SGN November 16, 2012 - Section 1

Issue 46 Volume 40

Celebrating 39 Years!

FRIDAY November 16, 2012 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & newsstands

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Getting same-sexmarried in Washington Our no-bullshit guide to tying the knot Joe Mabel

Another LGBT first for Washington state Openly Gay Sen. Ed Murray elected majority leader

nate gowdy / seattle gay news

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

King County Executive Dow Constantine

the who/what/where/when/why of same-sex marriage. (Please note that this article is not intended as Well, our long struggle has fi- legal advice.) nally ended. We’ve won marriage WHO equality in Washington state. Now, Marriage ceremonies can be permany in our community are surely wondering how, exactly, they formed by a licensed or ordained should go about getting hitched. religious official, court commisHere’s a brief guide, based on our own interviews and research, to see guide page 5

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer

Washington State Sen. Ed Murray (D-43) was elected Senate majority leader by his Democratic colleagues on November 13, succeeding retiring Sen. Lisa Brown (D-3).

According to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, Murray is the only openly Gay Senate majority leader in the country, as well as the highest-ranking Gay official in the state. He was previously chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for the state budget.

Murray told SGN that the election was “by acclamation,” with liberal Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-36) nominating him and conservative Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44) seconding the nomination. see murray page 6

Senator Ed Murray with his partner Michael Shiosaki at the Washington United for Marriage Election Day Party, November 6, 2012

Transgender woman Brandy Martell was murdered in April of this year.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Controversial law will pass

by December 31, officials say

echwalu

Tiffany Woods

Transgender Day of ‘Kill the Gays’ bill revived in Uganda Remembrance 2012

On November 20, Washingtonians will observe the 14th annual International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). TDOR is a day to memorialize those whose lives were lost due to anti-Transgender fear, bigotry, and hatred.

Around the world, communities plan vigils to remember those who have died in the previous year.

In recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance, GLSEN is asking students and faculty to work in their schools and GSAs to be more inclusive and supportive of Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth.

“Make sure that you are encouraging people to continue acknowlUgandan Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kadaga edging and addressing the issues that Transgender and gender-non- by Mike Andrew titled the Anti-Homosexuality conforming youth face, even after SGN Staff Writer Bill. On November 9, the speaker TDOR passes,” advised GLSEN promised a meeting of anti-Gay of Washington State officials in an Uganda’s parliament will pass activists that the bill, first introe-mail message to supporters. the infamous “Kill the Gays” bill duced in 2009, will pass this year.

Some Christian clergy at the by the end of this year, a top offiHOW TO BE meeting in the Ugandan capital, cial vowed on November 12.

TRANS-FRIENDLY Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kampala, asked the speaker to Here are some things that you Kadaga told the Associated Press pass the law as “a Christmas gift.” that Ugandans “are demanding” see uganda page 15 see transgender page 15 passage of the measure, formally

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op-ed

Magic time in D.C.

Let’s not miss our best opportunity to pass ENDA

by Mark Segal Philadelphia Gay News It’s “magic season” in Washington, D.C., but most of our LGBT media, bloggers, and lobbyists (such as the Human Rights Campaign) are not feeling that magic. Most are

Magic time in D.C. happens rarely. It comes every four to eight years and only when there is a true shift in popular sentiment that forces one of the major political parties to look inward and try to find their deficiencies.

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In Loving Memory Of

Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold

Americans are still not protected in employment. Military servicemembers are, and if you work for the U.S. government you are.

To our lobbyists in D.C., isn’t it time to use our political capital for the rest of the people?

First, ENDA must pass both the House

tripping over themselves to tell the Obama administration what they believe should be the LGBT priorities for the president’s second term. All their suggestions are worthy, but they’re all missing the real Washington magic.

Let’s take a cue from the Latino community. It’s the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue we should be focusing on – the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The Latino lobbyists understand the game: They have a focus and have made it simple for legislators to understand. For them, it’s the DREAM Act. For us, it should be the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Magic time in D.C. happens rarely. It comes every four to eight years and only when there is a true shift in popular sentiment that forces one of the major political parties to look inward and try to find their deficiencies. The season usually runs from Election Night to the end of the current congressional term, since the congressional leadership can count on the majority of outgoing members for their votes in trade for future assistance, and on current members looking for plum positions in the new Congress.

and Senate, and then be signed by the president – whose support we already have.

We know we also have the support of the Democratic leadership and the overwhelming majority of Democrats in the House and Senate. OK, here comes the problem, and a suggestion.

The holdup will be in the House of Representatives, whose speaker, Rep. John Boehner, controls all. If he wishes, legisla-

tion will make it to the floor and to a vote.

He does not necessarily have to have his name on the legislation. The point is, he has the Republican votes and the political pull to get ENDA through the House.

And as magic season has it, he’s very much aware of not only the future of the Republican Party in the House, but of those around him who want his job. That, my friends, spells opportunity. Choose your partner and dance. Anyone in for a foxtrot with Congressman Cantor?

CRUNCH TIME FOR GOP GAYS It’s time for our friends at GOProud and Log Cabin and people like Ken Mehlman to prove themselves. They should either, on their own or with a coalition of organizations, focus like a laser beam on ENDA and Boehner. If you guys don’t have the access, then it’s time for you to stand your ground, as Latinos have done with the DREAM Act. Ken, raising money for marriage equality will not wash the blood off your hands, but standing in front of the Capitol at a news conference fighting for ENDA will definitely start you on that path.

Here’s the rub: We have about four weeks left of this Congress. Think that is not enough time? Remember the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”? That’s all it took, just two years ago.

Mark Segal is the award-winning publisher of Philadelphia Gay News. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.

OUR TOP PRIORITY NOW ENDA is the only major item on our priority list that is not yet accomplished (or at least well on the way to being accomplished). It’s important, since most LGBT

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News

3

Local news

Getting what you deserve Health insurance and pensions after you get married

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer When Washington state voters approved Referendum 74, they intended to give loving, committed Gay and Lesbian couples all the rights that opposite-sex spouses enjoy, including the ability to provide health care and a secure retirement for our partners.

Unfortunately, rules governing health insurance and pensions are complicated, with some plans governed by the state’s newly approved Marriage Equality Act and others under federal laws that do not necessarily recognize same-sex marriages.

According to Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s office, all insurance plans regulated by the state are already required to offer same-sex partners the same benefits they offer opposite-sex spouses.

“We don’t anticipate any problems [with Gay and Lesbian married couples],” Kreidler’s spokesperson Stephanie Marquis told SGN. “When the domestic partner law passed [in 2009 as a result of Referendum 71], all state-regulated insurance plans were required to include coverage for registered domestic partners if the policies covered spouses. Under the new same-sex marriage law, same-sex couples would be treated the same as opposite-sex couples.”

STATE VS. FEDERAL LAW Marquis was quick to add that many insurance plans are not regulated by state law, and those might present some challenges to newly married Gay and Lesbian couples.

“One thing to point out is that our office only oversees state-regulated insurance

plans – not ERISA plans,” she cautioned.

“Those are overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor. I’m not certain how the federal government will treat spouses under our new state law.”

ERISA – the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 – is a federal law enacted to regulate employee benefit plans, including health insurance and pensions.

Many union benefits plans are administered under ERISA rather than state laws.

Because ERISA is a federal law, and DOMA forbids the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, the fact that many insurance and pension plans fall under ERISA adds an element of uncertainty for Gay and Lesbian spouses.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Labor Department, which administers ERISA, says that it has already developed policies to cover same-sex spouses.

“Because several states have already passed [marriage equality] laws we have developed some guidelines,” Labor Department spokesperson Deanne Amaden told SGN. “ERISA does not require group health plans to cover same-sex spouses of employees or prohibit plans from doing so,” she explained.

“If the plan’s benefits are provided under an insurance policy, state insurance law may determine whether same-sex spouses must be covered … If the plan says that it covers spouses or legal spouses, that term is likely to be interpreted against the backdrop of state law. As a consequence, if the applicable state law treats a couple as legally married, the spouse would likely be covered under that plan provision.”

