SGN January 15, 2016 - Section 1

Celebrating 42 Years!

Issue 3 Volume 44

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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A judge in Alabama is still fighting marriage equality.

Here’s why the country should care.

Hillary Clinton – www.tvguide.com

by Maya Harris Hillary for America Senior Policy Advisor

Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore has issued an order barring judges in the state from granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. That’s not only offenhttps://medium.com/@mayaharris_/a- sive to LGBT Americans and everyone who judge-in-alabama-is-still-fighting-marriage- fought for equality? It’s unconstitutional. equality-here-s-why-the-country-shouldIn June, the Supreme Court ruled that care-892ffd80a21f#.2eafjbm3h the right to marry is a fundamental right,

New once-a-week injectable HIV meds await FDA approval

CytoDyn is awaiting FDA approval on their new once-a-week injectable – d--h.info

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The pharmaceutical company CytoDyn has announced that it is awaiting FDA approval of a new once-a-week injectable HIV drug. The medication, called PRO 140, could also be used for pre-exposure prophysee hillary clinton page 15 laxis (PrEP), the company said.

“[I]f PRO 140 is FDA approved, the infected person could finally take a break and go on a vacation without having to remember their pills, and the exact times to take them each day,” CytoDyn said in a press release.

“Upon FDA approval, all they will need see hiv meds page 16

Seattle Pride names 2016 4th & Bell announcers Statement from Washington SAFE Alliance on Miss Kitty Baby and True Halliwell are chosen newly proposed anti-transgender Washington state legislation as the announcers for the 4th & Bell Stage for the 42nd Annual Seattle Pride Parade

Miss Kitty Baby and True Halliwell – Courtesy of Seattle Pride

Seattle Pride has chosen True Halliwell and Miss Kitty Baby to be the announcers for the 2016 Seattle Pride Parade at the 4th & Bell Stage.

True Halliwell is living proof that no matter how dark your past is, you can still be secure, successful and happy. After proudly

serving in the United States Navy for seven years, True moved to Seattle and in 2008 began focusing his passion for positive change in his new found Gay community. True entered in the 45th Annual Mr., Miss and Ms. Gay Seattle Pageant where he was titled Mr. see seattle pride page 6

Our community has a long history of fighting together shoulder to shoulder and in solidarity. From the first days of our modern movement for gender and sexuality justice, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, and gay people have worked together to fight back against attacks, and educate the public on our lives. As you have probably heard, yet again we are under attack – and we must stand united in these attempts to divide us.

Rep. Graham Hunt along with colleagues in both the House and Senate have introduced a new slew of anti-LGBT bills, this time singling out transgender people.

These bills are fueled by ignorance and fear that transgender people’s presence in bathrooms is somehow “a threat” or “will open

the door to predators” – as a community we have heard these slippery slope arguments before. Two decades ago, at the height of the anti-AIDS panic, Sen. Cal Anderson talked about how colleagues would refuse to sit next to him, and his friends talked about how people would pick up pens he had used “with napkins, because they thought just casual contact would transmit HIV.” Today, we know that fear and ignorance have significant and lasting impacts on our community, especially people who were struggling to survive and thrive.

For nearly 30 years, the LGBT community fought to pass fundamental civil rights for all LGBT Washingtonians, resulting in see safe page 6

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January 15, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

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January 15, 2016

Seattle Gay News 3

Love Dares You to Care: David Bowie Made Me a Better Parent

by Margot Page Courtesy of ParentMap “Turn, and face the strange,” he suggested, time and again as I grew up.

You’ve got your mother in a whirl She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl…

It surprised me yesterday, how deeply I felt the loss. I hadn’t been a superfan, hadn’t owned every album. What’s all this drama?

My kids wouldn’t have named David Bowie as one of the artists Mom makes them listen to all the damn time.

But music is a mystery, how it worms into every corner of us, stirs feeling in places words don’t quite reach. Then, when a melody soars, the heart takes flight with it.

When the soaring happens to a young heart – that heart belongs to that music, always.

Superfan or not.

My freshman year of high school, a boy named Peter – flamboyant as hell, but back then we just thought he was very excitable – wasn’t out. The jocks were jerks, and we girls created a protective, social cluster around Peter. He hung with us and did girly stuff and was safe, physically anyway, in our world. We knew he was different, but we left it alone.

David Bowie was the first inkling I had that Peter might be truly okay. Bowie lived so hard into the broad spectrum of himself. There he was – in a dress, in a wig. In a blouse, in a leotard, married to…wait! It’s a woman! The hell…? But, isn’t he gay? Is he straight? Is he really a girl? Those cheekbones…

And if you say run, I’ll run with you. . .

The very rare musician combines the soaring melodies with the smart lyrics and the astonishing persona, and if that package comes at you just as you are becoming a person, it forms who you are. And so it forms, years on, the way you make your family.

David Bowie was one of those musicians for me.

Bowie was everywhere yesterday. From our headphones to our car radios to the speakers in Trader Joe’s, and I was 13 again all day long. Heartbroken, yet feeling oddly guilty that I hadn’t been paying him more attention in recent years – as with the loss of an uncle, maybe, one I’d been close to as a child but let the relationship lapse. Only on his passing did I put it all together, thrumming with awareness of how much David Bowie has to do with who I am.

When I was growing up in the seventies and eighties, being gay was something only famous people could get away with. And gender certainly wasn’t a spectrum.

Bowie played masterfully all up and down the scales of gender and sexuality. As a teen, I watched. A thought started to ger-

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minate: Maybe there are a lot of ways to be a person.

January 15, 2016

Bowie played masterfully all up and down the scales of gender and sexuality. I watched. He was just so okay with it all. I listened. A thought started to germinate: Maybe there are a lot of ways to be a person.

I was middle-class, cis-gendered, straight. But every teenager is basically a wreck, and I clung to Bowie’s telling me: There are so many ways you can be. And while I could check all those boxes we called “normal,” Bowie was my first real look at the idea that it was okay to live outside them. I didn’t have the skin in the game that Peter did (how desperately he must have needed to hear It’s okay) but I did need to figure out how to be Peter’s friend. I stumbled through, my heart in the right place. We were nice-enough kids, but Peter must never have felt, for one minute, that he could be himself.

Junior year, I switched schools, and rarely thought about Peter. But Bowie remained in my adolescent swirl.

Turn, and face the strange… he suggested, time and again as I grew up. And when I did so, I learned that strange did not have to be a value statement; it could just mean … unfamiliar. I kept facing it. I kept listening. Strange did not mean bad, and it didn’t mean terrifying.

Now it’s time to leave the capsule If you dare Bowie-imbued, I grew up. I became a parent who hopes daily to live into an approach to the unfamiliar that he taught. An approach that goes “Look! There’s something I don’t know! Maybe I can know it, and maybe I will love it!” rather than “Uh oh. There’s something I don’t know. Probably it wants to hurt me.”

You like me and I like it all.

We like dancing and we look divine…

David Bowie was outlandish, full of wonder and life, boy and girl, craziness and challenge. He made the strange delightful, and the profundity of his impact on me came not from the outlandishness itself, but from the fact that his whole crazy package wrapped itself around a foundation that was fundamentally familiar: Kindness. Loving each other. Being who we are. Being okay with it.

