SGN August 30, 2013 - Section 1

Issue 35 Volume 41

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Celebrating 40 Years!

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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Murray: I’ll fight for equality

Seattle mayoral frontrunner unveils detailed human services plan nate gowdy / seattle gay news

Ed Murray speaks with fellow participants at an anti-DOMA rally in Seattle

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Ed Murray, Washington state senator and candidate for mayor of Seattle, announced his human services action plan at a press conference on August 29.

Flanked by Seattle City Council members Sally Clark and Tom Rasmussen, Murray said he had devoted most of his political career “to fighting for equality.”

“We need equality not just in civil rights,” he continued. “We need equality for those who are most in need … The Great Recession has blown a hole in the middle class. I don’t want the city to be just those who are wealthy enough to live here, and those who serve those who are wealthy enough to live here.”

A four-page policy paper distributed at the presser laid out Murray’s agenda.

“I believe that if Seattle is to meet the basic needs of our most vulnerable residents we must invest in programs that have proven

effective in lifting people out of poverty, especially our children and families, and in services that help our seniors live independent and healthy lives,” Murray wrote in the policy paper.

“We must build strong partnerships with other public and private funders, and with communitybased organizations, advocates, and clients,” he continued. “We must invest our funds strategically and measure our results. I have been a champion of human services and social justice my entire career. As mayor I will set priorities, make the partnerships, follow through, and do the work.”

FIVE-POINT PLAN The paper than laid out five specific goals Murray pledged to accomplish as mayor: • Re-establish Seattle’s leadership in human services; • Re-establish the Office for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention that was dismansee murray page 19

IRS will treat same-sex Marriage equality expands overnight married couples equally IRS issues major policy change for tax filing

Judges order counties to issue same-sex marriage licenses

Tristan Ahtone

The Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday that legally married same-sex couples in all 50 states, regardless of where they reside, will be recognized as married for tax purposes. The complete press release is reprinted here.

Treasury and IRS Announce That All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Recognized for Federal Tax Purposes Ruling Provides Certainty, Benefits, and Protections Under Federal Tax Law for Same-Sex Married Couples WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today ruled that same-sex couples, legally married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriages, will be treated as married for federal tax purposes. The ruling applies regardless of whether the couple lives in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage or a jurisdiction that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

The ruling implements federal tax aspects of the June 26th Supreme Court decision invalidating

in New Mexico

Two men hold hands after getting married in Albuquerque

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Marriage equality is being achieved in New Mexico, one county at a time.

On August 27, District Judge Jeff McElroy ruled that Taos see IRS page 19 County Clerk Anna Martinez must

issue a marriage license to a Gay couple or present a legal argument why she should not.

The Taos suit was brought by Dale Schuette and Reg Stark, who were turned away when they applied for a marriage license at the see new mexico page 9

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Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 40 Years!

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Local news Hotel workers say: Boycott Hyatt!

“I call on all of Seattle, and especially my beloved LGBT community – don’t book events at Hyatt hotels!” said veteran Trans activist Marsha Botzer to a crowd of 100 hotel workers and their supporters August 27.

Botzer, co-founder of the Ingersoll Gender Center, stood in front of the Hyatt at Olive 8 to support a boycott of Seattle Hyatt hotels, called by Hyatt workers. The Hyatt at Olive 8 has been the focus of an organizing drive by UNITE HERE Local 8, the union that represents local hospitality and food service workers.

“If you want to support an organization that’s having an event in a Hyatt hotel,” Botzer continued, “give them the money directly. And tell them why you’re doing that.”

Until very recently, the Hyatt Hotel Corporation was under a global boycott launched in July 2012. On July 1 this year, Hyatt and UNITE HERE announced that they had settled on a process to allow Hyatt Hotel workers and supporters staged a rally in front of Olive 8 in downtown Seattle. workers to unionize. The Hyatt Corporation promised to remain neutral and no longer Tang said that morning employee meet- egation that met with Hyatt management campaign against unionization of their fa- ings are regularly used to warn Hyatt work- and asked them to agree to a fair process for cilities. ers not to allow union organizers into their workers to decide if they wanted a union. homes.

“At that time,” Gossett continued, “they LOCAL OWNERSHIP Tang, who Local 8 president Erik van said ‘Yes.’ But now they’re saying ‘No.’ The only catch is that some Hyatt hotels Rossum calls “one of the bravest workers Businesses bring money into our communiare owned by local investors and not by the I’ve ever met,” also spoke at the rally in ty and we want that to continue, but we will corporation. Seattle’s Hyatt at Olive 8 and front of his workplace. not sit by and do nothing while they exploit Grand Hyatt are owned by developer Rich“The boycott may cost workers like me their workers.” ard Hedreen, for example. Individual own- money,” he said, “but the cost of doing GSBA Executive Director Louise ers can opt out of the nationwide settlement, nothing is much greater.”

Chernin, whose organization includes Seatand Hedreen has chosen to do so.

Among the problems faced by Hyatt tle’s Hyatt hotels as members, told SGN that According to Hyatt at Olive 8 workers, workers, Tang said, was the cost of the her group “always supports a living wage,” Hedreen is using intimidation tactics to health insurance offered by the company, and added she hopes “everyone will negotiprevent them from unionizing. Speaking which could be as high as $400 per month ate in good faith.” through an interpreter, houseman Yuan Ping for a family of four. Tang also said that the “We have nothing booked [at Hyatt hohotel is using more subcontracted workers tels] right now,” she explained, “and we’re – paying them even less and offering fewer already booked for the year, so it’s not an benefits than their regular workers. issue for us right now. If it became an issue I’d have to take it to the Board.

OFFICIALS LEND SUPPORT “I know there’s a national agreement and Although hotel work is generally a low- the local hotels aren’t on board with that yet, wage occupation, the Hyatt workers have but hopefully it will be settled soon.” won powerful friends. King County Council In 2007 UNITE HERE Local 8 won the president Larry Gossett and Council mem- first hotel contract in the country to explicitbers Joe McDermott, Julia Patterson, and ly protect Transgender workers, at the WesLarry Phillips have endorsed the boycott. tin. In 2008 the union’s national executive Speaking at the August 27 rally, Gossett board endorsed marriage equality. recalled that “a year ago, I was part of a del-

August 30, 2013

Celebrating 40 Years!

Help support LGBT rights in Russia

Demonstration planned at Seattle consular residence Sept. 3 Dmitry Lovetsky / AP

Riot police guard Gay rights activists who have been beaten by anti-gay protesters.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor At first, when Americans heard about these hateful Gay propaganda laws that the Kremlin was in support of, most of the country barely paid it any attention. “Surely they wouldn’t,” we thought. But then they did.

And then we got angry. Still, it was “way over there” and “somebody” surely would do “something.” Well, that somebody never showed up to help and that something they were supposed to do never got done. And now, weeks into this terrible reality, Putin and his goons, along with hundreds of homophobic sociopaths, have raped, sodomized, imprisoned, bullied, outed, and murdered LGBT Russian citizens, immigrants, and – in some cases – bullied visitors.

It really is like Nazi Germany all over again.

But I will stop there. I’m not going to liken Putin to Hitler because, well, Adolf was a real special kind of asshole and millions of LGBT Russians have not lost their lives to gas chambers and firing squads. But that’s not to say that if we don’t do something, it won’t happen.

You don’t believe me? Well, just remember when you heard about what was going on “over there” and how it has spiraled out of control. That’s right – I mean it – it has spiraled out of control. Fact: You have a criminal government violating human rights laws (and its own constitution) while holding the 2014 Winter Olympics hostage.

Fact: With each passing week something new, some new terror report, is coming out of Russia and the situation for the LGBT population in Russia has gone from bad to worse to dire.

IT’S TIME TO ACT So, what are we waiting for? For all of Stoli Vodka to go down the drain or, I know, maybe Putin will stop acting like a closeted homophobe on a mission to conceal his sexual orientation by any means necessary and sprout a rainbow out of his ass and all will be forgiven. Obviously, I am being facetious but I am also being very serious.

It is time that we, as a global movement of the “connected” web, stand up and say “NO MORE!” and boycott everything Russian.

And I do mean all of it. It is important that we are successful at this protest of the law, corrupt government, and institutionalized homophobia so we can, just like we are doing with marriage equality at home and abroad, leap from one strong victory to an-

other. Meaning, if we defeat big bad Russia in this fight for human rights and decency, then defeating homophobia in Uganda and Jamaica will no longer seem like a pipe dream.

If you are astute then you’ve caught a sense of urgency, maybe even activism, in my writer’s voice. Good. Because here’s why: The Russian government’s new law condemning so-called Gay propaganda has now encouraged people to report their LGBT neighbors to local authorities.

