SGN Dec 24, 2010 - Section 1

Celebrating 37 Years!

Issue 52 Volume 38

FRIDAY December 24, 2010 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

SALVATION ARMY p. 5

YOUTHCARE p. 7

OBAMA SPEECH p. 12-13

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

VICTORY! DADT repealed!

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer President Barack Obama signed the law repealing the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ban on open Gays today.

“Yes, we did,” Obama said. “You know, I am just overwhelmed. This is a very good day. ... I couldn’t be prouder.”

“No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military – regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance – because they happen to be Gay,” the president said. “No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder, in order to serve the country that they love.”

“I have spoken to every one of the service chiefs and they are all

Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

President Obama signs DADT repeal

committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently,” Obama assured the hundreds of attendees at the ceremony. “We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done.”

“I want to speak directly to the Gay men and women currently serving in our military,” the president continued. “For a long time your service has demanded a particular kind of sacrifice. You’ve been asked to carry the added burden of secrecy and isolation. And all the while, you’ve put your lives on the line for the freedoms and privileges of citizenship that are not fully granted to you. ... There will never be a full accounting of the heroism demonstrated by Gay Americans in service to this country; their service has been obscured in history. It’s been lost to prejudices that have waned in our own see SIGNS page 18

President Barack Obama signs the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 during a ceremony at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C., December 22, 2010.

Joe Mirabella

Retired Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, Ph.D., leads the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance before the signing ceremony at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C., December 22, 2010.

DADT is history

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

At 9:35 a.m. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) was dealt its final blow. The long wait is over and history was made as President Obama signed legislation repealing the discriminatory law. Now, for the first time in our nation’s history, Gays and Lesbians can serve openly and without prejudice.

At a ceremony at the Interior Department, Obama thanked “all the patriots … who were forced to hang up their uniforms” because of DADT – which dates to early 1993 in the Clinton administration.

Obama said all the service chiefs are committed to “implementing this change swiftly.” He said that one day, people will look back and wonder “why it was ever a source of controversy in the first place.”

Obama said he hopes all those who left the service because of the policy will seek to reenlist and he encouraged all Gays to consider service. “Your country needs you, your country wants you, we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks,” he said.

Obama signed the repeal paperwork right after DADT hero Colonel Grethe Cammermeyer led the assembled 400 or so in the Pledge of Allegiance.

“Today, one hour ago, President Obama signed the repeal of the DADT law,” the retired Army

nurse told Seattle Gay News. “I started my struggle against the military ban against Gays and Lesbians in the service over 20 years ago thinking I could change the policy.

But it has taken the efforts of thousands for today to become reality and over the next few months the repeal will be implemented.”

Cammermeyer was discharged for being a Lesbian in 1989 and was later reinstated by court order. She wrote her autobiography, Serving in Silence, which became a made-for-TV movie starring Glenn Close.

“The past two days of signings of the repeal, first by Leader Pelosi and today by President Obama, feels surreal. I pinch myself wondering if it was a dream,” she said.

“I had the privilege of leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the ceremony today and for the first time in years felt that the Pledge included me. ‘Liberty and justice for all’ includes me today!”

Moving Forward The repeal of DADT is a major win for LGBT equality advocates but is also seen as a win for the White House, which has been trying to mend its relationship with the progressive base that helped put Obama in office. The standalone bill was a last ditch effort to see history page 18

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Celebrating 37 Years!

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Celebrating 37 Years!

Everett high school associated with Salvation Army despite protest of Gay teacher courtesy Greg Stair

Greg Stair

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associated Editor The holiday season has long been a time when those who have give to those who do not. Students in schools across the U.S. hold fundraisers and collect food and toys to give a hand-up to the needy in their community. ’Tis the season, after all.

The students at Henry M. Jackson High School (HMJHS) in Everett, Washington are no different. Each year, the Associated Student Body (ASB) commits to a community service project to raise food and funds for the less fortunate families in Snohomish County. Greg Stair, a fine arts teacher at Everett High School and a teacher’s union representative serving on the Everett Public Schools District Equity and Access Advisory Council, applauds such students.

There’s just one problem: Each year, for the past three years, the ASB organization at HMJHS has chosen the Everett branch of the Salvation Army as its beneficiary.

As an open Gay man and the club advisor for his school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) he can’t seem to stomach the fact that the Salvation Army, which he believes to be a discriminatory organization towards the LGBT community, is allowed into a public school system.

“The Salvation Army has a disturbing policy in regards to the LGBT community,” Stair told Seattle Gay News. “As the Everett High School GSA advisor I think we need to set a good example for our students. This is not the example I want my students to see.”

Stair bases his views on the Salvation Army’s belief statement on homosexuality, which reads, in part, “Sexual attraction to the same sex is a matter of profound complexity … Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Chris-

tians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage.”

In regards to employment or volunteerism with the Salvation Army, the evangelical Christian church states, “All Salvation Army positions of full-time service, lay leadership, employment, and volunteer service are open to qualified persons, with exceptions dictated only by the religious purposes and moral positions of The Salvation Army.”

“This latter statement would seem to exclude any healthy Gay man or woman who engages in Gay sex because that would be a violation of their moral position,” Stair told SGN. “This would, to me, mean that the Salvation Army discriminates against Gay people. It seems unreasonable to expect a person to stay celibate their entire life.”

Stair worries that, by mixing a Christian organization with public school students, some students may feel left out or discriminated against. “If you’re an LGBT student at Jackson High School you are forced to either sacrifice your identity to help the needy or not participate,” he said. “That’s not a fair choice.”

The Salvation Army, which has been in existence since 1865, is most visible during the holiday season with over 25,000 volunteers ringing bells and taking cash donations with red buckets throughout the nation. As of 2010 the Salvation Army operates in 122 countries and provides services in 175 different languages. It claims memberships of 16,938 active and 9,190 retired officers, 1,122,326 soldiers, 189,176 adherents, 39,071 corps cadets, 378,009 junior soldiers, around 104,977 other employees and more than 4.5 million volunteers.

So how is it that the Salvation Army ended

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up doing business with Jackson High School students?

“ASB organizations in schools across Washington State are governed by students,” Everett Public Schools officials told SGN in a December 16 statement. “Students have leadership positions and make decisions about student-led projects. At HMJHS, an ASB community service project raises food and funds for the Everett branch of the Salvation Army for distribution in the local community for families in need. Students participation in the project is voluntary. No grades are given for participation; participation is not tied to academic requirements.”

In 2008, when Stair first heard about the HMJHS ASB affiliation with the Salvation Army, he contacted the school and the district and explained how the organization was offensive. In 2009, when he learned that the school was still using the Salvation Army for its food drive, he contacted the Superintendent Dr. Gary Cohn and showed him articles on the Salvation Army’s anti-Gay stance.

“In 2009, ASB leadership learned of an adult’s concerns about the religious stance of the Salvation Army – in particular the Army’s position on homosexuality,” school officials told SGN. “As a result of those concerns, ASB students worked with the high school administration to invite an official of the Everett branch of the Salvation Army to explain this branch’s philosophy and beliefs, hiring practices and policy about helping those in need.”

According to school officials, after the meeting, ASB students decided to continue working with the local branch of the Salvation Army.

“The students felt confident this branch is serving the very people the ASB wanted to help,” said officials, “The students felt this branch’s religious beliefs did not hamper ASB’s desire to help its school and neighborhood families. Thus, HMJHS ASB students are again conducting a holiday food and fun drive to help families served by the Everett branch of the Salvation Army.”

“I was hurt and offended that the district would insist on using the Salvation Army for a third year,” said Stair. “In 2010, I sat down with the Assistant Superintendent and showed him the Salvation Army website and gave him specific examples of how they discriminate against Gay people.”

Kathy Lovin, public affairs and communications director for the Salvation Army USA Western Territory, says that the organization does not discriminate. “The only requirement for service at any Salvation Army facility is need,” she told SGN. “No one is denied service because of their religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or country of origin.”

Lovin said the Salvation Army’s mission statement speaks for itself. Its mission, she said, is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination.

“The Salvation Army is an equal opportunity employer,” said Lovin. “Employees are hired based on their skill, talent or experience relative to the job they’re seeking. In the case of ministerial positions, the Salvation Army hires people with skill, talent or experience and who are professing Christians.”

As for volunteers, they come from local businesses, schools, churches, and civic groups and more, she said.

“All are welcome to volunteer for the Salvation Army as long as their focus is on joining us to care for people in need and not on promoting their own interests,” said Lovin. “In Snohomish County, the Salvation Army serves more than 28,000 people a year with Transitional and permanent housing programs for homeless people, community meals that serve 100 persons a night, three evenings a week, a supplemental food bank and so much more.”

“Given their belief statements on homosexuality, it seems odd that the Salvation Army would allow a Gay student to volunteer for them,” said Stair. “It’s important to note, though, that they don’t say they would hire a Gay student. Sounds like lip service to me.”

“As a public organization with 26 schools, the district, its staff, parents and students have personal relationships and educational partnerships with many community organizations, some of which are faith-based,” said Everett school district officials. “The district is bound by law to treat equally all faith-based organizations – whether individual administrators or organizational leadership are sympathetic to or disagree with a particular faith-based organization’s philosophy.”

Superintendent Gary Cohn notes, “We care about everyone involved – the students whose intentions are to help others, the Salvation Army’s commitment to serve all, no matter their religious beliefs or sexual orientation, the families depending upon these charitable efforts and those who feel marginalized by the Salvation Army’s stance on homosexuality. We are obligated to maintain the religious neutrality of the district and support and respect the rights of all. We are also obligated to provide educational opportunities and discussions for students who will be our nation’s future leaders. This district values inclusivity, open conversations and informed decisions. HMJHS students will be meeting with voices on all sides of this question after the first of the year, and we will support them in whatever decision they make as a result of those discussions.”