SELF-INSURED EXEMPT One important exception is that “selfinsured plans are not subject to state insurance laws,” Amaden added.

A self-insured plan is one whereby employers directly assume the major cost of health care for their employees, rather than buying a group policy from an insurance

company. Some self-insured employers contract with insurance companies or thirdparty administrators for claims processing and other administrative services, while other self-insured plans are completely selfadministered.

Federal employees are also an exception, since the definition of “spouse” in their benefits package follows DOMA in excluding same-sex spouses, even if they are legally married in the state where they reside. This issue is at the core of several DOMA cases now before the U.S. Supreme Court, and may be legally resolved before the end of the court’s current term.

WHERE TO GET HELP If you or your newly married husband or wife are unfairly denied health coverage or pension benefits, there is legal recourse.

If you are not a federal employee, the first thing to do is to determine if your benefit plan is state-regulated, ERISA-regulated, or if your employer self-insures.

If your plan is state-regulated, a complaint to the Washington State Insurance Commissioner is in order. If your plan falls under ERISA, a call to the U.S. Department of Labor might be helpful.

At some point, you might need to take legal action to get health insurance or pension benefits for you or your spouse. The Washington Attorney General’s Office declined to weigh in on how that legal action should go forward.

“One of the spelled-out rules for our department is that we have to defend initiatives and referenda passed by the people and all laws passed by the legislature,” AG spokesperson Dan Sytman told SGN. “I’m hesitant to get into analysis of legal remedies because we might end up litigating this.”

If you do need to hire an attorney to pursue a claim against an insurance company or an employer, QLaw has a directory of 170 lawyers on their website. Each attorney lists his or her specialty, so you will be able to find one familiar with employment and benefits cases.

lies have a voice at the table, are represented in the negotiations, and are hearing the truth from their elected officials about what’s at U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington stake and what the choices we face mean for state – now stepping down from a trium- them.” phant term as chair of the Democratic SenaFIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS torial Campaign Committee – will chair the Murray’s predecessor as Budget chair, Senate’s powerful Budget Committee bewhile a Democrat, was known as a “Blue ginning in January.

The current Budget chair, Sen. Kent Con- Dog” – a deficit hawk who was willing to cut deals with Republicans to reduce federal rad (D-N.D.) did not seek re-election.

As DSCC chair, Murray was instrumental spending. Murray will take a different apin ensuring that Democrat Heidi Heitkamp proach, Zupnick told SGN. “Senator Murray has been very clear that won election to Conrad’s seat.

A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Senate, she will never accept a deal that isn’t fair for Murray has served on the Budget Commit- the middle class or that places the burden of tee since arriving in the capital. She is also a deficit reduction on the backs of the most member of the equally powerful Appropria- vulnerable,” he said.

“And she is going to keep fighting to make tions Committee, and has been Democratic conference secretary – number four in the sure we are investing in our people and our Senate Democratic leadership – since 2007. communities, protecting the most vulneraIn an e-mail to SGN, Murray spokesper- ble, and calling on the wealthiest Americans son Eli Zupnick confirmed that she will be to pay their fair share.”

In spite of their differences in approach, the next Budget chair, and added that Murray will use the position to protect vulner- outgoing Budget chair Conrad had nothing but praise for Murray. able families.

“She’s exceptional. She’s somebody that “As she has done throughout her career, [Sen. Murray] is going to use every tool at gets things done. I have the highest regard her disposal to fight for the middle class and for her,” he told the Politico blog. most vulnerable families in Washington OFF THE CLIFF? state and across the country,” Zupnick said.

Murray made headlines in July when she “She is also going to make sure all fami-

courtesy patty murray

Patty Murray to chair Senate Budget Committee

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Senator Patty Murray

said that budget negotiations with congressional Republicans might be easier if the country went off the so-called “fiscal cliff” first – thereby wiping out the relevance of GOP gadfly Grover Norquist’s “no new taxes” pledge, which almost all Congressional Republicans have signed.

Now Murray seems poised to make that happen. In any event, Murray is already saying that her approach to her new duties

is not limited to budget-cutting measures.

“I think what’s been lacking from our discussion for a long time is really that other part of what a Budget chair does, which is set the priorities for this country in terms of making sure we invest in the right places – in education, in job training – and to make sure we do a balanced approach moving forward,” Murray told reporters as she left the Senate chamber.

Rich Full-Bodied Cafes Savory Homestyle Soups & Sandwiches 4

Seattle Gay News

November 16, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

R-74 approved! Now what?

MARRIAGE LAW EXPLAINED The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington has put together an event to explain the new marriage equality law in Washington. It takes place December 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Town Hall Seattle, 1119 E. 8th Ave. David Ward of Legal Voice, Public Interest Law Group and ACLU coop-

DON’T SUPPORT BIGOTS It is no big secret that weddings are a moneymaker for a lot of service-based businesses that specialize in flowers, hotel rooms, catering, and so on. There are an awful lot of businesses that are salivating to have your special day be their special pay.

To avoid giving business to a non-LGBTQ

On December 6, should you so choose, you can get married to your same-sex partner.

For some, that will be as easy as paying for the license, standing in line, and getting the stamp of approval from the state that you are, in fact, married. But for others, the process is a daunting one.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor November 6, 2012, will go down in history as a day when landmark progress was made for LGBTQ Americans. Voters in Washington, Maine, Maryland, and Minnesota all took a stand in support of marriage equality. There’s no two ways about it – Election Day 2012 was the biggest win the LGBTQ community has ever had in a single day.

On December 6, should you so choose, you can get married to your same-sex partner. For some, that will be as easy as paying for the license, standing in line, and getting the stamp of approval from the state that you are, in fact, married. But for others, the process is a daunting one. Because the big-

guide

continued from cover sioner, or judge. Remember that the law does not require any church official to perform a same-sex marriage.

WHAT There is a fee to acquire a marriage license, which varies by county. In King County, the fee is $64.

WHERE A marriage license can be purchased from any county, usually at the county auditor’s office (in King County, this office is known as the Recorder’s Office). You are not required to purchase the license from the county where you live or plan to hold the marriage ceremony – anywhere in Washington is fine. Visit http://access.wa.gov/living/ resources/marriage.aspx for a list of offices that issue marriage licenses.

WHEN “The Governor and the Secretary of State will certify the election results. Once the election results are certified, the law will go into effect at midnight on the sixth [of December],” State Rep. Jamie Pedersen told SGN. This means that on Thursday, December 6, 2012, same-sex couples will be allowed to apply for marriage licenses. Since state law requires all couples, same-sex or otherwise, to wait three days after obtaining a marriage license before having their wedding, the first day ceremonies can be held is December 9. Under no circumstances can the three-day waiting period be waived.

In King County, the marriage license becomes valid for use on the third day and is then valid for 60 days. The wedding must take place within the 60-day period or you must purchase a new license.

King County Executive Dow Constantine will open the King County Recorder’s Office at 12:01 a.m. on December 6, imme-

ots spent decades trying to tear our families apart and separate children from their parents – you name it and these jerks have tried it – many LGBTQ marriages are, well, … different. Some couples were married in a different state. Does that have anything to do with the process they should go through if they want to get married in the state they live in? The correct answer should be “no.”

But the truthful answer is, “I don’t know.”

And neither do you (for the most part).

Several LGBTQ and Allied organizations are providing information, answers to questions, and helping to coordinate the very exciting steps that will take place in the days ahead as our state prepares for the first legal marriages of same-sex couples in Washington history. diately upon certification of the November election, to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

“I don’t want couples to wait a minute longer than legally necessary to get the rights that voters have recognized,” said Constantine, who will personally sign the first marriage licenses at 12:01 a.m.

Be advised that King County is expecting a huge demand for marriage licenses, so be prepared to wait in line, especially if you go during the first few days.

