SGN Oct 23, 2009 - Section 1

Issue 43 Volume 37

Celebrating 36 Years!

FRIDAY October 23, 2009 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

seamec ratings p. 8

ugandan horror p. 16

sondheim p. 25

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

US Supremes take Historic victory!

R-71 names case Hate crimes bill passes Senate, goes to president for signature

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The names of Washington state voters who signed Referendum 71 petitions will not be released anytime soon.

The US Supreme Court intervened in the case this week, preventing Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed from releasing the names. The vote to keep the names confidential pending a review by the high court was 8 to 1, with only Justice Stevens voting that the names may be released now.

The Supreme Court decision makes it highly unlikely that the names will become public before the November 3 election, and the issue may not be resolved until next summer.

A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled last week that Reed may release the names. The actual release was delayed, however, because a Thurston County judge had issued a restraining order blocking publication of petition-signers in an unrelated case see names page 19

As SGN goes to press, the US Senate has passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Recognizing Shepard and Byrd – an African American murdered in Jasper, Texas – the legislation adds real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity to federal hate crimes protections and authorizes the US Justice Department to investigate and assist in prosecuting hate crimes directed at LGBT persons in any state.

The final vote on the legislation – which was attached to the 2010 Defense Department Authorization Act – was 68 to 29.

Fifty-right Democrats were joined by 10 Republicans in voting to accept the Conference Report, reconciling the slightly different House and Senate versions of the Defense Authorization.

The Conference Report eliminated a provision in the original Senate version calling for the death penalty for some hate crimes. That provision had been introduced as an amendment by Sen. Jeff Ses-

pete souza

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, and President Barack Obama after a White House meeting in May 2009

sions (R-S.C.).

The Conference Report kept another Sessions amendment listing assaults against US military personnel as hate crimes.

Both of Washington’s senators – Democrats Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell – voted Yes. Liberal Democrat Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) voted against the Conference Report, as he usually does on defense bills. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) did not vote on the final bill, although

he did vote to close debate on the measure earlier in the day.

The last of the New England Republicans – Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine – also voted Yes. The US House of Representatives passed the legislation on October 8, and it now requires only the president’s signature to become law. see hate crimes page 9

Charlene Strong calls GET OUT THE VOTE! Base for equality and dignity rallies to approve Ref. 71

Charlene Strong

by Charlene Strong Special to the SGN My partner, Kate Fleming, touched thousands of lives with her voice. With astonishing versatility and vivacity, she narrated more than 250 audiobooks as diverse as A Beautiful Mind, Bel Canto and A

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

The time to vote is now. Last week, registered voters from around the state received a General Election voter ballot, and although this is an off-year election, the stakes for LGBT Washingtonians – and some seniors – have never been higher. With the clock ticking and with each calendar day drawing nearer to November 3, there is no time to waste. Vote to approve Referendum 71.

Referendum 71 asks voters to approve or reject Senate Bill 5688, which grants registered same-sex domestic partners the same rights and responsibilities as married couples in Washington State. The bill would have taken effect July 26, but is now on hold pending the General Election vote.

ENERGIZING THE BASE At this point in the battle for same-sex equality in Washington State, Approve Ref. 71 Campaign’s Seattle Events Coordinator Josh Castle isn’t taking anything for granted. Castle and a handful see strong page 17 of volunteers have taken the cam-

josh castle

file photo

Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Recording these stories in the basement studio of our Seattle home, she created a kaleidoscope of unforgettable characters with merely her vocal cords. Throughout the decade Kate and I lived together, we shared so much in common – our Roman Catholic faith, our unshakeable family bonds, our love for dance, our wicked sense of humor – but only she was sought out for her voice.

That all changed on December 14, 2006.

Now … it’s my voice that must explain how what happened that day reveals what is truly at stake when we talk about equality.

On December 14, a rainstorm with strength like I’ve never seen swept through this city.

While I was at work, our home began to flood. Kate dashed into our basement to retrieve her recording equipment and got trapped when something fell in front of the studio door as the water rushed

R-71 supporters at C.C. Attle’s

paign to the streets, bars, and Seattle neighborhoods. Armed with signs, cheers, and a whole lot of energy, the grassroots advocates have one mantra: Approve Referendum 71.

“Voter turnout in off-year elections is incredibly low among progressives,” Castle told SGN. “Our

HIV 101: Know tHe facts Wednesday November 4th, 2009 | 6:00 PM @ MOMS Pharmacy Please RSVP by Monday, November 2, 2009

goal is to get people to vote, even if they normally do not vote. If we can get a few more people to vote each time we go out into the community, then Referendum 71 will get approved.” see ref. 71 page 6

Call us at 206.568.2486 We are conveniently located at Lifelong AIDS Alliance below the Thrift Store.

"I support Bob Rosenberger because of his decades of experience as an appraiser in the Assessor's office. He believes everyone should be treated equally under the law, and he supports marriage equality.

Bob Rosenberger will be a reliable friend to the LGBT community."

Derek Stanford Endorsed by: Sen. Joe McDermott • Brendan Patrick • State Treasurer Jim McIntire • Former King County Assessor Scott Noble • Former King County Assessor Ruthe Ridder • King Count Council Member Larry Gossett • King County Council Member Reagan Dunn • Seattle King County Association of Realtors • Rental Housing Association of Puget Sound Paid for by Bob Rosenberger for Assessor 9686 54th Ave S Seattle WA. 98118

www.bobrosenberger.com

APPROVE REF.71 PARTY

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Seattle Gay News

October 23, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News

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Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1973

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e-mail: sgn2@sgn.org internet: www.sgn.org

2009

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 Tom Flint (retired) 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, Rajket Dirzhud-Rashid, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel Miryam Gordon, 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, Rajket Dirzhud-Rashid 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. © 2009, 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.

And please play safe.

It is our policy that no money shall be refunded if you choose to cancel your subscription or ad. However, credit towards any size ad will be given for the balance owed. No exceptions.

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

An alarming throwback in Louisiana

by Jennifer Vanasco SGN Contributing Writer

Let me tell you a story.

A Louisiana couple goes to a justice of the peace. They love each other. They want to get married.

The justice of the peace, though, denies them a marriage license.

He says society doesn’t accept those kind of marriages. He doubts, he says, that the couple will be together long. He says, “My main concern is for the children.”

He says, “I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves.”

He says, “In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.”

He says, “I try to treat everyone equally.”

This is exactly what happens to Gay couples over and over again in the 45 states where we can’t marry.

But this story isn’t about a Gay couple.

It’s about a straight couple. An interracial straight couple.

And no, this interracial straight couple story didn’t happen in the 1950s, way before the landmark 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia in which the court wrote, “Marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man,” fundamental to our very existence and survival.”

This story happened this month. It was reported by the Associated Press.

It is an astounding story, because the same arguments that the justice of the peace made against marrying this interracial couple – arguments that are clearly wrong and, in fact, illegal – are regularly made to explain why Gay couples shouldn’t be able to marry.

Sometimes, people learn best by analogy.

It is easier for us to understand a complex situation if we are shown the ways it resembles a more familiar situation.

Because of that, this ugly incident is something of a (strange) gift to the Gay community. It is clear that this public official is wrong in refusing to marry an interracial couple based on his own experience, opinions and prejudices.

And, because he uses the same arguments used against Gay couples, we can see that it is also wrong when individuals – and states, and the federal government – refuse to issue marriage licenses to Gay couples, just because they are worried about the effect on the couple’s children, or because they don’t think that sort of couple is valued as highly. (Remember that the official said he believed that interracial marriages don’t last long – that is, they are not as strong or equal

October 23, 2009

other enough, or are mature enough, or are a couple that other people like, respect and approve of. We don’t ask them to analyze each couple’s fitness to be parents or partners. We don’t ask them to pick our perfect mate, or decide what we should and should not do in the bedroom.

That is not their job.

All we ask is that they license our marriages so that we have proof that we belong to our partners exclusively, that we are a family in the eyes of the law.

It is 2009 and an interracial couple still has issues getting married in the state of Louisiana. It is 2009 and a Gay couple still can’t get married in the state of New York – or Illinois, or California.

Both situations are equally wrong.

as same-race marriages.)

National LGBT organizations quickly issued a joint statement saying they stood with the NAACP and that “It is wrong for loving couples who want to make a life-long marriage commitment to be denied that right because of someone else’s prejudice.”

It is wrong. It is wrong when it comes to interracial straight couples, and it is wrong when it comes to Gay and Lesbian couples.

We rely on public officials, legislators and judges to do their work in the best interest of Jennifer Vanasco is an award-winning, the people, without personal bias.

We don’t ask them to judge the quality syndicated columnist. E-mail her at Jenniof our marriages or our commitments; we fer.Vanasco@gmail.com; follow her at Twitdon’t ask them to decide if we love each ter.com/JenniferVanasco.

