SGN Sep 10, 2010 - Section 1

Issue 37 Volume 38

Celebrating 37 Years!

FRIDAY September 10, 2010 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

MURDER JOKE p. 17

lily armani p. 25

MTV & GAGA p. 28

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

james whitely

California Supreme Court dismisses Prop 8 suit State does not have to defend Prop 8

Constance McMillen, the Mississippi high school student who sued the Itawamba, Mississippi school district after she was refused permission to bring her girlfriend as a prom date, spoke to a crowd of over 200 at Cal Anderson Park on September 9 to celebrate the ACLU of Washington’s 75th anniversary. McMillen spoke for 30 minutes about the support she received from the organization and the general public and answered questions from the audience. In her speech, McMillen said, “No information leads to ignorance, which leads to fear, which leads to violence.” She told the crowd that she plans to major in psychology with a focus on LGBT rights. McMillen ended her speech by pledging she “won’t stop being an LGBT activist until we all have equality.”

In a victory for marriage equality advocates, the California Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Prop 8 supporters seeking to force state officials to defend the ban on same-sex marriage.

The high court denied review on September 8 without comment.

Their decision means that state officials are not obligated to defend Prop 8 in court.

Lawyers for Protect Marriage – the group that sponsored Prop 8 – sought to force California’s Attorney General Jerry Brown and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to appeal federal judge Vaughn Walker’s decision that Prop 8 violates the U.S. constitution.

Brown and Schwarzenegger had refused to defend Prop 8 in Walker’s court, and said they would not appeal his decision.

The Pacific Justice Institute – a right-wing legal group – sued on behalf of Protect Marriage, asking the courts to order Brown and

SGN exclusive Story

Jamison Wieser

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Prop 8 protesters in front of the California Supreme Court

Schwarzenegger to appeal. their legal options to get the state Their suit was rejected by Cali- of California to appeal Walker’s fornia’s 3rd District Court of Ap- decision. peals on September 2. The state Supporters of Prop 8 have alSupreme Court’s action means that Prop 8 supporters have exhausted see prop 8 page 19

Rosehedge and Republican candidate Hans Zeiger Multifaith Works explains his homophobic blog posts merge hanszeiger.com

Republican candidate for Washington State Representative Hans Zeiger

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

In an interview with SGN, Republican legislative candidate Hans Zeiger backed away from homophobic articles he posted on conservative blogs.

Sort of.

Zeiger is running for the state House in the 25th Legislative District against incumbent Democrat Dawn Morrell.

On September 2, the political blog HorsesAss.org broke a story on what it called Zeiger’s “batshit crazy hate speech.”

Quoting from Zeiger’s posts on right-blogs WorldNetDaily and Intellectual Conservative, HorsesAss painted a dark picture of a religious fanatic and anti-Gay bigot.

In one excerpt, Zeiger criticized non-Christians – and even “mainstream Baptists” – as “watereddown ecumenists” who prayed to a “generic god.”

“But,” Zeiger added, “the significant difference between the kumbaya sessions and interfaith vigils

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Two of the premier organizations within the AIDS Care Continuum of Seattle, Rosehedge and Multifaith Works, are merging forces to strengthen the power of their services.

The two organizations have been see zeiger page 21 instrumental in providing services

to people living with HIV/AIDS. Rosehedge provides enhanced assisted living by providing aroundthe-clock nursing care for each resident, all meals, and supportive services. Multifaith Works provides housing and support through their Transitional Housing Program, and also offers two emosee rosehedge page 20

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Seattle Gay News

September 10, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 10, 2010

Seattle Gay News

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Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1973

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Phone: (206) 324-4297 Fax: (206) 322-7188

MEMBER

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

2010

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

Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel Miryam Gordon, James Whitely, Tim Peter Contributing Writers Rev. Barbara Allen, Mike Andrew, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Nevin Jefferson, Keen News Service, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Romeo San Vicente, Rex Wockner Classifieds Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Photographers Nick Ardizzone, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel, James Whitely National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Website Designer Barry Thorsness/Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published weekly by JT&A, Inc. © 2010, JT&A, Inc., all rights reserved. Reprints by permission.

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

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

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

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

And please play safe.

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

Duke University Republicans lose funding and charter after harassing Gay member

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Duke University’s Student Senate voted 20-3 to deprive its College Republican Club of its school funding. It also voted to deprive the Republicans of their school charter by a two-thirds majority.

At a meeting held on September 8, the senate was presented with evidence that Duke College Republicans had harassed and threatened their former club chairman, Justin Robinette, and his supporters.

Robinette said he believed he was targeted when his Republican colleagues discovered he is Gay. According to the Duke Daily Tarheel, evidence presented to the senate included “discriminatory e-mails and anonymous threatening messages.”

“I really do feel like it’s a victory for us and the Duke student body and whoever cares about harassment,” Robinette said.

“It has been such a long journey to get

here, but I am glad to feel supported. The Duke Community has shown in this action that it does not tolerate homophobic conduct.”

Robinette was impeached and removed as chairman by the College Republican Board in April.

He says it was because of his sexual orientation.

“Comments were made directly to me and my executive board before and after the meeting concerning my sexual orientation, calling me a supporter of the ‘faggot center,’ calling me ironic, calling me disgusting,” Robinette told the Daily Tarheel.

The board claimed he neglected his duties and misused the organization’s funds.

The Daily Tarheel reported that “Carter Boyle, the new chairman of the chapter, said Robinette disrespected members of the board, deliberately ignored members of UNC’s College Republicans, did not attend events, and used the organization’s funds for

It has been such a long journey to get here, but I am glad to feel supported.

The Duke Community has shown in this action that it does not tolerate homophobic conduct.

personal use.”

An observer at the impeachment meeting, former College Republican Vice-Chair Cliff Satell, said he was appalled by the unfair way in which the process was carried out.

“There was no debate, no opportunity for rebuttal,” Satell said. “It was clear backroom deal-making had been done.”

“If he wasn’t Gay, he would still be chairman,” Satell said.

The campus blog Duke.Fact.Checker called for the Duke administration, which Robinette accused of negligence in this case, to speak out on his behalf: “The depth of the bigotry Justin endured, the repetition of it, the slurs, the innuendo, the unwanted sexual e-mails – not to mention anonymous death threats – are not just an issue for students to resolve. But rather, the homophobia – as well as other discrimination by Boyle and his ilk – cry out for a response from our administration as well.”

Robinette and eight other plaintiffs were denied a hearing against the College Republicans by the student judiciary last month on allegations of harassment and discrimination.

The judiciary ruled that those allegations fell outside of their jurisdiction.

If the university’s Student Organizational Finance Committee approves the student senate’s decision by a majority vote, the ruling will stand for the next two years.

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

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Seattle Gay News

September 10, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

FORGIVE AND FORGET KEN MEHLMAN? NEVER AGAIN. As an African American male who happens to be Gay, I am very disappointed with the remarks from Senator Murray and Representative Pedersen. I will agree that being out is a risk and draws a level of scrutiny that many will never appreciate in their lives – more so when being in the public eye is part of the outcome of coming out. Senator Murray and Representative Pedersen know this all to well. What is being missed here is that this is not about coming out. For years, LGBT Americans have had to endure some of the most relentless levels of hatred not seen since the days of Jim Crow. Gays and Lesbians have been labeled as pedophiles, sinners, abominations, and not suitable for civil or human rights. Some were dismissed or fired from jobs simply because they were Gay or thought to be.

