against same-sex marriage.

The proposed legislation has been backed by a “rainbow coalition” of organizations, including the Equality Network, Amnesty International, Unison, and the Humanist Society of Scotland, as well as political parties.

Many religious denominations, including the United Reformed Church, the Quakers, Buddhists, and the Pagan Federation, also support the move.

On the same day that the government made its historic announcement, the newly appointed Roman Catholic archbishop of Glasgow became embroiled in a nasty public controversy over remarks he had made at a university conference in April.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia blamed the death of a Gay member of parliament, David Cairns, on his sexuality.

“Recently in Scotland there was a Gay Catholic MP who died at the age of 44 or so and nobody said anything and why his body should just shut down at that age, obviously he could have had a disease which would have killed anyone, but you seem to hear so many stories about this kind of thing,” Tartaglia told an audience at Oxford. “But society won’t address it.”

Cairns’ partner, Dermot Kehoe, told BBC Radio Scotland’s “Good Morning Scotland” program that the archbishop had added to his “grief and pain” and should resign.

“The Archbishop-elect brought up David Cairns himself. He wasn’t asked about him

– he chose to bring him up and essentially he implied that David’s death was due in some way to homosexuality and his being Gay,” Kehoe said.

“This is in complete ignorance of the facts in this case.”

Kehoe added that to take a personal tragedy and to make it political “was more than upsetting – it is deeply painful … This has not only upset me and David’s family, but it added to our grief and pain and [Tartaglia] hasn’t shown any contrition for doing this.”

“He [Tartaglia] is sorry for any hurt which has resulted,” a spokesperson for the archbishop said. “There was certainly no offense or judgment intended in his words.”

Cairns, who was also an ordained Catholic priest, died last year of acute pancreatitis.

carter

continued from cover “I was overwhelmed,” Carter said of the experience. “I was sitting there [at the awards ceremony] and I was thinking ‘Wow! Do I deserve to be here?’ I was just doing my work. I’m lucky to be in Seattle surrounded by so many activists.

“I feel so blessed that this administration has chosen to recognize the work people are doing within the LGBT population across the U.S. and can’t believe I was one of them!”

SGN Associate Editor Shaun Knittel, who produced, scripted, and narrated the video, and filmmaker Dru Dinero deserve the credit, she insists.

The video highlights Carter’s work as project manager of OUTLoud. Carter was hired by the Youth Suicide Prevention Program (YSPP) in 2007 to create an LGBTspecific suicide prevention program, which ultimately became OUTLoud.

Characteristically, when she recalls the ceremony honoring her work, she talks more about one of the other award winners than about herself.

George Stewart, an 80-year-old AfricanAmerican SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) volunteer, particularly inspired her, she tells SGN. “One of the biggest moments was meeting George,” she says. “I think he should write a book – there are so many layers to his story. He was in the army when it was desegregated. And he was Gay. “I’m in awe of him – I was so honored to be in the same room!”

Carter’s training was as a mental health administrator, but, she said, “I wanted to transition out of the mental health field. So

much energy [in the mental health profession] goes into bureaucracy, and I wanted to focus on delivering services.

“Now I have one foot in mental health and one foot in social justice,” she continued.

Building on an initial grant from the Rainier Institute to start OUTLoud, Carter developed a program of trainings for teachers and staff in Washington state schools, focusing on at-risk LGBTQ youth.

“The first year I did tons of research,” she recalled, “and a ton of outreach. The first thing we did was develop the training components. Then I developed the peer-to-peer program, where we bring in the kids themselves, and our bullying component – that’s one of our strongest pieces.”

Besides developing the entire program content and recruiting peer counselors, Carter also had to raise money to supplement the original funding grant. She acknowledges the Pride Foundation and the United Way for helping to fund OUTLoud.

“I came across [the United Way] grant at a meeting for homeless youth,” Carter related. “So many homeless youth have sexual orientation or gender identity issues. Nationally 40 percent, and in Seattle 50 to 60 percent, are LGBT.” With the additional funds, Carter has expanded OUTLoud to Skagit and Snohomish counties, and also has an OUTLoud staffer in Spokane.

Although OUTLoud is expanding, Carter will not be overseeing the expansion, she told SGN. “I’m transitioning out,” she announced, “leaving at the end of August. I’m not worried about OUTLoud. It’s my baby. I’m only going because I’m confident I’ve left it strong and sustainable.”

