SGN Oct 8, 2010 - Section 1

Issue 41 Volume 38

Celebrating 37 Years!

FRIDAY October 8, 2010 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

chalk project p. 16

world changed p. 19

we are family p. 25

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Race in the 21st district

Seattle celebrates National Coming-Out Day

Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D-33) are unopposed for reelection, Rep. Marko Liias (D21) faces Republican Elizabeth Scott on the general election ballot.

Liias led the field of four primary candidates with just over 50% of the vote. Scott came in second place with almost 33%.

Liias is openly Gay, and earned high marks for successfully leading a push for new and enhanced state anti-bullying Representative Marko Liias (D-21) legislation. Liias’

by Mike Andrew measure passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.

SGN Staff Writer He has also sponsored consumer While Sen. Ed Murray (D-43), Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-43), and see race page 20

Every October 11, thousands of LGBTQ people and their allies celebrate National Coming-Out Day. This year in Seattle, the observation was particularly poignant as the City of Seattle LGBTQ Employees Association and Seattle Public Utilities LGBTQ & Friends Affinity Group gathered together community leaders, politicians, and business owners to recognize the city’s support for the local LGBTQ community.

The event, the first of its kind at City Hall, was held in the Bertha Knight Landes Room from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on October 7, four days earlier than the official National Coming Out Day due to a city employee furlough scheduled on October 11.

Local drag celebrity Aleksa Manila emceed the event, which opened with the lyrical stylings of Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse, a New York Cabaret Bistro Award winner, with Victor Janusz, Seattle’s piano man, accompanying.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission Chair Christopher Peguero wel-

Marko Liias vs Elizabeth Scott

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

file photo

james whitely

(l to r) Christopher Peguero, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Aleksa Manila

comed attendees by pointing out the importance of National Coming-Out Day. In addition to his work on the commission, Peguero also co-chairs the City of Seattle LGBTQ Employees Association, a

City of Seattle Gay-friendly organization that reports to the mayor, Council, and departments about sexual minority communities and see coming out page 19

“Make It Better” video project “Antidote to fights against youth suicide the Tea Party”

In response to recent LGBTQ youth suicides, Gay-Straight Alliance Network has launched the “Make It Better Project,” aimed at giving youth tools to combat anti-LGBTQ bullying and prevent suicide.

The “Make It Better Project” includes a website and YouTube channel where students and adults can upload video messages to

share what they are doing to prevent suicide and make it better for LGBTQ youth in schools now.

The project also has a Twitter and Facebook page.

LGBTQ youth suicides made headlines in September as antiGay bullying drove a number of young teens – ages ranging from 13 to 18 – to take their lives and served as a wake-up call to adults everywhere. In response, Seattle columnist Dan Savage launched “It Gets Better,” a video message

One Nation Working Together rally challenges right wing courtesy one nation

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

to LGBTQ youth that life gets better after high school. Carolyn Laub, founder and executive director of Gay-Straight Alliance Network and creator of the Make It Better Project, acknowledges that any effort to stop teen suicide is admirable, and says the Make It Better Project takes Savage’s message one step further by giving youth the tools they need to make their lives better now.

“While inspiring and hopeful, we felt it imperative to let youth know that they do not have to wait until they graduate to be happy and safe at school,” she said. “We launched the project to focus on how we can all take action to make schools better now, rather than later.”

The YouTube channel is full of videos where youths tell the world what they are doing, or have done, to make their schools safe. The website, www.makeitbetterproject.org, includes steps students can take now, including how to start a Gay-Straight Alliance, fight slurs, organize events, and educate students and teachers about LGBTQ issues.

“LGBTQ youth need to know that they have rights,” said Laub.

One Nation Working Together rally

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Tens of thousands of activists gathered in Washington, D.C. on October 2 for what one organizer called an “antidote to the Tea Party.”

Called “One Nation Working Together,” the rally was initiated by the NAACP at its July national convention. Labor groups includsee make it better page 20 ing the AFL-CIO and SEIU soon

joined with other progressive organizations to support the NAACP’s call.

“Demand the changes we voted for” was the theme of the event, with specific demands including “good jobs, equal justice, and quality public education for all.”

Organized labor provided many of the resources for the rally, including charter buses bringing see one nation page 20

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2010

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

Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel

Photographer takes aim at DADT

whole careers. In all, I’ve photographed 70 veterans.”

Jo Ann says her obsession with documenting life began as a young girl growing up in Boston’s North End, where everyone knew everyone else and everyone’s business. After relocating to Austin, Texas in 2006 and feeling unconnected to her community, Jo Ann said she hopped on her bike and started photographing. The more than 1,500 black and white portraits of Austin’s often unseen lives became her first photo essay. Austin Seen was exhibited in many of Austin’s coffeehouses and galleries.

Jo Ann moved to New York in 2008 to attend her first formal photographic educa-

tion at the International Center of Photography.

“The photo project Proud To Serve began when I was in school,” she said. “In Austin, I drove a petty cab, and would drive a lot of the active duty military stationed in the area.

One day, I met a Gay servicemember who told about his experiences serving under DADT.” Jo Ann says that at first, she didn’t think much of it. But then she began to look into DADT and was surprised about the number of people it has affected. “I found out that there are over 1 million LGBT veterans, 65,000 currently serving, and that nearly 14,000 have been fired,” she said. “Those numbers are insane. We only have numbers and I have set out to put a human face on DADT.” “When I show up to photograph the veterans, I hear the same thing over and over again,” said Jo Ann. “Most say they were aware of their sexuality before they joined, but that wasn’t going to stop them from serving their country. Among the younger servicemembers, the sentiment is that once they enlisted, they found out just how hard it is to hide who you really are.”

A good amount of the veterans she photographed say they “outed themselves because they no longer wanted to live in hiding” and that if DADT were repealed, “they would reenlist and continue their military career.”

The photo essay Proud To Serve will be on exhibition on Veteran’s Day, November 11, at the LGBT Center in Manhattan. Jo Ann says she will then take the exhibit on the road to universities and LGBT centers across the country.

strengthen our fundraising. Through this process, the Board of Directors and Executive Team at Lifelong made the decision to no longer produce Gay Bingo,” said Maurice James, president of the board. “This was in no way an easy decision when we considered the history of the event and the support from the community. However, because of this decision, Lifelong will be in a position to focus our attention and precious resources on fundraising efforts that have the greatest financial impact on the agency and the clients we serve.”

James went on to explain that 2010 has been a year of transition and renewal for Lifelong. He said the agency has made key changes in staff leadership, increased en-

rollment in their insurance program by over 400 clients, reduced barriers to housing access, and lowered the number of individuals on their nutrition program waiting list by 100.

Throughout, Lifelong officials say, the top priority has always been to fulfill their mission to prevent the spread of HIV, as well as to provide practical support services and advocate for those whose lives are affected

by HIV and AIDS. Lifelong identified future fundraising efforts to include their second annual Community Breakfast in February, Dining Out for Life event in April, and the 25th Anniversary of the Seattle AIDS Walk & 5K Run in September of 2011.

The agency also expressed interest in identifying another organization that would be interested in carrying on the Gay Bingo torch.

For more information about Lifelong AIDS Alliance, please visit www.llaa.org.

Jo Ann Santangelo

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

Contributing Writers

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

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

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

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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

2

Seattle Gay News

Anthony “Tony” Christopher Woods is a veteran of Operation Iraqi freedom, who was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2008 for violating the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On August 25, Jo Ann Santangelo, an out Lesbian photographer from Brooklyn, New York, began a road trip around the United States. She drove 10,167 miles through 31 states – from New York to California and back – to photograph and record the stories of LGBT servicemembers.

This week, Jo Ann’s road trip took her to Washington state.

“All the subjects in the photos are all LGBT veterans,” she told SGN. “ Some have been discharged under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and other served in silence for their

Lifelong AIDS Alliance will no longer produce Gay Bingo

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On October 5, Lifelong AIDS Alliance officials announced the agency would no longer produce Gay Bingo, the event that has been a Lifelong hallmark for 17 years.

Lifelong officials say that the Board of Directors and senior staff have spent the last three months conducting a strategic review of programs, services, and fundraising efforts to ensure they continue to meet the needs of their clients and the community.

