Issue 34 Volume 37
Celebrating 36 Years!
MCC seattle p. 16
Stonewall football p. 18
basterds p. 27
Seattle Gay News
FRIDAY August 21, 2009 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands
SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
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Clinton’s DADT speech Anne Levinson interview & draws fire from leaders signature count week four
Former President Bill Clinton
by Lisa Keen Keen News Service Former President Bill Clinton lambasted the Gay community in a speech to a national convention of liberal bloggers in Pittsburgh this month, blaming the community itself for the enactment of two pieces of anti-Gay legislation during his administration. But Gay leaders weren’t buying the blame. They said it was Clinton who failed the
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer
The verification process of the more than 137,000 signatures Protect Marriage Washington turned in to the Secretary of State’s office July 25 has now entered its fourth week. The Secretary of State’s initial count is expected by the end of the month. 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 voters to approve or disapprove of Senate Bill 5688, which grants registered same-sex domestic partners the same rights and responsibilities as married couples in Washington State. The bill would have taken effect July 26, but is now on hold while the R-71 signature-by-signature check is pending. A daily update is available on the R-71 homepage at www.vote. wa.gov.
been accepted and 10,554 rejected. In addition, 8,822 signatures cannot be found, 44 are pending verification, 821 are a no-match, and 867 signatures are duplicates. That brings the margin of error to 11.97%. In order for R-71 to qualify, the sponsor’s margin of error cannot exceed 12.5%. The Secretary of State’s office and the ElecBY THE NUMBERS tions Division maintain that, at this As of August 20 the Secretary point, whether the margin of error of State’s office reports that out will be exceeded is still too close see DADT page 19 of 88,191 signatures, 77,637 have to call.
community. In a keynote speech before the fourth annual meeting of Netroots (formerly known as the YearlyKos), Clinton departed from prepared remarks to respond to an audience member. The audience member, Gay blogger Lane Hudson, interrupted Clinton’s speech to challenge him on his record as
ANNE LEVINSON WEIGHS IN ON R-71 Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST) Chair Anne Levinson spoke with SGN regarding her organization’s views on the signature verification process, as well as the direction WAFST will take should R-71 make the ballot. “First, it’s important to know that due to the small number of see Referendum 71 page 20
SGN Exclusive Interview Obama: DOMA “It’s happening … equality for all.” is discriminatory HRC
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBT equality. Joe Solmonese has quickly emerged as one of the nation’s most powerful voices for the Gay movement since becoming the organization’s president in 2005. With the launch of a new HRC campaign and a National Equality March planned for October, SGN contacted the executive to talk about the current state of the LGBT community and what direction he thinks we should move in. Shaun Knittel: HRC recently announced a “No Excuses” campaign that demands equality through in-district visits. What has the feedback been like so far? Will this campaign be successful? Joe Solmonese: The response to the “No Excuses” campaign has been amazing. More than 7,500
Joe Solmonese
see solmonese page 5
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
In a brief that satisfied neither marriage equality activists nor the Christian right, the Obama administration intervened again in Smelt v United States, a suit that seeks to overturn key parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The Justice Department brief filed August 17 argued that Smelt should be dismissed by the US District Court, but added that the administration “does not support DOMA as a matter of policy, believes that it is discriminatory, and supports its repeal.” Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer were legally married in California prior to passage of Prop 8. They filed suit on March 9 this year to have DOMA and Prop 8 declared unconstitutional. While the suit was filed in a California Superior Court, it was referred to the US District Court because it includes claims against the US,
file photo
HRC President Joe Solmonese talks with SGN
President Barack Obama
challenging federal law. The US Justice Department has filed two briefs in the case. The latest, coming in the wake of increasing impatience with the Obama administration by LGBT activists, was intended to clarify the administration’s position on DOMA. see doma page 16
Volunteers needed we need your help. Washington Families Standing Together is hosting phone banks out of the Equal Rights Washington Office in Seattle, every Monday thru Thursday. Many shifts are available, so please consider donating your time to make a difference in the lives of thousands of families across the state. Log on to: www.approve71.org for more details.