Joint statement in response to Louisiana denial of marriage The following statement was issued today by a coalition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality advocates in response to the refusal by a Louisiana justice of the peace to issue a marriage license to interracial couple in the southeastern part of the state. Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, refused to marry Beth Humphrey, who is white, and Terence McKay, who is black, because they are an interracial couple.

The statement may be attributed to the individuals and organizations listed below: “That anyone would refuse to marry a loving, committed couple on the basis of race is unconscionable. That the person doing so is an official of the state responsible for upholding justice is outrageous and unacceptable.”

“We condemn this ugly act in the strongest possible terms and join the NAACP in denouncing this display of racism. It is wrong for loving couples who want to make a lifelong marriage commitment to be denied that right because of someone else’s prejudice.”

Kyle Bailey Interim Executive Director National Stonewall Democrats Jarrett Barrios President, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Toni Broaddus

Executive Director Equality Federation Rea Carey Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Kevin Cathcart Executive Director Lambda Legal Jennifer Chrisler Executive Director Family Equality Council Jody Huckaby Executive Director PFLAG National Mara Keisling Executive Director National Center for Transgender Equality Kate Kendell Executive Director National Center for Lesbian Rights Sharon J. Lettman Executive Director National Black Justice Coalition Joe Solmonese President Human Rights Campaign Lee Swislow Executive Director Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders Evan Wolfson Executive Director Freedom to Marry

Celebrating 36 Years!

Lawrence Grey (Mouser) May 17, 1951 October 11, 2009 Mouser died of tongue and throat cancer on October 11, 2009 at 10:22 p.m.

Mouser was a wonderful guy. He was the first Transgender person I knew and was much more himself after the transition. He was a member of the Seattle Leather community, an actor, poet, bard of the British Druid Order and the SCA, Tarot reader and a Wiccan priest in multiple traditions. He was a friend to all animals and helped many strays to have a better life. He passed away surrounded by family and friends in Encino, California. They were able to have time for one more game of Yahtzee, and Mouser won. He will be missed.

He is survived by his son and his brother, Doug, and many friends.

A Wiccan memorial service will be held for his communities here in Seattle on Friday, October 23, at the Central Lutheran Church at 8:30 p.m. The address is 11th and E. Olive, at 1710 11th Ave, and an Irish wake afterwards at the Cuff patio at E. Pine and 13th (there will be a $5 cover). Please bring any pictures of Mouser and stories, poems, or songs to share that make you think of Mouser. If you are willing to part with any extra copies of pictures of Mouser, Doug would greatly appreciate receiving them. Food and non-alcoholic refreshments will be provided at the memorial.

Please RSVP to Doug Taylor (e-mail: taylordouglas1@comcast.net) so we can have an idea of how much food to provide.

Tour de Life: Tough guy

by Beau Burriola SGN European Correspondent

opened.

“You got that splinter out yet?” Julien asked, looking around at my tweezers, the box of band-aids and the half-empty bottle of Bailey’s on the counter.

“Almost,” I said.

“Oh give me that, you big baby,” he said, and with one fluid movement, he took out the two-centimeter-long piece of wood without any blood or gore.

“I almost had it,” I said.

“Mmmmhmmm,” he mumbled. “I heard you screaming like a girl. My big, tough guy.”

When he left and closed the door, I looked around at the blood and gore, the giant board he had pulled from my hand, and I poured a shot of whiskey to ease the pain.

I stood grimacing in the mirror, biting a pencil and not looking at my hand while I prepared the work area around me. A bottle of whiskey sat on the counter next to a pile of bandages, a set of large scissors, and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

Army Medic Beau Brent was back! All my years of army training gave me the discipline to stare pain in the face.

I took a deep breath, took a shot of the whiskey, and then went in with the scissors.

I was going to get the damn thing out, even if it killed me.

Earlier in the day, I’d gone to the hospital.

I tried to explain how I managed to gouge a half-foot-long piece of shrapnel into my finger, but didn’t want to wait the three hours to “In memory, everything seems to happen get someone to look at it. Brussels has great to music.” socialized health care, but it takes longer –Tennessee Williams than I have the patience for. So I left, and on the way home I stopped by two pharmacies, Beau Burriola is a wobbly, big tough guy. a liquor store, and a knife shop.

Check out more at www.beaubrent.com I looked at my finger and back into the beaubrent@gmail.com. mirror. I poured another shot of whiskey and downed it, then I poured another.

Then I went for it. With a big, manly roar that would echo off any canyon walls, I pulled and twisted with precision and speed.

And only hurt myself more.

I poured another shot of whiskey and downed it just as the door to the bathroom

Remembering Gary Correy Gary died last week from complications on complications. Born and raised in Vancouver, WA, he moved to San Francisco, where he had his first job at the iconic Garden Room at the Palace on Market. Then, as steward on the Matson Lines, when Honolulu to San Francisco was really first-class, he met his longtime friends Joe and Joey. Then he was a steward on lots of ships, mostly freighters in the Pacific and in South America.

I met Gary when he started to ship out of Seattle. We were drinking buddies for years. … Sipping under the banyan tree with Lloyd and Monty or on the deck of an RSVP cruise – San Pedro to Mexico, Gary in his striped green Speedo along with Jay – or at the Howbres/Sea Wolf/ CircL/Martins, where he once worked as a bartender.

Sometimes harsh, known as Aunt Clara to his friends, we will miss you.

A get-together is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, at 2 p.m. at Martins Off Madison.

GAY RIGHTS ARE NOT SPECIAL RIGHTS I am writing to you about something that has been on my mind for a long time, this day especially after all the rhetoric and marches for Gay rights.

First, I am a Gay man, 76 years old and I am in a monogamous relationship for 39 years. I would like to bring to your attention that the slogan “Gay rights” is just fodder for the bigots on the right who point out that Gay rights means “special rights” for our lifestyle. I wish the Gay community would change the semantic from “Gay rights” to “civil rights for the Gay community.” Words are very powerful and are used against us.

I hope you will take my recommendation and let other people in this community know

why we should change our approach.

L R Daum

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October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News

5

INTERNATIONAL

Walt Whitman

Zimbabwean Gay leader dies Key Zimbabwean Gay leader Keith Goddard, director of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, died October 9 from pneumonia. He was 49.

“Keith dedicated his life to the advancement of LGBT rights, human rights and his passion for music,” the group said in a statement. “The struggle for LGBT rights is a difficult struggle and in many instances in the history of GALZ Keith stood gallantly in the frontline. He dared where most men would not go.”

Scott Long, director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT Rights Division, said Goddard “oversaw [GALZ’s] transition from a group representing the urban white elite to one rooted in the majority population and its urgent needs.”

“He could on many occasions have left Zimbabwe and settled into the comparative comforts of armchair activism abroad,”

ref. 71

continued from cover On October 21, Castle and his volunteers put together a fundraising and voter awareness event at C.C. Attle’s, during which they signed up more volunteers for neighborhood canvassing and phone banking projects and raised additional money for the Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST) Approve Ref. 71 Campaign.

“The event was wonderful. We had tons of free food and the place was packed,” he said. “It was a great event and successful, too, because we were able to bring people together for fun and politics.”

Castle is no stranger to community outreach. Armed with a dozen volunteers, he has spent the past two weeks going to Capitol Hill bars – Gay and straight – to poster, register new volunteers, and fundraise.

“The bar owners and management have been great. We get the VIP treatment wherever we go,” Castle told SGN. “Everyone has been so supportive and thanks us for what we are trying to accomplish.”

He said the cooperation from business owners and bar patrons has been priceless.

“We haven’t had one negative experience so far.”

Castle said it’s been inspiring to work with people who are taking time out of their busy schedules to advance LGBT equality.

“We are getting off our couches and putting down our cell phones and talking with people, in person. This [voting] is a critical issue; it ignites a lot of passion,” he said.

“If we win, then we can move toward full equality in Washington State. But, if we lose, it will set us back 10 years. People 6

Seattle Gay News

Long said. “He didn’t. He stayed – even when he was framed on ludicrous charges of assault that hung over him for years. He faced, and overcame, oppression and opprobrium that the rest of us could not even imagine. Whenever I visited GALZ, Keith was always, amid swirling fears and social chaos, imperturbable – a rock.”

Leading British Gay activist Peter Tatchell said Goddard “risked his liberty and life many times, speaking out against homophobia and Transphobia, even though this marked him as a potential target for state and vigilante violence. The danger of kidnapping, arrest, imprisonment, torture and murder never deterred him.

Keith will be remembered as a pioneer and hero of the LGBT liberation struggle in Africa.”

Leading Indian Gay activist Vikram Doctor said: “It could have been so easy for him to have left, emigrating to Europe like so many white Zimbabweans did, fleeing to refugee camps in South Africa like so many black Zimbabweans were forced to. But Keith stuck it out and kept going with GALZ until his untimely death. I know Keith would probably have laughed at the idea of being considered a hero, but more than most people I know, he was.”

In 2001, GALZ ran out of money and its phone (and dialup internet) was cut off for three months. When he finally got back online, Goddard encountered 1,566 e-mails.