Carter says she will continue to work with at-risk youth.

“The work I’m doing is my passion,” she says. “OSPI [the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction] runs a Legislature-mandated bullying committee and I will continue with that work. And I’ll be doing some consulting.”

Carter takes a very practical approach to youth suicide prevention, and says she believes the whole community can contribute.

The most important thing is,” she insists, “you can support LGBT youth. Especially around suicide prevention – there are things we can do.

“You can’t address all the risk factors,” she explains, “because that involves social and economic conditions that will take a long time to change. But the protective factors – genuine, caring adults you can trust,

adults who can mentor at-risk youth – we can do all that.

“The thing to remember is that youth are powerful in themselves – they need support, but that should be to help them do what they can do for themselves.”

attack

continued from cover rogatory terms associated with her sexual orientation were painted inside her home.”

Police say they will not release what was written on her body.

The woman, who is 33, was bound, gagged, and mutilated early July 22, and the three attackers also splashed the victim’s home with gasoline and tried to set it on fire, scorching a floor, police reports state.

The attack is being classified as a hate crime.

“According to our policy any offense is classified as a hate crime when it appears biased regarding someone’s sexual orientation,” Flood said.

The victim is openly Lesbian, said her friend Erin Thompson, who spoke with the Omaha World-Herald. She said that the attackers slashed the word “dyke” and two other epithets into the victim’s stomach and arm.

Hundreds of Lincoln residents came out to show their support for the victim, holding a vigil in front of the state Capitol Building on Sunday evening. “Hate crimes are despicable and appalling to me and to all Lincoln residents,” the city’s mayor said in a statement.

Among those present at the vigil were members of Lincoln’s Gay and Lesbian community.

Some in the community fear the attack may have been at least partly in reaction to a recent political victory. Lincoln city officials in May approved a non-discrimination ordinance requiring fair treatment of LGBT residents in housing and job applications.

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Seattle Gay News 19

health summit continued from cover

cluded David Mariner, executive director of the DC Center, the city’s LGBT community center; Raymond Robbins, also of the DC Center; attorney Blake Cornish; and HIV activist David Phillips. More than 200 activists attended, including individuals from England and Australia as well as Canada’s Mark Randall, coordinator of the HEAT (HIV Education and Awareness Today) program for the AIDS Calgary Awareness Association.

Special events included a social mixer, the Bear Happy Hour at the Rock and Roll Hotel; an art reception at the DC Center for the LGBT community, which featured collaborative mixed-media originals by John Gascot and MG Stout, self-identified Gay and straight artists, respectively; a benefit concert by actor/musician Jay Brannan of Shortbus fame; a benefit stage performance of Larry Kramer’s play The Normal Heart; and the opening reception of the 19th In-

ternational AIDS Conference at the Cobalt Bar. The first Gay Men’s Health Summit was held in 1999 in Boulder, Colorado, with more than 300 attendees, focusing on health and wellness for Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender men. Boulder hosted again the following year, and Raleigh, North Carolina, hosted in 2003. Subsequent summits have been held in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The event now takes place every two years, with the next one scheduled for 2014.

Seattle has long had a strong presence at the summit, and this year was no exception.

The Emerald City was well represented by Todd Hull, assistant manager of prevention education at Lifelong AIDS Alliance; Bertram Johnson of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Aric Lane, M.P.A., research coordinator at the University of Washington STD Clinic and disease intervention specialist at Public Health–Seattle and King County (PHSKC); Brett Niessen, M.P.H., health educator with PHSKC’s

HIV/STD Program; and Jeff Rinderle of Gay City Health Project (host of the 2008 summit). David Beard, formerly of the Seattle LGBT Commission, assisted with this year’s summit as a program committee member; and Kyle Peppers, formerly of the MPowerment Project at Lifelong, reunited with current Seattle representatives at one of the special events.

Johnson presented “Is That a Microbicide in Your Pocket or Are You Just Happy to See Me?: Advances in HIV Prevention Research and How to Protect Ourselves.”

Rinderle co-presented with Adam Steiner and Andres Hoyos on “Not Quite Ready to Quit: Motivating Gay and HIV-Positive Men to Quit Smoking,” “Smoke-Free Queer Man: Eliminating Health Disparities in Our Communities,” and “Policy & PrideFest: Impacting the Health of Our Queer Communities Through Effective Tobacco Prevention and Control Policies.”

