SGN November 15, 2013 - Section 1

Issue 46 Volume 41

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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Hawaii marriage bill signed Opponents’ request for stay denied; weddings can start next month Hawaii became the 15th state to offer equal marriage rights to Gay and Lesbian couples when Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed its new marriage law in a televised ceremony on November 13.

The previous day, Hawaii’s Senate approved the House version of the bill by a 19-4 margin. The Senate had previously passed its own marriage bill on October 30, but the House added amendments that the other body was required to approve.

“In Hawaii, we believe in fairness, justice, and human equality,” Abercrombie said on November 12, after the Senate passed the bill.

“Today, we celebrate our diversity defining us rather than dividing us.”

Under the terms of the new law, same-sex marriages can begin on December 2. Already a destination for mainlanders wanting to marry and honeymoon in a tropical setting, Hawaii is now poised to be-

come a Gay marriage Mecca.

According to the Associated Press, a University of Hawaii researcher has estimated that the law will boost tourism in the state by $217 million over the next three years. The study’s author noted that same-sex couples have spent some $166 million over the past three years on ceremonies and honeymoons.

Hugh Gentry / REUTERS

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

OBAMA HAILS PASSAGE President Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, congratulated the state on passing the law.

“I want to congratulate the Hawaii State Legislature on passing legislation in support of marriage equality,” he said in a statement issued November 12. “With today’s vote, Hawaii joins a growing number of states that recognize that our Gay and Lesbian brothers and sisters should be treated fairly and equally under the law.

“Whenever freedom and equality are affirmed, our country besee hawaii page 8

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie signs Senate Bill 1, allowing same-sex marriage to be legal in the state

Trans protections under Homeless youth shelter gets reprieve attack in California County grant saves YouthCare file photo

California State Capitol

program on weeknights

google maps

Well-known bigots file ballot challenge to groundbreaking state law

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer California’s newly enacted law protecting Transgender students is apparently headed for a test at the ballot box.

The so-called “Privacy for All Students” coalition announced on November 11 that it had collected 620,000 signatures on a petition to put the law up for a vote on the November 2014 ballot. Only 505,000 signatures were necessary to qualify under California election rules.

The law, named the School Success and Opportunity Act, passed California’s legislature by wide margins – 21 to 9 in the Senate and 46 to 25 in the Assembly – and was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on August 12. It will go into effect on January 1, 2014.

This landmark legislation made California the first state in the country to require its public schools to allow Trans students

The James W. Ray Orion Center

by Paul Torres Special to the SGN

The King County Council announced this week that it is pledging $120,000 for 2014 to help keep YouthCare’s James W. Ray Orion Center open as an overnight see california page 7 shelter. The center, at the bottom

French Friday, 11.22 Food+Wine 7 - 11 p.m.

Festival Columbia Tower Club

Presented by

of Capitol Hill on Yale Avenue, assists homeless youth and young adults with immediate shelter needs, counseling, job training, and housing assistance. It is one of only three youth shelters in the city. see youthcare page 6

Get your Tickets!

VIP: $125 General Admission: $75 Young Professionals (<35): $50

Information + registration at faccpnw.org

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Violent arrest at Philly street fair raises troubling questions

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op-ed On the OutFest fiasco

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Video still of the OutFest arrest in progress.

by Mark Segal Philadelphia Gay News There’s a national message in something that happened in Philadelphia last month at a festival known as OutFest. The festival, which is actually a good old-fashioned city block party held in the Gayborhood across eight city blocks, is billed as the largest Coming Out Day party in the world, with tens of thousands of visitors.

What makes this festival different from most is how almost the entire city involves

November 15, 2013

Over the years, the protesters have diminished in size – we’re talking about a handful, less than a dozen. In the early years, OutFest staff surrounded the protesters, outspoke them with loudspeakers, etc. But in recent years, they have become a joke, sort of a novelty. And all we do is tell people to ignore them. After all, a police unit known as Civil Affairs is there to protect both their right to protest and our right to gather and celebrate Coming Out Day. Now I know Civil Affairs well since, when I was doing my protests, this was the unit that had to arrest me. Thanks to their leader at the time, Sgt. George Fencl, almost all protests in Philly went off without a hitch or anyone getting hurt. Let me be very clear: Civil Affairs arrested me more than a dozen times without incident – from chaining myself to the Liberty Bell to my disruptions of TV shows. And they did it with professionalism. That is why this incident has me troubled.

A DISTURBING INCIDENT Since the protesters have become sort of a joke, some members of the LGBT community like to have their pictures taken with the protesters in the background. This year that somehow got out of hand when, during this process, Civil Affairs officers claim that an officer got pushed. To shorten the story, at least two officers held down one Gay man, kneeing him in the back, although video shows that he doesn’t appear to be resisting. He and his partner were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal conspiracy. Both deny, and witnesses support, that either man pushed the officer.

Throughout their nearly 12-hour ordeal, both men say they were never informed why they were arrested.

The incident is now being investigated

by Internal Affairs, as it should be. In a city where the LGBT community is involved with all segments of society, in all levels of government, at an LGBT street festival where the police were recruiting LGBT people for the force, how does this happen?

Does it mean we still have work to do in educating or was it a fluke? Maybe the day hasn’t come when we can feel that the protesters are just a joke. Or maybe we need to protect ourselves and not trust others.

These are questions and, as they say, the jury is still out.

itself. This is one example of Philly’s title as the most Gay-friendly city in America, and it makes what happened at this year’s festival even more shocking.

At OutFest there is a family-friendly section, a carnival rides section, a pet adoption area, and finally even an area for anti-Gay protesters. Yes, the city actually blocks off an area for demonstrations. After all, there is a thing called the First Amendment. In Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the naPhilly, we usually handle this well – except tion’s most-award-winning commentator in this year.

LGBT media. He can be reached at mark@ Here’s what seemed to have happened. epgn.com.

Celebrating 40 Years!

Local news Take a ride with Seattle Parks Department offers guided tour of late-night events for teens

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Your opportunity to learn more about Late Night and other Seattle Parks Teen programs just got easier. Seattle Parks and Recreation is offering a guided tour of its Late Night programs for teens, Friday, December 6, starting at 9 p.m. at Rainier Community Center (4600 38th Ave. S.). This is a free and all-ages event.

Organizers say it is important for attendees to sign up in advance, no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, December 3.

To register, contact Randy Wiger at (206) 684-0775 or 883-6110, or e-mail him at randy.wiger@seattle.gov. Include your first and last name, the organization or agency you are with (if applicable), and a phone number where you can be reached on the day of the tour.

“The tour is free, but I need to know how many people will attend so I know how many vans and drivers to schedule,” said Wiger. “The tour will start at Rainier Community Center, one of Seattle Parks’ 26 Community Centers and 10 Late Night sites.”

The tour will travel (by Parks van) to other Late Night activity sites and then return to Rainier Community Center at the end.

Participants under 18 years old will need to submit a completed E-13 parental consent form in advance.

A WEALTH OF RESOURCES Seattle Parks and Recreation is the largest provider of teen programs in Seattle after the school district, and serves approximately 20,000 teens (ages 13-19) each year. Activities include sports leagues, after-school programs, arts and cultural programming, and job readiness and stipend programs.

In addition to its 26 Community Centers (www.seattle.gov/parks/centers/default. htm), many of which offer programs for teens, Seattle Parks also operates 10 swimming pools, three environmental learning centers (with a ropes challenge course), two boating and rowing centers, an indoor tennis center, and three music production studios. Seattle Parks additionally operates three Teen Life Centers, which are dedicated solely to offering programming for teens, mostly for free. Community Centers and Teen Life Centers typically have a full gym, a permitted commercial kitchen, at least one large multipurpose room, and a computer lab. Some also have small workout rooms.