“Under Pressure,” a Bowie collaboration with Queen, is the heart of one of the most important scenes in my family’s shared cinematic lexicon – from the film Grosse Pointe Blank. John Cusack, playing a hired killer in the midst of an existential crisis, stares into the eyes of an almost unconscionably adorable baby.

The music swells and it’s Bowie: And love dares you To care for The people on the edge of the night And love dares you To change our way of caring About ourselves

Celebrating 41 Years!

This is our last dance This is ourselves Love dares us to care for the people on the edge. Love dares us to change our way of caring.

David Bowie taught a generation of us to face the strange with joy. David Bowie – proudly his own self, in every iteration. He showed a whole world what that could look like.

I have one story for you, Mr. Bowie, a tiny story that is my best example of how

seeds you planted in me, in our culture, on the planet – came to flower in the world of my family.

When my son was in middle school, I happened to see a text exchange on his phone. (I wasn’t snooping, honest): His longtime friend had written: “I wanted to tell you that I am gay. I guess I have known for a long time but didn’t want to know it. You don’t have to understand or talk about it but you are one of my best friends and I didn’t want to lie to you. You are the first person I am telling.”

And my son’s texted reply:

“Dude, Congratulations! It must feel AWESOME to know that about yourself because it seems like it would be hard to wonder. I am so happy for you and happy that you told me. If you ever want someone to talk to, I will always be your friend. Love ya.”

That’s on you, Mr. Bowie. Thank you.

May you rest, fabulously, in peace.

This article was first published in ParentMap on January 12, 2016 and is reprinted with permission. https://www.parentmap. com/article/love-dares-you-to-care-davidbowie-made-me-a-better-parent Margot Page’s memoir Paradise Imperfect: An American Family Moves to the Costa Rican Mountains was released in 2013 by Yellow House Press. She blogs about, travel, Pope Francis, and things that amuse her at margot-page.com. She lives, writes, and works in Seattle, Washington.

Chely Wright, Richard Blanco and Ed Murray to bring hope to LGBTQ+ Youth at Pizza Klatch’s 2nd Annual Gayla

Chely Wright and Richard Blanco – Photos used from their respective sites www.thatericalper.com, twitter.com

Olympia, WA – Pizza Klatch, a youthfocused LGBTQ+ nonprofit in Thurston County, will host their 2nd Annual fundraising Gayla: “A Slice of the Good Life” on Saturday, January 23 at 7 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts – 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, WA; 360763-8585.

“The 2nd annual Gayla is the single most important fundraiser for Pizza Klatch. It encourages us to rally around our LGBTQ+ youth and demonstrate the incredible support that exists in the greater Thurston County Community,” said Kathy KravitSmith, Pizza Klatch Board President. “As a member of the LGBTQ+ community for over 40 years, I am delighted to see changes that have led to marriage equality and advancements in transgender health care.

However, more than ever LGBTQ+ youth need a supportive environment where they can explore who they are and to begin to understand how essential they are to a rich and diverse society.”

“We are so honored to have support from this year’s star performers Chely Wright and Richard Blanco as well Seattle’s own openly gay Mayor Ed Murray at this year’s “A Slice of a Good Life” GAYLA. They truly understand and are behind the mission of Pizza Klatch. Although acceptance is improving for much of the LGBTQ+ community overall, youth are dealing with higher levels of bullying, harassment, and family rejection because they are coming out earlier at home and at school. Pizza Klatch is a place where they quickly learn

they are not alone, where they can access critical support and resources and build a chosen family that lasts a lifetime,” said Pizza Klatch Executive Director, Jessica McKimmie.

EVENT DETAILS: VIP Reception (6:00-7:00pm) will feature keynote speaker Ed Murray, Seattle’s openly gay Mayor and other special guest speakers plus catering and wine from Swing Wine Bar. VIPs will also enjoy the best seats in the house.

Main Event (6:30-7:30pm) Silent auction and plenty of networking with LGBTQ+ and allied professionals, Pizza Klatch youth participants, dignitaries, and public elected officials. A sponsored Panowicz Jewelry RING EVENT provides guests with a chance to win jewelry worth over $1500.

Mainstage Performances (7:30-10pm) include the talents of: Student speakers from two Thurston County high schools to share how Pizza Klatch has helped them build community and survive the challenging experience of being an LGBTQ+ teen.

Richard Blanco, Poet Laureate at President Obama’s second inauguration, writer, storyteller, multi-time winner of the Maine Literary Award for Poetry, and winner of the Paterson Poetry Prize and Thom Gunn Award for his 2012 book of poetry, Looking for the Gulf Motel, “which relates Blanco’s complex navigation through his cultural, sexual, and artistic identities.”

Chely Wright, first popular country

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musician to come out as Lesbian, star of autobiographical documentary Wish Me Away, author of Like Me, and founder of The Like Me Foundation, a LGBTQ+ community center and scholarship foundation in Kansas City, MO. “A Slice of the Good Life” will raise much needed funds and awareness to continue Pizza Klatch’s weekly lunchtime support groups in 11 area high schools, serving pizza and support to nearly 250 LGBTQ+ youth and allies each week. The organization aims to eliminate suicide and reduce bullying, with the mission to foster resiliency in LGBTQ+ youth and create a safe and positive school experience through support, education and empowerment.

TICKETS are Reserved Seating $17$77, with $10 student discount, at any level, and VIP Tickets $117 (+$3 fee for Washington Center) and can be purchased at www. pizzaklatch.org/gayla Event Sponsors include: Title Sponsor: AFSCME Local 443; Diamond Sponsor: South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) and SPSCC Foundation; Platinum Sponsor: Chehalis Confederated Tribe of Indians; Gold Sponsors: City of Tumwater, Karen Valenzuela, Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall, Lutheran Church Of The Good Shepherd, Kathryn & Susan Kravit-Smith, Steve & Kathleen Drew, Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder, Shephard Summer, Lacey Councilman Michael Steadman; Silver Sponsors: Rep. Sam Hunt, NOVA School, Beyond the Bridge

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Foundation, Paul Battan Law, Pride Foundation, Phoenix Offices, Thurston County Treasurer Shawn Myers, and more. Media Sponsors include: Mixx96 (KXXO96) & Seattle Gay News ABOUT PIZZA KLATCH: Pizza Klatch helps some of the most vulnerable youth in Thurston County. A Pizza Klatch 2014-2015 survey of high school students who participated in Pizza Klatch revealed 91% of students hear LQBTQ+ slurs used in a derogatory way, 70% of youth attendees had attempted to harm themselves in the past, and 34% of youth surveyed had tried at least once to end their life prior to attending Pizza Klatch. The support groups are truly working. 64% of participants feel less isolated at school, 45% use less alcohol and/or drugs, 71% feel more supported and listened to, and 63% think less frequently about suicide since attending Pizza Klatch.