Superior Court Judge Mary Yu is already booked to officiate a ceremony at 12:01 a.m. on December 9 – possibly the first same-sex marriage in the state.

“I feel honored and privileged to be officiating over same-sex marriages, since I have always enjoyed officiating at weddings – it’s one of the happy things we do as judges! Of course, as a member of the LBGT community, I feel particularly honored and proud.

I do not know if my 12:01 a.m. wedding is the first in Washington – it may be the first in King County. I am getting a number of requests especially from couples where I have presided over adoption hearings involving their children,” Judge Yu told SGN. The judge’s bailiff, Takao Yamada, said they’ve already received requests for ceremonies as far out as November 2013.

Lastly, the King County Marriage Licensing website offers a nifty little timer, the “Marriage Equality Countdown,” at www. kingcounty.gov/marriage.

WHY (for domestic partners and outof-state folks) Here’s where things get a bit complicated.

If you’re already in a registered domestic partnership with the person you plan to marry, you will need to apply and pay for a marriage license and go through the ceremony, like all other couples. Once you are married, your domestic partnership is officially dissolved.

Please note that all same-sex registered domestic partners in the state will receive two notices in the mail from the Secretary of

erating attorney Hank Balson, Shelbi Day of Lambda Legal, and Jill Mullins of the QLaw Foundation will discuss legal issues that persist around marriage due to federal and state failures to recognize same-sex marriages. The panelists will discuss what happens if you get married in Washington and will explain the ways that state and federal laws impact the realization of full marriage equality.

“Our panel of experts will answer questions about taxes, insurance, Social Security benefits, immigration, parental rights, and more,” ACLU officials said in a release.

“They will also discuss the potential of the Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and what the decision could mean for married same-sex couples.” This is a free, all-ages event.

allied company, check out the Greater Seattle Business Association resource list at www.gsba.org.

If you would like to support LGBTQfriendly businesses as you plan a wedding, seek legal or financial advice, or are in the market for wedding gifts, this list has you covered.

Also, as you plan your wedding and/or buy gifts for others, Equal Rights Washington encourages you to support businesses that endorsed the campaign, or consult the HRC Buyers’ Guide to identify LGBTQfriendly businesses.

For answers to your legal questions, Legal Voice has put together a memo titled Questions and Answers: Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in Washington. It can be found online at www.legalvoice.org.

State’s office, explaining much of the information below. The first notice will be sent within 60 days of the date of the election certification on December 6.

It is important to understand that unless one partner is 62 years of age or older, your domestic partnership will be altered or dissolved on June 30, 2014. This is because R-74 phases out domestic partnerships except for senior couples. One partner must be

62 years of age or older on June 30, 2014, to retain the domestic partnership.

If neither partner will be 62 on that date, here are your options: (1) You can apply for a marriage license on December 6 like everyone else and proceed with your marriage after the three-day waiting period.

An open letter to the Washington state LGBT community The holidays are once again upon us.

And while many of us will enjoy family dinners, unwrapping of gifts, and the company of loved ones, there are many homeless youths within our community who will be far less fortunate. Today, like so many of our friends, we live life surrounded by loving families that support us as proud, openly Gay individuals. However, far too many LGBT youth don’t receive this acceptance from their families and are pushed out of their homes. These individuals lose not only their shelter, decent clothing, and a reliable source of food, but also the love and education that all children deserve. Mother Teresa once said, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. However, the poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty.”

While each of us controls our destiny to pursue our dreams, we are one community, and we rise or fall together. As one community, we work to build on the promise of equality and dignity for every human being.

To that end I have joined forces as Mr. Gay Washington with reigning Miss Gay Seattle DonnaTella Howe and Miss Gay Tacoma Heather Hysteria to help provide that lov-

ing atmosphere for the LGBT community.

I invite you to join us Saturday, December 8, at the Broadway Grill where DonnaTella, Heather, and I will be hosting “The Holidays with Isis Show.” This benefit is our opportunity to raise awareness about the issue of homeless LGBT youths and to help raise desperately needed funds to support shelter, food, and furthering education programs.

We are extremely proud of our sponsors and grateful to each of them for their support to make this event a success: The Broadway Grill, Seattle Gay News, Social Outreach Seattle, The Imperial Court of Tacoma, The Imperial Court of Snohomish County, and The Imperial Court of Seattle.

We proved on November 6 at the ballot box that the LGBT community is greater than the sum of our individual ambitions.

We are more hopeful than ever before about our ability to create a brighter future. DonnaTella, Heather, and I ask you to join us in this enormous task to help the next generation of our community. Something better awaits them, as long as we have the love and compassion to keep reaching, to keep working, and to keep fighting for equality and opportunity.

see Guide page 18

Julian Gaspay Mr. Gay Washington 2012-13 Seattle City LGBT Commissioner

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

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

206-838-6027 or 206-898-4306

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November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News

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by Luzviminda “Lulu” Carpenter Special to the SGN On the evening of Friday, November 9, genderqueer and fierce youth, young adults, and adult allies brought noise and joy to All Pilgrims Church on Broadway. The air was fraught with the possibilities of another world being ushered in. That Friday represented what the next generation was bringing forth in regards to challenging gender and sexuality and creating new identities, cultures, families, and communities.

When you first entered the space, there

Jen DeLeo

Youth demonstrate the power of gender and fierceness sangkay, Phin Dauphe, and Raven Taylor. A community of youth and advocates for LGBTQ youth not only sponsored this event, but did intensive outreach for this night.

Those organizations consisted of Health Education Youth Outreach (HEYO) of Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Queer Youth Space (QYS), API Chaya’s PANDICORNS, and their network of supporters. The organizations made calls and networked with youth providers from the north end all the way to South King County to get youth in the room.

Also, QYS did tons of peer-to-peer outreach – in the days leading up to the event, I saw Jen DeLeo

Space were also distributed. There was so much momentum building up to the moment when heels, glitter, mustaches, beards, and a combination of all that and more hit the tiny stage at the front of the room.

DRAG SHOW VIRGINS When Aleksa Manila began the show, there were not enough chairs because the crowd was so large. The audience was filled with under-24-year-olds and a few adult allies scattered in the audience with wristbands. Manila asked who had been to a drag performance before, and fewer than 25 youths’ hands shot up in an audience of 250.

When the answers were tallied, there was a sense that an historic moment was happening and that a cultural shift is possible in our world. The performers were a mix of seasoned and new, up-and-coming talent, political spoken-word, and historic drag.

The audience was energized and there were many standing ovations.

To witness the look in their eyes was a rare moment that I hope happens again. As performers talked about sex in a joking fashion

murray

continued from cover

was a host of complexities that hit your senses. The church was packed with smiling and awkward faces brimming with excitement over what could possibly happen in the next few minutes. The youth event organizers within the building had worked extremely hard with adult allies for an event called “Gender Fierce,” a drag/gender variety show and dance party for the whole gender spectrum, and there were international and local Queer subculture superstars about to perform. For instance, the much-loved drag queen Aleksa Manila was hosting that night and bringing her usual warmth, generosity, fierce beauty, and pose. Performers included Jinkx Monsoon, The Luminous Pariah, Coranaya, Malaya Anja, Lovell L’Oreal, Donte Johnson, Theo Garcia, Nicole Ma-

posters all over town and at other youth events. Before this night, every time I ran into youth on the streets, they would hand me a flyer to remind me about the night. The people in the room had worked hard and the streams of parents who conducted carpools, the bus tokens that were provided, and the service providers who brought vanloads of youth from distant locations all deserve much appreciation.

The walls were lined with community organizations like the NW Network playing games to discuss healthy friendships and relationships with prizes. Other organizations provided HIV testing and gave out $10 Starbucks gift cards through Gay City Health, and safe-sex packets designed for gendervariant partners created by Queer Youth

and in the same breath reminded audience members of its serious side, there was a sense of comfort and the acknowledgement of a “head-nod” stating, “It is okay to be you and feel what you feel – please take care and be safe.”