“I have served on many district diversity groups,” Stair said. “I have been told numerous times by administration and the district’s own trainers that they believe in equality for all, but apparently they mean everybody but ‘the Gays’.”

“If this was a group that discriminated against an ethnic minority we would not be having this discussion,” he concluded.

“The Salvation Army has a disturbing policy in regards to the LGBT community.”

December 24, 2010

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Hopes for the new year

by Leslie Robinson SGN Contributing Writer As 2010 draws to a close, I’m looking ahead. Here are some of my hopes for the LGBT community in 2011, along with a few predictions.

I hope next year the Pope will reveal a new attitude toward Gays. I predict he won’t.

Now for a bolder prediction concerning Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has the grinding task of holding together the worldwide Anglican Communion as it convulses over the Gay issue.

I think poor Rowan will chuck it all. He’ll become a pagan, and periodically be seen frolicking at Stonehenge wearing nothing but a whimsical smile and un-strategically placed flowers.

Turning to another part of the planet, it is my fond hope that the murderous anti-Gay bill still pending in Uganda’s parliament will be quietly withdrawn. Or loudly withdrawn – I’m not particular.

Now that the frothing homophobe Yuri Luzhkov has lost his job as mayor of Moscow, let’s hope that city can finally have an open, legal Pride. Russian LGBT folks need

Sen. John McCain, the Obstructer-in-Chief?

After fighting with such baffling intensity to keep DADT, McCain’s passion, or bile, over the issue of Gays in the military will continue. Look for him to chain himself to the Pentagon. Or to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, causing interesting rumors about the two of them.

By the way, if Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is still peeved with Gen. James Amos, head of the Marines Corps, for his public opposition to DADT repeal, I can guess who Mullen will choose to replace him: Lady Gaga.

If she can wear raw meat from head to toe, she has the stomach for it.

Turning to other performers, country singer Chely Wright and Christian music artist Jennifer Knapp came out this year. Since both hail from genres traditionally unfriendly to Gays, I want this fine trend to continue next year. Hey 2011, bring us a reggae artist.

Each year I hope a male pro athlete who’s still playing will come out, but so far nobody has obliged me. I hope 2011 will be the year a football, baseball or basketball player does the deed. But I’ll happily settle for a hockey player. With or without teeth.

Finally, I hope that next spring I don’t have to write another column about a Gay teen’s fight to attend his or her prom with the appropriate date. If Constance McMillen could triumph in 2010 in small-town Mississippi, no place is safe from prom equality.

an infusion of freedom. Luzhkov, married to a billionaire, needs a soul, but he’ll probably settle for a Piaget watch.

Turning to these shores, I don’t want 2011 to bring on a case of As Maine goes, so goes New Hampshire. You know that in 2009 Maine voters shot down the state’s same-sex marriage law. Now conservative legislators in New Hampshire are gearing up to repeal Gay marriage in the Granite State.

Repeal would be a dagger in the heart of every LGBT person in the state. Plus it could mess with my plans. My partner and I have been considering getting hitched in New Hampshire, my home state. If the legislators kill same-sex marriage, the state will miss out on all the money we planned to spend – on a six-pack and a bag of cheese popcorn.

Regarding the Prop 8 litigation, experts tell us that whatever the outcome in the appellate court, the case won’t really be decided until it reaches the U. S. Supreme Court.

I’ll nonetheless hope for an appellate court For approximately the next three months, victory. I’m not against being bathed in valiLeslie Robinson will continue to date her dation.

With DADT on its official way out of checks “2010.” E-mail her at lesarobinDodge, what can we expect in 2011 from son@gmail.com, and check out her blog at www.generalGayety.com.

In Loving Memory Of Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold

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Celebrating 37 Years!

YouthCare: Homeless youth off the streets preparing for life

courtesy youthcare

Melinda Giovengo

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On any given night there are from 500 to 2,000 homeless youth in Seattle according to Seattle Police Department estimates. Half of them are LGBT teens.

“A study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless puts the figure at 42%. Other studies support the estimate,” Melinda Giovengo, Ph.D., executive director of YouthCare told Seattle Gay News. “In my opinion,

the real figure is almost certainly higher.

After all, surveys only tell us how many of these young people are ready to self-identify as LGBT. When untold numbers are kicked out of their homes or finally flee, often after violent abuse, simply for being Gay or even questioning, we can assume that many more are keeping silent.”

YouthCare is an organization with over 35 years of experience and national stature.

From dry socks and meals for youth on the street, to residential and other site-based programs that make for success upon inde-

pendence, YouthCare is unusual in this community for its ability to provide – on its own and with partners – services of the necessary scope.

How do these young people end up on the streets? They run. In a survey of over 600 YouthCare clients, 74% reported physical abuse and 39% reported sexual abuse before becoming homeless. They’re rejected.

Consider the 20%-40% of homeless youth are rejected by their families because they came out, or were just suspected of being Gay. Families break. Even in the best of times families come undone. YouthCare clients have told officials, “My parents just couldn’t afford to keep me.”

“I recall all too clearly what being young and Gay can mean in this society,” Giovengo told SGN. “My own experience is off the point, but I call myself fortunate; as executive director of YouthCare, I work on behalf of youth who have experienced rejection and fear of the worst kind imaginable.”

LGBT homeless youth statistics are staggering and paint a very tragic and desperate picture. There are 1.6 million homeless American youth and LGBT kids make up nearly half of that. Given that between 3% and 5% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBT, it is clear that LGBT youth experience homelessness at a disproportionate rate. According to the National Runaway Switchboard, the likelihood of being a victim of crime increases sevenfold just by virtue of identifying as LGBT. Sadly, 26% of youth who come out to their parents as LGBT are kicked out of their homes. It is estimated that 25-33% of all homeless youth have engaged in survival sex. 42% of LGBT youth abuse alcohol and nearly 50% of LGBT homeless youth have attempted suicide.

To deal with LGBT youth, YouthCare created ISIS House in 1998 – the first transitional living program for homeless sexual minorities in the Pacific Northwest. ISIS House remains the only such source in the region. ISIS House provides ten beds of transitional housing and support services for young adults ages 18-21.

The major program goal at ISIS House is healthy independence, which clients advance by achieving a GED or high school diploma, maintaining employment, or consistently attending school or vocational training. Residents are able to stay for up to two years at the House. This extended stay helps youth establish a secure income and effectively address barriers to permanent housing. ISIS House is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

UN restores protections for Gays to resolution against unjust executions Major victory for US ambassador

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The UN General Assembly voted on December 21 to restore language protecting Gays and Lesbians to a resolution against arbitrary executions.

The vote to restore the term “sexual orientation” to the resolution was 93 in favor, 55 opposed, and 27 abstaining.

The General Assembly then voted to pass the resolution with the protections for Gays and Lesbians by a vote of 122 in favor, none opposed, and 59 abstentions.

“Today, the United Nations General Assembly has sent a clear and resounding message that justice and human rights apply to all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation,” US Ambassador Susan Rice said December 21 in a statement.

The General Assembly vote reversed a previous decision by the UN Human Rights Committee to strip “sexual orientation” from the resolution.

That action had been taken last month at the instigation of delegates from the North African countries of Morocco and Mali, where same-sex relations are illegal. It was supported by a coalition of African and Asian countries.

By a narrow 79-70 vote, the reference to sexual orientation was removed from the annual resolution for the first time in 10 years.

The decision to restore protections for Gays and Lesbians was seen as a major victory for US Ambassador Rice. She said she was “incensed” by the decision to strip “sexual orientation” from the resolution, and committed herself to a campaign to put it back in.

“We are going to fight to restore the reference to sexual orientation,” Rice said. ”We’re going to stand firm on this basic principle. And we intend to win.”

Rice used the occasion of the UN’s International Human Rights Day celebration on December 10, to deliver a major address on the issue.

“For countries that voted in the Committee to keep the reference to sexual orientation, we thank you. For countries that haven’t yet done so, we urge you to join us. And for countries that have supported this reference in the past but changed course this year, we urge you to stand again with us and with all vulnerable people around the world at risk of violence,” Rice said.

Rice combined public statements with behind-the-scenes negotiating to assemble the

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votes needed to restore “sexual orientation’ to the resolution.

“The US built a broad coalition of partners and together we galvanized member states to support this effort – and to win,” she said.

Rice was assisted by the representatives of several European and Latin American countries.

During the debate, Belgium, representing the European Union, said the restoration “significantly improves” the text of the resolution.

The Nordic countries’ joint representative said they were “deeply disappointed” by the removal of the term “sexual orientation,” and added, “No one should be killed because of their sexual orientation.”

Argentina and Mexico also spoke in support of restoring “sexual orientation” to the resolution, saying, “We’re not demanding that this group enjoy greater protections,” but, “every year there are people executed for reasons of their sexual orientation.”

The Canadian ambassador offered an amendment to include “gender identity” in the text, but that was not adopted.

An outside lobbying effort was also launched by the Unitarian Universalist UN LGBT Sexual Orientation and Gender Iden-

December 24, 2010

ISIS House is a part of YouthCare’s “continuum of care” in three areas: engage, stabilize and prepare.

In order to engage homeless youth, YouthCare officials do street outreach four evenings a week and provide clinic transport, hand out food, clothing and health items and educate the youth about the services available to them.

YouthCare also works to stabilize homeless teens. Drop-in centers like the James W. Ray Orion Center, Adolescent Emergency Shelter, Casa De Los Amigos, Pathways, Passages, and Catalyst at Straley House, ISIS House, Open Doors, and The Kenneth and Marleen Alhadeff Home of Hope Apartments offer an array of transitional beds for various age groups.