“As we prepare for a future both challenging and rewarding, we have reduced staff, implemented across-the-board cost-savings, streamlined services, and looked at ways to

October 8, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

October 8, 2010

Seattle Gay News

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Seattle Gay News

October 8, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

October 8, 2010

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Seattle Gay News

October 8, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

NORTHWEST

NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

NEW CLASSICS THEATRE PRESENTS A DROPPED STITCH On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Saturday, October 16, New Classics Theatre presents A Dropped Stitch, a new play written and directed by local playwright Jeff Stilwell, at New Space Theatre (17517 15th Ave. NE #202, Shoreline).

Show at 8pm; tickets $20. (425) 776-3778; www.newclassicstheatre.org.

The four-person farcical play deals with gender roles and features the over-the-top catalyst character The Metro – a metrosexual neighbor – along with mother/daughter pair and Bertram, a friend of the family.

The role of Bertram is performed by Robert Geller, former SGN contributing book review writer and the one and only track announcer at Emerald Downs, Seattle’s horse racing track. As one of the more accomplished announcers in the industry, he was featured in a recent book They Call the Horses by Edie Dickenson.

MEN IN DANCE AGAINST THE GRAIN From Friday, October 8 to Sunday, October 17, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at Broadway Performance Hall (1625 Broadway Ave.), Men in Dance present the 8th Festival of Against the Grain. Against the Grain is a festival that showcases a diverse group of talented choreographers and male dancers from Seattle and beyond. It was originally conceived in 1994 by a small but dedicated group of male dancers and choreographers seeking a vehicle that would highlight their specialty and uniqueness. Approximately one in 10 dancers in our North American culture is male.

As the minority in this profession, men have sometimes struggled to find their voice. This festival allows them the camaraderie and the opportunity to celebrate their art with pride while serving as a diversified role model for the male dancers of tomorrow. This powerful showcase features the best and brightest of Seattle choreographers, both male and female. They represent a broad cross-section of dance, from the world of classical ballet, to the most current contemporary techniques and ideas. For tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com.

SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: USTAV SOUTH ASIAN PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL On Saturday, October 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, October 10 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Seattle Center Pavilion (Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.), join Seattle Center Festál: Utsav South Asian Performing Arts Festival. Presented in Seattle since 2004, this festival of music and dance of India provides an inspiring introduction for communities that are not familiar with this culture. It also serves as an outlet for the diasporic community of East Indian heritage in the region to honor the cultural traditions during this time of the year. Utsav 2010 showcases four types of pure Indian classical dances, folk dances from the states of Punjab, Maharashtra and Assam along with modern Bollywood dances. In addition, Utsav features Carnatic (South Indian) and Hindustani (North Indian) vocal recitals accompanied by instruments. For more information, visit www.seattlecenter.com.

NARAL’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY LIBERTY BALL AUCTION AND MASQUERADE On Saturday, October 9 from 5-10 p.m. at Bell Harbor International Conference Center (2211 Alaskan Way), join NARAL ProChoice Washington’s 30th Pearl Anniversary Liberty Ball Auction. Join us for hors d’oeuvres, three silent auctions, dinner, and a live auction. Proceeds will defend every woman’s right to choose. Tickets are $125.

On the day of the auction we’ll have volunteer shifts starting as early as 9 a.m. and as late as 4 p.m. We’ll need volunteers to

help with everything from set-up and cleanup to registration and data entry. For a full list of auction volunteer descriptions contact Eleazar Juarez-Diaz at (206) 624-1990 or eleazarjuarez-diaz@prochoicewashington. org.

community of the Seattle area. Wendy Call, Catalina M. Cantú, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, and Christina Montilla will read their prose and poetry in preparation for Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead. Come enjoy literary remembrances and hear live music

by Japanese/Latin fusion duo Miho and Diego. Dia de los Muertos-related activities, art and food will round out the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring a photo (or photocopied photo) of a woman they would like to honor for a remembrance altar. Music begins at 6 p.m., reading begins at 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S FUNDING ALLIANCE AMPLIFY! FUNDRAISING BREAKFAST On Thursday, October 14, from 7-8:30 a.m. at Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion (Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.), Women’s Funding Alliance will hold their Amplify!

Fundraising Breakfast. Come for the music, food, inspirational stories, and a challenge for all of us from author, activist, and social change fundraiser Kathy LeMay to give our time, treasure, and talents to amplify our generosity, even in these uncertain financial times, to benefit the most vulnerable in society: women and girls. Hear inspirational stories of real change from the people on the frontlines and the women they are helping, as well as three generations of women who have made philanthropy a cornerstone of their lives. Special signing of LeMay’s book The Generosity Plan after the program. Free NORTHWEST NETWORK and open to the public.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENING For more information, call (206) 467On Sunday, October 10 beginning at 3 p.m. at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th 6733 or visit www.wfalliance.org.

Ave.), celebrate all The Northwest Network COMING OUT DAY has done for the last 23 years with a screenWORSHIP SERVICE ing of their new documentary. After the docOn Friday, October 15, at 6 p.m., Univerumentary, stay to laugh your way through a fun-filled screening of the Gay ‘90s (1990s, sity Baptist Church and University Christhat is) classic But I’m a Cheerleader. Enjoy tian Church will host a Coming Out Day popcorn, candy, and soda while you watch, Worship Service: Blessing the Journey of all for a suggested donation of $20 to aid LGBTQ Individuals and their Allies at Unitheir work to strengthen communities and versity Christian Church (4731 15th Ave. NE). The service celebrates the sacred act of support LGBTQ survivors of abuse.

For more info, visit www.nwnetwork.org. coming out, recognizing that when we tell our stories, when we come out, God celebrates and rejoices with us.

SISTERS OF For more information, contact Rev. Jamie PERPETUAL INDULGENCE Haskins at jamie@uchristian.org.

PRESENT ¡JUEGA BIEN! On Sunday, October 10 at 10 p.m. at SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: Neighbours Nightclub (1509 Broadway), TURKFEST the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will On Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, Oclaunch ¡Juega Bien! (Play Fair) during a special Latino night. The $7 cover charge tober 17 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Seattle will benefit the community through Entre Center Pavilion (Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.), join Seattle Center Festál: TurkHermanos and the Sisters.

Fest. This year’s schedule includes several interactive Turkish experiences: “Istanbul GAY FATHERS ASSOCIATION COMING OUT DAY CELEBRATION House,” Turkish foods and food demonstraOn Monday, October 11, from 6-10 p.m. tions, “A Turkish Experience” – a presentaat the Issaquah Brew House (35 West Sunset tion by Wole Moses of Microsoft, who lived Way, Issaquah), the Gay Fathers Associa- and worked in Istanbul and a paper marbling tion of Seattle and their friends are celebrat- workshop. Also featured are Mavi Dance, ing National Coming Out Day. Coming out the only dance company in New England is still one of the most important things we to boast a repertoire that includes Turkish, can do to make our communities aware of Georgian, Indian, Russian, Middle Eastern, inequalities and promote understanding. All Spanish and Tajik pieces; Sufi performance

by Mevlevi Order of America; Bosnian muare welcome. sic and dance by SEVDAH and Mary Sherhart; Turkish children’s rock band, Group SEATTLE LESBIAN & GAY Zamane; performance by high school stuFILM FESTIVAL OCTOBER 15-24 dent/jazz singer, Katherine Stuber; Middle www.threedollarbillcinema.org Eastern music by the renowned George Sadak; Central Asian musical performance POZSEATTLE OCTOBER SOCIAL On Wednesday, October 13 from 6-8 p.m. by Masguda Shamsutdinova; Turkish cosat The Cuff (13th & Pine), POZSeattle will tumes throughout history, fashion show; hold their October Social. Meet inside the “Capture Istanbul” photography exhibit.

For more information, visit www.seattledownstairs bar for socializing, with a light catered fare, provided by volunteers and center.com. donations, catching up with old friends, DUNSHEE HOUSE making new ones, and a whole lot of fun!

FALL CRAFTS FAIR This event is free except for the cost of bevOn Saturday, October 16 from noon-4 erages from the bar (donations are always welcomed), and is for all HIV-positive men p.m. at Dunshee House (303 17th Ave.), and their friends, regardless of age, shape, Dunshee House will hold their Fall Crafts size, or color. POZSeattle is a social orga- Fair, featuring handmade items crafted by nization run for and by Seattle-area HIV- local artists. Join this special fall event and positive guys that is committed to planning get a chance to win a gift basket for a $1 doand promoting fun, social activities. www. nation raffle ticket. All proceeds go to Dunshee House. pozseattle.org.

For more information, visit www.dunsheehouse.org.

