SGN Nov 12, 2010 - Section 1

Issue 46 Volume 38

Celebrating 37 Years!

FRIDAY November 12, 2010 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

DOMA SUITS p. 5

GLEE & BULLYING p. 25

BARRY IN AFRICA p. 8

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Man sentenced in Daily confusion surrounds Capitol Hill anti- DADT at Pentagon/Congress Gay hate crime

On November 5, King County Superior Court Judge William Downing sentenced Hakeem Ahmed Musa, 24, a man who beat and robbed a victim because of his sexual orientation, to five months in jail on counts of theft, assault and malicious harassment – the state’s hate crime statute.

On August 2 of this year, Musa was arrested after punching another man in the face for his cell phone near Broadway and E. Pine St. Before the early-morning attack, the victim alleged that Musa yelled, “This dude’s Gay!” before punching the man in the face and kicking him until he was unconscious.

According to charging documents, Musa had approached the victim on the sidewalk and asked if he wanted to have a drink. When the man declined, Musa attacked the victim, a Seattle police detective told the court.

Musa is alleged to have continued kicking the man until he lost consciousness, then grabbed the victim’s cellular phone and fled. Police arrested him nearby, where he was in a verbal altercation with two other men.

Musa was booked into King County Jail. The victim in the attack refused medical treatment and his cell phone was recovered from the ground near where the officer took the suspect into custody.

Musa pleaded guilty to firstdegree theft and fourth-degree assault.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the new Marine commandant General James Amos made contradictory statements over the weekend regarding, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), while speculation surfaced about a deal that would remove the repeal provision from the defense funding bill, which has yet to be voted on.

Confused yet? The drama surrounding a possible repeal of the 1993 law banning Gays from serving openly in the military has become all too familiar to Americans, even as recent polling shows that the will of the American people is for the outdated and discriminatory policy to be repealed.

For months now, Secretary Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, and President Barack Obama have consistently called upon Congress to wait on repeal until the Pentagon delivers its study in December on whether or not troops support a lift of the ban. Gates, however,

cnn

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

According to the Associated Press, Shirvell was let go during a disciplinary hearing related to the issue. The attorney general’s office originally held that the First Amendment protected Shirvell.

Shirvell came into the public consciousness in September for his vehement criticism of Chris Armstrong, who is the University of Michigan’s first openly Gay student assembly president. Shirvell created a blog called “Chris Armstrong Watch” and frequented the university campus to heckle Armstrong, taking issue with what he perceived as the student’s “radical homosexual agenda.” Shirvell also called Armstrong a “Nazi” and “Satan’s representative on the assembly.”

Shirvell has said he’s done nothing wrong and was simply expressing his free-speech rights. He took a leave of absence from the attorney general’s office last month. He was later suspended.

Until now, Shirvell has won battles. Armstrong dropped a request for a personal protection order in Washtenaw court. The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s office declined to file a stalking charge

cherie cullen

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Defense Secretary Robert Gates

took a break from this approach on DADT, but I’m not sure what the November 6, citing the new GOP prospects for that are,” Gates told takeover of Congress as his reason the Associated Press on Saturday. for congressional action before they have full control.

“I would like to see the repeal of see DADT page 20

Shirvell fired over attack on Gay Bigots lose again Larsen beats John Koster, University of Michigan student Rick Charlie Wiggins leads Richard

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

attorney general under fire for his attacks on a University of Michigan student, was fired on NovemAndrew Shirvell, the assistant ber 8.

the Seattle Times, and other media outlets had called the race for Larsen on November 8.

As SGN went to press on November 11, Larsen had a lead of 6.365 votes, with the few outstanding ballots trending heavily in his direction.

This is the second time Larsen has beaten Koster. He defeated Koster in 2000 to win his first term in Congress.

Koster’s loss is also another defeat for his campaign manager and long-time political ally Larry Stickney. Stickney was the author of Referendum 71, and the campaign manager for the losing effort to reverse the state’s domestic partnership laws.

Koster was uniformly hostile to LGBT rights in his career as a state legislator and more recently as a Snohomish County Council member. file photo

Andrew Shirvell

Sanders, Morrell vs. Zeiger in doubt

Rick Larsen

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Anti-Gay Republican John Koster has conceded defeat to incumbent Democrat Rick Larsen in the tight race to represent the 2nd Congressional District.

Koster made his announcement see shirvell page 21 November 10. Associated Press,

proud to Be Different

We are conveniently located on-site at Lifelong AIDS Alliance below the Thrift Store.

see election page 17

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Seattle Gay News

November 12, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 12, 2010

Seattle Gay News

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2010

Deadlines Classifieds - Thursday at noon Calendar - Tuesday 6pm Display Ads: Space Reservation - Monday 5pm Ad copy (non-camera ready) - Tues. 5pm Ad copy (camera ready) - Wed. 5pm Letters to the Editor - Tuesday 5pm Obituaries - Call the sGn office All others - Tuesday 5pm

Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel Miryam Gordon, James Whitely, Tim Peter

Contributing Writers

Rev. Barbara Allen, Mike Andrew, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Nevin Jefferson, Keen News Service, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Romeo San Vicente, Rex Wockner

Classifieds Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Photographers Nick Ardizzone, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel, James Whitely National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Website Designer Barry Thorsness/Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published weekly by JT&A, Inc. © 2010, JT&A, Inc., all rights reserved. Reprints by permission.

Publication of names, photographs or likenesses of any person, organization, event or business in this publication cannot be taken as any indication of the sexual orientation of the person, organization, event or business.

Opinions expressed in bylined articles, columns, and letters are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management of this paper.

Seattle Gay News welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or reject material. All rights revert to authors upon publication.

We assume no liability for loss or damage of materials, solicited or not. We invite feedback, please write.

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Look homeward, Lesbian

by Leslie Robinson SGN Contributing Writer It was a North Carolina author, Thomas Wolfe, who wrote You Can’t Go Home Again. My partner Anne decided to ignore him and go home to North Carolina anyway.

I decided to go along to help her clean out the family home in Rutherfordton. Over four grueling days, we lifted and sorted an incredible number of boxes. By the end of all that heavy lifting, I’d mentally changed Wolfe’s title to “You Can’t Stand Straight Again.”

In those boxes, we found symbols of the tension between Anne’s Lesbianism and her mother’s religiosity. And when Anne and I went into town, we discovered another tension – this one between how we live in Seattle and how we felt we had to behave in a small Carolina town.

There was a third tension regarding the nutritional value of fried okra, but I’ll confine myself to the Gay bits.

When Anne was 14, her mother became a fundamentalist Christian (that’s one way of coping with a budding teenager).

Anne’s mom liked to hand out religious tracts, and in one box, along with myriad tracts on accepting Jesus as your personal savior, sat copies of The Gay Blade. An image of a man with not one but two limp wrists graced the cover.

Published in 1972, this tract proclaimed, “Out of Satan’s shadowy world of homosexuality, in a display of defiance against society, they come forth.”

Sounds like a zombie movie.

“Their power structure is widespread – they occupy all kinds of jobs.” Some are “even hinted to be in high government positions.”

Yup, we snuck in right under the nose of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover … oh, wait.

Most of the tract’s pages were devoted to a vivid rendering of the Sodom story, suitable in any decade for putting the fear of God in someone.

Anne’s mom handed out anti-Gay tracts at the same time her daughter was feeling Lesbian stirrings. No wonder it took Anne a bunch more years and a run at Christian education before she became the openly Gay woman of her mother’s nightmares.

Speaking of Christian education, we also uncovered one of Anne’s grade reports from Moody Bible Institute. Perhaps her mom kept it because she was proud of Anne’s good grades – or maybe, Anne theorizes, as proof that her daughter once had fine Christian intentions.

Anne’s mother is still living, still handing out tracts to strangers. When we visited her in South Carolina on this trip, I wanted to ask if her stock included anti-Gay treatises.

I refrained. I don’t want my picture on the next round of tracts.

During the Great Purge, Anne and I occasionally got away from the house and headed to Main Street. There in the town where she was born, where everybody still knows her family, she found herself reluctant to touch me on the street or in a restaurant. A natural toucher restrained.

I felt the same. In that area of the country, where you can’t throw a hush puppy without hitting a church, and where I twice heard white people refer to someone as being black “but good,” discretion felt nearly necessary. A new feeling for me, and I liked it as much as barbecue sauce on a Moon Pie. When we entered the antiques store, we found Anne’s childhood playmate working there. I heard Anne pause before introducing me as her partner. That was not the pause that refreshes.

The next day Anne saw her again, and the woman said she was sorry she couldn’t say goodbye to me as well.

You just never know what you’ll find when you go home again, in an old box or in people.