As part of YouthCare’s “continuum of care” prepare program, the organization offers education and employment training.

The Bridge, a recovery program for sexually exploited youth provides victims with intervention and outreach, emergency shelter, transitional and stable housing and longterm treatment.

“YouthCare provides and coordinates the most comprehensive set of services available to homeless youth in this community and region. It’s an organization of national stature, yet we struggle constantly for funding, not just to innovate but to maintain the programs that knit together the ‘continuum of care’ these young people need and deserve,” said Giovengo. “This is especially true now. Times are difficult for families and businesses, and the very idea of using government to help the most vulnerable among us is under strong, steady attack. Now more than ever we need our community’s support to help sustain our programs for LGBT homeless youth.”

You can help. To learn more about YouthCare and ISIS House, to make a donation or to find out how to volunteer contact Deborah Edison, director of development, at (206) 267-3074, or email at Deborah.edison@ youthcare.org or visit YouthCare online at www.youthcare.org.

Homeless? If you are 12 to 17 and seeking shelter, call 800-495-7802. If you are under 24, get to the Orion Center (1828 Yale Ave., Denny and Stewart). Or visit www.youthcare.org and click on “Find Help Now.” Last year, more than 3,300 homeless youth accessed YouthCare services. From food and shelter to employment and education, YouthCare provides services that can turn a kid in a doorway into a kid in school, an adult on the job, an independent and stable citizen. tity Project, which hosted its second UN consultation meeting on December 13, US officials were gleeful at the result.

Pres. Obama said the vote “marks an important moment in the struggle for civil and human rights.”

“Protecting Gays and Lesbians from statesponsored discrimination is not a special right, it is a human right,” the White House press office said. “Today’s vote in the United Nations marks an important moment in the struggle for civil and human rights. The time has come for all nations to redouble our efforts to end discrimination and violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people.”

“The United States introduced this language to send an unequivocal message in concert with our many international partners: No one should be killed for who they are,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

Noting that “many people around the world continue to be targeted and killed because of their sexual orientation,” Clinton added that “these heinous crimes must be condemned and investigated wherever they occur.”

Boris Dittrich, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch, said he was “relieved” by the vote, and credited Rice with introducing the new amendment.

“The resolution does justice to Gays, Lesbians and Transgender people in countries where they are targeted for assaults and killings,” Dittrich said. “Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity must be countered just like hate crimes on the basis of race or religion.”

Seattle Gay News

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NATIONAL courtesy Huffington Post

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer

iPhone, Choi said he had experienced “a breakdown and anxiety attack.” “(T)he failures of government and national lobbying carry consequences far beyond the careers and reputations of corporate leaders, elected officials, high powered lobbyists or political elites,” Choi wrote. “They ruin lives. My breakdown was a result of a cumulative array of stressors but there is no doubt that the composite betrayals felt on Thursday, by elected leaders and Gay organizations as well as many who have exploited my name for their marketing purposes, have added to the result.”

Choi was released from the hospital several days later and sounded like himself in a telephone interview with CNN on Dec. 18.

Lesbian becomes Colorado Supreme Court justice Monica Marquez became the first openly Gay or Lesbian member of the Colorado Supreme Court when she was sworn in Dec. 10.

Her partner, Sheila Barthel, helped her put on her black robe at the ceremony.

Marquez, 41, previously served as deputy attorney general.

Spacey won’t discuss sexual orientation Actor Kevin Spacey told The Daily Beast on Dec. 15 that he’s not interested in discussing his sexual orientation.

“I have not given up my right to privacy,” Spacey said. “People have different reasons for the way they live their lives. You cannot put everyone’s reasons in the same box.

It’s just a line I’ve never crossed and never will.”

“You have to understand that people who Lt. Dan Choi choose not to discuss their personal lives Dan Choi hospitalized are not living a lie,” he continued. “That is Leading Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell activist on open Gays in the military. a presumption that people jump to. ... I just Dan Choi said Dec. 14 that he was commitOn Dec. 18, the Senate reversed course don’t buy into that the personal can be poted to a veterans hospital psychiatric ward on and voted 65-31 to authorize the repeal. (See litical. I just think that’s horseshit.”

Dec. 10, the day after the U.S. Senate again separate story.) refused to authorize repeal of the DADT ban In an on-the-record e-mail sent from his Activists hope to force

INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

Brazil creates national council to protect LGBTs Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Human Rights Secretary Paulo Vannuchi signed a decree Dec. 9 creating the National LGBT Council.

The document says the council’s purpose is to “formulate and propose guidelines for government actions, at the national level, aimed at combating discrimination and promoting and defending the rights of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals.”

The body is composed of employees from 15 government ministries and representatives of 15 nongovernmental organizations.

“The creation of the council is something ABGLT has been pressuring for and is a victory for civil society and the Lula government,” said Toni Reis, president of the Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Association. “It shows respect for the deliberations of the 1st National LGBT Conference, held in June 2008, and will be a means of ensuring social watch over the implementation of the 166 actions contained in the National Plan to Promote LGBT Citizenship and Human Rights.”

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Seattle Gay News

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer Groundbreaking report looks at LGBT Cambodians The Cambodian Center for Human Rights released a groundbreaking report Dec. 9 titled “Coming Out in the Kingdom: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in Cambodia.”

It says that LGBT Cambodians face unique challenges, including ostracism from their families and communities that often leads to economic hardship as well as discrimination by employers and authorities.

The report argues that the concept of homosexuality as understood in “the West” may not directly transfer to Cambodia.

“The Cambodian understanding of sexuality is derived from concepts of gender, character and personality,” it says. “The focus on these character traits and outwardly visible characteristics instead of sexual orientation means that many Cambodians who are homosexual do not identify themselves as such.”

Buddhism, the report says, generally tolerates homosexuality.

“Homosexuality, whilst seen as an oddity, does not attract the kind of aggressive reaction as can be seen in Christian or Muslim cultures,” it states. “Buddhism itself places no value on marriage or procreation. Marriage and procreation are considered positive if they bring about love and respect, but may be deemed negative if pain or strife is caused. However, in Cambodia, cultural, social and economic pressures override Buddhist teachings on marriage – family values are incredibly important and pressure is strong for sons and daughters to marry and have children.”

“Sexual behavior amongst male youths may be seen as harmless experimentation, since women are expected to remain ‘pure’ until marriage,” the report continues.

“Youthful indiscretions may be forgotten or may continue unnoticed. However, eventu-

December 24, 2010

ally men are expected to marry and father children. Given traditional gender roles, women have less ability to pursue same-sex relationships than homosexual males, either privately or publicly.”

“The risk of ostracism from a close family network and economic difficulties posed by living outside the family network may mean that LGBT persons do not live the lives they wish to or have to conduct homosexual relationships in secret,” the researchers conclude.

Nonetheless, an LGBT community is emerging in the nation. A pride celebration, which includes workshops, movies, art exhibits and social gatherings, launched in 2003. Four hundred people attended the culmination of the events in 2009.

Pride organizers have formed an organization called RoCK to support LGBT people and raise awareness among non-Gay Cambodians.

A Gay “scene” has developed in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

And “the Internet has allowed Gay Cambodian people to connect to other Gay people, thus raising awareness of a wider, global LGBT community and the possibilities of participating in this,” the report said.

The research, funded by the Swedish Association for Sexual Education, can be downloaded in English and Khmer at www. cchrcambodia.org.

teaching of Gay history A bill introduced in the California Legislature by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would require that LGBT people be fairly and accurately included in school teaching material.

The measure is sponsored by Equality California and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

The bill also prohibits the State Board of Education from using instructional material that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

EQCA said that if enacted, the law “would add LGBT to the existing list of underrepresented cultural and ethnic groups (that) are covered by current law related to inclusion in textbooks and other instructional materials in schools.”

“LGBT people should not be pushed into the closet when it comes to what students learn about history,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “Educating youth about the contributions of LGBT Californians and our state’s rich diversity will help foster true acceptance of LGBT students and will ultimately create a safe school environment for all students.”

GSA Network Executive Director Carolyn Laub added, “LGBT youth are denied a fair education when they are exposed to harmful stereotypes in classroom materials and are excluded from learning about their history.”

Leno said that “most textbooks don’t include any historical information about the LGBT movement.”

“Our collective silence on this issue perpetuates negative stereotypes of LGBT people and leads to increased bullying of young people,” he said. “We can’t simultaneously tell youth that it’s OK to be yourself and live an honest, open life when we aren’t even teaching students about historical LGBT figures or the LGBT equal rights movement.”

With assistance from Bill Kelley. and communities.”

“Where there is tension between cultural attitudes and universal human rights, universal human rights must carry the day,” he said. “Personal disapproval, even society’s disapproval, is no excuse to arrest, detain, imprison, harass or torture anyone – ever. ...

Human Rights Day commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is not called the Partial Declaration of Human Rights. It is not the Sometimes Declaration of Human Rights. It is the Universal Declaration, guaranteeing all human beings their basic human rights, without exception.”

Rice told the gathering: “The story of my country is, in part, a story of the expanding boundaries of rights and dignity – of the way that discrimination and prejudice have been countered by acceptance and equality.

I feel this deeply and I feel it very personally. Even at a time of profound challenges at home and abroad, we dare not give up on the great causes of equality and fundamental rights. And that includes the pursuit of full and equal rights for the millions of people in this country and around the world who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender.”

“Change,” Rice said, “comes from people ... who refuse to move to the back of the bus.

It comes from the leaders, the activists, and the ordinary men and women who believe that all human beings have equal worth, equal dignity, equal consequence -- and equal rights. This conviction underpins the significant steps that the United States has taken over the past two decades to advance the human rights of all of those who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender.”