RECUERDOS DE LAS MUJERES WOMEN REMEMBERING WOMEN SEATTLE WOMEN’S CHORUS’ On Thursday, October 14 at 6 p.m. at WE ARE FAMILY CONCERT ArtXchange Gallery (512 First Ave. S.), atOn Saturday, October 16 at 2 p.m. and tend a reading by four women writers from La Sala, a collective formed to coalesce and Sunday, 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Benaroya Hall mobilize the growing Latino/Latina arts (3rd Ave. & Union St.), Seattle Women’s OUT OF THE DARKNESS COMMUNITY WALK TO SUPPORT SUICIDE PREVENTION On Sunday, October 10, registration at 7:30 a.m., opening ceremonies at 8:45 a.m., walk from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m., the Out of the Darkness Community Walk will be held at Green Lake. The Seattle Out of the Darkness Walk is one of nearly 220 Out of the Darkness Community Walks being held this fall nationwide through December.

The walks are expected to unite more than 60,000 walkers nationally and raise nearly $4 million for suicide prevention efforts.

The SGN endorses and is a media sponsor for this event. www.outofthedarkness.org; www.afsp.org.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

October 8, 2010

Chorus celebrates its eighth season with a concert showcasing the full range of family connections. We Are Family features segments of Rosie O’Donnell’s HBO documentary film A Family Is a Family Is a Family, complemented by a delightful collection of choral music, performed by one of the finest women’s choral ensembles anywhere.

Songs include Broadway selections by Sondheim and Rodgers & Hammerstein, original compositions, ballads by Holly Near, classic pieces like “Everything Possible,” and well-known pop numbers like “We Are Family.” With or without your own family in tow, it’ll be a great time.

Tickets $20 to $50 are available by calling (206) 388-1400 or at flyinghouse.org.

Tickets are 2-for-1 when you call the box office noon to 7 p.m. and use the password “Rosie.” In addition, through their Youth Ticket Program, all children in your family under the age of 21 can receive a complimentary ticket to attend the concert with you.

MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE: SPARKS OF GLORY On Saturday, October 16 at 2 p.m. at Seattle Art Museum (1300 1st Ave.), Music of Remembrance presents Sparks of Glory: Art and Defiance. At MOR’s acclaimed outreach series, artistic director Mina Miller uses examples from SAM’s Picasso exhibition to examine the power of art and music to speak against oppression. Pablo Picasso’s life and his art reflect his passionate engagement with the events and forces that transformed the world during his lifetime.

The musical program includes Paul Schoenfield’s “Sparks of Glory” (narrated by Erich Parce), Erwin Schulhoff’s “Duo,” and Ernest Bloc’s “Nigun,” performed by violinist Marie Rossano. Free to the public.

For more information, visit www.musicofremembrance.org.

SEATTLE RED DRESS PARTY The 3rd Annual Seattle Red Dress Party will be held on Saturday, October 16, from 8 p.m.-2 a.m., at Fremont Studios, 155 N. 35th St. Gaysha Starr hosts, with DJ Brian Gorr and special performance by Shokra.

Tickets are $40-advance; $50-at the door; VIP $80-advance; $100 at the door (limited quantity available). Must be 21+ to attend.

Proceeds benefit local non-profits that care for people living with HIV and AIDS. Red dress required; attitude optional. www.seattlereddressparty.org RAINBOW CITY BAND PRESENTS AN EVENING OF DISNEY MUSIC On Saturday, October 16 at 8 p.m. at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (410 5th Ave. N., Edmonds), join Rainbow City Band for an evening of princes, Dalmatians, beauties, and beasts, as we celebrate 80 years of Disney music. You’ll be a kid at heart once again as you hear the 75-piece concert band perform “When You Wish upon a Star,” and leave you breathless with the sweeping melodies of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

The band will also explore the Disney of today with a suite of music from the movie Enchanted, and you can discover your inner superhero with the music of The Incredibles (cape and matching boots optional). The evening gets more magical when RCB’s own Purple Passion Swing Band takes to the stage with several toe-tapping numbers to make your heart sing. Tickets $25, $10 for children under 12.

For more information or tickets, visit ec4arts.org.

EMERALD CITY MCC SEATTLE’S COMING OUT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WORKSHOP On Sunday, October 17 from 12:30-4 p.m. at UW Wesley Club, George Russel Hall Suite 202 (1414 NE 42nd St.), Emerald City MCC Seattle will hold a free Coming Out to Your Friends and Family workshop for youth and young adults. Co-sponsored by UW Wesley Club and Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle.

For more information call Rev. Ray Neal, Emerald City MCC Seattle, at 206-3252421 or revray@comcast.net, or Rev. Amy Wyatt, Wesley Club, wesleyuw@gmail.com or 206-632-5210.

Seattle Gay News

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INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer rex wockner

The data also show that compared to straight people, GLB people are better educated, have better jobs (except for Bisexuals), are younger, are more likely to be smokers (33 percent), and are more likely to have no religion (34 percent).

London was found to have the highest percentage of Gay residents, 2.2 percent, and Northern Ireland the lowest, 0.9 percent.

Lunacek. “I am optimistic that this strategy will ultimately have a positive effect on the lives of many Transgender people.”

Intergroup member Marije Cornelissen said she and other MEPs hope the commission “will not only monitor the situation carefully, but also that it will be firm with member states violating European equaltreatment legislation.”

file photo

Euro MPs target Same-sex marriage bill Polish official introduced in Following a row in Poland over comments Australian Parliament The Greens party introduced a bill to le- by the government’s minister for equality, galize same-sex marriage in Australia’s Par- members of the European Parliament have urged the European Commission to reconliament Sept. 29.

The group Australian Marriage Equality firm that she has a responsibility to promote is calling for a “conscience” vote on the bill, nondiscrimination against LGBT people.

During a televised debate September 21, meaning individual MPs would be free to Elzbieta Radziszewska opined that faithbreak from their party’s official position.

“MPs should be free to represent the based schools should be allowed to disviews of the 60 percent of Australians who criminate against teachers based on sexual support this reform,” said AME National orientation and that European Union law Convener Alex Greenwich. “[The] bill is a would permit such treatment.

She also outed another participant in the simple and straightforward solution to those discriminatory sections of the Marriage Act TV debate, who later said he will sue for inwhich ban same-sex partners from officially vasion of privacy. declaring their love. Surely members of the Anti-Gay Moscow mayor federal Labor and Liberal parties have more fired important things to do than stop same-sex Russian President Dmitry Medvedev fired partners committing to each other.”

Prime Minister Julia Gillard opposes the anti-Gay Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov bill and said she will not allow Labor MPs a September 27, saying he had lost confidence in him. conscience vote.

Over the past five years, Luzhkov has Meanwhile, the state of Tasmania on September 29 extended recognition to same-sex banned Gay pride yearly, sent police to marriages and civil unions from other coun- rough up and arrest small groups of activists tries, becoming the first Australian state or who ignored the bans, called Gay parades “satanic,” and called Gay people “faggots” territory to do so.

But marriages will be recognized only as or “Queers” (“gomiki”).

Several lawsuits over the bans have been state civil unions because of a national law The Chamber of Deputies of the Mexican state of Baja California that explicitly bans recognition of foreign merged at the European Court of Human Baja California moves to (Partido de la Revolución Democrática) same-sex marriages.

Rights and are expected to be heard this ban recognition of Deputy Ana María Fuentes. same-sex marriages “It is our conviction that the basis of huThe unicameral Chamber of Deputies of man happiness is freedom and the recognithe Mexican state of Baja California, where tion of rights, that any restriction imposed Tijuana is located, voted 18-1 on September by one or various churches or some particu29 to amend the state constitution to prohib- lar morality that signifies restriction of rights it recognition of same-sex marriages. or persecution of people in the free exercise Same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico of their sexual preferences is profoundly City, and the nation’s Supreme Court ruled wrong and has more to do with the past and this year that all 31 Mexican states must nothing to do with the future,” she said. “We recognize Gay marriages from the capital oppose that the more conservative groups city. ... want to convert our state into some sort As a result, the state legislature’s move of medieval island with the double morality could set it on a collision course with the that comes with that.” federal Supreme Court, although some The legislative chamber was filled with amendment backers claimed they only want equal numbers of LGBT people and their to prevent Gay marriages from taking place opponents. A video of the vote and the chain Baja. otic aftermath can be seen at tinyurl.com/ The amendment, however, does not make bcgaymat. that clear. It reads: “The State recognizes and protects the institution of marriage as UK finds that only a right of society oriented to guarantee and 1.5% of population is GLB safeguard the perpetuation of the species The United Kingdom’s Office for Nationand mutual support between spouses, sat- al Statistics has produced data suggesting isfying this only through the union of one that only 1.5 percent of UK adults are Gay, Former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov man with one woman.”