Owing to all those boxes, Leslie Robinson needs a chiropractor something fierce.

E-mail Leslie at lesarobinson@gmail.com, and visit 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

4

Seattle Gay News

November 12, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

GLAD/ACLU: Two new lawsuits versus DOMA

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Two new lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of DOMA – the federal Defense of Marriage Act – were filed on November 9.

Pedersen v. Office of Professional Management (OPM) was filed by GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) in the U.S. District Court for Connecticut.

Joanne Pedersen, the principal plaintiff, was legally married to her spouse, Ann Meitzen, under Connecticut state law.

Pedersen is a retiree from the federal Department of Naval Intelligence but has been prevented from adding Meitzen to her health insurance plan because DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing samesex marriages, even when they are legal in the state in which they occurred.

Other plaintiffs in the case failed to get

time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act, or benefits through Social Security.

GLAD is seeking a declaration that the one-man-one-woman definition of marriage enshrined in DOMA discriminates against these plaintiffs because it denies them benefits all straight couples can get.

The other lawsuit, Windsor v. U.S., was brought by the ACLU and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in the U.S. District Court for Southern New York.

Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer lived together as a committed couple for 44 years.

They became a couple in 1965, got engaged in 1967, and married in Canada in 2007, after it became legal.

Spyer died in 2009, and the federal government taxed Spyer’s estate as though she and Windsor were strangers rather than a

Schumm study a sham

by Wayne Besen SGN Contributing Writer I was relaxing on vacation in Nova Scotia with my parents when my father called me over to the computer. He pointed to a shocking article about a new “study” written by Walter Schumm, a Kansas State University family studies professor, claiming that children of Gay parents were 1.7 to 12.1 times more likely to become Gay as the children of heterosexual parents.

AOL’s Paul Kix breathlessly trumpeted the supposedly groundbreaking “research” as a “detailed analysis,” while positioning Schumm as a martyr to political correctness.

“Walter Schumm knows what he’s about to do is unpopular: publish a study arguing that Gay parents are more likely to raise Gay children than straight parents,” wrote Kix. “But the Kansas State University family studies professor has a detailed analysis that past almost aggressively ideological researchers never had.”

In truth, Schumm is no brave hero who is pushing the envelope against the establishment. His biased new paper is a disgrace and so shoddy that the terms “Schumm study” and “sham study” could be considered interchangeable.

The goal of Schuum’s work is political.

He is desperately trying to show that homosexuality is a choice that can be overcome.

If he and others of his ilk can prove this, they believe that they can make a powerful case to fearful Americans that LGBT people should be kept away from children and that LGBT students should not receive support, because it might influence their sexual orientation.

It is appalling that AOL’s Kix was so gullible that he failed to see the hidden agenda of Schumm or do his homework to find out who Schumm was. Or, maybe his own sympathies are with the anti-Gay researcher and opportunistically exploited this paper as a way to further anti-Gay lies on a major website?

Once upon a time, when there were journalistic standards, Kix would have been fired for media malpractice. However, instead of the unemployment line, hacks like Kix now get headlines on major online

services. It is an indictment of the modern media that this story ever saw the light of day, given the tragic and fatal flaws of this so-called “study”.

When analyzing Schumm’s bogus conclusions, it is critical that people understand that he did not actually produce one shred of genuine research. He simply commented on the academic work of others, inserting his personal prejudices. So, calling this charlatan’s slanted critique a “study” is like confusing a film critic’s movie review with the actual production of a movie.

The study itself is betrayed by common sense and reality. If being around Gay parents makes a child Gay, then how does Schumm explain the inconvenient fact that the vast majority of LGBT adults had heterosexual parents?

Of course, once one starts looking at the actual paper, all of this quickly becomes academic, because the research techniques are so unprofessional that they immediately invalidate the conclusions. The fatal weakness is that Schumm does not draw his samples from other scientific studies. But instead finds them by perusing a random collection of unscientific literary books on Gay parenting. This is the kind of “science” that one can do on an off day at Barnes & Noble.

Indeed, the author of one book cited by Schumm, Abigail Garner, purposely selected half of the children featured in her book to be the Gay children of Gay parents. Yet Schumm idiotically used this deliberately skewed sample to show that Gay parents are more likely to produce Gay children.

“To run statistics on this non-statistical (or

In truth, Schumm is no brave hero who is pushing the envelope against the establishment.

His biased new paper is a disgrace and so shoddy that the terms “Schumm study” and “sham study” could be considered interchangeable.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

married couple.

Under federal tax law, a spouse who dies can leave assets, including the family home, to the other spouse without incurring estate taxes. But DOMA prevents the federal government from recognizing the survivorship rights of a same-sex spouse.

Windsor had to pay $350,000 in estate taxes that she would have kept had her marriage, which was legal in Canada, been recognized in the U.S. The ACLU argues that it is a denial of the equal protection clause of the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for the federal government to pick and choose which marriages it will recognize for federal purposes, when otherwise it leaves that question entirely up to the states.

Both cases show some similarities to GLAD’s other DOMA case, Gill v. OPM. In that case, District Court Judge Joseph Tauro ruled that DOMA violates the equal protection clause of the 5th Amendment because there was no rational basis to exclude same-sex couples from marriage and the benefits that flow from it.

The U.S. Department of Justice appealed Tauro’s ruling, and he stayed implementation of the decision pending appeal.

The new cases also show some superficial

resemblance to Perry v. Schwarzenegger, in which federal judge Vaughn Walker decided that California’s Prop 8 violated the 14th Amendment.

Perry involved the right of same-sex couples to marry, however, while Gill and the two new cases involve federal recognition of same-sex marriages in jurisdictions where they are already legal.

Writing on Towleroad blog, Ari Ezra Waldman, an instructor at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California, said that the new suits have “a strong likelihood of success.”

NOM chair Maggie Gallagher discounted the legal arguments, charging that LGBT rights advocates “continue to push a primarily court-based strategy of, in our view, inventing rights that neither the founders nor the majority of Americans can recognize in our Constitution.”

Plaintiff Joanne Pedersen summed up the issue succinctly for the The New York Times.

“If we were heterosexual, we wouldn’t be talking today, because we would have the benefits,” she told the Times reporter. “I would just like the federal government to recognize our marriage as just as real as everybody else’s.”

anti-statistical) sample would be like judging the ratio of giraffes to chimpanzees in Africa by comparing the populations selected by the zookeepers at your local zoo,” wrote Box Turtle Bulletin Editor Jim Burroway, who carefully debunked the study.

Not surprisingly, Schumm is tied to Paul Cameron whose anti-Gay junk science had him expelled from the Nebraska Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association. Cameron’s disdain for LGBT people ran so deep that he wanted to brand HIV-positive people and exterminate homosexuals.

Yet, knowing his disreputable background, Schumm still elected to be on Cameron’s editorial board when he launched his ill-fated online publication, Empirical Journal of Same Sexual Behavior (EJSSB).

Schumm also testified in a Florida Gay adoption court case alongside Dr. George Rekers, who was recently caught with a male escort he met on RentBoy.com.

The larger question is what disciplinary action does Kansas State University plan to take against Schumm, considering the unethical and dishonorable nature of his shoddy work? His unscientific screed is an academic embarrassment and blight on the reputation of this university.

Unfortunately, no matter what happens, it is too late. An AOL hack teamed up with an anti-Gay quack and the damage is done.

In light of the recent Gay teen suicides, one would hope that more care would be taken before irresponsible and inaccurate studies are reported and celebrated in the mainstream media.

November 12, 2010

Seattle Gay News

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s rightwing coalition government is teetering on the brink of collapse in the wake of multiple business and sex scandals.

Berlusconi, a media tycoon as well as a politician, has been charged with a number of criminal offenses including collusion with the mafia, tax fraud, bribery of police officers and judges, and falsifying his company’s books.

He has also been accused of evading prosecution through his political influence.

To top it all off, Italian reporters have revealed that Berlusconi has hired, cajoled, or coerced a string of young women – many of them minors – into having sex with him.

The last week in October, Italian media outlets were abuzz with a story about a Moroccan run-away working in Rome as a belly dancer who alleged she had regularly attended sex parties at Berlusconi’s residences.

The belly dancer, who worked under the stage name Ruby Rubacuori, was identified

by Italian magazine Oggi as Karima Kayek.

She told reporters she received money,

dpa

“It’s better to like pretty girls than Gay boys,” says Silvio Berlusconi

clothes, and diamond jewelry from Berlusconi as a reward for her services.

He also used his influence to get police to drop shoplifting charges against her in May, she said.

At the time she was 17. Berlusconi was 74.

When questioned by reporters, Berlusconi replied with characteristic bravado.