Pizza Klatch’s weekly lunch support groups are currently in the following schools: North Thurston and Timberline since 2008; Avanti since 2009; Tumwater since 2010; Olympia since 2011; River Ridge since 2012; Capital and Black Hills since 2013; Rainier since 2014; Tenino and South Sound since 2015.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Executive Director Jessica McKimmie at jessica@pizzaklatch. org, cell (619)-822-9161 For more information: www.pizzaklatch.org/gayla.

Seattle Gay News 5

Local group that battles LGBTQ homelessness and unemployment to hold fundraising event at Neighbours January 30

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Homelessness and unemployment is something that disproportionately affects the LGBTQ community, particularly LGBTQ people of color and Transgender people. There are organizations in Seattle that have made it their mission to help people get back on their feet, work to come up with solutions to the problem, and advocate for

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Gay Seattle, XXXIII. Also captain of Seattle Quake RFC, he is known as an enthusiastic rugby player who spends numerous hours spreading positive energy, love and encouragement to anyone who crosses his path.

In addition, he is a member of Highwaymen RFC, a traveling rugby social club with members from all over the country.

Seattle Pride President Eric Bennett said, “True’s passion for using his rugby persona to help open minds to the community is a perfect reason to bring him on as an announcer for the 2016 parade. We are thrilled to have him on the team!”

Miss Kitty Baby is a Femme To Be Reck-

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continued from cover the passage of the Anderson-Murray antidiscrimination law in 2006. The law includes protections for transgender people along with everyone else in our community, one of the first such inclusive bills in our country. Since then, transgender people have had a decade of protections that have allowed us to use bathrooms consistent with the gender we live as and know ourselves to be. The safety concerns that have manifested have been that 53% of transgender people report being harassed, discriminated against, or attacked in places of public accommodations – places like restaurants,

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LGBTQ people that are impacted by homelessness and underemployment who do not otherwise have anyone speaking on their behalf. Equality Coalition for Housing and Opportunity (ECHO), which held a very successful and well-attended community forum on Transgender homelessness at City Hall last summer, is one such organization and they will host their first major fundraiser January 30, at Neighbours Nightclub (1509 Broadway), from 8:30-10 p.m. ECHO wants you to know that you are all invited.

“So many people in the community work so hard on all the issues that can keep an LGBTQIA+ activists engaged, that we wanted something fun to reward them with, a bit of escape and Decadence,” said ECHO co-founder Zoe Omega.

The event, co-produced by Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea), is called “Decadence: A Burlesque Celebration of 1920’s Queer Berlin.” Funds that are raised from a $10 ticket purchase at the door and money donated from the audience throughout the event, will benefit ECHO and SOSea as well as a portion of the proceeds will go to the Candy House, Lonness Valenna’s home for Trans people.

DECADENCE, a night of burlesque, cabaret and drag will be hosted by Jeffrey Robert of The Gay Uncle Time and will feature the talents of Bella Lunacy, Little Bear the Bearded Lady, Maggie Bloodstone, Whisper De Corvo, Areola Borealis, Mac S.

McGregor, Miko and Jack Mozie.

According to ECHO, DECADENCE is a celebration of Anita Berber; a pansexual dancer and actress from the Weimar era of Berlin.

“She was notorious for her erotic dancing during a time when Berlin was considered the world’s Queer hotspot,” said Omega. “Anita Berber is the inspiration for Marlene Dietrich’s iconic character in Blue Angel. During the 1920s Weimar Berlin attracted thousands of LGBT tourists with its many gay bars and events during a time when the rest of the world was not accepting.”

Omega says that ECHO and SOSea are thrilled to be able to provide some funds to the Candy House, telling Seattle Gay News that Lonness Valenna founded the Candy House in 2014 to give Trans people the ability to take those first steps in being their true selves.

“The Candy House is a home where Trans people learn how to gain the confidence to find work and their place in the world,” said Omega. “The house also teaches some things about leadership skills, along with empathy for those also in transition. The Candy House is a family for those who have been tossed out by others who don’t understand transitioning.”

ECHO has been working with Valenna and the Candy House to come up with creative solutions for the LGBTQ homeless for two years. ECHO was founded in 2013 and is a program at Social Outreach Seattle.

oned With. Timeless and elegant, Kitty Baby transports you back to the Golden Age of burlesque and infuses it with the raw sensuousness of the modern era. When she’s not owning the stage, Miss Kitty Baby volunteers her time to support the burlesque community, the queer community, and the world at large. She has supported Lambert House, Camp Ten Trees, Peace For The Streets by Kids From The Streets, ICON benefitting Seattle Counseling Services, various Marriage Equality support fundraisers, Les Faeries Vertes fundraisers, Debauchery supporting local queer charities, Queer For All Seasons and Femmetasia by Pidgeon Coop Productions, Girl 4 Girl Seattle, Red Dress Party, Gay Bingo benefiting Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Sisters of Perpetual

Indulgence causes, Three Dollar Bill Cinema fundraisers, Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, West Seattle Senior Rainbow Bingo, marched in various Seattle and New York Pride Parades, been a member of the support crew of Homo For The Holidays, an original cast member of Diva’s Take The Hill, and much more as your femme “Homo-About-Town.”

“We couldn’t be happier about Miss Kitty Baby’s willingness to announce for the 4th & Bell Stage! She will bring a great persona and level of experience and dedication to the community,” said Bennett.

The Seattle Pride Parade takes place annually on the last Sunday in June. The 2016 Parade will be held on Sunday, June 26th.

Visit SeattlePride.org to register your group

or find out how you can participate in creating a successful day by becoming a valued volunteer.

About Seattle Pride Seattle Pride is a non-profit organization based in Seattle, WA, whose purpose is to create unity, honor diversity, and achieve equal human rights throughout our region and the world. Seattle Pride is focused on informing and educating the community on LGBT issues through community outreach and produced events, including the annual Seattle Pride Parade, Volunteer Park Festival, Pride Guide, and the Pride Brunch!

hospitals, doctors offices, on busses, or yes – in bathrooms and locker rooms.

These protections covers nearly all aspects of our public life: from looking for a job, applying for an apartment or home loan, in health insurance coverage, to getting bank accounts. The laws that Rep. Hunt and his colleagues are attacking would poke holes in our fundamental rights and undermine the unequivocal message of the Washington Law Against Discrimination – discrimination is wrong. Period.

We must stand united and fight these bills with a unified voice. Transgender people have been at the forefront of many of our shared struggles over the decades – we have also been some of the biggest and

easiest targets for attacks. In state after state – including “liberal” states like Massachusetts and New York – and in the passage of ENDA – we have seen “Bathroom Panic” bills used as a tool to divide us as a community.

Here in Washington we will stand united to say no longer will we let opponents of equality target some of our communities most vulnerable.

As transgender leaders from across the state, we ask that you join with us as we educate Washingtonians about the very real harm these bills will have – not only on transgender people – but all of us who rely on the Washington Law Against Discrimination to ensure fairness for everyone.

Please join us in our coalition – the Washington SAFE Alliance – to combat these anti-trans bills, and educate Washingtonians once more about the need for our hard fought fundamental civil rights protections.