That’s right: the witch-hunt has officially began in Russia.

LGBT and persons perceived to be LGBT are in danger after a notice allegedly from the Russian government says any person who suspects that a neighbor or tenant is disseminating “homosexual propaganda” should contact the police immediately.

“Increase your vigilance when you talk to your neighbors, when you are checking your mail, and in elevators,” the notice says, according to a translation. “You can easily become a target of homosexual propaganda.

There is one step from being homosexual and to start propaganda of homosexualism and molesting decent people.”

LAWYER’S HOUSE RAIDED What’s worse? Russian prosecutors reportedly raided the home of activist and lawyer Nikolai Alexeyev. Reuters reports that officials ransacked Alexeyev’s home and removed several pieces of electronic equipment.

“Do you think this is all legal?” Alexeyev asked reporters inside his apartment after the raid. “What if they now start raiding flats every day, for instance?

The raid was spurred by a Russian parliament member who lodged a complaint against Alekeyev.

What is next? Because there really isn’t much left that can be done to the Russian LGBT community except – well, there goes that Nazi Germany scenario everyone wants to scoff at. I’ll tell you what, instead of ignoring the problem, how about becoming a part of the solution?

Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea), alongside Equal Rights Washington, Ingersoll Gender Center, Dan Savage, #DumpRussianVodka campaign, The Seattle Lesbian, Seattle Gay News, and more have joined others in Seattle to call for the immediate repeal of the homosexual propaganda law and homophobia sanctioned by Putin’s government.

RALLY IN MADISON PARK As LGBT leaders in our community, we have joined All Out’s “Global Speak Out” events being held worldwide September 3, and is timed to occur one day before Western leaders meet with President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The rally will be in the form of a demonstration on the sidewalks outside the Russian consular residence in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood. The groups will call for world leaders to speak up and speak out to President Putin in support of LGBT human rights and to demand that Russia’s anti-gay laws be ultimately repealed.

Potential event activities include sidewalk chalking, musical performances of pieces by historic Gay Russian composers, decorating the area with rainbow streamers and flags, demonstrations with signs to passing drivers, message delivery to the Consul General, and participant interviews with media.

The location of the rally is 3726 East Madison St., Seattle. On-street parking is available nearby. The demonstration will begin at 4:30 p.m. and end by 6 p.m.

Participants are encouraged to bring signs and rainbow flags, and to wear light blue (the traditional color most associated with LGBTs in Russia). The protest will remain on sidewalks adjacent to the building, not in the street.

The International “Global Speak Out” events have been endorsed by LGBT organizations worldwide, including All Out, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the Peter Tatchell Foundation in Great Britain, Queer Nation New York, BoycottRussianVodka.com, LGBT Solidarity Day San Francisco, and many others. Events will take place in London, New York, Seattle,

and other cities that day. More information is available at http://www.allout.org/russiaevents.

WE MUST BE THEIR VOICE “These new ‘Gay propaganda’ laws in Russia have made it impossible for LGBT Russians to advocate for themselves. It is illegal to be out of the closet and LGBT people are being brutalized and persecuted. It is crucial that we speak up for Queer Russians.

And our leaders must speak up to Putin and the IOC must act. This is a ‘never again’ moment,” said Dan Savage, sex columnist and author.

“We are way past the point in Russia where silence will protect us. … The more the Kremlin knows the world is watching, the safer we are on the ground,” said Masha Gessen, Russian LGBT journalist and author.

“Let’s be clear. Putin is breaking the law.

The anti-Gay laws and other crackdowns on Russian freedom violate Russia’s own constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the International Declaration on Human Rights. People from around the world and their leaders must speak out and demand accountability,” said Andre Banks, executive director and co-founder of All Out. The LGBT struggle for equal rights is a global fight. We will not stand by and remain silent as we watch our LGBT brothers and sisters get bullied, beaten, jailed, – and, in some cases, killed – at the hands of street thugs and violent criminals. The Seattle Russian consul will hear our voices loud and clear that we demand the repeal of the Russian government’s anti-LGBT laws at once. SOSea gladly stands in solidarity with the other leaders of this movement. We are one community, working together.

THE MARCH MUST CONTINUE Fifty years ago, hundreds of thousands of Americans – of all backgrounds – flooded our nation’s capital to stand up and speak out on the social and economic injustices plaguing our country. On that sweltering August afternoon, we heard a minister from Montgomery reveal a dream that would inspire change for decades to come. While we come together today to celebrate that historic moment and reflect upon the progress our country has made, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. demands that we not rest on our laurels, but continue his march toward justice. From Seattle to Selma, and everywhere in between, we are reminded the fight for equality is far from over.

“The right to vote is at the foundation of American democracy and has been fought for by civil rights pioneers like Dr. King.

Yet this foundation has been eroded by a Supreme Court ruling that rolls back protections from discrimination provided by the Voting Rights Act. It is another reminder that the fight for equality requires constant vigilance. However, the battle on behalf of all those who wish to exercise their rights at the ballot box does not end here. I am proud to represent a state with a long tradition of carrying the banner on behalf of equality, civil rights, human rights, and respect for others. So as we recommit to Dr. King’s vision today, we must double down and continue marching in the name of those who still seek a fair shot and equal opportunity in America.”

I just came back from Amsterdam, my third visit, and I wanted to share my perspective on the differences between these two cities.

With roughly the same population these two cities also share a commonality in “party centers.” Seattle has Capitol Hill and Amsterdam has the Centrum (city center).

We walked at night through the Centrum, Vondelpark and other side streets, and we felt very safe. There was a sizable police presence on the weekends when “rowdies” from England visit the town to party. (Not too unlike what happens on the weekends on the Hill!)

This “safe feeling” comes from the heavy investment from the city government to fund its police force. Without it, over time, the tourism trade would fade away as well as residents choosing to live in the suburbs and commute to the Centrum for work.

I’ve lived in Washington for 30 years, at one point living in Capitol Hill for six years.

But I had to move from CH as the crime, aggressive [panhandlers], and druggies made the area unpalatable. The difference between Amsterdam’s Centrum and Seattle’s Capitol Hill is like night and day. I just don’t feel safe on the Hill anymore. (And I’m a yodan!)

So why am I writing you? I wanted to tell you I support your efforts to report on the crime on the Hill – but encourage you to report that it’s a city government failure to not fund SPD adequately. If they continue with the “status quo,” more people will leave CH resulting in lower property values, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) merchants will see a drop in business. Well, Washington, D.C. you’ve heard the story before. It’s happened elsewhere.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES Best regards. Keep up with the great jourThank you, Shaun Knittel, for your arti- nalism! cles on the recent crime activities on Capitol Hill [“Take Back the Night,” August 23, Jeff Stevens et al.].

Auburn

Rich Full-Bodied Cafes Savory Homestyle Soups & Sandwiches Visit us online www.sgn.org

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Philly loses its only Lesbian bar

courtesy zanda

national news

Could Seattle be next?

by Kelly Morris and Sarah Toce The Seattle Lesbian

The oldest and only Lesbian bar in Philadelphia, Sisters Nightclub, shut its doors for good on Monday, August 12. Though a part of the LGBT scene for nearly two decades, Sisters took a drastic financial hit over the past few years and had to close up for good.

“I have not only lost a job, but a love/ passion, a home away from home and an extended family,” Sisters manager Denise Cohen wrote on Facebook.

Sisters lost some clientele to the new, modern Gay clubs that started to pop up around the area in recent years. And, according to Philly.com, while Lesbians are probably more willing to spend money at a woman-operated venue, households headed by two women may be more likely to have financial difficulties considering the inequality in wages between the sexes.

Though Sisters couldn’t make enough money to stay open, it’s clear it was a beloved place in the community.

“This is really sad for a lot of reasons,” said Anne Ryan, a longtime customer. “Because that’s where I spent my 20s, because you could always count on it being there and open – and it’s the only Lesbian bar. I don’t feel there are any viable Lesbian options at the moment in Philly.”

DEATH OF A LANDMARK And this scenario is not just occurring in Philly. West Hollywood’s only Lesbian bar, the Palms, closed in early June, as The Seattle Lesbian reported June 10. For the past 50 years, the Palms had hosted stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Melissa Etheridge, but now Gay bars are the only option in the longtime LGBT enclave.

Property owner Michael Talla said he planned to demolish the building and combine the property with the adjacent vacant lot to create a four-story residential and retail development.

According to a column in the L.A. Times, “Experts believe Gay men tend to cluster in Sisters Nightclub in Philadelphia upscale urban neighborhoods while Lesbians tend to settle in less flashy, more family- the last six or eight months and all the bars Wildrose is a Lesbian bar where everyone seem to be doing better,” Wildrose owner is welcome. We don’t discriminate and we friendly communities.”