Seattle Parks also operates Late Night teen programming at 10 sites around the city on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7 p.m. to midnight. Late Night programs

serve an average of 1,000 teens every weekend.

Teens are not required to live in Seattle to participate in the department’s programs.

Some programs require a parental consent form for participants under 18 years of age.

In cases where a parent or legal guardian is unavailable, the department attempts to

work case-by-case to remove barriers to participation (though this can’t be guaranteed). The department also maintains scholarship options to reduce the cost of participating in programs that have a fee. Information on Seattle Parks’ Late Night programs can be found at www.seattle.gov/parks/ teens/programs/latenightprogram.htm.

file photo

McGinn to serve at food bank

Seattle mayor joins nationwide effort to boost volunteerism

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On Friday, November 15, outgoing Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn will join the presidents of the nation’s two mayoral organizations at a local food bank to prepare food for low-income Seattle residents and announce

presidents of the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to make an announcement about a national effort by mayors and city officials across the country to recognize the positive impact of national service in cities.

Joining McGinn will be Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul, Minnesota, incoming

At a time of severe fiscal constraints, the nation’s mayors are increasingly turning to national service and volunteerism as a cost-effective strategy to address urban needs.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn

a national effort to highlight the impact of national service on the challenges facing cities.

At a time of severe fiscal constraints, the nation’s mayors are increasingly turning to national service and volunteerism as a costeffective strategy to address urban needs. In Seattle, more than 2,100 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members serve at 260 sites, providing vital support in education, health, environmental protection, and economic development.

According to a media release, Mayor McGinn will join other mayors and Seattle AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members in sorting food items at the Pike Place Market Food Bank. He will then join with the

president of the National League of Cities; Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa, Arizona, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors; Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service; and Lillian Hochstein, Pike Place Market Foundation executive director.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads President Barack Obama’s national call-to-service initiative, United We Serve.

For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov.

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

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youthcare continued from cover

THE FIRST GAY PLAY? The article “Taking the Stage: A Little LGBT Theater History Lesson,” by Mark Segal (SGN, Oct. 25), is charming and informative, and I thank Mr. Segal for writing it and you for sharing it. However, he believes that Graduation in 1970 was “the first Gay musical,” whereas my Dynel was produced in 1968 at The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern in New York City and won the Show Business Magazine Best Play Award. It is a fully openly Gay musical, and the book and lyrics may be read in my book, Robert Patrick’s Cheep Theatricks.

Robert Patrick Los Angeles RUSSIAN LGBT RIGHTS PANEL As a resident of Seattle, it often feels like we live in the most progressive city in the nation. We have led the way on many social justice issues and have been the voice and vote that has moved our state to be a leader in our nation.

Just last year we passed the historic vote for marriage equality, after winning to secure our rights time and time again through the referendum process. It gave us all a moment to bask in the success of what justice and equality really mean.

Sadly, this is not a shared experience for many in this country, nor is it internationally. The lack of civil rights, globally, is daunting and makes for an uncomfortable realization that our successes are not a shared experience for so many in the global LGBT community.

On the forefront of the news these past few months is the somewhat recent legislative actions taken by Russia’s parliament to ban LGBT expression, thus continuing oppression and violations of civil liberties.

This is an action that has sparked worldwide protest from the dumping of Russian vodka, to mass demonstrations to government leaders speaking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But how does one affect the climate of injustice on such a large scale? What can one city, one voice on a stream of thought, do to affect the lives of others so far away and, with some hope, to change the laws that discriminate and promote intolerance and hate?

The very struggle with civil rights is never easy, never easily solved, but it is not enough to just desire. Russia will only change when their citizens demand it. This will likely never happen until the Russian people see that so many global citizens support the LGBT community. Seattle has the opportunity to be on the forefront of that show of support. Come be a part of a panel discussion related to why Seattle should care, and what effect local action can have on an issue seemingly so far away.

The Seattle City Council will co-host, with several local organizations, a forum on the issue on Monday, November 18, at 6:30 p.m., in the Bertha Knight Landes Room in City Hall. You will have an opportunity to ask questions of panelists currently working on the issue.

Stephanie Hillman Seattle

The council’s Budget Leadership Team announced the grant this week from inside the Orion Center to a thrilled and relieved group. Councilmember Joe McDermott made the official announcement.

Approximately 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ. Officials say that on a given night there are about 700 youth and young adults on the streets of King County.

The Orion Center’s overnight shelter was slated to close on February 1, 2014. The program is still not out of the woods, but officials are counting on the generosity of the community to assist with this need. The Seattle City Council is also working on a plan to match the county’s pledge, with a decision expected in a few weeks.

LIMITED OPERATION The county and potential city funding will allow the Young Adult Shelter, serving ages 18 to 24, to stay open five nights a week.

YouthCare officials hope that additional support from private sources will allow them to provide shelter seven nights a week.

The federal budget sequester cut $1.2 million in funding in 2014 for YouthCare projects. This drastically affected the type of outreach that the Orion Center provides.

Luckily, a county task force report, the Comprehensive Plan to Prevent and End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness in King County by 2020, was put together in August of this year. Some of the directives of this report include: fewer young people on the streets, shorter stays at shelters, fewer returns to homelessness after receiving services, and fewer homeless LGBTQ youth and youth of color. This information

national news

The flip side of marriage equality

Same-sex divorce cases challenge bans on relationship recognition

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

contradictory rulings from two state appeals courts.

The Third Court of Appeals in Austin held that the state attorney general, Greg Abbott, had no jurisdiction to intervene in the Austin case, and therefore the 2010 divorce should stand. The Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas ruled that the Gay couple could not legally be granted a divorce under state law.

While Gay and Lesbian couples in 21 states are now in court challenging their states’ failure to recognize their marriages, couples in at least three states are taking on the issue of relationship recognition from a different angle – divorce proceedings.

The Texas Supreme Court heard argu14TH AMENDMENT CITED ments in two divorce cases on November 5, Abbott claims that Texas cannot grant a but proceedings have also been filed in Kendivorce to same-sex couples because state tucky and Missouri.

The Texas cases involve one Lesbian law does not recognize their marriages in couple from Austin who originally divorced the first place.

“These cases are about divorce and equalin 2010, one Gay couple from Dallas, and 6

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November 15, 2013

ity,” said Austin attorney James Scheske, who is representing both Texas couples.

Scheske said the Dallas ruling “forecloses my client’s constitutional right to petition for divorce in his state of residency and thereby violates his rights under the 14th Amendment.”

He added that if the attorney general prevails, the Lesbian couple in Austin will effectively be remarried four years after their divorce.

Deputy Attorney General Jimmy Blacklock, representing Texas, said that under the state constitution and the Texas Family Code, same-sex marriages are void and unenforceable for any reason, regardless of where the marriage was created.

“Texas law does not recognize those marriages,” he told the court. “It is void for all purposes in Texas.”

Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Texas, in a brief on the pending cases, said the divorce of married same-sex couples actually advances the state’s policy that same-sex couples should not live there as if they were married.

No decision in the Texas case is expected before the spring of 2014.

A LEGAL CONUNDRUM The Kentucky case, Romero v. Romero, filed on October 25, involves a Lesbian couple married in Massachusetts but now living in Kentucky. The couple have no children and have already agreed on a division of their property.

The only problem is that Kentucky does not recognize same-sex marriages, and this is the first same-sex divorce case filed in the state.

Louis Waterman, attorney for Alysha Romero, said the couple should have the right to divorce in their state of residence, rather than endure the disruption and expense of going back to Massachusetts, and living there for one year to meet that state’s residency requirement.

“I have a career here, a life here, and I think I should have the same right as a heterosexual to divorce here,” Alysha Romero said.

