SGN November 6, 2020

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ELECTION 2020 Lawyers replace campaign staff as count goes on

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

– Images courtesy of AP

Democratic and Republican campaign staffers are handing off to their respective parties’ lawyers as vote counting continues in a tight presidential race.

Early on election night, it became clear that the 2020 election would not be the “blue wave” many Democrats were expecting. As even the most dedicated Democratic partisans finally headed for bed, Biden trailed in many of the key states he needed in order to secure the presidency.

Record number of LGBTQ voters

Many LGBTQ candidates elected Photo by Evan Vucci / AP

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer LGBTQ voters turned out in record numbers for this year’s election, according to a survey released by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

The National Election Pool exit poll conducted by Edison Research shows that self-identified LGBTQ voters accounted for 7% of the total electorate, while making up 4.5% of the general population.

see LGBTQ VOTERS page 5

The similarity with 2016’s presidential election was all too evident. Biden was leading in the popular vote by almost two million votes. Nevertheless, he was trailing in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin – the states that did in Hillary Clinton.

see ELECTION 2020 page 5

Fulton v.

City of Philadelphia

Supreme Court hears case that could undermine protections for LGBTQ and minority faith communities Sharonell Fulton and family – Photo courtesy of Becket

WASHINGTON, DC (November 4, 2020) – The Supreme Court today held arguments in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a case involving a taxpayer-funded agency seeking a ruling that could allow private agencies that receive taxpayer-fund-

ing to provide government services – such as foster care providers, food banks, homeless shelters, and more – to deny services to people who are LGBTQ, Jewish, Muslim, or Mormon.

see FULTON page 7

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Cal Anderson Park Alliance letter to Seattle Parks & Recreation Superintendent Jesús Aguirre

Cal Anderson Park – Photo by Futoshi Kobayashi / Courtesy of Seattle Parks

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter was sent to Seattle Parks & Recreation Superintendent Jesús Aguirre on Monday, October 12, 2020. The Seattle Gay News reprints the letter here in full to let readers know about the ongoing conversation about reopening and restoring Cal Anderson Park.]

Seattle Parks & Recreation Superintendent Jesús Aguirre: As residents and community stakeholders of Capitol Hill, we are writing to request a meeting with you to discuss how we can

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work together to safely and immediately reopen Cal Anderson Park. Despite the current COVID-19 closure, we must reopen the park so that regular maintenance can resume and the community can organically come together to activate their public space and counter the dangerous decline we’ve sadly witnessed.

The Cal Anderson Park Alliance (CAPA) represents a broad and diverse group of Capitol Hill neighbors, businesses, and community leaders who have for decades successfully brought our community together to focus on the park that connects us all.

Invested neighborhood organizations like

CAPA are integral to a city’s future, and we believe we are uniquely positioned to help the City guide the safe opening of our park. We represent neighbors, community organizations, and businesses in properties immediately surrounding the park, including leaders from the Capitol Hill Farmers Market, the GSBA, Capitol Hill’s EcoDistrict, and Seattle Central College. Many of us live within a block and have been intimate first-hand witnesses to the evolving events of the summer of 2020.

Thanks to the hard work of commu-

November 6, 2020

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ELECTION

Washington state election results: good but not great for Dems

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In contrast to more easterly states, Washington state was called for Joe Biden almost as soon as the polls closed.

As the SGN goes to press, Biden has won almost 61% of the total statewide vote, largely on the strength of heavy Democratic turnout in the six I-5 corridor counties.

In congressional races, all the incumbents are headed for victory. Seattle-area Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-7) and Adam Smith (D-9) are rolling up landslide margins – close to 85% for Jayapal and 76% for Smith.

In the 10th Congressional District seat vacated by Denny Heck, pro-business Democrat Marilyn Strickland is well ahead of progressive Democrat Beth Doglio, 50% to 36%.

Assuming that present trends continue as more ballots are counted, Washington will retain its 7-to-3 Democrat-to-Republican ratio in Congress.

Statewide offices Gov. Jay Inslee looks like a sure bet to win a third term, with about 59% of the votes, just behind Joe Biden’s margin. Like with Biden, his strength comes mainly from heavy voting in Democratic Party strongholds along I-5.

In the race for an open lieutenant governor seat, retiring Rep. Denny Heck is running well ahead of openly Gay state Sen. Marko Liias, with 47% to Liias’s 34%.

Incumbent Republican Kim Wyman is ahead of Democratic challenger Gael Tarleton in the race for secretary of state, 52% to 48%. Tarleton is gaining ground, however, as ballots continue to be counted.

In the race for state treasurer, Democrat

Photo by Ted S. Warren / AP

Mike Pellicciotti overcame an electionnight deficit and now leads Republican Duane Davidson, 56% to 44%.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson – a state folk hero for his multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration – is heading for reelection with 59% of the vote to 41% for Republican challenger Matt Larkin.

Incumbent Democrats Hilary Franz (lands commissioner), Chris Reykdal (superintendent of public instruction), and Mike Kreidler (insurance commissioner) are also headed for reelection.

State legislature Both houses of the state legislature will continue to be controlled by Democrats.

In Seattle’s 43rd Legislative District (North Capitol Hill and the U District), former speaker and veteran legislator Frank Chopp is holding off an unexpectedly strong challenge by community activist Sherae Lascelles. Chopp is currently lead-

ing with 67% of the vote to Lascelles’ 33%.

The 43rd’s other representative, Nicole Macri, is cruising to an easy victory with 92% of the vote against token Republican challenger Leslie Klein.

In Seattle’s 37th District (South Capitol Hill, Central District, Rainier Valley, Rainier Beach), Kirsten Harris-Talley is running well ahead of challenger Chukundi Salisbury for a seat left open by the retirement of Eric Pettigrew. Harris-Talley is winning about 67% of the vote to Salisbury’s 33%.

Both are Democrats.

The 37th’s longtime incumbent representative, Sharon Tomiko Santos, looks like a sure bet for reelection, with 82% of the votes against her challenger, John Stafford.

Again, both candidates are Democrats in a heavily Democratic district.

Ballot measures Voters seem to be passing Referendum 90, to approve a new law mandated com-

prehensive age-appropriate sex education in public schools. The measure now leads by 60% to 40%.

Voters are rejecting Engrossed Senate Joint Resolution 8212, a measure to allow money collected for long-term care benefits to be invested in the stock market. Longterm care advocates were backing the proposal as a way to ensure that the long-term care fund got the highest possible returns on invested money.

Seattle voters are also approving new taxes to fund mass transit. More than 82% of Seattle voters said yes to Proposition 1.

King County voters also approved a $1.7 billion bond measure to fund improvements to Harborview Medical Center.

Almost 78% of county voters are in favor of the bond measure, substantially more than the 60% it needs to pass.

US House LGBTQ caucus swells to nine members, increases members of color WASHINGTON, DC (November 4, 2020) – Tonight, the House LGBTQ Caucus grew to its largest size in history with the victories of Human Rights Campaign (HRC)–endorsed candidates Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones. Crucially, the LGBTQ Caucus has grown to nine members, significantly increasing its representation of people of color, a key priority of the HRC, by adding its first Black and Afro-Latino members.

“For too long, particularly LGBTQ people of color have been pushed to the sidelines and stripped of our voice,” said Alphonso David, HRC president. “But today we reclaim our power and declare ourselves not only worthy but indeed required representatives in the halls of Congress. Today, LGBTQ youth across the country will see themselves reflected in a diverse array of new representatives and know that they can achieve anything.”

“The support of the Human Rights Campaign helped us elevate the message of what was at stake in the race: ensuring a homophobic, Trump Republican who opposes equal rights for LGBTQ Americans did not win in the bluest district in the country,” said Rep.-elect Ritchie Torres after his primary win. “The HRC’s mission to support candidates who will fight for federal nondiscrimination protections and against the Trump agenda resonated with voters, and that support helped us defeat the politics of hate.”

4 Seattle Gay News

Ritchie Torres – Photo by Adam Hunger / AP

“On the cusp of making history as the nation’s first openly gay, Black member of Congress, I couldn’t be more grateful to the Human Rights Campaign for supporting my campaign in the Democratic primary,” said Rep.-elect Mondaire Jones after his primary win. “Growing up poor, black, and gay, I never imagined someone like me could run for Congress and win. With the help of the HRC, I not only defied people’s expectations but also inspired LGBTQ people of color to embrace who they are and – hopefully – join me in Congress one day.”

The HRC evaluated the field early this cycle and determined there was a significant opportunity to increase representation of

November 6, 2020

Mondaire Jones – Photo by Kathy Willens / AP

people of color in Congress through early targeted investments and endorsements. In New York, the HRC Equality Votes PAC invested five figures in digital advertising to ensure openly LGBTQ candidates Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres won their primaries in heavily Democratic districts.

HRC staff on the ground recruited 5,800 individual volunteers who completed 28,500 hours of voter contact in more than 2,650 volunteer events. This election year, the HRC engaged in robust digital and online GOTV efforts, including sending over 2.7 million person-to-person text messages, a massive increase from 2018, when approximately 500,000 texts were sent. The HRC sent over

2.5 million mail pieces, had over 930,000 phone conversations with voters, and engaged more than 200,000 voters through the HRC’s voter dashboard at hrc.org/vote.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.

The HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

Courtesy of the HRC

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Stephanie Byers – Photo courtesy of Campaign

Taylor Small – Photo courtesy of Campaign

Sarah McBride – Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer / AP

Torrey Harris – Photo courtesy of Campaign

LGBTQ VOTERS continued from cover

This is an increase over other recent elections. In the 2018 midterms, LGBTQ voters represented 6% of the electorate, and 5% in the 2016 presidential election.

In fact, the percentage of LGBTQ voters and their representation in the general population may be undercounted, because not all LGBTQ people will self-identify to pollsters.

“Over the last three elections, the share

ELECTION 2020 continued from cover

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this article was written Wednesday morning, Trump has won Florida and Biden has won Michigan and Wisconsin. On Thursday afternoon at 3:14pm the Associated Press reported that Biden was leading the popular vote by 3,595,878 votes.]

Democratic hopes that they could flip Georgia and North Carolina have not yet panned out, and Texas has been called for Trump.

Trump made a late-night appearance claiming victory and demanding that ballot counting stop, even in states where, clearly, relatively few ballots had been counted.

As the next day dawned, though, ballots from traditionally Democratic strongholds – Milwaukee, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia, Atlanta – started to be recorded, putting the Biden campaign into the lead in Wisconsin and Michigan. Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina may still be in play as well.

Biden’s popular vote majority increased

Eddie Mannis – Photo courtesy of Campaign

Charmaine McGuffey – Photo courtesy of Campaign

Brandon Thomas – Photo courtesy of Campaign

of LGBTQ voters has continued to increase, solidifying our community as a key rising constituency that politicians must court,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement.

“Our issues matter, our votes matter and politicians around the country have taken notice. But this development did not occur in a single cycle. Over the last two decades, and especially over the last four years, our community has organized to protect our rights – rights that have been under attack and on the ballot.

“In the most consequential election of

our lifetimes, LGBTQ people showed our strength.”