“I like pretty girls. It’s better to like pretty girls than Gay boys,” he told Associated Press on November 2.

Last May, Berlusconi’s wife, Veronica Lario, divorced him, saying, “I can not stay with a man who frequents minors.”

At that time, the minor in question was a lingerie model and aspiring TV anchor named Noemi Letitzia. Berlusconi turned up at her eighteenth birthday party to present her with a gold necklace.

She later revealed to reporters that Berlusconi liked her to call him “daddy.”

Berlusconi’s “at least I’m not Gay” remark is apparently not helping him hold on Silvio Berlusconi to power. ment to retain power. Berlusconi has headed On November 10, Berlusconi lost three lusconi to resign.

Like most European countries, Italy is a right-wing coalition since 2008. He was separate votes in Italy’s parliament, and his one-time ally, parliament Speaker Gian- a parliamentary democracy, in which the previously premier in 1994 and 1995 and franco Fini, said bluntly it was time for Ber- premier must command a majority in parlia- from 2001 to 2006.

INTERNATIONAL wockner

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer

it fomented extremism and religious hatred, disseminated homosexual propaganda, discriminated against heterosexuals and undermined state security.

The denial came after the group amended its charter to make clear it is an LGBT organization. It was registered previously but not as an openly Gay group.

“What makes me even more positive about this judgment is that the court accepted part of the decision we just won last week at the European Court of Human Rights in the case of the Moscow Pride ban on the issue of morality and the right of minorities,” said Moscow Pride founder Nikolai Alekseev. “The ECHR decision has already been used only 10 days after being given.”

On October 21, the ECHR ordered Russia to stop banning Gay pride parades, ruling that former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s yearly bans violated guarantees of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the areas of freedom of assembly and association, right to an effective remedy and prohibition of discrimination.

Alekseev said activists also will pursue a case in Moscow over authorities’ refusal to register the group Marriage Equality Russia.

“We’re very happy that the Moscow Pride decision can be used for non-Pride issues,” he said.

Charges dropped against Turkish Trans activists A Turkish judge dismissed charges in late October against five activists from the Ankara Transgender organization Pembe Hayat.

The individuals had been detained by police in May; beaten, kicked and peppersprayed; then later charged with resisting police.

The judge said he was not interested in perpetuating “prejudices about sexual idenMoscow Pride founder Nikolai Alekseev tities” and that police treatment of the activists had been “totally wrong.”

African Lesbians Some charges remain against two of the The African Commission on Human and have ACHPR observer status to denounce People’s Rights has rejected an application the decision and send statements, letters and activists, Buse Kiliçkaya and Derya Tunç. A for observer status from the Coalition of Af- petitions demanding that commissioners re- hearing is scheduled for December 29. consider CAL’s application. rican Lesbians.

For more information, see cal.org.za.

Moroccan LGBTs gather A recent letter from the commission’s Members of Morocco’s nascent national secretary, Mary Maboreke, provided no Russian Gay group LGBT group, Kifkif, held activities for their reason for the decision, saying simply, “The wins registration case national LGBT day October 23 in Rabat, the ACHPR has deliberated on your application The regional court in Arkhangelsk, Rus- capital. and decided not to grant Observer Status to sia, ordered local authorities to register the “The highlight of the event was a panel the Coalition of African Lesbians.”

CAL said it was “outraged” by the “dis- LGBT organization Rakurs (Perspective) discussion [on the] problems and challenges individuals face because of their sexual oricriminatory, unjust and unfair” determina- on November 1.

The group had been denied registration by entation, which prevents them from living in tion.

The group called on all organizations that the regional Justice Ministry on the grounds peace and safety, free from fear of symbolic 6

Seattle Gay News

November 12, 2010

or actual violence,” said spokesman Karim Al-Samiti.

The assembled group decided to draft a letter to the authorities, to be signed by three of the group’s members, detailing LGBT human-rights violations in Morocco and reminding officials of various international human-rights treaties the nation has signed.

The gathering also included music and cake.

“The participants joined each other in blowing out the candles, wishing that one day the sun of freedom and tolerance shines on the homeland,” said Al-Samiti.

In a speech to the gathering, Al-Samiti proclaimed: “Enough of the imprisonment of the active and productive youth who love their country! Enough demonization of homosexuals! Enough treating them as if they are untouchable, sick, crazy, or from another planet! Enough attending the funerals of the young people whose candle of life was blown away by the storm of rejection, fear and abuse, and their bodies were thrown to the dark arms of death! Enough alienating our youth and forcing them into exile overseas, where they have to suffer from loneliness and separation! Enough destroying the future of our people and depriving them of their rights as citizens! Enough tears!”

Thirty-seven nations attend ILGA-Europe confab More than 260 LGBT activists from 37 nations attended the 14th annual conference of the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association in The Hague, Netherlands, October 28-31.

The conference theme – “Expressing our differences, challenging our prejudices, developing our alliances” – and other topics were debated in panel discussions and workshops, and attendees passed a resolution expressing concern about the rise of extremism in Europe.

“Europe can definitely be proud of its advances in regards to human rights for LGBTI people,” said Martin K.I. Christensen, the co-chair of ILGA-Europe’s board. “However, the situation is far from perfect and the current trends of harsh economic situation and shifting towards more extreme views across Europe seriously endanger further advances in the area of human rights and social justice.”

The 2011 ILGA-Europe conference will take place in Turin, Italy, and the 2012 gathering will be in Dublin.

With assistance from Bill Kelley

Celebrating 37 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

GOD, GENDER AND JUSTICE: EXPLORING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY, POLITICS, AND SEXUALITY On Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13 at Queen Anne United Methodist Church (1606 5th Ave. W.), Bet Alef Learning Institute ( BALI ) presents “God, Gender and Justice: Exploring the Connections Between Spirituality, Politics, and Sexuality.”

“All of us deal, at some point or another, with issues of identity. As we grow and evolve throughout our lives we continuously define and redefine who we are. With us, our society as a whole goes through the same process. In our days, our changing society is confronted with the issue of greater acceptance of sexual minorities, manifesting as a struggle for equal rights. But the conversation – at times violent – which is taking place nationally, is only a reflection of the evolution of personal and individual ways of thinking. This day we will be sharing together, surrounded by expert teachers of international renown, will help us make sense of what is taking place both in the inner dimensions of self and in the outer world. It will support our exploration of the new edge of identity, help us make friends with what challenges us, and bring clarity to what confuses us. It promises to be a day that will expand our minds and heal what divides us.

Join us and spend an entire Shabbat with these gifted teachers: Jay Michaelson, Rabbi Olivier BenHaim, Joe Perez, Yael Sachs, Terri O’Fallon, PhD, and special guest Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi via live video conversation.

Tickets: $85 Bet Alef members, $95 non-members, senior and student discounts available. For a full schedule of events, visit http://www.betalef.org/bali. html#SCHEDULE. LEATHER REIGN CONFERENCE AND LEATHER ARCHIVAL DISPLAY From Friday, November 12 to Sunday, November 14 at Holiday Inn Hotel (1 South Grady Way, Renton), Evergreen Leather Events will display the Pacific Northwest portion of the Leather Archives of Chicago at the annual Leather Reign conference.

The Leather Archives will be available for viewing, at the following times: 4-8 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday outside the hotel ballrooms. Evergreen Leather Events are also providing a curator for the weekend to answer any questions about the archives.

The Leather Archives are free to view, although Evergreen Leather Events is accepting donations to help keep Leather history safe for the future. For more information, visit http://www.leatherreign.org.

TASTE OF GSBA “COME FLY WITH US” On Saturday, November 13 from 5:3010:30 p.m. at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel (1400 6th Ave.), the GSBA will hold its 2010 November TASTE of GSBA, “Come Fly With Us.” GSBA flight attendants will have fabulous food from our wonderful member caterers and restaurants, a signature drink (to be decided at the Cocktail Contest) and many wonderful items to bid on – you will be dazzled. You will be able to fly away on exotic trips or to your favorite place in Puerto Vallarta, plus there will be local trips to all the wonderful places Washington has to offer. Then of course, our inflight cabin service will offer fabulous wines and dining experiences – these are not to be missed.

When you are not looking at the scenery out the window (or at the next table) we will have eye delighting art you can gaze upon and bid for. Be a part of the season’s best black tie affair – fun and dressy at the same time. You will be entertained again by The 5th Avenue Theatre with songs from Guys and Dolls, so wear your best guys (and

guys) and dolls (and dolls) outfits to fit right in with the crowd.

Host a table of 10 for $1,750, or a firstclass table with priority seating and champagne for $2,250. Individual registration $175 members, $195 non-members, $100 students.

For more information or to register, visit www.thegsba.org/events.