Lesbian, or Bisexual.

To be valid, the amendment has to be As part of a yearly data collection effort, Three Australian states and the Australian year. ratified by the city councils of three of Baja ONS questioned 247,623 people about their Capital Territory have same-sex civil-union Acting Moscow Mayor Vladimir Resin California’s five municipalities – Ensenada, sexual identity. In the case of face-to-face laws – and those partnerships are recognized said September 29 that he does not support Mexicali, Rosarito Beach, Tecate, and Ti- interviews, respondents were shown a card by the federal government for purposes of Gay pride parades either. juana. Any municipality that fails to report that said “heterosexual/straight, Gay/Les- the spousal entitlements associated with the result of its vote within a month of re- bian, Bisexual, other” and told to read out a marriage.

Euro court says ceiving the amendment will be counted as number beside the word that “best describes UK discriminated Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group having approved it. (All towns and areas of how you think of yourself.” In telephone spokesman Rodney Croome welcomed the against Lesbian Baja California are within one of the five interviews, respondents were read the four development, saying, “Couples in interstate The European Court of Human Rights municipalities, which are somewhat similar categories and told, “Please say ‘yes’ when and overseas unions should not have to re- ruled September 28 that the United Kingto U.S. counties.) you hear the option that best describes how register their relationship in order to secure dom discriminated against a woman in a The only vote cast against the amendment you think of yourself.” the legal rights and protections most other same-sex partnership in the area of child in the Chamber of Deputies came from PRD ONS then applied the results to the UK couples take for granted.” support prior to the nation’s civil-union law population and reported that 1 percent of taking effect in 2004. adults are Gay or Lesbian, of which twoThe case involved a British woman who EU increases attention thirds are men, 0.5 percent are Bisexual, of divorced her husband and entered into a to gender identity which two-thirds are women, and 0.5 perThe European Union’s commissioner for same-sex partnership. The law at the time cent identify as “other.” Just under four per- justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, did not recognize the partnership and the cent of actual respondents said they didn’t Viviane Reding, has received kudos from woman therefore was required to pay 33 know the answer to the question or refused the European Parliament’s Intergroup on pounds ($52) more per week in child supto answer it or didn’t respond in any way.

LGBT Rights for including gender-identity port to her ex-husband than she would have Of the “other” category, ONS says: “The equality in the EU’s 2010-2015 strategy for had to pay if she had been recognized as be‘other’ option on the sexual identity question equality between men and women. ing in a new partnership, married or otherwas included to address the fact that not all The plan commits the European Commis- wise. people will fall in the first three categories sion to promoting less-rigid gender roles, The court said the higher assessment vioand that some people such as those that are examining discrimination based on gender lated articles of the European Convention asexual, may feel no sense of sexual identity identity, and analyzing whether EU mem- on Human Rights that protect property and at all. In addition, individuals who disagree ber nations adequately protect Transgender prohibit discrimination, and it told the UK with the simplistic male/female gender bi- people’s access to goods and services. government to pay the woman 3,000 euros nary, or who were against categorization “This is a positive sign that the European ($4,078) in damages and 18,000 euros in based on the gender of people to whom they Commission has started listening to both costs. were attracted or with whom they had rela- [the European] Parliament and civil socitions, could also prefer to identify as other.” ety,” said Intergroup Co-President Ulrike With assistance from Bill Kelley 8

Seattle Gay News

October 8, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

NATIONAL AP Photo/ Rich Pedroncelli

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger depathologizes Gays, signs other LGBT bills California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill September 27 repealing a 1950s-era law that instructed the California Department of Mental Health to conduct research into the “causes and cures of homosexuality.”

“We are grateful that our governor has decided to stand with us on the issue of repealing deeply offensive and blatantly false language from state law suggesting that Gays and Lesbians can and should be cured,” said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors.

Schwarzenegger also signed a bill September 27 that allows same-sex couples who have entered into both an official domestic partnership and a marriage under California law and who now want to divorce, to terminate both legal arrangements with one form and procedure.

California allowed registered partnerships, which carry the same state rights and obligations as marriage, before it allowed same-sex marriage, so some couples are registered and married.

The bill also clarifies that same-sex couples who marry outside California can get divorced in California.

Same-sex marriage was legal in California from June to November 2008, when voters amended the state constitution via Proposition 8 to put a stop to it. The couples who married then are still legally married, as are other same-sex couples who live in California and got married anywhere in the world before Prop 8 passed.

Gay couples who married somewhere else after Prop 8 passed, or who marry elsewhere in the future, have all the state-level rights and obligations of married couples except for the legal right to call their marriage a “marriage” when they are in California. Incongruously, however, if they divorce, they must follow the California procedure for married people, which differs in some respects from the procedure for

ending a domestic partnership.

Schwarzenegger signed a third bill September 29 that allows people between ages 12 and 17 to receive mental health care without parental consent.

“LGBT youth across California who are fearful that their families could become abusive or kick them out if they come out – or refuse to consent to their obtaining mental health services – will now be able get the help they need, before it’s too late,” said Kors.

“Equality California and Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) made this bill a priority to address the hostile environment too many of California’s young people find themselves dealing with every day, the kind of environment that has led to bullying, hate crimes and several recent tragic and heartbreaking suicides,” Kors said. “But we have a long way to go to end the climate of terror that those who oppose equality and promote hatred have created.”

A fourth bill that Schwarzenegger signed September 30 equalizes unemployment benefits for engaged straight couples and Gay couples who are planning to enter a California registered partnership.

California allows engaged heterosexuals to receive unemployment benefits if one partner leaves a job to move closer to a future spouse. The same policy now will apply to same-sex couples who are planning to become domestic partners.

Law Center. “The National Prisoner Rape Elimination Commission Standards are well-researched, practical and promising.

It is shameful that implementation of these standards has been further delayed.”

The bill also would have required the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation not to automatically segregate LGBT inmates and would have protected LGBT inmates from having to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identify to prison officials.

Schwarzenegger’s veto message said: “This bill would require the sexual orientation and gender identity of an inmate or ward, among other risk factors, to be considered as part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s inmate and ward classification and housing assignment procedures. ... This measure is unnecessary because CDCR already considers these factors when determining where to house inmates.”

“They consider them,” Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors responded in an interview, “but the first line to protect LGBT prisoners is to punish them and put them in solitary confinement. Punishing people who are attacked is unacceptable. LGBT prisoners shouldn’t face harsher treatment simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The governor is using words to hide the truth.”

Schwarzenegger also vetoed the Civil Marriage Religious Freedom Act. Introduced by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and promoted by EQCA and the California Council of Churches, the bill redundantly protected clergy members from having to perform civil marriages that conflict with their religious beliefs, redundantly protected religious institutions from losing tax-exempt status for refusing to perform a civil marriage, and deepened the distinction in state law between religious and civil marriage by defining the latter as a civil contract that requires a state-issued marriage license.

Both of the “protections” in the bill already exist throughout the U.S., including California.

In his veto message, Schwarzenegger said: “I strongly support the rights of samesex couples to be married. ... Unfortunately, I cannot sign this bill due to the extraneous amendments that will change the term ‘marriage’ to ‘civil marriage’ within the California Family Code. Proponents of this bill argue that delineating between civil and religious marriage in statute will make the codes less confusing. However, the Family Code itself does not make a distinction between religious marriage and civil marriage.

Consequently, inserting the term ‘civil’ before the word ‘marriage’ without explanation does not make things any less confusing. By creating a distinct type of marriage within the code, I believe this measure un-

dermines the goal of marriage equality.”

EQCA’s Kors expressed exasperation over the veto message, saying Schwarzenegger didn’t understand the bill.

“The governor’s mistaken belief that religious and civil marriages are identical and that religious marriages can be regulated by the state is exactly why this bill is needed,” Kors said. “We look forward to addressing the issues set forth in this bill with our next governor who hopefully will have a legal background and a clearer understanding of the fact that California law already defines marriage as a ‘civil contract.’ We also hope that our next governor will work with legislators and sponsors of legislation to address concerns before bills reach his or her desk, so that modifications can be made during the legislative process instead of legislation needing to be brought back in subsequent years due to lack of understanding or communication from the administration.”