January 15, 2016

Courtesy of Seattle Pride

Danni Askini Executive Director Gender Justice League Seth Kirby Executive Director Oasis Youth Center

Celebrating 41 Years!

2016 PREVIEW: HRC previews anti-LGBT state & local legislation Many of the 115 anti-LGBT bills introduced in 2015 have been held over to 2016; bad bills expected in at least 27 states WASHINGTON, DC – On January 8, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, previewed state and local legislative battles in the year ahead, including anti-LGBT bills likely to be considered in at least 27 states. HRC anticipates that, as in 2015, anti-LGBT activists will push for measures that give legal cover to discrimination against LGBT Americans in dozens of states. The analysis also highlights opportunities to advance LGBT equality in 2016.

“2016 will prove a critical year for the fight for LGBT equality in states across the country,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The progress our movement has made is threatened by an organized effort to pass discriminatory legislation that seeks to rollback our hard-won rights. We will have much work to do to defend our rights this year, but we will not waiver in our fight to expand the map for LGBT equality to every corner of this country.”

Lawmakers in 33 state legislatures will be in session by the end of next week, and 37 state legislatures will be in session before the end of January. Legislatures in 46 states and the District of Columbia are scheduled to convene during the first four months of 2016.

In 2015, more than 115 anti-LGBT bills

were introduced in at least 31 states. Because many state legislatures have provisions that allow bills to carry over into 2016 if they were neither enacted nor defeated, many of these bills are still pending. The largest number of anti-LGBT bills introduced in 2015 were aimed to authorize individuals, businesses, and taxpayer-funded agencies to cite religion as a reason to refuse goods or services to LGBT people. These bills took many different forms across the country. Proposals included legislative attacks that sought to allow individuals, businesses, and government employees to refuse goods and services related to same-

sex marriages in Alabama, the Carolinas, Texas, and elsewhere. In Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, and elsewhere, lawmakers proposed allowing adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against LGBT prospective parents. In more than a dozen states, lawmakers introduced sweeping bills aimed at allowing all individuals and businesses to cite religion as a legally permissible reason to discriminate against LGBT people.

Other anti-LGBT bills sought to restrict transgender people from accessing bathrooms, to eliminate the ability of local governments to protect LGBT residents

and visitors, and even to promote the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” While not in session this year, in Texas alone, last year at least 20 vicious anti-equality bills attacking LGBT Texans and their families were introduced in the state’s legislature.

In 2016, HRC expects more than twodozen state legislatures to consider antiequality measures. These include legislatures in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, [EDITOR’S NOTE: Washington], West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The full report can be read at www.hrc. org/2016legislature.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. www.hrc.org Courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign

Virginia: latest battleground for LGBT rights

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Virginia will not only be an important swing state in the 2016 presidential election. It is also shaping up to be a key battleground for LGBT rights.

Four Republican state legislators have introduced bills that would sharply limit LGBT rights, especially the rights of Transgender Virginians.

Republican Delegate Mark Cole submitted a bill defining gender as “anatomical sex, mean[ing] the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s anatomy.”

If Transgender students were to use a restroom appropriate to their gender identity rather than their “anatomical sex,” they could be fined $50 per infraction. Cole did not specify how school officials are supposed to determine a student’s “anatomical sex.”

Delegate James LaRock introduced a measure that would make it almost impossible for Trans Virginians to change gender markers on their legal documents. “[T]he designation of sex on a certificate of birth shall only be changed pursuant to an order of a court of competent jurisdiction indicating that the initial designation of sex was incorrect due to a typographical error,” the bill reads.

LaRock’s bill may be a response to efforts by Equality Virginia to pass an amendment to state law allowing changes in gender markers without surgery.

James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, told The Washington Blade earlier this week that his organiza-

monwealth, including a locality or school board, from enacting an ordinance or adopting a regulation prohibiting discrimination on any basis other than race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, marital status or disability.”

Currently, Virginia’s statewide antidiscrimination law does not include sexual orientation and gender identity, and LGBT Virginians are protected only by the local ordinances Marshall wants to outlaw.

Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring ruled last March that local school boards may include sexual orientation and gender identity in their anti-discrimination policies. Herring’s ruling reversed a decision by a previous Republican Attorney

General that only the state legislature may add protected classes under the law.

Finally, Republican state Sen. Charles “Bill” Carrico introduced a bill that would allow Virginia county clerks to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples if the clerks have religious or moral objections.

Carrico claims constituents were concerned about what happened to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who was jailed for denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

“I’m just trying to clarify what the options are if they have a right-of-conscience issue,” said Carrico, who also introduced a broader “religious freedom” bill.

Any anti-LGBT bill that passes the Republican-controlled Assembly would almost certainly be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, so none of the Republican-sponsored bills are likely to become law.

Meanwhile, Democratic state lawmakers will be pushing pro-LGBT bills, but they are also unlikely to become law.

Out Gay Delegate Mark Levine plans a sweeping LGBT civil rights bill, while Delegate Patrick Hope wants to ban so-called “ex-gay” therapy for minors.

“As hearts and minds on the issue continue to evolve, we gain more and more of an understanding,” Hope told The Washington Blade on Monday. “With that comes acceptance that being homosexual is not a mental illness or a sin. There’s no on or off switch, and I believe we are getting closer and closer to recognizing that conversion therapy is nothing more than a hoax on the consumer. One day we’ll look back on this the same way we view lobotomies or sterilizations.”

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Seattle Gay News 7

VIrginia – maristpoll.marist.edu

tion is working on amending the state code to allow Virginians to change the gender on their birth certificate without undergoing surgery. He said on Saturday that these changes would mirror those that have been implemented for passports and Social Security cards. “[LaRock’s] bill is yet another attack on Virginia’s transgender community this General Assembly session,” Equality Virginia Executive Director James Parrish said.

“It is important for transgender people to have consistency across their legal documents and for those documents to accurately reflect their sex and gender.”

Yet another Republican delegate, Bob Marshall, introduced a bill that would prohibit “any political subdivision of the com-

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Stop ICE raids, help refugees, LGBT groups tell White House

ICE Police – Getty Images via nbcconnecticut.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Thirty-six LGBT organizations have written an open letter to the Obama administration calling for an end to immigration raids and immediate relief from violence for refugees.

The administration has arrested more than 120 immigrants during raids starting January 2, targeting Central American families who came to the United States without permission since 2014.

The LGBT groups directed their letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson, the official who has immediate responsibility for the administration’s immigration policy.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety, health, and welfare of all LGBTQ immigrants in the United States, and we are disappointed that DHS has decided to use tactics that instill fear into immigrant communities,” the letter says.

“These raids plainly contravene President Obama’s directive to ‘more humanely’

enforce our nation’s immigration laws. Instead of raids, DHS should take measurable steps to protect people that are fleeing tremendous levels of violence.”

Many of those being targeted for deportation are survivors of sexual assault and other forms of violence, the letter says, or they have lost family members to violence in their home countries. Consequently they suffer from PTSD, generalized anxiety, and depression, which qualify them as people with disabilities eligible for assistance under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The LGBT groups outline the impact that raids have on immigrant communities: “Children are pulled from school, immigrant-owned businesses suffer, and immigrants fear reaching out for basic services, even if they themselves are not the targets of the raids,” their letter points out.