Performers talked about personal struggles where they felt alone and as hands shot up to praise and thank them for their words and performances, they stood in their glory (especially the youth ones), holding host Manila’s hand as she reminded them to take it in, and that they deserve to be seen, and that they are not alone. That night, people walked in alone, dragging their feet in nervousness and excitement of the unknown, but by the end, everyone was dancing the night away. “Gender Fierce” reminded me of a new generation of LGBTQ organizers, community members, educators, activists, artists, youth workers, service providers, and performers across the spectrum of culture, gender, and sexual diversity coming together in celebration, acceptance, and a willingness to learn from each other’s stories of joy and pain. the Democratic majority before. Last year, along with retiring Democrat Jim Kastama (D-25), they joined Republicans to seize parliamentary control of the Senate and pass an all-cuts budget. If they vote with Republicans once again, and if Benton holds on to his seat, the GOP would have a one-vote majority.

Nevertheless, Murray rejected the powersharing proposal as unworkable.

“The Senate needs to be able to function,” and conduct pressing business including a court-ordered mandate to fund the state’s school system, he told SGN. “The key issues are funding K-12 and higher ed,” Murray said. “Plus dealing with the effects of the economic crisis. We have to stabilize our budget. And we have to find literally billions to fund education.”

It was a show of unanimity that Murray may look back on with longing as he tries to manage a four- or five-vote Democratic majority – one Senate race is still too close to call – and two recalcitrant Democrats who have publicly advocated a power-sharing arrangement with Republicans.

Murray says he is not worried about the prospects of a narrow Democratic majority.

“Going back a long time now – several decades – the Senate has had pretty close majorities,” he told SGN. “You can manage it on an issue-by-issue basis. On some issues, we can expect that some moderate to conservative senators will be with us – like Sen. Tom was on marriage, for example. On others, there will be DIFFERS WITH INSLEE disagreement. You just have to be open and Murray dismissed newly elected Gov. honest about the disagreements.”

Jay Inslee’s promise that he would not raise state taxes.

DEMS’ MAJORITY TENUOUS “That’s his position,” Murray said flatly.

The Senate currently has 26 Democrats “Mine is that we put together a coalition of and 22 Republicans. The race for the 17th labor leaders, business people, people in District Senate seat is still undecided. At education – that we find a ‘grand bargain.’ press time, incumbent Republican Don We have to find a way to increase revenue.

Benton leads Democratic challenger Tim We can also reform some programs to cut Probst by 65 votes. costs.”

To make matters even more complicated While he clearly has his work cut out for for Murray, nominal Democrats Rodney him as majority leader, Murray would not Tom (D-48) and Tim Sheldon (D-35) have rule out running for mayor of Seattle in advocated an odd arrangement whereby 2013.

Republicans would nominate co-leaders “Majority leaders run for office all the and committee co-chairs to run the Senate time,” he said. “They run for Congress, they alongside the Democratic leadership. run for the Senate, they run for mayor. All Tom and Sheldon have defected from the time.”

Come meet Tim and Matt and join the family.

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

206-838-6027 or 206-898-4306 6

Seattle Gay News

November 16, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On November 13, community members from a cross-section of the Washington state LGBTQ and Allied communities attended a Communities of Color Approve R-74 celebration at Washington Hall (153 14th Ave.).

The event was a collaboration between the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Western States Center as a way

alition that successfully defended the freedom to marry at the ballot box, reported that nearly 200 organizations and individuals from Communities of Color statewide endorsed the campaign. The broad support came from civic and tribal leaders, elected officials, and groups representing Asian/ Pacific American, Latino, African American, and Native American communities that focus on issues such as immigrant advocacy, sexual and domestic violence, human

“To everyone who gave a dollar, knocked on a door, called voters, talked to strangers and friends, donated food, put up a yard sign, signed an op-ed or letter to the editor, and talked about why we needed to keep moving forward on so many fronts, let’s celebrate.” to say “thank you” for the tireless efforts of community members in preserving Washington’s Marriage Equality Law, which voters affirmed November 6.

“To everyone who gave a dollar, knocked on a door, called voters, talked to strangers and friends, donated food, put up a yard sign, signed an op-ed or letter to the editor,

courtesy wUm

Communities of Color celebrate marriage equality

trafficking, LGBT Latino health, and civil rights advocacy for people of color.

Among the endorsers were the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition, a statewide network of community organizations; Entre Hermanos, an organization serving Seattle’s Latino LGBT community; the Latino Community Fund of Washington, the leading philan-

Darrell and Marshan Goodwin-Moultry

courtesy marination station

“With this historic election, there can be no denying that this is a watershed moment for Gay and Lesbian families in America,” said James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Project when it was confirmed that voters had approved R-74. “Not long ago, marriage for same-sex couples was unimaginable.

In a remarkably short time, we have seen courts start to rule in favor of the freedom to marry, then legislatures affirm it, and now the people vote for it as well. Today’s election illustrates both the astonishing pace of change on this issue as well as America’s commitment to fairness for everyone.”

homemade blueberry pie at phone banks to speaking on Spanish-language radio shows, our community has shown up in countless (and often thankless) ways as the backbone of this campaign.

“On November 1, more than 50 people came out to call Communities of Color.

This included 15 volunteers who made calls in Spanish, allowing voters to speak about this issue in their home language. Over the course of two hours more than 2,000 calls were made – that’s around 40 per person!

On November 3, the same group knocked on 245 doors in 3 hours.

“On Election Day,” continued Jackson, “we can all be proud of the commitment, ACLU A TRAILBLAZER dedication, and hard work so many have The ACLU founded the LGBT Project in made for marriage equality.”

1986 and was an early endorser of same-sex marriage in Washington State.

MY PERSONAL STORY “Everyone in America deserves equal I was fortunate to be a part of the ACLU treatment under the law regardless of sexual of Washington collaborative with Why Marorientation, including the right to marry the riage Matters Washington and the Washingpartner of your choice,” ACLU officials said ton United for Marriage Communities of in a message posted on their website, www. Color Endorse R-74 campaign. Although aclu-wa.org. “The ACLU works for equal I am a white male, my husband, Yee-Shin rights and legal protections against discrim- Huang, is a member of the Asian/Pacific ination and harassment of LGBT people.”

Islander (API) community; we represented “The ACLU of Washington would like mix-race couples. to thank all of the amazing volunteers who Yee-Shin and I were featured on the camhave made the campaign to Approve Ref- paign’s website, in which I was quoted, “It erendum 74 one of the largest efforts our is very difficult and exhausting explaining state has ever seen,” said Dean Jackson, out- what ‘partner’ means. Everyone underreach coordinator for ACLU of Washington. stands marriage. We call each other hus“Hundreds of volunteers have spent thou- bands because that is what we are to each sands of hours making phone calls, knock- other. We want to make sure that for the rest ing on doors, and talking to voters to secure the freedom to marry for Gay and Lesbian couples in the state. From dropping off see communities page 18

Roz Edison and Kamala Saxton

and talked about why we needed to keep moving forward on so many fronts, let’s celebrate,” read the invite. “Justice, love, and equality prevail!”

Organizations present at the celebration included Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea), Entre Hermanos, Why Marriage Matters Washington, and many others. Catering was provided by Marination Station and music

by Diego Coy. Washington United for Marriage, the co-

thropic organization for Latinos in Washington; the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization; One America Votes, the state’s largest immigrant rights organization; the Organization of Chinese Americans of Greater Seattle; the Suquamish Tribe; and the Black Collective, a volunteer leadership organization which addresses issues impacting the African American community of Tacoma and Pierce County.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News

7

national news Return to sender UPS’ charitable arm defunds Boy Scouts

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The UPS Foundation announced November 12 that it would no longer fund the Boy Scouts of America because of the BSA’s anti-Gay policy.

“The UPS Foundation seeks to support

dation in our own policies. These include, but are not limited to, race, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, pregnancy, age, and religion.”