The event was sponsored by U.N. missions from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States and by the Delegation of the European Commission.

UN secretary-general, US ambassador attend LGBT event United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United States’ U.N. ambassador, Susan Rice, joined a high-level U.N. panel Dec. 10 that condemned anti-Gay violence and the criminalization of same-sex relations.

The Human Rights Day event was hosted by several nations and organized by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights India to count Commission, Human Rights Watch and othTransgenders er organizations.

India’s 2011 census will count Trans“Violence will end only when we confront gender people. They will have the option prejudice,” Ban said. “Stigma and discrimi- of selecting a category that is distinct from nation will end only when we agree to speak “male” or “female.” out. That requires all of us to do our part -- to speak out at home, at work, in our schools With assistance from Bill Kelley.

Celebrating 37 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

WOJNAROWICZ’S CONTROVERSIAL VIDEO, A FIRE IN MY BELLY, SHOWING IN SEATTLE David Wojnarowicz’s video, A Fire in My Belly, that had been part of a show of Gay and Lesbian related art at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery until it was removed recently in response to a deluge of unfavorable calls and emails from partisans of the Catholic League, is being shown with other less controversial works

by Wojnarowicz at the Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave. S. through February 13, the Henry Art Gallery, 15th Ave. NE & NE 41st St. through February 13, and the Seattle Art Museum, First Ave. & Union St. – video through December 31, other works through January 30. A public discussion about Wojnarowicz and his work will be held at the Henry Art Gallery on Sunday, January 9, at 2 p.m.

SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BOOK CLUB AT DUNSHEE HOUSE The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Dunshee House (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St.). All GLBTQ folks in the community are welcome to participate in this FREE book club.

The book for December is My Father and Myself by J.R. Ackerley, the British author who worked with Graham Greene, E.M. Forster, W.H. Auden, and others. The memoir is about Ackerley as a Gay adult trying to understand the mystery of his sexually secretive father. And that’s not the only family mystery the book penetrates, with harrowing scenes in the trenches of World War I as well as a glimpse of the world that came before the Great War. Ackerley is fascinated by the trickiness of memory, as he tries to solve the riddles of his own past. The book is a mystery with all that entails of clues and surprises, but it’s also a true family memoir, a tribute to a fascinating and complex man, the Banana King. Through the fog of remembering, Ackerley struggles to put together answers for the mysteries that have haunted his life. His honest, elegant, educated literary voice is a joy to savor.

The book for January is Hindoo Holiday, also by J.R. Ackerley – his true-life travel adventure about the few months he was hired as the private secretary to an eccentric Maharajah in a little principality of India who has a penchant for beautiful boys. It’s a novel by a Gay author with Gay content – but not about Gay love or Gay sex. Think about your Gay friends – Gay people exist most of the time OUTSIDE of the bedroom, and what happens otherwise is often just hinted at – well, that’s the kind of Gay writ-

ing this is. It’s a Gay man’s perceptions of a Maharajah who obsesses over handsome lower-caste youths. Ackerley’s acerbic wit demolishes several haughty British ladies also visiting the Palace, and the bits of dialogue scattered throughout are often hilarious. It’s travel writing at its best – an utterly personal plunge into a colorful world very different from our own.

For more information, e-mail nickdimartin@earthlink.net or contact Dunshee House at 206-322-2437.

DUNSHEE HOUSE WELCOMES NEW LGBTQ VETERANS GROUP On Sunday, January 9, at 6 p.m., Dunshee House, 303 17th Ave. E. (at E. Thomas St.), will host a grand kickoff event for a new LGBTQ Veterans Group. Dunshee House invites all members of the community to join them as they celebrate and welcome home the LGBTQ veterans in our community.

NORTHWEST NETWORK’S RELATIONSHIP SKILLS CLASS On Wednesdays, from January 12 to February 23, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., the Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse, present a Relationship Skills Class at Seattle Central Community College, 1701 Broadway. Get the skills you need to build the relationships you want!

Topics include: identifying cultural norms and values; accountability; naming and setting boundaries; strengthening support networks; and more. This class is open to all regardless of relationship status or history, including previous class participants. Registration deadline is Wednesday, January 5. Interpreters are available by prior arrangement. Suggested donation is $90 – no one turned away for lack of funds. For more information and to register, contact Yecelica at 206-568-7777; yecelica@nwnetwork. org.

PRIDE FOUNDATION/ GSBA SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS Pride Foundation/GSBA Scholarship Applications are now available at www.PrideFoundationScholar.org. This year, $500,000 is available in scholarships to support education and leadership development for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer students of any age; students who have an LGBT parent; and students who are straight allies and are committed to civil rights for the LGBTQ community. Since 1990, more than $3 million in scholarships have been awarded. Pride Foundation and the GSBA Scholarship Fund would like to encourage you to share this excellent opportunity for students of any age or sexual orientation from Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington who are pursuing any postsecondary education (including community college, public or private colleges and universities, trade apprenticeships, or certificate programs)! There are 50 different types of scholarships with awards up to $10,000, but only one web-based application to complete!

Applications can be completed online at www.PrideFoundationScholar.org and are due by 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, January 31, 2011.

For information on other LGBT scholarship programs, visit the Safe Schools Coalition’s scholarship resource list at www.safeschoolscoalition.org/youth.

SEATTLE EROTIC ART FESTIVAL CALL FOR ART SUBMISSIONS The Seattle Erotic Art Festival announces the Call for Art for its ninth annual event to be held May 20-22, 2011. Submissions will be accepted from January 1-31, 2011.

All artists age 18 and older are encouraged to submit up to five works of erotic art of any medium. Sculptors, multimedia artists and painters are particularly encouraged to apply. Submissions can be made online at SeattleErotic.org throughout January.

The Festival stands by its mission to support a vibrant creative community, supporting living artists with low submission fees and commission rates. Selected art will be showcased throughout the three-day event to thousands of patrons. Most importantly, the Festival sells far more art than any other erotic art festival. Artists may also choose to BAILEY-BOUSHAY HOUSE submit to the Festival Store, which has a latANNUAL CHEFS’ DINNER er submission deadline (to be determined).

On Saturday, January 16, join support- Artists do not need to attend the Festival in ers of Bailey-Boushay House for an hors order to participate. d’oeuvres reception and silent wine auction at 5 p.m. ($75) and private dinner ($300, LIFELONG AIDS ALLIANCE’S which includes the reception and auction) “MAKING A DIFFERENCE” at the Bell Harbor International Conference ANNUAL BENEFIT BREAKFAST Center, 2211 Alaskan Way. WITH GREG LOUGANIS Dine to make a difference at the 19th On Thursday, February 24, from 7:30 a.m. annual Chefs’ Dinner to benefit Bailey- to 9 a.m. (registration begins at 7 a.m.), join Boushay House. Guests will enjoy the best emcee Jean Enerson, guest speaker Greg that area chefs have to offer. 206-583-6514; Louganis, the Lifelong AIDS Alliance board www.virginiamason.org/chefs and staff, and caring community members for a fundraising breakfast in support of Lifelong AIDS Alliance at The Red Lion

Visit us online www.sgn.org

December 24, 2010

Hotel, 1415 5th Ave. Dr. Lawrence Corey, president and director-elect of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, an American physician-scientist and an internationally recognized expert on infectious diseases, whose discoveries have been recognized as having advanced the understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases caused by viruses, especially the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), will receive the 2011 Ned Behnke Leadership Award.

For more information, contact 206-9571742; www.lifelongbreakfast.org. Suggested minimum donation is $150.

CARING AND AGING WITH PRIDE Are you a LGBT adult 50 years of age or older? Or can you pass this information on to someone who is? We need your help with a groundbreaking project: Caring and Aging with Pride, a partnership between Senior Services and The Institute for Multigenerational Health at the University of Washington. Our goal is to understand the aging and health needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender adults 50 years of age and older in our community for generations to come.

You are eligible for a raffle drawing awarding a $500 Visa gift certificate to three randomly selected individuals. Visit http://bit. ly/SnrSvcs to enter the raffle and request a questionnaire. You are eligible for the raffle regardless of whether you complete a questionnaire or not. Please keep in mind your participation in the project is completely voluntary.

If you have any questions about the project, please contact us at 1-800-558-8703 or visit our website at CaringAndAging.org.

Voice your needs!

LGBT LIBRARY NOW OPEN The LGBT Library houses a wide range of fiction and non-fiction works of interest to those in the LGBT community and its allies. The Library is located at Gay City’s offices, 511 E. Pike St., on the ground floor behind Kaladi Brothers Coffee (just follow the signs). Library hours are Mon-Fri, 2-8 p.m., and Saturday, 2-5 p.m. Items may be borrowed free of charge; however, ID is required. For your convenience, a drop box for returning borrowed items is available next to the front door when the library is closed.

LGBT RESOURCE & REFERRAL LINE The Resource & Referral Line can connect you to LGBT-friendly resources throughout Puget Sound and beyond. Coming out and just learning what is out there? Visiting and want to know about nightlife options? Interested in drug or alcohol counseling? For these or any other LGBT issues, call 206323-LGBT. Phone line hours are Mon-Fri, 2-8 p.m., and Saturday, 2-5 p.m. Leave a voice message at all other times and your call will be returned. Alternatively, you can view our resource lists at www.gaycity.org under the resources menu.

Seattle Gay News

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10 Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 37 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

December 24, 2010

Seattle Gay News 11

Joe Mirabella

Y

ou know, I am just overwhelmed. This is a very good day. And I want to thank all of you, especially the people on this stage, but each and every one of you who’ve been working so hard on this, members of my staff who worked so hard on this. I couldn’t be prouder.