Perhaps because of the large LGBTQ turnout, many first-time LGBTQ candidates were elected in an election night of historic firsts: • Stephanie Byers became the first out Transgender person elected to the Kansas legislature, and the first Trans person of color elected to any state legislature in the US. • Sarah MacBride became the first Trans state senator in US history when she overwhelmingly won a seat in Delaware’s Senate. She is also the HRC’s national press

secretary.

• Taylor Small was elected the first Trans state legislator in Vermont.

• Torrey Harris and Eddie Mannis became the first two openly LGBTQ people ever elected to the Tennessee state legislature.

• Charmaine McGuffey became the first out Lesbian sheriff of Hamilton County, Ohio, which includes Cincinnati.

Brandon Thomas, another openly LGBTQ state House candidate in Tennessee, is in a contest that is still undecided.

to three million votes.

Trump’s lawyers sprang into action.

According to the Washington Post, Trump campaign officials told allies, surrogates, and donors in a November 4 morning call that they expected a slate of legal challenges and had already deployed lawyers to a range of states.

“We are in recount territory in Wisconsin, in Michigan, the same way,” deputy campaign manager Justin Clark said, according to a recording of the call obtained by the Washington Post.

“I believe we will be lodging legal challenges in both of those places because there is some…to counteract any funny business going on in both of those places.”

“You will see more litigation today, likely,” Clark said about Pennsylvania. He didn’t specify exactly what it would be.

Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager, said that the campaign had deployed lawyers to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, among other states.

Shortly before mid-day Pacific time, CNN called Wisconsin for Biden. Trump’s attorneys immediately demanded a recount.

In Michigan, where Biden overcame an election night deficit to pull ahead by morning of the next day, Trump lawyers have filed a lawsuit to stop vote counting altogether.

“As votes in Michigan continue to be counted, the presidential race in the state remains extremely tight, as we always knew it would be,” Stepien said in a statement.

“President Trump’s campaign has not been provided with meaningful access to numerous counting locations to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process, as guaranteed by Michigan law.

“We have filed suit today in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted.

“We also demand to review those ballots which were opened and counted while we did not have meaningful access.”

Later on November 4, Trump attorneys also filed suit to halt vote counting in Pennsylvania, where Biden trailed on election night but thousands of mail-in ballots may give him a slight lead. Trump lawyers cited a “lack of transparency” in Pennsylvania’s counting process.

Trump campaign functionary Jason Miller also called on the Associated

Press and Fox News to retract their call of Arizona for the Biden column. Miller announced – without supporting evidence – that Trump had carried Georgia and North Carolina and demanded that their electoral votes be “immediately” awarded to him.

While Biden may pull out a narrow victory, Democratic Party hopes for control of the US Senate were dashed on election night.

Only in Colorado were Democrats able to pick up a Senate seat. There, popular former governor John Hickenlooper defeated incumbent Republican incumbent Cory Gardner. Elsewhere Republican incumbents managed to beat the polling spread to win reelection.

Even relatively unpopular Republican incumbents like Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina held off spirited challenges.

The House will remain in Democratic control, although Speaker Nancy Pelosi lost a few Democratic incumbents who’d been elected in the 2018 wave election but were unable to keep their seats.

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NY Gov. Cuomo appoints commission to oversee creation of Justice Ginsburg statue WASHINGTON, DC (October 15, 2020) – Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today appointed 23 members to a new commission that will oversee the creation of a statue honoring the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The commission includes members of Justice Ginsburg’s family, close friends, esteemed colleagues, and other leaders. The commission will provide recommendations to the governor regarding the artist, design, location, and installation of the memorial statue.

“Last month I announced [that] New York State will honor the life and legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a statue in her native Brooklyn. Now I’m releasing a list of the 19 members that we have appointed to the commission who will oversee the creation of the statue. Justice Ginsburg will forever stand as a singular figure in history, unmatched in her pursuit of justice and equality under the law for all Americans. Only the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg was a tireless champion for women’s rights and throughout her lifetime bril-

liantly navigated a complex landscape of gender-based discrimination to ultimately ascend to the highest court in the land. She leveraged that position to fiercely advocate for equal rights and ensure those who followed in her footsteps would face fewer obstacles along the way,” Gov. Cuomo said.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg embodied a set of ideals often missing in today’s civic dialogue: she showed us reason, empathy, and hope. Her legacy as a jurist, professor, lawyer, and scholar will endure for generations, and we are honored to erect a permanent statue in memory of Justice Ginsburg. Lord knows she deserves it.”

The commission comprised of 18 members and 5 honorary members appointed by the governor includes the following: Members • Jane Ginsburg, daughter to Justice Ginsburg • Clara Spera, granddaughter to Justice Ginsburg • Mimi Ginsburg, granddaughter to Justice Ginsburg • Constance Beaty, artist and portraitist

for Justice Ginsburg • Irin Carmon, senior correspondent at New York Magazine and co-author of Notorious RGB: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Jodie Cohen, principal of James Madison High School • Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign • Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO, National Women’s Law Center • Subash Iyer, special counsel for ethics, risk and compliance at MTA and former clerk for Justice Ginsburg • Judge Robert A. Katzmann, US circuit judge of the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit • Shana Knizhnik, staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society and co-author of Notorious RGB: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Susana Torruella Leval, director emerita of El Museo del Barrio • Gillian Metzger, Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law at Columbia University and former clerk for Justice

Ginsburg • Trevor Morrison, dean of NYU School of Law and former clerk for Justice Ginsburg • Sonia Ossorio, president of NOW New York • Anne Pasternak, director of the Brooklyn Museum • William Savitt, partner, litigation, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and former clerk for Justice Ginsburg • Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent at NPR • Honorary Members • Honorable Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state • Janet DiFiore, chief judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York • Letitia James, attorney general of New York State • Justice Sonia Sotomayor, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States • Gloria Steinem, feminist activist and co-founder of Ms. Magazine Courtesy of the HRC

HRC on the death of Angel Unique WASHINGTON, DC (November 2, 2020) – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has tragically learned of the death of Angel Unique, whom some reports identify as Angel Haynes, a 25-year-old Black transgender woman who was killed in Memphis, Tenn., on October 25. Her death is believed to be at least the 34th violent death of a transgender or gender-nonconforming person this year in the US. The HRC offers a brief guide to getting transgender coverage right for those who are writing about trans and nonbinary people. That guide is available [at www.hrc. org/resources/reporting-about-transgenderpeople-read-this].

Full HRC statement The HRC is horrified to learn of the death of Angel Unique, whom some reports identify as Angel Haynes, a 25-year-old Black transgender woman who was killed in Memphis, Tenn. Angel, who was a licensed cosmetologist, was killed early in the morning on Sunday, October 25, as the result of a gunshot wound. Her death is believed to be at least the 34th violent death of a transgender or gender-nonconforming person this year in the US. We say “at least” because too often these deaths go unreported — or misreported.

The HRC has officially recorded more violent deaths of transgender and gendernonconforming people than any year since we began tracking this violence in 2013.

Previously, the highest known number of fatal deaths of transgender and gender-nonconforming people over a 12-month period was in 2017, when we reported 31 people violently killed.

“We have lost yet another Black trans woman to deadly violence in this country,” said HRC director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative Tori Cooper. “Despite the fact that we are living through the coronavirus pandemic, transgender and gender-nonconforming people are also still facing an epidemic of violence. We are also living in an extremely vitriolic period, where hate, prejudice, racism, and transphobia are fueled by many in power. This is contributing to a rise in animosity and an increase in fatal violence against trans and gender-nonconforming

6 Seattle Gay News

Angel Unique – Photo courtesy of HRC

people. We need our allies to take action to support us today and every day. As we mourn Angel’s loss along with her friends and family, we will continue working for an end to this senseless violence.”

On Friday, October 30, Angel’s friends and family held a vigil to remember her, where they lit candles that spelled her name and released balloons. Friends and family have also been sharing their memories of her. “Everybody that knew Angel, knew that she was very funny, very nice to everybody she met,” said her friend Shinese Weddle in a video for ABC 24, a local news station in Memphis. A member of Angel’s

November 6, 2020

family remembered her on Facebook as “such a bright person [with] a positive spirit.”

More than 10,000 hate crimes in the US involve a firearm each year, which equates to more than 28 each day, according to a report from the HRC, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, Giffords Law Center, and Equality Florida titled “Remembering and Honoring Pulse: Anti-LGBTQ Bias and Guns Are Taking Lives of Countless LGBTQ People.” The report also notes a marked increase in anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, especially against transgender people. Since the HRC began tracking

this violence in 2013, two-thirds of victims have been Black trans women and more than 60% of incidents have involved gun violence. Further, advocates saw a 43% increase in the formation of anti-LGBTQ hate groups in 2019.

Currently, no suspect information is available. The Memphis Police Department encourages anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH. At the state level, transgender and gender-nonconforming people in Tennessee are not explicitly protected from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public spaces. While Tennessee does include sexual orientation as a protected characteristic in its hate crimes law, it does not expressly include gender identity.

Nationally, despite some marginal gains that support and affirm transgender people, the past few years have been marked by anti-LGBTQ attacks at all levels of government.

We must demand better from our elected officials and reject harmful antitransgender legislation at the local, state, and federal levels, while also considering every possible way to make ending this violence a reality. It is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, especially Black transgender women. The intersections of racism, transphobia, sexism, biphobia, and homophobia conspire to deprive them of necessities to live and thrive, so we must all work together to cultivate acceptance, reject hate, and end stigma for everyone in the trans and gender-nonconforming community.

In order to work toward this goal and combat stigma against transgender and nonbinary people, the HRC has collaborated with WarnerMedia on a PSA campaign to lift up their voices and stories.

Learn more and watch the first PSA [at https://bit.ly/38adPXd].

In the pursuit of greater accuracy and respect, the HRC offers guidelines for journalists and others who report on transgender people. For more information about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc. org/transgender.

Courtesy of the HRC

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HRC on the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia

WASHINGTON, DC (November 4, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, released the following statement ahead of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a case that considers whether taxpayerfunded foster care agencies can discriminate against LGBTQ people: “Today’s oral arguments underscore the vital role that the Supreme Court plays in upholding equality and rejecting discrimination in all forms,” said Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

“While this case focuses on foster care, it has broad implications. If the court allows discrimination in this forum, it could open a Pandora’s box for future discrimination – against LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ people alike. It would certainly create grounds to discriminate against interfaith couples, or single people who are looking to become foster parents. And, it would set a dangerous precedent.

“For years, the Human Rights Campaign has consistently worked against bills that would grant a similar ‘license to discriminate’ in statehouses across the country, because we have seen the type of damage that is done when children in care are denied the opportunity to find a family. And we have seen the damage that is done to prospective parents who are denied the chance to give children a loving home.

Discrimination against LGBTQ people and our families is wrong, results in heartbreaking damage to children and parents alike, and cannot be legally substantiated.

We stand firmly against this type of insidious discrimination, and the Supreme Court should do the same.”

Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is a case that considers whether foster care agencies that receive government funds can discriminate against prospective parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs. The case could have a sweeping, harmful impact in the provision of child welfare services by enabling discrimination against LGBTQ people, same-sex couples, interfaith couples, single parents, married couples in which one prospective parent has previously been divorced, or other qualified parents to whom

Photo courtesy of Becket

an agency has an objection. The biggest barrier to placing children with families is a lack of qualified prospective parents. If the court gives taxpayer-funded agencies a license to discriminate, thereby limiting the pool of prospective parents for no legitimate reason, this would further shrink the pool of qualified prospective parents.