BURLESQUE 202 GRADUATION RECITAL HOSTED BY WAXIE MOON On Saturday, November 13 at 9 p.m. at West Hall, Odd Fellows Building (915 E. Pine St.), come cheer the newest graduates to take their education to a higher level at Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque.

This graduating class features the talents of Velvet La Soie, Dahlia Ste Cyr, & Sylvester Stiffbreeze, as well as performances by 202 Alums, and the Bump & Grind Dance Class!

This show will also be the hosting debut of Miss(ter) Waxie Moon, who co-taught the class with The Shanghai Pearl!

Doors at 8:30. You can see this spectacle for the bargain price of $12 in advance, or $15 at the door! Bring confetti and flowers for your favorite students. As is our custom, we give free door prizes including tickets to the upcoming shows and classes, previously worn undergarments, and other authentic burlesque memorabilia.

For more information, visit www.misspollywood.com.

GAY CITY TOBACTIVISM TEAM On Sunday, November 14 at 5 p.m. at Gay City (511 E. Pike St.), the Tobactivism Team Meeting will address tobacco-related disparities in the LGBTQ community. All are welcome. RSVP to lark@gaycity.org or (206) 388-1710.

GEORGE SHANGROW MEMORIAL CONCERT On Sunday, November 14 at 7 p.m. at Benaroya Hall (3rd Ave. and University St.), to honor the life and musical legacy of George Shangrow, Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers (OSSCS) will join together well-known local vocal and instrumental soloists closely associated with Mr. Shangrow and his ensembles to perform some of Mr. Shangrow’s favorite works.

Roupen Shakarian conducts this evening of great music that exemplifies and celebrates George’s wide-ranging interests and areas of expertise. Together they will celebrate the life of the man who was friend, mentor and colleague. The program includes the works of Handel, Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Beyer, Sams and Kechley. Concert soloists include Catherine Haight, Jessica Robins-Milanese, Eleanor Stallcop-Horox, sopranos; Kathryn Weld, Melissa Plagemann mezzo-sopranos; Stephen Wall, tenor; Charles Robert Stephens, Brian Box, baritones; Jeffrey Cohan, flute; Mark Salman, Judith Cohen, piano.

This concert is FREE and open to the public. No tickets are necessary, and it’s festival seating. For more information please call 206-682-5208, or visit www.osscs.org.

QLAW MENTORSHIP PROGRAM RETURNING MENTOR RECEPTION On Tuesday, November 16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Seattle University School of Law (901 12th Ave.), join a QLaw’s reception for all new and returning mentors and mentees.

Everyone is invited to take part in QLaw’s mentorship program, from students to new attorneys, faculty members to retirees – we all have something to share and something to learn. The evening will include fun, fastpaced activities to get students and new lawyers networking with both new and experienced attorneys. In today’s market, it’s all about who you know. Let QLaw be your ticket to meeting student leaders, the most promising new attorneys and the seasoned

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Call (206) 923-8313 or e-mail macctselawyers who have years of practice and exattle@yahoo.com for location information. perience to draw upon.

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 November is Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse. This Gay graphic novel classic is about a closeted Gay boy coming out during the Civil Rights Movement in the South. For more information, e-mail nickdimartin@earthlink.net or contact Dunshee House at 206-322-2437.

AGE 55+ JOB SEARCH WORKSHOP On Thursday, November 18 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Central Building, Suite 150 (810 Third Ave.), the City of Seattle Human Services Department presents the Senior Citizens Age 55+ Job Search Workshop.

The Age 55+ Employment Resource Center helps hundreds of older workers find jobs to support their basic needs each year, and helps local employers find experienced, dedicated and reliable employees. Services are free to both job seekers and employers.

Services for the Age 55+ job seeker include: Employer outreach, training resources to upgrade job skills including computer classes, computer access for resume writing and internet research, individual job counseling, quarterly employment workshops, and job listings.

For more information, visit http://www. seattle.gov/humanservices/seniorsdisabled/ mosc/employment.htm.

UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH RELIGIOUS COALITION FOR EQUALITY PANEL DISCUSSION On Thursday, November 18 at 7 p.m. at University Christian Church (4731 15th Ave. NE.), join the Religious Coalition for Equality, an autonomous program of Equal Rights Washington for a panel discussion about how faith communities are working to secure marriage equality and ensure the dignity of every LGBT individual and family. The panel will focus on work that has been done by faith communities but often goes unrecognized, how liberal and mainline faith communities are combating religious based bigotry, and work being done in Washington and Oregon for the 2011 legislative session and the upcoming battles to secure marriage equality. We will also discuss how the faith-based and secular LGBT civil rights movements, which have overlapping memberships, can understand each others contributions as we work together. It will be a night of deep reflection, great discussion and even some humor!

NORDIC HERITAGE MUSEUM’S CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL On Saturday, November 20 and Sunday, November 21 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Nordic Heritage Museum (3014 NW 67th St.), the Nordic Heritage Museum will hold its annual Christmas festival. This popular Nordic Christmas celebration offers hundreds of handcrafted gifts, a jubilee of Scandinavian musical performances, and traditional Nordic cuisine that will inspire holiday cheer. Santa will also be visiting the Museum for Yulefest.

Suggested donation is $3 for adults (plus a suggested donation of a non-perishable food item for the Ballard Food Bank), $1 for children under 12, and kids under 5 are admitted free. Limited parking is available for a suggested donation of $2.

For more information, visit www.nordicmuseum.org or phone (206) 789-5707.

MAACT CHILI POTLUCK SOCIAL On Saturday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m. in Seattle, Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT) will be hosting a chili potluck social. MACCT is a Gay/Bisexual multi-racial, multi-cultural organization committed to fostering supportive environments wherein racial and cultural barriers can be overcome, and the goal of human equality be realized.

November 12, 2010

THE BEAT GOES ON: MR. & MISS GAY SEATTLE PAGEANT On Saturday, November 20 at 7 p.m. at Club SUR (2910 1st Ave. S.), The Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle, Olympic and Rainier Empire presents The Beat Goes On: 2010/2011 Mr. & Miss Gay Seattle Pageant.

Featuring Miss Gat Seattle XLV GLAMAZONIA and Mr. Gay Seattle XXXIV Michael McQueen. Tickets $15, $10 with donation of a new, unwrapped toy to Rise ‘n’ Shine.

REQUIEM AT THE BRIDGE: IN HONOR AND PROTECTION OF GLBT YOUTH On Monday, November 22 at 7 p.m. at Richard Hugo House (1634 11th Ave.), Chad Goller-Sojourner, Okanomode’ SoulChilde, and Greg Bee will perform Requiem at the Bridge: In Honor and Protection of GLBT Youth. “Three of us will perform poetry about our experiences coming out and living as Gay men (the good, the bad, and the silly),” write the three spoken-work performers. “The show will be filmed and the film made available to educators (free if we raise enough money) who want to talk to students about GLBT issues. While we believe strongly that this conversation must happen among and between the bullies and the bullied, none of the three of us believe that this epidemic of suicides is exclusively a gay issue or a male issue or an anythingother-than-all-of-us issue. We’re starting here because it’s what we know.

Money collected will go to production of the show. Every dollar beyond what it takes to produce the show will be donated to the Safe Schools Coalition. For more information, visit www.gregbeeonline.com.

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 GAY PRIDE DAY VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE Pride Day took place on June 27, 2010.

The parade and festival included all financial and social segments of society, all religions, races, and gender expressions. The parade had an estimated 450,000 people in attendance. After the Parade, some 70,000 attendees flowed into the Seattle Center for the PrideFest. This combined cross-section of humanity is most noted for its astonishing diversity.

The following videos were shot by Demian over a four-hour period: Gay Pride Day Seattle 2010 Part 1 – http:// youtube.com/watch?v=ITmRcnX0VFs Gay Pride Day Seattle 2010 Part 2 – http:// youtube.com/watch?v=M69Q_z3E74I Demian’s YouTube Channel All Videos – http://youtube.com/777demian

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by Barry Thorsness SGN African Correspondent

My boat was 10 hours late, and Augustine was already at Big Blue when I walked in to say hi to Jack. Looking at Augustine, with his big smile and so well-dressed, I knew he was a genuinely good person and not a scammer.

We chatted and then made the 30-minute walk through town and up the hill on the other side of the bay to meet Louis at Butterfly. Augustine confirmed that he used to work at Butterfly, and our relationship became closer. I told Augustine that evening that Louis and I might like to help him get back to school. Previously I did not want to give any indication we were thinking of helping in case we had a change of heart.

We also made it clear that we had been researching him and that we had to resolve some “issues” and learn more.