The UPS Foundation was created in 1951 to channel charitable giving from United Parcel Service, Inc., and its employees. In

“All of the great work that the BSA does to help young people will continue to be overshadowed by their blatant discrimination until they join other inclusive organizations like the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and the 4-H Club.” organizations that are in alignment with our focus areas, guidelines, and non-discrimination policy,” the foundation said in a statement posted on its website.

“UPS and The UPS Foundation do not discriminate against any person or organization with regard to categories protected by applicable law, as well as other categories protected by UPS and The UPS Foun-

2011, the organization distributed $93.5 million overall. In 2010, the last year for which a report is available, it gave BSA affiliates $167,000.

LGBT-FRIENDLY UPS has consistently received high marks on their non-discrimination policies and on the HRC Corporate Equality Index, an practices toward LGBT employees and conannual survey that rates U.S. corporations sumers.

According to GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), UPS has spent the last several months developing

new grant guidelines, and it now requires recipients to affirm that their non-discrimination policies align with those of the UPS Foundation. Groups unable or unwilling to do so are no longer eligible for funding.

Eagle Scout Zach Wahls, founder of Scouts for Equality and the son of two Lesbians, said he hoped the decision – and similar steps by other corporate donors – would influence BSA policy.

“UPS showed true bravery today in standing with the 80,000 Americans [who signed Wahls’ Change.org petition], including thousands of Scouts and Scout leaders, who oppose the Boy Scouts’ hurtful anti-Gay policy,” Wahls told the Associated Press.

BIGOTRY BAD FOR BUSINESS “That bravery is what Scouting is all about. Corporate America gets it better than most: policies that discriminate aren’t simply wrong, they’re bad for business and they’re hurting the Scouting community. You would think that after all the Boy Scouts have lost as a result of this policy, they would understand that.”

In September, the Intel Foundation said it would no longer fund the BSA as long as the Scouts maintain a discriminatory policy.

BSA troops and councils that decide not to adhere to the ban on Gays may still apply for support from the Intel Foundation, the company added.

“More and more corporate leaders are enacting strong non-discrimination policies for practices including grant funding and hiring,” GLAAD president Herndon Graddick said.

“Equality is not only good for business, but supported by a vast majority of Americans. The time is now for the BSA to end this outdated and unpopular ban before other corporate funders pull dollars and scouting families drop their support. All of the great work that the BSA does to help young people will continue to be overshadowed by their blatant discrimination until they join other inclusive organizations like the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and the 4-H Club.”

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and Ernst & Young CEO James Turley sit on the BSA’s national board, and both have publicly called on the organization to end its discriminatory policy.

8

Seattle Gay News

November 16, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News

9

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November 16, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

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November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News 11

Dennis Gracia (Moved to RAVEN Barbershop)

1213 Pine St. Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 701- 4784

12 Seattle Gay News

November 16, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

ryan cook

Arizona gets one right

Kyrsten Sinema elected first openly Bisexual member of Congress (home to Arizona State University), southern Phoenix, and the upscale town of Paradise Valley, where Parker once served as Democrat Kyrsten Sinema became the mayor. first open Bisexual to be elected to Congress when all the votes were counted in a tight A SOLID TRACK RECORD race to represent Arizona’s new Ninth ConSinema is a veteran politician, having gressional District. served in both the Arizona House and SenSinema led her Republican challenger, ate. As a state representative, she sponsored Vernon Parker, from the beginning and her a 2006 resolution urging Congress to pass lead increased to nearly 6,000 votes by No- the DREAM Act. vember 12, too great a lead for Parker to That same year, she co-chaired Arizona overcome.

Together, the statewide coalition to defeat a She joins five other openly LGBT can- ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions. didates elected to House seats this year. Two years later, she led the campaign Jared Polis of Colorado and David Cicil- against a similar proposal, but was unsucline of Rhode Island won re-election; Sean cessful. She then led a successful campaign Patrick Maloney defeated incumbent Nan to defeat a proposal to eliminate equal opHayworth to win a seat in New York; Mark portunity programs in the state. As a state Takano will represent California’s new 41st senator in 2010, she sponsored a bill to give District; and Mark Pocan will succeed Tam- in-state tuition to veterans. my Baldwin in her Wisconsin CongressioIn 2005 and 2006, the Sierra Club named nal district. Baldwin left her House seat to Sinema “Most Valuable Player,” and in run successfully for the U.S. Senate.

2005 she was named Stonewall Democrats’ Gay Republican Richard Tisei lost to Legislator of the Year. In 2006 she won Democrat John Tierney in the race for the Planned Parenthood’s CHOICE Award, the Kyrsten Sinema Massachusetts House seat being vacated by Legislator of the Year Award from both the Barney Frank.

Arizona Public Health Association and the In 2010, Sinema was one of Time Maga- her “too liberal” for the district, but she was Arizona’s Ninth District was created in National Association of Social Workers, zine’s “40 Under 40” – a list of the nation’s able to paint him as a Tea Party supporter who wanted to eliminate the federal Departredistricting after the 2010 census, and in- and the Legislative Hero Award from Ari- most influential young civic leaders. cludes Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Tempe zona’s League of Conservation Voters.

Predictably, Sinema’s opponent labeled ment of Education.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

No mercy

After election, Catholic bishops double down on anti-equality stance QvisDevs

The group added that it was “profoundly BLAMING THE VOTERS disappointed” that the bishops plan to conArchbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of tinue their current anti-LGBT advocacy.

San Francisco, chairman of the bishops’ subcommittee on the promotion of defense A CALL FOR CHANGE and marriage, gave an update on the orgaCatholics United and Faithful America nization’s work in this area, and he seemed delivered a petition signed by some 20,000 to blame Catholic parishioners for failing to Catholics calling on the bishops to “refocus understand the Church’s teaching. their attention on caring for the poor and “Last Tuesday was a disappointing day vulnerable” and to end what it described as for marriage,” he said in a public statement. the USCCB’s “association” with the Repub- “Many people simply do not understand lican Party. [that] marriage is ... the only institution that Jon O’Brien, director of Catholics for unites a man and a woman to each other and Choice, said the USCCB conference was to any children born of their union.” “an opportunity for the bishops to realize He called marriage a “child-centered” inthe error of their ways.” stitution whose meaning is “written in our Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the nature.”

Equally Blessed said it had hoped that election results in four states would “drive home the need for the bishops to take seriously the concerns of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Catholics and their families.”

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer One week to the day after voters in four states embraced marriage equality, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) doubled down on its opposition to Gay and Lesbian marriages.

As the bishops met at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore on November 13,

pro-equality and pro-choice Catholics demonstrated outside.

Equally Blessed, a coalition of Catholic groups that advocate for LGBT rights, including Dignity U.S.A. and New Ways Ministry, said it had hoped that election results in four states would “drive home the need for the bishops to take seriously the concerns of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Catholics and their families.”

Visit us online www.sgn.org

USCCB’s president, did not meet with the protesters.

A vehement opponent of marriage equality, Dolan used the occasion to reiterate the Church’s view that traditional one-manone-woman marriage is an inviolable part of Catholic doctrine.

At a November 13 news conference, Dolan cited a study showing that the proequality forces in Washington had outspent equality opponents by a 12-to-1 margin.

“There’s no denying we lost in these states on an issue we feel very passionately about,” Dolan said. “We can’t deny that there’s a new push coming from the other side.”

The bishops must look for ways to make their case more convincingly, Dolan said, and in the process he hoped they would learn from the way they dealt with the abortion issue years ago.

“Our opponents had succeeded in defining the issue as a matter of ‘choice,’ making us look like a side that favored restricting choice rather than the one that supported life,” he said. “We need to find a way to position ourselves as pro-marriage.”

Cordileone, formerly bishop of Oakland, is known as the “Father of Prop 8” because of his tireless campaigning against LGBT rights in California.

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, the host of the conference and the leading Catholic patriarch in a state that just passed marriage equality, agreed that Catholic lay people do not understand marriage.

“Are [the results] concerning? Sure they are,” Lori told Baltimore Sun reporters between sessions at the bishops’ conference.