According to new data from PRRI, a very broad majority of Americans (70%) oppose allowing religiously affiliated agencies that receive taxpayer funding to refuse to accept qualified gay and lesbian couples as foster parents, including 31% who strongly oppose it.

Many of the country’s top child welfare organizations have spoken out in opposition to state governments’ attempts to enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination into the provision of child welfare services

around the country. Those groups include the Child Welfare League of America, the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the National Center for Adoption and Permanency, the Foster Club, and Voice for Adoption.

The HRC recently released an updated report, titled “Disregarding the Best Interest of the Child: Why Creating Licenses to Discriminate for Government Contractors Hurts Children in the Child Welfare System,” detailing the harms of efforts to enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination by child welfare agencies into law. Statistics suggest that an estimated two million LGBTQ adults in the US are interested in adoption, but the LGBTQ community often remains an untapped resource when it comes to finding families for children and youth in foster care.

continued from cover

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

Courtesy of the HRC

could open the door to discrimination in any taxpayer-funded program.”

“For the families in Philadelphia Family Pride, this case is first and foremost about kids. We work with the City of Philadelphia, private agencies that work with children in our foster care system and LGBTQ parents,” said Stephanie Haynes, executive director of Philadelphia Family Pride. “We work together to find members of the LGBTQ community who want to become foster parents to help meet the need. When a foster care agency says no to families based on the agency’s religious beliefs, it denies children families who are willing and able to care for them. When agencies are getting tax dollars to find families for children in foster care, religious beliefs should not come before the needs of the children.”

Some foster care agencies have religious objections to accepting people of different faiths, including the largest taxpayer-funded foster care agency in South Carolina, which accepts only evangelical Protestant Christians and has turned away Jewish and Catholic families. Over 1,000 people and organizations joined friend-of-the-court briefs in opposition to CSS’s claims, including all of the major child welfare groups, clergy and religious organizations representing diverse religious communities, former foster youth, and nearly half of the states and dozens of cities and mayors.

FULTON

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Pennsylvania, representing the Support Center for Child Advocates and Philadelphia Family Pride, intervened in support of the city, which is being sued

by Catholic Social Services, a taxpayerfunded foster care agency that will not accept same-sex couples in violation of the city’s non-discrimination requirement. CSS has asked the court for a constitutional right to discriminate that would allow taxpayer-funded foster care agencies to turn away qualified families who don’t meet their religious test because they are LGBTQ, of a different religion, don’t go to church, or any other reason.

“We already have a shortage of foster families. Allowing agencies to turn away families for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability to care for a child would only make it worse,” said Leslie Cooper, deputy director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project. “When an organization chooses to accept taxpayer dollars to provide a government service, it doesn’t have a right to pick and choose who it will serve.

The stakes in this case couldn’t be higher for LGBTQ people, who face the possibility of the Supreme Court creating a constitutional right to discriminate against us in every aspect of our lives. And the court

Research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, as many have been rejected by their families of origin because of their LGBTQ status, and are especially vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment while in foster care.

Courtesy of ACLU

Photo courtesy of Becket

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Generations Celebration to be held virtually Monday, Nov. 18, 4-5pm This year’s Generations Celebration event, presented by the University of Washington’s AgePride HealthyGen Center and the National LGBTQ+ Health and Longevity Center, will be held virtually on Monday, November 18, from 4-5pm (PST) to solidify our common ground in the context of a global pandemic. The free event celebrates advances in health and longevity while illuminating the steadfast work needed to advance racial equity and intersectional justice and seeks to combat social isolation.

Website: genevents.org/2020-conference-gala Registration: events.uw.edu/d/67q4g0 Facebook event: facebook.com/ events/3582755091744901 Sponsorship opportunities still available: genevents.org/sponsor

interventions designed to address the growing and distinct needs of at-risk and underserved communities, including health and support programs across generational programming as well as evidence-based training for providers to ensure culturally relevant care. Through its community based collaborative work, the Center promotes multi-generational health and longevity in an increasingly diverse society. More information at age-pride.org/healthy-gen-center.

communities; promoting equity in the face of historical trauma; HIV, resilience and long-term survivors; exploring intersections of race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender in health inequities; and bias and

ing for the gen2gen mentorship program.

For an up-to-date list of performers and presentations, visit the event’s website at genevents.org/2020-conference-gala.

Images courtesy of GenPride

Multiple speakers of different generations will share their expertise and experience, unifying in solidarity. The event will be emceed by performer Aleksa Manila who will be joined by a lineup of amazing talent, including the “hardest workin’ woman in blues, soul, funk & gospel,” Lady A, local drag chanteuse Arnaldo! and longtime acclaimed activist Dr. Grethe Cammermeyer, who bravely challenged the military’s anti-gay policy.

Engaging presentations will cover a wide range of pressing topics, such as addressing access and disparities in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color)

resistance in the lives of trans people. The event will celebrate the release of the 2020 Washington State LGBTQ+ Equity and Health Report, which will be announced by University of Washington Professor Karen Fredriksen Goldsen.

Generations Celebration is inviting LGBTQ+ people of all ages and their allies to tune in for an hour of entertainment and engaging presentations and to help raise funds for gen2gen, a mentorship program designed to reduce social isolation by connecting diverse generations through meaningful connections. This event is fundrais-

About AgePride HealthyGen Center The University of Washington’s HealthyGen Center is distinct by its focus on innovation and being responsive to the needs of elders, families and care partners in diverse at-risk and underserved communities. Responding to the changing nature of aging in our society, the Center develops interdisciplinary, professional and community collaborations to create new models and services to advance health promotion, wellness and prevention for elders and multigenerational care. The Center is delivering some of the first evidence-based

CAL ANDERSON

who need access to safe open spaces as a respite from pandemic confinement. In recent years CAPA has sponsored and organized programs and events to activate Cal Anderson Park and inspire healthy, safe, and diverse usage. Sadly, with the park officially closed, we are not able to engage our community in the rebuilding of our shared space or healing from recent events. In fact, for those who pass by the park today, it’s nearly unrecognizable. Park garbage cans are currently overflowing, lights are broken or not working, and water features remain turned off, inviting graffiti, vandalism, and damage to critical community infrastructure that has certainly incurred more cost to repair than any funds saved. As a result of these disturbing developments, our dense neighborhood of people who live and work here (ranging in age from children to seniors) stays away from the park, fearful for their health and safety.

Together, we know our community can find constructive solutions… but only if the park is officially opened and maintained.

We strongly believe that, aligned with the latest pandemic-related guidance from our public health officials, the community can work in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation and other City departments to safely re-open Cal Anderson Park. We are hoping to find a time to meet with you to

discuss the current untenable conditions of the park and to chart an action plan for reopening the park again this fall. Issues we would like to discuss include:

continued from page 3

nity members before us, Seattle and Cal Anderson Park were honored in 2009 by Forbes as having one of “America’s Best City Parks,” affirming CAPA’s unique efficacy. Capitol Hill has a long track record of successful citizen involvement: Since our beloved park was established in 1901 (then known as “Lincoln Park”), those surrounding it have been deeply enmeshed in its affairs and invested in its outcome. In 1993, CAPA (then known as Groundswell Off Broadway) was responsible for advocating for park improvements that resulted in the redevelopment of the grounds we are familiar with today, ultimately re-naming the park in 2005 to honor Washington’s first openly-gay legislator.

CAPA hopes to carry forward the passion and dedication of those who came before us as well as those who have been historically left out of community dialogue.

We share the belief that this public park is vital to the health and wellbeing of Capitol Hill and visitors to our city. Our uniquely urban environment is an immensely popular and natural gathering space, and the park’s history, design, and accessibility combine to serve a wide number of people

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November 6, 2020

• Continued public health and safety concerns • Damaged and nonfunctioning park and community infrastructure, including Seattle’s first all-gender public restrooms • Ongoing and unaddressed backlog of maintenance issues • Opportunities for better communication with neighborhood and community organizations On behalf of all Capitol Hill residents, visitors, and stakeholders, we would like to meet with you and urge you to address these issues immediately before more damage and harm occurs. We need your leadership to ensure that Cal Anderson Park is welcoming and safe at a time when the Capitol Hill community needs it more than ever. We are uniquely capable of galvanizing our community to ensure solutions are authentically community-owned, and we stand ready to work with you.

About the gen2gen Mentorship Program For decades there have been too few opportunities to build connections between older and younger generations. Today, COVID-19 and physical distancing cause further division, disconnection, ageism, and loneliness. The pandemic has separated everyone while creating an appreciation for our essential interdependence. The gen2gen mentorship program will bring generations together to fight social isolation and strengthen multigenerational connections. Through gen2gen, diverse generations will share their life stories and lessons learned to make meaningful connections and better understand each other’s diverse experiences, histories, and perspectives. The gen2gen program is being developed by the AgePride HealthyGen Center at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work.

The Center’s successful programs are based on strong community partnerships. Together we utilize cutting-edge information regarding vulnerable populations, such as LGBTQ older adults, to develop innovative solutions improving health, well-being, and longevity.

YouthCare is a collaborating partner on gen2gen. More information at genevents.org/ gen2gen Website: genevents.org/2020-conference-gala Registration: events.uw.edu/d/67q4g0 Facebook event: facebook.com/ events/3582755091744901 Sponsorship opportunities still available: genevents.org/sponsor Courtesy of AgePride HealthyGen Center Jennifer Antos, Executive Director, Capitol Hill Farmers’ Market Thatcher Bailey, President, Seattle Parks Foundation Don Blakeney, Neighbor Louise Chernin, President & CEO, GSBA/Capitol Hill Business Alliance Jill Cronauer, Chief Operating Officer, Hunters Capitol Taha Ebrahimi, Neighbor, Historian Dr. Sheila Edwards-Lange, President, Seattle Central College Erin Fried, Senior Community Development Associate, Capitol Hill EcoDistrict Akeyla Jimerson, Community Development Associate, Capitol Hill EcoDistrict Brie Gyncild, Board Member, Capitol Hill Champion Michele Hasson, Board Member, AIDS Memorial Pathway Julia Levitt, Neighbor Donna Moodie, Executive Director, Capitol Hill EcoDistrict Jason Plourde, Executive Director, AIDS Memorial Pathway Jill Sherman, Partner, Gerding Edlen Michael Wells, Board Member, Capitol Hill Champion

Sincerely, Cal Anderson Park Alliance (CAPA)

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WA Wine Industry Foundation offers thousands for scholarships CASHMERE, WA (November 3, 2020) – The Washington Wine Industry Foundation will offer more than $30,000 in scholarships this year for students studying viticulture, enology, or any related disciplines.

Applications are due by May 31, 2021.

The scholarships include: Foundation Fund Scholarship: These scholarships range from $2,000 to $10,000, with the number determined annually based on merit and number of applicants who qualify.

Horse Heaven Hills Wine Growers Scholarship: Two scholarships of $3,000, with preference [given] to students who reside in Benton, Yakima, or Klickitat Counties and whose parents are employed in the Washington wine industry. Growers and vintners in the Horse Heaven Hills created the scholarship to promote education in grape growing and wine production.