Lambda Legal staff attorney Beth Littrell

from this report was provided to the King County Council and used as a basis for their final budget decision.

The Comprehensive Plan also recommends $1.4 million in investments with the community for homeless and at-risk youth.

At least $730,000 is provided by non-profits and private foundations. King County is providing at least $740,000 for shelter, employment, and education resources. The total investments from the 2014 budget will be $900,000 for multiple projects and agencies across the region.

MEETING UNMET NEEDS The council also allocated funding for a youth shelter in Auburn.

“There are no shelter beds in south King County,” said McDermott. In addition to the Auburn Youth Services shelter project, youth services in Redmond and programs reuniting runaways with their families are also receiving county funds.

McDermott, who is chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, is a strong champion for LGBTQ issues in our community and has a personal stake in these investments for homeless and at-risk youth.

When he came out, he had the benefit of knowing he would not be rejected and was in a safe environment. Youth served by the Orion Center are not always as fortunate and often depend on such programs to save their lives. McDermott feels it is important for him to step up and assist them.

King County and the city of Seattle recognize the urgent crisis of at-risk and homeless LGBTQ youth in our region. Policies developed here, according to the Comprehensive Plan, set the standards for the entire nation.

For information on how to donate and other ways to help YouthCare, visit www. youthcare.org.

told the Associated Press it makes no sense for a state to ban same-sex marriage, then require a same-sex couple to remain permanently wed.

“It is an illogical and ironic position,” she said in an interview.

Waterman said he thinks his client’s case will be dismissed, adding that he intends to appeal and then ask the Kentucky Supreme Court to throw out the state’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, on the grounds that it violates the equal protection of law guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

DIVORCE NOT A ‘BENEFIT’ The Missouri case involves a Lesbian couple married in Iowa. They have filed for divorce in their home state, but doubt they will be successful.

“We have been told by everyone that that’s not going to work, but I went ahead and filed that with my partner and we are waiting for a date. Our expectation is that it won’t work,” one of the couple, Christine Kiefer, said.

Kiefer added that their only hope is to get a liberal judge who rules that because Missouri will not recognize Gay marriages, her marriage never officially occurred.

The only alternative Kiefer, herself an attorney, sees would be to move to a state that does recognize same-sex marriage and try to qualify for a divorce there.

“You could go to any state that recognizes the marriage and then seek a divorce in that state, but it has to be based on their marriage laws,” Kiefer explained.

One of the partners would have to establish residency in one of those marriagerecognizing states. That takes a year in Iowa but only 90 days in Illinois.

According to professor Mary Patricia Byrn of William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, only Georgia explicitly bans same-sex divorce, while in other states marriage amendments are written to prevent same-sex couples from getting “the benefits of marriage.”

“Divorce is not a benefit of marriage,” she added. “It is the unfortunate result of a failed marriage.”

Celebrating 40 Years!

Correcting the record for Transgender veterans Military law experts tell how to fix discharge papers to reflect true gender

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor A new report released this week by the National LGBT Bar Association, in conjunction with the National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ), outlines a clear regulatory process by which the armed services are able to change Transgender veterans’ military discharge paperwork (Form DD214) to reflect their preferred names and genders.

The memo, authored by Stephen C. Lessard, an attorney with the law firm Orrick,

services.

“Incorrect service documentation presents significant challenges for Transgender military veterans, but it could also be among the most easily fixed,” said D’Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of the LGBT Bar. “It is blatant discrimination that Transgender veterans, who have served with honor and integrity, cannot obtain service records that reflect who they are. The LGBT Bar is proud to be working with the country’s best military law experts to push for regulations to ensure Transgender veterans are able to correct their military record to reflect their

“Incorrect service documentation presents significant challenges for Transgender military veterans, but it could also be among the most easily fixed.”

Herrington & Sutcliffe, and members of the LGBT Bar’s Military Law Working Group, concludes “that it is imperative that DoD provide additional written guidance to the administrative bodies charged with correction of military records. Such guidance would advise those boards to utilize their broad authority in an effective, streamlined, and uniform manner to allow Transgender former servicemembers to amend their DD214s to reflect the servicemembers’ current names and genders.”

REAL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES Despite repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on LGB service members, Transgender troops are still excluded from service. Military medical regulations prohibit the service of Transgender personnel, who are discharged with military records and paperwork identifying them as a gender other than that with which they identify. Those documents, in turn, can present future obstacles as Transgender veterans seek health care, employment, and other

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access to whatever restroom, locker room, or sports team they identify as appropriate for them.

The new law gave students the right “to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities” based on their self-perception and regardless of their birth gender.

It was introduced by openly Gay Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and co-authored

by Senators Mark Leno and Ricardo Lara.

FAMILIAR FACES The “Privacy for All Students” group is a collection of anti-Gay organizations and individuals who will be all too familiar to SGN readers from their long years of opposition to LGBT rights.

NOM strategist Frank Schubert, who masterminded last year’s unsuccessful campaign to repeal Washington’s Marriage Equality Act, led the California petition effort.

The Capitol Resource Institute, an antiGay, anti-choice group led by Karen Eng-

correct gender. The Department of Defense should implement a military-wide policy that allows other Transgender veterans to obtain new discharge paperwork.”

The report issued today cites a 2004 decision by the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR) as a proper example for other service branches to follow. That decision provided Transgender veterans the relief requested with regard to name and gender changes to DD214s. “In doing so,” the report notes, “the AFBCMR struck an appropriate balance between its interests in preserving the accuracy of military records and remedying injustices to these applicants.”

“The AFBCMR concluded that it had the legal authority to issue an additional DD214, reflecting the changes in name and gender,” the report also notes. The Board found in its decision that Transgender veterans do, in fact, face significant obstacles because of DD214 paperwork that includes a gender and name inconsistent with their other identification. The decision, the

memo notes, found that “the only way to fully address these burdens ... is to issue a new DD214” reflecting the veteran’s correct name and gender.

UNIFORM RULES NEEDED “While the Air Force has found a clear and workable way to ensure Transgender veterans do not face discrimination and prejudice via the DD214 paperwork, there is no uniform regulation across the services that would offer Transgender veterans an avenue for correcting their military record,” said Eugene R. Fidell, president emeritus of NIMJ. “It is time for the Administration to direct each service to adopt such regulations

so that Transgender Americans who have served our country honorably, and with dignity, are treated with respect by our armed forces. Today’s memo outlines how, and why, that is not just possible, but imperative.”

A copy of the full memo is available online at www.LGBTBar.org.

The National LGBT Bar Association is a national association of lawyers, judges, other legal professionals, law students, activists, and affiliated LGB and Transgender legal organizations. The Association promotes justice in and through the legal profession for the LGBT community in all its diversity.

told ABC News he was alarmed by the ini- got into it,” O’Connor said, adding that he land, is the driving force in the coalition. believes public opinion is opposed to disEngland is notorious as the organizer tiative effort.

“Protecting this law is our number-one crimination against LGBT people. of Christian student walkouts to protest GLSEN’s annual Day of Silence. In 2009 priority, and we will put everything we’ve she filed an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging California’s anti-bullying laws. The following year she attempted to induce California’s lieutenant governor to file an appeal of federal Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling against Prop 8 while then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was out of the country.

In 2011 she launched a campaign to block Trans people from changing the gender indicated on their birth certificates.

The anti-Trans coalition’s spokesperson is Gina Gleason, executive director of the group Faith and Public Policy. The group advertises itself as supporting Christian marriage, family, and parental rights.

Gleason boasted that her group’s success in over-fulfilling California’s signature requirements indicated that public opinion was on the side of repealing protections for Transgender students.

