Issue 44 Volume 38
Celebrating 37 Years!
SEAMEC RATINGS p. 8
OUTLOUD p. 17
ROVE TARGETS MURRAY p. 25
Seattle Gay News
FRIDAY October 29, 2010 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands
SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“We need to make it President Obama and fellow better for everyone” Democrats rock the UW AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka makes video contribution
On October 21 the University of Washington hosted perhaps its most distinguished speaker as President Barack Obama joined incumbent Senator Patty Murray, Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire, and other Democrat allies to galvanize support for Murray’s beleaguered bid to return to the U.S. Senate. Comprised of 10,000 people inside the pavilion and an overflow audience of 3,000 in the Husky Stadium next door, the afternoon event brought together the heaviest-hitting Democrats in state and national politics while stressing the themes of job growth, community, and social services in the upcoming midterm elections. After words from King County Executive Dow Constantine, 8th Congressional District candidate Suzan DelBene, U.S. House Representative Jay Inslee, and Congressman Norm Dicks, Governor Christine Gregoire took the stage. She kept her remarks brief and see trumka page 20 concise: “America has forgotten
afl-cio
kids and young adults is wrong. When any group or individual is bullied or discriminated against based on their identity, it’s simply destructive to who we are as a nation.” Trumka released his video on October 25 and it immediately went viral in the ranks of organized labor. “We’ve gotten it out so widely,” AFL-CIO spokesperson Amaya Tune told SGN. “We added it to our YouTube channel and we also have it on Facebook and our blog, we sent it out on Twitter….” Pride At Work, the AFL-CIO’s LGBT group, sent it out to every chapter, and the Martin Luther King County Labor Council (MLKCLC) forwarded it to each
Tom Williams
by Rahul K. Gairola Special to the SGN
Richard Trumka
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer “We need to make it better for everyone,” AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka says in his video contribution to the “It Gets Better” project. “What’s happening to LGBT
President Obama waves to the crowd at the University of Washington.
where we were two years ago. … We have avoided a depression, and we are putting America back to work!” President Obama and Senator Murray mounted the stage to-
gether to thunderous applause. As the president took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and stood by the podium, Murray opened with see obama page 21
file photo
Patty Murray 100%, says HRC The on-again, offagain saga of DADT
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer U.S. Senator Patty Murray has scored 100% on HRC’s latest Congressional Scorecard. The rankings for the current 111th Congress were released October 21. HRC based its Senate rating on
nine issues: voting Yes on federal hate crimes legislation covering sexual orientation and gender identity; voting to bring Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal to the floor for debate; voting No on a proposal to suspend same-sex marriages in D.C.; voting to confirm Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan; and
During the month of October, DADT has been revoked and reinstated by U.S. courts, fueling confusion within the military and enraging Gay activists who’ve been fighting to repeal the 17-year-old discriminatory policy. Noting the confusion, Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a memo scaling back the authority to kick out troops under DADT. Gate’s marching orders are that, now, only the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force (the U.S. Marine Corps. is a department of the Navy), “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” protester in coordination with two by Shaun Knittel other officials, will be allowed to SGN Associate Editor approve DADT discharges, as opposed to the hundreds of officers The tug-of-war between Gays in who could previously enforce the the military and the Obama admin- ban. istration continued this week, with President Barack Obama, who no ground gained by either side. received strong support from In a small victory for active duty LGBT voters in his 2008 election, Gay troops, the Pentagon tight- insists he supports ending the ban, ened controls on discharges late but says he doesn’t believe that last week as Department of De- DADT should be repealed by the fense officials predicted months of courts. Instead, he says, it’s up to legal uncertainty over the future of its ban on homosexuals, known as see Murray page 20 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). see DADT page 20
proud to Be Different
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Senator Patty Murray
co-sponsoring ENDA, the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), the Early Treatment for HIV Act, and a measure to equalize taxes on employer-provided domestic partner benefits. Murray is running for re-election against conservative Republican Dino Rossi, who supports none of the measures for which Murray got a perfect score from HRC. Sen. Murray is endorsed by SGN, HRC, ERW, SEAMEC, and a number of other progressive and labor organizations. Also getting a 100% rating was Seattle’s Congressman Jim McDermott (D-7). On the House side, the HRC also looked at nine issues: voting Yes on hate crimes legislation and No on a motion to send the bill back to committee; voting to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; voting No on a proposal to prohibit federal funding for needle exchange programs; and co-sponsoring ENDA, UAFA, the Early Treatment for HIV Act, the Respect for Marriage Act to repeal DOMA, and the bill to equalize taxes on domestic partner benefits. McDermott faces a relatively easy re-election campaign against independent candidate Bob Jeffers-Schroder, who is running to highlight the danger of global
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