Leno agreed that Schwarzenegger was confused. “[T]his legislation simply would have reinforced the fact that the state can only provide a civil marriage to couples who marry,” Leno said. “The state cannot, and never will be, in the business of religious marriages.

The governor’s belief that this bill would have created a separate classification of marriage is misguided.”

The head of the California Council of Churches, the Rev. Rick Schlosser, suggested, however, that Schwarzenegger was playing dumb.

“I am absolutely shocked, stunned and angered that the governor has once again let partisan politics take precedence over our constitution, especially given the fact that the reason given for the veto is not even remotely credible,” Schlosser said.

Finally, Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have banned contracts that require a person to waive certain legal rights and procedures under hate-crime laws and would have prohibited an individual from refusing to enter into a contract because the other party refused to waive those rights.

Because of such waivers, which are sometimes found in job and residential contracts, victims of hate crimes can be forced into arbitration rather than being allowed to seek justice in court.

Schwarzenegger said: “This bill would prohibit businesses from being able to enter into contracts that require disputes to be resolved through arbitration. Arbitration has evolved into a productive and useful method for resolving disputes. It allows parties the opportunity to resolve cases faster than traditional litigation and without incurring the enormous expenses associated with going to court.”

“We look forward to addressing the issues set forth in this bill with our next governor who hopefully will have a legal background and a clearer understanding of the fact that California law already defines marriage as a ‘civil contract.’”

With assistance from Bill Kelley

Schwarzenegger vetoes three Gay-friendly bills California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed three Gay-friendly bills between September 24 and 30.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Prisoner Safety Act was designed to prevent violence in the state prison system by requiring the state to adopt national LGBT prisoner safety guidelines.

“Transgender people are 13 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in prison than non-Transgender inmates,” said Masen Davis, executive director of the Transgender

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October 8, 2010

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Celebrating 37 Years!

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Local students Seattle Central participate in nationwide president to campus: pro-LGBT chalk project “LGBT students are Heather Carter YSPP

Members of Ballard High School’s SLAM club

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On October 4, students in Ballard High School’s Students Lives Always Matter (SLAM) participated in the “You Are Loved Chalk Project,” a national effort to show support in student suicide prevention.

SLAM club president Sydney Jarol, 18, said that a collective of 10 students gathered at 7 a.m. to draw messages of hope and support with chalk on the school sidewalk. “We heard all the stories about the recent LGBT students that ended their lives,” she told SGN. “We are working to help prevent that from happening in Seattle. We participated in the You Are Loved Chalk Project to show our LGBT students that we are a welcoming community, we have love, and that we care about them.”

Jarol says that the atmosphere at Ballard High School is “fairly nice” for students.

“There is no real active bullying against LGBT students that I am aware of,” she said. “There isn’t a lot of student to student aggression.”

She did admit that every now and then, someone will write something homophobic on a school poster or say “That’s so Gay,” and that may have a negative affect on an LGBT student.

“We have to continue to educate people and let them know that anti-Gay bullying is an issue,” she said. “If we do that, then some students won’t make negative comments that are hurtful.”

According to Paul Barry, a mental health counselor at the Ballard Teen Health Center, SLAM was founded five years ago after the suicide of a popular and much-loved Bal-

lard student. Her friends turned their grief into strength and a desire to help other students who were struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. “Her friends left the school some years ago, but a dedicated and committed group of students comes forward every year to maintain and grow the club’s activities,” said Barry. “SLAM is an official Ballard High School club, and I am their faculty advisor. The group focuses on a range of social marketing strategies to combat teen suicide, based on a model developed by the Youth Suicide Prevention Program, our sponsors.”

SLAM club members do presentations in all the freshman classes, train teachers and parents, and put on a week of educational activities called Beavers Against Depression And Student Suicide (BADASS). Ballard High School’s mascot is a beaver.

Barry says that schools should influence the climate at high school to educate students that bullying and harassment can take an extremely high toll on the kids being picked on. “Encouraging an environment where all students are valued and respected will help with the emotional health of all students,” he said.

SLAM teaches a three-part process for students who are worried about a friend that is depressed: Show you care, ask if they are suicidal, and if they are – get help.

“It’s clear that teens who are thinking about killing themselves are most likely to tell a peer about their thoughts,” he said.

“We teach kids at Ballard that this is too great a problem for them to deal with on their own, so they need to get a trusted adult to help them.”

As for adults, Barry said, “The most important thing we can do is be available for teens and take their concerns seriously when they come to you for help. Think about what teens in your life you can reach out to and spend time with. Teens don’t always want to chat, but spending time together and having fun is a great way to build a relationship and offer them adult friendship that is outside the intensity of parental relationships. It’s too wrenching for most people to even contemplate that a lovely young person might be considering killing themselves, but so many teens feel isolated, sad, and alone inside that they see suicides as their only option.”

“We heard all the stories about the recent LGBT students that ended their lives.

We are working to help prevent that from happening in Seattle.”

16 Seattle Gay News

October 8, 2010

valued and welcome”

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Following the tragic death of two college students that were perceived or identified as Gay, Dr. Paul Killpatrick, president of Seattle Central Community College, wrote a letter to the community expressing his commitment and responsibility to create a safe learning environment for all students – specifically those that identify as LGBT. “Lest you believe this is ‘something that happens on other campuses,’ you should be aware that a member of Seattle Central’s Triangle Club committed suicide last year,” Dr. Killpatrick wrote in an October 4 letter sent to students and faculty alike. “Here on Capitol Hill – the heart of Seattle’s LGBT community – we may believe that harassment of LGBT students and staff does not happen. But faculty and staff routinely talk to LGBT students who report they do not feel safe.”

The Triangle Club is Seattle Central’s LGBT social club. According to Laura Mansfield, Seattle Central director of communications, the club members’ suicide remains surrounded in mystery. “He stopped participating in Triangle Club’s activities a few months before his death, and he was not well-known,” she said. “We tried to be careful not to link the student’s death to any particular cause. The truth is, we simply don’t know. However, we all know it’s not easy to be a young Gay man, even in Seattle.”

According to Campus Pride, 25% of

LGBT staff, faculty, and students reported harassment in a just-released survey. Eightythree percent identified sexual identity as the basis of the harassment.

Dr. Killpatrick said, “As an institution, we are looking at ways we can be more supportive of our campus LGBT community.”

Mansfield told SGN that Seattle Central has counselors on hand, which would be the preferred first stop for a suicidal student.

“Not every student feels safe talking with a counselor, so really, the first line of defense is faculty,” she said. “Although they are not mental health professionals, they are able to send the student in the right direction. We don’t have caretakers and doctors under our roof.”

Mansfield said that she is unaware of any recent fights or Gay-bashing incidents.

She admits that there is no designated safe zone training for LGBT students, and says, “I think it’s time we did some things to improve in the areas we are lacking. We want this to be a safe community – it is one of our greatest values.”

Killpatrick asked students and faculty to join him in making the campus a place where everyone feels safe and accepted. “To our LGBT students, staff, and faculty, please know that you are valued and welcome at Seattle Central,” he said. “If you are a student who feels threatened, please speak to a counselor in your division. Faculty and staff should speak to their supervisor or a human resources representative. Harassment or bullying will not be tolerated on our campus.”

HIV services at Juvenile Detention facility at risk in proposed budget

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer While most King County HIV services may survive budget cuts proposed by county executive Dow Constantine because they also get funding from state and federal sources, HIV services at the county’s Juvenile Detention facility are at immediate risk for termination.

His proposed 2011 budget included “significant service reductions,” Constantine told the County Council.

Constantine proposed to lay off 200 county employees and eliminate about 300 other positions from the county’s 13,000 full-time employee work force.

Among the positions scheduled for elimination is the HIV/STD specialist who serves juvenile offenders held at the county’s detention facility.

According to King County Public Health spokesperson James Apa, the position is a .35 FTE – the equivalent of 14 hours per week.

Apa estimated that the HIV/STD clinician handles between 500 and 600 patients per year.

The position provides what Apa described as “enhanced STD prevention and care services.”

“Here’s what the position does,” Apa told SGN. “They would see juveniles who show symptoms of STDs, who test positive for STDs, who ask to see a clinician for STD

testing or treatment, or who are being held on a prostitution charge.”

“We will still have primary medical care services,” Apa continued. “That would be looking at all health conditions.”