“We do face a challenge in communicating the true nature of marriage and its importance to society. But there’s always prayer, teaching, and catechizing to be done, and we plan to continue doing just that.”

In his keynote address to the USCCB conference, Dolan called for a “new evangelization” that would re-connect Catholics with church doctrines, including “a supporting and protecting of marriage, married couples, and family life.”

In the USCCB’s Draft Strategic Plan, posted on the conference website, the bishops say they will specifically target “young people, inactive Catholics, and married couples and parents” with their evangelization drive.

November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News 13

northwest news

24TH ANNUAL BEST OF THE NORTHWEST FALL ART & FINE CRAFTS SHOW NOVEMBER 16-18 On Friday and Saturday, November 16 and 17, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, November 18, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91, next to the Magnolia Bridge (2001 W. Garfield St.), the Northwest Art Alliance presents the 24th Annual Best of the Northwest Fall Art & Fine Crafts Show, featuring 250 juried artists, designers and craftspeople.

Enjoy continuous live music and strolling performers. 15 boutique wineries from Family Wineries of Washington State will be offering tastings throughout the event.

The Indie fashion show on Saturday will spotlight 25 regional designers from classic styling to retro or the latest upcycled fashions. Tickets: $6 advance, $8 at the door.

Ample parking available for $5 all day. www.nwartalliance.com.

IMPERIAL COURT OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY – EMPRESS EXPRESS WEEKEND THRU NOVEMBER 18 The Imperial Sovereign Court of Snohomish County, Empire of Dreams, presents Empress Express Weekend, hosted by Her Most Imperial Sovereign Majesty, The Fire Crystal Rose, the First Triple Crowned Dream Empress XXIII, the Surreal Gerri Crystal Peters Lake.

All events at Bar Myx (1212 California St., Everett).

On Friday, November 16, Gerri hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner from 6-8:30 p.m. prepared by the Imperial Court, following by dancing. Cost is $10.

On Saturday, November 17, Gerri hosts the “Blankets of Love Fundraiser & Show,” doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Cost: $5 and baby blanket.

On Sunday, November 18, Gerri hosts “Movies in Our PJs: Old Time Movies to Relax To.” Hot dogs and popcorn. Cost: $5.

14 Seattle Gay News

SEATTLE RED CEDAR CIRCLE – TWO-SPIRIT CIRCLE On Friday, November 16, from 7:30-9:30 p.m., at Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church (3201 Hunter Blvd. S.), the Seattle Red Cedar Circle will be hosting a TwoSpirit Circle. Johnny Moses, a master storyteller, oral historian, traditional healer and respected spiritual leader of the Si.Si.Wiss Medicine Teachings, will bring out gender teachings of the Northwest Coast Salish tribes. The event is free, with donations accepted for the teachings and building use.

The meeting is held in the church basement, accessible through the back entrance of the church.

MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE – THE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS On Friday, November 16, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, November 18, at 6 p.m., at the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, Benaroya Hall (3rd Ave. & Union St.), Music of Remembrance presents Victor Ullmann’s opera, The Emperor of Atlantis. MOR’s fall concert will also explore the lives and music of two emigre composers, Swiss-born Ernest Bloch and Latvian-born Marc Lavry, who left Europe in the 1930s to escape the Nazi threat. Both were deeply influenced by their roots in Jewish musical traditions.

Tickets: $36. www.musicofremembrance. org; 206-215-4747.

IMPERIAL COURT OF SEATTLE’S KING & QUEEN OF THE SEAS – “THE BIG GAY SPELLING BEE!” On Saturday, November 17, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., at The Grill on Broadway (314 Broadway E.), King of the Seas Adaam King and Queen of the Seas Olivia LaGarce host “The Big Gay Spelling Bee!”, a fundraiser for Camp Ten Trees (providing summer camp opportunities for LGBT children and children of LGBT parents) with DJ Tony Burns. No cover. Donations encouraged. www.imperialcourtofseattle.com.

November 16, 2012

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

DENNIS MILAM BENSIE – BOOK READING AT DOGHOUSE LEATHERS On Sunday, November 18, at 5 p.m., Doghouse Leathers (1312 E. Pike St.) presents Dennis Milam Bensie reading from and signing his new book One Gay American, and his book, Shorn: Toys to Men. www.doghouseleathers.com TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE 2012 On Tuesday, November 20, at 7 p.m., at Ravenna United Methodist Church (5751 33rd Ave. NE), The Emerald City Social Club with the support of the Ravenna U.M.C. and Wallingford U.M.C. will host a nonreligious ceremony to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance 2012, a day to memorialize those whose lives were lost due to anti-Transgender fear, bigotry, and hatred. All are welcome. TDORSeattle@CenturyLink.net; www.theemeraldcity.org.

On Tuesday, November 20, at 8 p.m., at University of Puget Sound Chapel (1500 N. Warner St., in Tacoma), the Gender Alliance of the South Sound will host a memorial gathering to commemorate TDOR 2012. www.southsoundgender.com.

SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BOOK CLUB – MR. FORTUNE’S MAGGOT 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 Sylvia Townsend Warner’s novel, Mr. Fortune’s Maggot, the story of a Christian missionary who goes off to a remote South Seas island where he’s the only white man, and manages to make one convert, a beautiful young island boy. With breathtaking, elegant sentences, that Oscar Wilde would approve of highly, Warner tells a deceptively simple story that’s actually about real love. It’s a story you’ve never read before, with a Rob-

inson Crusoe and his boy Friday you’ll never forget. All GLBTQ folks are welcome to participate in this free book club. For more information, email nickdimartin@earthlink.net, visit http://faculty.washington.edu/ swittet/SGLBookClub/ or contact SASG at 206-322-2437; www.sasgcc.org. For discount on cost of books, email Nick.

SPANKSGIVING On Thursday, November 22, from 9 p.m.12 midnight, at The Cuff Complex (13th Ave. & E. Pine St.), Generic Leather Productions of WA presents “Spanksgiving,” a fun and games type fundraiser which will benefit GLPW’s Kink LINCS leather conference in 2013. This year’s spankings will be handed out by Gene Romaine and Gina Hunting, plus boot blacking down by International Community Bootblack Ruin and former Northwest Community Bootblack Scout. Kink LINCS is a Leadership and Community Building Symposium that will be held in the heart of downtown Seattle.

SEATTLE LEATHER DADDY & SEATTLE DADDY’S BOY CONTEST NOVEMBER 23-25 On Friday, November 23, at 8 p.m., Seattle Men in Leather (SML) hosts the Seattle Leather Daddy and Seattle Daddy’s Boy Contest Meet & Greet Leather Social at Doghouse Leathers (1533 13th Ave.). Come meet and socialize with contestants, judges, and SML members at this free community event to kick off the weekend.

On Saturday, November 24, door at 6 p.m., contest from 7-9 p.m., at The Cuff Complex (13th Ave. & E. Pine St.), SML presents the 2012-2013 Seattle Leather Daddy and Seattle Daddy’s boy Contest.

Cost: $10.

On Sunday, November 25, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at C.C. Attle’s (1701 E. Olive Way), SML hosts the Seattle Leather Daddy and Seattle Daddy’s boy Contest Victory Brunch to celebrate the new titleholders and the weekend’s camaraderie. Cost: $10. www.seattlemeninleather.org.

Celebrating 39 Years!

Spokane Sunday, November 18, 7 p.m., Unitarian continued from cover Universalist Church, 4340 W. Fort George Wright Drive, Spokane can do in your GSA, school, or community: Contact spokane.transppl@gmail.com for • Make a commitment to supporting the more information.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth in your school and community.