“These negative impacts are even more harrowing for LGBTQ immigrants that already report higher levels of violence and discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. These raids will only serve to push our LGBTQ immigrant community further into the shadows.”

The 36 LGBT groups join 60 Asian–Pacific Islander organizations and 150 Democratic members of the House of Representatives in calling for the Obama administra-

tion to stop raids against Central American refugees.

Signers of the letter are: Aquí Estamos, Association of Latino/as Motivating Action (ALMA), CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Collectively Free, Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC), the DC Center for the LGBT Community, Equality New Mexico, GALAEI, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, GLAD Alliance, GSA Network, Human Rights Campaign, Immigration Equality, La Clínica del Pueblo, Lambda Legal, League of United Latin American Citizens, the LGBT Center Orange County, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Manantial de Gracia, Marriage Equality USA, National Black Justice Coalition, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Law Center, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, Our Family Coalition, Pride at Work, Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, RAD Remedy, Social Workers for Reproductive Justice, Trans Pride Initiative, Trans Student Educational Resources, and United We Dream.

NY court upholds fines for anti-Gay wedding venue

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff writer The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court ruled on January 14 that businesses may not discriminate against Gay and Lesbian couples, even if same-sex marriage conflicts with the religious beliefs of the business owners.

The ruling came in the case of Melisa and Jennifer McCarthy, who were married in 2013. The McCarthys chose Liberty Ridge Farm for their wedding venue, but the farm’s owners, Cynthia and Robert Gifford, turned them away because they have religious objections to same-sex marriage.

The couple filed a civil rights complaint with the help of the New York Civil Liberties Union, a division of the ACLU. In 2014, the New York State Division of Human Rights ruled that under New York’s Human Rights Law, public businesses cannot discriminate on the basis of race, sexual orientation, national origin, or other protected classes. The Giffords were fined $13,000 for violating the McCarthys’ civil rights.

The Giffords then appealed with the help of the so-called Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-Gay group founded in 1994 by Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ; Larry Burkett, founder of Crown Financial Ministries; James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries; Marlin Maddoux, President of International Christian Media; and Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association.

The Appellate Division, however, upheld the Human Rights Division’s decision

8 Seattle Gay News

Liberty Ridge Farm owners Cynthia and Robert Gifford – Shannon DeCelle via nypost.com

that refusing to serve the McCarthys was discriminatory and illegal.

In its decision, the court noted that discrimination of the sort faced by the McCarthys hurts all New Yorkers, not just those who were directly harmed.

“Discriminatory denial of equal access to goods, services, and other advantages

January 15, 2016

made available to the public not only ‘deprives persons of their individual dignity,’ but also ‘denies society the benefits of wide participation in political, economic, and cultural life,’ ” the court said.

In a similar case, florist Baronelle Stutzman was fined by a Washington state court for refusing to provide flowers for

the wedding of Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed. Stutzman was also unsuccessfully represented by Alliance Defending Freedom.

Celebrating 41 Years!

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January 15, 2016

Seattle Gay News 9

10 Seattle Gay News

January 15, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

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January 15, 2016

Seattle Gay News 11

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Celebrating 41 Years!

Chance Fashion’s 2015 Artists of the Year

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Active Entertainment, the group of people that produce the once, monthly Chance Fashion show events in Seattle that, like the name suggests, gives local designers, photographers and models a “chance” to showcase their art, proudly awarded the best of the best in local Seattle fashion at their annual awards show, January 9, at Melrose Market.

The event, attended by well over 200 people, highlighted some of Chance Fashion’s most dedicated participants – including such important backstage support staff as hair and makeup artists as well as the often overlooked but important to the fashion industry photographers that donate their time and talent to ensure the designs and the models wearing them are seen beyond the audience present at each event.

“The evening was filled with familiar faces from the last 6+ years of Chance Fashion events, including many of our previous Artist of the Year Award winners such as Lydia DeLoach, Mac Fashion House, Adriane Morgan, Edwina Brown, Peter Hamilton, Dennis Tudos, Lastwear, and more,” said Chance Fashion officials in a media release to Seattle Gay News. “Also, our sponsors Tiffany Talent Agency, Social Outreach Seattle, Seattle Social, and What’s Up Northwest were in attendance to show their support! And of course, many of our regular participants, fans, and supporters were in attendance to catch the major announcement.”

The thing that sets Chance Fashion and Active Entertainment apart from so many others in the world of fashion and the arts, not to mention companies that produce events, is that they are 100% inclusive of all communities and have successfully created an environment that immediately allows for that inclusion to thrive. The lines of sexual orientation, gender, age, race – all the things that create invisible turned visible barriers for participation and sharing of ideas and art – simply do not exist at Chance Fashion. One gets the sense of real community, friendship, and trust when you are involved with the organization on all levels of participation, however small or deep that involvement may be. It is refreshing.

Chance Fashion is living proof that you get back what you put out in this world.

Over the course of nearly one decade of time, the organization has never been better. Their monthly fashion shows, usually held on certain Saturday nights at Neighbours Nightclub (1509 Broadway) and sometimes at others venues such as Trinity nightclub or, like the awards show, at Melrose Market, are well attended. In addition,

Chance Fashion promotes philanthropy and advocacy by supporting Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) and the organization’s programs and projects – in particular homeless outreach.

Chance awarded a number of people with plaques and verbal recognition at the event. Winners included: Most Versatile Player of 2015: Dominic Gomez, who started out as an artist drawing sketches of models in designer garments at the events. “He continues to produce artwork recreating looks, moments and experiences from various events,” Chance officials told SGN. “He’s also showcased at AMDEF, variety shows, had artwork featured with Seattle Fashion Week, and continues to generate new and unique artwork with every passing month.”

Gomez began volunteering to help out in various elements behind the scenes said Chance Fashion.

“He is now the staging and equipment director, one of our marketing directors, a grant writer, and he even works the door at the monthly events,” said Chance Fashion. “Many of the people who volunteer at Chance have overlapping roles, but Dominic has gotten involved with nearly every aspect of the event where he had a spare hand to lend.”

Winning at Life Award: Juliet Dang, who won 2013 Model of the year from Chance Fashion and has since become active both behind the scenes at Chance, and in the outside Seattle Fashion Community.

“She is one of our resident hosts at Chance, has hosted video interviews for MODE Magazine, and has developed quite a resume as a career model having been in ads for T-Mobile, published in multiple magazine, she acts, and in spite of being a petite model, she’s represented numerous of Seattle’s favorite Fashion Designers on the runway,” said officials. “Within the last year or so, she’s also been married, traveled to Vietnam, graduated with her PhD in Oral Biology, and contributed to numerous conversations behind the scenes with the Staff to develop and move Chance forward.”

Chance Fashion adds, “She’s also an absolute pleasure to work with, and is constantly contributing a positive energy to everybody around her.”

Behind The Scenes VIP: Russ Garwood, who started out as the Chance Fashion resident host on a reference from one of the organization’s sponsors, Tiffany Talent.