“STD needs would have to be prioritized” if the specialist is cut from the 2011 budget, Apa said.

If the proposed budget goes into effect, the remaining medical personnel at the juvenile detention facility would have to take on an increased workload to manage the 500-600 patients now handled by the HIV/ STD clinician.

“The details of how that would be managed are not known,” Apa said.

In his conversation with SGN, Apa also clarified the issue of the county’s disease control officers.

Currently one officer is specifically assigned to monitor HIV. According to Apa, that position will not be eliminated, but will be left vacant. The county would, therefore, save the salary for that position.

If other funding sources are found in the future – outside grants, for example – then it can be refunded, Apa said.

King County’s general-fund revenues for 2011 are expected to fall $60 million short of the cost of maintaining county services at current levels.

2011 will be the third straight year that general fund revenues have declined.

Celebrating 37 Years!

Dr. J: Do you know your status?

by Dr. Joanne Stekler Special to the SGN Joanne Stekler, MD, MPH, is deputy director of community services for the HIV/ STD Program at Public Health – Seattle & King County. She is also an internal medicine and infectious disease physician at Harborview Medical Center, and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington.

This is the first in a series of articles that will focus on HIV and other STD prevention and care topics for Gay/Bisexual men and Transgender individuals in Seattle & King County.

Two weeks ago, Seattle Gay News ran a front-page story (SGN, 9/24/10) about a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of HIV infection and awareness of HIV status in 8,153 men who have sex with men. This study included HIV tests and interviews with men in 21 U.S. cities – including Seattle. Key points from this study were:

• Nineteen percent of men in the study tested HIV positive, compared to 15 percent in Seattle.

• Forty-four percent of HIV-positive men were not aware they had HIV, compared to only 15 percent in Seattle.

• Of the 680 men who did not know they had HIV, almost half reported they’d had an HIV test within the last year. Only six percent of Seattle men had never tested before.

So, what do I think about these numbers?

Clearly, local Gay, Bi, Queer, and other men who have sex with men seem to be doing better than the national average. The Seattle numbers are all relatively good news and are quite similar to estimates from local Public Health.

It’s not surprising that most of the HIVpositive guys in Seattle know their HIV status. There are lots of places in Seattle to get an HIV test. You can get tested at your doctor’s office, or at the Public Health STD Clinic, or at Gay City, or at the Center for Multicultural Health. There’s even testing in the bathhouses on certain nights of the week.

But despite all these good facts, the number of new HIV infections among Gay and Bi men in Seattle hasn’t really changed over the last few years. I wish I knew why.

One reason may be that up to half of Seattle guys who get infected are exposed to HIV by someone who doesn’t know he’s HIV-positive. Like in the CDC study, someone may have been infected for a long time and never been tested. Or he may have become infected after his last test, but still thinks and tells his partners he’s HIV-negative. People are more infectious in the first weeks after getting infected because HIV levels in blood and other body fluids can be really high. It also takes several weeks for the body to make antibodies to the virus.

That’s why we encourage guys at risk to get tested regularly, and to get an RNA test if you can. You’ll hear more about RNA test-

ing in an upcoming column.

If you’re a guy who’s having sex with other guys, you should get tested every year. If in the last year, you’ve had a bacterial STD, used meth, had more than 10 partners, or had anal sex without a condom with a guy who had HIV or whose status you didn’t know, you should get tested every three months.

You can get tested at any of the places mentioned above. For hours and locations, call 206-296-4649 or go to www.kingcounty.gov/health/hiv.

What’s next? Check future Dr. J columns for more about HIV prevention and care, other STDs, and a variety of topics important to Gay and Bi men and Transgender individuals. I’ll talk about other points brought up by this study. I’ll tell you about what’s going on with syphilis in Seattle – and you’ll want to pay attention to that, I promise.

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Dino’s dollars

Jet City Hoops now registering players

Republican benefits from millions in undisclosed donations

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

courtesy jet city hoops

The Jet City Hoops display their hard-won gold medals.

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer Jet City Hoops (JCH), Seattle’s one and only LGBT basketball league, is currently registering both seasoned players and fresh meat alike for their upcoming 2010 season, beginning November 14 and going though the new year to February 27.

“It doesn’t matter what your skill level is; if you register, you’re guaranteed to play,” said Michael Coleman, co-founder of JCH. “It’s not like being in your grade school basketball team. You’re guaranteed a spot.”

“We started with eight teams in our first year. … Last year, we had 14 teams,” said Coleman.

This year, it’s likely that JCH will have an even larger amount of players and teams.

JCH is already the third-largest LGBT basketball league in the nation.

Jet City Hoops is organized into two divisions: a recreational division for newer to mid-level players, and a competitive division for more advanced players. All divisions and teams are co-ed and open to everyone.

“We’re registering for both,” Coleman told SGN. Although JCH is only in its third year, they’ve already left an enormous impression on Gay sports in Seattle – not only with their sheer number of players, but also with their participation in this year’s Gay Games, where they sent two teams and brought back a gold medal and a bronze medal, proving Seattle as a major player on the international

Gay basketball scene.

JCH had never sent a team before, and though they left for the games as one of the newest leagues to participate, came home with medals.

According to Coleman, JCH sent both a recreational team and a 35+ team. Both teams were playing every day of the games, and the recreational team took the gold, while the 35+ team took the bronze.

“London took the gold, silver went to France. We beat them [France] the day earlier, but then they beat us in the very next tournament. Then we beat Boston for the bronze,” said Coleman.

“It was really just an exhilarating experience to be a part of over 9,000 athletes from around the world,” said Coleman. “And to be representing Seattle in the Gay Games, it was just amazing.”

This year, JCH will be playing their games in a new location: the Miller Recreational Center (330 19th Ave. E) on Capitol Hill.

“Last year at SCCC, they did not allow us to bring fans in, so you couldn’t bring your partner or your friends,” Coleman told SGN. This year, however, they’ll have bleachers available, so anyone can come watch.

Registration is open until Friday, October 22. To register, simply visit JCH’s website at www.jetcityhoops.org and click on “Fall Winter Registration.” There is no cap or limit on registration, and JCH will take everyone who signs up and put them on the court.

Republican Dino Rossi’s campaign for the U.S. Senate has benefited from some $2.7 million in independent expenditure ads attacking his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Patty Murray.

Murray’s campaign has been helped by a mere $400,000 in independent expenditure ads.

The sheer volume of Republican money coming into the state is not the only difference.

The Democratic group buying ads against Rossi – Commonsense 10 – has registered with the Federal Election Commission and will disclose its donors.

The Republican groups will not.

According to federal law, anyone may run an independent expenditure campaign in an election.

The only requirement for an independent expenditure campaign is that it must be truly independent – any coordination between the independent campaign and a candidate’s own campaign organization is strictly prohibited.

“Independent” campaigns don’t have to be independent of political parties or political ideologies, they just can’t talk to the candidates’ campaign organizations about what they’re going to do.

According to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case (January 2010), corporate funding of independent political ads in candidate elections cannot be limited under the 1st Amendment. That means independent groups can spend as much money as they can raise.

PACs – political action committees – have to register with the Federal Election Commission and report who donated money to them and how much. Organizations that are organized as political “not-for-profit” corporations –501(c)4s – do not. They may raise and spend as much money as they can without disclosing who’s giving or how much.

In Washington’s Senate race, American Crossroads has purchased $1.4 million dollars worth of anti-Murray ads. American Crossroads is headed by Karl Rove, once known as “Bush’s brain,” the architect of

George W. Bush’s two successful runs for governor of Texas and two successful presidential campaigns.

American Action Network has bought $750,000 worth of ads against Murray. This group describes itself as “center-right,” but it’s headed by two very right-wing former U.S. senators: Norm Coleman of Minnesota and George Allen of Georgia.

Readers may remember that Allen was forced to drop his 2006 reelection campaign after using a racist epithet to describe an opponent’s staffer. Coleman has the distinction of being named one of the Most Corrupt Members of Congress by government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

A group somewhat ironically called Truth in Politics has run $300,000 worth of attack ads against Murray.

This group has already filed suit to prevent disclosure of its donors. Its attorney is James Bopp Jr., who represented Protect Marriage Washington in their attempt to conceal the names of Referendum 71 signers.

The National Taxpayers Union also bought $300,000 in ads against Murray, In contrast to Commonsense 10 on the Democratic side, not one of the organizations running ads for the Republican side will disclose its donors.

The same pattern is being repeated all over the country.