“Not all of them were junk mail trying to sell us Chinese chemicals or offering us free holidays to places we have never heard of,” he wrote to fellow activists. “Luckily, we have been able to sell a fridge to pay for the water and the phone bill and our new funding cycle with HIVOS [Holland’s Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation] George C. Cox

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer

need to understand what is at stake.”

Some people are voting for the first time in their life because of this issue, Castle said.

He’s working with a lot of people who’ve never worked with a campaign before, but are passionate about seeing the referendum approved.

According to Castle, over 50 people joined the campaign to doorbell on a Saturday afternoon. Even though it was a weekend, he said, a majority of the people the campaign spoke with were very supportive and promised to vote to approve Referendum 71.

Next on the agenda for Castle are signwaving events. Castle is organizing events in the morning or afternoon, during rush hour traffic, where volunteers hold up huge signs and banners that remind people to vote – and how to vote – over the busiest overpasses in Seattle.

“When you are sorting through your junk mail, don’t treat the ballot as if it were the same thing,” Castle implored. “Fill it out.

Please, don’t bury it under other mail and forget to vote. When you are done voting, then remind everyone you know to vote as well.”

We are in the last weeks leading up to the final count, he said. “This is the last big push.”

To volunteer for the events that Castle organizes, you can text him at (206) 334-0508 or send him e-mail at jcastle77@gmail. com.

ANTI-REF. 71 GROUP Despite the general consensus that everyone should have equal rights and protections under the law, a new anti-Ref. 71 organization was formed two weeks ago. This week, according to the Seattle Times, the Lynnwood-based organization filed a suit

October 23, 2009

is set to start in the first week of November.

Last June, in her Gay pride month stateWe are all very sorry indeed for the long si- ment, Clinton vowed: “Gays and Lesbians lence.” in many parts of the world live under constant threat of arrest, violence, even torture.

Russian website and The persecution of Gays and Lesbians is a reality show contestant violation of human rights and an affront to settle lawsuit human decency, and it must end. As secreRussian reality-show contestant Vasily tary of state, I will advance a comprehenPechen, who was on Big Brother, and the sive human rights agenda that includes the website Gay.ru have settled a legal case elimination of violence and discrimination stemming from Gay.ru’s having alleged that against people based on sexual orientation Pechen is Gay and accepted money for sex, or gender identity.” according to a report on GayRussia.ru.

Gay.ru will pay Pechen $5,077 and retract Euro Commission its story, GayRussia.ru said. tells EU applicant nations Pechen claimed that the reporting and certo respect GLBT rights tain photos that accompanied it damaged his GLBT rights are a prominent topic in the career and stressed his mother, contributing European Commission’s October 14 progto her death. He had originally asked for ress reports on the seven countries that about $68,000 in damages. are planning to join the European Union: A separate lawsuit against the newspaper Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Express Gazeta, over its publication of simi- Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and lar information, is ongoing.

Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia and Kosovo.

Boyzone’s Stephen Gately The reports recommend that the nations dies adopt GLBT antidiscrimination laws and Openly Gay Irish singer Stephen Gately, policies that meet EU requirements and, in who achieved fame as lead singer of the boy the two nations that have passed such laws band Boyzone, died October 10 in Spain of – Croatia and Serbia – that GLBT people acute pulmonary edema. He was 33. be protected against discrimination “in Officials attributed the death to natural practice.” The commission was particucauses and said it “had nothing to do with larly critical of Serbia, where the Belgrade consumption of alcohol or drugs.”

Gay pride parade was canceled September Gately had been on vacation in Majorca 19 after the prime minister told organizers with his partner, Andy Cowles. that police could not protect marchers from violent anti-Gay hooligans who planned to Homophobic Moscow mayor attack the event. unveils statue The commission also criticized Turkey for of Walt Whitman violating Gay activists’ rights to freedom of Anti-gay Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov expression and association. and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “The commission’s progress reports are unveiled a statue of presumably Gay poet one of the most important tools at hand for Walt Whitman at Moscow State University the EU in influencing the human rights situon October 14. ation in candidate and potential candidate Luzhkov has banned Gay pride events for countries,” said Lilit Poghosyan, programs the past four years in Moscow, sent riot po- and policy officer for the European Region lice to violently arrest people who violated of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, the bans, and called Gay parades “satanic” Trans and Intersex Association (aka ILGAand “weapons of mass destruction.”

Europe).

Moscow Pride organizer Nikolai Alek“The gradually wider and more self-eviseev unsuccessfully had called on Clinton dent inclusion of LGBT human rights in the “to publicly express her position on Gay commission’s monitoring system and in the rights to one of the top homophobic politi- progress reports shows that LGBT rights cians in Europe.” are recognized within the European Union “I think that no one would understand her and that it is expected and demanded of the silence on the breach of fundamental rights future members that they comply with the of LGBT people in Russia [on] the day she European values.” inaugurates the monument to a Gay poet together with the homophobic mayor of MosWith assistance from Bill Kelley cow,” he said.

in U.S. District Court in Tacoma seeking to circumvent campaign contribution limits of $5,000 and to keep secret the names of those who make smaller donations.

State law requires campaigns to disclose names, addresses and the place of employment for those donating $25 or more to a campaign. The law also sets a limit of $5,000 on contributions from individuals and businesses made within 21 days of the General Election.

The lawsuit is filed on the heels of the state’s donation limits taking effect for the current statewide General Election on November 3.

The anti-Ref. 71 organization, Family PAC, is seeking a temporary restraining order to lift the $5,000 limit and skip the requirement to identify those who donate.

Family PAC has asked for an expedited hearing on its restraining order request in hopes of being able to accept larger donations in the time remaining before November 3.

James Bopp Jr., a conservative federal and state elections-law attorney, is representing Family PAC. “What person in their right mind would vote for or against Gay rights based on Joe Blow giving $26 in a campaign involving millions of dollars?” he asked. He said the state’s threshold for identifying donors is among the lowest in the country.

Bopp is also the attorney representing Protect Marriage Washington in that group’s U.S. Supreme Court lawsuit, which seeks to block the names of those who signed Referendum 71 petitions.

“After the harassment directed at supporters of Proposition 8 last year in California, no one should have their personal information published on the internet for making a contribution, and certainly not at the irratio-

nal levels set by the State of Washington,” Bopp said.

WHY VOTERS SHOULD APPROVE REF. 71 This week, WAFST, the LGBT advocacy organization leading the Approve Ref. 71 Campaign, said voter outreach is even more urgent now that voters have received their ballots. On their website, www.approvereferendum71.org, WAFST said the race is close: 45% of voters are sure they’ll vote “approve,” 42% are sure they will vote “reject,” and 13% aren’t sure. The campaign said it is the stories of LGBT families that will help see that Referendum 71 is approved.

WAFST Campaign Manager Josh Friedes spoke with members of the community this week about the important issue. Karen Kerr and Penny Stone, two firefighters who volunteer with the campaign at the phone bank center, told Friedes, “People don’t know what it’s like to have to hire lawyers to make sure your family has basic protections. Lawyers can’t provide many of the protections we’ll lose if we don’t win this referendum fight.”

Additionally, new videos were released this week asking voters to remember that Referendum 71 is about protecting families and the loved ones of LGBT people.

In an ad featuring veteran LGBT activist Charlene Strong, she says, “Now we have important legal protections for Gay and Lesbian couples, but we need to vote Approve on Referendum 71 or many of these protections will be taken away. All families deserve equal protection under the law.”

To help educate voters in Washington see ref. 71 page 9

Celebrating 36 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

IN PERSON VOTER REGISTRATION STILL POSSIBLE UNTIL OCTOBER 26 FOR NOVEMBER 3 GENERAL ELECTION

IF YOU HAVE MOVED BUT HAVE NOT SUBMITTED A CHANGE OF ADDRESS YOU CAN STILL GET A BALLOT SENT TO YOU If you are not currently registered to vote in Washington State and you want to vote in the November 3 General Election, you can still register to vote, but YOU MUST REGISTER TO VOTE IN PERSON, no later than Monday, October 26.

If you live in King County, drop by the King County Elections Office at 9010 E. Marginal Way S., Tukwila (a couple blocks north of the Museum of Flight). The office is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and is located on the Metro bus line 124 which travels between downtown Seattle and Federal Way. For more information, call the King County Elections Office, 206-2968683 or visit their website at www.kingcounty.gov/elections for more information.

(The King County Elections Office will be closed on Monday, October 11.)

If you live outside of King County, call the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at 360-902-4180 or visit their website at www.secstate.wa.gov and scroll down to the “Register to Vote” link in the home page’s “Most Requested Info” category for the location of your county elections office.

If you are registered to vote in Washington State but have moved since you registered and haven’t submitted a formal voter registration change of address, contact the King County Elections Office or the Secretary of State’s Elections Division to find out how to obtain a ballot to vote in the November 3, General Election.