When President Clinton used the word “Gay” in a speech he gave in a state of the union speech, LGBT Americans, so longing for any recognition that did not involve further castigation of the Gay community, thought that it could not get any better than that. As it turns out, there was still quite a bit of work to do. Perhaps Senator Murray and Representative Pedersen have forgotten what life was like during the “Bush years” for LGBT Americans; perhaps they have forgotten or do not know what it is like to live in the South as an openly Gay African American male; perhaps they have forgotten what it was like to live in a state that used their constitution to further curtail the rights of Gay residents in their state – we were very lucky with Ref. 71. Perhaps they have forgotten that Mr. Mehlman was right in the middle of it all.

For once, I would love to have leaders that

would be able to step away from campaigning and being ideal and show that leadership that put them where they are today. I would like them to energize the people that believe in them and tell us that is okay to feel the anger and frustration that we have and are still feeling. I would like them to send a message to Mr. Mehlman that, while he may be Gay, what he has done is not okay and never will be. This notion to forgive and forget leaves me with a sour stomach and a belief that we are relegated to take what we have been given, but that it is not okay to shout “No.” No, you cannot ask for room at the table after destroying lives and spreading hatred. No, you cannot ask that we turn the other cheek as if it was all a big misunderstanding. I need these leaders to make it clear that we are mad as hell and we are not going to take it any more. This goes beyond letting bygones be bygones, but remembering that we have to say “Never again.” Never again for all the LGBT Americans whose lives where turned upside-down, lost their jobs and run out of town; never again to all the Gay teens that saw the anti-Gay laws come into being, felt the hatred and felt suicide was the only way out. Never again to all the LGBT Americans who had to listen to Gay slurs and Gay bashing in the workplace, but could not complain or speak up because there was no one there to listen. Never again, because we have to love ourselves more than the acceptance we are trying to find. Ultimately, Senator Murray and Representative Pedersen need to remember that all of this was possible and made a lot easier thanks to the handy work of Ken Melhman. Never again.

Violence hits Capitol Hill Transgender woman

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Seattle police are investigating a case of malicious harassment after a group of men hurled anti-Gay slurs and threw rocks at a Transgender woman on Capitol Hill last week.

Malicious harassment is Washington’s hate crime statute.

According to a Seattle Police Department report, East Precinct officers responded to a call from a Transgender woman and her friend at Broadway and E. Union on September 2, around 3:30 a.m.

The report raises more questions than it answers. Unfortunately, most of the information – such as the exact location of the incident and who, exactly, was involved – was redacted from the hard copy of the report.

According to SPD officer David Burrows, when he responded to the malicious harassment call, he noted that the victim and her friend were intoxicated. The victim told Burrows that while inside a business (one can only guess a gas station, bar, or nightclub, based on the time the incident

occurred) at the 1500 block of Broadway, she was approached by an unknown female who accompanied the suspected assailants.

The woman asked the victim, “What is your name?” The victim responded, “You don’t need to know my name.”

One of the four suspects then said, “Damn, those legs.” According to the victim, the four men had been trying to hook up with her. She told officer Burrows that she assumed when the men found out that she was a Transgender woman, the suspect screamed, “Show your pussy if you’re a real girl!” The suspects then yelled, “Faggot, faggot Transsexual!”

The victim and her friends told officers that they decided to leave the situation by walking outside the business because “they didn’t want any problems.” According to the police report, the suspect kept yelling epithets at the victim. As they were standing on the street, the four suspects walked by and threw rocks at them.

The victim and her friend weren’t injured.

The suspects took off, and officers weren’t able to find them. Police took several rocks as evidence.

Chris Porter LGBT American Mad as hell Seattle, WA

Young Gay men fueling HIV epidemic

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The HIV epidemic in Europe – largely in the UK – is being fueled by the risky behavior of a subset of the Gay community: young white males.

Research published in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases has found that public messages and campaigns about the dangers of unsafe sex do not appear to be getting through to these men.

To try and understand this phenomenon, researchers from Ghent University in Belgium compared the genetic information of viruses isolated from more than 500 patients – male and female, Gay and straight, Caucasian and non-Caucasian – who were newly diagnosed at an HIV screening clinic between 2001 and 2009. Their aim was to pinpoint factors contributing to the local spread of HIV in order to inform the development of regional prevention strategies.

“Using genetic profiling techniques we were able to group viruses into ‘clusters’ of highly related variants,” said lead researcher Dr. Chris Verhofstede. “Clusters of viruses are indicative for the local onward transmission of this particular viral strain. We defined more and larger clusters amongst HIV subtype B viruses compared to the non-B viruses.”

Type B virus is not the cluster that is most prevalent in Africa, a continent that has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS. Those infected, Verhofstede and his researchers found, are almost all white, male, Gay, and young. The men also tend to have other sexual diseases, such as syphilis, which suggests that they are involved in unsafe sexual behavior and are not using condoms.

The Health Protection Agency, which monitors HIV numbers in the UK, warns every year of the rising rate of infections among men who have sex with men. In 2009, the Health Protection Agency said that the rate of infection among Gay men remained high, even though there had been a slight overall drop.

While it may be true that HIV infection can go unnoticed for years, the Health Protection Agency report states that one in five of those diagnosed had become infected within the previous six months – suggesting risky sexual behavior.

The report concludes, “We clearly demonstrate that, despite the existence of prevention programs, easily available testing facilities and a supposedly broad public awareness of the infection and its possible routes of transmission, men who have sex with men account for a majority of local onward transmissions. Continuous efforts to sustain preventing programming targeting men who have sex with men are definitely needed.”

Those infected ... are almost all white, male, Gay, and young. The men also tend to have other sexual diseases, such as syphilis, which suggests that they are involved in unsafe sexual behavior and are not using condoms.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 10, 2010

Seattle Gay News

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INTERNATIONAL ministry of justice

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer

Great Britan’s minister for prisons and probation, Crispin Blunt

Conservative British MP comes out Foreign Minister denies being Gay Conservative British Member of Parliament Crispin Blunt, the government’s minister for prisons and probation, announced August 28 that he has separated from his wife of 20 years so he can embrace being Gay. A statement issued by his office said: “Crispin Blunt wishes to make it known that he has separated from his wife Victoria. He decided to come to terms with his homosexuality and explained the position to his family. The consequence is this separation.

There is no third party involvement, but this is difficult for his immediate and wider family and he hopes for understanding and support for them. The family do not wish to make any further public comment and hope that their privacy will be respected as they deal with these difficult private issues.”

Blunt, 50, is a former Army officer. He has been an MP since 1997.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Minister William Hague released a statement September 1 denying that he’s been having an affair with a 25-year-old male assistant, who nonetheless resigned because of what Hague called “untrue and malicious allegations” that the two are involved.

Hague, 49, acknowledged that he and the adviser, Christopher Myers, had “occasionally” shared a hotel room during the election campaign.

“In hindsight I should have given greater consideration to what might have been made of that, but this is in itself no justification for allegations of this kind, which are untrue and deeply distressing to me, to [my wife] Ffion and to Christopher,” Hague said.

“Any suggestion that his appointment was due to an improper relationship between us is utterly false, as is any suggestion that I have ever been involved in a relationship with any man,” he said.

Tasmanian Parliament

moves to recognize foreign Gay unions The Australian state of Tasmania’s lower house of Parliament, the House of Assembly, voted September 1 to recognize official same-sex unions and marriages that take place elsewhere in the nation or world.

The measure now moves to the upper house, the Legislative Council.