Shelley Brothers told The Seattle Lesbian. require that everyone treat each other re“We try to offer the music and events that spectfully. We do not tolerate any type of WHAT ABOUT WILDROSE? With so many new establishments going our community wants in a safe and fun ven- inappropriate behavior.”

Brothers concluded, “The best way to up all over Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighbor- ue.”

When asked how the clientele has support a business is to keep going there hood – not to mention high-rise apartment buildings, condos, and a new light-rail sta- changed over the past few years, Brothers on a regular basis. We want to be here for the Lesbian community for a long time and tion – what will happen to our own little said that her bar doesn’t discriminate.

“Our clientele, like our community, has hope you continue to support us.”

Lesbian bar on Pike? Does anyone still go become very diverse – especially in the last to the Wildrose?

Reprinted with permission from The Se“It has been a real struggle over the last few years. It’s great to see all these differfew years with the state the economy has ent people interacting and, hopefully, learn- attle Lesbian (http://theseattleLesbian.com) been in. This seems to be improving over ing from each other,” Brothers said. “The

Living better at Walmart?

Retail giant to offer health coverage for same-sex partners

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Walmart, the country’s largest private employer, said on August 26 that it would offer health insurance to its employees’ domestic partners, including same-sex partners, beginning January 1, 2014.

“We operate in 50 states, hundreds of

municipalities, and Puerto Rico, and as clarified under the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), each of these states are developing different definitions of marriage, domestic partner, civil union, etc.,” Walmart Vice President Sally Welborn said in a memo to company managers.

“By developing a single definition for all

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Walmart associates in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, we are able to ensure consistency for associates in various markets.”

The memo was also given to employee members of the PRIDE associate resource group, which numbers close to 750 LGBT Walmart employees.

To qualify for coverage, employees and their partners must “live together in an ongoing, exclusive, committed relationship similar to marriage” and “have been together at least 12 months and intend to continue sharing a household indefinitely,” the company said.

OBAMACARE AN IMPETUS Under the terms of the Affordable Care Act, companies with more than 50 employees will be required to offer health insurance to their workers, as Walmart acknowledged in Welborn’s memo.

“The Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as ‘ObamaCare’) inextricably linked health insurance with employment,” the memo says. “As such, for our associates for whom we offer health insurance, we want to be sure we are providing access to as many individuals and their families as possible.”

About 1.3 million people work for Walmart in the United States. Only the U.S. Department of Defense, which includes the military, employs more Americans.

Walmart lags behind many other large companies in offering insurance coverage for same-sex partners. Sixty-two percent of the Fortune 500 already offer health benefits for same-sex domestic partners or spouses, according to HRC’s 2013 Corporate Equality Index.

According to the company, about 1.1 million people, including employee family members, are covered by Walmart health care plans in the United States. Part-time employees must work for Walmart for one year and average 30 hours per week to qualify.

COST COMPLAINTS Employee activists, who in recent months have staged well-publicized strikes at several Walmart facilities, say that the cost of the company plans puts them out of the reach of most employees.

“The real issue with Walmart’s health care is that most of us are unable to afford the coverage. I made $8.95 an hour before I was abruptly fired for speaking out for better jobs. That’s not nearly enough to afford health care or cover most of my expenses,” said Lucas Handy, an openly Gay former associate from Fort Dodge, Iowa, who was fired from Walmart in July, allegedly for speaking out about the company’s labor practices. He maintains the firing was illegal.

If anything, the cost of employee insurance will increase over the next several years. According to Reuters, Walmart’s U.S. employees are set to pay 3% to 10% more for their medical coverage next year, depending on the plan chosen.

The lowest-priced and most popular plan for a Walmart employee will cost $18.40 per biweekly pay period next year, up 5.7% from $17.40 this year, the company said.

The company said it will send tailored guides to its U.S. employees the week of October 8.

Average annual U.S. health insurance premiums rose an average of 5% for individuals and 4% for families in 2013, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2013 Employer Health Benefits Survey released on August 20.

This year, Walmart began to offer its U.S. employees and their dependents free heart and spine surgeries at six major health centers. Next year, it plans to also fully cover hip and knee joint replacements at certain hospitals.

Dental and vision coverage are offered for additional fees, which for an individual are about $7 biweekly for dental and $2 biweekly for vision.

Celebrating 40 Years!

‘Have the courage to change’

Many goals of 1963 march remain unreached, president says Following are remarks by President Barack Obama on August 28, 2013, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Five decades ago today, Americans came to this honored place to lay claim to a promise made at our founding: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In 1963, almost 200 years after those words were set to paper, a full century after a great war was fought and emancipation proclaimed, that promise – those truths – remained unmet. And so they came by the thousands from every corner of our country – men and women, young and old, Blacks who longed for freedom and whites who could no longer accept freedom for themselves while witnessing the subjugation of others.

Across the land, congregations sent them off with food and with prayer. In the middle of the night, entire blocks of Harlem came out to wish them well. With the few dollars they scrimped from their labor, some bought tickets and boarded buses, even if they couldn’t always sit where they wanted to sit. Those with less money hitchhiked or walked. They were seamstresses and steelworkers, students and teachers, maids and Pullman porters. They shared simple meals and bunked together on floors. And then, on a hot summer day, they assembled here, in our nation’s capital, under the shadow of the Great Emancipator, to offer testimony of injustice, to petition their government for redress, and to awaken America’s long-slumbering conscience.

We rightly and best remember Dr. King’s soaring oratory that day, how he

gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions, how he offered a salvation path for oppressed and oppressors alike. His words belong to the ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time.

UNSUNG HEROES But we would do well to recall that day itself also belonged to those ordinary people whose names never appeared in the history books, never got on TV. Many had gone to segregated schools and sat at segregated lunch counters. They lived in towns where they couldn’t vote and cities where their

That was the spirit they brought here that day. That was the spirit young people like John Lewis brought to that day. That was the spirit that they carried with them, like a torch, back to their cities and their neighborhoods. That steady flame of conscience and courage that would sustain them through the campaigns to come – through boycotts and voter registration drives and smaller marches far from the spotlight; through the loss of four little girls in Birmingham, and the carnage of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the agony of Dallas and California and Memphis. Through setbacks and heartbreaks and

“They came by the thousands from every corner of our country – men and women, young and old, Blacks who longed for freedom and whites who could no longer accept freedom for themselves while witnessing the subjugation of others.” votes didn’t matter. They were couples in love who couldn’t marry, soldiers who fought for freedom abroad that they found denied to them at home. They had seen loved ones beaten and children firehosed, and they had every reason to lash out in anger, or resign themselves to a bitter fate.

And yet, they chose a different path. In the face of hatred, they prayed for their tormentors. In the face of violence, they stood up and sat in, with the moral force of nonviolence. Willingly, they went to jail to protest unjust laws, their cells swelling with the sound of freedom songs. A lifetime of indignities had taught them that no man can take away the dignity and grace that God grants us. They had learned through hard experience what Frederick Douglass once taught – that freedom is not given, it must be won, through struggle and discipline, persistence and faith.

gnawing doubt, that flame of justice flickered; it never died.

A CASCADE OF CHANGE And because they kept marching, America changed. Because they marched, a Civil Rights law was passed. Because they marched, a Voting Rights law was signed.

Because they marched, doors of opportunity and education swung open so their daughters and sons could finally imagine a life for themselves beyond washing somebody else’s laundry or shining somebody else’s shoes. Because they marched, city councils changed and state legislatures changed, and Congress changed, and, yes, eventually, the White House changed.

Because they marched, America became more free and more fair – not just for African Americans, but for women and Latinos, Asians and Native Americans; for

Catholics, Jews, and Muslims; for Gays; for Americans with a disability. America changed for you and for me, and the entire world drew strength from that example, whether the young people who watched from the other side of an Iron Curtain and would eventually tear down that wall, or the young people inside South Africa who would eventually end the scourge of apartheid.

Those are the victories they won, with iron wills and hope in their hearts. That is the transformation that they wrought, with each step of their well-worn shoes. That’s the debt that I and millions of Americans owe those maids, those laborers, those porters, those secretaries – folks who could have run a company maybe if they had ever had a chance; those white students who put themselves in harm’s way, even though they didn’t have to; those Japanese Americans who recalled their own internment; those Jewish Americans who had survived the Holocaust; people who could have given up and given in, but kept on keeping on, knowing that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

On the battlefield of justice, men and women without rank or wealth or title or fame would liberate us all in ways that our children now take for granted, as people of all colors and creeds live together and learn together and walk together, and fight alongside one another, and love one another, and judge one another by the content of our character in this greatest nation on Earth.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS To dismiss the magnitude of this progress – to suggest, as some sometimes do, that little has changed – that dishonors the courage and the sacrifice of those who paid the price to march in those years. Medgar see speech page 18

Charles Dharapak / AP

(l-r) President Obama, former President Jimmy Carter, First Lady Michelle Obama, and former President Bill Clinton at the March on Washington 50th anniversary celebration.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

August 30, 2013

Seattle Gay News

7

Nothing to hide?

