Celebrating 36 Years!
Issue 33 Volume 37
FRIDAY August 14, 2009 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands
seamec ratings p. 5
queer asian EXHIBIT p. 16
Wicked p. 25
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
APA says homosexuality Ref. 71 signature count saga cannot be “cured” enters third week by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer
AMERICAN Psychological ASSOCIATION by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer The American Psychological Association (APA) released a report August 5 firmly stating that homosexuality cannot be cured and that mental health professionals should not tell Gay clients they could become straight through therapy or other treatments. In a resolution adopted by a 125 to 4 vote by the APA’s governing
council, and in a comprehensive 138-page report based on two years of research, the association went on record in opposition of “reparative therapy” which seeks to change sexual orientation. Instead, the APA said therapists should consider other options, such as celibacy or switching churches, for helping clients whose sexual see apa page 21
As of Thursday, August 13, the Secretary of State’s signature verifiers have checked 50,493 of the more than 137,000 signatures that Protect Marriage Washington turned in to the office July 25 in hopes of qualifying R-71 for the November 3 General Election. The Secretary of State’s final count is expected to be completed be the end of the month. If the current incremental increase in the cumulative error rate holds, then R-71 will either qualify or fail by a razor-thin margin. State elections officials state that the signaturecheck is too close to call at this point. Throughout the week, signature verifiers reported that most signature rejections were due to the person not being found on the statewide voter registration base. Other rejections were made because the signature on the petition did not match the one on file. Most of the signatures that are temporarily set aside while awaiting an electronic signature from the person’s home county will typically be moved over to the “accepted” file. The number of duplicate sig-
Vote yes on Ref. 71
natures rose substantially and, according to elections officials, duplicates are expected to push up the error rate as more and more signatures are checked. Washington Families Standing Together, the official campaign hoping to keep R-71 off the ballot, and Protect Marriage Washington, the backers of R-71, continued to send observation teams to Olympia this week. The signature-by-
signature verification process was accelerated last week as elections officials added an additional night shift. In order for R-71 to make the November ballot, the Secretary of State’s office will have to report that 120,577 of the 137,689 signatures turned in by Protect Marriage Washington are valid. R-71 asks see Referendum 71 page 18
ENDA picks up votes SGN endorses candidates David Bloom and Rob Holland in House and Senate attle Displacement Coalition, the Downtown Emergency Service Center, Common Ground nonprofit housing developers, and the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness. Bloom wants to build 5,000 affordable housing units above and beyond the units built by the housing levy, to enact a Living Wage Ordinance, and to protect neighborhoods and neighborhood businesses. David Bloom will be a welcome addition to a City Council that too often listens to the voice of downtown business interests. Rob Holland is a newcomer to politics, but not to the waterfront. His grandfather worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and his father was a member of the Inland Boatman’s Union, operating Puget Sound ferries. Holland himself has worked on a number of terminal projects in Tacoma and in South America. Holland’s Green Jobs Plan has earned him the endorsement of the Sierra Club and King County Conservation Voters as well as the
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would protect LGBT workers from discrimination in hiring and on the job, continues to pick up support in both houses of Congress. ENDA was introduced in the US House of Representatives in June by Rep. Barney Frank (DMA), and in the US Senate this month by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Based on the public statements of members of the House and Senate, projected votes now line up as follows: In the House, there are 171 definite Yes votes, and another 36 probable, for a total of 207 – just short of the 218 needed for passage. Seven Representatives have stated they will definitely vote No, and another 148 will likely join them. Seventy-eight members resee endorsements page 21 main uncommitted.
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gressive politics, testimony to his 30-plus years of political activism. A minister who helped lead his church into an “open and affirming” Baptist association, Bloom speaks passionately about social justice. But he’s not just a talker. Bloom gets things done. In the 1970s, David Bloom (l) and Rob Holland Bloom organized and led the fight to end redlining in Seby SGN Editorial Staff attle’s Central Area. In the 1980s, The SGN doesn’t endorse many he was a leader in the campaign for candidates for office, deferring Seattle’s first housing levy. In the to SEAMEC, but this year we are 1990s, he organized the Church proud to endorse David Bloom Council’s Americorps program for Seattle City Council Position serving at-risk youth. He has 4, and Rob Holland for Port Com- served on the boards of directors for ROOTS young adult shelter mission Position 3. Bloom’s endorsement list reads and Real Change newspaper. Bloom is a co-founder of the Selike a Who’s Who of Seattle pro-
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
In the Senate, 47 members are committed to vote Yes. Only one – Sen Sam Brownback (R-KS) – has publicly declared he will vote No. Fifty-two Senators have not yet announced their intentions. The situation in the Senate is complicated by the cloture rule, which means that 60 Senators see enda page 17
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