We asked Augustine if he would take us to the school he wanted to go to so we could learn for ourselves what we were looking at and what might be needed – little did we know we had just created another week in Nkhata Bay, full of meeting incredible schoolmasters, government officials, and Malawi bureaucracy, and with lots of travel around the area.

The professor gave him a little lecture (everyone we met seemed to give Augustine the same one) about how lucky he was to have us for our support, and how he had better work hard and not mess up. The professor was personally willing to help Augustine not only in his studies, but by showing him how he might get a scholarship to enable him to go to school in Canada.

We went to Nkhata Bay Secondary School and met with the headmaster. He was an interesting man with a good heart. It was somewhat of a homecoming for Augustine, and we met previous classmates and many of the teachers of the school. Everything moves so slowly in Africa, and in this respect, we had lots of time to chat with teachers, talk about their courses, their grading of students, and even see where many were living.

The headmaster gave us a tour of the school and didn’t mind that we saw the conditions of the classrooms, the old archaic desks, the missing windows and ceiling tiles, and basically the run-down condition of it all. We passed the toilets in the school, and after one breath I was hopeful they were not going to be part of my experience that day.

Although the physical infrastructure was

Off to see Augustine’s school, and support arrives We crammed into a van, waited for it to fill beyond capacity, and went up the hill from Nkhata Bay to the police checkpoint and the highway junction. The school was up the other road so we got out and tried to get a ride. After a fairly short time, a truck with gravel in it stopped and we got in the back on top of the load. About halfway to the school, the truck pulled off the highway into a new school to dump the gravel. While we waited under a tree for all of this to happen, we were suddenly greeted by a big, energetic, outgoing man who introduced himself to us as the headmaster of the new school.

He asked where we are from and I told him Canada, Vancouver, and he responded with his life story of how he spent the last six years at Queens University getting his degrees, and how he loves Canada and Canadians. Again, Augustine lucked out.

Augustine’s school

Augustine (r) and his grandfather

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Seattle Gay News

November 12, 2010

all photos by Barry Thorsness

Our continuing adventures in Africa

crumbling, the teachers were very interested and seemed really to be focused on what they were doing, and they also had a great sense of humor about their lives.

What we were not ready for was the difficulty of getting Augustine enrolled in the school. Having money available for school was only the beginning – getting a spot in the crowded school as a boarding student was a challenge.

During the next couple of days, we went to visit the education secretary, traveling an hour to Mzuzu, the city closest to Nkhata Bay. We visited local education commissioners, and even went back to Mzuzu to go to the bishop’s office to meet with the head of education for the Catholic diocese. Again, we lucked out. It seemed the diocese had actually been started by a Canadian, and the education secretary told us about his love for Canadians.

But official was official, and though the love of my people may help Augustine, we needed letters from the school to get him on the list for consideration for a spot at school.

Sweating out the details The next morning, I came to meet Louis at Myoka Village and as I was walking down the steep rock stairs of the village, I was greeted by a well-dressed and energetic woman coming down the stairs with me. It seemed she was a headmaster of a school of 720 students not far outside of Nhkata Bay. She had come to Myoka to fundraise, and as the owners were away, she was on her way into town to do some business. It’s amazing how things work out here in Malawi – or as I often say, traveling in Africa is hard work for Louis and I, but our angels must be really sweating it out.

I told her what I was up to and about the people I was planning to meet, and all of a sudden she was my guide. It was amazing.

Instead of having to walk back through town, we just climbed down all the stairs in Myoka to the water and boarded a boat for town. She was treated like royalty. The boys on the boat knew her and many had been her students. When we arrived in town, our walk became a welcoming for her. People waved and acknowledged her and people came out of shops to shake her hand – probably just a small exaggeration, it seemed everyone knew her.

She had decided to help me and escorted me to the government school administration offices where she knew and was good friends with everyone to the very top. Seems they were traveling to London in two days –

Celebrating 37 Years!

Market

her first trip abroad. Even with all the help, the bureaucracy was staggering. I was looking forward to her meeting Augustine the next morning, telling him about what we had accomplished, and going and meeting some more of the administrators.

On top of it all, she invited us for dinner at her home, and needless to say I was truly honored. She was leaving for London the next day and still had time to cook us dinner, which meant lighting the fire on the ground in the kitchen, preparing everything from scratch, and then having the time to chat with us in depth about her school and life – and lecture poor Augustine the same lecture he had heard over and over.

I asked her what she needed most at the school. Immediately, she said, “Lights.” Her students couldn’t study when it got dark.

Neither the school nor her home had electricity, and it gets dark by 6 p.m. here. She got out some LED flashlight lanterns and showed me what they used. Perhaps a project I will work on in the near future?

We left with great emotion and hugs and kisses. An amazing woman, doing so much with so little.

Enough of the details of trying to get enrolled in school. We worked with Augustine on a budget for his tuition and room and

see how they lived and learn more about the family.

We arrived in the village after walking from the highway. Although there was water from the system from the lake, the village did not have any electricity or other conveniences. The village, though basic, was certainly one where people were proud of their homes and land. We arrived at Augustine’s uncle’s house and meet some of his family.

His grandfather arrived, and we had introductions. We then proceeded across the road to his land and house and sat under a tree he had planted 27 years ago.

After Augustine had shown us the tworoom house which he shared with his grandfather and brother, we were taken on a tour of his property, which included a fairly large area of banana trees. He showed us where he had begun to build a new home and the pit where he had dug up all the dirt to build the bricks, which were stacked by a kiln to cure them.

We had come to honor them and we felt they honored us. Hopefully, Augustine

meeting us will greatly contribute to his education and life. His grandfather was incredible – almost just like an older Augustine. For a man of at least 74 years, he was energetic, aware, and so smart. His English was incredibly good, and Augustine and his grandfather looked so much alike. Louis asked if Augustine’s father was much the same, and they all said he was. I will never forget the sharing, the gratitude and the love that came from Augustine’s grandfather and family.

It was interesting, as the night before Jack had told me that he never allows himself to get “attached” to the projects he is doing, and we briefly talked about it. The next morning at breakfast with Jack, I suggested to him that getting attached might be the only thing of importance in life and perhaps it was how we saw our attachments which would make the difference.

We left Nhakata Bay and headed toward Tanzania.

board. We also had to figure out school supplies, clothes and the school uniform, and a list, which included every thing from soap to sugar. Thanks to the help from A.J., we opened a couple of bank accounts which she will administer to be sure the money is spent according to our agreed budget.

The second last day in Nkhata Bay was so emotional for me. As I walked from Big Blue through town and up the hill towards Myoka Village, I could feel the tears coming down my cheeks. Unlike my usual “chatty Cathy” demeanor (as Louis calls it), I felt like finding a place alone to feel my feelings. I had become attached to so much of my experience in Malawi and the next day we were leaving for Tanzania.

Meeting Augustine’s grandfather The highlight of our stay in Malawi was the last day of our stay in Nkhata Bay. We had bought some liquor which Augustine thought his grandfather liked and a few other things and made the journey to Augustine’s grandfather’s home and where he was living. We were all very excited. Augustine wanted us to meet his grandfather and some of his family. He had planned a dinner in our honor. Louis and I were so interested to

Augustine, Jack, and Barry

A.J.’s daughter

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November 12, 2010

Seattle Gay News

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10 Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 37 Years!

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Celebrating 37 Years!

On November 7, hundreds of Washingtonians came together to support “You’ll Never Walk Alone: A Fundraiser for the Youth Suicide Prevention Program” at Neighbours Nightclub in Seattle. Through song, dance, and drag, local entertainers joined Seattle Gay News, Seattle Out & Proud, C89.5, Representative Marko Liias, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: The Abbey of St. Joan, the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle, Neighbours Nightclub, and Dunshee House to raise nearly $4,000 for YSPP’s OUTLoud Program, Washington state’s only youth suicide outreach program specifically for LGBTQ teens. Seattle Gay News would like to thank everyone involved with making the fundraiser a success.

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November 12, 2010

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Celebrating 37 Years!

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Pope interferes in Spanish politics, Queers hold kiss-in Courtesy chimes

Pope Benedict XVI

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The pope was in Barcelona to dedicate Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia (Holy Visiting Spain on November 7, Pope Family) church as a basilica.

In response, about 200 Spanish Gays and Benedict XVI directly attacked Spanish laws allowing same-sex marriage, divorce, Lesbians staged a kiss-in in front of the church as the pope arrived. and easier access to abortion.

Sergi Benavent, a 22-year-old nursing student, told reporters he joined the kiss-in to show his opposition to those “who want to love in just one way.”

“This is a peaceful demonstration that there are more ways of expressing one’s love,” he said.

Later, some 500 women of all sexual orientations marched behind banners reading, “The woman decides to be a mother” and “Condoms save, the pope damns.”