ACTIVISTS VOW FIGHTBACK John O’Connor, executive director of Equality California, the organization that co-sponsored the Transgender student law,

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Courtesy ACLU of New Mexico

New Mexico marriage plaintiff dies

Woman’s death certificate is first in state to list a same-sex spouse

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Jennifer Neuman-Roper, one of the plaintiffs in the New Mexico marriage equality lawsuit that opened the state to same-sex marriages, died of cancer on November 11.

She was 44.

The ACLU of New Mexico, which is representing the Neuman-Ropers and five other couples, posted a memorial on their website.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of Jen Neuman-Roper’s passing,” said ACLUNM Executive Director Peter Simonson.

“She was a beloved member of her community, a loving mother and wife, and a trail blazer for marriage equality in New Mexico.

Her participation in the New Mexico freedom-to-marry case helped open the door for thousands of same-sex couples to celebrate their love and commitment in marriage here in our state. She will be missed.”

Neuman-Roper and her partner, Angelique Neuman-Roper, were married on August 26 in the lobby of the Christus St. Vincent Cancer Center in Santa Fe, where she was undergoing treatment for stage-4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain

cancer.

Only hours before the wedding, Judge Alan Malott 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.

EXPEDITED RULING Malott ruled quickly in the Neuman-Roper case because everyone acknowledged that she was dying and did not have time for protracted legal hearings. However, he then 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.

The next day, a judge in Taos issued similar orders, beginning a cascade effect. At present, eight of New Mexico’s 33 counties, comprising 58% of the state’s population, issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

On August 29, all 33 of the state’s county clerks asked the New Mexico Supreme Court to rule on the issue and a preliminary hearing was held October 23.

While one of the plaintiffs has died, the

Hawaii judge OKs marriage law Weddings can begin next month after last-ditch lawsuit rejected

Jennifer Neuman-Roper

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court will nevertheless issue a ruling in the case, because of the interest of the surviving partner in legal recognition of their relationship and also because other same-sex spouses also desire recognition by the state.

The lower court rulings in favor of marriage equality are also being challenged by 15 Republican state legislators, who have asked for injunctions preventing counties

from issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

Although they were legally married in August, the Neuman-Ropers also had a formal wedding ceremony attended by family and friends in October. Upon her death, Jen Neuman-Roper was the first person to be issued a New Mexico death certificate that acknowledged a surviving same-sex spouse.

riage, not merely to authorize their representatives to forbid it. Consequently, he argued, Hawaii voters would have to approve another constitutional amendment to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples.

After hearing arguments for about an hour, Sakamoto rejected McDermott’s suit, ruling that the Legislature has the inherent authority to define marriage, the 1998 amendment notwithstanding.

“After all the legal complexities of the court’s analysis, the court will conclude that same-sex marriage in Hawaii is legal,” Sakamoto said.

bring the legal challenge because he could not demonstrate the potential for actual harm from same-sex marriage.

McDermott explained that his reputation and electability will suffer because he led voters to believe in 1998 that the constitutional amendment would ban same-sex marriage. William Kumia, a pastor and marriage coach, said he feared retaliation and lawsuits if he refuses to counsel same-sex couples. Garret Hashimoto, state chair of the Hawaii Christian Coalition, worried that religious schools would be forced to either teach same-sex education or close down.

Sakamoto decided that McDermott and his associates did, in fact, have standing to sue, but were wrong on the merits.

McDermott and his attorneys did not announce whether they would appeal Sakamoto’s ruling.

“All you can do is all you can do, and that’s what we tried to do today. We tried to give a voice to the people of Hawaii,” McDermott told reporters. “We fell short – and I guess that’s my fault – but we did the best we could do.”

FEARED FOR REPUTATION “I’m very pleased with the court’s ruling,” Hawaii Attorney General David Louie told reporters. “I think the court clearly said that SB-1 [the marriage law] is constitutional.

SB-1 can go forward. The Legislature had the power to enact SB-1 under its general powers as a legislature.”

In court documents filed November 13, Louie’s office opposed McDermott’s suit.

Deputy Attorney General John Molay argued that McDermott lacked standing to

hawaii

continued from cover

Hawaiian Circuit Court Judge Karl Sakamoto

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Hawaiian Circuit Court Judge Karl Sakamoto ruled on November 14 that the state’s new marriage law is valid, clearing the way for Gay and Lesbian couples to be married starting December 2.

State Rep. Bob McDermott, who voted

comes stronger. By giving loving Gay and Lesbian couples the right to marry if they choose, Hawaii exemplifies the values we hold dear as a nation. I’ve always been proud to have been born in Hawaii, and today’s vote makes me even prouder. And Michelle and I extend our best wishes to all those in Hawaii whose families will now be now given the security and respect they deserve.”

The new law is not without its detractors, however. Hawaii House member Bob McDermott, who filed a lawsuit to try to derail the special session called by Gov. Abercrombie to pass the marriage bill, filed a new legal challenge this week. His suit was rejected Thursday by Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto (see related story in this issue).

against the new law, filed suit alleging that same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

He also asked Sakamoto to stay same-sex marriages pending a full court trial on the merits of his claims.

McDermott, one of the few Republicans in Hawaii’s legislature, argued that votWHERE IT ALL BEGAN ers who approved the 1998 constitutional Hawaii is the state that introduced the deamendment intended to bar same-sex mar- bate over marriage equality into U.S. poli-

tics.

In 1990 a Lesbian couple applied for a marriage license and were denied. They then filed suit, leading to a court battle, and a 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court decision that their rights to equal protection were violated by not letting them marry.

That decision led Republicans in Congress to introduce DOMA (the federal Defense of Marriage Act) in 1996, and Hawaii’s 1998 constitutional amendment giving the legislature authority to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the key section of DOMA in June, Abercrombie, a longtime supporter of LGBT rights, decided to call a special legislative session to pass a same-sex marriage law.

With Wednesday’s signing of the bill by Gov. Abercrombie, Hawaii leapfrogs over Illinois, whose legislature finished work on that state’s marriage bill November 5. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has not yet signed the measure into law, though he has promised to do so. When he does, Illinois will be the 16th state to approve marriage equality.

CLUTCH THEATRE - REAL THEATRE, BIG CHANGE - COMING 2014

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A bear market for hate Gay NYSE member backs petition to cancel ‘Russia Day’

ties to send a warning to Russian government officials that Russia’s abuse of basic human rights is bad for business.”

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Gay rights activists, pivoting off their success in getting the president of the American Bar Association to cancel his participation in an event supporting investment in Russia, have secured a big endorsement for their new campaign calling on the New York Stock Exchange to cancel a scheduled “Russia Day,” November 18.

Walter Schubert, the first openly Gay member of the NYSE, has posted on the Change.org petition that he strongly supports the effort.

“As a former member of the NYSE, and the first openly Gay member of the Exchange, I wholeheartedly support this petition,” Schubert said on the website. “I will also go the extra mile and speak with my friends in the management of the NYSE about this petition, and the NYSE’s planned involvement … stressing with them the need for them to withdraw from this Russia Day 2013.”

The petition was started by NYU Law School graduate and former McKinsey & Company consultant Bert Leatherman, after he learned that the NYSE was sponsoring Russia Day as a means to encourage U.S. business leaders to invest in Russia.

Leatherman says that until Russia improves its violent record on human rights toward LGBT people, business leaders, especially those who represent companies supportive of LGBT rights, should not invest in Russia.

“For the NYSE to commemorate Russia Day and allow Russian officials to ring the closing bell sends a terrible message that it’s OK to invest in countries that brutalize LGBT citizens,” said Leatherman. “We can’t let that stand. [NYSE Euronext CEO] Duncan Niederauer and fellow NYSE executives must cancel their Russia Day activi-

QUEER NATION PROTEST Russia has come under intense international scrutiny this year after passing legislation that bans any form of support for Gay rights, which activists say has resulted in a major uptick in violence toward Russia’s LGBT community.