American Crossroads, for example, has spent $5.6 million on media buys so far. According to the Washington Post, the group plans to spend an astounding $50 million in this election cycle.

Democrats are also running independent expenditure campaigns, but Republicans are outspending Democrats by 7-1 in this category nationally. So even though Democratic candidates have an advantage in official campaign funding – the kind that has limits and disclosure requirements – this advantage is blunted by the wave of “independent” Republican cash from undisclosed sources.

As usual, Dino Rossi’s campaign was invited to comment for this story, but they did not respond.

American Action Network has bought $750,000 worth of ads against Murray. This group describes itself as “center-right,” but it’s headed by two very right-wing former U.S. senators: Norm Coleman of Minnesota and George Allen of Georgia.

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Celebrating 37 Years!

The day the world changed

coming out continued from cover

courtesy jeffrey sellers

taboo subjects never to be explored or discussed. So great was my level of repression that when anyone brought up one of these taboo subjects I would immediately shut down and become defensive to the point of anger. When my sexuality slowly began to emerge, I did everything in my power to fight it and disassociate myself from other Queer people. Luckily, with the help of some good friends and mentors, I was eventually able to open my mind and move beyond my intolerant and prudish ways. Unfortunately, despite the changes I made to myself and my eventual acceptance of my sexuality, I still perceived myself as a stuck-up prude. Despite all the changes that I had made, the image I had of myself as a terrible prude still remained.

When I approached the attendant in that Barnes & Noble about finding the Gay and Lesbian section of the store, it was with no other thought than finding a book. There was no shame in my heart, and the image of a selfish prude which had followed me for years was nowhere to be found. In mere moments, my world changed as I realized that I had openly asked for help in finding a book on a subject that had once been the utmost taboo in my mind. Quickly, I rushed to the spot he showed me and cradled the book I wanted in my arms like a precious newborn. The instant I opened my prize, my mind flashed before me, playing back everything I had seen and done during the past 10 years. With rapt attention I watched my own personal slide show and noticed at long last that the person I once was no longer existed! Just as soon as I came to this conclusion, the show ended and I found myself staring at words on a page.

Hands trembling, I closed the book and stared out the store window in awe. Amidst the beautiful sunset that covered the sky, I couldn’t help but notice that I was staring at a whole new world! As I got closer to the window I saw my face reflected on its surface. Free of shame and confident in myself, I bought my book and walked out into a brave new world.

Jeffrey Sellers

by Jeffrey Sellers Special to the SGN Everyone remembers a day when the world drastically changed for them, a moment so prolific, so intense, that it quite literally hit them like an ungodly tidal wave sweeping away everything in its path. The aftermath of these life-changing moments can either inspire or depress the soul who happens upon them. Approximately 10 days ago, while shopping in a Barnes & Noble, I had a world-changing revelation! While searching for a Queer-themed book that would allow me to edit a history project I was working on, I calmly walked up to an attendant and asked him where the Gay and Lesbian section of the store was. Now, to those who read this, that simple act may seem like nothing to write home about … but to a person like me, it was nothing short of miraculous.

To understand the relevance of my worldchanging moment, one must first understand my relationship with personal repression. Growing up in the conservative town of Pasco to a highly abusive father, I learned almost from the beginning of my life to follow orders and repress anything that didn’t fit my strict upbringing. From the time that I began to walk till eighth grade, I was taught that things like sexuality and religion were

recommends policies and legislation, brings the sexual minority communities and the larger Seattle community together through long-ranged projects, and ensures that City departments fairly and equitably address sexual minority concerns as individuals and as a protected class.

The LGBT Commission consists of 15 representative citizens of Seattle appointed by the mayor and City Council to serve in an advisory council capacity to the mayor, City Council, Seattle Office for Civil Rights, and other Seattle City departments.

Julie Nelson, director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, spoke to attendees about the city’s support for LGBTQ rights that stretch back to the 1970s. Nelson, who has worked for the City of Seattle for over 20 years and served on the boards of many non-profits and worked with many community-based organizations for race and social justice, told the audience a personal story about a job selection board where the conversation began to stray from her qualifications to whether or not she was a Lesbian.

“Since this is National Coming-Out Day,” she said, “I am proud to stand here today and tell you that I identify as a Bisexual woman. I’ve had meaningful and happy relationships with both women and men.”

Nelson concluded that, although it may no longer be common practice to focus on sexual orientation when hiring, there is still a lot of work left to be done before we reach full LGBTQ equality.

The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), the largest LGBT Chamber of Commerce in the U.S., was represented by the organization’s executive director, Louise Chernin, who spoke of the need to return services which had once existed in Seattle.

Chernin appealed to community leaders to “demand that the City of Seattle provide resources and social services for our community” and challenged the LGBTQ community to take a look at providing protections for LGBTQ seniors and to proactively pursue the planning and building of an LGBTQ Community Center.

In addition to its support of LGBT and allied businesses, GSBA sponsors a scholarship program for LGBTQ students, students of LGBT families, and straight allied students who work on civil rights. Since 1990, GSBA has awarded over $1 million to more than 300 undergraduate students in Washington state.

George Bakan, chief editor and publisher of Seattle Gay News, Seattle’s LGBT news and entertainment weekly for 37 years, used the podium to issue a call to action in supporting the many local services – Safe Schools Coalition, Youth Suicide Prevention Program’s OUTLoud project, and GLSEN – that work towards making Se-

attle school’s safe for LGBTQ teens in the wake of the recent rash of suicides that have caught the attention of the nation over the past few weeks. “We must wipe away our tears and turn our sorrow into action,” said Bakan, a community activist and leader for three decades. “There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Many of these organizations are doing great work, but could use our help in raising funds for them to continue the important outreach they provide to LGBT teens across Washington state.”

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn (D) made an appearance and told attendees that the City of Seattle fully supports their LGBTQ Employees Association and that “We are making progress in the fight for LGBT equality. Although there is still a great deal left to achieve, we can say that as a city, we are moving forward in the right direction.”

McGinn, elected in 2009, has publicly supported LGBT rights.

Marsha Botzer, a national Transgender icon and board member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, praised the City of Seattle leadership – past and present – for the dedication to Trans-inclusive rights and leading the way in the movement for a part of the community that is often ignored in other parts of the U.S. Botzer requested that people “Know your history. Educate yourself and get others involved to illuminate our movement.”

Botzer worked as a psychotherapist in private practice from 1990 to 2003 in Seattle.

She currently serves on many Boards of Directors of governmental and human rights organizations. Botzer was the principal author of the 1999 change to Seattle’s nondiscrimination ordinances. Because of her work, Seattle now prohibits discrimination based on gender identity by specifying it as a distinct protected class.

The last speaker at the event, out Lesbian and City Councilmember Sally Clark, reiterated Louise Chernin’s call for the city to provide social services and resources for the inter-sectional parts of the LGBT community. Clark’s career includes both non-profit social services and government work aimed at helping people to become their own best advocates and connecting people with government in ways that improve their lives and their communities. She has served on the Seattle City Council since 2006.

National Coming-Out Day is an internationally observed civil awareness day for coming out and the discussion of LGBT issues. The day was founded by Dr. Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary in 1988, acting on behalf of their organizations, The Experience and National Gay Rights Advocates, in celebration of the second National March on Washington for LGBT Rights one year earlier, where over 500,000 people marched on Washington, D.C. in support of equal rights.

National Coming-Out Day events are aimed at raising awareness of the LGBT community among the general populace in an effort to give a familiar face to the LGBT rights movement.

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make it better continued from cover

“They have the right to attend school free from harassment or discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

They don’t have to wait until they graduate to enjoy life or live free from harassment and discrimination. They have the power to change their school now and they should know that they are not alone. There are many other organizations like the GayStraight Student Alliance that will help to support them.”

Laub says that LGBTQ youth need adults to support their efforts to make every school

safe for every student.

“Parents, teachers, administrators, politicians, and the public can help make it better for LGBTQ youth by advocating that schools adopt and fully implement antibullying policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity, and by ensuring that teachers and administrators work to stop anti-LGBTQ bullying, harassment, discrimination, and slurs,” she said.

Laub warned that, in order for things to drastically improve for LGBTQ students nationwide, the teens need Congress to pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act. “We’re urging everyone to call their representative and senator to support both of these bills, which can prevent bullying and discrimination of LGBTQ youth in schools,” she said.