You know, 66 years ago, in the dense, snow-covered forests of Western Europe, allied forces were beating back a massive assault in what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. And in the final days of fighting, a regiment in the 80th Division of Patton’s 3rd Army came under fire.

The men were traveling along a narrow trail. They were exposed, and they were vulnerable. Hundreds of soldiers were cut down by the enemy. And during the firefight, a private named Lloyd Corwin tumbled 40 feet down the deep side of a ravine and, dazed and trapped, he was as good as dead. But one soldier, a friend, turned back. There were shells landing around him amid smoke and chaos and the screams of wounded men. This soldier, this friend, scaled down the icy slope, risking his own life to bring Private Corwin to safer ground. Now, for the rest of his years, Lloyd credited this soldier -- this friend named Andy Lee -- with saving his life, knowing he would never have made it out alone.

It was a full four decades after the war when the two friends reunited in their golden years. But Lloyd learned that the man who saved his life, his friend Andy, was Gay. He had no idea -- and he didn’t much care. Lloyd knew what mattered. He knew what had kept him alive, what made it possible for him to come home and start a family and live the rest of his life. It was his friend. And Lloyd’s son is with us today.

And he knew that valor and sacrifice are no more limited by sexual orientation than they are by race or by gender or by religion or by creed, that what made it possible for him to survive the battlefields of Europe is the reason that we are here today. That’s the reason we are here today.

So this morning I am proud to sign a law that will bring an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This law I’m about to sign will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend. No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who are forced to leave the military, regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be Gay. No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie or look over their shoulder in order to serve the country that they love. As Admiral Mike Mullen has said, our people sacrifice a lot for their country, including their lives. None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well.

That’s why I believe this is the right thing to do for our military. That’s why I believe it is the right thing to do, period.

Now, many fought long and hard to reach this day. I want to thank the Democrats and Republicans who put conviction ahead of politics to get this done together. I want to recognize Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Harry Reid.

Today we’re marking a historic milestone, but also the culmination of two of the most productive years in the history of Congress, in no small part because of their leadership. And so we are very grateful for that.

I want to thank Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins. And I think Carl Levin’s still working but I want to add Carl Levin. They held their shoulders to the wheel in the Senate.

I am so proud of Susan Davis who’s on the stage, and a guy you might know, Barney Frank. They kept up the fight in the House.

And I’ve got to acknowledge Patrick Murphy, a veteran himself who helped lead the way in Congress.

I also want to commend our military leadership. You know, ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a topic in my first meeting with Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and the Joint Chiefs. We talked about how to end this policy. We talked about how success in both passing and implementing this change depended on working closely with the Pentagon. And that’s what we did.

And two years later, I am confident that history will remember well the courage and the vision of Secretary Gates, of Admiral Mike Mullen, who spoke from the heart and said what he believed was right and of General James Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Deputy Secretary William Lynn, who is here also, the authors of the Pentagon’s review, Jeh Johnson and General Carter Ham, who did outstanding and meticulous work and all those who laid the groundwork for this transition.

And finally, I want to express my gratitude to the men and women in this room, who have worn the uniform of the United States armed services.

I want to thank all the patriots who are here today, all of them who were forced to hang up their uniforms as a result of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” but who never stopped fighting for this country, and who rallied and who marched and fought for change. I want to thank everyone here who stood with them in that fight. Because of these efforts, in the coming days, we will begin the process laid out by this law.

Now the old policy remains in effect until Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and I certify the military’s readiness to implement

12 Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 37 Years!

the repeal. And it’s especially important for service members to remember that. But I’ve spoken to every one of the service chiefs, and they are all committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently. We arenot going to be dragging our feet to get this done.

Now with any change, there’s some apprehension. That’s natural. But as commander in chief, I am certain that we can effect this transition in a way that only strengthens our military readiness and that people will look back on this moment and wonder why was it ever a source of controversy in the first place.

I have every confidence in the professionalism and patriotism of our service members.

Just as they have adapted and grown stronger with each of the other changes, I know they will do so again. I know that Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen as well as the vast majority of service members themselves share this view. And they share it based on their own experiences, including the experience of serving with dedicated, duty-bound service members who are also Gay. As one special operations warfighter said during the Pentagon’s review – this was one of my favorites; it echoes the experience of Lloyd Corwin decades earlier – “We have a Gay guy in the unit. He’s big. He’s mean. He kills lots of bad guys.” “No one cared that he was Gay.” And I think that sums up perfectly the situation.

Finally, I want to speak directly to the Gay men and women currently serving in our military. For a long time, your service has demanded a particular kind of sacrifice. You’ve been asked to carry the added burden of secrecy and isolation. And all the while, you’ve put your lives on the line for the freedoms and privileges of citizenship that are not fully granted to you.

You’re not the first to have carried this burden. For while today marks the end of a particular struggle that has lasted almost two decades, this is a moment more than two centuries in the making. There will never be a full accounting of the heroism demonstrated by Gay Americans in service to this country. Their service has been obscured in history. It’s been lost to prejudices that have waned in our own lifetimes.

But at every turn, at every crossroads in our past, we know Gay Americans fought just has hard, gave just as much to protect this nation and the ideals for which it stands. There can be little doubt there were Gay soldiers who fought for American independence, who consecrated the ground at Gettysburg, who manned the trenches along the Western Front, who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima. Their names are etched into the walls of our memorials. Their headstones dot the grounds at Arlington.

And so as the first generation to serve openly in our armed forces, you will stand for all those who came before you. And you will serve as role models to all who come after. And I know that you will fulfill this responsibility with integrity and honor, just as you have every other mission with which you’ve been charged.

And you need to look no further than the servicemen and women in this room, distinguished officers like former Navy commander Zoe Dunning, Marines like Eric Alva, one of the first Americans to be injured in Iraq, leaders like Captain Jonathan Hopkins, who led a platoon into northern Iraq during the initial invasion, quelling an ethnic riot, earning a Bronze Star with valor. He was discharged only to receive e-mails and letters from his soldiers saying they had known he was Gay all along and thought that he was the best commander they ever had.

You know, there are a lot of stories like these, stories that only underscore the importance of enlisting the service of all who are willing to fight for this country. That’s why I hope those soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who have been discharged under this discriminatory policy will seek to reenlist once the repeal is implemented. That is why I say to all Americans, Gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform, your country needs you, your country wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known.

Some of you remember I visited Afghanistan just a few weeks ago. And while I was walking along the rope line – it was a big crowd, about 3,000 – a young woman in uniform was shaking my hand and other people were grabbing and taking pictures. And she pulled me into a hug, and she whispered in my ear, get “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” done.

And I said to her, I promise you I will.

For we are not a nation that says, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” We are a nation that says, “out of many, we are one.” We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal! Those are the ideals that generations have fought for. Those are the ideals that we uphold today!

And now it is my honor to sign this bill into law.

Joe Mirabella

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December 24, 2010

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14 Seattle Gay News

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Ban Gays from National Former Navy chaplain will Guard says VA legislator try to block DADT repeal AP/Steve Helber

Virginia delegate Bob Marshall

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In the wake of the US Senate’s historic vote to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a Virginia state legislator is seeking to bar Gays from the state’s National Guard.

Republican state delegate Bob Marshall says he is drafting a bill for the 2011 legislative session to prohibit National Guard service by LGBT Virginians.

Described in the Washington Post as “one of the [Virginia] House’s most conservative members,” Marshall is reportedly interested in running for the US Senate against incumbent Democrat Jim Webb in 2012.

Webb – a former Marine Corps officer, decorated Vietnam veteran, and Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan – was initially skeptical of DADT repeal, but voted for the final bill.

Marshall, on the other hand was sharply critical of repeal.

“This policy will weaken military recruitment and retention, and will increase pressure for a military draft,’’ he said.

“After 232 years of prohibiting active, open homosexuals from enlisting in our military, President Obama and a majority in Congress are conducting a social experiment with our troops and our national security...In countries where religions and cultures find homosexual acts immoral, the Obama administration’s repeal policy will work to the detriment of all American troops in securing local cooperation with our nation’s foreign policy goals.”

Many observers doubt whether the Virginia legislature has legal authority to set conditions for military service that, in effect, nullify federal law.

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, general and legislative counsel for Equality Virginia, which advocates for LGBT rights, said the

National Guard is subject to the same rules as other federal military units.

“Any state statute seeking to set different standards for the Virginia National Guard would be a nullity with no effect,’’ she said.

“It is a shame that Delegate Marshall would dishonor the brave men and women serving in our National Guard by seeking to make political points at their expense and waste the time of his colleagues in the Virginia General Assembly who have pressing matters to attend to like balancing the budget and finding solutions to the traffic problems that are the real and present concern of his constituents.”

Marshall claims that Article 1, Section 8, Clause 16 of the US Constitution gives Virginia the authority to bar LGBT persons from serving, although the language of the article seems to contradict this claim.

The clause Marshall cites explicitly authorizes Congress to set the rules of military discipline even in the state militias, now known as the National Guard.

Congress is empowered “To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress…” the Constitution says.

The federal Militia Act of 1903 reorganized separate state militias into the present National Guard system, under the administration of what was then called the War Department, now the Department of Defense.

With the passage of the 1916 National Defense Act approximately one half of the US Army’s available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organizations were National Guard units.

The Air National Guard section of the US Air Force was established in 1947.

Marshall claims that Article 1, Section 8, Clause 16 of the US Constitution gives Virginia the authority to bar LGBT persons from serving, although the language of the article seems to contradict this claim.

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Former US Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt called on his supporters to bombard Congress with demands that it block implementation of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal.