Australia does not allow same-sex marriage but three states and the Australian Capital Territory have same-sex partner registration schemes. Those partnerships also are recognized by the federal government for purposes of all spousal entitlements associated with marriage.

The Tasmanian bill will recognize overseas same-sex marriages only as state civil partnerships, not marriages, because Australian federal law explicitly bans recognition of foreign same-sex marriages.

New South Wales passes Gay adoption bill The Legislative Assembly of the Australian state of New South Wales, where Sydney is located, passed a bill to legalize adoption by same-sex couples September 2.

The vote was 46-42, following two days of debate.

The measure permits church-affiliated adoption agencies to continue to discriminate against Gay couples without fear of prosecution.

One other state, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory allow Gay couples to adopt together. The bill now moves to the upper house, the Legislative Council.

Derry sees first pride parade Some 5,000 people took part in the first Gay pride parade in Derry, Northern Ireland, on August 28. The procession traveled from Waterside Railway Station to Guildhall Square. About 20 people gathered around Duke Street to protest the march.

With assistance from Bill Kelley

NATIONAL

NEWS

California Senate condemns Ugandan bill and U.S. religious groups The California Senate passed a resolution August 30 condemning the pending bill in Uganda that would jail Gays for life and punish some with the death penalty. The vote was 21-14.

Introduced by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and sponsored by Equality California, the resolution also “calls upon the United States Department of State to increase efforts to encourage the decriminalization of homosexuality in every country” and “encourages a more careful review of all United States funding and resources given to faith-based organizations in foreign countries” to ensure that U.S. money does not go to groups that disrespect human rights.

The resolution says that “some United States-based religious leaders have been fomenting fear and discrimination against the ... LGBT community in Uganda” and that “the links between some United Statesbased religious groups and the antigay bill ... have been well-documented.”

“There is a growing movement, supported and funded by some United States-based religious groups, to further criminalize homosexuality globally,” the resolution states.

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer “The Senate calls upon the United States Department of State to censure American citizens and organizations who contravene American foreign policy by demonstrated exportation of fear and misinformation to other countries....”

EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors commented: “The U.S. government must do everything in its power to stop the bill before the Uganda [parliament] that would lead to the criminalization and even death of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Ugandans. The California Senate has taken an important step in passing this resolution, which will help raise awareness of the crisis in Uganda and will put the state on record in support of the U.S. government strengthening its efforts to end the criminalization of LGBT people worldwide.”

Leno added: “It is egregious that radical religious leaders from our nation are working to spread fears about and discriminate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people in Uganda. These deplorable actions have encouraged violence and even death against Ugandans. This resolution is a simple human rights appeal urging President Obama and our federal leaders to call for the decriminalization of LGBT people, not only in Uganda, but across the globe.”

Uganda’s “Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009” would imprison for life anyone convicted of “the offense of homosexuality,” punish “aggravated homosexuality” (repeat offenses or having Gay sex while being HIV-positive) with the death penalty, forbid “promotion of homosexuality” and incarcerate Gay-rights defenders, and jail individuals in positions of authority for up to three years if they fail to report within 24 hours the existence of all LGBT people or sympathizers known to them.

With assistance from Bill Kelley

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Seattle Gay News

September 10, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

On Monday, September 13, from 7-9:30 p.m., Puddletown Squares kicks off their fall mainstream square dance class at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 111 NE 80th St., just north of Greenlake and west of I-5. compiled by Rick McKinnon The class will meet every Monday for 20SGN Staff Writer 22 weeks. The first three classes are FREE, so you can give the classes a try. The cost VELOCITY DANCE CENTER well as face an increased risk of harassment for the entire session is $150, with monthly FALL KICK-OFF EXTRAVAGANZA at school, drug and alcohol use, and of being payment plans available. www.puddletownOn September 10-12 at Velocity Founders the victims of physical violence. Queer and squares.com.

Theater (1621 12th Ave.), Velocity Dance Transgender youth are also over-represented Center will hold their Fall Kick-Off Extrav- in the juvenile justice system and in systems PRISM COMICS QUEER PRESS aganza benefit. At 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, of state care, where policies and practices GRANT DEADLINE and Sunday night, an eclectic mix of some often don’t meet the most basic safeguards.

The Prism Comics Queer Press Grant was of Seattle’s most talented and charismatic Educators, health providers, service organi- established by Prism to assist in the publicachoreographers (and two from Japan) come zations, and state agencies often lack confi- tion and promotion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisextogether to benefit Velocity Dance Center, dence and competency to help and address ual, and Transgender comics. “The Queer the hub of contemporary dance in Seattle. structural issues related to gender and sexu- Press Grant continues to be one of the most Friday, September 10: Shannon Stewart + ality. significant grants dedicated to supporting Jody Kuehner, Paige Barnes, Alice Gosti, For more information on the workshops, independent comic books,” says Justin Hall, Michele Miller, Salt Horse, Yukio Suzuki. contact Rev. Ray Neal, pastor, Emerald City Prism’s Talent Relations Chair. “The Grant Saturday, September 11: Amy O / tiny rage, MCC Seattle, at 206-325-2421 or 206-325- is given to a cartoonist, comics writer/artist Donald Byrd / Spectrum, Jurg Koch, Stimu- 2421. ECMCCS meets for worship on Sun- or team working on a project with LGBT late Dance, Ratna Roy, Zan Yamashita + days at 11:00 AM in the Chapel at Univer- characters or themes, to assist them in pubEzra Dickinson. Sunday, September 12: sity Temple UMC, 1415 NE 43rd St. lishing a new project or expanding an existKristin Hapke, Marissa Niederhauser, Chering one. Since 2005, the annual Grant has donna and Lou, Can Can Castaways, Aliprovided recipients with a substantial sum FRIENDS OF anna Jaqua, Khambatta Dance Company, of money, which has varied according to our THE CONSERVATORY Pat Graney Company. (Artists are subject to fundraising efforts; for the past two years, FALL PLANT SALE change.) Tickets are $16 for each night.

On Saturday, September 11, from 10 a.m. we have awarded $2000, our highest Grant On Saturday, September 11 from 6-7:30 to 3 p.m. at Volunteer Park (1400 East Gal- amount, and hope to continue to increase the p.m., there will be a pre-show wine tasting er St.), the Friends of the Conservatory in amount with the generosity of our donors.” at 12th & Olive Wine Co. $20 suggested do- Volunteer Park are having their annual Fall This year’s QPG deadline is Wednesnation, $30 for wine tasting and show. Pro- Plant Sale. Located on the lawn across from day, September 15. For a full breakdown ceeds benefit the Velocity Forever Capital the Conservatory, the Fall Plant Sale will be of the Grant’s guidelines and to fill out an Campaign. For more information, visit ve- selling plants featured in the Conservatory, application, go to prismcomics.org/grant. locitydancecenter.org. as well as specimens from the ConservaSTOLI TASTEFUL tory’s own collection. Afterward, step into STRAWBERRY THEATRE COCKTAIL CONTEST the Conservatory and pay a visit to the Gift WORKSHOP PRESENTS On Wednesday, September 15, from 5:30Shop for 20% off all containers.

BREAKING THE CODE For more information, visit www.volun- 7:30 p.m. at Columbia Tower Club (701 5th Running Thursdays, Fridays, and Satur- teerparkconservatory.org.

Ave.), the Greater Seattle Business Associadays at 7:30 p.m. at Erickson Theatre Off tion presents the Stoli TASTEful Cocktail Broadway (1524 Harvard Ave.) through Contest. Kick off the beginning of TASTE SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: October 9, Strawberry Theatre Workshop by attending this year’s cocktail contest!