Facebook says government requests for user data growing

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Government agents in 74 countries demanded information on about 38,000 Facebook users in the first half of this year, officials for the social network giant Facebook said Tuesday.

About half the orders came from authori-

cording to the Associated Press.

During anti-government protests in Turkey in May and June, for example, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called social media “the worst menace to society.” Although Facebook denied at the time that it provided information about protest organizers to the Turkish government, data released Tuesday show authorities in

“We fight many of these requests, pushing back when we find legal deficiencies and narrowing the scope of overly broad or vague requests. When we are required to comply with a particular request, we frequently share only basic user information, such as name.” ties in the United States.

The social-networking giant is the latest technology company to release figures on how often governments seek information about its customers. Microsoft and Google have done the same.

Basically, said officials, as users around the globe flocked to the world’s largest social network over the past several years, police and intelligence agencies quickly followed.

Turkey submitted 96 requests covering 173 users.

Facebook said it provided some information in about 45 of those cases, but there’s no information on what was turned over and why.

“We fight many of these requests, pushing back when we find legal deficiencies and narrowing the scope of overly broad or vague requests,” Facebook general counsel Colin Stretch said in a blog post. “When we are required to comply with a particular reACTIVISTS BEING TARGETED quest, we frequently share only basic user Facebook and Twitter have become orga- information, such as name.” nizing platforms for activists and, as such, Recently, Facebook and other technology have become targets for governments, ac- companies have been criticized for helping

the National Security Agency secretly collect data on customers. Federal law gives government the authority to demand data without specific warrants, and while companies can fight requests in secret court hearings, it’s an uphill battle.

Facebook turned over some data in response to about 60 percent of those requests.

DETAILS REMAIN SKETCHY It is important to note that it is not clear from the Facebook data how many of the roughly 26,000 government requests on 38,000 users were for criminal law-enforcement purposes as opposed to intelligence

gathering.

Technology and government officials have said criminal investigations are far more common than national security matters as a justification for demanding information from companies.

The numbers are imprecise because the federal government forbids companies from revealing how many times they’ve been ordered to turn over information about their customers. Facebook released only a range of figures for the United States.

The company said it planned to start releasing these figures regularly.

Nebraska adoption ban challenged Nati Harnik

Todd Vesely, left, and Joel Busch, right, and Lisa Blakey, second left, and Janet Rodriguez, second right, are seen in the State Capitol’s Rotunda in Lincoln, Nebraska

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Nebraska couples challenging the constitutionality of the 1995 state ban on same-sex adoption and foster parenting.

Under the policy, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is prohibited from placing children with “people who identify themselves as homosexuals” or “people who are unrelated, unmarried adults living together.” Accordingly, couples who fall into this category cannot be issued foster-care licenses.

The couples named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed August 27 in Lancaster County District Court, are Greg and Stillman Stewart, Lisa Blakey and Janet Rodriguez,

8

Seattle Gay News

August 30, 2013

and Todd Vesely and Joel Busch. All three couples live in Lincoln.

ACLU attorney Leslie Cooper claimed the state of Nebraska has made multiple exceptions for unrelated, unmarried cohabitating adults, but not for Gay and Lesbian couples. Thus, the law’s enforcement has been inherently discriminatory.

Cooper also claims that given Nebraska’s ban on same-sex marriage, the provision that excludes unrelated, unmarried adults from being adoptive and foster-care parents is strategically worded to apply to Gay and Lesbian couples without specifically excluding them.

According to Cooper, Nebraska, Utah, and Mississippi have the most restrictive adoption and foster-care policies for Gay and Lesbian couples.

Celebrating 40 Years!

Transgender study receives recordbreaking grant

Manning, Pritzker give Trans service people new visibility History was made earlier this summer when it was announced that the Tawani Foundation had awarded a $1.35 million, multiyear grant to the Palm Center for their newly launched Transgender Military Initiative. This grant is the largest Transgender-focused grant on record, singlehandedly increasing overall foundation funding of Transgender issues by 20 percent over prior years. The grant became all the more historic last week when the Tawani Foundation’s president and founder, the former James Pritzker, came out as Transgender and announced that she was legally changing her name to Jennifer Natalya Pritzker.

Between Col. Pritzker – who we can only hope will shine a spotlight on Transgender issues in philanthropy – and WikiLeaks informant Chelsea Manning, Transgender service members are gaining newfound visibility. Currently, there is no clear and coherent policy dealing with service by Transgender individuals. But reminiscent of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation, existing regulations force most Transgender troops to conceal their gender identity.

The Palm Center’s new Transgender Military Initiative will consist of 11 research projects being undertaken by 16 scholars to explore how Transgender troops can best be incorporated into our military. The new research will look at: Transgender service in foreign militaries; Transgender inclusion in police and fire departments; relevant policies utilized by prisons and athletic organizations; an assessment of how military doctors can best accommodate the medical needs of Transgender troops; and how military policies concerning appearance, hair, and dress should be amended. In addition to the Tawani Foundation’s support, the proj- poised to undertake very important work to ect also received $60,000 from the Wells build our knowledge and understanding of Fargo Foundation. open Transgender military service – work that should help pave the way for policy ‘SIMPLY HISTORIC’ change in the future. It is a truly exciting deIn the words of former Palm Center Board velopment.”

Member and Johnson Family Foundation The grants from the Tawani Foundation Executive Director Andy Lane, “The Tawa- and Wells Fargo Foundation represent real ni Foundation’s gift to the Palm Center to progress for the Transgender community study open Transgender military service is and for LGBTQ service members and vetsimply historic in its size and scope – I’m erans. In 2011, the largest grant focused on unaware of any other philanthropic gift for the Transgender community was a RobTransgender issues on this scale. Palm is ert Wood Johnson Foundation grant for

new mexico

Bernalillo County began issuing licenses the next day, August 27. About 100 couples reportedly lined up in Albuquerque, the Bernalillo County seat, to get licenses.

Patricia Catlett, a 61-year-old graphic designer from Albuquerque, and her partner of 25 years, Karen Schmiege, a 69-year-old retired librarian, were the first to get their license in Bernalillo County.

“I am so excited, I can’t stand it,” Schmiege said as they signed their papers.

continued from cover

clerk’s office on August 26.

McElroy said Schuette and Stark had legal standing to marry in Taos County but were only denied a license due to their gender. The judge added that New Mexico law did not prohibit the couple from marrying.

Martínez said she did not intend to challenge the ruling, and would begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples on August 28.

RULING SURPRISES ACTIVISTS “We were stunned and amazed,” ACLU attorney Laura Schauer Ives said, about the judge’s ruling. The couples were represented by ACLU, NCLR (National center for Lesbian Rights), and two local private law firms.

“This is a great day to be a resident of New Mexico,” ACLU New Mexico executive director Peter Simonson said in a statement. “Our state is now on the brink of joining the growing list of states who live and honor the values of family, liberty, and love.

Every family in this state is made richer by this step toward justice for all.”

– Submitted by Funders for LGBTQ Issues (www.lgbtfunders.org) riage in our laws, when our marriage law has not been changed in over a century,” Sharer said.

Paul Becht, the Albuquerque lawyer for the GOP legislators, said it’s uncertain when and where their lawsuit will be filed. With more counties starting to issue licenses, Becht said, he’s trying to determine the best venue for a suit, “so we’re not getting scattered results all over the place.”

Albuquerque hosts mass wedding

Tristan Ahtone

DYING WOMAN A CATALYST The day before McElroy’s ruling, District Judge Alan Malott also ruled that New Mexico law does not bar Gay and Lesbian couples from marrying, and ordered Santa Fe and Bernalillo Counties to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Malott was hearing a case involving a dying woman who asked that her death certificate recognize her long-time partnership with another woman. A short hearing ensued, and according to AP reports nobody objected to her request.

The judge therefore granted her petition, but went on to rule in five other cases, stating explicitly that New Mexico cannot block same-sex marriages because doing so would violate state laws against discrimination on the basis of sex.

Malott then ordered the two counties to issue marriage licenses to all couples who applied for them.

CLERK HAPPY TO COMPLY Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Oliver said she was happy the judge ordered her to issue the licenses. She said she had long wanted to, but felt her hands were tied.

San Miguel and Valencia counties also began issuing licenses to same-sex couples on August 27. San Miguel County Clerk Melanie Rivera has confirmed that she will issue new gender-neutral marriage licenses.