Activists with Queer Nation NY will be protesting outside of the NYSE (lining up at 26 Wall Street) on November 18, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., during the time that Russian leaders will ring the NYSE’s closing bell.

Queer Nation NY will unravel a 75-foot banner calling attention to Russia’s brutal crackdown on Gay rights, while urging the NYSE to make a bold statement of support for Russia’s LGBT community.

Leatherman, with the support of New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman, had previously successfully petitioned James Silkenat, president of the American Bar Association, to cancel his participation in an event encouraging investment in Russia. Leatherman was also instrumental in getting law firm Goodwin Procter LLP to back out of hosting an event supporting Russia Day and helped convince New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to withdraw the city’s official support for the event.

“Longtime LGBT allies Mayor Michael Walter Schubert, the first openly Gay member of the NYSE Bloomberg and law firm Goodwin Procter have, like ABA President James Silkenat, recognized how insulting it is to their LGBT WANT TO KNOW MORE? information on Change.org, visit www. friends to be celebrating Russia at this awful For live signature totals from Leather- change.org/about. time,” said Scott Wooledge of Queer Nation man’s petition, visit www.change.org/ Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing NY, who has been working with Leather- petitions/new-york-stock-exchange- platform for social change, growing by two man to support the petition. “I’m shocked cancel-russia-day-2013. For informa- million new members a month, and empowa stalwart institution of New York City is tion on Queer Nation NY’s protest outside ering millions of people to start, join, and involved in such a shameful display. Hope- of the NYSE, visit www.facebook.com/ win campaigns for social change in their fully they will reconsider.” events/1430696837146492/. For more community, city and country.

Blood, fire – and bigotry Not a penny – why LGBTs should pass those Salvation Army kettles by

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Bil Browning, co-creator of the popular Gay blog The Bilerico Project, wants you to know why you shouldn’t donate to the Salvation Army. He once wrote an article that garnered more than 14,000 Facebook shares alone. The reason? Many people just don’t know how bad the Salvation Army really is to the LGBT community.

To be fair, the local Salvation Army is not terrible. In fact, I’ve talked with members and they’ve said nothing negative or even remotely bigoted to me. But the fact remains that, as a worldwide corporate re-

ligious body, the Salvation Army is decidedly not pro-LGBT, no matter how nice the local ladies are.

The Salvation Army has a history of active discrimination against Gays and Lesbians.

“While you might think you’re helping the hungry and homeless by dropping a few dollars in the bright red buckets, not everyone can share in the donations,” wrote Browning in a November 2011 post. “Many LGBT people are rejected by the evangelical church charity because they’re “sexually impure.”

There it is again: sex. Gay sex is on the mind of every bigot. Funny how that works. Anyway, I digress.

On its website, the group claims that “the services of the Salvation Army are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation.” While the words are nice, their actions speak volumes.

“They blatantly ignore the position statement and deny LGBT people services unless they renounce their sexuality, end same-sex relationships, or, in some cases, attend services ‘open to all who confess Christ as Savior and who accept and abide by the Salvation Army’s doctrine and discipline,’” reports Browning. “In other words, if you’re Gay or Lesbian, you don’t qualify.”

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ANTI-GAY LOBBYING The organization also has a record of actively lobbying governments worldwide for anti-Gay policies, including an attempt to make consensual Gay sex illegal. (Yes, you’re paying lobbyists with those kettle donations.)

When New Zealand considered passage of the Homosexual Law Reform Act in 1986, the Salvation Army collected signatures in an attempt to get the legislation killed. The act decriminalized consensual sex between Gay men. The measure passed over the charity’s objections, reports Browning.

In the United Kingdom, the Salvation Army actively pushed passage of an amendment to the Local Government Act, stating that local authorities “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality,” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” The law has since been repealed, but it led many schools and colleges to close LGBT student organizations out of fear they’d lose their government funding.

In 2001, the organization tried to extract a resolution from the White House that they could ignore local nondiscrimination laws that protect LGBT people. While the commitment would have applied to all employees, the group claimed that it needed the resolution so it “did not have to ordain sexually active Gay ministers and did not have to provide medical benefits to the same-sex partners of employees.” After lawmakers and civil rights activists revealed the Salvation Army’s active resistance to nondiscrimination laws, the White House admitted the charity was seeking the exemption.

November 15, 2013

Also in 2001, the evangelical charity lobbied to change how the Bush administration would distribute over $24 billion in grants and tax deductions, by urging the White House to deny funding to any cities or states that have LGBT nondiscrimination laws.

Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary at the time, issued a statement saying the administration was denying a “regulation sought by the church to protect the right of taxpayer-funded religious organizations to discriminate against homosexuals.”

In 2004, the Salvation Army threatened to close all their soup kitchens in New York City to protest the city’s decision to require all vendors and charities doing business with the city to adhere to all civil rights laws. The organization balked at having to treat Gay employees equal to straight employees.

MANY ALTERNATIVES EXIST Instead of donating to the Salvation Army, choose a group that will help everyone without prejudice. Find a local secular, LGBT, or liberal-religious charity, or give to one of these national organizations that provide nonjudgmental assistance to anyone who needs it: • Goodwill (disabled and unemployed) • The Red Cross (medical and emergency relief) • Doctors Without Borders (medical and emergency relief) • Habitat for Humanity (homelessness and housing) “I’ve seen the discrimination the Salvation Army preaches first-hand,” said Browning. “When a former boyfriend and I were homeless, the Salvation Army insisted we break up before they’d offer assistance.

We slept on the street instead.”

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northwest news

WINTER PRIDE – GAY SKI/SNOWBOARD WEEK WHISTLER, BC JAN. 26 – FEB. 2, 2014 One of the largest and most popular Gay Ski/Snowboard weeks in the world. Plus top flight guest DJs. Special rates from $115 per person per night – book by November 15. 866-7871966; www.gaywhistler.com.

GAY CITY ARTS – “GATHER AND GLEAN” Gay City Arts presents “Gather and Glean,” a solo exhibition of works by Therese Buchmiller from Thursday, November 14 through Monday, December 9, at Gay City Arts (517 E. Pike St.). For this exhibition, Buchmiller has created new mixed media installations, arrangements of repurposed household objects, as well as small-scale paper collage. Together these works explore personal identity through the metaphoric potential of color, language, and image.

“Gather and Glean” 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 artistic excellence across a wide range of disciplines, including theatre, music, dance, film, spoken word, literary and visual arts. A portion of any sales will be donated to Gay City. www.gaycity.org.

For more information about the artist, visit tbuchmiller.com.

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL, ET AL. – FORUM ON LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA & INTERNATIONALLY On Monday, November 18, at 6:30 p.m., at Seattle City Hall, Bertha Knight Landes Room (5th Ave. & Cherry St.), join the Seattle City Council, the World Affairs Council, Social Outreach Seattle, All Out, the Seattle LGBT, Women’s and Human Rights Commissions, and Amnesty International UW, for a moderated panel discussion on LGBT rights in Russia and internationally. Learn what we can do locally. Take action!

THE NORTHWEST NETWORK – COMMUNITY ACTION: HATE VIOLENCE – RESPONSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES On Tuesday, November 19, from 6:308:30 p.m., at Queer Youth Space (911 E. Pike St.), The Northwest Network hosts a forum on hate violence to look at what it will take to implement solutions and responses to violence that will work for all members of our communities as well as cultivate and share community resources. www.nwnetwork.org

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

partnering and absolutely NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Come with a group of friends and put a little “jog in your egg nog” before holiday schedules get grazy. Bring along some canned or non-perishable food for Lifelong AIDS Alliance to help kick off the season of charitable giving. Puddltown’s next series of lessons for beginners will begin Thursday evenings, starting January 9. For more information visit www. puddletownsquares.org or visit Puddletown Squares on FaceBook.