ALOHA HAWAIIAN presents Breaking the Code, a play about the Come vote for the best cocktail, bartender CULTURAL FESTIVAL life of Alan Turing, the British mathematical On Sunday, September 12, from 11 a.m. and decor – the winning cocktail will be the genius and Gay man, considered the father to 7 p.m. at Center House and Mural Am- signature drink at the TASTE of GSBA – of the modern digital computer, who is cred- phitheatre (Seattle Center, 305 Harrison Come Fly With Us. This year’s contenders ited with breaking the Nazis Enigma code St.), Seattle Center Festál: Aloha Hawai- are BARRIO Capitol Hill, Broadway Grill, during World War II. ian Cultural Festival provides a feast for The Chapel, The Lobby Bar, Pan Pacific Tickets through September 25: $10, Sep- the senses as visitors journey through the Hotel, Poppy, Rosebud Restaurant & Bar, tember 30-October 9: $30 general, $15 stu- sights, sounds and tastes of Hawaii with Sazerac, Sorrento Hotel, The Space Needent/senior, $15 for Thursday performanc- Hawaiian music and hula, workshops, Ha- dle, Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, and es. For tickets, call 800-838-3006. For more waiian crafts, keiki-activities, exhibits and Urbane. Admission is a bottle of fine wine information, visit www.strawshop.org. ono food. Join many of the over 50,000 Ha- valued at $50 or more (to be auctioned at waiian Islanders who call Washington their the 2010 TASTE of GSBA - Come Fly With GAY CITY UNIVERSITY home as they share their homeland’s color- Us).

On Saturday, September 11 from 8 a.m. to ful history. The 2010 Festival features local To register, call the GSBA office at 2064 p.m. at the Northwest School (1415 Sum- halau and Hawaiian music groups, hands-on 363-9188 or email event@thegsba.org. mit Ave.), Gay City University is going back lei making and lauhala weaving workshops, in session. Sharpen your pencils, get out and Hawaiian craft vendors. Learn more POZSEATTLE your backpacks, and choose your best back- about Hawaii’s history with Hawaiian hisBACK-TO-SCHOOL SOCIAL to-school outfit, because Gay City Univer- tory documentaries and exhibits. Visitors On Wednesday, September 15, from 6-8 sity is back. Learn more about aging, finan- will also experience a day in the life of an p.m. at the Cuff (13th & Pine), POZSeattle cial strategies for Gay men, dating, film and ancient Hawaiian with the Hawaiian Living will hold their annual Back-To-School Sotheater, holistic medicine, fitness/exercise, History exhibit where visitors can taste poi, cial. Meet on the outside patio for grilled Gay/Bi history, politics, literature and writ- learn to chant, and view ancient Hawaiian burgers, chicken, dogs (veggie fare, too) ing, home interiors, pop culture, arts and artifacts. Special guests this year include and all the fixings. This event is free, except crafts, relationships, sexuality and erotica, award winning ukulele players Herb Ohta, for the cost of beverages from the bar (dogardening, travel, career development, and Jr. and Keoki Kahumoku as well as world- nations are always welcomed) and is for all much more! Enrollment is $20 and includes renowned Grammy Award Winning slack- HIV-positive men and their friends, regardlunch. Scholarships are available. less of age, shape, size, or color. key guitar player Cyril Pahinui.

Gay City Health Project is a multiculPOZSeattle is a social organization run for For more information, visit www.seattletural Gay men’s health organization and the center.com. and by Seattle-area HIV-positive guys that leading provider of HIV and STD testing is committed to planning and promoting fun in King County. Our mission is to promote social activities. www.pozseattle.org.

MARIJUANA REFORM Gay and Bisexual men’s health and prevent PUBLIC FORUM HIV transmission by building community, SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN On Sunday, September 12 from 7-9 p.m. at fostering communication and nurturing Seattle Town Hall (1119 8th Ave.), there will BOOK CLUB AT DUNSHEE HOUSE self-esteem.

The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club be a public forum for “Where Is Marijuana Reform Heading?” The ACLU of Wash- meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at DunECMCCS ington presents a discussion on the history, shee House (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas PRIDE CAR WASH current status, and future of marijuana-law St.). All GLBTQ folks in the community are On Saturday, September 11, from 9 a.m. reform in Washington and the United States. welcome to participate in this FREE book to 3 p.m. at C.C. Attle’s (1501 East Madison Local and national panelists include travel club. The book for September will be PorStreet), Emerald City Metropolitan Com- writer Rick Steves; Keith Stroup, founder trait of the Addict as a Young Man by Bill munity Church Seattle will hold its annual of and legal counsel to the National Orga- Clegg. Get ready to learn the real ferocity PRIDE Car Wash. Suggested donation: $5- nization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws; of addiction, as a very human young man $10. Proceeds will go to the church’s “Let Washington state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles; tells you about his battle. It’s harrowing and Our Light Shine” fund which will be used to Rob Kampia, co-founder and executive di- gorgeously written, and by the time you finpresent two community workshops during rector of the Marijuana Policy Project; and ish it, you realize it’s also a work of art. For October’s LGBT History Month and Com- Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive more information, e-mail nickdimartin@ ing OUT Month activities. These work- director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Mod- earthlink.net or contact Dunshee House at shops are ECMCCS’s attempt to bridge erated by ACLU-WA Drug Policy Director 206-322-2437. the gap between need and required actions Alison Holcomb. by adults to offer real hope and help to our LGBTQ ELDER SUMMIT For more information, please visit www.

Queer youth. Research indicates that Queer aclu-wa.org.

On Thursday, September 16, from 8 a.m.and Transgender young people are more 2 p.m., Senior Services presents an LGBTQ than four times as likely to have attempted Elder Summit, with keynote speaker, MarPUDDLETOWN SQUARES suicide in the past year than their peers, as garethe “Grethe” Cammermeyer, at Asian MAINSTREAM CLASS BEGINS

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September 10, 2010

Counseling & Referral Services, 3639 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S. This forum is a collaboration of elders, aging service providers, community members, funders and activists supporting LGBTQ aging. The morning session will highlight experiences in “Serving LGBTQ Elders Today and in the Future.” After lunch, the afternoon panel will address “Moving Forward: The Future of LGBTQ Aging.” Grethe Cammermeyer will make closing remarks.

To register, visit www.seniorservices.org, email eldersummit@seniorservices.org or call 206-448-5757.

QUEER PARENT NETWORKING DINNER On Thursday, September 16, from 6-8 p.m. at El Centro de la Raza (2524 16th Ave. S.), Northwest Network will hold their Queer Parent Networking Dinner. This is a monthly dinner to meet other LGBTQ families and parents and talk about parenting and other issues that are affecting your lives. It is open to ALL Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian, Gay, Two-Spirited, Queer, and Questioning families, including co-parents, and people who have a significant role in the life of a child.

RSVP to DeAnn at (206) 568-7777 or deann@nwnetwork.org. You may subscribe to the list by sending e-mail to northwestnetwork-subscribe@lists.riseup.net RADICAL WOMEN RUMMAGE SALE On Saturday, September 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, September 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at New Freeway Hall (5018 Rainier Ave. S.), Radical Women will hold their giant rummage sale. Thousands of items, including house wares, sports equipment, collectibles, furniture, books, and clothing. On Sunday, everything is halfprice 10 a.m. to noon, and all you can fit in a bag for $2 from noon to 3 p.m.

To donate rummage, volunteer or for more information, call 206-722-6057, 722-2453, or e-mail RWFSPRummageSale@gmail. com.