Since getting involved, he became more active behind the scenes, and now contributes to business development, marketing, technology development, and staff recruitment for the Chance Fashion Team.

“He helped acquire invaluable technological and legal support, and has lead the

Visit us online www.sgn.org

charge to push Chance Fashion into a new era of professionalism and outreach,” say officials. “Russ now sits on the Board of Directors as our Vice President, and is constantly contributing countless hours behind the scenes to help Chance evolve.”

The Artists of the Year are personally selected by the Chance Fashion.

“Winners are not selected on traditional fashion industry standards, they are selected based on the influence they’ve had on the people around them during their participation in Chance Fashion events,” say officials. “We take into consideration things like a positive attitude, willingness to learn, backstage etiquette, and forward growth as a career artist. But most importantly, it’s about being a positive contributor to the community.”

Chance Fashion’s Hair Stylist of 2015: Stephanie Philbrick, who’s been a vibrant part of Seattle’s Fashion scene and gone above and beyond to give back to the community for a number of years.”

Her dedication and passion for the Seattle Fashion industry has allowed her not only to master one craft of the industry, but two,” said Chance officials. “Stephanie has been a participant and/or audience member of countless Chance Fashion shows in 2015, as well as several other fashion events in the Pacific Northwest. Stephanie can be contacted through her clothing business called “Find Your Inner Fashion.”

Chance Fashion’s Makeup Artist of 2015: Kayla Marie J, who is a recent graduate of the Tint School of Makeup Artistry in Seattle. “Kayla has become an exceptional Makeup Artist. As a very busy mother of two boys, Kayla has had her hands full with being a full-time mother and a dedicated makeup artist,” said officials. “Time and time again, Kayla has stepped up to the challenge of creating stunning editorial makeup under the demanding conditions of fashion shows.”

Chance Fashion’s Photographer of 2015: MK Studios, which is really photographer Michael Krogemann. According to Chance Fashion, Krogemann has been shooting consistently with Chance for over two years. “He also happens to be the husband of our 2014 Designer of the Year Heather Krogemann of Alien Earth Designs,” said Chance. “Having shot nearly every Chance Fashion / Active Entertainment event during that time, as well as many collaborative shoots and projects outside of Chance, Michael also works as a full-time professional photographer, and has consistently provided quality images at a quick turn-around rate.”

Chance Fashion’s Male Model of 2015: Brandon Rountree, who officials say “took Chance Fashion by storm.”

“Brandon has regularly attended photo shoots, participated in events, and attended many events as a guest,” said officials. “He’s also volunteered his time to helping work as an usher / security person, frequently helps setup and take down the staging and equipment for shows, and is constantly going above-and-beyond to help out wherever he can.”

According to officials, Roundtree is a favorite among many designers and photographers because he “always exhibits a positive attitude towards the staff team and fellow participants, and is constantly learning how to grow his career as a fashion model.”

Chance Fashion’s Female Model of 2015: Emily Adams, who has participated in nearly every Chance Fashion event over the last two years.

“She’s walked for many variety shows that Active Entertainment produces as well as the annual Art Music Dance Entertainment and Fashion show that Active Entertainment produces to benefit Social Outreach Seattle, and numerous productions outside of the Chance / Active community,” say officials. “Emily is also a regular attendee of non-fashion events, is constantly introducing new people to the community, and is one of the friendliest models to work with behind the scenes. Her constant effort to learn and develop her skills as a model coupled with her positive, caring demeanor towards those around her makes her a pleasure to work with.”

Chance Fashion’s Designer of the Year: BubbleGunk!, by designer Hildi Flores. Hildi has participated in nearly every Chance Fashion event, including the Menswear Show, the organization’s segment at Office of Art & Culture Seattle’s annual “Create | City Event” at City Hall, the Full Figured Edition, the Halloween Edition, seven fashion shows in three days during their segment at Conscious Culture Festival, AMDEF 2015, variety shows, music videos, photo shoots and more.

“In every effort, she’s exhibited growth, and yielded a positive influence on all those she encounters,” said officials. “Hildi also launched the Chance Fashion Olympia Chapter in 2015, and intends to produce three Chance events in Olympia in 2016.

Just recently, Hildi also took a position as our Olympia Rep on the Board of Directors.”

For more information, including how you can become involved with Chance Fashion or contact the Board of Directors, visit www.chancefashion.org. Seattle Gay News would like to congratulate all the Chance Fashion 2015 Artist of the Year award winners for a job well done and applauds the organization for being an example of inclusion in the arts.

January 15, 2016

Seattle Gay News 13

Democratic, Republican Party brands in the toilet New Gallup poll shows lowest party ID in 30 years

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Voter identification with one of the two major political parties is at its lowest point ever, according to a new Gallup poll released January 11.

The Democratic Party is at its lowest point ever, since Gallup started phonepolling the question in 1988, and the GOP is only one point ahead of its historic low.

According to Gallup’s results for 2015, only 29% of the electorate identifies with the Democratic Party, down from their previous low (30%) in 2014.

On the Republican side, an even smaller proportion – 26% – identifies with the GOP. Their lowest point came in 2013, when 25% of the electorate said they were Republicans.

Self-identified “independents” came in at 42%, just down from their peak of 43% in 2014.

Democrats maintained their lead over Republicans when independents were factored in according to their leanings.

republican-democrat-battle1_B&W.tif

“Although political independents lack a strong enough attachment to either party to say they identify as a Republican or a Democrat, most are inclined to favor one party over the other and generally vote that way,” Gallup said in its analysis of its poll results.

Of the independents, half said they leaned toward the Democratic Party, and the other half leaned Republican, giving Democrats an approximate voting strength of 45% compared to the Republicans’ 42%.

“Americans’ attachment to the two ma-

jor political parties in recent years is arguably the weakest Gallup has recorded since the advent of its polls,” Gallup said. “The percentage of U.S. adults identifying as political independents has recently reached levels never seen before.”

For its 2015 poll, Gallup phoned a random sample of 12,137 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The margin of error for this poll is one point.

Before 1988 Gallup did in-person (as opposed to phone) interviews, but according to data spanning 1951-1987, there was never a year in which less than 37% of their respondents identified as Democrats. During that period, there were several years in which Republicans polled at less than 25%.

In 1991, just after President George H.W. Bush led the successful Persian Gulf War effort, Republicans had the advantage in party affiliation. In four other years – 2002, 2003, 2010, and 2011 – the parties were essentially even.

In God We Trust Atheist sues to get slogan off U.S. currency

Michael Newdow – Justin Sullivan/AP Getty Image (2002)

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer An atheist activist is suing to get the familiar slogan “In God We Trust” removed from U.S. currency. And in an unexpected twist, he’s using the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby case for backup.

Michael Newdow and 40 other plaintiffs filed suit in federal court against Congress,

14 Seattle Gay News

the federal government, the Secretary of the Treasury, and others, charging that the defendants have imposed on their beliefs by forcing them to circulate currency that proclaims a belief in God. Many of the plaintiffs remain unnamed, but the named plaintiffs include the Michigan Atheists and Northern Ohio Freethought Society groups, and one believer, Adam Clayman.