Couples who do not want to wait can receive a license immediately, and Rivera will make the changes to the old forms by hand, she said.

Santa Fe County started issuing licenses to same-sex couples on August 23 after a judge there ordered the county clerk to do so. On August 21, the Dona Ana County Clerk starting issuing licenses to Gay and Lesbian couples after he determined state law did not prohibit it.

Despite the actions by New Mexico’s bigger counties, most clerks in the state’s rural counties said they were not changing their policies.

Los Alamos County Clerk Sharon Stover and Sandoval County Clerk Eileen Garbagni told The New Mexican they would not be issuing licenses to same-sex couples until they receive a court order.

But Garbagni added, “I’m sure eventually I’ll be doing it.”

“Not yet,” Union County Clerk Mary Lou Harkin told the Associated Press. “We’ve had a couple calls … but I am going to hold off for now, until I get a court order or other direction.”

islators is planning to file a lawsuit to stop clerks from issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

One of those lawmakers, Sen. William Sharer of Farmington, said it is up to the state legislature, with the consent of the governor, to make laws – not county clerks or district judges.

“It is inexplicable how a district court just today discovered a new definition of mar-

$268,900 to the Transgender Law Center.

Transgender funding totaled just over $5 million, or about 4% of all LGBTQ funding. In 2011, the largest LGBTQ grant focused on the military or veterans was a Pride Foundation grant for $103,448 to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. LGBTQ military and veteran funding totaled to approximately $500,000, or 0.41% of all LGBTQ funding.

A couple hugs after getting married at Civic Plaza in Albuquerque.

Same-sex couples in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held a mass Gay wedding attended by more than 200 witnesses August 27, marking what Lesbian political commentator Rachel Maddow called a “day of celebration” for more than 80 couples.

County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver received a court order late Monday afternoon permitting her to issue licenses to same-sex OPPONENTS PLAN SUIT couples. At least 17 couples were in line Meanwhile, a group of Republican leg- Tuesday morning when the clerk’s office

opened at 8 a.m.

ProgressNow New Mexico hosted a mass wedding on Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza at noon. Presiding over the nuptials were Bernalillo Metropolitan Judge Jason Greenlee and 12 other officiants from various religious denominations supporting the freedom to marry. Photos of the event can be seen online at the ProgressNow New Mexico website, www.progressnownm.org.

– Submitted by ProgressNow New Mexico

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Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 40 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 11

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August 30, 2013

Celebrating 40 Years!

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August 30, 2013

Seattle Gay News 13

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Celebrating 40 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 15

northwest news

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

SEATTLE SEA DAWGS ICE HOCKEY TEAM The Seattle Sea Dawgs is a new ice hockey team that is forming open to Gay, Bi, Lesbian, Transgender and straight ally adult players. The Sea Dawgs mission is to provide a relaxed, friendly team environment for GLBTA hockey players to play hockey, socialize and support the greater GLBT community. The Sea Dawgs will play locally and organize for competitions in the U.S. and abroad. Interested players at all skill levels are encouraged to contact the Sea Dawgs for additional information or to express interest. The Sea Dawgs are especially looking for experienced players and a goalie at this time. Please email skateseadawgs@ gmail.com for additional information and to express your interest. Also, visit Seattle Sea Dawgs on Facebook.

LYNNWOOD LGBT WEDDING EXPO On Sunday, September 8, from 1-4 p.m., at Embassy Suites Seattle-North Lynnwood (20610 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood), the Rainbow Wedding Network presents the Lynnwood LGBT Wedding Expo featuring a diversity of Gay-friendly businesses, including wedding ceremony and reception venues, event coordinators, cake decorators, musical entertainment, photographers, formal wear, florists, travel planners and realtors. This event is FREE; RSVP requested at www.SameLoveSameRights.com; www.

RainbowWeddingNetwork.com.

Q-SQUARED/ BOYZ IN THE WOODS – C.A.M.P. 2013 AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 2 Today, we live in a very connected world.

Our society has seen the deep entrenchment of technology in our lives. This year our theme is UNPLUG & CONNECT. Unplug from the daily grind. Connect with friends old and new. Join us this Labor Day Weekend and Come And Meet People – a place where you can relax, stay active, play games, relax, laugh, eat, sleep, hike, dance (or not), learn and, above all, relax!

Registration fee of $195 includes lodging, meals, workshops, activities, and personal growth. For more information and to register, visit www.qsquared.org or email camp@qsquared.org.

GAY CITY ARTS – “TO TAKE THIS RISK” THRU SEPTEMBER 9 From August 8 through September 9, Gay City Arts (517 E. Pike St.) presents “To Take This Risk,” an exhibition of work by Grant Rehnberg.

Grant Rehnberg, a self-taught collage and mixed-media artist, draws inspiration from lost images (vintage Gay porn, old photos, archaic maps, discarded medical textbooks).

Through alteration and fresh juxtaposition, these transformed images make the invisible visible, the forgotten remembered. “To Take This Risk” is one Queer’s response to life’s “crippling hurt” and restorative love.

Grant strives to expose both the very real risks and infinitely more beautiful rewards of living (and loving) authentically.

“There is no intensity of love or feeling that does not involve the risk of crippling hurt. It is a duty to take this risk, to love and feel without defense or reserve.” (William S. Burroughs) “To Take This Risk” is presented in conjunction with Gay City Arts, through which Gay City collaborates with local LGBT artists to galvanize an audience for Queer arts, foster the development of LGBT artists, and facilitate excellence across a wide range of disciplines, including theater, music, dance, fim, spoken word, literary and visual arts.

For more information, visit www. grantrehnberg.com.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COUNTY LABOR COUNCIL – LABOR DAY CELEBRATION On Monday, September 2, the Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council hosts their annual Labor Day Celebration at Lower Woodland Park (N. 50th St. & Woodland Park Ave. N.) with a demonstration in support of Social Security and Medicare at 10 a.m. along N. 50th St. between Woodland Park Ave. N. and Greenlake Ave. N., followed by a picnic starting at 11 a.m.

BENEFIT FOR YOUTHCARE & SOCIAL OUTREACH SEATTLE On Sunday, September 8, from 6-9 p.m., Neighbours Nightclub (1509 Broadway, entrance in alley between Broadway & Harvard Ave., just north of E. Pike St.) hosts a fundraising benefit for YouthCare and Social Outreach Seattle hosted by Aleksa Manila and Shaun Knittel. $10 suggested donation at the door. Enjoy an evening of fine entertainment including a drag performances, dance and comedy. Silent auction and raffle.

This is an 18+ event; must have valid ID.

In September, the club will discuss The Dream of the Celt by Nobel Prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa, a novel about the Irish hero, Roger Casement, who was destroyed because of the homosexual content of in his notorious Black Book.

All GLBTQ folks are welcome to participate in this FREE book club. For more information, visit http://faculty.washington. edu/swittet/SGLBookClub/.

“LOVE IS LOVE: FOUR AUTHORS WHO CELEBRATE GAY ROMANCE” On Thursday, September 5, at 7 p.m., at University Book Store (4326 University Way NE), gearing up for their September 14 conference “Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up” at the Seattle Central Library, Old Growth Northwest presents a special reading event with four Washington state writers – Kade Boehme, Daisy Harris, Rick R. Reed, and Lou Sylvre. Whether they write taut thrillers or powerful romances, each author shines a spotlight on LGBT relationshps and the universality of love.

FREE. (NOTE: A second related reading will be held at University Book Store on Friday, September 13, at 7 p.m.)

SMUDGY NOTEBOOK: THE WILD BONES OF POETRY On Mondays, September 9-October 28, from 7-9 p.m., at Gay City Health Project (517 E. Pike St.), Smudgy Notebook presents “The Wild Bones of Poetry,” a writing workshop designed to pick apart and examHawaiian, and the grand passion they share ine the poetry skeleton, one bone at a time. after their unlikely meeting. FREE. www. During this 8-week course, students will gaycity.org collect essential poetry-writing skills and explore how poetry moves in their lives, “A NIGHT CELEBRATING LOVE both on and off the page. Cost: $80 (scholWITH MARY LAMBERT” – arships available). RSVP required. www.