“I hereby call upon the new Congress to never certify that the military is ready to implement repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and instead pass strong laws protecting the rights of Christian troops (especially chaplains) to openly speak their opinions about what the Bible calls sin, to refuse common showers, sleeping quarters and ‘social re-education’ without repercussion, guaranteeing religious freedom even outside of chapel services,” Klingenschmitt wrote.

According to Christian Newswire, Klingenschmitt sent 205,000 fax petitions to Congress members demanding they vote against DADT repeal.

He now claims to have a network of “125,000 patriot pastors” who will deluge the next Congress with demands that they block implementation of repeal legislation.

Klingschmitt also called on his supporters to vote against the 25 senators up for re-election in 2012 who supported DADT repeal.

“Homosexual sin will always be a stench in the nostrils of Almighty God, an abomination which God condemns and shall punish with everlasting destruction. Even if the Senate had voted 100 to 0 to legalize sin, they could not remove God from His throne of Judgment, before which every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,” he wrote.

Klingenschmitt was dishonorably discharged from the Navy in 2006 after a court martial found him guilty of disobeying a lawful order and attending a political protest outside the White House in his uniform.

Klingenschmitt was protesting the Bush administration’s refusal to accede to his demands for an executive order allowing him to “pray in the name of Jesus.”

He had previously complained that Navy officials required him to offer “generic, non-sectarian prayers.”

Klingenschmitt has also issued what he describes as “imprecatory prayers” calling for God to kill the leaders of the religious liberty group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Klingenschmitt reportedly belongs to a small evangelical offshoot of the Episcopal Church, aligned with some anti-Gay African churches and with the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry.

“Homosexual sin will always be a stench in the nostrils of Almighty God, an abomination which God condemns and shall punish with everlasting destruction.”

NC Supremes strike down same-sex adoption

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on December 20 that a Lesbian couple may not share parental rights to the biological son of one of the partners, but said the nonbiological mother is entitled to joint custody of him.

The court ruled 5-2 that Julia Boseman’s adoption of Jacob, the son of her former partner Melissa Jarrell, was invalid because the district court judge who approved the adoption waived the requirement that Jarrell give up parental rights.

Boseman therefore lost legal parental rights to Jacob after the couple’s breakup.

Under North Carolina state law, a married spouse may adopt the biological child of his or her new spouse, with both spouses enjoying parental rights to the child, but an unmarried person – even a domestic partner – may acquire parental rights only if the biological parent surrenders them.

Under the adoption plan approved by the district court, Boseman became an adoptive parent while Jarrell retained full parental rights as well.

LGBT rights advocates saw this as a possible way to accommodate same-sex couples’ desire to adopt the biological children of one of the partners.

Boseman, North Carolina’s first openly Lesbian member of the General Assembly, had been living with Jarrell when Jarrell gave birth to Jacob in 2002. Boseman adopted the boy, becoming his legal mother.

The couple subsequently separated, and in the settlement, the women were given joint custody of Jacob.

Jarrell then sued to terminate Boseman’s relationship with the boy.

Associate Justice Paul Newby wrote for the majority that the adoption never occurred in the eyes of the law because North Carolina’s legislature made clear that the biological parent must terminate a legal relationship with the child when a non-biological parent adopts him or her.

“If our uniform court system is to be preserved, a new form of adoption cannot be made available in some counties but not all,” Newby wrote.

That part of the ruling favored Jarrell.

The court let stand another lower court ruling allowing the two to have joint custody of the child, however.

Newby said it would be in Jacob’s best interest for both women, who have been sharing parental responsibilities, to rear him.

Associate Justice Patricia TimmonsGoodson wrote in a dissenting opinion that Jarrell was barred from challenging the adoption decree because she missed deadlines to do so.

In a separate opinion, Associate Justice Robin Hudson said there was no explicit prohibition against a waiver like the one Jarrell received, or permission for one.

“The majority overlooks the interests of this child and promotes [Jarrell’s] rights over those of the child, in direct contravention of the law as written,” Hudson wrote.

A number of Christian groups filed amicus briefs arguing that the adoption was illegal, while several law professors and the ACLU urged the court to uphold Boseman’s adoption to ensure the child and others in similar situations would be in stable family environments.

According to the HRC, at least 27 states permit second-parent adoptions for samesex couples, either through state law or based on evidence presented in local courts.

Celebrating 37 Years!

Winning equality in Florida: A glass half empty or half full?

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer

tected from discrimination based on gender identity and expression . . . [and] Florida Equality Florida (eqfl.org) “is the largest ranks 8th in the nation in the number of civil rights organization dedicated to secur- LGBT people living in communities that ing full equality for Florida’s Lesbian, Gay, recognize domestic partnerships.” In other Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) com- words, as Nadine Smith writes, “ Florida munity.” EQFL recently published a report, now leads the Southeastern United States “Winning Equality,” which details the prog- in passing over 55 local policies outlawing ress of LGBT rights in the Sunshine State discrimination based on sexual orientation since EQFL formed in 1997. According to and gender identity, banning harassment Nadine Smith, EQFL’s Executive Director of LGBT students, and providing domestic (and my Bilerico.com colleague), “despite partnership benefits to our families.” a hostile legislative climate, Florida has The condition of LGBT people in Florida made dramatic progress in securing legal has certainly improved since the turn of the protections for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual millennium, when the Sunshine State usuand Transgender community . . . [“Winning ally appeared on the bottom of lists issued Equality”] documents pro-equality success- by human rights organization, and Equality es in areas of workplace non-discrimination, Florida deserves much of the credit. But is family recognition, and school safety, while our human rights glass half empty or half also highlighting that the organization has full? Sadly, things are not as rosy as “Windefeated anti-LGBT legislative efforts in ev- ning Equality” would have us believe. All the human rights and domestic partnership ery session over the past 13 years.”

“Winning Equality” is optimistic about laws that EQFL rightly praise were enacted the condition of LGBT people in Florida af- on the city or county level, in urban areas ter 8 years of Governor Jeb Bush, 4 years of that are politically liberal or moderate.

Governor Charlie Crist, and over a decade of The fact is that, while many Florida cities conservative Republican control of the State and counties have become LGBT-friendly, Legislature. Highlights of the report include the State government in Tallahassee remains the repeal (2010) of Florida’s anti-Gay adop- socially conservative and homophobic. In tion ban by the Third District Court of Ap- fact, the recent election of Rick Scott as peals; city and county laws banning work- Governor, Pam Bondi as Attorney General place discrimination based on sexual orien- and other social conservatives to the State tation and/or gender identity; laws passed by Cabinet and the State Legislature guarantees 11 cities and counties that provide domestic that, on the state level, Florida will be even partner benefits; the passage (2008) of Flor- less supportive of our interests in the years ida’s anti-school bullying law; and a more to come. It is quite likely that Scott and/or Bondi will appeal the District Court’s decisupportive business climate.

According to the EQFL report, “Florida sion that overturned the anti-adoption law, ranks 4th in the nation . . . in the number of or that the Legislature will place an initiative people protected from discrimination based on the ballot that, if passed, will amend the on sexual orientation . . . Florida ranks 5th in Florida Constitution to ban Gay adoptions the nation . . . in the number of people pro- permanently. Other anti-LGBT measures

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might be introduced by one or more of the be done away with by the passage of the Fair Sunshine State’s more extremist legislators. District Amendments.

If a sign of political progress is the election All this should not be taken to be an atof openly Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Trans- tack against Equality Florida, or against the gender legislators, then Florida is sadly be- brave, dedicated women and men who make hind other states. In fact, Florida is one of this great organization possible. My thanks only 14 states that have never elected openly and appreciation go out to EQFL’s staff – LGBT people to the State Legislature or to Nadine Smith, Stratton Pollitzer, Brian WinCongress. Though a few brave candidates field, Joe Saunders, Mallory Wells, Tobias tried this year, they were invariably struck Packer, Michael Farmer and Ed Lally – as down by the anti-progressive “shellacking” well as to its board members, interns and that marked the Tea Party election. (The fact contributors. With leaders like these, our that all the LGBT candidates were Demo- community might be able to withstand the crats didn’t help their cause.) In fact, our backlash that is sure to come next year. Florcommunity’s only electoral victories in 2010 ida is a wonderful state (with horrible rulwere on the municipal level: Craig Lowe, ers), and a negative political climate will not J.P. Sasser and Gary Resnick were elected or keep me from enjoying life in the Sunshine re-elected mayors of Gainesville , Pahokee State. and Wilton Manors, respectively. Part of the blame goes to the Sunshine State’s incum- Jesse Monteagudo (jessemonteagudo@ bent-friendly system of determining legisla- aol.com) is a not-quite native Floridian and tive or congressional districts (also known freelance writer who lives in South Florida as gerrymandering); one that will hopefully with his partner and community members.

Latino church protests Ricky Martin TV special

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A Miami-based Latino evangelical church has filed an FCC protest against the Spanish-language TV network Univision because the network aired a special featuring Ricky Martin.

According to the complaint, Univision aired a show with “pornographic, indecent or obscene” content.

“As people who value the principles that gave birth to this nation,” the church’s press release says, “we have decided to say ‘enough’ with these shows that violate the innocence of our kids and promote confusion at a time in which our youth are developing.”

Claiming to speak for “the Latino people of South Florida,” the church complained that the Martin interview “presents sexual promiscuity and homosexuality as a gift of life, and an apparent blessing during a time when families are together, openly addressing adolescents and teen viewers.”

The church also called for a picket at Univision headquarters on December 18.

According to Andres Duque at Blabbeando blog, some 200 people turned up at the protest.

“The signs seem to have been printed by the same person and distributed to participants,” Duque noted.

All were in Spanish and were translated

by Duque as “UNIVISION, CHANGE YOUR WAYS,” “U.S.: Return to God and he who blessed you,” and “RICKY: You mess up our children’s heads.”