PURR COCKTAIL LOUNGE – “FEED A FAMILY FOR THE HOLIDAYS” A BENEFIT FOR INSPIRE YOUTH PROJECT On Thursday, November 21, from 8 p.m.-midnight, at Purr Cocktail Lounge (1518 11th Ave.), bring a grocery gift card and enter to win a holiday gift basket at the benefit for Inspire Youth Project. www.purrseattle.com.

FILIPINO COMMUNITY OF SEATTLE – “ONE NIGHT, ONE CAUSE, ONE COMMUNITY...”

A MARATHON BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE PHILIPPINE TYPHOON On Sunday, November 17, starting at 2 p.m., the Filipino Community of Seattle (5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.) hosts a Marathon Benefit Concert for the victims of the Philippine Typhoon. Bands/performers include: Full House, Ella Mae Santos, Session Mode, Matt Lee & Friends, Francis Sandico (aka rapper “FPS”), Ihaw-Ihaw Jammers, The Barriotiques J!, Alien Culture, Excess Energy. $20 donation; $15 seniors and children. Food concessions available. www.fcseattle.org

ADVENTURE TV – 2013 PRIDE PARADE & PRIDE FEST FOOTAGE The 2013 Pride Parade and Pride Fest footage shot by T.J. Williamson, Producer and Host for Adventure TV, will begin airing/streaming on Saturday, November 2, at 10 p.m., repeating the following Tuesday, November 5, at 11 a.m. and Wednesday, November 6, at 1 a.m. Parts 2, 3 and 4 follow on Saturdays, November 9, 16 and 23, at 10 p.m. (repeating Tuesdays, November 12, 19 and 26 at 11 a.m. and Wednesdays, November 13, 20 and 27 at 1 a.m.). The episodes will air on Comcast Cable channel 77 (Wave 23) and simultaneously stream at http://seattlecommunityunitymedia.org.

Also, the 2011 and 2012 Pride Parade and Pride Fest footage is archived at http://seattlecommunitymedia.org/node/12374/ list-shows. If you have any questions, email adventuretv@yahoo.com.

SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BOOK CLUB – THE TWO HOTEL FRANCFORTS 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.).

In November, the club will discuss The Two Hotel Francforts, a new novel by David Leavitt. In 250 pages, it presents a perfect story, perfectly told. A moral riddle of misunderstanding, it’s a minefield of cleverly concealed set-ups and startling surprises, told by a likeable guy about the week that changed his life. It’s about the way we come to the wrong conclusions about other people.

TRANSGENDER DAY OF All GLBTQ folks are welcome to parREMEMBERANCE ticipate in this FREE book club. For more On Wednesday, November 20, at 7 p.m., information, visit http://faculty.washington. caring members of the LGBTQ and allied edu/swittet/SGLBookClub/. communities will gather at Ravenna United Methodist Church (5751 33rd Ave. NE) to QUARE ARTS PROJECT remember all the Transgender persons who LOOKING FOR LGBTQUEER were murdered in 2013 simply for being YOUTH OF COLOR, AGES 16-22 who they were. Music will be provided by Quare Arts Project is looking for a few the Wallingford United Methodist Church more LGBTQueer Youth of Color, ages 16- Choir, the name of each victim will be read, 22, who would like to perform in “Bearing and refreshments will be offered at the conWitness” – A Queer Youth of Color Per- clusion of the service. forming Arts Showcase to be held on ThursThis special event will be a non-religious day, December 19. memorial gathering sponsored by The EmIf you would like to perform in the show- erald City Club and Social Outreach Seattle case and earn $50 as a performer, come to with the support of the people of faith at an info session on Thursday, November 21 the Ravenna U.M.C. and the Wallingford at 3:30 p.m., at Langston Hughes Perform- U.M.C. There is no charge and the public ing Arts Institute (104 17th Ave. S. at E. is invited. For more information, email MeYesler Way). lissa at TDORSEATTLE@centurylink.net.

This showcase will feature performances by local LGBTQueer Youth of Color sharFILIPINO COMMUNITY ing their stories and exploring their art, OF SEATTLE – creating space and opening a door for dis“BANGON BOHOL!” cussion and awareness in the community.

A DINNER DANCE TO BENEFIT For more information, visit Facebook.

OCTOBER 15 EARTHQUAKE com/SeattleParksCOD or contact Randy at VICTIMS 206-295-5218 or Community Parks.ProON BOHOL, PHILIPPINES gram@seattle.gov; www.facebook.com/ On Friday, November 22, at 6 p.m., the events/358002774343688./ Filipino Community of Seattle (5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.) hosts a dinner PUDDLETOWN SQUARES – dance to raise money for the people of BoFREE “TASTE” OF hol, Philippines who were devastated by the GAY SQUARE DANCING earthquake that struck this beautiful island On Thursday, November 21, from 7-9 on October 15, 2013. It will be a simple dinp.m., at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (N. ner with lots of dancing. Music will be pro80th St. & 1st Ave. NE on Metro’s #16 bus vided by Boy Pangilinan of Retrozone. All line) Puddletown Squares, Seattle’s 31 year proceeds will go directly to Bohol through old, high energy, modern square dance club ABS-CBN “Sagip Kapamilya” in order to for the LGBT community and their friends, ensure that proceeds from this benefit will is hosting “NO TURKEYS HERE!,” a be spent on their needs. $25 donation. www.

FREE public introductory event held the fcseattle.org week before Thanksgiving to demonstrate Puddletown’s “Square Dancing! Outside the Box!”. Nationally known and Seattlebased caller Gary Monday will preside at this introductory event which will include square dancing to contemporary pop music, including Lady Gaga, Gotye, Salsa, Swing or Sinatra. Dress is casual, singles and couples are welcome, with gender-neutral

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SEATTLE ANIMAL SHELTER – “COOL CITY PETS” On Saturday, November 16, Seattle Animal Shelter (2061 15th Ave. W.), hosts “Cool City Pets,” an adoption event highlighting small animals looking for their forever homes. From 1-3 p.m., potential adopters can meet the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, including: rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, birds, reptiles, ferrets, mice and more.

Volunteer small-animal specialists will be on hand to help adopters find the right pet for them. They provide information about each animal’s characteristics and needs, demonstrate basic care and handling skills, and answer questions. The Seattle Animal Shelter features “Cool City Pets: the third Saturday of every month.

All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Animals may be adopted by adults only. Adopters must be prepared to provide proper housing, food, water, toys and other materials necessary for the care and good health of the animal.

The adoption fee for small animals ranges from $15-$40.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon-6 p.m., for adoptions and for licensing. The shelter reserves the right to approve or deny any animal adoptions and limits the number of small animal adoptions to no more than three per household. For more information, 206-386-7387 (PETS) or www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

PRATT FINE ARTS CENTER – HOLIDAY ART SALE From Saturday, November 23 through Saturday, November 30, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., except closed Thanksgiving Day, November 28, at Pratt Fine Arts Center (1902 S. Main St.), enjoy an exceptional selection of art and unique gifts including handmade glass, sculpture, jewelry, paintings, prints, ornaments and other functional objects – all made by local artists. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Pratt Fine Arts Center, the most dynamic year-round, multi-disciplinary arts center in the Pacific Northwest. Admission is FREE. Pratt Fine Arts Center hosts a special Opening Night First Dibs Party on Friday, November 22, from 6-9 p.m. Admission is $50. Guests will also have an exclusive opportunity to purchase nsold work from previous Pratt auctions and other special events. Appetizers and libations will be provided for holiday merriment. 206-3282200; www.pratt.org/event/2013_has GREATER SEATTLE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION – 2013 TASTE OF GSBA On Saturday, November 23, at 5:30 p.m., at Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Grand Ballroom (1400 Sixth Ave.), join the GSBA for the Taste of GSBA, featuring a fabulous cast of silent and live auction items, small plates from GSBA caterers and restaurants, hosted beer, wine and the SVEDKA Vodka signature cocktail, a four-course dinner and show-stopping Broadway musical entertainment, all to benefit the GSBA Scholarship Fund. Attire is Black Tie or Red Carpet Glamour. Registration: $225 members; $250 non members. 206-363-9188; www. thegsba.org.