A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR gaycity.org Q YOUTH RESOURCES On Friday, September 6, doors at 7:30 VOLUNTEER PARK p.m., show at 8 p.m., at Town Hall (1119 CONSERVATORY 8th Ave. at Seneca St.), Mary Lambert and FALL PLANT SALE Q Youth Resources presents “A Night CelOn Saturday, September 14, from 10 ebrating Love.” Tickets: $10 or $40 VIP. All a.m.-3 p.m., Friends of the Conservatory proceeds support Q Youth Resources (Kit- hosts their Fall Plant Sale to benefit the Volsap County). www.brownpapertickets.com/ unteer Park Conservatory (14th Ave. E. & event/430814 E. Galer St.). www.volunteerparkconservatory.org KENT PRIDE 2013 SEPTEMBER 6-8 GAY ROMANCE On Friday, September 6, at 7 p.m., enNORTHWEST MEET-UP: joy Gay Bingo at Kent Senior Center (600 A CELEBRATION OF E. Smith St.). Sponsored by Kent Youth and GAY ROMANCE FICTION Family Services.

On Saturday, September 14, from noonOn Saturday, September 7, at 7 p.m., 5 p.m., at Seattle Public Library, Central celebrate Pride at Nashville’s (114 Railroad Library (1000 4th Ave.), this half-day event Ave. N., Kent) or at the AC Tavern (209 E. will feature discussions and panels with Meeker St.). 21 & over.

Gay Romance authors from around the reOn Sunday, September 8, from 11 a.m.-3 gion, Q&As with the audience, and a postp.m., at Burlington Green Park (W. Meeker event happy hour for more mingling and St. & Railroad Ave. N.) enjoy Pride Festival chatting. Tickets: $25. www.oldgrowthnw. in the Park. org.

“FREDDY MERCURY DAY” – AIDS AWARENESS FUNDRAISER On Thursday, September 5, at 8 p.m., at SEATTLE CENTER FESTAL – Purr Cocktail Lounge (1518 11th Ave.), join LIVE ALOHA host Robbie Turner for “Freddy Mercury HAWAIIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL Day” – An AIDS Awareness Fundraiser. EnOn Sunday, September 8, from 11 a.m.joy Absolut drink specials, great prizes and 7 p.m., at the Seattle Center Armory, Mural gift baskets. A percentage of the proceeds Amphitheatre and Fisher Pavilion Roof, the will benefit Rosehedge/Multifaith Works.

Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival celebrates what it means to “live aloha.” HawaiSEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN GAY CITY’S ian music, hula, ono food, Hawaiian crafts, BOOK CLUB – MEET THE AUTHOR EVENT hula, music and flower-making workshops THE DREAM OF THE CELT On Friday, September 6, at 6:30 p.m., at honor this special culture. Enjoy a feast for The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club meets every Wednesday from 6-7:15 p.m., the Calamus Auditorium at Gay City (517 the senses as visitors journey through the at Seattle Area Support Groups Community E. Pike St.), meet Kolo, one aspect of Se- sights, sounds and tastes of Hawaii. www.

Center (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St.). attle author Ryan Keawekane, as he reads seattlelivealohafestival.com from SALT, his latest book. SALT is the story of Carlos and Malani, a Spaniard and a 16 Seattle Gay News

SEATTLE PEACE CONCERTS On Sunday, September 8, from noon-6 p.m., at Magnuson Park Beach Area enjoy the music of Don Glenn, Little Sense, Andy Coe & Friends, and Randy Hansen at this FREE outdoor concert.

Seattle Peace Concerts will be held from June through September at Woodland Park, Gas Works Park, Magnuson Park Beach Area and Volunteer Park. All ages welcome.

Cash and non-perishable food bank donations welcome. www.seapeace.org.

August 30, 2013

GAY CITY HEALTH PROJECT – GHOSTS IN GASLIGHT, MONSTERS IN STEAM Gay City Health Project, along with Editors Evan J. Peterson and Vincent Kovar, is pleased to announce the availability of its latest anthology: Ghosts in Gaslight, Monsters in Steam - Gay City Volume 5. In this anthology, two dozen top-notch writers, poets and artists extend their creative claws and bare their fearsome fangs to thrill readers with this exciting new collection of LGBT inspired monster tales, ghost stories, steampunk adventures and gaslight thrillers. www.gaycity.org

Celebrating 40 Years!

international news

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The Israeli city of Tel Aviv will host the country’s first monument dedicated to Gay victims of the German Nazi regime, officials announced this week.

The design will feature a giant pink concrete triangle, which was the symbol used by the Nazis to identify Gay prisoners.

Officials say the monument will be built in Gan Meir Park.

The place of remembrance of Gay men that were convicted under Nazi law was the brainchild of Meretz Party municipal council member Eran Lev. AN ISRAELI FIRST “One of the first restrictions the Nazis imposed on the Jews was against going to public parks,” said Lev. “This will be the first and only memorial site in Israel to mention the victims of the Nazis who were persecuted for anything other than being Jewish.

“As a cosmopolitan city and an international Gay center, Tel Aviv will offer a me-

morial site that is universal in its essence.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not a monument, but a place – a place of quiet that will invite visitors to sit, contemplate, reflect, and be in solitude.”

While the details of the monument are still being discussed, officials say it will “explain the difference between the persecution of Gay men and Lesbians during the Holocaust, but will commemorate them in a single place.”

It will also bear the names of prominent Jewish Gay men who were persecuted by the Nazi regime, including Magnus Hirschfeld, a sexologist and one of the world’s first Gay rights activists, and Gad Beck, the last known Gay concentration camp survivor. Beck died last year at age 88.

The memorial is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Similar monuments to the Gay victims of the Nazis have been built in Sydney, San Francisco, Cologne, Montevideo, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

You could look it up

Oxford Dictionary’s ‘marriage’ definition now includes same-sex spouses

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor At first glance this news brief might not seem like a big deal. But it is: the Oxford English Dictionary, the largest and most renowned dictionary of the English language, has changed its definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. This means that millions of children around the world will be brought up with a definition of marriage that is LGBT-inclusive.

The addendum, first reported on August 25 by Gay Star News, was effective immediately on the Oxford Dictionary’s website (www.oed.com) and will be printed in every future edition.

On the website, “marriage” is defined primarily as “the formal union of a man and a woman, typically as recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife,” with a note that “in some jurisdictions” marriage is also “a formal union between partners of the same sex.”

“We continually monitor the words in our dictionaries, paying particular attention to those words whose usage is shifting, so yes, this will happen with marriage,” an OED spokesperson told GSN. In July, Queen Elizabeth II signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in England, Scotland, and Wales. Marriages will start in 2014.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

Moria Sekely, Landscape Architecture

Israel to build monument to Gay victims of Nazis

A projected image of the memorial to Gays persecuted by the Nazis, to be erected in central Tel Aviv

STAGGERING NUMBERS According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, more than a million German men were targeted by the Nazis for threatening the “disciplined masculinity” of Germany. Of that number, more than 100,000 were arrested under the law criminalizing homosexuality. It’s estimated that 50,000 of those men served prison sentences and anywhere between 5,000 and 15,000 were sent to concentration camps.

Much less is known about the fate of Lesbians under the Nazi regime.

“The persecution of Lesbians was often concealed using other pretexts. Lesbians were persecuted as ‘asocials,’ a group that included unemployed people and alcoholics,” said Professor Moshe Zimmermann of Hebrew University, in Jerusalem.

James Whitely contributed to this report.

Don’t trust your boyfriend?

There’s an app for that

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

the site began attracting media attention two weeks ago.

A Brazilian mobile app called “Rastreador de Namorados” (Portuguese for “Boyfriend Tracker”) has received so many complaints that Google has deleted it from their app store.

But it’s still available for purchase.

Designed to be a “private detective in your partner’s pocket,” the person doing the tracking is sent updates on their partner’s location and forwarded duplicates of their text messages. There is also a command that allows a user to force the target phone to silently call their own, like a pocket dial, so they can listen in on what the person is saying.

Critics say even as advertised, apps like Boyfriend Tracker can violate privacy rights, and they warn that in the wrong hands they could be used for more sinister purposes, like stalking.

Matheus Grijo is the 24-year-old Sao Paulo-based developer behind Boyfriend Tracker. According to Grijo, the app has attracted around 50,000 users since its launch about two months ago, most of them since

IT’S LEGAL IN BRAZIL Grijo insists that his lawyer vetted the app and determined it does not violate any Brazilian laws. Despite being removed by Google, it is still available via direct download from his company’s website.

A disclaimer on that website stipulates the app is for “social and recreational use” and absolves the developer of responsibility for any misuse. In fact, the first line of the download instructions says a woman installing the tracker on her boyfriend’s phone should do so “with his consent.”

The good news for anyone who doesn’t want to have their privacy violated – however legal or not – by their partner is that in order to install Boyfriend Tracker, offenders have to get their hands on their loved one’s smartphone and upload the app.

A free version leaves the app’s icon visible on the target’s phone, while a version that costs $2 a month masks the icon.

So far, the app has yet to catch on in the American mobile app market.

August 30, 2013

Seattle Gay News 17

speech

continued from page 7 Evers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, Martin Luther King Jr. – they did not die in vain. Their victory was great.