OCTOBER IS GLBT HISTORY MONTH Equality Forum has launched the GLBT History Month 2009 website, www.glbtHistoryMonth.com. Throughout the month of October, a GLBT icon will be posted daily, with a video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources – all provided for FREE. The icons for 2006, 2007 and 2008 are archived on the site. www.equalityforum.com.

as a Lesbian about the time her father made a run for the presidency.

Interwoven with the stories of the five families are comments by Biblical experts.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard theologian Peter Gomes, American Baptist pastor Susan Sparks, and others argue that Biblical language must be understood in terms of its temporal social context, and should not be read literally today. As the Rev. Dr. Laurence Keene of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, puts it, “There’s nothing wrong with a fifth-grade understanding of God as long as you’re in the fifth grade.”

For the Bible Tells Me So has received numerous awards, including the audience prize for best documentary film at the 2007 Seattle International Film Festival. Free-will donations will go the Washington Families Standing Together to Approve Referendum 71. www.forthebibletellsmeso.org. www. allpilgrims.org.

NORDIC LIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL OCTOBER 23-OCTOBER 25 www.nordicmuseum.org.

NEW CITY THEATER PRESENTS CLIT NOTES

BY HOLLY HUGHES New City Theater, 1404 18th Ave. at E. Union St., presents Clit Notes by Holly Hughes, performed by Jessica Robinson.

Writes Hughes, “The first time I was in love with another woman? Actually, she was a woman; I was just thirteen. In fact, this little anecdote might have a happier ending if there’d been some sort of Gay youth organization in my hometown. Some sort of North American Woman-Girl Love Association. But, nooooo! The men, they get everything good. The Lesbian chicken, who worries about them, huh?” The play will be performed Fridays, October 16, 23 and 30 (with an extended run possible), at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets: $10 at brownpapertickets.com, 1-800-838-3006, and at the door.

SEATTLE QUAKE RUGBY NEW PLAYER ORIENTATION The Seattle Quake Rugby New Player Orientation will be held on Saturday, October 24, from noon - 2 p.m., at Magnuson Park, Field #5, 7400 Sand Point Way NE. Wear clothes to work out in, preferably a t-shirt and shorts or track pants. If you have soccer cleats or a mouthguard, bring those, too.

“We here at Quake Rugby are looking for a few good men, and the New Player Orientation is the perfect place to start! We’ll be doing some of our normal drills and fitness geared towards beginners, so if you’re curious about learning rugby, you’re in the right place. Remember: This isn’t tryouts, just a chance to see if rugby is the sport for you.” www.quakerugby.org.

WICKED WOMYN CONFERENCE Wicked Womyn 2009, a bi-annual leather women’s conference in Seattle, will be held on the weekend of October 23-25 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The event is open to all past, present and future women who can respect and honor a woman’s SM/ DYKE COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS BDSM play space, education and fun. The TURNS 21, HOSTS FREE event will include a meet and greet and aucCOMMUNITY CELEBRATION tion, vendors, 16 workshops, and evening On Saturday, October 24, from 5-9:30 play parties with 250+ sexy attendees ex- p.m., enjoy an evening of fine food and enpected. www.wickedwomyn.com. tertainment – with Anzanga, Chrystos, Katrina Pestano, Sankofa, Sistah Drum, and DOCUMENTARY FILM Sheila Fox – at the Central Area Senior CenFOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO ter, 500 30th Ave. S. – followed by dancing.

AT ALL PILGRIMS CHURCH There will be networking opportunities, an TO BENEFIT APPROVE REF. 71 activism timeline, literature tables, and vidOn Friday, October 23, Saturday, October eo interviews. This FREE event is wheel24, and Sunday, October 25, at 7 p.m., All chair accessible with ASL interpretation. For Pilgrims Church, 500 Broadway E. (at E. more information, contact 206-722-0729 or Republican St.), presents Daniel Karslake’s Google Dyke Community Activists Seattle. controversial documentary film For the Bi- Sponsoredby DCA and Crow Legacy. ble Tells Me So. The film tells the story of five religious Q SQUARED MEN’S families in America who struggle to reconPUMPKIN CARVING cile their Christian faith with their underPOTLUCK SOCIAL standing of the Bible’s teachings about hoOn Sunday, October 25, from 4-8 p.m., mosexuality. Two of the family stories focus join Q Squared Men, CAMPers and Springon famous people: The Rev. Gene Robinson, ers for the Q Squared annual Pumpkin who became the first openly Gay Bishop in Carving Potluck Social at Dunshee House, the Episcopal Church, and former House of 303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St. Parking Representatives minority leader Richard is available in the Group Health parking Gephardt, whose daughter Crissy came out lot directly across the street from Dunshee

Visit us online www.sgn.org

House. It’s free to the public on the weekends. Sponsored by Q Squared’s Horrible Hosts – the Boyz in the Woods 2010. www. qsquared.org.

support group begins at 5 p.m. Friendship dinners are held at 6 p.m. the last Friday of each month. All are invited and everyone is welcome. 425-252-7751.

GLAAD SEATTLE BENEFIT WITH ART WOLFE SHOWCASES “ABSTRACTION: THE HUMAN FORM” The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is pleased to invite you to an exclusive showing of “Abstraction: The Human Form,” a new series of limited edition prints by photographer Art Wolfe, at the West Seattle home of Art Wolfe, on Sunday, October 25, from 5-7 p.m.

Join us as Art leads us through works ranging from traditional tribal body paints to the modern form in motion. When you RSVP, a special website code will be emailed to you, so that you can preview these stunning, large format prints on-line. Art has generously agreed to donate a portion of all print sales from this event to GLAAD. Jarrett Barrios, GLAAD’s new national president, will join us to describe GLAAD’s culture changing work. Fair, accurate and inclusive media images shatter stereotypes.

GLAAD’s work proves that we are connected through common, human experiences.

Suggested donation of $250 will give you a sneak peak at Art Wolfe’s collection and support GLAAD’s work in Washington State and across the country to end homophobia and eliminate LGBT discrimination. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. www.glaad.org/seattle09.

“TVLAND WITH RAINBOW CITY BAND” On Friday, October 30, at 8 p.m., join Rainbow City Band at Broadway Performance Hall, Broadway & E. Pine St., as they tour the tunes of television from decades past and present – the music from sitcoms and dramas that glowed in our living room each week. Come out for an evening of entertainment and even a Brady Bunch sing-along! General admission is $15. www. rainbowcityband.com.

PUBLIC ACCESS TV DEBATE ON REF. 71 On Sunday, October 25, at 5 p.m., Hour Forum presents a televised debate on Referendum 71 on PSA TV 77 in South King County. There will be one more showing in South King County as well as a showing in Seattle on SCAN TV – the dates are to be determined. The program will also be available on the internet. For schedule information, visit www.hourforum.net or email rcsm@hourforum.net.

“NUNS GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT” TO BENEFIT LAMBERT HOUSE On Friday, October 30, the Sisters of the Mother House of Washington State, present “Nuns Go Bump in the Night,” a costumed benefit for Lambert House, from 8 p.m. midnight, at Café Metropolitain, 1701 E. Olive Way. Come in your Halloween best and participate in the costume contest where prizes, including a $100 gift certificate to Ruth’s Chris Steak House, will be awarded for different categories of costume. Suggested donation of $3 at the door and plenty of Jello shots, drink specials and magnificent food to eat.

“BUMP” HALLOWEEN PARTY – A BENEFIT FOR GAY CITY, SEATTLE WOMEN’S CHORUS & SEATTLE MEN’S CHORUS “BUMP,” the Northwest’s hottest Halloween party, will be held on Friday, October 30, from 9 p.m. - 2 a.m., at the Showbox at the Market, 1416 1st Ave. The event will feature performances by Pure Cirkus, a kinky circus spectacle of freaks, geeks and fire, plus an amazing light show and wicked dance party with DJ Kyler and DJ Joe King.

Plus The 3 Ring Lounge - a substance-free space hosted by SHIFT! Costume contest with a $1,000 grand prize plus a prize drawing for a one-week Hawaiian vacation. Tickets: $35 advance/$45 at the door; VIP – $60/$70; Platinum VIP – $125/$150; with group discounts. Tickets are available online at www.gaycity.org and at the door.

Enjoy FREE shuttle service to and from the BUMP from the following Capitol Hill bars: The Elite, Julia’s on Broadway, Martins Off Madison, R Place, and Rosebud Restaurant & Bar. Shuttles begin pick ups at 9 p.m. and run until 2:30 a.m. The shuttle will also stop at Chapel (site of the Afterhours Party) and Steamworks starting at 1 a.m. PLEASE DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE. The Official BUMP Afterhours Party will be held at Chapel, 1600 Melrose Ave. Tickets $12 at the door with discounts for VIP and Platinum VIP ticket holders.