ARTS ON THE WATERFRONT – “CABARET” SET IN RUSSIA WITH AN ALL-MALE CAST NOVEMBER 28-DECEMBER 13 Wes Hurley, author of the SGN article “Stranger in my homeland: Realizing I was Gay in Russia felt like a terminal disease diagnosis” (SGN, August 2, 2013), is set to star as the EmCee in a groundbreaking modern production of Cabaret. Arts on the Waterfront’s new production will be set in Russia instead of the usual Germany, combining theatre, drag, and short clips of the actual Russian vigilantes/neo-Nazis to comment on recent events in Russia. The production will also feature Zachary Simonson of Seattle Repertory Theatre’s “American Buffalo” as well as members of the Seattle drag community. Performances run November 28 (preview), November 29 (opening) through December 13 (except December 3 and 10), all at 8 p.m. at Cornish Playhouse (formerly Intiman Theatre), 201 Mercer St. www.artsonthewaterfront.com.

SEATTLE MEN IN LEATHER – 25TH ANNUAL SEATTLE LEATHER DADDY & DADDYS BOY CONTEST On Friday, November 29, from 7-9 p.m., join Seattle Men in Leather for a Meet & Greet at Doghouse Leathers (1312 E. Pike St.). Meet the Seattle Leather Daddy and Daddy’s boy Contest contestants and judges. Enjoy camaraderie and refreshments.

On Saturday, November 30, from 6-9 p.m., The Cuff Complex (1533 13th Ave.) hosts the Seattle Men in Leather’s 25th Annual Seattle Leather Daddy & Daddy’s boy Contest.

On Sunday, December 1, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at C.C. Attle’s (1701 E. Olive Way), join Seattle Men in Leather for the Seattle Leather Daddy & Daddy’s boy Contest Victory Brunch to congratulate their newest Seattle Leather Daddy & Daddy’s boy. www.seattlemeninleather.org

Celebrating 40 Years!

Greece ordered to allow same-sex civil unions

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on November 7 that Greece must make civil unions available to Gay and Lesbian couples. The ruling came as a result of a complaint by a Gay couple, Grigoris Vallianatos and Nikolaos Mylonas.

The Greek law limiting “life partner” status to opposite-sex couples infringed on their rights to “respect for their private and family life,” thus contravening the European Convention on Human Rights, the

left.gr

international news into becoming European. The issue of gays is no longer one of sex hidden behind the bushes – rather something that relates to the Greek family.”

Greece’s civil unions law was passed by the right-wing New Democracy party in 2008, to correct an apparent omission in Greek civil law.

In that year the socialist mayor of Tilos, Anastassios Aliferis, married one Gay and one Lesbian couple after he noticed that the country’s civil marriage law did not specify the gender of couples allowed to be married.

“They’re not members of the church and they didn’t get married in church, so the church really has nothing to say about it.

You have to change with the times.” couple said, and therefore amounted to unjustified discrimination.

The ECHR agreed, saying Greek authorities had not advanced “convincing and weighty reasons capable of justifying the exclusion of same-sex couples” from civil unions.

Because the two men had found themselves in a “similar situation” to oppositesex couples who do enjoy the protection of civil partnerships, the court said, they deserve legal protection as well.

The court added that European countries do not have an obligation to recognize same-sex relationships, but noted that only Greece and Lithuania exclude Gay and Lesbian couples.

‘A SMALL REVOLUTION’ “Although European countries’ legislation on the issue was not entirely uniform,” the court conceded, “there was nevertheless a trend towards legal recognition of samesex couples.”

Furthermore, “Greece was the only country to have enacted legislation governing a form of civil partnership while under the same legislation excluding same-sex couples from its scope,” it said.

Said Vallianatos, “The decision is a small revolution. Greece has finally lost the case and the Greek government is being dragged

CHURCH LEADERS DIVIDED The Greek Orthodox Church, which is established as the national church by the country’s constitution, does not allow same-sex marriages, and many bishops were horrified when the Tilos marriages became public.

The archbishop of Athens, however, was more philosophical.

“They’re not members of the church and they didn’t get married in church, so the church really has nothing to say about it,” he shrugged. “You have to change with the Gay rights activist Grigoris Vallianatos times.”

Greek courts subsequently ruled that the Tilos marriages were invalid, but the govThe ECHR was created in 1959 to enforce pean Union (EU). The jurisdiction of ECHR erning New Democracy party was embar- the European Convention on Human Rights, extends to all 47 countries that signed the rassed by the uproar and sought to correct and is separate from the European Court of Convention, not just to EU countries, and its the problem with new legislation that spe- Justice, which is an institution of the Euro- decisions are legally binding on all of them. cifically excluded same-sex couples from legal recognition.

The social-democratic PASOK party won the 2009 elections and promised to provide legal protections for Gay and Lesbian couples, but it was soon caught up in a growing economic crisis and failed to act before it lost power in 2011.

The more leftist SYRIZA party, now the main opposition group in the Greek parliament, explicitly supports marriage equality.

Its leader, Alexis Tsipras, is not a church member and is currently in a civil union with his opposite-sex partner.

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health and medicine New HIV treatment guidelines focus on full-spectrum care online journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

“In many HIV practices now, 80 percent of patients with HIV infection have the viAdvances in HIV treatment mean that rus under control and live long, full lives. most HIV patients now live more or less This means that HIV specialists need to normal lives, and their doctors should focus provide the full spectrum of primary care to

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

“In many HIV practices now, 80 percent of patients with HIV infection have the virus under control and live long, full lives ... HIV specialists need to provide the full spectrum of primary care to these patients, and primary care physicians need a better grasp of the impact HIV care has on routine health care.”

on a full spectrum of health care, researchers say.

Consequently, new guidelines issued by the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America emphasize preventive medicine. The new guidelines were published November 14 in the

these patients, and primary care physicians need a better grasp of the impact HIV care has on routine health care,” lead author Dr. Judith A. Aberg, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the New York University School of Medicine, said in a statement.

PREVENTION IS KEY “Doctors need to tell their HIV-infected patients, ‘Your HIV disease is controlled and we need to think about the rest of you.’

As with primary care in general, it’s about prevention.”

Among the new guidelines are recommendations to screen HIV-positive patients for diabetes, osteoporosis, and colon cancer.

The guidelines also suggest that patients with HIV infection should be vaccinated against pneumococcal infection, influenza, varicella, and hepatitis A and B. Reflecting changes in the HIV landscape, the guidelines advise patients whose HIV is under control to have their blood monitored for levels of the virus every six to 12 months, rather than every three to four months as previously recommended.

The new guidelines no longer include recommendations for treating long-term complications of HIV infections.

The guidelines include a table outlining interactions between specific anti-retrovirals and statins – the medications commonly used to manage HIV infections – because

many patients are prescribed several medications at once.

STD SCREENING URGED There also is a more robust section on sexually transmitted diseases, including a recommendation for annual screening for trichomoniasis in women, and yearly screening for gonorrhea and chlamydia for all HIV patients who might be at risk.