“By placing ‘In G-d We Trust’ on the na-

January 15, 2016

tion’s coins and currency bills,” the plaintiffs’ filing says, “Defendants have substantially burdened Plaintiffs in the exercise of their Atheistic (and similar) beliefs by requiring them – as the price to pay for using the nation’s coins and currency bills – to personally bear a religious message that is the antithesis of what they consider to be religious truth.

“Similar, for Plaintiff Clayman, Defendants have required him to sin,” by circulating the word “God,” which Clayman believes to be too holy to be written out or pronounced.

In its 2014 Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores decision, the Supreme Court said that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993 required the federal government to use the least intrusive means to achieve government objectives. In the case of Hobby Lobby, the court ruled that making employers pay for their employees’ contraceptive coverage in violation of their own religious views was too intrusive.

The same principle applies to currency, Newdow says. The government could accomplish all its financial objectives without forcing atheists to proclaim that God exists every time they pay for something.

Newdow is relying on the RFRA because the Supreme Court previously shot down a similar suit based on First Amendment religious protections.

In 2004, Newdow sued the Elk Grove, California, school district to get them to remove the words “under God” from the pledge of allegiance. The words are an endorsement of religion, Newdow charged, and therefore violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

After initial success, Newdow’s case was dismissed by the Supreme Court on the grounds that he – as the noncustodial parent of a student who was forced to recite the pledge – lacked standing to sue.

Three of the justices said that Newdow did have standing, and they went on to analyze his First Amendment claims. They said that the words “under God” do not violate the First Amendment, but merely acknowledge the country’s religious heritage.

The words “In God We Trust” first appeared on U.S. coins in 1864, as a hopeful slogan during the Civil War. The words were added to paper currency in 1957, toward the end of the McCarthy period.

“Under God” was added to the pledge in 1954, at the height of McCarthy’s influence.

Celebrating 41 Years!

Marco Rubio: Right-Wing Superstar

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In a new TV ad released January 14, Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio casts himself as a right-wing superstar.

Despite being included with the likes of John Kasich and Jeb Bush among the socalled “establishment” Republicans, Rubio goes out of his way to identify with the most extreme factions of the Republican base.

He advertises his 100% ratings from the anti-Gay Family Research Council and the anti-choice National Right to Life Committee, for example.

Rubio also got a perfect score from the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity and the Tea Party–based Freedom Works.

The ad also boasts about Rubio’s 98% from the American Conservative Union, his 97% from Club for Growth, and his 96% from Heritage Action for America.

Other right-wing credentials include A

ratings from the National Rifle Association and the National Taxpayers Union, and the coveted “Taxpayer Superhero” title from Citizens Against Government Waste.

Right-wing pundit Glenn Beck makes a guest appearance and predicts Rubio would “crush” Hillary Clinton should he win the GOP’s presidential nomination.

“He will crush Hillary Clinton – crush her,” Beck announces. “I’m just really impressed!”

Beck is known for his hatred of Republican front-runner Donald Trump, but Rubio also gets the endorsement of Tomi Lahren, host of The Blaze TV show.

“So here it is – I pick Marco Rubio for president,” Lahren says. “Here’s why: Rubio is young, tenacious, well-spoken, and most importantly, he can actually win.”

Rubio is now in third place among Republican presidential candidates, according to the Real Clear Politics poll of polls, behind Trump and Ted Cruz. He is also

Marco Rubio – www.potnetwork.com

airing an ad featuring his devotion to Jesus and one harking back to his college football

days.

God told us to exclude same-sex couples and their kids, Mormon leaders say

son is second in seniority only to church president Thomas S. Monson.

It was Monson who received instructions from God on how to deal with samesex Mormon couples, Nelson said, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, allowing them to be married.

According to Nelson, Mormon leaders gathered to pray and consult with each other about the Supreme Court decision,

which ran contrary to Mormon religious teaching. “[W]e considered countless permutations and combinations of possible scenarios that could arise,” Nelson said.

Then Monson, who is considered a “prophet, seer, and revelator” as well as President of the Mormon Church, declared “the mind of the Lord and the will of the Lord.”

God considered same-sex couples to be “apostates,” Monson told the other church leaders, and should not be allowed to participate in church functions. Their children should also be excluded, at least until the children turn 18 and renounce their parents’ “sins.”

“Each of us during that sacred moment felt a spiritual confirmation,” Nelson said.

“It was our privilege as apostles to sustain what had been revealed to President Monson.”

Nelson explained that revelations from God require a process.

“The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counsel together and share all the Lord has directed us to understand and to feel, individually and col-

lectively,” he said. “And then, we watch the Lord move upon the president of the church to proclaim the Lord’s will.”

“Prophets see ahead. They see the harrowing dangers the adversary has placed, or will yet place, in our path,” Nelson explained. “Prophets also foresee the grand possibilities and privileges awaiting those who listen with the intent to obey.

“You may not always understand every declaration of a living prophet,” he added.

“But when you know a prophet is a prophet, you can approach the Lord in humility and faith and ask for your own witness about whatever his prophet has proclaimed.”

Nelson made his remarks at a church conference for Mormon millennials.

This is civilization’s “eleventh hour,” Nelson told them. “The Lord has declared that this is the last time he will call laborers into his vineyard to gather the elect from the four quarters of the Earth.”

Nelson is 91, and he became president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles last year. He will succeed the 88-year-old Monson if Monson dies before he does.

who will vote to overturn the historic rulings in U.S. v. Windsor and Obergefell v.

Hodges. Others have gone out of their way to make hateful, insulting comments. None support federal protections against the discrimination too many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans still endure in states across the country.

“There are still judges who are determined to stand in the way of people’s rights.

There are still politicians who argue the court got it wrong and states should ignore its ruling. We need to ensure that marriage equality is guaranteed and enforced nationwide. And we need to fight discrimination against LGBT Americans wherever it occurs.” –Hillary Clinton In January 2017, President Obama – an historic champion for LGBT rights – will leave the White House, and a new presi-

dent will take his place. That president has to be committed to continuing the fight for full and meaningful equality – not someone who will rip away all the progress we’ve made.

When the Supreme Court ruled last June, Hillary Clinton said their decision “represents our country at its best: inclusive, open, and striving towards true equality.”

As secretary of state, she worked to advance LGBT equality within the State Department and stood up for LGBT rights abroad, declaring on the global stage that “gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” On the campaign trail, she has called for comprehensive protections against discrimination and the need to take on the crisis of violence facing transgender women, especially women of color. And as president, she will fight for LGBT Ameri-

cans and their families every single day.

People like Justice Moore and the Republican candidates do not represent our nation at its best. They want to stand in the doorway of progress and block our path to a future where all Americans have full and equal rights. But we will not be dragged back into the past. With Hillary Clinton as our president, we will keep moving forward to a time when all Americans can enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, no matter who they are or who they love.

January 15, 2016

Seattle Gay News 15

Mormon church leader Russel M. Nelson – AP photo via cbsnews.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer God instructed the Mormon Church to exclude same-sex couples and their children, according to church leader Russell M. Nelson.