PUT THIS ON THE {MAP} – A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE RETEACHING GENDER & SEXUALITY On Sunday, October 25, Revelry Media in partnership with Youth Eastside Services’ BGLAD program present PUT THIS ON THE {MAP}, a compelling documentary about a generation of young people redefining gender and sexuality on their own terms.

Twenty-six individuals weave together a groundbreaking narrative in an open and honest exploration of identity, education, family, and community. With strategies and recommendations for change, PUT THIS ON THE {MAP} moves an audience from self-reflection to action. The documentary DIA DE MUERTOS/ will be shown at Broadway Performance DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION Hall, 1625 Broadway and E. Pine St., doors Saturday, October 31, from noon - 8 p.m., at 6:30 p.m., screening at 7 p.m. Tickets by and Sunday, November 1, from noon - 6 donation at the door, $5-$10 sliding scale. p.m., in the Center House at Seattle Center.

FREE. www.tallermexicano.org.

UNITED INDIANS OF ALL TRIBES HOSTS BENEFIT CONCERT MEN OF ALL COLORS On Friday, October 30, at 6 p.m., the Unit& CULTURES TOGETHER ed Indians of All Tribes will host a benefit HOST POTLUCK HALLOWEEN concert at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural COSTUME PARTY Center, 3801 W. Government Way (in DisOn Saturday, October 31, starting at 7 covery Park), to raise funds and awareness for the organization’s 40th anniversary cel- p.m., Men of All Colors & Cultures Togethebration scheduled for March 2010. Talent- er (MACCT) will host a Potluck Halloween ed performers from all over Indian Country Costume Party. For more information and will perform, as United Indians kicks off Seattle location, contact MACCT at 206its activities to commemorate the historic 923-8313 or email macctseattle@yahoo. takeover of Ft. Lawton. Confirmed musical com. www.macctsea.org. guests include Pura Fe Crescioni, Star NaLISA MILLS yea, Daisy Chain Band. Fry bread and reCOMEDY HYPNOSIS SHOW freshments will be available for sale. TickOn Sunday, November 1, the Wildrose ets: $15 – advance purchase/elder/student with ID; $20 – day of show. 206-829-2206. Tavern, 11th Ave. & E. Pike St., will host Lisa Mills, former lead singer for the band Swamp Mama Johnson and a Wildrose barEVERETT-SNOHOMISH COUNTY tending alumnus, for a hilarious evening FRIENDSHIP DINNER of interactive comedy. Laugh your head & SUPPORT GROUP FOR PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS off, alter your reality, enhance your natural On Friday, October 30, the Everett-Sno- abilities, and have a great time! You know homish County Friendship Dinner and Sup- you’ve always wanted to try it ... or get your port Group for Persons Living with HIV and friend to try it.... Show starts at 7 p.m. sharp AIDS meets at the Saint Paul United Meth- - don’t be late! Come early for a seat and a odist Church, 2005 Colby Ave., Everett. The treat. Come on out and BE A STAR!

October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News

7

8

Seattle Gay News

October 23, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

SGN exclusive interview

King County Assessor candidate Lloyd Hara file photo

Lloyd Hara

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer King County Assessor candidate Lloyd Hara may be well-known to voters, but the office he’s running for is less so.

“Assessor is not exactly a high-profile office,” he chuckles.

Nevertheless, it’s an office that impacts every resident of the county. “Even renters,” Hara notes. “Valuation determines the tax rate of the building, and that’s reflected back into the rents you pay.”

If elected, Hara would direct a staff of 200 employees, assess some 680,000 parcels of property, and control a $20 million budget.

A tireless campaigner, Hara has run for – and won – many public offices in his career.

He has been County Auditor, Seattle City Treasurer, and Seattle Port Commissioner.

He also served the Clinton administration as Regional FEMA Director.

Following the resignation of Assessor Scott Noble after a felony drunk driving conviction, and the sudden stroke of the front-runner to succeed Noble, Deputy Assessor Rich Medved, Hara decided to leave the Port and enter the race.

Most of Hara’s past service has been in administrative offices, executing rather than making public policy.

Asked if he ever had a desire to run for a policy-making office – Seattle City Council, for example – Hara replies, “The [Port] Commission is primarily policy side … but I think my personal strengths are on the administrative side. I take a lot of personal satisfaction in running the best office. An honest and efficient office.”

While he likes to run an office, Hara says he doesn’t plan to sit around in the office.

“The Assessor should be out with the people,” he says. “I like citizen contact. I like to get it firsthand.”

Hara’s website promises to “instill a customer service culture” in the Assessor’s department. Asked if people will ever come to associate taxation and customer service, Hara laughs. “[In] customer service,” he says, “you have to treat citizens with respect, provide them with all the necessary information so people can see their property has been fairly assessed. People need to feel they’ve had a fair assessment.”

“I’d like see the field people get out, move to neighborhood offices,” Hara adds. “Now they’re centralized in two locations. We could share space with other County facilities, so we could be more accessible to the taxpayer.”

Hara notes that the Assessor’s office has seen a 400% increase in tax appeals this year. “People who are unhappy with their 2009 valuations,” he says.

“A lot can be attributed to the [real estate] market,” Hara explains. “When prices are going up, people are not as eager to get into the appeals process. And one out of 20 peo-

ple are out of work. Even the ones who are working are asking, ‘am I next?’”

While Hara cautions that, as Assessor, he would not be making tax law, he is critical of the existing tax structure.

“I am concerned with the way the current system operates,” he says. “It’s not working well. People need services, but the system does not provide an easy means to have a stable budget.”

“The system can’t take the dislocation we’re seeing,” he continues. “It’s very, very difficult on people. We need a more balanced cash flow.”

Hara believes that public education is part of the assessor’s job, and will help to alleviate the public’s discontent with their property taxes.

“You have to make sure taxpayers do, in fact, understand what their taxes go for,” he says. “People feel better if they understand what property taxes go for. They also want to know they’re paying their fair share and not a penny more.”

Hara tells SGN he has tried to run a positive campaign, but his website accuses opponent Bob Rosenberger of trying to buy the election. According to Hara, Rosenberger “donated a massive amount of his own money to his campaign, nearly $60,000. This makes nearly $100,000 he’s injected into his campaign total.”

“It’s one’s right, if you have the money to do that,” Hara tells SGN. “It’s unfortunate it’s come down to that. My campaign is grassroots, and I’m proud of that. I have 500-plus contributors. I’m happy to get the $25 contributions.”

Rosenberger has declined to comment on this issue.

Hara has accumulated a wide-ranging list of endorsers, from the business-oriented Alki Foundation, to the Inland Boatmen’s Union, to lefty newspaper Eat the State, to SEAMEC. “People have found me to be straightforward and honest,” he says, “and people appreciate that. I’ve also been a champion for those less fortunate. I’ve tried to be a voice for those who are discriminated against.”

He tells SGN he is particularly pleased by his SEAMEC endorsement. The father of a Lesbian daughter, he recalls with pride giving her away at her wedding.

“You love your children,” he says. “She asked me to give her away and of course I did. I was happy to. Referendum 71 – absolutely! It needs to be passed so we can move

Visit us online www.sgn.org

on.”

In 2007, Hara – as a Port Commissioner – was instrumental in negotiating an agreement with the Teamsters union that resulted in health, vision, and dental insurance benefits for same-sex domestic partners of unionized Port employees.

“I appreciate the support of the LGBT community,” Hara told SGN. “I’m concerned with equal rights for everyone, and that shows through my past record.”

hate crimes continued from cover

President Obama has promised to sign it.

Assistant US Attorney General Tom Perez – head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division – said in a major speech on October 14 that his division would vigorously prosecute anti-Gay acts if they were given legal authority to do so.

Perez’s boss, Attorney General Eric Holder, repeatedly urged Congress to pass the new hate crimes legislation.

The hate crimes bill was originally attached to the defense authorization by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in July in an effort to avoid an expected Republican filibuster.

Since Senate rules require 60 votes to close debate on a measure, Reid wanted to attach the hate crimes piece to what most Senators would see as a must-pass bill.

A defense authorization bill allows Congress to appropriate money for Department of Defense operations and related activities like military construction, payment of military personnel, funding of veterans’ benefits, and similar purposes.

ident’s desk for his signature,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

“We look forward to President Obama signing it into law; our nation’s first major piece of civil rights legislation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence. We now can begin the important steps to erasing hate in our country.”

“We thank the Senate – indeed the full Congress – for passing the hate crimes bill, and especially those who provided strong leadership on this measure,” said National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell. “My heart is very full today as I think of families who have lost loved ones, of Senator Kennedy, who championed this bill for so many years, and also as I imagine all those who may be saved by this measure. I look forward to President Obama swiftly signing this measure into law.”

“Transgender people have been waiting so many years for assistance from the federal government in addressing the rampant and disproportional violence that we face,” noted Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Today we move one step closer to our goal of ending violence motivated by hatred. Everyone in America deserves to live free of fear and of violence.”

ref. 71

continued from page 6

State about Referendum 71, the Approve Ref. 71 Campaign and the ACLU’s LGBT Project have released a series of online videos that feature the stories of registered domestic partners from across the state.