One of the organizers, Montse Cervara, said it was important to oppose the pope, since the church is “against all the rights we have fought to have recognized, like the right to choose.”

According to Associated Press, about 250,000 people turned out to cheer the pope and attend mass at Sagrada Familia.

During his sermon, the pope noted that the church of the Sagrada Familia was initially dedicated to the Holy Family consisting of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

He said that families are built on the “indissoluble love of a man and a woman” which should be protected by law, and provided with financial and social benefits by governments.

He also denounced reproductive choice, saying “the life of children [must] be defended as sacred and inviolable from the moment of their conception.”

On arriving in Spain on November 6, the pope blasted the Spanish government’s secular policies.

In a pointed reference to the Spanish Civil War, the pope warned that an “aggressive” secular movement in contemporary Spain was reminiscent of the 1930s.

No one in the audience could have failed to understand the implications of the pope’s remarks.

In 1936, right-wing Spanish officers allied

with the Catholic Church rebelled against a Socialist government and provoked three years of bloody civil war, followed by 35 years of the Franco dictatorship.

As if on cue, Mariano Rajoy, the leader of Spain’s right-wing opposition party, gave an interview to El Pais newspaper, saying that the country’s same-sex marriage law is unconstitutional.

Rajoy’s party filed an unsuccessful constitutional challenge to the law when it was approved in July 2004.

“I will listen very carefully to the arguments of the Constitutional Court and the people, but I do not like the homosexual marriage act, and I do not think it is constitutional,” he said. “My disagreement is about the use of the word ‘marriage.’”

Rajoy promised to repeal the law if he becomes prime minister in Spain’s 2012 election.

“His words are a clear example of the power in Spain of the Catholic Church, Opus Dei, and [the right-wing party’s] homophobia. Homophobia disguised as liberal conservatism,” said Tony Poveda, president of Federacion Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (FELGTB), Spain’s largest LGBT rights group.

A 2008 study found that 66% of Spaniards approve of the law. In its first three years, over 12,000 Gay and Lesbian marriages were celebrated.

Socialist Jorge Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been prime minister since April 2004.

He introduced and passed Spain’s marriage equality law.

Before boarding his flight back to Rome, the pope had a perfunctory 10-minute meeting with Zapatero at Barcelona’s airport.

Neither the pope nor the prime minister commented on the content of their conversation.

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Alexandra Reyes has been granted asylum by a U.S. immigration judge, based on the persecution she suffered as a Transgender woman in Mexico.

The Board of Immigration Appeals withheld her removal from the U.S. after determining that the Mexican government would not protect her from abuse if she were deported.

“It would be physically dangerous for her to walk down the street,” said her U.S. attorney, Bryon Large. “She could be sexually assaulted.”

As a condition of her asylum, Reyes must obey U.S. laws and may not leave the U.S. for any reason if she hopes to be allowed back in.

When Reyes was born, she was named

Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post

U.S. grants asylum to Mexican Trans woman Carlos and raised as a boy, but she began living life as a girl at age 8.

This infuriated her traditional Mayan family in Cenotillo, Mexico.

When her father caught her wearing her sister’s clothes, he tied her up and beat her.

One night, an aunt walked into her bedroom and tried to kill her with a machete because she didn’t want Reyes in the family.

The Mexican police refused to intervene or arrest Reyes’ abusers.

So 10 years ago, she paid a smuggler to get her across the border. She walked four days and four nights through the desert into the U.S. and made it to Colorado, where a friend told her she would be safe.

Now 32, Reyes lives in the Denver area.

Reyes found herself in trouble last year after she failed to pay a cab driver a $500 fare.

Alexandra Reyes

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According to the Denver Post, the friend Reyes had driven to meet refused to pay the fare as promised.

Reyes went to the cab company a week later to pay the bill, and the company called the police, who then called ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

“I am still ashamed,” she told the newspaper.

Reyes paid restitution in the cab driver case. In the meantime, she was moved to an immigration detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, for deportation proceedings.

Because she has not had sexual reassignment surgery, Reyes spent her 11 months in custody housed with men, but she says she was treated well and didn’t have any problems despite a lack of privacy.

Reyes’ case was referred to Bryon Large by the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, and he began working pro bono to gain her release and asylum.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City, and many LGBT tourists flock to beach resorts throughout the country, leading to the misconception that the country is

welcoming, Large told the Denver Post.

Asylum is easier to obtain for immigrants from countries such as Jamaica, where Gays are imprisoned, or Iran, where members of the LGBT community are executed, Large added.

In defending Reyes, one of the cases Large used to persuade the board was of a Gay Mexican immigrant who fled to Canada but was denied asylum.

After he was deported back to Mexico, he was killed.

For now, Reyes is sharing an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, with friends and waiting to get a work permit from the U.S. government.

She says she finds the American people accepting of her differences.

“What I have seen here is people are more open than people from my country,” she said. “Sometimes I miss Mexico, but I am scared to return.”

Reyes is trying to learn English and deciding what kind of work she wants to do.

“I want others to know that nothing is impossible,” she said.

Celebrating 37 Years!

LGBT election wrapup file photo

has now settled on a strategy of evading tax and election laws and trying to intimidate judges. These are the tactics one might expect from Al Capone, not a credible political justices who recognized the organization.” freedom to marry in Iowa fell victim to a perfect storm OTHER ELECTION NIGHT NEWS of electoral discontent and Gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank was reout-of-state special-interest elected in Massachusetts, Lesbian U.S. Rep. money,” she said. “In addi- Tammy Baldwin was re-elected in Wiscontion, many of our pro-equali- sin, Gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polis was re-electty allies from Gov. Culver to ed in Colorado, and openly Gay candidate Statehouse candidates lost David Cicilline was elected to a U.S. House their seats due to an anti- seat from Rhode Island. incumbent mood that swept Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, the nation. ... While the full who led the successful effort in the U.S. implications of these elec- House to authorize repeal of Don’t Ask, tion results remain to be Don’t Tell, lost his re-election bid. seen, one thing remains the A Gay man, Jim Gray, was elected mayor same: The freedom to marry of Lexington, Kentucky. Marcus Brandon, in Iowa remains intact. In the who is Gay and black, was elected to the months and weeks ahead, we North Carolina House. Victoria Kolakowscan expect renewed attempts ki was elected as a Superior Court judge to overturn the freedom to in Alameda County, California, becoming marry and write discrimina- America’s first openly Transgender judge. tion into the Iowa Constitu- Kolakowski is married to Cynthia Laird, tion. It will take a concerted news editor of the San Francisco Gay newsand collective effort on the paper Bay Area Reporter. part of pro-equality Iowans In all, 106 of the 164 candidates endorsed to respond to these attacks by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund won and defend our liberties.” their races. Openly Gay Steve Pougnet The three fired justices – failed to snatch away Mary Bono Mack’s U.S. Rep. Barney Frank was re-elected in Massachusetts.

Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, congressional seat in Palm Springs, CaliforAssociate Justice Michael nia.

by Rex Wockner Streit and Associate Justice David Baker – Jerry Brown was elected governor of CaliSGN Contributing Writer issued a statement which said, in part: “We fornia and Kamala Harris is leading in a tight wish to thank all of the Iowans who voted race for attorney general. Unlike their GOP There was all kinds of LGBT news on to retain us for another term. Your support opponents, Brown and Harris have vowed election night. Of course, the Democrats lost shows that many Iowans value fair and im- to continue to refuse to defend Proposition their majority in the U.S. House of Repre- partial courts. We also want to acknowledge 8 in the ongoing federal lawsuit against the sentatives, which is bad news for efforts to and thank all the Iowans, from across the po- state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marpass the Gay legislation that President Ba- litical spectrum and from different walks of riage. rack Obama promised us. The Democrats life, who worked tirelessly over the past few Pro-Gay-marriage Mayor Gavin Newsom maintain a small majority in the U.S. Sen- months to defend Iowa’s high-caliber court of San Francisco was elected California ate. system against an unprecedented attack by lieutenant governor. Key anti-Gay-marriage The biggest LGBT news of the night hap- out-of-state special interest groups. Finally, activist Andy Pugno failed in his bid for the pened in Iowa. Heavily funded by the Gay we hope Iowans will continue to support Io- state Assembly. Three more Gay people archnemesis National Organization for wa’s merit selection system for appointing were elected to the California Legislature: Marriage, conservative forces managed to judges. This system helps ensure that judges Rich Gordon, Ricardo Lara and Toni Atkins. persuade voters not to “retain” three state base their decisions on the law and the Con- They join Assembly Speaker John Perez, Supreme Court justices who were up for a stitution and nothing else. Ultimately, how- Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, and retention vote. NOM specifically wanted to ever, the preservation of our state’s fair and Sens. Mark Leno and Christine Kehoe to punish the justices for their 7-0 ruling that impartial courts will require more than the create the largest LGBT caucus in any state legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa. The integrity and fortitude of individual judges, legislature. other four justices did not face a vote this it will require the steadfast support of the California voters refused to legalize mariyear. people.” juana by a vote of 53.9 percent to 46.1 per“The result in Iowa shines a light on a According to the Human Rights Cam- cent. dangerous agenda to undermine the demo- paign, NOM spent $600,000 on TV ads to In a statement, the Human Rights Camcratic system of checks and balances that unseat the Iowa judges and conducted a bus has served us well for over 200 years,” said tour that visited 45 counties.

Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin “By their own admission, NOM’s Iowa Cathcart. “If an embattled judiciary were to strategy was about sending a warning shot lose its ability to protect our laws and Con- to judges nationwide,” said HRC President stitution with impartiality, that would be a Joe Solmonese. “NOM and its secret dotragic loss for our country. We can’t let that nors will continue to target judges around happen.” the country if they rule in favor of marriage In a message to LGBT Iowans, Carolyn equality and will foster an anti-Gay, hostile Jenison, executive director of One Iowa, environment in the process.” which led the campaign to save the judges, Courage Campaign Chairman Rick Jacobs said right-wing forces will be emboldened added: “Having seen its extremist agenda by their success. increasingly rejected by the courts and the “In this election, three of the courageous American people, it is telling that NOM

paign said: “The loss of the [U.S.] House of Representatives to an anti-equality leadership, along with the loss of some fair-minded senators, will certainly impede federal legislative efforts. ... The loss of the House to anti-equality leaders is a serious blow to the LGBT community. The presumptive leadership team of Reps. Boehner, Cantor and Pence all score zeros on the HRC scorecard and many soon-to-be committee chairs have long anti-LGBT records.”

With assistance from Bill Kelley

election

continued from cover Larsen, in contrast, has been a reliable ally of the LGBT community, with a 92% rating from HRC. Attorney Charlie Wiggins also leads incumbent Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders by 6,477 votes.

Outstanding ballots in this race come mainly from King County, where Wiggins has a two-to-one advantage in votes counted so far.

In his campaign literature, Sanders bragged about being the “deciding vote” against marriage equality in the 2006 Andersen case, and he has written a number of other opinions hostile to LGBT rights.

In the 25th Legislative District Democratic incumbent Dawn Morrell and her Republican opponent, Hans Zeiger, have seesawed back and forth in a very close race.

As of Thursday afternoon, November 11, Zeiger has a 28-vote lead, with only a few hundred ballots left to count.

State law mandates a machine recount when the margin is less than 2,000 votes, and a hand recount when it is less than 1,000.

Zeiger is the author of many anti-Gay and anti-choice blog posts.

In an eastern Washington legislative race, Spokane Republican Norm Johnson (R-14) defeated another Republican, Michele Stobel, to keep his seat in the state House.

Johnson voted in favor of the state’s domestic partnership law, and Strobel had challenged him representing the Christian right. She was endorsed by Larry Stickney, after she publicly thanked him for his work against domestic partnership rights.

Johnson is 1,774 votes ahead of Strobel.

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by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Bishop V. Gene Robinson, whose consecration as the first openly Gay bishop in the Episcopal Church set off a rift in the global Anglican Communion, announced to his New Hampshire diocese on Saturday that he intended to step down.

His reason for departing? Being the center of an international uproar has taken its toll on him and the diocese.

“Death threats, and the now worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as a bishop, have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband Mark, and on Episcopalians in the state,” said Robinson to his diocese.

Robinson has led a relatively stable and healthy diocese, and at age 63, is nowhere near the mandatory retirement age for Episcopal bishops, which is 72. But those who know him say he has no intention of retiring from public life. His status as a symbol in the international Gay rights movement means that after he steps down, he will have no shortage of platforms from which to preach his message that God blesses Gay relationships, too.

Robinson, who sees himself as an evangelist to people alienated from Christianity, is a national figure. In 2009, he gave the invo-

cation for the opening event of the inauguration of President Obama.

But it was the election of Bishop Robinson in a church in Concord, New Hampshire, in 2003 that propelled him into the international spotlight. Since 2003, the leaders of the Anglican Communion – affiliated with the Church of England in more than 160 countries – have labored to save it from near schism, not just over homosexuality, but also over female bishops and priests.

Bishop Robinson won critics over with a leadership style that was decisive. Still, the pressure on Robinson became apparent in 2006. He took a month-long leave to be treated for alcoholism.

He and his partner of more than 20 years had a civil union ceremony in New Hampshire in 2008.

Robinson is no longer the only openly Gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. Bishop Mary D. Glasspool was consecrated in Los Angeles, California, earlier this year.

In his resignation speech in New Hampshire, Bishop Robinson said, “This is the one place on earth where I am not ‘the Gay bishop.’ I believe that you elected me because you believed me to be the right person to lead you at this time. The world has sometimes questioned that, but I hope you never did.”

Where do I shop if the grocery workers go on strike?

Courtesy of Pride At Work Grocery workers at the biggest chain stores in the Puget Sound area have voted to reject their employers’ latest contract offer and authorize a strike.

The vote was a whopping 94% in favor of strike authorization.

This vote comes after nine months of negotiations and more than 20 meetings between management and the unions representing grocery workers – United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) 21, UFCW 81 (meat cutters), and Teamsters 38 (which represents some retail clerks in the Everett area).

The affected chains are Safeway, Supervalu, which owns Albertsons, and Kroger, which owns both QFC and Fred Meyer.

file photo

First openly Gay Episcopal Bishop to retire

These out-of-state-based chains are among the Top 50 corporations in the country.

They paid their CEOs a combined 30 millions dollars last year. The grocery industry has not been hit as hard by the economy as many other sectors because families have switched to shopping at the store more and eating out at restaurants less.

They still have not come to an agreement with workers on wages, healthcare costs, and pensions.

When does the strike start?

The vote does not mean that strikes will begin immediately, however.

Both workers and employers have agreed to a temporary contract extension through November 15. After that extension expires, either side can terminate the contract with 72 hours notice.

Bishop V. Gene Robinson

That means that work stoppages could be- tract negotiations. Among them are gin as early as November 18 unless the par• Central Coop’s Madison Market ties come to some agreement.

• PCC (Puget Consumers Coop) Natural After November 18, the unions may strike Markets some or all of the affected stores.

• Metropolitan Markets • Red Apple Why should • West Seattle Thriftway I care?

• Vashon Thriftway UFCW 21 is the state’s largest private • KC Foods Thriftway sector union with over 36,000 workers in • Lakemont Thriftway grocery store, retail, health care, and other • Cost Cutters / The Markets industry jobs.

• Haggen / Top Food & Drug It represents a large concentration of • Roger’s Market Place LGBT workers, and has been a leader in • Rose & Associates fighting for equal rights for its LGBT mem• Saar’s Market Place bers. LGBT grocery workers are entitled to • Sand Point Pharmacy domestic partner benefits equal to those of• Tukwila Trading Company fered to married spouses, for example.

• Sunset Markets UFCW 21 also put huge resources into the • Swain’s General Store campaign to Approve Referendum 71 – in• Town & Country / Central Market cluding paid staff time dedicated to the camYou can shop at any of these stores and be paign, and the union’s state-of-the-art phone confident that you are supporting a union bank facility. workforce that supports LGBT rights.

A good way to say thanks would be to rePride At Work is the LGBT labor organifuse to cross a union picket line if you see zation. We are affiliated with the AFL-CIO, one at the store where you usually shop. but we include members of Change To Win and independent unions, and allies. Pride At Where do I buy food?

Work’s Martin Luther King County chapter There are many union grocery stores that can be reached at 206-261-8110 or Outare not affected by the current round of con- Front.PrideAtWork@gmail.com.

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18 Seattle Gay News

November 12, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

courtesy q syndicate

Safe athletes at Bucknell

by Dan Woog SGN Contributing Writer

Men’s lacrosse was the last team Sean Coyne thought he’d see at Bucknell University’s Gay dance party.

But that’s where they were last spring.

They came not to mock the event, but to have a good time. Later, several players thanked Coyne for inviting them.

He was a fellow athlete – a track star – but the gulf between Coyne and the laxmen loomed large just a few months earlier. The atmosphere on the lacrosse team was far from Gay-friendly.

It wasn’t much better on the track squad, surprisingly, when Coyne arrived in 2006.

A highly recruited runner and hurdler from Freehold, N.J., he picked the prestigious lib-

eral arts school for its stellar academics and gorgeous campus, plus the good vibe he got from fellow track recruits.