Walter J. Clore Scholarship: Established by the Washington Winegrowers Association to honor Dr. Walter Clore’s lifetime achievements in viticulture and enology.

WSU’s Clore is known as “the father of

Washington wine.” The number of awards is determined annually, with scholarships starting at $1,000 each.

George & Susan Carter Scholarship: Established in honor of WSU researcher and winemaker George Carter and his wife, Susan. This scholarship helps students of limited means attain degrees in viticulture and enology. The scholarship is autorenewing, worth $1,000, and goes to one student for up to four years.

The Foundation manages scholarships, funds, and grants, while developing resources in support sustainable solutions to the wine industry’s challenges.

Since 2002, the Foundation has awarded more than $350,000 to more than 220 students for education in the grape and wine industry.

For more information, visit washingtonwinefoundation.org.

Courtesy of the Washington Wine Industry Foundation

Durkan Digest: With COVID-19 cases surging in King County, celebrate holidays safely SEATTLE (October 30, 2020) – Our region was home to the first COVID-19 outbreak in our nation eight months ago. We have led the nation to have the some of the lowest rates of COVID-19 of every major city, but we knew this virus could make a resurgence in our community and communities across the country this fall and winter.

Our cases have been rising for the last five weeks, and today, King County reported 385 new coronavirus cases on Friday, with 118 new cases in Seattle.

We need to reverse this trajectory now, before it gets worse, to protect our community’s health and our economy.

Seattle knows what works to slow the spread of the virus with our commitment to maintaining six feet of physical distance, wearing masks both indoors and outdoors as appropriate, and only attending social gathering to fewer than five people once or twice a week. All of these measures are critical to limiting the spread of COVID19, as cases are once again on the rise. In addition, testing is critical as we continue to slow the spread of the virus. This week, the City of Seattle has surpassed more than 300,000 tests at our free citywide testing sites, which are being utilized for anyone who has been exposed or has symptoms of COVID-19.

As the weather has gotten colder and wetter, we are spending more time indoors, where COVID-19 can spread much more rapidly. I know it’s harder than ever on everyone in our community, with the multiple crises facing our community and anxiety and uncertainty about the election, to limit the time we spend with our loved ones. As challenging as it is, we all need to be mindful of social and family gatherings.

It’s time to renew our COVID-19 prevention practices to ensure that our healthcare system doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Across the country, we are seeing states like Texas and Wisconsin stand up new field hospitals due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in their communities.

We must take collective action now.

I encourage you to watch King County Public Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin deliver an update on the spread of COVID19 in our region [www.facebook.com/ watch/?v=1296406450706095]. There is potential for a serious outbreak – but it is not inevitable. We all must work together to

make sure that we are able to protect ourselves, our families, friends, and our communities.

Finally, please don’t forget to get your flu shot this year. COVID-19 and the seasonal flu can often present similar symptoms, making it harder to identify when you might be at risk of spreading the coronavirus to your loved ones. Don’t take that chance – please, please get your flu shot.

There are free flu shots at over a dozen sites citywide. You can find information on the locations and hours of the clinics here.

As always, please continue to write me at Jenny.Durkan@seattle.gov, reach out via Twitter and Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we’re doing for the people of Seattle on my blog.

Stay safe and healthy.

State reports more than 1,000 cases in a day for the first time since summer Today, Washington state reported 1,047 new COVID cases in a single day. Today’s number is a new daily high since mid-July.

In light of a potential fall surge, the Department of Health recently encouraged Washingtonians to flatten the curve once again. In today’s numbers, we see more evidence that the surge isn’t coming – it’s here.

Going into this weekend and Election Day, the Department of Health is underscoring the importance of: Wearing a mask, even with people you see regularly and in your smallest social circles and anytime you are using shared transportation, including while in your own vehicle with other people.

Keeping gatherings small and hold them outside whenever possible.

Avoiding any social gatherings indoors, but if you must participate, wearing a mask and ensuring windows and doors are open to maximize ventilation.

Washing or sanitizing hands often and not touching your face.

Staying home if you’re sick or if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19.

Mayor on City Council’s vote to restore the City Coordinated Team to address homelessness using new proposed approach Following this summer’s City Council vote to defund the city employees addressing unmanaged encampments at

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the Human Services Department, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan issued the following statement upon the City Council’s 7-1 vote restoring funding for the Human Services Department to coordinate homelessness outreach. Working together in recent weeks, Councilmember Andrew Lewis, the Mayor’s Office, and service providers agreed on legislation – similar to previously proposed legislation negotiated in August as part of the 2020 rebalancing package and proposed outreach investments in Mayor Durkan’s 2021 budget.

In addition to this proposal on outreach, a key component of Mayor Durkan’s plan to address individuals living unsheltered is her proposal to move hundreds of people living unsheltered into safer spaces as part of her 2021 budget. By using COVID-related, one-time funds, Mayor Durkan is proposing to open 425 short-term shelter beds then surge investment in housing support programs like diversion and rapid rehousing. This record investment means hundreds of people will come in from the street over the coming months, protecting them from COVID19. This proposal is currently pending before the City Council.

“This summer, the City Council and I had significant disagreements about how to address unmanaged encampments after their vote to defund the Navigation Team.

Despite our disagreements, inaction is not an option for individuals experiencing homelessness and surrounding neighbors and businesses. This proposal is a first step to creating a more coordinated citywide response, including city employees, but I hope the City Council urgently and quickly acts to add the new shelter resources that I’ve proposed,” said Mayor Durkan.

“This year, COVID-19 has brought new challenges to our homelessness crisis, especially to unmanaged encampments in our parks and public spaces. From deploying hygiene resources to adding new and safer shelters that accommodate public health guidelines to expanded testing, our actions have saved lives and limited the outbreak among people experiencing homelessness compared to other major cities. As the pandemic continues, we are creating a more coordinated approach to outreach services, and I appreciate the work of Councilmember Lewis on this important priority for our

residents and community. In the coming weeks, I hope the City Council takes decisive action on a series of my proposals to add resources for individuals living unsheltered and to significantly surge housing and shelter options as we also address the encampments that remain a public safety or public health hazards.”

The legislation approved by the Council today funds a modified continuation the City’s response to encampments through 2020 by funding an eight-person Unsheltered Outreach and Response Team. The team’s focus will be on coordinating and supporting outreach and engagement through City-funded outreach providers.

It also increases current funding by $2.07 million to those outreach providers with the goal of increasing access to behavioral health resources, flexible financial assistance, case management, housing navigation services, and other technology and administrative needs.

The bill recognizes that there may be circumstances in which moving people is necessary, even in a pandemic, but in those limited cases such activity should be planned and implemented with great care and alternative workable living arrangements made available. The City will continue to operate under the Multi-Department Rules (MDARs) for the removal of encampments that balance providing services and alternatives to people living in encampments.

In the early days of the pandemic, the City took swift and significant measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, including following CDC and PHSKC recommendations to limit its encampment removal to only the most dangerous public safety and public health situations and increased encampment outreach to addressing hygiene needs and helping people access shelter.

The City’s primary outreach team – the Navigation Team – shifted focus to outreach, making 373 site visits; 624 waste, garbage, and debris mitigation operations; and 408 referrals to shelter citywide, and held thousands of COVID-19-related conversations with people experiencing homelessness.

November 6, 2020

Seattle Gay News 9

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National AIDS Memorial to honor Anthony Fauci and David Ho on World AIDS Day for their leadership on the frontlines of the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics

Anthony Fauci, M.D. – Photo courtesy of National AIDS Memorial

SAN FRANCISCO (October 22, 2020) – The National AIDS Memorial will bring together powerful voices from the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2020, for an inspiring discussion about health justice, social activism, remembrance, and hope.

“World AIDS Day 2020 – A National Conversation” will spotlight the interconnectedness of both pandemics: the lives lost, the survivors, the activism, and the heroes. Through a distinguished list of guest speakers, video storytelling, and musical tributes, the topics and conversations will help answer the questions about how a nation responds, how it heals, and what lessons must be learned for the future.

During the event the National AIDS Memorial will honor Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and David D. Ho, MD, director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University, with its National Recognition Leadership Award. As renowned health experts who have been on the frontlines of both the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics, Dr. Fauci and Dr. Ho will be recognized for their lifelong commitment, work and profound impact they have had over the span of 40 years and two pandemics in advancing science, treatments, and education around both diseases.

“These two individuals have stood at the forefront in the fight against HIV/AIDS for more than four decades, and today stand on the frontlines in the battle against COVID19,” said John Cunningham, executive director of the National AIDS Memorial.

“We are honored to recognize their tireless work on World AIDS Day this year as we pull the thread that connects these two pandemics, particularly around science, loss of life, health, and social justice.”

“World AIDS Day 2020 – A National Conversation” will be presented virtually

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at aidsmemorial.org beginning at 10 am PDT on December 1. The event will be free to the public.

• Medical and Scientific Leadership – Dr. Fauci and Dr. Ho will lead a conversation about medical and scientific advancements during both pandemics and offer important insights on the health, research, and longterm impacts of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19.

• Impact on Marginalized Communities – A conversation on how HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 have disproportionately affected communities of color and the systemic barriers that compound poor health outcomes.

• Activism that Sparks Change and Movements – A discussion with leaders whose actions have made a difference during both pandemics, demanding social and health justice.

• A Look to the Future – Voices from two generations of leaders coming together to help shape the way a nation responds, heals, and remembers those lost to both pandemics.

The presenting partner for this year’s World AIDS Day event is Gilead Sciences, a long-standing partner of the National AIDS Memorial. Last year Gilead provided

November 6, 2020

David Ho, M.D. – Photo courtesy of National AIDS Memorial

a $2.4 million grant to support the programs of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, including its move to San Francisco under the stewardship of the National AIDS Memorial.

Co-sponsors for the event are Chevron and Quest Diagnostics. Additional sponsors include Blue Shield of California, the Excelerate Foundation, the National Hemophilia Foundation, the Murray Reese Foundation, ViventHealth, and Wells Fargo.

“This year World AIDS Day takes on new meaning as our nation continues to experience the human, social, and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Daniel O’Day, chairman and CEO of Gilead Sciences. “Gilead is proud to be a long-standing partner to the National AIDS Memorial, and applauds its vision to bring leaders together from across our country for important conversations about health, justice, social activism, and remembrance.”

2020 marks 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported in the United States, a pandemic that has led to nearly 700,000 lives lost and still no cure four decades later. This year, [as] our nation struggles through another pandemic – the

fight against COVID-19 – the horrific loss of life has surpassed 220,000 in a matter of months.

As the nation still struggles with both pandemics, the National AIDS Memorial will officially unveil its first-ever virtual exhibition of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on World AIDS Day that will feature more than 10,000 Quilt panels representing all 50 states and US territories. The memorial is inviting interested panelmakers, individuals, and organizations to be part of this historic effort to use the power of the Quilt to help a nation heal and remember during these difficult times.

Each year, World AIDS Day brings people together to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, show their support for people living with HIV, and commemorate lives lost. The National AIDS Memorial is looked upon as the organization within the national landscape to remember, honor, and help ensure that the stories of the AIDS pandemic are never forgotten.

To learn more about the National AIDS Memorial World AIDS Day commemoration, the virtual AIDS Quilt exhibition, how to participate and support the events, please visit aidsmemorial.org/wad2020.