“It’s hard to not be moved to support domestic partnerships when you hear seniors BILL PASSAGE Rose and Joe talk about how their domesAPPLAUDED BY ACTIVISTS Passage of the long-awaited hate crimes tic partnership helps them cope with Rose’s bill was immediately hailed by LGBT activ- medical issues, or when you listen to Diane and Marge from Spokane talk about the difists.

“We are now just a signature away from ficulty they faced before their relationship making these protections a reality,” said Na- was recognized,” the October 22 ACLU tional Gay and Lesbian Task Force Execu- statement reads. “It’s hard to question the tive Director Rea Carey. “President Obama service Gay and Lesbian couples provide to has promised to sign this bill into law. When our communities when you listen to Cindy he does, it will usher in a new era, one in and Janet talk about the six kids they adwhich hate-filled violence will no longer be opted from foster care, or when you listen to Jen and Heidi working in the Seattle Fire overlooked, undercounted or tolerated.”

“Today, we have taken an important step Department. Or when you hear Yakima resiforward on the march to full equality,” dents Kari and Julia talk about how they love Carey continued. “We still have a long road living in a community where they know half ahead of us, but with your continued sup- the people they see in the grocery store.”

“And it’s hard to remain dry-eyed when port and action, and with the unwavering commitment of the LGBT community and you hear Clarkston residents Cathlin and straight allies, we will finally create a world Avril speak about the uncertainties they face where no one will be subjected to violence with Cathlin’s cancer treatments, or when or any other injustice simply for living their you hear Charlene Strong talk about her lives, honestly and openly, and being who tragic experience with her partner’s death.”

All the videos can be viewed at www.apthey are.”

“We’re in the home stretch. This critical provereferndum71.org/r71-personal-stopiece of legislation is on its way to the pres- ries/.

October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News

9

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10 Seattle Gay News

October 23, 2009

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Celebrating 36 Years!

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I strongly APProVE r-71 Equality is good for all people – gay and straight. Washington’s domestic partnership law is good news for everybody.

Please join me and vote to approve R-71.

Robert & Terry

Paid for by Rosencrantz for City Council, Harriet Bakken, Treasurer, 2316 - 18th Ave. East, Seattle, WA 98112-2113

Visit us online www.sgn.org

www.RobertRosencrantz.com

October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News 11

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www.opcoop.coop 12 Seattle Gay News

October 23, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

Tim Eyman is back!

In 2006 he tried to repeal a law that would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. Now Tim Eyman’s I-1033 will prolong the recession, cut health care and human services, and slash education spending.

Join more than 220 organizations including the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), GLBT leaders across Washington, and Vote NO on I-1033.

AARP Washington AFSCME Alliance of People with Disabilities Alzheimer’s Association, Western and Central Washington Chapter American Federation of Teachers Washington, AFL-CIO Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation Children’s Alliance Climate Solutions Community Health Network of Washington Conservation Northwest El Centro de la Raza Fuse Washington Futurewise Greater Seattle Business Association Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce Group Health Cooperative Health Work Force Institute Healthy Washington Coalition Heart of America Northwest King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence King County Corrections Guild King County Democrats Latino Political Action Committee of

Washington League of Education Voters League of Women Voters of Washington Lutheran Public Policy Office Microsoft NARAL Pro-Choice Washington Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters People for Puget Sound Pierce County Democrats Planned Parenthood Votes! Washington Providence Health & Services Public School Employees of Washington Resident Councils of Washington Seattle Human Services Coalition SEIU Sierra Club, Cascade Chapter Statewide Poverty Action Network Surfrider Foundation Tacoma Professional Firefighters IAFF #31 The Lands Council The Nature Conservancy of Washington Transportation Choices Coalition Vulcan, Inc Washington Association of Community and Migrant Health Centers Washington Association of Churches

Washington Conservation Voters Washington Education Association Washington Environmental Council Washington Federation of State Employees Washington Home Care Coalition Washington Low Income Housing Association Washington Stand for Children Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO Washington State Council of Firefighters Washington State Elder Care Alliance Washington State Hospital Association Washington State Labor Council Washington State Nurses Association Washington State PTA Washington State Senior Citizens’ Lobby Washington Toxics Coalition Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition

Learn more at www.no1033.org

Paid for by No on I-1033 Committee • 603 Stewart St., #819 • Seattle, WA 98101

Visit us online www.sgn.org

October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News 13

I want to thank Seattle’s LGBT

community for its highest rating in the Seattle Mayor’s race–all A’s. You were there for me in the primary election and I hope you’ll be there for me in the general election. As your next mayor, I pledge to stand next to you as we fight for full marriage equality and full protections for all Washington citizens, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The LGBT vote is critical this year– so please turn in your ballot

by Nov. 3rd.

Please vote

Joe MAllAhAN for Seattle Mayor

www.joemallahan.com Paid for by Mallahan for Mayor • PO Box 9100 • Seattle, WA 98109 (206) 313-6839 • info@joemallahan.com 14 Seattle Gay News

October 23, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News 15

US fundamentalists advise Uganda to “wipe out” Gays

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The East African nation of Uganda is considering new legislation against its LGBT citizens, including prison sentences for “touching” a person of the same sex, and the death penalty for “repeat offenders.”

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, introduced in Uganda’s parliament last week, comes in the wake of an anti-Gay conference in the Ugandan capital of Kampala that was attended by a number of prominent US fundamentalists.

Convened on March 5 this year, the conference included Exodus International Board member Don Schmierer, Defend the Family President Scott Lively, and the International Healing Foundation’s Caleb Lee Brundidge.

Exodus International is perhaps the most prominent “ex-Gay” ministry, claiming 120 local organizations in the US and Canada and another 150 in other countries. It is affiliated with James Dobson’s Christian-right organization Focus on the Family.

Lively is the founder of Watchmen on the Walls, a Christian fascist organization based in Riga, Latvia. Watchmen is listed as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Watchmen members in Latvia and Russia have been involved in anti-Gay riots and assaults on LGBT people.

In 2007, Lively shared the stage with local anti-Gay pastor Ken Hutcherson at a Watchmen rally in Latvia. He was formerly California State Director of the American Family Association – an anti-Gay, anti-choice, and anti-union organization noted for boycotting businesses that offer same-sex domestic partnership benefits to employees.

The International Healing Foundation claims to cure people of “unwanted samesex attraction” through a combination of “conversion therapy” and religious ministry.

The Kampala conference was convened

by Stephen Langa, Director of the Kampalabased Family Life Network, and an associate of Scott Lively since 2002. Langa promoted his conference as the kick-off event in a campaign to “wipe out” homosexuality in Uganda.

Following the conference, a Kampala newspaper printed the names of locals alleged to be Gay, provoking assaults, arrests, and reported murders of LGBT Ugandans.

ple of a new generation of democratic African leaders. Museveni soon began to display authoritarian tendencies, however, intervening in civil wars in neighboring Rwanda, Sudan, and the Congo, and altering Uganda’s constitution to allow himself to run for and win a third term as president.

Museveni also fell under the influence of “The Family,” a secretive right-wing Christian group with an extensive following among US political leaders.

While it achieved notoriety as the organization that facilitated the extra-marital affairs of Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Mich.), and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), the Family has carefully and quietly cultivated relationships with many foreign heads of state.

Among the Family’s protégés have been Somali dictator Gen. Siad Barre, Indonesian dictator Gen. Suharto, and several key generals in the military government that held power in Brazil from 1964 till 1985.

According to investigative reporter Jeff Sharlet, who infiltrated the Family to write an account of their activities, Family leader Douglas Coe met Museveni and recruited him to become the Family’s “key man” in Africa. In his 2008 book The Family, Sharlet writes:

and its objectives ahead of your own life Congress (ANC) party had endorsed the principle of marriage equality in 1993. and ahead of other people.”

“UNDEMOCRATIC AND UN-AFRICAN” In spite of a December 2008 Ugandan Supreme Court decision which held that it is unconstitutional to discriminate against LGBT Ugandans, homosexuality remains illegal there and carries a potential life sentence.

The proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill would • Reaffirm the life sentence currently provided by law.

• Extend the definition of homosexuality to include merely “touch[ing] another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.”

• Create a new category of “aggravated homosexuality” with the death penalty for “repeat offenders” and for cases where the offender is HIV-positive.

• Forbid free speech and peaceful assembly for those who advocate on behalf of LGBT citizens in Uganda, with fines and five to seven years imprisonment.

• Punish the act of obtaining a same-sex marriage abroad with life imprisonment.

• Require friends or family members to report LGBT persons to police within 24 hours of learning about their homosexuality, or face fines and imprisonment of up to three years.

• Add provisions allowing Uganda to prosecute LGBT Ugandans living abroad.