As head of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the oldest living apostle, Nel-

hillary clinton continued from cover

protected by the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In other words: Marriage equality is the law of the land. In all 50 states. Including Alabama.

Here’s the most frightening part of Justice Moore’s actions: He is far from alone.

There are still too many people who are determined to stand in the way of progress, even as the rest of the country moves forward. And some of those people want to be your next president.

Every single Republican candidate opposes marriage equality. Some have suggested that they would only appoint Supreme Court justices (something the next president is likely to do multiple times)

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Read more about Hillary Clinton’s plan to support LGBT Americans at https://www. hillaryclinton.com/feed/hillary-clinton-released-her-plan-protect-and-expand-rightslgbt-community/.

Courtesy of Hillary for America

Anglican bishops headed for splitsville over Gays

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer As Anglican Church bishops meet in the historic English town of Canterbury, all indications point to a nasty battle – and probably a schism – over the church’s relationship with its LGBT parishioners.

The Anglican Communion includes the Church of England and the Episcopalian Church in the United States, but it also includes many African dioceses in former British colonies, where bishops have made a point of defending colonial-era laws against Gay sex. More than half of the Communion’s members now live in Africa.

On one side, more than 100 British Anglican officials signed on to an open letter calling on the Church of England to repent for discriminating against LGBT people, “who have been ignored and even vilified for too long.”

“We have not loved them as we should, and have treated them as a problem to be solved rather than as brothers and sisters in

Christ to be embraced and celebrated,” the January 7 letter says.

“We have made them feel second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God, often abandoned and alone.”

On the other side, bishops from in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Congo are expected to stage a walkout when the letter is read at the bishops’ conference.

The church has already split once over homosexuality. The breakaway Anglican Church in North America formed in 2009 after openly Gay bishop Gene Robinson

was consecrated in New Hampshire.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, titular head of the Anglican Communion, told BBC News on January 11 that a split was a very real possibility.

He hoped for a “reconciliation,” Welby said, but that would mean “finding ways to disagree well.”

Even if the Church split, he said, it “would not be a disaster... It would be a failure.

“It would not be good if the church is unable to set an example to the rest of the world of showing how we can love each oth-

er and disagree profoundly.”

But, he added, there was “nothing” he could do “if people decide they want to leave the room.”

As head of the Church of England, Welby campaigned against same-sex marriage before it was legalized by the British parliament in 2013. The church does not conduct same-sex marriage services.

On the other hand, Welby has also spoken in support of same-sex relationships – when they are not described as “marriages.”

“You see gay relationships that are just stunning in the quality of the relationship,” he said in 2013, adding that he had “particular friends where I recognize that and am deeply challenged by it.”

Welby also supports ordaining women priests and bishops, another sore spot for the traditionalist African bishops. He has not taken a public position on ordaining openly Gay clergy.

Greek bishops spar over LGBT rights

“Homosexuals, like all humans, are a creation of God, and they deserve the same respect and honor, and not violence and rejection,” Chrysostomos said.

“We shouldn’t forget the way Christ responded to the sinful woman, according to the Gospels, which became his word. ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’

“That canon should be our guiding prin-

ciple for the way in which we should handle every person and fellow human, regardless of their otherness or differences. The church doesn’t reject people.”

In addition to presiding over the diocese of Messinia, Chrysostomos is also chair of the Theology Faculty at the University of Athens, and one of the Greek Orthodox Church’s leading intellectuals. His remarks were a slap at fellow bishop Ambrosios of Kalavryta.

In the wake of a new law legalizing same-sex civil partnerships, Ambrosios said Christians should “spit on [Gay people], beat them up. They are not human.”

Ambrosios is known to be close to Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party, which has been implicated in several Gay bashings in Athens. Golden Dawn’s leaders are currently on trial for racketeering.

In an article following up on his interview, Chrysostomos criticized other bishops who take “the moralistic approach to the ethics of relationships – those who judge, criticize, blame, and stigmatize everyone else except themselves.

“They consider themselves as judges of the people and try to criminalize all forms of sin, to confirm the supposed ‘purity’ of their lives and their own sinlessness, and forget that … we are all in one way or another people of sin and of the fall.”

Chrysostomos stopped short of endorsing same-sex relationships, however. In his article, he restated the Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

The Church has a “pastoral obligation to indicate its opposition to any form of cohabitation which contradicts or weakens the standard of living and co-experiencing of the functionality of the family while alienating and tarnishing the sacramental character of marriage,” Chrysostomos said.

This was not Chrysostomos’s first clash with another bishop.

In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI visited Cyprus, Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus said the Catholic Pope should not be welcomed in Orthodox countries. Chrysostomos publicly denounced Seraphim’s views and called for more dialog between the two denominations.

virologic suppression with PRO 140 monotherapy in 11 out of 14 HIV-1 patients who are participating in this treatment-substitution study,” Jacob P. Lalezari, M.D., the principal investigator of the PRO 140 Phase 2b trial and extension study from Quest Clinical Research, said.

“The durability of the response to PRO 140 monotherapy over at least a one-year period is remarkable. In addition, PRO 140 appears well tolerated in all patients treated to date.”

CytoDyn says that PRO 140 belongs to a new class of HIV/AIDS therapeutics, called “viral-entry inhibitors,” that are intended to

protect healthy cells from viral infection.

PRO 140 is a monoclonal antibody directed against CCR5, a molecular portal that HIV uses to enter T-cells. The drug prevents HIV entry into human T-cells by masking the required co-receptor, CCR5.

At the same time, PRO 140 does not appear to interfere with the normal function of CCR5 in healthy immune responses.

Because PRO 140 is an antibody and not a synthetic drug like other HIV meds, it “has no apparent issues with toxicity,” the company says.

CytoDyn also found that PRO 140 did not induce the development of drug-resis-

tant viruses in its previous short-term trials.

The company said its new drug might benefit patients who have difficulty adhering to daily drug regimens. In addition, they said, PRO 140 would be indicated for patients who find it difficult to tolerate existing meds, or who have complex medical issues due to compromised organ function or multiple drug-resistant viruses.

Final results from CytoDyn’s 25-week Phase III FDA trial are expected by the end of the year.

Bishop Chrysostomos of Messinia – pappaspost.com

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A prominent Greek Orthodox bishop has repudiated remarks by a fellow bishop who said that Gay people “are not human.”

In an interview with Tharros News, Bishop Chrysostomos of Messinia said that Orthodox Christians should not reject their LGBT neighbors.

hiv meds

continued from cover is a gentle reminder to inject a weekly dose of PRO 140 every seven days.”

According to the company, of the 11 patients whose viral load was suppressed

by PRO 140, all showed “maximal virologic suppression” after at least one year on PRO 140. All 11 “patients substituted their daily highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen with weekly, painless subcutaneous injections of PRO 140,” the company said.

“We are very pleased to report maximal

16 Seattle Gay News

January 15, 2016

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18 Seattle Gay News

January 15, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!

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January 15, 2016

Seattle Gay News 19

20 Seattle Gay News

January 15, 2016

Celebrating 41 Years!