The National AIDS Memorial, through the AIDS Memorial Grove, AIDS Memorial Quilt, and inspiring programs, helps ensure that the story of AIDS and the AIDS movement is known in perpetuity so that never again will our national conscience allow a community to be devastated by an epidemic because of fear, silence, discrimination, or stigma. The memorial relies solely on funding from personal donors, foundations, and corporate partners to support its mission and programs. Learn more at www.aidsmemorial.org.

Courtesy of Globe Newswire

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Sacred Rain Healing Center is open for therapeutic massage & acupuncture six days a week. Strict COVID precautions followed, with client arrivals staggered & deep sanitizing between every treatment. Masks required to enter the facility & during treatment.

Outdoor sauna, spa pool, sundeck, lockers, indoor chill spaces are all dormant until King County hits Phase 3 reopening.

Open Monday through Saturday 10am - 8pm Temporarily closed Sunday

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November 6, 2020

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November 6, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

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Annual GLAAD Accelerating Acceptance Study: majority of Americans believe LGBTQ people have federal protections from discrimination in areas of life in which they do not NEW YORK (October 29, 2020) – GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today announced the findings of its sixth annual Accelerating Acceptance Study, a national survey among US adults conducted using a sample sourced by Cint. The study measures American attitudes towards, and understanding of, LGBTQ people.

For the full report, visit glaad.org/ acceptance.

This year, the Accelerating Acceptance Study found that a majority of Americans, both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ, believe that LGBTQ people have federal protections in areas of life in which they do not. NonLGBTQ respondents were more likely than LGBTQ respondents to believe LGBTQ people have federal protections in various situations.

• 89% of non-LGBTQ respondents and 78% of LGBTQ respondents believe it is currently illegal to evict someone from housing because they are LGBTQ. • 80% of non-LGBTQ respondents and 65% of LGBTQ respondents believe it is currently illegal to turn individuals away from a restaurant or other public place of business because they are LGBTQ. • 87% of non-LGBTQ respondents and 75% of LGBTQ respondents believe it is currently illegal to deny renting or selling housing to someone because they are LGBTQ. • 78% of non-LGBTQ respondents and 70% of LGBTQ respondents believe it is currently illegal to deny employment benefits (pension or health insurance coverage) to an employee’s same-sex partner.

• 55% of non-LGBTQ respondents and 53% of LGBTQ respondents believe it is currently illegal to ban physically qualified transgender people from serving in the US military.

• 59% of non-LGBTQ respondents and 50% of LGBTQ respondents believe it is currently illegal to deny transgender people the right to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.

• Although there are no comprehensive federal protections for LGBTQ people in any of these situations, the majority of non-LGBTQ Americans believe that these discriminatory situations should be illegal.

• 91% of non-LGBTQ respondents believe it should be illegal to evict someone from housing because they are LGBTQ. • 90% of non-LGBTQ respondents believe it should be illegal to turn individuals away from a restaurant or other public place of business because they are LGBTQ. • 89% of non-LGBTQ respondents believe it should be illegal to deny renting or selling housing to someone because they are LGBTQ. • 86% of non-LGBTQ respondents believe it should be illegal to deny employment benefits (pension or health insurance coverage) to an employee’s same-sex partner.

• 73% of non-LGBTQ respondents believe it should be illegal to ban physically qualified transgender people from serving in the US military.

• 61% of non-LGBTQ respondents believe it should be illegal to deny transgender people the right to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.

As in previous years, respondents were also asked about their comfortability with

LGBTQ people across seven different scenarios: learning a family member is LGBTQ, learning their doctor is LGBTQ, having LGBTQ members at their place of worship, seeing a same-sex couple holding hands, seeing a gay/lesbian co-worker’s wedding picture, having their child placed in a class with a LGBTQ teacher, and learning their child has a lesson on LGBTQ history in school.

This year, GLAAD included the letter “Q,” which stands for queer, to questions about comfortability with and understanding of ‘LGBTQ’ people.

The study found that non-LGBTQ people are most comfortable with having LGBTQ members at their place of worship or seeing a gay or lesbian co-worker’s wedding picture, while they are the least comfortable with learning their child has a lesson on LGBTQ history in school.

• 26% of non-LGBTQ respondents said that they are or would be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable having LGBTQ members at their place of worship.

• 26% of non-LGBTQ respondents said that they are or would be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable seeing a gay or lesbian co-worker’s wedding picture.

• 28% of non-LGBTQ respondents said that they are or would be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable learning their doctor is LGBTQ. • 28% of non-LGBTQ respondents said they are or would be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable seeing a same-sex couple holding hands.

• 28% of non-LGBTQ respondents said that they are or would be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable having their child placed in a class with a LGBTQ teacher.

• 30% of non-LGBTQ respondents said that they are or would be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable learning a family member is LGBTQ. • 39% of non-LGBTQ respondents said that they are or would be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable learning their child has a lesson on LGBTQ history in school.

“The findings from this year’s Accelerating Acceptance Study highlight a dangerous reality: a significant majority of Americans, even within our own community, are not aware that LGBTQ people are not federally protected from discrimination in many areas of life,” said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Although we have witnessed landmark decisions for marriage equality and nondiscrimination workplace protections in the last few years, the general public’s lack of understanding about the state of LGBTQ rights in America is largely due to the fact that our issues and lives are still being largely left out of the national conversation, especially during the 2020 election cycle when so much is at stake for LGBTQ people. With

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a large majority of Americans expressing that federal law should protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in areas of life in which they are currently not protected, it is more crucial than ever that we elect pro-equality candidates who will pass comprehensive legislation like the Equality Act and remove discriminatory measures imposed on LGBTQ people, like the transgender military ban.”

Despite landmark Supreme Court decisions for marriage equality and the expansion of nondiscrimation employment protections, discrimination against LGBTQ people is still an alarming reality. There are significant gaps in protections for millions of employees of smaller businesses and religious institutions. Additionally, there is an ongoing lack of protections for all LGBTQ people in housing, health care, education, and public accommodations across the country. Currently, 27 states have no nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans.

During the Republican National Convention in August, GLAAD released an ad called “The Conversation,” which aired across broadcast and digital channels to show the personal consequences of the lack of protections for LGBTQ people against discrimination. The advertisement ends with a call for viewers to support the Equality Act, which extends comprehensive protections against LGBTQ discrimination including in housing, education, and public accommodations. Viewers are directed to glaad.org/EqualityAct to take action and learn more about the information in the ad.

In May 2019, the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, 236-173. It has not moved in the US Senate, nor even come up for a vote. GLAAD’s ongoing research through the Trump Accountability Project tracks the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policy. Since taking office in 2017, the Trump administration has attacked LGBTQ people over 180 times, including his opposition to The Equality Act. In one of the administration’s most recent attacks, the US Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday following President Trump’s nomination in September. Barrett is known for her anti-LGBTQ record, including time served as a trustee of a school that discriminated against LGBTQ families, stating views against marriage equality, and associations with extremist groups promoting dangerous policies against LGBTQ youth and work to undermine legal rights of LGBTQ people. Barrett testified, under oath, that she “has never” and “would not ever” discriminate on the basis of “sexual preference,” a term used by groups that Barrett has worked for to inaccurately suggest sexual orientation is a choice, and therefore changeable by harmful conver-

November 6, 2020

sion therapy that these groups advocate for.

During the confirmation hearings, Barrett also refused to say that the marriage equality ruling under Obergefell was correctly decided, which has alarmed many LGBTQ and legal advocates.

GLAAD is currently engaged in a 100 Days of Action campaign to educate LGBTQ people about what’s at stake during the 2020 election and to increase LGBTQ turnout at the polls in November. GLAAD’s recently released “State of LGBTQ Voters” poll found that LGBTQ voters are highly motivated and prepared to vote. The poll also found overwhelming support from LGBTQ voters for Vice President Joe Biden (76%) in a head-to-head matchup against President Trump (17%).

Among the remaining likely LGBTQ voters, 5% planned to vote for another candidate and 2% remained unsure. Additionally, 53% of LGBTQ respondents from the poll reported experiencing anti-LGBTQ discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Until ABC’s town hall with Vice President Biden on October 15, LGBTQ issues have been largely absent from the 2020 election cycle. GLAAD has been reaching out to debate and town hall moderators to offer resources and data about where LGBTQ voters stand and the issues important to the community, and to advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in nationally televised presidential candidate debates and town halls. GLAAD will continue to hold the candidates and the media accountable to the nearly 15 million LGBTQ Americans, whose very lives are at risk from policies inflicted by the Trump administration.

GLAAD also released its “Election Issues Guide for Journalists,” which gives an overview of LGBTQ issues to ask any candidate running in this pivotal election.

Research method The Accelerating Acceptance Study was conducted online between November and December 2019, among a national sample of 2,506 US adults, age 18 or over, sourced by Cint (a leading sample supplier and aggregator, with access to over 100 million panel members worldwide).

Cint is the technology backbone of the world’s most successful insights companies.

Cint’s platform automates sample fieldwork and operations so that companies can gather insights faster, more cost-effectively and at scale. Cint also has the world’s largest sample exchange that connects sample buyers to over 100 million engaged consumers across over 150 countries. More than 2,000 researchers, agencies and brands – including Kantar, Zappi, GfK, and SurveyMonkey – use Cint to transform how they gather insights and be competitive in the market.

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

Courtesy of GLAAD

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RELIGION

CenterPeace hosts 5th annual conference for LGBTQIA Christians

Image courtesy of CenterPeace

by Tim Peter Special to the SGN Approximately 400 people attended a three-day online conference October 22-24 sponsored by CenterPeace, an organization based in Dallas, Texas, for LGBTQIA Christians. CenterPeace is a non-profit that helps churches and families learn a more Christ-like response to LGBTQ+ individuals. It was founded 15 years ago by Sally Gary, who identifies as a gay Christian woman. Gary is a former teacher of middle school through college level. She is also the author of Loves God, Likes Girls, and Affirming: a Memoir of Faith, Sexuality and Staying in the Church, expected to be released in the spring of 2021.

In her keynote address, Gary said she spent two years with a group of people from her church and from Abilene Christian University discussing the future of the ministry.

She was involved in every detail from the name to the logo to the people. “I was very obsessive about all those important things.

One Sunday when I was sitting in church, and I was supposed to be listening to the sermon, I was frantically searching for anything that would spark a thought about a name for this non-profit we were going to form. I saw the communion table that had an arrangement of flowers that we called a centerpiece. What if we changed it to center peace, as in peace, man. And I thought about the truth that I’ve known all my life, that Jesus invites us all to that table that we share because we love Jesus and we’ve committed our lives to following Jesus.” During her message, she introduced the audience to her partner and future wife, Karen Keen. Keen is an educator, author, and spiritual care provider, specializing in urgent care for pastors and ministry leaders.

Sean Palmer, Executive Pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston and author of Unarmed Empire: In Search of Beloved Community, was the opening keynote speaker. “There are many great teachers and presenters over the next few days.

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But they’re all housed in something we all have to get our arms around, which is one another.” He spoke about unity among Christians. “There’s the differences that make a difference and the differences that don’t make a difference.” In other words, we’re all unique, but some of our differences are important while others aren’t. We don’t need to be straight or homophobic to be a Christian.