• Make your GSA Trans-inclusive. Download “Jump-Start Guide Part 7: Where’s the continued from cover ‘T’ in GSA?” on the GLSEN national website (www.glsen.org). This guide will help “Speaker, we cannot sit back while such students develop a greater understanding of a destructive phenomenon is taking place Transgender people and related issues, as in our nation,” the anti-Gay group said in a well as actions that can ensure that Trans- petition. “We therefore, as responsible citigender and gender non-conforming people zens, feel duty-bound to bring this matter to are fully included in all that GSAs do in your attention as the leader of Parliament schools. ... so that lawmakers can do something to • Be an ally to Transgender and gender- quickly address the deteriorating situation nonconforming youth. The identities, ex- in our nation.” periences, and needs of Transgender and “Who are we not to do what they have told gender-nonconforming people are often us? These people should not be begging us,” overlooked in schools. GLSEN’S “How to Kadaga said after her meeting with the antiBe an Ally” guide provides some easy tips Gay group. you can use to make sure that all students, including Transgender and gender-nonconDEATH PENALTY REMOVED? forming students, are safe and respected in Previous reports on the status of the bill school. indicated that the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” had been removed CELEBRATE TRANS HEROES from the legislation, but that has not been This year, GLSEN is recognizing six no- confirmed. table Transgender people who have made great strides in achieving equality for all: Sylvia Rivera, Amanda Simpson, Kye Allums, Leslie Feinberg, Dr. Marisa Richmond, and Max Wolf Valerio. Read about them at www.glsen.org.

transgender

uganda

The U.S. State Department reiterated its call for the Ugandan government to protect LGBT residents, but declined to say whether the anti-Gay bill still contains the death penalty.

“The United States government supports the human rights of LGBT individuals around the world and joins the Ugandan government’s own Human Rights Commission in calling on the Ugandan government to respect the rights of LGBT individuals,” State Department spokesperson Nicole Thompson said in response to an inquiry from SGN. “We call upon the Ugandan government to defend the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Ugandan citizens.

“I refer you to the Government of Uganda for confirmation or information related to Ugandan legislative issues,” Thompson added.

SOME SEE SILVER LINING Gay rights activists in Uganda said the bill, while dangerous, helped publicize their fight for equality by putting what used to be a taboo subject on the national agenda.

Nonetheless, Pepe Julian Onziema, a Ugandan Gay activist, told AP that the new push to pass the law was frustrating.

“It’s disappointing, but we are also going to seek a meeting with the speaker,” Onziema said. He added that he thought it unlikely that Kadaga would agree to meet with him.

President Obama has described the proposed law as “odious,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned it, and several European countries have threatened to cut aid to Uganda if the bill becomes law.

ATTEND A MEMORIAL Want to attend a local TDOR event? Here are a few: Seattle Tuesday, November 20, 7 p.m., Ravenna United Methodist Church, 5751 33rd Ave. N.E., Seattle This is a nonreligious ceremony and all are welcome. For further information, email Melissa at TDORSeattle@CenturyLink.net.

Tacoma Tuesday, November 20, 8 p.m., University of the Puget Sound Chapel, 1500 N. Warner St., Tacoma Sponsored by Gender Alliance of the South Sound, contact@southsoundgender. com.

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www.sgn.org November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News 15

Queer youth need your help

The Ali Forney Center and Hurricane Sandy

by Jesse Monteagudo Special to the SGN Hurricane Sandy was arguably the most destructive Atlantic storm since Katrina. Its impact on the eastern United States, Canada, and the Caribbean will be felt for a long time to come. Though self-appointed guardians of morality blamed the LGBT community for Sandy, this “Frankenstorm” struck people and their property regardless of their race, color, gender, or sexual orientation.

Some of the effects of Sandy were relatively trivial, like the cancellation of the annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. More serious was the loss of power, property, and lives experienced by too many people, LGBT and otherwise. Fire Island, which has served as an LGBT resort and getaway for nearly a century, suffered significant damage, though thankfully no one there was hurt. In lower Manhattan’s largely Gay Chelsea neighborhood, Sandy left floods, power outages, and chaos in its wake.

FORNEY CENTER DESTROYED One of Hurricane Sandy’s best-known

Chelsea casualties was the Ali Forney Center, a drop-in shelter and support facility for Queer youth. Made famous by public service ads featuring A-list photographer Mike Ruiz, the Center was started in 2002 and named after a Transgender youth who was murdered in 1997. The Ali Forney Center’s “mission is to protect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.” The Center provides short- and long-term housing, medical care, HIV testing, mental health services, showers, food, computer access, and job training.

During its first decade, the Ali Forney Center benefitted from the generosity of many, most notably a large bequest from the estate of actress Bea Arthur. Even so, the Center was short of funds even before Hurricane Sandy struck. Sandy caused major water damage to the Center, forcing it to close its doors.

“I am saddened to report that this past weekend we were finally able to inspect our Drop-In Center on West 22nd Street – which serves as the entry point to many of our programs for LGBTQ youth,” reported Carl Siciliano, the Center’s executive director, on November 5. “Water went at least four feet up the walls, and everything in there, including phones, computers, refrigerators, supplies, and the building floors, has been irreparably damaged. I do not see us being able to return there, especially since our lease ends in January,” Siciliano said. “Having our drop-in center destroyed means it is likely that we are among the hardest-hit of all LGBTQ organizations in the city.”

ney Center is doubly tragic, because the people it serves are the ones most likely to suffer from the likes of Sandy. Happily, the LGBT community was not one to abandon the most vulnerable among us. New York City’s LGBT Community Center stepped up to the plate, inviting the AFC drop-in center to resume operations there. The Ali Forney Center will remain in that West Village location until it can move into its new, permanent home, which is scheduled to be ready in late December. Meanwhile, groups and individuals large and small have organized fundraisers for the cash-strapped Center.

A recent fundraiser at Industry, a Gay bar on West 52nd Street in Hell’s Kitchen, attracted such luminaries as Ruiz, actress Ally Sheedy, activist Corey Johnson, MSNBC news anchor Thomas Roberts, and his husband, Patrick Abner. A total of $33,000 was raised at that event.

As part of the effort to save the Ali Forney Center, LGBT journalists from coast to coast have written about its plight, most notably Patrick J. Hamilton for Bilerico.

COMMUNITY STEPS UP Even so, the Ali Forney Center is a cause The devastation incurred by the Ali For- worth repeating, even by this humble au-

thor. Though there are several fundraising campaigns on behalf of the Center, direct donations can be made by visiting the website (www.aliforneycenter.org) or by making a check out to the Ali Forney Center and sending it to the Ali Forney Center, 224 W. 35th St., 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

AFC is also in need of such items as toiletries, cleaning supplies, office supplies, twin sheet sets, towels and washcloths, socks, underwear and T-shirts, school supplies, and book bags. (Please, no used clothing, linens, or toiletries.)

Some of you might say that since the Ali Forney Center is in New York, its destruction does not affect the community in Seattle. However, anything that affects our brothers and sisters anywhere affects all of us everywhere. Though we might not need the services that the Center offers, there might come a time when (God forbid!) one of our loved ones does. Also the Ali Forney Center serves as a role model for similar operations across the U.S.A. and around the world. It is a worthy cause, and I urge SGN readers to support it.

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November 16, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

health and medicine

Dr. J

Is home HIV testing right for you?

by Dr. Joanne Stekler Special to the SGN This article is part of a series focusing on HIV and other STD prevention and care topics for Gay/Bisexual men and Transgender individuals in Seattle and King County.

You’ve heard me mention clinics and other places in Seattle where you can get tested for HIV. But now you have the option to test and get your results quickly in the privacy of your own home. In July, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test. You can buy it at www.oraquick.com or some local drugstores for about $40. The home test is another way to know your status and lets you test for HIV any time you like. And Time magazine just named it one of the best inventions of 2012.

STOP AND THINK But should you test for HIV at home?

There are a few things you should know first.

If you’ve gotten a rapid test before, the In-Home test might look familiar. It’s the same device that is often used in clinics – it uses a mouth swab to test for antibodies to HIV. And because the In-Home test is a rapid test, you’ll have your results after 20 minutes.

It’s pretty accurate, but not perfect. Because antibody tests like the In-Home test look for the body’s reaction to HIV, these tests will be negative right after someone gets HIV. We call this the “window period.”