TELENY AND CAMILLE BOOK RELEASE PARTY On Saturday, September 18, at 7 p.m. at the BottleNeck Lounge (2328 Madison St.), there will be a release party for Jon Macy’s graphic novel Teleny and Camille. The book is an adaptation of the anonymous Gay erotic novel Teleny, published in London in 1893 and attributed to Oscar Wilde and his circle of writers and poets.

RUMMAGE FOR RECOVERY On Sunday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Dunshee House (303 17th Ave. E.), SHIFT – A Peer Recovery Network will hold their Rummage for Recovery, a fundraiser for the Capitol Hill Alano Club.

Includes BBQ and goodies all day. Creative arts project will take place inside from noon-3 p.m.

SOJOURNER TRUTH MINISTRIES STONE SOUL GATHERING FAMILY BBQ On Sunday, September 19 at noon at El Centro de la Raza (2524 16th Ave. S.), the Sojourner Truth Ministries Christian United Church will hold their Stone Soul Gathering and Family Day BBQ. This is an annual summer community event in appreciation of fellowship in the spirit. Everyone is welcome! This is a great way to meet others while having great food and fun.

For more information, visit www.sojournertruthministries.org.

OUTLOUD PROGRAM PRESENTS YOU ARE NOT ALONE On Tuesday, September 21 from 6-9 p.m. at Richard Hugo House (1634 11th Ave.), the Youth Suicide Prevention Program’s OUTLoud program presents: You Are Not Alone,a YSPP video spotlighting the lives of three local LGBTQ youth, risk for suicide, self-harm, and depression, and how to intervene with a suicidal youth. Hosted by Aleksa Manila, with special guest Ed Murray. Enjoy a screening of the film, a youth panel and discussion, a silent auction, and food and drink. Suggested $25 donation at the door.

Seattle Gay News

7

The constitutionality of religious freedom and Gay marriage

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

sacramento bee

The fight over the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 rages on. Last month, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled in Perry v. Schwarzenegger that defining marriage as the union of one woman and one man in the California Constitution does, in fact, violate the U.S. Constitution.

Until that day, every court had rejected the argument that there is a “right” to same-sex marriage under the U.S. Constitution.

The legal decision is just one small blip on the marriage equality radar. Immediately after Judge Walker’s August 6 ruling, some religious leaders warned that it could wind up putting a gag on Christians speaking out about homosexuality – a gag that some conservative denominations say they will not take.

What has got these denominations so upset? One portion of Judge Walker’s 136page decision where he found that “Religious beliefs that Gay and Lesbian relationships are sinful or inferior to heterosexual relationships harm Gays and Lesbians.”

Mathew Staver, dean of the Liberty University Law School and chairman of the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, said Walker’s finding is shocking, and, if upheld, would have ominous implications for Christians wanting to present the Bible’s position on homosexuality.

“It’s an astounding statement by a judge, and if that finding were to be upheld, it would criminalize Christian beliefs, because the Bible and Christian beliefs historically have clearly indicated that homosexuality is sex outside of marriage – and is contrary to God’s design,” Staver told CNSNews.com. “For this judge to say that Christian beliefs contrary to homosexuality are actually harmful – what that essentially says is that if that’s the case, then you’ve got to change your religious beliefs, and if you don’t, you’re going to be penalized as a result. That is a very dangerous aspect of this court decision.”

Staver declined an interview by Seattle Gay News. However, Mary McAlister, senior litigation counsel for Liberty Counsel, commented, “This is a classic case of judicial activism. The Constitution is unrecognizable in this opinion. This is simply the whim of one judge. It does not reflect the Constitution, the rule of law, or the will of the people. I am confident this decision will be overturned.”

Judge Walker is said to have based his finding that religious beliefs “hurt” Gays and Lesbians on testimony of witnesses produced by the plaintiffs and on quotations from documents from the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention,

religious freedom, we’d be the first to sue to vindicate those religious freedom rights.”

Denis Dison, Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund vice president of external affairs, said that the argument over whether or not Prop 8 should be decided based upon religious fervor would produce “false arguments.”

“Many LGBT Americans are religious, and many mainstream religious denominations are welcoming and accepting of their LGBT brothers and sisters,” he told SGN. “Last month, openly Gay California State the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the Senator Mark Leno spearheaded a bill that Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church- specifically protects religious institution and Missouri Synod. clergy who do not want to marry same-sex

Judge Vaughn Walker

couples. That’s a clear sign of our commuSENATE BILL 906 nity’s commitment to freedom of religion.”

James Esseks, director of the AmeriOn August 19, the California Ascan Civil Liberties Union sembly passed Senate Bill 906 (ACLU) LGBT Project, that clarifies that no clergy told SGN, “The Prop would be forced to per8 case is about civil form any civil marmarriage – the state riage that is against granting marhis or her belief riage licenses to system. people. The fact The Civil that the state Marriage Relimarries some gious Freedom people, or even Act, authored divorces others,

by Leno, reafdoes not mean firms the sepaany religion has ration of church to respect either and state. In addithe marriage or the tion to strengthening divorce.” religious freedom in Esseks added that the state statute, SB 906 also ACLU “values religious freeclarifies the difference between dom, and if allowing same-sex couples civil and religious marriage in state law to marry unconstitutionally interfered with and protects churches from losing their taxexempt status if they refuse to perform any civil marriage.

“This bill simply affirms that California is a diverse state, and that we can all co-exist and make space for each others’ beliefs without compromising the tenets of any religious group or individual,” said Senator Leno. fun. social. activities.

With the recent federal court ruling, we p o s i t i v e. m e n. a n d. t h e i r. f r i e n d s. know that marriage for same-sex couples in California is on the horizon. Under the Civil Marriages Religious Freedom Act, churches and clergy members who fear their religious views are threatened by marriage equality will have clear and solid protections under state law. In addition, churches that welcome same-sex couples will continue to fully recognize those families within their faith.”

Religious freedom is the freedom to assemble for worship, to be able to promote one’s religious views. Religious freedom, like all freedoms, has some limitations, based on the laws of the land.

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THE “FREEDOM” TO BELIEVE Opponents of marriage equality have continually claimed that allowing samesex marriage couples to marry will force clergy to violate the tenets of their faith.

Even though many of the claims have been deemed false, the hate speech and fear that

some statements perpetuate have the potential to do harm.

Still, with all of the anti-Gay and antimarriage-equality speech out there, the LGBT community has found solace in many open and affirming congregations. One such ministry is the Metropolitain Community Churches (MCC). Formed in 1968, MCC became the world’s first church group with a primary, positive ministry of LGBT persons.

Reverend Dr. Neil G. Thomas told SGN there are no legal dangers for ministries to become involved in litigation such as the Prop 8 federal case. “The law enables churches to use their 501(c)(3) status to educate and advocate around public policy. It is able to comment on propositions and propose ways in which its members might vote on propositions.”

Reverend Thomas says that MCC does not believe that Judge Walker’s decision would pose a threat to religious freedoms.

“Proposition 8 specifically had language that protected religious organizations from marrying anyone whom their communities did not want to marry, as it is now. A Roman Catholic does not permit divorcées to marry in their church and Mormons only allow other Mormons to marry one another. A religious organization has always had the right to refuse or permit a religious marriage. We are talking about civil marriage.”

Religious freedom is the freedom to assemble for worship, to be able to promote one’s religious views. Religious freedom, like all freedoms, has some limitations, based on the laws of the land. According to Reverend Thomas, hate speech should be one of those limitations.