But we would dishonor those heroes as well to suggest that the work of this nation is somehow complete. The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn’t bend on its own. To secure the gains this country has made requires constant vigilance, not complacency. Whether by challenging those who erect new barriers to the vote, or ensuring that the scales of justice work equally for all, and the criminal justice system is not simply a pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails, it requires vigilance.

And we’ll suffer the occasional setback.

But we will win these fights. This country has changed too much. People of goodwill, regardless of party, are too plentiful for those with ill will to change history’s currents.

In some ways, though, the securing of civil rights, voting rights, the eradication of legalized discrimination – the very significance of these victories may have obscured a second goal of the March. For the men and women who gathered 50 years ago were not there in search of some abstract ideal. They were there seeking jobs as well as justice – not just the absence of oppression but the presence of economic opportunity.

For what does it profit a man, Dr. King would ask, to sit at an integrated lunch counter if he can’t afford the meal? This idea – that one’s liberty is linked to one’s livelihood; that the pursuit of happiness requires the dignity of work, the skills to find work, decent pay, some measure of material security – this idea was not new. Lincoln himself understood the Declaration of Independence in such terms – as a promise that in due time, “the weights should be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance.”

And Dr. King explained that the goals of African Americans were identical to working people of all races: “Decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-

age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children, and respect in the community.”

What King was describing has been the dream of every American. It’s what’s lured for centuries new arrivals to our shores.

And it’s along this second dimension – of economic opportunity, the chance through honest toil to advance one’s station in life – where the goals of 50 years ago have fallen most short.

RISING INEQUALITY Yes, there have been examples of success within Black America that would have been unimaginable a half century ago. But as has already been noted, Black unemployment has remained almost twice as high as white unemployment, Latino unemployment close behind. The gap in wealth between races has not lessened, it’s grown. And as President Clinton indicated, the position of all working Americans, regardless of color, has eroded, making the dream Dr. King described even more elusive.

For over a decade, working Americans of all races have seen their wages and incomes stagnate, even as corporate profits soar, even as the pay of a fortunate few explodes.

Inequality has steadily risen over the decades. Upward mobility has become harder.

In too many communities across this country, in cities and suburbs and rural hamlets, the shadow of poverty casts a pall over our youth, their lives a fortress of substandard schools and diminished prospects, inadequate health care and perennial violence.

And so, as we mark this anniversary, we must remind ourselves that the measure of progress for those who marched 50 years ago was not merely how many Blacks could join the ranks of millionaires. It was whether this country would admit all people who are willing to work hard regardless of race into the ranks of a middle-class life.

The test was not, and never has been, whether the doors of opportunity are cracked a bit wider for a few. It was whether our economic system provides a fair shot for the many – for the Black custodian and the white steelworker, the immigrant dishwasher and the Native American veteran.

To win that battle, to answer that call – this

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remains our great unfinished business.

COMPETING VOICES We shouldn’t fool ourselves. The task will not be easy. Since 1963, the economy has changed. The twin forces of technology and global competition have subtracted those jobs that once provided a foothold into the middle class – reduced the bargaining power of American workers. And our politics has suffered. Entrenched interests – those who benefit from an unjust status quo – resisted any government efforts to give working families a fair deal, marshaling an army of lobbyists and opinion-makers to argue that minimum wage increases or stronger labor laws or taxes on the wealthy who could afford it just to fund crumbling schools, that all these things violated sound economic principles. We’d be told that growing inequality was a price for a growing economy, a measure of this free market – that greed was good and compassion ineffective, and those without jobs or health care had only themselves to blame.

And then, there were those elected officials who found it useful to practice the old politics of division, doing their best to convince middle-class Americans of a great untruth: that government was somehow itself to blame for their growing economic insecurity; that distant bureaucrats were taking their hard-earned dollars to benefit the welfare cheat or the illegal immigrant.

And then, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that during the course of 50 years, there were times when some of us claiming to push for change lost our way. The anguish of assassinations set off self-defeating riots. Legitimate grievances against police brutality tipped into excusemaking for criminal behavior. Racial politics could cut both ways, as the transformative message of unity and brotherhood was drowned out by the language of recrimination. And what had once been a call for equality of opportunity, the chance for all Americans to work hard and get ahead was too often framed as a mere desire for government support – as if we had no agency in our own liberation, as if poverty was an excuse for not raising your child, and the bigotry of others was reason to give up on yourself.

THE CHOICE BEFORE US All of that history is how progress stalled.

That’s how hope was diverted. It’s how our country remained divided. But the good news is, just as was true in 1963, we now have a choice. We can continue down our current path, in which the gears of this great democracy grind to a halt and our children accept a life of lower expectations; where politics is a zero-sum game where a few do very well while struggling families of every race fight over a shrinking economic pie.

That’s one path. Or we can have the courage to change.

The March on Washington teaches us that we are not trapped by the mistakes of history; that we are masters of our fate. But it also teaches us that the promise of this nation will only be kept when we work together. We’ll have to reignite the embers of empathy and fellow feeling, the coalition of conscience that found expression in this place 50 years ago.

And I believe that spirit is there, that truth force inside each of us. I see it when a white mother recognizes her own daughter in the face of a poor Black child. I see it when the Black youth thinks of his own grandfather in the dignified steps of an elderly white man.

It’s there when the native-born recognizes that striving spirit of the new immigrant; when the interracial couple connects the pain of a Gay couple who are discriminated against and understands it as their own.

That’s where courage comes from – when we turn not from each other, or on each other, but towards one another, and we find that we do not walk alone. That’s where courage comes from.

And with that courage, we can stand together for good jobs and just wages. With that courage, we can stand together for the right to health care in the richest nation on Earth for every person. With that courage, we can stand together for the right of every child, from the corners of Anacostia to the hills of Appalachia, to get an education that stirs the mind and captures the spirit, and prepares them for the world that awaits them.

With that courage, we can feed the hungry, and house the homeless, and transform bleak wastelands of poverty into fields of commerce and promise.

KEEP MARCHING America, I know the road will be long, but I know we can get there. Yes, we will stum-

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August 30, 2013

Celebrating 40 Years!

ble, but I know we’ll get back up. That’s how a movement happens. That’s how history bends. That’s how when somebody is faint of heart, somebody else brings them along and says, come on, we’re marching.

There’s a reason why so many who marched that day, and in the days to come, were young – for the young are unconstrained by habits of fear, unconstrained by the conventions of what is. They dared to dream differently, to imagine something better. And I am convinced that same imagination, the same hunger of purpose stirs in this generation.

We might not face the same dangers of 1963, but the fierce urgency of now remains. We may never duplicate the swelling crowds and dazzling procession of that day so long ago – no one can match King’s brilliance – but the same flame that lit the heart of all who are willing to take a first step for justice, I know that flame remains.

That tireless teacher who gets to class early and stays late and dips into her own pocket to buy supplies because she believes that every child is her charge – she’s marching.

That successful businessman who doesn’t have to but pays his workers a fair wage and then offers a shot to a man, maybe an excon, who is down on his luck – he’s marching.

The mother who pours her love into her daughter so that she grows up with the confidence to walk through the same door as anybody’s son – she’s marching.

The father who realizes the most important job he’ll ever have is raising his boy right, even if he didn’t have a father – especially if he didn’t have a father at home – he’s marching.

The battle-scarred veterans who devote themselves not only to helping their fellow warriors stand again, and walk again, and run again, but to keep serving their country when they come home – they are marching.

A LESSON AND A PROMISE Everyone who realizes what those glorious patriots knew on that day – that change does not come from Washington, but to Washington; that change has always been built on our willingness, we the people, to take on the mantle of citizenship – you are marching.

And that’s the lesson of our past. That’s the promise of tomorrow – that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it. That when millions of Americans of every race and every region, every faith and every station, can join together in a spirit of brotherhood, then those mountains will be made low, and those rough places will be made plain, and those crooked places, they straighten out towards grace, and we will vindicate the faith

of those who sacrificed so much and live as pre-tax and excludable from income. up to the true meaning of our creed, as one How to File a Claim for Refund nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty Taxpayers who wish to file a refund claim and justice for all. for income taxes should use Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. continued from cover Taxpayers who wish to file a refund claim a key provision of the 1996 Defense of Mar- for gift or estate taxes should file Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abateriage Act. “Today’s ruling provides certainty and ment.

For information on filing an amended reclear, coherent tax filing guidance for all legally married same-sex couples nationwide. turn, go to Tax Topic 308, Amended Returns It provides access to benefits, responsibili- at http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc308.html ties, and protections under federal tax law or the Instructions to Forms 1040X and 843. that all Americans deserve,” said Secretary Information on where to file your amended Jacob J. Lew. “This ruling also assures le- returns is available in the instructions to the gally married same-sex couples that they form. can move freely throughout the country Future Guidance knowing that their federal filing status will Treasury and the IRS intend to issue not change.”