Univision’s weekly interview show Aqui y Ahora (Here and There) did a special with Martin that aired on November 2.

Martin was interviewed by respected Latina journalist Maria Elena Salinas.

In the interview, Martin revealed that he hooked up with and was eventually dumped

by Mexican rockstar Alejandra Guzman.

He also revealed that his relationship with Rebecca De Alba did, in fact, have a sexual side to it, in spite of rumors that she was merely a “beard” to hide his real sexual orientation.

In the most controversial part of the interview, Martin talked for the first time about his first boyfriend.

According to Martin, he was willing to “drop everything” for the man, who eventually “broke his heart.”

The man, an unnamed Latino radio DJ, advised Martin to keep working at his career. That left him “depressed and confused” and pushed him further into the closet, Martin said.

Martin declined to answer questions about his current love life, however.

Martin came out in March this year. He later told Oprah Winfrey that he was in a relationship, but preferred to keep his boyfriend out of the spotlight.

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Seattle Gay News 17

Servicemembers United Executive Director Alexander Nicholson said: “Today, an continued from cover historic wrong was finally made right. Today, the long and painful struggle of one million LGBT veterans was finally vindicated.

Today, 66,000 Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Americans currently serving in uniform will lifetimes. But at every turn, every cross- sleep easier knowing that the odious Don’t roads in our past, we know Gay Americans Ask, Don’t Tell law is a thing of the past.” fought just as hard, gave just as much to protect this nation and the ideals for which it With assistance from Bill Kelley. stands. There can be little doubt there were Gay soldiers who fought for American independence, who consecrated the ground at Gettysburg, who manned the trenches along the Western Front, who stormed the beaches continued from cover of Iwo Jima. Their names are etched into the walls of our memorials. Their headstones dot the grounds at Arlington. And so, as the first generation to serve openly in our armed pass repeal before the next Congress, when forces, you will stand for all those who came the bill would have almost surely been dead before you, and you will serve as role mod- for two years with the House in Republican els to all who come after.” hands.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal passed the Obama said that, as Commander-inSenate 65-31 and the House of Representa- Chief, he was “absolutely convinced that tives 250-175. making this change will only underscore the Obama’s signature does not, however, end professionalism of our troops as the best led the policy just yet – and Gay servicemem- and best trained fighting force the world has bers have been advised by military officials ever known.” and activist groups to stay in the closet.

He said he joins the Secretary of Defense That’s because the law’s language re- and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of quires Obama, the secretary of defense and Staff, in “knowing that we can responsibly the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to transition to a new policy while ensuring now “certify” that the military is ready for our military strength and readiness.” the change and that the repeal will not harm The transition from a DADT service to a military readiness or effectiveness, unit co- Gay-friendly U.S. military has some feeling hesion, recruiting or member retention. a little uneasy. But worry not, say the serIt’s unknown how long that will take. vice chiefs, because Gays and Lesbians will Obama told The Advocate that “my strong be treated just like any other soldiers, sailsense is this is a matter of months ... this is ors, airmen or marines. not something that they’re going to be slowThe first order of business, say Pentagon walking.” officials, is the drafting of new regulations.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the To be clear, the rule changes under discusDepartment of Defense will proceed “care- sion won’t dictate how troops feel about the fully and methodically, but purposefully.” change, but will strictly enforce how they “I will approach this process deliberately act on it. and will make such certification only after For the time being, the ban is still in place careful consultation with the military ser- and Gay troops are not encouraged to come vice chiefs and our combatant command- out to their commanders. ers and when I am satisfied that those con“The implementation and certification ditions have been met for all the services, process will not happen immediately; it will commands and units,” Gates said. “In the take time,” Air Force Chief of Staff General meantime, the current law and policy (the Norton Schwartz said in an e-mail to airmen ban on coming out) will remain in effect.” after the Senate passed legislation repeal.

Once the certification is issued, the law Recommendations to implement the rerequires a further 60-day gap before the re- peal were outlined in a 67-page report last peal takes effect. month and must now be formed into conIt is unclear if the military will continue to crete regulations. Pentagon officials anpursue DADT discharges in the interim, but nounced this week that there is no set timemany observers consider it unlikely. line for how long it will take before defense Servicemembers Legal Defense Network officials complete the implementation plan, Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis called on but they did certify that the change will not the government to officially suspend dis- damage combat readiness. charges effective immediately, but there is Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says no indication it plans to do so. that the implementation plan will outline “In signing this bill today, President how to deal with a recruiter who refuses to Obama delivered on a defining civil rights process recruits who say they are Gay, or if a measure for our country and for Gay, Lesbi- servicemember requests a new sleeping area an and Bisexual service members who have away from a Gay roommate, and so on. been silenced for far too long,” Sarvis said.

The health and social benefits are a shad“Clearly, this is President Obama’s Lyndon owy area that the Pentagon says they are Johnson moment in history.” trying to work through.

SIGNS

history

In some cases, servicemembers may be able to designate a same-sex partner for benefits. In most cases, however, they are treated much like unmarried heterosexual couples – meaning that same-sex partners won’t be able to share on-base housing, and commanders don’t have to make allowances for same-sex couples when making duty assignments around the globe.

Still, Pentagon officials say this is just the early stages of planning; nothing is concrete.

Gates has said the military will not drag out the implementation process, but it will move carefully and deliberately.

“Successful implementation will depend upon strong leadership, a clear message and proactive education throughout the force.

With a continued and sustained commitment to core values of leadership, professionalism and respect for all, I am convinced that the U.S. military can successfully accommodate and implement this change, as it has others in history.”

Local Gay vets sound off One local former Navy Lieutenant, Andrew Kamins, who served from 1995-2000 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and the destroyer USS Merrill (DD 976), says the repeal of DADT is just one step in the process of unraveling the mess the discriminatory policy has created.

“Only the DADT statute has been repealed. The policy remains in the UCMJ and is still the official rule governing LGBT servicemembers. Repealing the statute puts control of the policy back to where it was in 1993 prior to the statute,” Kamins told SGN. “Repeal of the rule is now in the military’s hands. President Obama and Secretary gates have acknowledged the costs of the policy and pledged to change it, but nothing actually compels them to do so, or governs the implementation or timeline for repeal. Presumably, the Ninth Circuit will stay the implementation of the court injunction doing away with DADT, but the court case has not yet been mooted and will probably not be dismissed until the actual policy is changed.

I am cautiously optimistic that new rules will be put in place and implemented expeditiously, but it is still important to make sure that we continue monitoring.”

Kamins is an attorney with Patterson-Buchanan, a Belltown law firm, and serves as Treasurer for the Q-Law Foundation Board of Directors. He and his partner, Thomas Pitchford, live in Seattle.

“Of course this is a very major step for the country and for LGBT servicemembers,” said Kamins. “It validates the honor, courage and commitment of LGBT soldiers, sailors, airman and marines who have, and continue to serve, and give their lives for their beliefs and their country. And it will make our military and our country stronger and more honorable. Living up to our own ideals is the very best way to show our friends and enemies that we still remain the shining city on the hill.”

Obviously we still have work to do, he said. “We have to continue fighting for all

of the Transgender servicemembers that the military policy does not acknowledge and we must continue fighting for the acknowledgment of spousal benefits and rights that are still unclear in light of the restrictions placed on the military by DOMA.” For some, the repeal of DADT opened up the possibility of a return to service. One such person is Kirkland resident, Reyes Soler-Lozoya, a former sailor booted out under DADT. “Now, the careers that were forcibly ended for over 14,000 men and women when they were given their discharge paperwork has been vindicated,” Reyes told SGN. “After all the hard work of our community, volunteers and activists we can now celebrate the fruits of our labor. I am extremely proud knowing that my service was not only beneficial to our country’s freedom, but now I can look back and say that I was part of history being made and that is definitely something my grandchildren will be able to talk to me about one day.”

Reyes, who lives with his partner NJ Soler-Lozoya in Kirkland has been an outspoken critic of DADT since he was discharged from active duty on December 6, 2005.

The moment the Senate voted to repeal DADT Reyes says his phone lit up with the roar of incoming text messages from friends and family members – and even a photo text of the final vote count.

“The rush of emotions that went through my body was a bit overwhelming, a sensation I had not felt since being formally discharged,” he recalled. “I immediately woke up my partner, NJ, who had still been sleeping, but even in that victorious moment, words could not be formed into sentences and my sobbing told him all he needed to know. The rest of that day was a celebratory day as I donned my Dixie cup and ear-to-ear grin everywhere I went.”

Reyes asks where do we go from here?

What’s next? “Now that anyone can serve in the military, regardless of sexual orientation, many questions about the future have come up,” he said. “My partner and I have been in constant talks about what would happen if I would rejoin the military. While it is certain to be possible in the near future, those talks we have engaged in are still occurring and I will not shut that door until all possibilities have been considered.”

Reyes is on a personal mission to complete his educational goals and perhaps return to military service as a commissioned officer.

“I will continue in our efforts as a community to push towards full equality as Americans, with the inevitable defeat of DOMA, the necessary passage of ENDA, and of course, a way for our international families to become a whole and join us in our country through LGBT immigration reform,” he said. “These may seem like long-shot goals, but there was also a time when people said the same about DADT. Look where we are today, and imagine the possibilities we can achieve as a strong, committed community.”

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18 Seattle Gay News

December 24, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

Bring the love back

by Michael Raitt SGN Contributing Writer The New Year is upon us. It’s a time that most of us start thinking about resolutions and goals – lose weight, stop smoking, exercise. It is a perfect time to refocus your attention on the fact that your relationship is a priority. Here are some thoughts and steps you can use to ignite the passion in your relationship and bring back those good feelings of being in love.

