Issue 51 Volume 39
Celebrating 38 Years!
FRIDAY December 23, 2011 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands
BEST OF MOVIES 2011 Section 2
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Living in silence: Campaigning GOP candidates confronted about anti-Gay views Gay North Korea
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Life inside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, is not generally well understood. The nation is among the most isolated in the world. “Reclusive” only begins to scratch the surface of what one could say
about the DPRK’s obsession with secrecy. And because people often fear what they don’t know, North Korea isn’t exactly on the best of terms with Asia – or the rest of world, for that matter. On December 17, according to North Korean officials, Kim Jong Il died. The leader’s death has ushsee korea page 20
Whenever a GOP candidate spouts off anti-Gay hate, I know I’m not the only one who wonders, “Are they for real? Do they really believe what they say?” Their political party’s collective ignorance about the lives of LGBT Americans is evident every time they give a speech and tie our community into issues that have nothing to do with us – for example, when they claim that we are ruining the sanctity of marriage (even though we cannot legally marry on a federal level), destroying the nation with our homosexual agenda (which consists only of securing equality), and more degenerate statements I can’t bring myself to repeat. At times, the hateful and ridiculous words from these Republicans are downright sad. One would like to think that, as we say goodbye to 2011, we should see the exit of anti-Gay sentiment in the United States. It’s a nice thought, anyway. But the truth is, we find ourselves just weeks away from the Iowa primary, and the anti-Gay speech is in full swing – ratcheted up,
courtesy towleroad
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Rebecka Green (l) and presidential candidate Rick Perry
even. Well, we – the LGBT community and our supporters – seem to be fed up. And if Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney aren’t getting the message of “Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Homophobia has got to go!” they should. One by one, in city after city, members of the LGBT community have stood up at town
hall meetings – on their own, without the direction of national Gay advocacy groups – to ask the tough questions, confronted candidates on camera in diners about their anti-LGBT views, and sent a clear message that we, the Gay people of the United States of America, see GOP page 20
Lesbians share Navy’s iconic kiss FDA approves
phase of clinical trials, in which it will be tested on 600 HIV-negative volunteers at high risk for HIV infection. Researchers will measure the volunteers’ immune response to the vaccine. The third and final phase would enroll 6,000 HIVnegative volunteers at high risk for HIV infection. Half the participants would be vaccinated and half would be left unvaccinated. Dr. Chil-Yong Kang They would then by Mike Andrew be tracked for three years to observe how many in each group beSGN Staff Writer come infected with HIV. SAV001 was developed after 20 The FDA has approved human testing for a new HIV vaccine, years of research at the University SAV001. Approval was announced of Western Ontario in Canada. Dr. Chil-Yong Kang, professor December 20. Beginning in January, the vac- of virology at the Schulich School cine will be administered to 40 of Medicine and Dentistry at the healthy HIV-positive subjects to University of Western Ontario, called the FDA approval a “miletest its safety. If SAV001 is proven to be safe, see vaccine page 21 the vaccine will enter the second courtesy The University of Western Ontario
AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Brian J. Clark
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta (l) kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, VA., on December 21, 2011, after Gaeta’s ship returned from 80 days at sea. It is a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings – one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one.
HIV vaccine study