“There are many dangers, specifically the increased danger of violence, both religious and physical. There is a mindset among many that it is acceptable to harass, oppress, and abuse LGBT people,” Thomas told SGN. “There has been an increased statistic in the case of hate crimes which could have a link to increased anti-Gay rhetoric from conservative ministries, and it has been suggested that this is justified because one is doing ‘God’s work.’ Suicide among teenage youth dealing with sexuality issues has increased, and this increase is mostly among youth who are, or whose families are, religious conservative. Many LGBT persons continue to grapple with their sexuality and spirituality as a direct result of their religious experience and leads to addiction, low self-esteem, and destructive behaviors associated therein.”

“Hate begets hate. Injustice begets injustice. This is what today’s church is all too often known for,” said author Dr. Jallen Rix, who suffered at the hands of the ex-Gay movement leaders when he was in college.

“Of course, no one is perfect, and as humans we all have our weaknesses and mistakes, but sadly, the church, it seems, has long forgotten that love begets love.”

Rix told SGN that Judge Walker’s ruling does not pose a threat to religious freedom at all. “Proposing this is a fear-based scare tactic by fundamentalists, which are actually the real threat to religious freedom.

Christian fundamentalists want to impose their beliefs about marriage on everyone in this country – even to the extreme of trying to get their views incorporated into the U.S. Constitution.”

“Judge Walker is simply upholding the right for everyone to be treated justly and fairly under the law,” he added. “What churches decide to do behind their own closed doors is their business and their American freedom as citizens, but no one has the right to impose their religious views on anyone else.”

Rix says that religious freedom is the American standard that anyone can believe and behave in accordance to their beliefs.

“Where it gets really subtle is the ‘freedom’ part. When children are brought up in a particular religious belief system, have they ever really been given the ‘freedom’ to choose what they believe in? Most times not, and that’s too bad. I think there are a lot of people who go through life believing certain things that have been spoon-fed to them and they’ve never taken the time to really understand spirituality and decide for themselves what they believe. That’s not freedom of religion. That’s unconscious conformity.”

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Seattle Gay News 15

CHAC throws thank-you BBQ

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer

a thank-you barbeque at Volunteer Park to thank the community for reaching out in the Capitol Hill Alano Club Alano Club’s “Staying Alive Campaign.”

Thank-You BBQ “On behalf of the Board of Directors, September 12 thank you for all the service you have done 1-5 PM and are doing,” said Greg M., President of Volunteer Park the Board of the Alano Club.

The Capitol Hill Alano Club (CHAC), a CHAC is an organization dedicated to substance abuse support network, is holding providing a safe place for Seattle’s LGBT

community in recovery. CHAC holds multiple weekly meetings that support 12-step groups and provide a safe and permanent meeting place for LGBT people.

According to CHAC officials, due to expensive maintenance and various problems with the space they rent, along with a decline in fundraising, the organization was put in a dangerous place – if CHAC was unable to raise $15,000 by August 1, they’d have had to shut their doors for good.

They raised $26,723.

The community came out in droves to CHAC fundraisers, spearheaded by local drag queen Aleksa Manila, who works in the recovery community, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Abbey of St.

Joan and the Order of Benevolent Bliss of Portland, as well as other members of the community. CHAC also received many contributions through the mail and online from members of the community.

The CHAC “Thank-You BBQ” at Volunteer Park on Sunday, September 12, will run from 1-5 p.m. by the Rose Garden and Conservatory. The event is free.

“The board hopes that you will join us in a celebration of the Capitol Hill Alano Club,” said Greg M. “The Club is alive and moving into a fabulous future because of you!”

CHAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reaching out to Seattle’s LGBT community in recovery. For more information, visit www.chacseattle.org.

Riots delay adventures in Africa

by Barry Thorsness SGN African Correspondent

This week, we were delayed in our travels to Maputo, Mozambique and the wonderful beaches and blue-green waters of the Indian Ocean by the riots in the city.

As reported by the Guardian: “Police in Maputo opened fire on stone-throwing mobs who were protesting against rising food prices on Wednesday, killing seven people.

“The United Nations noted that international food prices have risen to their highest in two years – a level that could see unrest spread.

“Police had declared the marches illegal,

saying no group sought permission to hold them. Word had been passed around for days in the former Portuguese colony in southeast Africa that there would be demonstrations.

“Thousands of people – mostly young men – turned out. They lined the streets of Bagamoyo, a crowded, impoverished neighborhood just north of downtown Maputo. As they moved into the city centre, they burned tires and looted shops and warehouses. Protests were also reported in other areas of the capital.”

Bus service was halted, and we were finally able to leave Johannesburg on September 7. We look forward to sharing our experiences in Maputo next week.

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Tea Party scrambles over jokes about Matthew Shepard murder courtesy spokesman review

a rail fence, and left for dead by his killers.

Speaking to Great Falls Tribune reporters, Ravndal said that when he posted his comment, he had not made the connection to Shepard’s murder.

Once he understood, he claimed, he was shocked and deleted the thread.

“I wasn’t even thinking about the tragedy that happened in Wyoming,” Ravndal said. “I made a mistake and I apologize to anyone I offended. I do not condone violence to any human being.”

He elaborated on his explanation in the Helena Independent Record on September 7.

“I hit the ‘Remove’ button so quick,” Ravndal told Independent Record reporters. “I was sickened to look at it.”

He described Shepard’s murder as indescribable and tragic.

“I wish my apology could have been directed to the family of Matthew,” he said.

Nevertheless, former Big Sky Tea Party president and current acting board chair Roger Nummerdor acted quickly to remove Ravendal once his comments came to light on September 3.

The Tea Party’s board met on September 5, and voted 4-0 with one abstention to remove Ravndal from his leadership position and expel him from the party.

The group also issued a statement condemning “overt bigotry.”

In a telephone interview with the Independent Record, Nummerdor said the comments were unfortunate, and that he hoped they don’t reflect on the Big Sky Tea Party Association as a whole.

“We’re hoping it doesn’t reflect on us at all because we don’t condone that type of comment,” he said. “It’s just not the way we think. We try to keep ourselves on task and only do a very limited mission statement.

With those statements that Tim had made it

Tim Ravndal

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Big Sky Tea Party Association of Montana is on the brink of civil war after its president was tossed out of the group for posting an egregiously homophobic remark on a Facebook page.

Big Sky Tea Party President Tim Ravndal posted the comment on July 23, on a thread discussing an ACLU lawsuit demanding rights for same-sex couples.

On the thread, another commenter – Dennis Scranton, who Ravndal identified as a Tea Party activist from Miles City – wrote, “I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Call Wyoming for display instructions.”

Ravndal then asked where he could get the instruction manual.

“Hanging fruits” and “Wyoming” are obvious references to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, who was beaten, hung up on

kind of really put him out there in left field from us. We had to do something.”

Nummerdor said the Matthew Shepard connection occurred to him as soon as he read about Wyoming and hanging fruits.

Jim Walker, chairman of the Big Sky Tea Party Association board, was out of town when the Ravndal story broke, but he quickly issued a media release condemning the Facebook post.

“We are extremely disappointed by Mr. Ravndal’s commentary,” Walker wrote.

“The discussion in that Facebook conversation is entirely outside the position of the Big Sky Tea Party. Even though Mr. Ravndal was having a personal conversation and made no reference to our group, we felt strongly that swift and decisive action was required as we cannot accept that sort of behavior from within our membership, let alone from an officer of the corporation.”