Pres. Museveni’s party, the National Resistance Movement, controls 205 of the 319 seats in Uganda’s parliament and can easily pass the law, or not, as he chooses.

The Sexual Minorities Uganda Group has branded the law “profoundly undemocratic and un-African.”

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Executive Director Cary Alan Johnson echoed the sentiment, blaming homophobia on Africa’s legacy of foreign colonialism.

“Most of the countries in Africa that still criminalize same-sex acts inherited these laws from colonial masters, particularly from British colonial rule, and that shows us in fact that the homophobia that’s existing in many countries is really a remnant of our colonial history,” Johnson said in a public statement on October 16.

Homosexuality is illegal in 38 African countries, and legal in only 13. In Mauritania, Sudan, and the Muslim areas of Nigeria – where Sharia law is in effect – homosexuality carries the death penalty.

In South Africa, by contrast, the constitution forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In 2006, the South African parliament voted 230-41 to authorize same-sex civil marriage and civil unions for unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples. The governing African National

“Most of the countries in Africa that still criminalize same-sex acts inherited these laws from colonial masters ... and that shows us in fact that the homophobia that’s existing in many countries is really a remnant of our colonial history,”

“So,” Doug Coe told us, “my friend said to the president, ‘why don’t you come and pray with me in America? I have a good group of friends – senators, congressmen – who I like to pray with, and they’d like to pray with you.’ And that president came to the Cedars [a religious retreat], and he met Jesus. And his name is Yoweri Museveni … and he is a good friend of the Family.”

In addition to teaching that unregulated and union-free capitalism is “God’s will,” Coe promotes a totalitarian theology which consciously compares Jesus to Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. “Jesus said, ‘You have to put me before other people,’” Coe has been quoted as sayTHE INFLUENCE OF ing. “’And you have to put me before your“THE FAMILY” In the 1990s, Uganda’s President Yoweri self.’ Hitler, that was the demand to be in the Museveni was hailed in the US as an exam- Nazi party. You have to put the Nazi party

Legal Services

“A SIGNIFICANT STEP BACKWARDS” The US State Department is taking a dim view of the proposed law.

“This is a significant step backwards for human rights in Uganda,” State Department spokesperson Noel Clay told SGN, “and we are in the process of raising the issue with the government of Uganda.”

“We are disturbed by violence, harassment, intimidation, arrests – any kind of discrimination – because of sexual orientation or gender identity anywhere,” he added.

Clay cautioned that “[The State Department’s] understanding is that this is a ‘private member’s bill’ which means that the Ugandan government hasn’t decided whether to support it yet.”

Asked to comment on the participation of US citizens in the Kampala conference and the possibility that US citizens were encouraging the Ugandan government to suppress its LGBT population, Clay said, “We condemn human rights violations wherever they occur and whoever is responsible. [The conference] obviously doesn’t help.”

The Ugandan Embassy in Washington DC had no comment.

“WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT” SGN also reached International Healing Foundation Director Richard Cohen, who at first declined to comment.

“No. I don’t think we have anything to say about that,” he told SGN. When the Kampala conference was characterized as “anti-Gay,” Cohen became agitated. “No, no, no, no, no, it wasn’t that at all!” he exclaimed. “It was a conference about helping people with unwanted samesex attraction.”

When reminded that conference organizer Langa indicated it was his intention to “wipe out” Gays in Uganda, Cohen replied, “Well, we don’t have anything to do with that.”

“People who experience homosexual feelings, and people who experience unwanted homosexual feelings have a right to express themselves,” he added.

Invited by SGN to comment, Exodus International sent the following statement: “Unfortunately, Uganda as a country has demonstrated severe hostility towards homosexuals supporting criminalization of homosexual behavior and proposing compulsory therapy – positions that Exodus International unequivocally denounces. It is our sincere desire to offer an alternative message that encompasses a compassionate, biblical view of homosexuality not just here in America, but around the world. We applaud our board member’s attempt to convey these redemptive truths to a country in desperate need.”

Exodus International spokesperson Kirk R. Chambers added that “any specific questions about this can be directed to [Exodus Board member] Don Schmierer, who spoke about the content of his books on his own personal time.”

Scott Lively, his Abiding Truth Ministries, and Defend the Family were also called for comment and did not return SGN’s calls by press time.

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16 Seattle Gay News

October 23, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

Former mob hitman declares he’s Gay

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

In a scene that seemed as if it were a script from The Sopranos, a mob hitman, Robert Mormando, came out of the closet while being sentenced for his part in the shooting of bagel storeowner Angelo Mugnolo, who survived the attack. Additionally, Mormando shocked veteran Federal Judge Jack Weinstein and the courtroom even further by renouncing his membership in La Cosa Nostra, the much-feared Sicilian mafia.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard this in court,” said Judge Weinstein of the mobster’s renunciation of his blood oath. “I’ve asked many mafia members, and they’ve always refused.”

Mormando, 44, a divorced father of two sons, dropped the bombshell on the court while being sentenced for his participation in the shooting of Mugnolo in a 2003 rubout ordered by Vincent Gotti – the younger brother of late crime boss John Gotti – who suspected the baker was having an affair with his wife.

Shortly after the shooting, according to court documents, Mormando became a government informant. The court calendar did not identify him by name and he was referred to as “John Doe” throughout the

proceeding. Law officials said Mormando’s cooperation was kept a closely guarded secret until he came out Monday.

Nancy Ennis, Mormando’s defense lawyer, told the judge, “He was living in hiding, not from law enforcement, but from La Cosa Nostra. He has been openly Gay since he left the mob.”

Mormando’s partner has refused to enter the witness protection program, but they have relocated and together they “live a peaceful working life,” she said.

It is known that members of the Mafia do not accept a Gay lifestyle within its ranks, although there is no specific rule that inductees must accept, like the prohibition from having an affair with another gangster’s wife. Former DeCavalcante crime boss John D’Amato was murdered in 1992 for being Gay. During sentencing, Judge Weinstein seemed most interested in what attracted a Gay man to the mob.

“As a young kid growing up in Ozone Park, John Gotti was a hero,” Mormando explained. “He had cars. Power. I regret that now.”

In the end, the former wiseguy was sentenced to time served – which was no time at all. He faced up to 17 years in prison.

Lesbian student unable to wear tux in yearbook photo

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

Ceara Sturgis, a 17-year-old openly Lesbian honor student, was told by school officials she could not wear a tuxedo in her high school yearbook photo, igniting a discrimination battle that could lead to a Mississippi court room.

According to news reports, everyone at Wesson Attendance Center knows Sturgis is Gay. Classmates say she’s never tried to hide it.

For high school yearbook photos, traditionally, males wear tuxedos and female students dress in drapes. When Sturgis, a top student, trumpet player and soccer goalie, wanted to take her senior photograph dressed as the boys do, school officials balked.

Now the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Mississippi has gotten involved, giving the school until October 23 to respond to a letter they sent to the school’s principal demanding they print the photo of Sturgis in her tuxedo or they will pursue with court action, said Kristy L. Bennett, the ACLU’s legal director.

For Sturgis, the yearbook photo is particularly important because she is graduating this year. She said she should get to decide how she wants to look in her senior photo.

“I feel like I’m not important, that the school is dismissing who I am as a Gay student and that they don’t even care about me.

All I want is to be able to be me and to be included in the yearbook,” Sturgis said in a statement.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

in. When she told me what was happening from her cell phone, I ran home through the pouring rain. After I arrived, Kate kept reassuring me with her calming voice over the phone as I fought with all my might to pry open the door to the studio. Before I knew it, the water rose above my head. After I almost drowned, I was forced to swim away.

A nearly unendurable 15 minutes then went by as a rescue team pulled Kate, unconscious, from our demolished home. As the ambulance rushed her to a trauma center, my mother, brother and I drove fast behind.

When we arrived at the hospital, I instinctively ran to be with Kate.

But, as I neared the entrance of the emergency room, a social worker stopped me in my tracks. After I explained that I was Kate’s partner of 10 years, the social worker told me that the state could not recognize same-sex partners in emergency situations.

As if I were a stranger, I needed to receive the permission of one of Kate’s family members to be near her and to make decisions for her care. For what seemed like an eternity, I frantically dialed her sister in Virginia. I thought with a shudder: “What if no one is home? What if Kate dies without me holding her hand?”

After being barred from comforting Kate during these harrowing moments, I finally received permission from Kate’s sister to be with her. From that point on, I was treated like any other spouse fighting for their loved one.

That night, Kate died with me beside her. I removed the wedding ring that she wore and the necklace I gave her for her 40th birthday.

I could tell her that I loved her.

Even after Kate’s passing, I still had to fight for recognition as her spouse. Since I was not her legal wife, the funeral director would not address me as Kate’s family or let me make her funeral arrangements. Kate’s mother had to sign the request for her cremation. The death certificate stated that she had never been married. Kate’s voice could no longer speak out against these mounting indignities.