“Patients whose HIV is under control might feel they don’t need to see a doctor regularly, but adherence is about more than just taking [antiretroviral therapy] regularly; it’s also about receiving regular primary care,” Dr. Aberg said in the release. “These guidelines are designed to help ensure patients with HIV infection live long and healthy lives.”

Annual U.S. incidence of HIV infection is approximately 50,000, and prevalence is currently 1.2 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this group, focus on health problems affecting the general population is increasingly important.

University of Washington Research Study Department of Medicine Testosterone & Prostate Study Men are needed to participate in a study looking at the effects of testosterone on the prostate gland. This study will be conducted at the University of Washington, Seattle. It involves the use of two investigational drugs and a prostate biopsy. The study involves 9 visits over a period of 5 months. To be eligible you must be: 25-55 years of age, male, in good health, not taking medications on a daily basis. Volunteers will be reimbursed for their time and inconvenience for each study visit completed and may be compensated up to $1,000.

If interested, call 206-616-1818 (volunteer line) and ask for more information about the PROS-2 study.

Stephanie Page, MD, PhD; William Bremner, MD, PhD; John Amory, MD, MPH; Daniel Lin, MD

CLUTCH THEATRE - REAL THEATRE, BIG CHANGE - COMING 2014 18 Seattle Gay News

November 15, 2013

Celebrating 40 Years!

SPORTS

Michael Jordan’s daughter comes out as Lesbian ter.

When her followers asked her that meant she is Lesbian, she confirmed that she is.

Jasmine Jordan, the daughter of the “Until love, trust, honesty, respect, loyworld’s best-known basketball player, post- alty, commitment, genuine happiness, and

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

“Until love, trust, honesty, respect, loyalty, commitment, genuine happiness, and other characteristics or aspects I want in a relationship is defined by one gender, then and only then will I discuss my sexual preference.” ed a photo of herself with her girlfriend Carmen Tyson-Thomas on Instagram on Aug. 20 with the caption: “This Little Closet Is Holding Me Back.”

Jasmine is Michael Jordan’s only daugh-

Orange basketball player. Jasmine, 20, is a junior at Syracuse University and majors in sports management.

Michael Jordan and his ex-wife, Juanita, have two sons, Jeffrey Michael, 24, and Marcus James, 22. Both are basketball players.

THE SAGA OF E.J. In addition, Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s son, Earvin “E.J.” Johnson III, came out in April, and quickly made headlines when TMZ spotted him walking down the Sunset Strip while holding hands with a man he said was his boyfriend. Though E.J. came out to his family years ago, he said he felt like he was coming out for a second time when he revealed his sexuality to the public.

“I always wanted to come into the spotlight,” he said. “I always had dreams and plans of doing my own thing and creating my own image, so it came a little sooner than I thought it would, but this is still something I knew I would be going through and would have to experience.”

He said he’s experienced a range of reactions to coming out, with some people online writing “nasty things about me and what I’m doing.”

“It’s almost like they’re attacking me for being me and so to that I can only say, ’Well, I can only be myself, so I don’t know really what you want me to do,’” he told “Gwissues” host and interviewer Howard Bragman, a publicist who recently began representing Johnson.

other characteristics or aspects I want in a relationship is defined by one gender, then and only then will I discuss my sexual preference,” she wrote before coming out.

Jasmine’s girlfriend is a former Syracuse

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Seattle Gay News 19

SAGEWorks comes to town

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer

SAGEWorks is a national work-readiness program for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender mature workers (age 40 and older), who need or want to return to the workplace. The mission of SAGEWorks is “to improve the capacity of LGBT older adults to remain productive, vital, and contributing members of the nation’s workforce.” Now in its fourth year, SAGEWorks has programs in Chicago, New York City, Denver, Philadelphia, and Palm Springs.

Now, thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation, SAGEWorks has

come to South Florida, as a program managed and administrated by The Pride Center in conjunction with SAGE USA, SAGE of South Florida, AARP, and the Walmart Foundation.

According to Hilary Meyer, SAGE’s director of national programs, “SAGE was first introduced to the Walmart Foundation several years ago, when we joined a number of other national diverse elder organizations in a panel presentation to Walmart managers about diversity and aging issues. The panel was organized by AARP. As a result of our participation in that panel, we learned about the Walmart Foundation and its interest in funding programs that support older work-

ers who need help maintaining and growing their job skills. SAGE went through Walmart Foundation’s application process, and was awarded a grant for SAGEWorks.”

KEY TO SECURITY “SAGEWorks is designed to help LGBT workers age 40 and up maintain and grow their job skills so that they can remain productively employed as long as they need to,” Meyer says. “The SAGEWorks program is critically important because financial security is a central concern for LGBT older people, who are more likely to live in poverty. For LGBT people over 40, job security is complicated by the intersections of LGBT discrimination, the lack of legal protections in the workplace, and ageism,” she adds. “To help LGBT older adults stay competitive and fulfilled in today’s job market, SAGEWorks provides hands-on workshops

on topics such as resume building and interviewing techniques, technology training, and personal coaching. The program also provides targeted job listings, networking opportunities, and connections to regional employers and industries.”

In South Florida, SAGEWorks is managed by Bruce Williams, the Pride Center’s senior services coordinator. According to Williams, “SAGE of South Florida, a completely volunteer organization, had assessed their resources and determined they did not have the infrastructure to administer the program. Because the Pride Center and SAGE of South Florida have a long, successful history of collaboration, SAGE of South Florida and SAGE USA approached the Pride Center about coordinating the program. The Pride Center exhibits a proven track record of effective grant manage-

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20 Seattle Gay News

November 15, 2013

Celebrating 40 Years!

ment and program administration, and had the space and staff resources to provide the needed services. After lots of discussion and planning, we knew this could be a win-win collaboration for the local LGBTQ community.”

South Florida’s SAGEWorks program is administered through the Pride Center’s Senior Services Office and is managed by Williams with guidance from SAGE USA. Williams notes that “the grant from SAGE USA is directly with the Pride Center. Thankful-

hundreds of interested parties.”) The orientations provided access to the program and immediate enrollment in the AARP WorkSearch Program. This is “an on-line system that enables the user to self-assess their job skills, to match those skills to various professions, to seek and obtain training and to search for area jobs.” In all its endeavors, the Pride Center has the support of several community partners including the Royal Palms Resort, the City Credit Union, Target the Peninsula, the Stonewall National Mu-

ly, we have the full collaboration and support of SAGE of South Florida.” The center launched the SAGEWorks Program with a series of three two-hour orientations that were held this past August. Those interested in participating in any part of the program were required to attend.

seum and Archives, Cindy Kent of the SunSentinel, and Steve Rothaus of the Miami Herald.

According to Williams, “those individuals who completed orientation are eligible to enroll in our ten week computer course.”

The computer classes are taught by SAGE of South Florida President Ken Goodman, with the assistance of several Pride Center volunteers. Williams adds that “those interested individuals who missed out on our original endeavor will have an opportunity to become part of the program when we

“For LGBT people over 40, job security is complicated by the intersections of LGBT discrimination, the lack of legal protections in the workplace, and ageism.”

COMMUNITY SUPPORT Williams managed publicity and enrollments, and held meetings with interested individuals. (Williams notes that “in response to our publicity, we were overwhelmed with

repeat the orientation and computer-class combination once again in late December.” Meanwhile, “the final component of the program will be a series of three community-wide presentations and seminars that the Pride Center will organize to assist job seekers with such matters as resume writing, cover letter skills, one-on-one interviewing, and the use of social media to enhance job-search possibilities.” For more about SAGEWorks, visit www.sageusa.org/ programs/sageworks.cfm.

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November 15, 2013

Seattle Gay News 21

22 Seattle Gay News

November 15, 2013

Celebrating 40 Years!

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November 15, 2013

Seattle Gay News 23