Dr. Laura DeFranza is a theologian and author, as well as the director of the documentary Stories of Intersex and Faith. Her keynote message addressed the issues of intersex people in the church.

Author and pastor Don McLauglin’s keynote was titled, “Come Unto Me.” He said, “I want to center the role of Jesus and the church on the question of how we as the body of Christ relate to people who are gay.” “I know what it is like to have a gay son and to be the father-in-law of his husband. I know what it is like to work through the question of how I navigate something that at one point in my life I may have only seen through one lens.”

Sally Gary, founder of CenterPeace, shared her personal journey of being Lesbian and Christian. “It was the late 1990s, and I was already realizing that there was a great need in my faith tradition, Churches of Christ, that we needed to have some conversations that were hard. And that terrified me. I had just come out in 1996 to my parents and to a counselor. Only three people knew that Sally was gay, and I wanted to keep it that way, but God put a dream on my heart. He helped me to see a need in the lives of people I loved… and more and more over the past 25 years the families of people I had come in contact with.” She spoke of her fear and how she prayed to God and asked him to take away her fear and replace it with a zeal to help others.

In 1999, God very pointedly spoke to me about the need to have those hard conversations and to create space for those, especially within my church family.”

On Saturday morning, Rev. Dr. Pat

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Bills joined Matthew Vines in a conversation, “What LGBTQ People Need From Their Pastor.” Bills is pastor of Highland Oaks Church of Christ in Dallas, which is the host venue for the conference. Vines is the author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships; he is also founder and executive director of The Reformation Project, which is a Bible-based, Christian nonprofit organization that works to advance LGBTQ inclusion in the church.

“As much as I’m interested in reaching LGBTQ people in the church,” Vines said, “I’m equally interested in reaching straight Christians who are becoming more open to this conversation, who are wanting to learn more but who are needing more resources.”

“One of the reasons why I’m interested in this conversation,” Bills said, “is because there’s not a lot of churches, particularly in the tradition of the Churches of Christ, that are affirming or even know how to create a space for belonging. One of the things I want to explore with you (Vines) is why you think a local church really matters. Help us understand that, in spite of the pain that you chronicle about in your book and your own experience growing up in the church, you still think that being part of a local faith community is still important to you. Tell me why that’s important.”

Vines responded, “As Christians, we’re all part of the body of Christ. As you know, the body is not just one part. The body is all the parts working together. I think we’re supposed to be living that out through our lives and expressing our faith not just individually but in community. It’s also important to go to church to continue hearing scripture preached and taught, and to worship with others.”

The conference concluded with Dr. Richard Beck, author, Chair of the Department of Psychology at Abilene Christian University. His books include Trains, Jesus and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash, and Stranger God: Meeting Jesus in Disguise.

His message was titled, “Eros and Agape: A Christian Sexual Ethic.” (Eros and agape are two Greek words for love.)

“God chose you because he loved you,” he said. “This is the grace of being chosen: that feeling you have when somebody stands in front of you with a full and vulnerable heart and says, ‘I of all the peoples of the world, give my heart to you, I pick you, I choose you.’ The reason this is compelling is that we all want to be picked, we all want to be chosen. And God chooses Israel. It’s not just that God chooses (them), but that this choice transcends any sort of biological definition. Grace transcends biology. We as Gentiles (non-Jews) are not the biological heirs of this election.” He read from the Bible, Romans chapter 11, where the Apostle Paul explained how Gentiles became Christians, and then from the book of Ruth in the Old Testament, where Ruth pledged to stay with her mother-inlaw “until death do us part”. “Those are the things that reflect sacramentally in our midst what God’s marriage looks like in the world, what reflects the nature of God. So it’s more Christian because grace is at the center of it. But it’s also more inclusive because it looks at families and marriages that are based on that covenantal choice.”

Then he posed the question, “Is that marriage of a heterosexual couple who cannot bear children, who cannot be fruitful and multiply, is that a failure because it’s not in the image of God that we read in Genesis?

The answer is no, it’s not a failure, because in their choosing one another; their fidelity to one another, even if it’s not fruitful, reflects the image of God. In a gay marriage, we choose each other, we are faithful to each other and that reflects the image of God. And if anybody should get families built around grace, it is God’s church. We are not a biological family yet we call each other brothers and sisters because we have been chosen and therefore choose each other. (Marriage) is about more than Genesis 1 but about God’s grace to Israel and how we model that in our own lives.”

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Lambda Legal sues Trump administration over ban on speech about systemic racism, sexism, and implicit bias SAN FRANCISCO (November 3, 2020) – Lambda Legal last night filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s recent executive order that prohibits federal contractors and grantees from conducting workplace diversity trainings or engaging in grant-funded work that explicitly acknowledges and confronts the existence of structural racism and sexism in our society. The order describes trainings that cover topics such as implicit bias or critical race theory as divisive and unAmerican, and directs agencies to suspend or deny funding to contractors and grantees whose trainings or grant-funded activities cover these topics.

“We are fighting three epidemics: COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, and an epidemic of violence perpetrated against Black people by law enforcement,” said Camilla Taylor, director of constitutional litigation for Lambda Legal. “Communities of color face shocking health disparities with respect to both COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS. Black and Brown people are more likely to get sick, and more likely to die as a result of systemic racism and sexism, structural inequities, and the role of explicit and implicit bias on the part of health care providers.

“Our plaintiffs – LGBT community centers, health care providers, HIV/AIDS service organizations, advocates for LGBT seniors, and a consultancy working in the juvenile and criminal justice systems – are committed to ending these epidemics,” Taylor added. “The work they do saves lives. But to do it, and do it effectively, they have to train people about the role of implicit bias in contributing to disparities, and explicitly acknowledge and confront

Photo by Gage Skidmore

systemic racism, sexism, and anti-LGBT bias. President Trump wants to silence them, but they refuse to be silenced. The LGBT community knows all too well that silence equals death.”

The executive order, issued September 22, 2020, and later Trump administration guidance labels the discussion of intersectionality, critical race theory, white privilege, systemic racism, or implicit or unconscious bias in diversity training as “race and sex scapegoating” and forbids agencies from “promot[ing]” these “divisive concepts.” It directs agency heads to audit internal training curricula and discontinue these trainings, and to conduct a similar audit of federal contractors, putting those contracts at risk.

“Acknowledging the truth of our nation’s history – one in which slavery, segregation, and systemic racism are an inher-

ent part – is not ‘un-American’; it’s simply telling the truth,” said Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings. “We must confront our history, and its continued present-day manifestations, honestly and squarely, if we are ever to resolve the pernicious effects of our troubled history of systemic racism. The Trump administration cannot be allowed to rewrite history and punish agencies that are attempting to train their staffs to be able to move our nation closer to the American ideal of liberty and justice for all its citizens, regardless of who they are.”

Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of six organizational plaintiffs, a consulting company, and an individual plaintiff. The organizational plaintiffs include LGBT Centers, an advocacy and service organization for LGBT seniors, and HIV/AIDS health and advocacy organizations from across the country.

The organizational plaintiffs [are]: the Los Angeles LGBT Center; the Diversity Center in Santa Cruz, CA; the AIDS Foundation of Chicago; CrescentCare in New Orleans, LA; the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA; and SAGE: Service & Advocacy for GLBT Elders based in New York City. The consultancy is B. Brown Consulting, a Michiganbased business with a federal contract to train correctional facility staff, governmental agencies, and nonprofits. The individual plaintiff is Dr. Ward Carpenter, co-director of Health Services at LA LGBT Center.

“The Trump administration’s vague and nonsensical executive order causes direct harm to organizations like Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center

that frequently provide training to government contractors,” said Adrian Shanker, executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center. “In the midst of a global pandemic, we need to continue to train healthcare professionals, but the chilling effects of this executive order call our ability to do so into question. That’s why Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is standing up to the Trump administration and seeking injunctive relief from this harmful executive order.”

The lawsuit is The Diversity Center v.

Trump. Read the complaint at www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/diversity_ ca_20201103_complaint.

More about the clients is available at www.lambdalegal.org/the-diversity-centerv-trump_plaintiffs.

Lambda Legal lawyers working on the case [are]: Camilla Taylor; Karen Loewy; Scott Schoettes; Currey Cook; Omar Gonzalez-Pagan; and Avatara A. SmithCarrington. They are joined by pro-bono co-counsel from Ropes & Gray: Douglas Hallward-Driemeier; Kirsten Mayer; Nathalia Sosa; Jessica Soto; Thanithia Billing; Annie Monjar; Jennifer Cullinane; and Ethan Weinberg.

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and policy work. More at www. lambdalegal.org.

Courtesy of Lambda Legal

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Inequality a major mental health risk for LGBT people in rural Scotland; COVID-19 is making it worse (October 21, 2020) – A new report from the LGBTI social policy charity Equality Network highlights the true experience of minority stress and heightened poor mental health for LGBT people living in rural Scotland. Some of the experiences […] make for somber reading: “There will be some who won’t have the resilience I did; there are almost certainly kids growing up [in rural Scotland] right now who won’t make it out alive.” (lesbian, Lorne) The report details how social inequalities, prejudice, and discrimination, as well as a lack of access to inclusive and equalities competent services, can have a detrimental effect on well-being and mental health.

It states that 86% of LGBT people living rurally who answered related questions had experienced poor mental health, 62% had considered taking their own life, and 27% had attempted suicide.

As well as presenting statistical data, the report shares the qualitative experiences gathered between 2017 and 2020 of LGBT individuals living rurally.

Many individuals state explicitly that

they are aware of how discrimination and prejudice, coupled with feeling unable to express themselves freely, have a direct impact on their mental health.

The stories shared shine a light on experiences that may explain why many in the LGBT community suffer poor mental health: • “I am moving away from the islands to a city because I feel that LGBT people cannot live a full and comfortable life here.”

• “I got asked to leave a local bar as ‘people like me’ aren’t welcome there.”

• “I have been surrounded and spat upon, then knocked to the ground.”

• “[I] have witnessed a trans person have to run for their life.”

The report highlights the main factors in minority stress, and subsequently, poor mental health experienced as an LGBT+ person living rurally in Scotland. These include the perception of socially “conservative communities,” “traditional gender roles and misogyny,” religion, suppression of one’s identity in rural spaces, a lack of LGBT visibility, awareness and safe inclusive spaces [sic], as well as isolation and

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poor access to services.

The report also makes clear that the disproportionate effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened health and social inequalities and placed this minority group living rurally at an even higher risk of poor mental health.

Rebecca Crowther, policy coordinator at Equality Network, said, “We have long known that the LGBT community, wherever they live, suffer disproportionately with poor mental health due to inequalities, lack of LGBT awareness, lack of visibility, lack of access, rising hate crime, prejudice, bullying, and a lack of acceptance, as well as the historical marginalization of LGBT people. We now know that this prevalence of poor mental health [in] the community is worsening, and COVID-19 is only set to exacerbate this. Isolation, being stuck at home, deprioritization of health services, and online toxicity [have] heightened feelings of loneliness and desperation amongst the community, particularly for young people and for the elder LGBT community.”