Gay-Straight Alliance Network empowers youth to fight homophobia and Transphobia in school by training youth activists and supporting student-led Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in California and throughout the country. While anti-LGBTQ bullying is an epidemic in the U.S., with 60% of LGBT students reporting that they feel unsafe in school, research shows that students with a GSA club experience less harassment and are more likely to feel safe at school. Since GSA Network began in 1998, the number of GSA clubs in California has skyrocketed from 40 to over 800, including 33 middle school GSAs.

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protection legislation, and a measure to give small aerospace companies tax benefits equal to those the state offers Boeing.

Scott, on the other hand, is neither Gay nor progressive.

She is, in fact, linked to the Tea Party. Her list of endorsers might make SGN readers cringe.

One of them is John Koster, former state Representative and current Snohomish County Council member. Koster is running for U.S. Congress against incumbent Democrat Rick Larsen (D-2).

Koster has been a vocal opponent of domestic partnership rights, and he was a supporter of the No on Referendum 71 campaign, seeking to abolish them.

His campaign manager this year is Larry Stickney, one-time president of the Washington Values Alliance (WAVA), the author of Referendum 71, and campaign manager for Protect Marriage Washington.

Another Scott supporter is former KVI talk show DJ Kirby Wilbur. Wilbur heads the Washington chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the front group used by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch to fund Tea Party organizations.

A third Scott supporter is African American minister Wayne Perryman. Perryman is perhaps best known for his quixotic endorsement of Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele as a running mate for the Republican presidential nominee in 2008.

Perryman is also the author of several articles and blog posts asserting that sexual orientation is a choice, and therefore should not be protected by civil rights laws.

Nansen Pihlaja Malin – who bills herself as the “Top Conservative on Twitter” – has also endorsed Scott.

Sen. Val Stevens (R-39) and Rep. Matt Shea (R-4) – both notoriously hostile to LGBT rights – are also supporters.

Scott is also endorsed by the NRA, the Gun Owners Action League, the Washington Farm Bureau, the Citizen’s Alliance for Property Rights, and Human Life PAC, an anti-choice organization.

Scott’s campaign manager, Megan Devere, is listed as a member of the Tea Party Patriots and the Seattle Sons and Daughters of Liberty.

SGN spoke with both Liias and Scott about the race.

Marko Liias Liias was guardedly optimistic about his campaign.

“It’s about what I expected,” he told SGN. “It’s a difficult environment for Democrats.

But when people hear about my record and my priorities, they’re fine. People just need to hear it from me.”

Liias says the main issues voters want to

hear about are jobs, the economy, public education, and senior issues.

“I have a positive message,” Liias says.

“People don’t want to hear us tearing each other down. People want to know what you’re going to do for the state.”

“My opponent doesn’t want to do anything but bash me and bash the legislature,” he added.

Asked if LGBT issues were in play in the race, Liias admitted some of his opposition might be motivated by anti-Gay bias.

“Some people feel threatened by my votes – by my strong stand for equality,” he said.

“That’s why I’ve been targeted. But I will not go down without a fight. I will go door to door to door to talk about my record.”

Elizabeth Scott Initially, Scott was hesitant to talk to SGN. “I think it’s pretty clear who you’ll be voting for,” Scott said.

Scott acknowledged that many of her supporters are anti-Gay, but she insisted she has no ill will toward the LGBT community.

“I’m not hostile to the Gay community,” she told SGN. “Some of my longtime friends are Gay. I want them to be assured I’m not hostile to the LGBT community.”

Asked if she supported equal rights for LGBT Washingtonians and their partners, Scott said simply, “I support all existing legislation.”

When asked specifically if she supported current state law on domestic partnership rights, Scott replied, “Yes, I support the existing law [on domestic partners].”

Liias was quick to point out that Scott has stated in writing that she opposes “granting same-sex domestic partners the equivalent rights and benefits of marriage.”

“She tells one crowd one thing and another crowd something else,” he said.

SGN readers can refer to Scott’s questionnaire responses at washingtonvotersguide. com.

When she was asked if she would support future expansion of LGBT rights, Scott said “No, probably not. If you’re talking about marriage, no. I don’t support anything other than marriage involving one man and one woman.”

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union members to the rally from locations all over the eastern part of the country.

Preliminary satellite estimates put the crowd size at 175,000 to 200,000.

NAACP President Ben Jealous told MSNBC before the event that he hoped it would be “an antidote to the Tea Party.”

“This march was inclusive,” Jealous told reporters afterwards. “We have seen cabdrivers come down from New York, truck drivers from Oklahoma. This is about moving the country with the spirit of unity and hope, and getting the country beyond the divisiveness.”

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Ed Schultz, host of MSNBC’s The Ed Show, served as one of the emcees for the event. Schultz harshly criticized the Tea Party.

“They talk about the Constitution, but they don’t want to live by it,” he said to loud applause. “They talk about the forefathers, but they practice discrimination. They want to change this country.”

Support rallies were also organized in a number of other cities.

In Seattle, about 500 people rallied at the Federal Building in support of the D.C. rally.

Seattle’s rally was endorsed by the NAACP, Urban League, several SEIU locals, and Pride At Work, among other organizations.

Pride At Work is an LGBT labor organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The group had been asked by One Nation organizers to convene what was called the “LGBT Table” – a coalition of LGBT organizations who agreed to mobilize their members to support the goals of the rally.

LGBT activists have leading role Pride At Work, the National Black Justice Coalition, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and the Human Rights Campaign were among more than 40 LGBT organizations that endorsed the One Nation event.

A large contingent of LGBT leaders and activists from these groups joined the One Nation rally at the Lincoln Memorial.

More than 200 LGBT activists held their

own pre-rally at Freedom Plaza, where they were joined by participants completing the D.C. AIDS Walk.

From Freedom Plaza, the LGBT contingent marched to the Lincoln Memorial carrying signs and banners promoting repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and passage of ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) to ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The National Black Justice Coalition, NGLTF, National Stonewall Democrats, and Pride at Work also sponsored a forum on October 1 at Howard University, advocating for a national “LGBTQ inclusive social justice agenda.”

Among those attending the One Nation rally was Lt. Dan Choi.

Choi carried a sign addressing LGBT teen suicide. Ongoing discrimination was responsible for the recent rash of suicides among Gay male teenagers, he told reporters.

Christine Quinn, the Lesbian speaker of New York City Council, said she was among several thousand New Yorkers attending the event.

“I just wanted to make sure my voice was added to the others today calling for a national discussion that isn’t so divisive, isn’t so full of hate and nasty rhetoric but one that is instead about what we needed right now – jobs, improved public education, fuller civil rights and equal rights for everyone,” she said.

“I came out to support the Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender communities,” one man told Italian reporters. “We want to have equality for the rights to marry across this United States. No one should have to suffer and hide in this country, because of whom they choose to build a life with.”

LGBT organizers seek unity with other groups One of the challenges for LGBT organizers was to build a working relationship with socially conservative African American clergy.

Darlene Nipper, the deputy executive director of NGLTF faced the issue head-on in her speech from the Lincoln Memorial steps.

“I stand here before you today as a proud openly Lesbian African-American woman,” Nipper said.

“I am not either black or Lesbian. I am both and much more,” she continued.

“And like you, I seek justice for all of us.

In America, justice means equal rights for everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, or ability.”

In her five-minute speech, Nipper joined most of the more than two-dozen speakers in sounding a theme of unity among all progressive groups and constituencies.

“We can no longer work in silos, whether by campaign, issue or community,” said Gregory Cendana, a Gay official with the

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, who also addressed the rally from the Memorial steps.

“There needs to be an understanding that the fight and struggle for economic justice and workers rights is the same fight and struggle for LGBT equality,” he said. “And for civil and human rights, it’s the same as the fight for immigrant justice. And access to equality and education is the same fight for the environment and green jobs.”

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, appeared on the speakers’ platform with a group of labor, environmental and education advocates, who recited broad themes of unity for a progressive agenda.

“The whole point is we’re all in this together,” she told Washington Blade reporters after the rally.

Openly Lesbian SEIU president Mary Kay Henry – sometimes called “the most powerful Lesbian in the country” – also spoke at the rally.

“October 2nd is about November 2nd,” she said, urging workers to send a message to Congress.

“Corporations are preying on our fears and using this moment to expand their profit margins,” Henry added. “This is the first recession where corporate margins are growing while wages are going down. We’re saying, ‘No more.’” Openly Lesbian AFT (American Federation of Teachers) president Randi Weingarten spoke, as well.

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