It was my voice that was called for. In January, the state Legislature began to consider a domestic partner bill recognizing that couples like Kate and I should have the basic rights to be at each other’s side in the hospital and to make each other’s endof-life decisions. Though overwhelmed by grief, I felt compelled to tell our story before the House and Senate because I could not stomach the idea that another couple might go through what Kate and I endured.

After hearing my voice amongst a chorus of others sharing their heartbreaking stories, Washington passed the domestic partner bill, which just went into effect.

In spite of Washington’s groundbreaking advance, the struggle of Gay Americans for essential equality is far from over. The laws of most states still threaten to block millions of people from holding their hospitalized partner’s hand while they are frightened or dying – simply because they are Gay. We must speak up about the gravity of the rights that domestic partnership, civil unions and marriage can confer and that anti-Gay-marriage amendments may take away.

As Kate used her beautiful voice to bring stories to life, we all need to use ours if we want to make words like “equality” and “dignity” a reality across this nation.

October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News 17

strong

continued from cover

Veronica Rodriguez, Sturgis mother, said school officials are trying to force her daughter to appear more feminine. She said her daughter doesn’t even own a dress.

“The tux is who she is. She wears boy’s clothes. She’s athletic. She’s Gay. She’s not feminine,” said Rodriguez.

The photo in question, according to Rodriguez, was taken over the summer instead of with the other students, but was taken by the same studio the school uses for yearbook photos.

In August, Rodriguez said, she received a letter from the school saying that it was their policy that only boys could wear tuxedos. After a meeting with the assistant superintendent, who told her he didn’t see regulations about the issue in the student handbook, Sturgis principal Ronald Greer told Rodriguez it was his “conviction” that Sturgis wouldn’t appear in the yearbook in a tuxedo.

The ACLU is saying the teenager’s constitutional rights are being violated. Bennett said similar cases, including same-sex prom couples and girls wearing tuxedos to proms, have been successfully challenged in court in other states. “You can’t discriminate against somebody because they’re not masculine enough or because they’re not feminine enough. She’s making an expression of her sexual orientation through this picture and that invokes First Amendment protection,” Bennett said.

According to the Mississippi Department of Education, there’s no state policy that deals with the yearbook photo issue.

Domestic partnership bill for federal workers gets Senate hearing

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held hearings on October 15 on new legislation that would give domestic partners of federal employees the same benefits as married spouses.

Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (IConn.) is the prime sponsor of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. Twenty-four other Senators have signed on as co-sponsors, including Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell On the House side, Tammy Baldwin (DWis.) is the sponsor of a companion bill. Her legislation, which has 120 co-sponsors, was approved in July by a House Oversight & Government Reform subcommittee. Sup-

porters have said they’re hoping for a full committee markup this month, although nothing has yet been scheduled.

Lieberman said he introduced the bill because it “makes sense for the federal government as an employer.”

“As we approach a generational change in the federal workforce that will see the retirement of one-third of all federal employees, we must do all we can to attract and retain the ‘best and the brightest’ to serve in the years ahead,” he said. “This legislation would help accomplish that.”

Lieberman said during the hearing that he expects his committee to markup the measure in November or December, with a Senate floor vote to follow in early 2010. After the hearing, Lieberman told reporters he doesn’t know whether he has the 60 votes

necessary to avoid a filibuster in the Senate, but remains “hopeful” the legislation will pass.

No committee member who attended the hearing spoke against the bill. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the ranking Republican member of the committee, is a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The Obama administration was represented by John Berry, Director of the US Office of Personnel Management and the highestranking openly Gay person in the Obama administration. Berry said the White House and OPM “wholeheartedly endorse passage of this bill.”

Pres. Obama has promised to sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.

In June, Pres. Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum on Federal Benefits and NonDiscrimination, which directs the OPM and the State Department to extend certain benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees within the confines of existing federal law.

During the hearing, Lieberman cited a recent study from the Williams Institute, a UCLA-based think-tank on sexual orientation, which found that as of 2007 more than 34,000 federal workers were in relationships with same-sex partners.

The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act would provide them with the same health insurance, dental and vi-

sion benefits, retirement and disability benefits, family, medical, and emergency leave, group life insurance, long-term care insurance, compensation for work injuries, and benefits for disability, death, or captivity that married spouses would receive.

The legislation excludes members of the armed services from the definition of “employee,” however.

Because it offers benefits to unmarried partners, the legislation would not conflict with the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union which represents federal employees, welcomed the measure.

AFGE Local 3937 President Steve Kofahl told SGN, “I think that this is a modest step forward, but we are looking for much more from the Obama administration, of course.”

Sherri Bracey, Program Manager for the AFGE Women’s and Fair Practices Department said, “One cannot justify discriminating against federal employees who are in domestic partnerships versus federal employees who are in conventional marriages.”

“Refusal to provide equitable treatment with regard to the provision of employee benefits is a violation of the merit system principle that promises equal pay for substantially equal work,” she added.

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continued from cover brought by initiative maven Tim Eyman.

Eyman’s case is a broad lawsuit against disclosing the names of any petition-signers. It involves 11 separate initiatives, most of them filed by Eyman.

On Monday, October 19, Justice Anthony Kennedy stayed the order of the 9th Circuit.

The next day, the full Supreme Court entered the case.

“The application presented to Justice Kennedy and by him referred to the court is granted,” the court’s order said. “The order of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit … is hereby stayed.”

That means that the original September order by Federal District Court Judge Benjamin Settle, which sealed the petitions, will remain in effect.

The Supreme Court also called for “the timely filing and disposition” of an appeal

by Protect Marriage Washington of the 9th Circuit’s decision.

“The Supreme Court is simply preserving the status quo while opponents of disclosure get their full day in court, and we respect that,” Reed said. “We continue to support the view of the 9th Circuit and will do our very best to uphold the voters’ desire for transparent and accountable government.”

David Ammons, a spokesperson for Reed, said if the court decides not to hear the appeal the ban will “terminate automatically”

and the lower court ruling releasing the signatures will stand.

Reed and Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna had argued that the names of petition-signers are public information, and may be disclosed under the state’s Public Records Act. Protect Marriage Washington – the coalition of conservative politicians and church leaders who brought Referendum 71 to the ballot – argued that publishing the names would inhibit the First Amendment rights of signers, since they might be subjected to intimidation by opponents. Gay blogger Brian Murphy had announced plans to post the names on his site whosigned.org.

About 138,000 names and home addresses are at issue.

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Seattle Gay News 19

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Hope Takes Action to fight HIV with new vaccine

by James Whitely SGN Contributing Writer

If you’ve been riding the bus recently or even just walking around Capitol Hill, then Hope Takes Action (HTA) should sound somewhat familiar to you. The ads and flyers with the jock-esque poster boy have been posted around the city for a couple months now. So, what is it?

“Hope Takes Action is a large multi-site trial, where we are looking at the effectiveness of a vaccine by the federal government that aims to lower the viral load for people that become infected with HIV,” explained David Garcia, community educator for the HIV Vaccine Trials Unit at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center here in Seattle.

The goal of HTA, also known as the HIV Vaccine Trials Network 505 study, which started this year, is to enroll Gay men into the trial in various sites throughout the United States. In all, approximately 1,350 Gay men will be involved.

“We are hoping to enroll 100 Gay men [in Seattle], but we have studies for other categories as well that we are seeking volunteers for,” said Garcia. “We’re really trying to get the information out to the community so they can make a decision whether the vaccine trial research is good for them or not.”

The staff of the HTA project have essentially been using a centralized media campaign to appeal to the altruistic nature of Gay men to take action and enroll in the study, Garcia told SGN.

Enrolling in the HTA isn’t a large commitment by any means. Participants would have approximately 16 visits during a twoto three-year commitment. The visits can be anywhere between 30 minutes and two hours.

“It’s a double blind study, so people can be put into a placebo group,” Garcia told SGN. There is no risk of contracting HIV from the vaccine as the vaccines do not contain any live HIV. The most common side effects are flulike symptoms, but side effects are still very infrequent.

The goal of the vaccine is to lower the viral load for anyone that contracts HIV while in the program. Typically, if you can lower the viral load, it takes longer for people to develop symptoms, meaning it would essentially slow the disease progression of AIDS. A lower viral load may also mean a reduction in chances of transmission of the virus to others.

“This trial is important because it will give us better answers about a T-cell based vaccine. This product is aimed to elicit CD4 and CD8 T-cells in those individuals who become infected with HIV due to their own behavior. The stimulation of these T-cells is important because these people could live healthier lives by suppressing the virus, possibly not going on treatment until later and not progressing to AIDS so quickly,” Garcia told SGN. If the 505 vaccine works, researchers will know they are on the right track with vaccines which stimulate cellular (T-cell) immunity.

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Seattle was chosen as a site for HTA largely because the HIV Vaccine Trials Unit, which is affiliated with the University of Washington as well as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has a long legacy

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Seattle Gay News 21

22 Seattle Gay News

October 23, 2009

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October 23, 2009

Seattle Gay News 23