When you are in love and feeling good, so much more falls into place.

Remember, you both contribute to, and are responsible for, how the relationship feels. Reflect upon how you contribute daily to making the relationship a positive experience for you and your partner/spouse.

Make a commitment every day to show up positively and engage respectfully with the person you love. Negative feelings in a relationship are normal. However, when you learn how to deal with those emotions differently, you step forward and participate in a way that makes the relationship a happier relationship to be in.

each other to do that. Try new positions.

Experience the full range of physical intimacy. Good sex goes from cuddling to all out fucking and so much in between. All of these can be passionate. (Remember, good sex does not mean everyone has to have an orgasm. It means you are connected and it contributes to the love in the relationship.)

Most importantly, have fun together and enjoy how each other feels. Always remember that it is never about the quantity of sex you have. You have to make it all about quality.

Who’s going to disagree that great sex feels fantastic?!

ing, respectful relationship. Most of us want this. It is well worth the effort. Most of us put a great deal of effort in other areas of our lives (such as work) to do what we need to do to improve and be successful. Apply this same drive to your relationship and work on it every day.

I’d like to wish everybody a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011.

Michael Raitt, MA LMHC, is a therapist and a contributing writer to the SGN. He writes a bi-monthly column in the SGN. If you would like to comment on this column, ask a question you’d like him to write about, want to hold on to them and how they influThere is no way around it. This is work! or suggest another topic of interest, please ence your actions in the relationship.

2. Trust. Both people in the relationship It is work that is worth it, though. There are contact him at askingmichael@comcast. contribute to how much trust there is. Trust- few things that are richer than being in a lov- net. ing isn’t about trusting the other person – it is about you trusting you. Be honest. Stick to the promises you make. It is about each person trusting him or herself and acting ethically and with integrity.

If you have two trustworthy people, you have a trusting relationship.

3. Rekindle the love. Find something to do every day that shows your partner/spouse that you love them. A kind word. A thoughtful gesture. A love note in the car.

Anything that reminds you of the reasons you love the other and reinforces with the other the love you have for them.

(Please note, I said, ‘to do’ – these have got to be actions.) Remember every day why you are in love with your partner and act on it.

4. Plan things for the coming year that you enjoy! Fun experiences and fond memories reinforce the love bond. Find things you both enjoy doing. Also, cultivate experiences separately so that you have fun things to come home and share about. Separate interests are a healthy thing.

5. Sex, sex, and great sex! Make physical intimacy a priority again in your relationship. We all have busy lives! You have to make it happen. Good sex contributes to our well-being in so many ways. It reduces stress and contributes to us feeling good emotionally. Spice it up and try new things.

Take risks and explore together. If you want to explore fetishes or kink, slowly work with

Remember, you both contribute to, and are responsible for, how the relationship feels. Reflect upon how you contribute daily to making the relationship a positive experience for you and your partner/ spouse.

Here are some things you can do to make your relationship feel better: 1. Forgive! Forgiveness is about taking responsibility for how you feel about past issues. If you are still angry, hurt, or sad about something, you are completely in charge of how those negative feelings effect you in the New Year. Sometimes the negative feelings are well founded and justified.

However, you get to decide how long you

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December 24, 2010

Seattle Gay News 19

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer Hilo may not be a hot tropical destination, but it’s a terrific detour en route to volcano expeditions on the Big Island. Located on what is considered to be the wet side of this massive island, the largest of the Hawaiian chain, the harbor city is home to nearly 50,000 people, some of them are students at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. Because of its moist climate, artsy scene, proximity to the water, and love for coffee – plantations and roasting plants are in the area – Hilo bares understandable similarites to Seattle.

Alaska Airlines flies non-stop to Hilo from Seattle, or connect through Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines – just a 30-minute hop from the island of Oahu. You’ll definitely need a rental car, which can be picked up at the airport. Here’s a short list of what to love about Hilo, Hawaii.

Volcano explorations, zipline adventures, biking treks, stargazing opportunities

Albert Rodriguez

Five things you’ll love about Hilo, Hawaii If you love the outdoors, the Big Island is the perfect destination to bond with nature. High on everyone’s list is exploring the island’s volcanoes, 45 minutes from downtown Hilo. To be safe and to get expert guidance on your expedition, I strongly recommend going with a tour group or hiring a personal guide – your hotel or travel agent can suggest one to you. For about $200, you can also get a rare, very up-close look at the action with Lava Ocean Adventures Sunrise Lava Tour (www.lavaocean.com) – an accompanied tour aboard a small boat at the crack of dawn. The water can be choppy and morning chills may require layers of clothing, but for extraordinary views of these amazing natural wonders, this is a great way to take it all in.

If you prefer something on land with a dose of thrill, make a beeline – or rather, a zipline – to KapohoKine Adventures (www. kapohokine.com), where you can dangle two hundred feet off the ground and zip through a tropical forest in the beautiful Umauma Falls. Anyone afraid of heights might want to relax their nerves with a shot of whiskey before ziplining, although an

Hilo Farmers Market

incentive to this adventure is the on-hand assistance of KapohoKine’s well-trained, well-toned staff of mostly young men who serve as both eye candy and your protection from getting hurt.

Another cool rush on the Big Island is cycling in and around the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, allowing for magnificent lookout points to volcanic craters. Bike Volcano.com (www.bikevolcano.com) offers guided tours of the park on mountain bikes for about $129 (per person), worth every dime as you can whiz down volcanic hills at speeds of 30-40 mph. Tour guides, like the one assigned to our group of 10 to 15

people, are patient to adjust to everyone’s cycling experience, never rushing anybody and always making sure that no one gets left far behind. I had the most fun on this particular adventure, and got great exercise in the process. A boxed lunch and post-ride wine tasting are included.

Finally, the Big Island is home to some of the world’s top astronomers, who study our solar system with the most sophisticated equipment in the field, like 13 huge telescopes perched high atop Mauna Kea. But you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to score a good view of the starry skies – within driving distance of Hilo is the Puna district, where panoramic, unobstructed views are easy to find. Grab a map, flashlight, sweater and be prepared to see a spectacular canvas of twinkling stars in the middle of nowhere.

No binoculars needed.

Hilo Coffee Mill www.hilocoffeemill.com A half hour drive from the city is Hilo Coffee Mill, owned and operated by life partners Jeanette Baysa and Cathy Patton, and recently featured on the Travel Channel.

The women – with help from a small staff – grow their own coffee beans and roast

Legal Services www.sgn.org www.sgn.org 20 Seattle Gay News

December 24, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

them on the premises of a multi-acre farm, which also produces fresh eggs from dozens of roaming chickens, and hosts a separate Farmers Market called “The Market @ The Mill” every Saturday morning (7am-noon).

A cafe and retail shop is both a great spot to sip just-brewed coffee and buy souvenirs, like tropical candy, mugs, T-shirts, soaps, and of course, packaged ground coffee.

Besides muffins, scones, cookies, lattes, mochas and smoothies, locals and visitors can order waffles, sandwiches, wraps, ice cream, and vegetarian plates – my simple island breakfast of eggs, fried rice, fresh pineapple and banana bread was heaven.

Hilo Farmers Market www.hilofarmersmarket .com Every city and town has a farmers market, but many are overpriced or just for show.

The Hilo Farmers Market, however, is the real deal – two outdoor lots with local pro-

taurant and basic amenities nearly puts it in the category of retro, but it doesn’t intend or pretend to be anything other than a comfortable place to rest before trekking to volcano explorations or stargazing points 45 minutes away. While the Hilo Hawaiian is neither boutique nor luxurious, it is the preferred accommodation of film crews shooting motion pictures on-location and hunky military men transfering to or from nearby training stations. You must have a drink at the somewhat-kitschy Wailoa Lounge on the main floor, where local musicians play classic rock favorites and couples in their 60s and 70s dance enthusiastically to anything the band plays – I had an absolute blast watching older men and women boogie down to Earth, Wind & Fire. The Hilo Hawaiian is Hilo Hawaiian just two miles from the airport with views www.hilohawaiian.com Practical, convenient and reasonably of Mauna Kea, Hilo Harbor and the historic priced describes the Hilo Hawaiian, a 280- Coconut Island. room property nestled on Hilo Bay. The hoMerrie Monarch Festival tel’s dated decor, funky bar, buffet-style resduce, clothing, jewelry, coffee and island snacks. I bought two pieces of jewelry, bar of handmade soap, full loaf of pesto focaccia bread, mini loaf of banana bread, cup of freshly brewed coffee, and an 8-minute massage – all for twenty bucks. For foodies and self-professed grazers, you’ll find everything from hot dog musubi to warm malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) to just-picked guavas, papayas and bananas. The jewelry was insanely inexpensive and distinctively island-style, and makes a cool gift for anyone back home, even fashion-forward teenagers. The Hilo Farmers Market is walking distance from the Hilo Hawaiian and Hilo Harbor.

www.merriemonarch.com Hula is more than grass skirts and coconut shell bras – what you witness at Hawaiian luaus and variety shows is a pinch of the actual tradition, dating back to the earliest settlers on the islands. The Merrie Monarch Festival is an annual celebration and competition taking place in Hilo, where the best dance troupes – primarly from within the state, but also from the mainland – perform the art of hula to consistently sold out audiences. The costumes are colorful, the music accompaniments are authentic, the dancing is amazing, and the kane (men) are muscular, tanned and gorgeous. The technique and preparation that goes into the festival program is high quality, and only here can you appreciate the effort for preserving this Hawaiian tradition. Tickets for next year’s weeklong event, running April 24-30, will be available through the festival’s official website, which also contains ticket price and seating chart.

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Seattle Gay News 21

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December 24, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

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