The In-Home HIV Test has a window pe-

and very contagious during this early period of infection.

So please don’t use this test if you are experiencing fever, rash, sore throat, or other flu-like symptoms. These symptoms could be due to a recent HIV infection (see www. ru2hot.org), and this is when you would get a false negative result if you test with the InHome test. And don’t use the test if you’ve been in an HIV vaccine trial, because you might get a positive result when you don’t really have HIV.

CONDOMS STILL A MUST I also don’t recommend home tests for riod of three months. In contrast, the RNA “just before sex” testing. Let’s say you tests we offer at Public Health can detect meet a guy and want to have sex with him.

HIV after about two weeks. You can get an accurate result much sooner if you get an RNA test.

It’s also possible that you might make a mistake running the test. The company’s data says that 93 out of every 100 HIVpositive people who already have antibodies will get the correct result, and seven out of every 100 HIV-positive people will get a wrong result. The test result will be negative, but the person will actually have HIV. This is called a false negative. Only two out Should the two of you each do an In-Home of 10,000 people will get a result that looks test? Well, you could, but what if one of you like they are HIV-infected when they are re- tests positive? And if you both test negative, ally not infected (i.e., a false positive). remember what I said above – it’s still possible that one or both of you could be HIVMISSING ONE IN FOUR positive if either of you had other partners Do I recommend this test for Gay and Bi in the last three months. So it’s still imporguys in Seattle? tant to use condoms, even if you both test Well, let me start by saying that when we negative. use the OraQuick test in our clinics, it catchBut I do want you to get tested. HIV es only about 75% of guys who actually testing remains one of our most important have HIV infection. tools in the fight against HIV and AIDS. If Let me say that again. you’re HIV-negative, knowing your HIV When used in our clinics, the rapid test status means you can take steps to protect misses 25% of HIV-positive guys. This is yourself from getting infected. If you’re not a problem because most guys also have HIV-positive, knowing your status means blood drawn for RNA testing. The RNA test you can get care for your infection and think picks up what the rapid test misses. But if about starting HIV meds. With HIV meds, you’re testing at home and you’ve had any people who have HIV can live long, healthy risk in the last three months, you can’t trust a lives. And knowing your status means you negative result. And you definitely can’t assume that the guy you’re about to have sex with is really HIV-negative. Overall, about 1 in 150 guys who get a negative result using the home test will actually be HIV-positive –

can take steps to prevent others from getting infected too.

If testing at home is the only way you’re going to get an HIV test, then the In-Home HIV Test may be the test for you. Or talk to someone about iTest, a study of home testing. You can reach us at (206) 616-5578 or go to www.iTestUW.org.

DON’T GO IT ALONE If you use the In-Home test, think about whether you want friends around for support. Who would you call if you got a positive result? Any positive home test has to be confirmed by a blood test. You can call the 24-hour telephone line run by the manufacturer for a referral, or call (206) 744-4377 to

When used in our clinics, the rapid test misses 25% of HIV-positive guys. If you’re testing at home and you’ve had any risk in the last three months, you can’t trust a negative result. make an appointment at the Public Health STD Clinic.

If you’re a guy who has sex with other guys, you can still get tested for HIV and other STDs at Public Health’s STD Clinic, Gay City, the baths or your doctor’s office.

For hours and locations for these and other places that do HIV testing, call (206) 2632000 or go to www.FindYourFrequency. com. You can also use this website to find the testing frequency that’s right for you.

Joanne Stekler, M.D., M.P.H., is Deputy Director of Community Services for the HIV/STD Program at Public Health – Seattle & King County. She is also an internal medicine and infectious disease physician at Harborview Medical Center, and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington.

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November 16, 2012

Seattle Gay News 17

communities continued from page 7

of our life together, we can take care of each other. When you love somebody, what you want more than anything is to protect them, especially in times of need.”

We were happy to join the chorus of voices coming from the Communities of Color, calling for marriage equality.

MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN Also a part of the campaign, Darrell and Marshan Goodwin-Moultry met at the United Church of Christ in San Francisco, where they were both visiting pastors. According to the two men, their relationship was blessed from the beginning. “We spent a lot of time together and it soon became clear that God had put a work in motion. A wonderful friendship was quickly becoming more. It was amazing to see God’s hand at work through the whole process and to still see his hand guiding us daily.” The two married in New York and now co-pastor Liberation UCC in Seattle.

Both their families are supportive of their relationship. “Some people have a hard time with it. We were brought up differently.

In my conversations with Darrell I have learned a lot. Life is a journey for all of us,” says Darrell’s grandmother, Roberta. “I love him. If he is happy, I am happy. The boys are both in church, both ministers. They can support each other. Our family will always be there for each other. What’s important is that we stay together as a family.”

Darrell states, “The ability to marry legally in Washington would give validity to our relationship that doesn’t come with a domestic partnership. We are husbands. We live in this state. It is our home. We want the pride of saying we are married at home. We want to know that we can be together when it matters the most. Marshan is diabetic. If anything happened to him, I could say we were legally married in New York, but that doesn’t give me access to his medical records, access to him. Not knowing if I could have access to him as his spouse makes me feel like I’d be unable to care for him when he needs me the most. That’s a reality.”

WANTED MARRIAGE OPTION Kamala Saxton and Roz Edison are the owners of the popular food truck Marination Mobile, and its two brick-and-mortar complements, Marination Station (Capitol Hill) and Marination ma kai (West Seattle).

They have been together nearly nine years.

The couple advocated for marriage equality because they want to know they can, should they choose to, formalize their relationship in a manner that would be respected in the same way as relationships of their heterosexual friends and family.

“We want legal marriage to be an option for us. Right now we are unquestion-

ably partners, but that term is ambiguous, especially because we co-own a business together. Legalizing marriage for Gay and Lesbian couples will allow the same freedom and rights as heterosexual couples.

Without this right, we are being denied a choice that many of our friends and family have. We want a choice of whether or not we get married. It would mean a legal status, as a spouse, that is not up for interpretation,” said Kamala.

The November 13 Communities of Color Approve R-74 celebration was a wonderful way to observe and honor the couples, individuals, and organizations that put in the necessary and hard work to help ensure that the freedom to marry came to Washington.

In the end, love prevailed over hate and that was, essentially, the message of the night at this event.

Seattle Gay News has a long and proud history of working with Communities of Color, and its staff and publisher couldn’t be prouder of the work these communities did to pass R-74. Congratulations all!

guide

continued from page 7 (2) You can wait until June 30, 2014, when the state will automatically convert non-senior domestic partnerships into civil marriages.

(3) You can dissolve your domestic partnership altogether and start from scratch.

Note that if you are registered and become married, your civil marriage date will be the date of your original domestic partnership. So if you want your “official” anniversary to be the actual date of your marriage, choose this option.

If you were married in another country or state, Washington will recognize your marriage, provided the marriage was legally recognized in the state or country where you married.

There is no residency requirement to marry in Washington, so if you live in another state, you can get married here. Be aware, however, that if same-sex marriage is not legal in your home state, your marriage may not be recognized there. Also be advised that while Washington has no residency requirement for marriage, it does have one for divorce. It is a very good idea for out-ofstate couples planning on marrying in Washington to talk to a lawyer first.

If you are in a civil union or domestic partnership in another state and the civil union or domestic partnership gives substantially the same rights and responsibilities as a marriage, then you have the same rights and responsibilities as a married couple while in Washington. If you and your partner become residents of Washington, you will have to get married unless one of you meets the above age requirement.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Congratulations from SGN! The King County Recorder’s Office is located in the King County Administration Building at 500 4th Ave. in downtown Seattle. The Recorder’s Office will remain open on December 6, until 6:30 p.m.

It will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 7, and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 8. To save time at the office, the county is asking applicants to print and fill out their application form in advance. The form is available at www.kingcounty.gov/marriage.

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November 16, 2012

Celebrating 39 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 19