Workshops conducted by Philip T. McCabe of the National Association of LGBT Addiction Professionals and Brian McAleney of Argosy University stressed the importance of Gay-specific services that address addiction and mental health concerns.

Cultural considerations are vital in successfully addressing the needs of Gay men when dealing with these issues. Locally, Seattle Counseling Service has been a pioneer of these services, including HIV, domestic violence, coming out, and crystal meth addiction counseling. Sister Constance Craving, along with Hawk Kinkaid of New York and Jorge Vieto of San Francisco, co-facilitated a discussion of the value of peer-to-peer outreach, a model that Seattle’s own Project NEON adheres to through its Peer Education Network of community outreach volunteers. One of the participants’ favorite workshops was a live staging of monologues spearheaded by Monte J. Wolfe of Brave Soul Collective, which highlighted Trans issues and couples’ issues surrounding HIV and self-esteem, including testing.

Hull, who began his HIV prevention work in 1999 at Minnesota AIDS Project in Minneapolis and transitioned to Lifelong in 2004, facilitated a discussion on barebacking. He stressed that recently the FDA approved Truvada, an HIV antiretroviral medication, for preventive use by HIV-negative individuals (such use is also known as preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP). He added, “Recent studies have shown that HIV-positive individuals who are on a treatment regimen and have an undetectable level

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of the virus in their system are unlikely to pass HIV to a sex partner. These are huge breakthroughs in terms of medical technology and will fundamentally change the landscape of HIV prevention, but they are not 100% effective and should be viewed as new tools in the prevention toolbox, along with condoms.”

Since 2002, Lane has been providing HIV education, testing, counseling, research, and programming. He was actively involved with this year’s summit as part of the program committee. Lane believes that “as Gay, Bi, and Trans men, our relationship with our health is complex. We face challenges around our health and bodies that are not always communicated between each other, our health providers, and those who provide funding and help shape policy.”

He added, “The movement is broader than just HIV and STDs – it includes our mental health, the way we form and interact in community, and how we treat ourselves, our friends, and our partners. Engagement [at the] national and local levels around our health is one thing that I get to do to help our community remain healthy, informed, and empowered.”

Lane co-presented with Niessen on their collaborative efforts working with Seattle’s commercial sex venues (e.g., bathhouses) over the past year. They worked on a community engagement and needs assessment project to better understand the patrons who go to these venues, as well as how to improve HIV and STD testing services and improve communication between PHSKC, business owners, and community-based organizations like Gay City and Lifelong.

Niessen found the session on crystal methamphetamine the most interesting, because, he said, “I know it is intimately involved with HIV infection, but wanted to better understand why. Beforehand, I didn’t know that crystal meth users were three times more likely to be HIV-positive than non-meth-using MSM or that meth increases the rate of HIV replication and makes users more susceptible to HIV. That was fascinating and scary.”

While there were a wide range of topics, including body image, healing, living longterm with HIV, and health issues for Trans men, Hull said, “one that really stood out for me was about racism on dating/hookup sites and apps – profiles containing comments like ‘not into blacks/Asians … sorry, just a preference’ – and how that makes people feel and the responses that it generates. It is a touchy subject to be sure, but one worth having.”

Hull felt that the summit offered a safe space to explore these issues and interact with a wide variety of people and perspectives. He added, “It was an opportunity

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for me to refresh and check in with myself about the way that I treat people, and myself as well. I think that is part of the value of the summit and the Gay men’s health movement, and that is what I bring back to my life and work in Seattle.”

Lane brings back to the Seattle Gay Men’s Health arena that “our health is about more than just disease. It is about collective responsibility, how we make decisions as a population that experiences stigma and marginalization from outside, and within our community, and how we care for one another are important factors in our lives; the strengths of our community and resilience in facing and overcoming stigma and obstacles.” He added, “we have health needs that are beyond just HIV and STDs. Health issues like depression, body image, substance use, cancer, heart disease and other broad health issues are important for us to be informed about and invested in.”