Jim Hume, convener of the National Rural Mental Health Forum, Support in

Mind Scotland, said, “We are delighted to have been involved in this important report by the Equality Network, which has given us valuable evidence of the challenges faced by the LGBTI+ community in rural Scotland, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. It is now for all of us to work together in finding solutions to better support those at risk of experiencing poor mental health.”

The full report is available at www. equality-network.org/resources/publications/policy/further-out-scottish-lgbt-ruralreport-2020/.

November 6, 2020

Seattle Gay News 17

The Equality Network is a national charity working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality and human rights in Scotland: www.equality-network.org The Scottish Trans Alliance is the Equality Network project working for gender identity and gender reassignment equality, rights and inclusion in Scotland: www.scottishtrans.org Courtesy of the Equality Network

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MUSEUMS

Prestigious Swedish award honors the National Nordic Museum in Seattle SEATTLE (October 26, 2020) – The National Nordic Museum’s executive director and CEO Eric Nelson was awarded the Hazelius Medal in Gold on October 24 during a virtual ceremony broadcast from Sweden. The medal is awarded by the Nordiska Museet in Stockholm each year to individuals who have made significant contributions to Swedish cultural heritage. The Hazelius Medal in Gold is only awarded in extremely rare cases for distinctive efforts.

In announcing this year’s medal recipient, the Nordiska Museet explained that “it has awarded the Hazelius Medal in Gold to Eric Nelson for his tireless work to build bridges of understanding and cooperation between the United States and Sweden, and other Nordic nations. Even though the museum is in Seattle, it manages to serve as a national and international hub for Nordic values, culture, and ideas.”

“It is an incredible honor to receive this award on the behalf of the National Nordic Museum in Seattle,” said Nelson. “It is a testament to the international reach and significance of the museum and its programs.”

The new Nordic Museum opened on May 5, 2018, in the Ballard neighborhood on Seattle’s working waterfront. The museum earned the designation National Nordic Museum in 2019 by an act of Congress. The National Nordic Museum has been widely recognized, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Haze-

Photo courtesy of the National Nordic Museum

lius medal is the third major award to be presented to the museum in 2020: earlier this year of the American Alliance of Museums presented its Environmental Sustainability Award, and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums awarded the National Nordic Museum with the prestigious Buildy Award.

In 2018, President Sauli Niinstö granted Nelson Knight of the White Rose of Finland, and in 2019, the Vasa Order of Amer-

ica named Nelson Swedish-American of the Year.

The Hazelius Medal was first minted in 1893. It is named for Artur Hazelius, the founder of Stockholm’s Nordiska Museet and Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum. The medal exists in three denominations: gold, silver, and bronze. The Hazelius medal in gold is Sweden’s highest recognition for the promotion of cultural heritage and is rarely presented.

The Nordiska Museet is Sweden’s largest cultural history museum, with the task of collecting, caring for, and displaying objects and images. In 1872, Artur Hazelius had the idea to preserve what could be saved from the old peasant culture that was disappearing. A year later he opened the museum and the collections grew. The collections today include more than 1.5 million objects.

The National Nordic Museum is the only museum in the United States that showcases the impact and influence of Nordic values and innovation in contemporary society. It tells the story of 12,000 years of Nordic history and culture, across all five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) as well as three semi-autonomous regions (Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland) and Sápmi. The museum shares Nordic culture with people of all ages and backgrounds by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections, providing educational and cultural experiences, and serving as a community gathering place. It is guided by a bold vision: through the history it illuminates, the stories it tells, the connections it makes, and the values it promotes, it inspires its visitors to create a more vibrant, more just, more sustainable world.

Courtesy of the National Nordic Museum

Robert M. Minkoff collection gifted to Museum of Glass TACOMA (October 14, 2020) – The Museum of Glass (MOG), a premier contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking, has received a seminal collection of artwork showcasing the development of glass as a studio and contemporary art medium from the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation. With the addition of Robert Minkoff’s personal collection of more than 400 works of art, the museum’s glass holdings are now the largest in the western United States.

“We are honored and grateful to receive this gift from the Minkoff Foundation,” said Debbie Lenk, executive director of the Museum of Glass. “This is the first major studio glass collection given to the museum, and it is transformational for us. Its comprehensive representation of glass artists, both nationally and internationally, provides a foundation for the MOG to tell vital stories of studio and contemporary glass.”

A long-time MOG trustee and the museum’s first trustee emeritus, Minkoff selected the Museum of Glass to house his collection before passing away in September 2020. Developed through decades of patronage and philanthropy, the collection celebrates the incredible diversity of glass art and its possibilities in the field of contemporary art. The collecting philosophy that drove his passion complements that of the Museum of Glass and expands the museum’s studio glass collection, adding works from masters such as Jaroslava Brychtová, Stanislav Libenský, Klaus Moje, Debora Moore, William Morris, Paul Stankard, Therman Statom, and Lino Tagliapietra. It also provides a look at innovative new approaches to the material by artists, including Steffan Dam, Luke Jerram, Silvia Levenson, Beth Lipman, and Karen LaMonte.

“It was important to our father that his collection resides at a museum where

18 Seattle Gay News

launched Robert on a decades-long quest to acquire some of the best examples of artistic expression in glass in all techniques,” said Andrew Page, editor of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly and former director of the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation. “The resulting collection spans the conceptual to the decorative, from monumental works of cast glass to smaller-scale experimental pieces by emerging artists. Like the collector, the works reveal a boundless curiosity and quest for aesthetic refinement in a uniquely transformative material.”

The Museum of Glass will celebrate this significant gift, and the endowment for its stewardship, with an installation in the museum’s Grand Hall, “A Glimpse at the Robert M. Minkoff Foundation Collection,” opening October 15, 2020. A major exhibition honoring Minkoff and his collection, with accompanying educational programming, will open in the spring of 2022. It will be accompanied by a catalog highlighting the breadth of the collection.

William Morris (American, born 1957). Petroglyph Vessel, Turquoise Lip Wrap, 1987.

Hand blown glass with glass powders; 11 × 25 × 25 in. Collection of Museum of Glass, gift of Robert M. Minkoff Foundation.

he invested so much of himself and one located in the Pacific Northwest, at the heart of the studio glass movement in the United States,” said Rachel Loving, Minkoff’s daughter and Robert M. Minkoff Foundation trustee. “We are confident the Museum of Glass will carry our father’s legacy forward through thoughtful and scholarly use of his art.”

The Museum of Glass has made significant additions to its permanent collection, which has been developed largely with works from artists who have participated

November 6, 2020

in the Visiting Artist Residency Program, over the past several years. Following the announcement of the promised gift by Steven and Roslyn Shulman in 2018 of 660 works by René Lalique, the Minkoff collection further enriches the stories of the development of modern and contemporary glass told through the museum’s collections.

“Collector and philanthropist Robert Minkoff began to collect after he discovered the solid glass sculptures of Richard Ritter, which offer interior worlds he found both meditative and inspiring. This

Located in Tacoma, the Museum of Glass is a premier contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking in the West Coast’s largest and most active museum glass studio. Opened in 2002, the museum has established a reputation for hosting impactful and engaging artist residencies, organizing nationally traveling exhibitions, and creating unique programs for visitors while building a growing permanent collection chronicling the development of modern and contemporary glass. The Museum of Glass provides an environment for artists and the public to ignite creativity, fuel discovery, and enrich their lives through glass and glassmaking.

Courtesy of the Museum of Glass

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ART

LIFE — LOVE — LIBERATION Earth Pearl Collective presents Sovereign Festival 2020 [Online] FULL FESTIVAL GUIDE Friday, Nov. 13 - Sunday, Nov. 15 Sovereign Festival 2020 [Online]

had to move into the world of film. Check out the innovations that this has inspired for the adult entertainment industry. www.simonepinofficial.com • WE BOTH DREAM OF WAVES – An African woman’s short experimental documentary recounting memories of people navigating the world as a non-man and embracing the divine feminine.

• Generation Y – Gen-Y follows the life of Elisha Danbrooke, an African American woman whose world is turned upside down when she discovers that she’s contracted an incurable STD. • Fuccboi – Music video directed by Be Steadwell • Haux Hive Presents – LIVESTREAM: Nov. 14 at 8pm PST. D.C. based adult entertainment company The Haux Hive has compiled a collection of acts to make you blush... and possibly introduce you to a kinkier side of yourself. Join a convo between the curator and featured performers. For 18+ audiences only. Curated by Brooke Jay.

Earth Pearl Collective presents Sovereign Festival 2020, a festival focusing on queer Black women film artists and directors, Nov. 13-Nov. 15. [https://sovereign2020.eventive.org/welcome] Presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum, and with support from The Hansberry Project, Sovereign 2020 will showcase films from Nairobi, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, and all over the United States. Seattle-based artists like poet/songstress Jessica Rycheal and dancer/visual artist Takiyah Ward will also be premiering new work at the festival.

Earth Pearl Collective supports the work of women living at the intersections of the African Diaspora who are dedicated to healing their communities through creative collaborations.

All three short film programs in the 2020 festival will take place online. Each program is available to view on-demand from Nov. 13-15. Discussion events associated with each screening block are timespecific; please plan your festival experience accordingly!

Program 3: LIBERATION It is time to reimagine the future of queer Black women. This series will venture into Afrofuturism, social media trends, and hilarious friendships. On Nov. 15 at 2pm PST join an afternoon panel to hear from featured directors in the program about how seeing Black joy on screen increases Black joy in life.

TICKETS/PASSES/MORE INFO Full info, tickets, and festival passes are available at https://sovereign2020.eventive. org/welcome or www.earthpearlcollective. com.

In our continuing effort to keep our programming affordable, Sovereign 2020 programs are sliding scale, pay-what-you-can, from $5-$20 per individual ticket. Please contribute at a level appropriate to your means, or purchase a festival pass ($25 or $50) as an easy way to support our work!

Program 1: LIFE Witness the trials and triumphs of the everyday life events that build resilience in queer Black women, and tune in Nov. 13 at 7pm PST for a panel discussion with Sex Therapist Dr. Katrina Sanford and Spiritual Therapeutic Counselor Chioma Petway.

• Sometimes – A queer love song for folks redefining love, gender and partnership.

• #RECOGNIZEmyHUMANITY – A four-part mini-series that provides a glimpse into the complexities of cultural stigma, and the resistance that occurs when individual healing takes place.

• The Anxiety Project – A tale of a young queer Black man battling the cycles of anxiety.

• Don’t Tell Nobody – A true story about a girl who was a victim of family violence in response to her sexuality. On her 14th birthday, she is now at a crossroads; continue to live in pain, or let it all go forever.

• Some of These Bodies Are Not Mine – A mix of spoken word and visual storytelling about grief and rest in relation to Black identity.

• Litany Part 1 and 2 – Litany uses brown paper and imagination to create new world collage. Litany is an exorcism expelling antiquated notions of Blackness, queer identity, spirituality, grace, rage, and healing.

• Dismantling the Lie – Black women are innocent in the crime of self hate. We aren’t born not seeing our greatness; we are taught it doesn’t exist. Then we are taught that we aren’t beautiful, and the men from our own community will grow up to support this.

Photos courtesy of NWFF

• Unbothered – A music video ode to Black women’s happiness, captured in time, and how making the best of a bad situation is sometimes art imitating life.