Under the ruling, same-sex couples will be treated as married for all federal tax purposes, including income and gift and estate taxes. The ruling applies to all federal tax continued from cover provisions where marriage is a factor, including filing status, claiming personal and dependency exemptions, taking the standard deduction, employee benefits, contrib- tled under the current administration and uting to an IRA, and claiming the earned move forward with implementing programs and services that are considered national income tax credit or child tax credit.

Any same-sex marriage legally entered best practices; • Build solutions that recognize the chalinto in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory, or a foreign lenges of meeting the needs of homeless country will be covered by the ruling. How- individuals and families and the continuum ever, the ruling does not apply to registered necessary of shelters, survival services, and domestic partnerships, civil unions, or simi- interim housing; • End youth and young adult homelesslar formal relationships recognized under ness; and state law.

• Prepare all city departments for the agLegally-married same-sex couples generally must file their 2013 federal income ing population. tax return using either the “married filing McGINN CRITICIZED jointly” or “married filing separately” filing In his speech, Murray charged that instatus.

Individuals who were in same-sex mar- cumbent Mayor Mike McGinn had created riages may, but are not required to, file confusion in the City’s human services deoriginal or amended returns choosing to be partments.

“There have been at least four directors of treated as married for federal tax purposes for one or more prior tax years still open un- the Human Services Department in the three years [McGinn] has been Mayor,” Murray der the statute of limitations.

Generally, the statute of limitations for noted. He added that McGinn had become filing a refund claim is three years from the date the return was filed or two years from the date the tax was paid, whichever is later.

As a result, refund claims can still be filed for tax years 2010, 2011, and 2012. Some taxpayers may have special circumstances (such as signing an agreement with the IRS to keep the statute of limitations open) that permit them to file refund claims for tax years 2009 and earlier.

Additionally, employees who purchased same-sex spouse health insurance coverage from their employers on an after-tax basis may treat the amounts paid for that coverage

irs

murray

streamlined procedures for employers who wish to file refund claims for payroll taxes paid on previously-taxed health insurance and fringe benefits provided to same-sex spouses. Treasury and IRS also intend to issue further guidance on cafeteria plans and on how qualified retirement plans and other tax-favored arrangements should treat same-sex spouses for periods before the effective date of this Revenue Ruling.

Other agencies may provide guidance on other federal programs that they administer that are affected by the Code.

Treasury and the IRS will begin applying the terms of Revenue Ruling 2013-17 on September 16, 2013, but taxpayers who wish to rely on the terms of the Revenue Ruling for earlier periods may choose to do so (as long as the statute of limitations for the earlier period has not expired).

embroiled in unproductive squabbles with the City Council.

Council member Clark, whose relationship with McGinn has remained cordial, in contrast with some of her colleagues, said in response to a question that she’d decided to endorse Murray because she believed that he would usher in a period of collaboration between the mayor’s office and the council.

“There might be some risk endorsing Ed,” Clark said. “I have to work with whoever wins. But I have to admit, the last three and a half years it’s been hard doing it.”

Rasmussen, on the other hand, has repeatedly clashed with McGinn. He noted that Murray had reached out to him for his views as the campaign’s position paper was being prepared.

“Mayor McGinn has not reached out,” Rasmussen charged, “and he has weakened housing and human services.”

In response to a question, Murray also endorsed the $15 per hour minimum wage now being sought by fast-food workers, although he cautioned that “how we get there is open for discussion.” In a follow-up question, Murray said he’d be open to either state or city legislation on the issue.

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Seattle Gay News 19

Founding grandparents An innovative Florida support group makes a difference in older LGBT lives

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer On a typically rainy South Florida summer morning, two dozen women and men (and one reporter) gathered in a condo clubhouse in Wilton Manors to talk about their grandchildren. What made these people different from other grandparents in other clubhouses is the fact that they are also Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender. Most of them go back to pre-Stonewall days, to a time when most Gay men and women stayed in their closets and entered into op-

posite-sex marriages. Though they eventually came out (some with a vengeance) and formed same-sex relationships, most of them maintained close ties with their children and, later, their grandchildren.

South Florida’s LGBT Grandparents Group was formed to serve the needs of LGBT grandparents. The first of its kind, the South Florida group has many parents. Gay granddad Peter Robinson is one of them: “We started the planning committee back in January. One of the members of the Therapist Collective of SunServe got in contact with several of us who are Gay grandparents and wanted to know if we would be willing to form a group of LGBT grandparents – as a support group and a social group – and we said that was a great idea. So, six of us got together and we planned our first meeting.”

“My partner is really one of the founders,” Denise Spivak says, modestly. “I am a founder by default. My partner and the other founders had the idea. What is really phenomenal about this group, along with the people who founded it, is the cooperation among the agencies that put it together – Women In Network, SunServe, PFLAG, the Pride Center, and Women With Pride. It’s been a cooperative effort and I am thrilled that four agencies could come together to provide something that is needed and successful.”

RAPID GROWTH According to Robinson, 16 grandparents attended the first meeting in March. A second meeting was held in May and a third one in July. According to co-founder Paul Smith, the reception from other grandparents has been “incredible.”

“We have been getting groups of 20 to 25 people at each meeting, which I think is really great,” he says. “There is a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of interest in this group.”

Word spread by mouth and soon other grandparents joined in.

“Paul Smith came to some of the groups at the Pride Center and was very vocal about

starting this group,” says Allen Churchman.

“So I decided to come to the first meeting and see what it was all about. I brought pictures of my grandkids. I am having issues right now with my grandchildren and I hope to get some insight from the group in terms of what direction to take to resolve those issues.”

“I saw it advertised,” says Inez Pasher.

“I think I got an e-mail. They were looking for grandparents. They had their first meeting here and we all came in and it was quite a revelation, finding out that there are so many of us. You don’t feel isolated.”

GENDER BALANCE Unlike many other LGBT groups, the Grandparents Group has virtual parity between men and women. “This is very unusual,” notes Robinson. “Everybody gets along beautifully. This is one of the first Gay organizations that I have been part of where an even number of men and women come together and we all get along.”

“This is the only group that I have ever been to where there is an homogeneous community of men and women,” Pasher agrees. “It is almost 50-50. This is because we have a shared experience” of being grandparents, she says.

The LGBT Grandparents Group does not have a formal structure, and the participants like it that way. It does not have corporate papers, bylaws, or a board of directors.

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Celebrating 40 Years!

“We are a very informal group,” Robinson tells me. “There is no corporation. It is just a support group. There is no reason to raise funds.”

Thus unstructured, the Group offers grandparents “ideas and ways to interact with their grandchildren, if they have not thought [about] it yet. How to handle longdistance relationships. How to handle spousal relationships with their grandchildren.

What happens when a grandparent has a divorce from their spouse. Does the spouse maintain a relationship with the grandchildren or should they? What happens when the grandchildren miss the spouse that is missing now? All kinds of topics.”

‘MY TWO GRANDPAS’ Most of the grandparents in the Group – and their partners, if they have one – are out to their families. Kris Drumm, who cofounded the group and moderated the July meeting, has three grandchildren, and “my relationship with them is wonderful,” she laughs. Other participants – Gerald Hirschtritt, Pasher, Robinson, Smith – also enjoy great relationships with their children (some

of who are also Gay) and their grandchildren.

“I have five grandsons, ranging from the age of nine and a half all the way down to two,” Smith says, proudly. “They know I am Gay. In fact, they have two Grandpas – me and my partner. My partner and I have been together for 34 years and they have only known us together as their grandfathers.

They accept my partner, absolutely.”

At the meeting, participants talked about their grandchildren, as any proud grandparent would, and discussed ways to deal with often long-distance relationships. They also talked about the rights of “non-biological grandparents,” their same-sex spouses or partners. In most cases, being Queer was not an issue.

Most of those present at the meeting would agree with Churchman, who says that the group “is a good idea because there are a lot of retired seniors here that have grandchildren and this is a good way to relate to others who may be having problems or issues with being a grandparent.”

“I love this group,” says Drumm. “It is our favorite thing to talk about. And I think that

a lot of us who live far away from our grandchildren find it is very hard to maintain a relationship. And then if there is homophobia in the family, that makes it really hard. And here we have a place to talk about it.”

The LGBT Grandparents Group is open

to both biological and non-biological grandparents. Interested parties may reach the group by sending an e-mail to co-founder Chris Maclellan of SunServe, at cmaclellan@sunserve.org.

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Seattle Gay News 23