Niessen feels that, “we need to come up with solutions for the gay community that target health rather than always focusing on disease status. Gay men are losing the condom vigilance that I think we had in the 1990s.” Like many of Seattle’s providers, he feels, “HIV is not decreasing but remaining steady, and there are great health disparities when it comes to HIV and STDs. We need to figure what messages work for gay men that will help them stay safer whether infected with HIV or not. These are the same issues around the country, and a conference like this is helpful in finding out what gay men are doing in other cities to try and accomplish these health goals.”

The summit ended with a closing plenary with a facilitated discussion of what attendees felt worked best and ideas for moving forward. The host committee recognized

the lack of consistent structure to produce and organize the biannual summit, and stressed the need for ongoing communication to ease into the next one. It is important to note that the small team of volunteers made this year’s summit a successful event, despite its coinciding with other local events such as the National Queer People of Color Conference, the International AIDS Conference, and the March on Washington. Planning has already begun for the next summit, which will be held in Missoula, Montana, in 2014.

A closing activity featured Sister Glo of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan, highlighting love, gratitude, and community. For more information on the 2012 Gay Men’s Health Summit, visit www.gmhs2012.org.

Aleks Martin, who also attended GMHS 2012, is program coordinator of Project NEON and a chemical dependency professional at Seattle Counseling Service. SCS has been serving LGBTQ communities since 1969, providing mental health counseling and addiction services. For more information, please visit www.seattlecounseling.org and/or www.projectneon.org.

r-74

continued from cover PPP’s findings were noticeably different from an S360 poll released May 30. That poll showed voters supporting same-sex marriage by a 21-point margin, 54% to 33%.

While differences among the polls could be explained by actual changes in public opinion as both sides make their respective

cases to the voters, they more likely result from differing methodologies.

First, SurveyUSA and Elway sampled registered voters, which is a different universe from the “likely voters” sampled by PPP and S360. “Likely voters” tend to be more engaged in political discourse, more informed about ballot issues, and informed about them earlier, than registered voters as a whole.

Second, the sample sizes differ significantly. SurveyUSA polled 630 individuals, but Elway sampled only 408, PPP polled 1,073, and S360 surveyed 500. Generally speaking, the larger the sample size, the smaller the margin of error and the more accurately the poll will reflect public opinion as a whole.

Third, SurveyUSA asked respondents how they planned to vote on R-74, while PPP and S360 asked a more hypothetical question: “Should same-sex marriage be legal or illegal?”

Elway asked both questions, and that produced a quirky – if not especially significant – result: 52% favored same-sex marriage, but only 49% said they would vote to approve R-74.

This led some observers to speculate that voters do not understand that approving R-74 is the same as supporting marriage equality. If this is true, it could be an important – and possibly crippling – obstacle for the Approve Referendum 74 campaign.

In fact, the three-point difference is well within Elway’s margin of error, and could be explained simply as a statistical anomaly.

While it may be true that voters are confused about what R-74 would actually do, that conclusion is not demonstrated by the polling.

SurveyUSA’s crosstabs revealed some

surprising information.

Although the demographics of marriage equality continue to be borne out in a number of polls – women, younger voters, better educated voters, Democrats, and residents of Seattle are far more likely to support equality – the opinions of communities of color run counter to some observers’ expectations.

SurveyUSA reports that an astonishing 66% of Hispanic voters would approve R-74, and only 27% would reject it. Among voters described as “Asian/Other,” 49% would vote to approve and 34% to reject.

In contrast, white voters were more evenly split – 49% would approve and 46% would reject R-74. SurveyUSA did not include data for African-American voters because too few responded to the poll.

In an interesting sidebar, SurveyUSA included data comparing cell-phone respondents to those who were polled via landline.

Fifty-sex percent of cell-phone respondents said they would approve R-74 as opposed to 39% who would reject it. In contrast, landline users were pretty evenly split – 47% would approve and 45% would reject.

Geographically, the greater Seattle area is the stronghold of equality. Fifty-eight percent of metropolitan Seattle voters would approve R-74, and only 35% would reject it.

In contrast, both Eastern Washington (37% approve, 57% reject) and Western Washington, including the Olympic Peninsula (41% approve, 51% reject) show majorities against equality.

In 2009, Referendum 71 to approve the state’s domestic partnership law won statewide with majorities in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Thurston, Jefferson, and Clallam counties – all in Western Washington.

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22 Seattle Gay News

July 27, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 23