• Healing Panel – LIVESTREAM: Nov. 13 at 7pm PST. Join a panel on grief, trauma, and the struggle for self care with Dr. Katrina Sanford & Chioma Petway.

Program 2: LOVE From self love to first loves, this series of films will delve into sex, relationships, and intimacy. Featuring a special curated program for audiences 18+, by Washington

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D.C. based production company The Haux Hive, available Nov. 14 at 8pm PST only.

• Thirst Trap – Music video directed by Be Steadwell • Sex is a God Thing – A drama that chronicles the lives of two Black queer women from the South Side of Chicago, as they grapple with the grief of their father’s recent passing, the unraveling of their romantic relationships, and their mounting existential questions on faith.

• Simone Pin Productions – In the world of COVID, many erotic performers have

November 6, 2020

• Don’t Be Afraid – Music video directed by Be Steadwell • Carmen with a K – This web series follows Carmen with a K, everyone’s favorite Instagram model, as she navigates her newfound “fame” upon the release of her debut single, “The Butterscotch Goddess.”

• Jamaica & Tamarindo: Afro Tradition in the Heart of Mexico – The Jamaica flower and tamarind are iconic ingredients in Mexico, but their history comes from a place much further away. In this short documentary, we meet four people to explore African identity in Mexico City, an identity that goes beyond just the color of one’s skin.

• MINO: A Diasporic Myth – It is 2079.

In the utopic haven of Biamara, a Coven of Black womyn who can conceive without men must consider denouncing one of their own when she chooses to defy the all female code and self-produce a male child.

• Uma Fien – A visual poem that centers a queer African couple as they navigate the triumphs and challenges of love, colonization, and freedom.

• Toxic – Over the course of three hours, Avery’s aggressively toxic friend convinces her to stalk her girlfriend.

• Hi’s and Lo’s – An experimental dance film exploring the emotional rollercoaster of daily living as a queer Black woman.

• Cosmic Fire – Cosmic Fire is a song about tapping into your full potential by accessing your true fire.

• Directors Speak Out – LIVESTREAM: Nov. 15 at 2pm PST. Featured directors in this film program will participate in a live discussion about Black joy on film, specifically that of queer Black women.

Full info, tickets, and festival passes are available at https://sovereign2020.eventive. org/welcome or www.earthpearlcollective. com.

Courtesy of Northwest Film Forum

Seattle Gay News 19

Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, (206) 279-8169.

American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org.

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org Capitol Hill Alano Club - www.chacseattle.org Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount Vernon) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook.

Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994.

Channel Q 103.3 FM - LGBTQ+ Talk Radio Network News and information, pop culture and music. radio.com COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities - www.colage.org DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). (206) 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest. org DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, (206) 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Network support & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, (206) 568-7777 (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce County Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence Unit, (206) 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911.

Report domestic violence and sexual assault.

Equal Rights Washington - (206) 324-2570; www. equalrightswashington.org Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.org Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, (206) 860-6969. www.gaycity.org Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country.

Generations Aging With Pride empowers elder LGBTQ adults to live with pride and dignity by promoting, connecting, and developing innovative programs and services that enhance belonging and support, eliminate discrimination, and honor the lives of older members of our community - (206) 393-3400; info@gapseattle.org; gapseattle.org GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - (206) 363-9188; www.thegsba.org HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979.

Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse. org LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - (425) 785-8593; lgbtmsconnections@comcast.net. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers.

Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org Lion’s Main Art Collective - www.lionsmain.org MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.com; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples.org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www. seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org.

Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com

20 Seattle Gay News

community resources Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly. org Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) making a difference within local companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Xerox. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State Council: www.pflagwsc.org.

Peer Seattle (formerly Seattle Area Support Groups) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences.

(206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle, www.utopiaseattlewa.org; VietQ Greater Seattle, vietqorganization@gmail.com Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Pride Lives - www.facebook.com/PrideLives/ Pride Radio 93.3 HD2 Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - (206) 682-6711; www.q-law.org Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - (206) 235-7235.

Queer Geek! - queergeekseattle.org Rainbow Center - Resource Center for Tacoma/Pierce County LGBTIQA community. Through education, advocacy and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources, and safe space for the LGBTQIA community.

November 6, 2020

Sponsors Tacoma Pride Festival. (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www.voteseamec.org Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) i- SEE LISTING for Peer Seattle.

Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network - BiSeattle.wixsite. com/SBWN and on Facebook.

Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. (206) 323-1768.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503. www/ seattle.gov/lgbtq Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org Sex Workers Outreach Project - https://seattle. swopusa.org Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - (206) 860-3666; www.theabbey.org Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays.

(425) 339-5298.

South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.SouthSoundQCal.com Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club: www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flag Football: www.cascadeflagfootball.org; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby.com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball. org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www.puddletownsquares.org; Rain City Soccer: www.raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance.org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefrontrunners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www. seattlegaybasketballassociation.com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam.org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www. seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@aol.com, www. teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www.theprideleague. com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, (206) 367-4064, www.teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@ camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org, 1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934.

Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org Three Dollar Bill Cinema - TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival; Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival; Outdoor Cinema at Cal Anderson Park. www. threedollarbillcinema.org TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www.

SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity: www. genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born

Support Group: (206) 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: (206) 329-6651, www.ingersollcenter.org; Lion’s Main Art Collective: www.lionsmain.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/ Olympia-Trans-Discussion-Group/262449878114; [trans] ACTION: Trans* & Gender Non-Conforming Sex Workers’ Support Group - a safe, peer-led space. mail@utopiaseattle.org; TRANSform Washington: transformwashington.com; Trans Resource & Referral Guide: kctransguide.org; Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network: Funding the collective liberation of Trans women of color – https://m.facebook.com/ TWOCSolidarityNW/; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www.washington genderalliance.com WOMEN: Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.): We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS) - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Coming Out Women Support Group of Tacoma: www. comingoutwomen.org; Festival of the Babes: www. festivalofthebabes.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Puget Sound Old Lesbian Organizing for Change: http:// psoloc.org, (253) 777-3357; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol. com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle. wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www. sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way, with additional support groups organized in smaller towns throughout King County, (206) 322-2515, www. lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www.llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace. com; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www.mockingbirdsociety.org; New Horizons: social services and shelter for homeless youth, 2708 3rd Ave (in Belltown), (206) 374-0866, http://namin.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter. org; OKAY! LGBTQ+ Outreach for Kent Area Youth: (253) 859-0699 ext 3034. OKAY! is an open support group for youth ages 13-19 who identify as LGBTQ+. A program of Kent Youth & Family Services; OUT There Adventures: www.outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/ Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724, www.seattle-pflag.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www.pizzaklatch. org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www.facebook. com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; The Vera Project: fuels personal & community transformation through collaborative youthdriven engagement in music and art. (206) 956-8372; theveraproject.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

Celebrating 46 Years!

www.gofundme.com/f/seattle-gay-news-needs-your-support-now • VISIT SGN.ORG

ART

Black & Indigenous People’s Virtual Dance Festival at freshly reopened Pier 62 SEATTLE (November 3, 2020) – If you could sum up 2020 with a dance, what would it be? An amazing selection of artists and cultural groups shares their answers to the question of our times, on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m., at “Reflections,” a virtual dance festival. This online event celebrates Indigenous and Black performing arts and culture.

The backdrop of “Reflections” is also the unveiling of the waterfront’s stunningly rebuilt Pier 62. The featured emerging artists and cultural practitioners dance metaphorically using the waters of memory, the pier, and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic as their backdrops.

We ask our audience to share “what the water holds” for them, too, over social media and during the streamed program.

The Library has teamed up with Friends of Waterfront Seattle, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and the Seattle Art Museum to create this unique virtual dance festival that focuses on Native American and African-American art and cultural preservation via dance. You are encouraged RSVP at the Reflections Dance Festival Facebook event page (the program is free and open to everyone).

“Reflections” will feature the following performers: • Cipher Goings: 19-year-old tap dance sensation featuring local R&B singer Talaya • Kimisha Turner: multidisciplinary artist whose “I AM” is a project celebrating Black women and is shared with support from the Seattle Art Museum • The Muckleshoot Canoe Family: this Coast Salish tribe honors their ancestry with songs for the Salish Sea • Mackenzie Neusiok (Coharie): moves fluidly through contemporary jazz choreography and a tribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women • Nia-Amina Minor: dancer/choreographer shares a meditation on the African Diaspora with vocals by Eva Walker of the Black Tones

Photo by Futsum Tsegai

Community partners • Muckleshoot Canoe Family • y?haw?

• Indigenize Productions • Spectrum Dance Theater • Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas • Wa Na Wari • Seattle Center Festál • Seattle Center • Northwest Folklife • The Union

and program the park – today and into the future. In addition to raising $110 million by 2024 to fund park construction, Friends will provide funding and manage the programming and operations of the future Waterfront Park through a joint-delivery partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation.

Park construction has begun following the Viaduct’s removal and the first piece of the park – Pier 62 – is now open. Visit www. waterfrontparkseattle.org for details.

“Reflections” is made possible with support from the Seattle Public Library Foundation.

As the leading visual art institution in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) draws on its global collections, powerful exhibitions, and dynamic programs to provide unique educational resources benefiting the Seattle region, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. From a strong foundation

Friends of Waterfront Seattle is the nonprofit partner to the City of Seattle responsible for helping to fund, build, steward,

of Asian art to noteworthy collections of African and Oceanic art, Northwest Coast Native American art, European and American art, and modern and contemporary art, the strength of SAM’s collection of approximately 25,000 objects lies in its diversity of media, cultures, and time periods. More at www.seattleartmuseum.org.

The Seattle Public Library brings people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. We support universal access to information and ideas, and form strong partnerships with community organizations to offer art that is accessible to all. More at www.spl.org.

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

Seattle Public Library presents fifth anniversary of “Legendary Children” performances on Nov. 21 SEATTLE (October 28, 2020) – The Seattle Public Library will host a virtual edition of “Legendary Children,” an evening of representation, dance, empowerment, art and social justice that celebrates queer and transgender people of color from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.

“Legendary Children” will have live performances and DJs, alongside the artistry of Pacific Northwest house-andball performers and premier drag royalty (kings, queens, and all the crowns in between). The Library will also have a digital reading list focused on trans and queer Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) authors.

More information This event is free and everyone is welcome. Registration in the Library’s calendar for the live audience, as well as streaming links for Facebook and YouTube, will be available closer to the date of the event.

This event is made possible by the

lic Library is assessing the new reopening requirements with current planning efforts to expand services. The safety of our patrons and staff is our top priority.

More details will be announced soon at the Library’s Road to Reopening page.

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

Image courtesy of SPL

Seattle Public Library Foundation. It is presented in partnership with Seattle Art Museum and community partners.

The Library’s dynamic approach to building community that enriches lives includes programming that brings people, information, and ideas together to respect and embrace the well-being of the people

Visit us online www.sgn.org

we serve. We celebrate Seattle’s many cultures by forming strong partnerships with community organizations to offer art that is accessible to all.

On Oct. 6, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that public libraries may allow some indoor service at 25% capacity in Phase 2 of his Safe Start reopening plan. The Seattle Pub-

November 6, 2020

Seattle Gay News 21

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22 Seattle Gay News

November 6, 2020

Celebrating 46 Years!

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November 6, 2020

Seattle Gay News 23