By September 7, however, Ravndal’s supporters struck back.

Kristi Allen-Gailushas, secretary of the Big Sky Tea Party Association and Republican nominee for a Helena-area legislative seat, announced she was quitting the group.

“They didn’t even listen to Tim and what he had to say,” she said. “They were just worried about the [Montana] Human Rights Network and the ACLU and what they were going to say.”

The Montana Human Rights Network advocates for LGBT rights and had called for Ravndal’s removal.

Allen-Gailushas went even further, declaring “war” on Montana’s LGBT community.

“The Gay community wants a war … they’ve got one!!” she wrote on her Facebook page.

Nummerdor said Allen-Gailushas had sent an e-mail to board members expressing her displeasure with Ravndal’s expulsion. He

declined comment on her Facebook posting, but said that the board would probably discuss it.

At a Big Sky Tea Party Association meeting on the night of September 7, some 30 party members blasted Nummerdor and Walker for stripping Ravndal of his position and membership without giving him a chance to defend himself, and for announcing the move to the press over the Labor Day weekend.

Board member Tom Baird said he never participated in the vote to remove Ravndal, and heard about it only after the fact.

He called the move “a knee-jerk reaction that cannot be reversed.”

He then walked out of the meeting, saying he was resigning from the organization.

“My worry is that the association will turn tail and run in the opposite direction,” he said.

Board member Bobette Madonna abstained from the vote on Ravndal, but agreed that Ravndal could have merely been reprimanded and removed from leadership.

Expelling him from the party was too quick and harsh, she said.

“What happened to Tim is cruel, it’s unnecessary,” said Madonna. “They’re making a fool of people who are responsible and decent.”

Board member Bob Conner cast one of the votes for Ravndal’s dismissal, but said he did so reluctantly and now favored reconsideration.

Several association members called for a new board, and several said they were quitting the group. Some questioned whether the group could survive.

In the end, Nummerdor said the board would meet to consider reinstating Ravndal’s party membership, although he did not set a date for that meeting.

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Overzealous Xbox censors boot Fort Gay, WV resident microsoft

Microsoft’s Xbox 360

by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer Microsoft Corporation and Xbox Live are issuing a formal apology to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old Xbox gamer they accused of violating the online gaming service’s code of conduct by publicly declaring he’s from “Fort Gay” – a name the company considered offensive.

Fort Gay is a real town in West Virginia, roughly a 90-minute drive from the state’s capitol of Charleston. However, when Josh Moore tried to tell that to Seattle-based Microsoft, they didn’t believe him. What’s more, they didn’t even bother to check.

It took me 0.16 seconds to find 261,000 results for “Fort Gay West Virginia” on Google.

“I figured, I’ll explain to them. Look in my account. Fort Gay is a real place,” Moore said. But customer service was unreceptive, warning Moore if he put Fort Gay back in his profile, Xbox Live would cancel his account and keep his $12 monthly membership fee, which he had paid in advance for two years.

“I told him, ‘Google it!’” said Moore. “He said, ‘I can’t help you.’”

Microsoft suspended his gaming privileges for a few days until Moore could convince them the location in his profile, “Fort Gay WV,” wasn’t a joke or a slur, but rather an actual community of about 800 in Wayne County, West Virginia.

“At first I thought, ‘Wow, somebody’s

thinking I live in the Gayest town in West Virginia or something.’ I was mad. ... It makes me feel like they hate Gay people,” said Moore.

“I’m not even Gay, and it makes me feel like they were discriminating,” Moore told the AP. Fort Gay Mayor David Thompson also tried to intervene, with little success.

“It was so inappropriate for them, they wouldn’t even say the word,” Thompson told the AP Wednesday. “They said, ‘that word.’ It’s beyond me. That’s the name of our town! It’s appalling. It’s a slap in our face.”

Stephen Toulouse, director of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live, blamed the whole affair on miscommunication.

“Someone took the phrase ‘Fort Gay WV’ and believed that the individual who had that was trying to offend, or trying to use it in a pejorative manner,” Toulouse said. “When it was brought to my attention, we did revoke the suspension.”

Toulouse said he will contact Moore and apologize. Staying ahead of slang and policing Xbox for offensive content is a constant challenge, he said.

“In this very, very specific case, a mistake was made,” said Toulouse, “and we’re going to make it right.”

Fort Gay traces its origins to 1789, when 11 people established a settlement at the junction of the Tug and Big Sandy rivers, across from what is now Louisa, Kentucky.

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Celebrating 37 Years!

Hoosiers show their pride

by Dan Woog SGN Contributing Writer

calls. “But he said, ‘Let’s get it on the calendar.’” Last December, the GLBTAA execuFormer Indiana University football player tive board and Glass held a relaxed, friendly Alex Perry is a confident young man. hour-long meeting.

This past June, he stepped out of his Near the end, Kitto asked the department comfort zone. One of four people – all straight – representing his school’s athletic department at Indianapolis’s Circle City Pride festival, at first he felt uncomfortable when Gay men in flamboyant costumes asked to have their pictures with him.

His apprehension was short-lived. By midmorning, Perry grinned broadly when a drag queen sauntered over for a photo.

That was just one of many snapshots – literal and figurative – from an empowering day. IU Athletics learned a lot – and so did the LGBT festival-goers who visited their booth.

Once, that outcome might have surprised Jon Kitto. But over the past year, the secretary of IU’s 1,200-member GLBT Alumni Association has come to appreciate the athletic department’s outreach to the Gay community. At the same time, IU Athletics has enjoyed the fruits of the blossoming relationship – and added hundreds of new fans.

Kitto’s passion for Indiana University began as a student in the 1970s. He was a Hoosier foot- to donate a few items for GLBTAA’s annual ball booster, too – rare in the LGBT com- silent auction. Sure, Glass said. Well, what munity – so last year when a new athletic about a private tour of the new facility? No facility was dedicated near the stadium, he problem, Glass replied. Both were enorand his partner attended. mous successes.

New athletic director Fred Glass spoke.

Kitto then asked if IU Athletics would He described his goal of reaching out to staff a booth at Circle City Pride. Again, he “new communities” – ones his department expected to be brushed off. Again, he was had previously ignored. Afterward, Kitto – surprised by the department’s eagerness to who admits the GLBT Alumni Association help.

(GLBTAA) had not reached out to athletics, The booth featured a mannequin dressed either – decided to see if Glass meant what in an IU basketball jersey. The department he said. handed out coasters, pompons, refrigerator “I was ready for a brush-off,” Kitto re- magnets, and Hoosier schedules.

“It was one of the most moving days of my life,” Kitto says. Two staff members and two interns – including Perry, the former football player now earning his masters in sports management – staffed the booths.

“All day long they took everything in.

They loved being there,” Kitto reports.

The four straight IU Athletics volunteers were impressed with the huge turnout – and noted with surprise, “They’re people we see every day.”

Thousands of festival-goers picked up athletic department giveaways – and thanked the representatives for being there. That made an impression on the quartet.

So did comments like, “I went to Michigan, but you’re my second-favorite team now,” and “I’m from Purdue. I’m supposed to hate you – but I don’t.”

It was all part of Pat Kraft’s plan. The assistant athletic director in charge of marketing, he realized that Circle City Pride was a perfect opportunity to introduce IU Athletics to a new, lucrative, and potentially very enthusiastic audience.

“As markets mature, it’s difficult to mine new customers,” Kitto says. “The GLBT market is huge and unmined.”