Coyne had known he was “different” since Catholic grammar school (though he did not have a name for it then). At his public high school he realized “this was real.”

But to avoid dealing with the reality of being Gay, he submerged himself in activities.

Coyne took AP classes, was active in the National Honor Society, joined the Latin Club and had a part-time job.

“I kept as busy as possible so I wouldn’t have to explain why I wasn’t seeing someone,” he explains. It was a classic – and lit-

see outfield page 20

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Seattle Gay News 19

outfield

continued from page 19 eral – case of running away.

When he got to Bucknell, he stayed in the closet. The locker room door seemed firmly shut to Gays. The team environment was crude. There were always Gay “jokes,” with track athletes putting each other down as “fags” or “homos.”

But Coyne was not a quitter. He told himself he was better than the teammates mak-

ing unsuspecting comments. He stayed, and ran.

That spring he came out to his best friend, a fellow hurdler. It was inadvertent – the teammate had seen an IM on Coyne’s computer – but he felt less anxious when his friend supported him fully. Slowly, Coyne came out to more teammates. Yet, the antiGay locker room comments continued, and he felt powerless to stop them.

As a junior, he grew more comfortable.

He told two captains that their homophobic language perpetuated a negative team culture. They understood. Almost instantly, the slurs stopped.

Emboldened, Coyne joined a club associated with Bucknell’s Office of LGBT Awareness. He became a speaker in the “Safe Space” peer education program, presenting LGBT issues to fraternities and sororities. But he was not part of the Greek system, so when he was offered the chance to work with the athletic department he shifted his focus.

He tailored his presentation to the athletic issues he was so familiar with. For example, he described the difficulty of cooperating on the field while feeling marginalized off it, and discussed the effect anti-Gay comments have on recruits who may be Gay – or have Gay relatives or friends.

Some coaches supported the effort. Others dragged their feet. They were in the middle of their season, they said, or they wanted to wait until the following year, when new freshmen arrived.

The first team Coyne addressed was his

own. Both the men’s and women’s track squads soon voted – unanimously – to make their teams “safe spaces.”

In the 2009-‘10 school year, Coyne presented to 10 teams. Besides the track squads, five others – women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s field hockey and women’s crew – voted unanimously to be safe spaces.

Forty men’s lacrosse players favored the idea. Two dissented.

“The idea really hits home,” Coyne says.

“You figure, ‘Why shouldn’t we be a safe space? Everyone might not agree 100 percent, or be a big ally, but they get it. And it’s huge for them that the message comes from a fellow athlete.”

Despite the dissenting votes, men’s lacrosse “got it” more than most other teams.

One night last fall, Coyne took guest speaker Brian Sims – an attorney who as an out captain in 2000 led his Bloomsburg University team to the NCAA Division II national championship – to a bar. The lax stars were there. A heartfelt discussion followed – leading soon after to the Gay dance party they attended and enjoyed.

Last spring, Coyne graduated with a degree in animal behavior. He’s now at the University of Chicago, working toward his masters in human development. His goal is to earn a Ph.D. Though he’s gone, Bucknell’s safe space athletic program is in good hands. Coyne’s former roommate – a Gay track athlete – is taking over the program, with two females.

One is a Lesbian water polo player. The other is a soccer player – and straight.

Who better to speak to athletes about homophobia than fellow competitors who care about the issue? And who cares if they’re Gay or straight? They just have to shoot straight.

Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, Gay activist, and author of the Jocks series of books on Gay male athletes.

Visit his website at www.danwoog.com. He can be reached care of this publication or at OutField@qsyndicate.com.

dadt

continued from cover

While Gates was beating the repeal drum, Gen. Amos voiced opposition to repeal, because with forces still deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, he thinks that now is the wrong time for any major policy shifts for combat troops.

“This is not a social thing,” he said. “This is combat effectiveness.”

The Marine Corps has long been the military branch most worried that lifting the ban would hurt the ability to fight, and harm the tight personal bond within military units.

“There is nothing more intimate than young men and young women – and when you talk of infantry, we’re talking our young men – laying out, sleeping alongside of one another, and sharing death, fear, and loss of brothers,” Amos said Saturday. “I don’t know what the effect of that will be on cohesion. I mean, that’s what we’re looking at. It’s unit cohesion, it’s combat effectiveness.”

Adm. Mullen said he thought the top brass had agreed to make recommendations privately to Defense Secretary Gates.

“I was surprised by what he said and surprised he said it publicly,” Mullen told reporters in Australia, where he attended meetings of defense and diplomatic chiefs.

It seems the Pentagon will need a mop and bucket to clean this up.

Speaking of a mess, additional leaked details of the Pentagon study on lifting the ban surfaced this week, with troops saying that the risks associated with a repeal would be minimal – a direct contradiction to Gen. Amos’ observation of unit cohesion.

According to The Washington Post, “More than 70% of respondents to a survey sent to active-duty and reserve troops over the summer said the effect of repealing the DADT policy would be ‘positive, mixed, or nonexistent,’ said two sources familiar with the document. The survey results led the report’s authors to conclude that objections to open Gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them.”

The Post reports that the study document is divided into two parts: one based on survey findings, and the other presenting a potential plan for ending the policy.

“The document totals about 370 pages and is divided into two section. The first section explores whether repealing DADT would harm unit readiness or morale. It cites the findings of a survey sent over the summer to 400,000 active-duty and reserve troops, a separate questionnaire sent to about 150,000 military spouses, the responses submitted to an anonymous online drop box seeking comments, and responses from focus-group participants.”

The second part of the report “presents a plan for ending enforcement of the ban.”

The Pentagon study is not due until December 1.

In a move that many in the LGBT community could’ve predicted, there is an effort in the works by Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to potentially move a stripped-down version of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act that would exclude repeal.

According to a source close to Levin, who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, “Levin is making calls under the premise – we can’t afford to waste time on controversial provisions, so we’ll strip out the controversial provision and be able to get the bill on and off the floor in the available amount of time.”

If all of this speculation is true, then time is not on our side. Senate majority leader

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

November 12, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

Harry Reid has already left the National Defense Authorization Act out of his lineup of three bills to be considered during the week of November 15. Senators will then adjourn for the Thanksgiving holiday and return November 29.

Here’s where it gets dicey for pro-repeal advocates. Reid has said that he would like to adjourn for the year early on December 10, which would leave just two weeks to complete the defense bill. What are the possibilities of the Senate working towards repeal in two weeks? Slim to none.

Adding more fuel to the fire on Monday was the Obama administration, which issued an official statement saying the administration does not approve to remove the repeal measure from the legislation.

“The White House opposes any effort to strip DADT from the National Defense Authorization Act,” said Dan Pfeiffer, White House communications director.

Still, President Obama has said his priori-

ties for the lame-duck session include ratifying the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and extending President Bush’s tax cuts for middle-class Americans – both of which require lengthy debate. In other words, once again, LGBT equality takes a backseat in the Senate.

shirvell

continued from cover

against Shirvell, saying that while Shirvell’s comments “are offensive and mean-spirited,” they don’t meet the definition of harassment under Michigan’s stalking statute.

The University of Michigan also essentially lifted Shirvell’s ban from campus, allowing Shirvell on campus but requiring

him to stay away from Armstrong.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said he fired Shirvell for conduct unbecoming a state employee – especially that of an assistant attorney general.

“To be clear, I refuse to fire anyone for exercising their First Amendment rights, regardless of how popular or unpopular their positions might be. However, Shirvell repeatedly violated office policies, engaged in borderline stalking behavior, and inappropriately used state resources, our investigation showed.”

Among the examples cited by Cox in the statement: • Showed up at the home of a private citizen three times, including once at 1:30 a.m.

That incident is especially telling because it clearly was about harassing Mr. Armstrong, not engaging in free speech.

• Further engaged in behavior that, while not perhaps sufficient to warrant a charge of criminal stalking, was harassing, uninvited,

and showed a pattern very much like stalking.

• Harassing Armstrong’s friends as they were socializing in Ann Arbor.

• Numerous calls to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, Armstrong’s employer, in an attempt to slander Armstrong. These calls ultimately attempted to persuade Pelosi to fire Armstrong.

• Attempting to “out” Armstrong’s friends – straight and Gay alike – as homosexuals.

Cox said Shirvell engaged in his campaign against Armstrong on company time and posted attacks on the student on the internet while at work.

“Finally, Shirvell lied to investigating assistant attorneys general on several occasions during his disciplinary hearing,” said Cox. In the wake of all the online harassment, Armstrong filed complaints with the Michigan Grievance Commission, asking it to investigate Shirvell and possibly disbar him.

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22 Seattle Gay News

November 12, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 23