Gays and Lesbians are a natural target for Kraft – a concept that initially surprised Kitto. “I’m 52 years old,” he says. “I didn’t expect the greeting we got at Pride. Pat’s around 30. My surprise was surprising to him. He just saw it as a great business opportunity.”

But IU Athletics’ outreach meant more than marketing.

During the day, four Indiana athletes came to the booth and said they were Gay or Lesbian.

“Having the department there was so important,” Kitto says. “They realized, ‘I’m comfortable with my school, with my athletic department, and I want you to know how much that means to me.’”

It meant a lot to the straight men at the booth, too. The day after Pride, Perry thanked Kitto for allowing him to participate.

“His goal is to be a high school athletic director,” Kitto says of the grad student. “Just imagine the effect something like this will have on the kids at his school years from now.”

IU Athletics had such a good time, they plan to return next year – with a float and varsity athletes.

So were there any negative encounters at all?

Kitto laughs. “Yeah. One guy ran by screaming, ‘Boiler up!’” – the popular Pur-

due cheer.

“But that happens anywhere there are Purdue fans,” he continues. “It had nothing to do with being Gay. I thought to myself, here we are at a Gay event, and the traditional IU-Purdue rivalry is so strong.

“What was so remarkable to me about that was its utter unremarkableness.”

Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, Gay activist, and author of the “Jocks” series of books on Gay male athletes. Visit his website at www.danwoog. com. He can be reached care of this publication or at OutField@qsyndicate.com.

prop 8

continued from cover

ready filed their own appeal in the case.

Protect Marriage wanted state officials to participate in the appeal because without them, their legal standing to appeal Walker’s decision is in doubt.

Attorney General Jerry Brown unquestionably has legal standing to appeal because, as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, he has authority to enforce marriage laws.

Schwarzenegger was brought into the case because California’s constitution says that the governor has final legal authority if he and the attorney general disagree about issues of law.

Private citizens – Prop 8 supporters, for example – may lack legal standing to appeal Walker’s decision because they are not charged with enforcing state laws.

Protect Marriage was concerned, therefore, that when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals takes up the Prop 8 case, it might dismiss their appeal on the technical grounds that they lack standing, without addressing the underlying issue of the measure’s constitutionality.

NOT POTTED PLANTS Brown flatly refused to appeal Walker’s decision, saying that he agrees with the ruling and has no duty to appeal it.

“Attorneys general are not potted plants in the litigation process,” Brown’s staff attorneys told the court.

While the attorney general is required to represent the state, they said, Brown also took an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution and is not obliged to defend a law he considers unconstitutional.

Deputy Attorney General Tamar Pachter called it “farfetched” to say that the attorney general must appeal in order “to manufacture federal appellate jurisdiction for a private party.”

Schwarzenegger’s counsel Andrew

see prop 8 page 20

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prop 8

continued from page 19 Stroud said the governor, “like any litigant, has complete discretion over his own litigation strategy, including whether or not to appeal an order.”

“Here, the governor exercised his discretion and decided not to file an appeal,” he wrote. “Although [plaintiff] Beckley may not agree with the manner in which the governor chose to exercise his discretion, he cannot compel a different result through this action.”

ACTIVISTS HAPPY, BUT NOT SURPRISED California marriage equality activists said they were happy – but not surprised – by the Supreme Court decision.

“The court’s decision was completely un-

surprising,’ said Shannon Minter, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director. “There is no precedent whatsoever for a court ordering state officials to participate in a legal case.”

“In fact,” he continued, “this suit was not much more than a stunt.”

Minter would not speculate how the federal 9th Circuit Court might rule on the issue of Protect Marriage’s standing to appeal Walker’s decision.

However the 9th Circuit rules on the standing issue, Minter says, the California Supreme Court decision will be helpful.

“If the 9th Circuit rules they don’t have standing, it’s ‘case over.’ Prop 8 is struck down. California couples can marry again,” Minter told SGN. “If [the 9th Circuit] decides to rule on the merits, having the California Supreme Court confirm that only state officials can decide on marriage laws does not help the proponents of Prop 8.”

“The irony is, the more conservative [U.S.] Supreme Court justices have really raised the bar on standing,” Minter noted.

“There are now very, very strict rules on who may appeal court decisions and why.”

Asked how the eventual Prop 8 decision might affect marriage laws outside of California, Minter said he believes that the 9th Circuit may rule on very narrow grounds that will apply only to California, but have no direct implication for law in the rest of the country.

“Even so, it will be a huge victory,” Minter said. “It means that marriages could start

soon, that they wouldn’t have to wait for [U.S.] Supreme Court action. And it would have a huge impact on the rest of the country. One out of eight people in the country live in California.”

rosehedge continued from cover

tional support programs: CareTeams and Shanti.

Both agencies serve men and women who are homeless, or on the verge of homelessness, and are living with HIV/AIDS. According to the Board of Directors at both agencies, late in 2009, the two organizations began discussing how a merger of the two assistance providers would galvanize their strengths by building capacity through joint programming and administrative consolidation.

In July of this year, both agencies signed Conditions of Merger and expect the merger to be legally complete by January 1, 2011.

Rosehedge and Multifaith Works have a low barrier of entry. They pride themselves on providing for those who do not have alternatives. Finding safe shelter and food are often a priority for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS. For many, taking medications and accessing their primary care physician becomes nonexistent. In fact, the affected individual may not even have a primary care physician. The emergency room becomes the health provider, which ultimately raises the taxpayer burden for all King County residents. The merging of the two organizations creates a better model, ultimately positioning them as a powerful local resource that can be looked to as an archetype for HIV/AIDS housing across the country.

Rosehedge and Multifaith Works leadership also note that the merger eliminates competition for scarce funding dollars.

The merger will allow: • Shared resources: Administrative overhead and program expenses can be shared jointly between agencies, eliminating redundancy, allocating more resources directly to the programs.

• A bigger voice for advocacy: As the face of HIV/AIDS has changed, attention around the epidemic has faded. This merger strengthens the collective voice, helping to ensure that HIV/AIDS does not fade into the background or exist in isolation in the community.

• Increased capacity: With streamlined overhead costs, one combined agency will operate with stronger capacity, eventually expanding to serve more vulnerable men and women in the community.

• Symbiotic relationships: Rosehedge’s medical model and Multifaith Works’ emotional support model combined will create a collaboration that provide the highest level care for each client.

THE NEED According to the King County Public Health Seattle-King monthly HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Report, in 2009, an estimated 10,532 people in Washington state were living with HIV/AIDS. Of those, 6,575 (62%) live in King County, where Rosehedge and Multifaith Works operate.

In addition, 344 new cases were reported in King County, and 599 new cases were reported in Washington state.

Thanks to the advances is medicine, a diagnosis does not mean death, but a new path to navigate. In 2010, people living with HIV/AIDS can live full, long lives provided they have access to healthcare, stable housing, compassionate care and support.

Compelling research demonstrates the critical significance of housing as an intervention to address both public and individual health priorities, including disease prevention, health care access and effectiveness, and cost contaminant. This is especially true in the case of people living with HIV/AIDS. “A safe, decent home, nourishing food, and critical medication are basics that we all deserve – especially our friends and neighbors fighting such a devastating disease,” said Rosehedge and Multifaith Works officials in a press release announcing the merger. “Add mental illness, chemical dependency, and AIDS-related dementia into the mix, and you have a group of people in desperate need – people who lack the ability to care for themselves or to navigate the complex social service system.”

A COMBINED RESPONSE Rosehedge and Multifaith Works empower those with HIV/AIDS to stabilize their housing and their health, and re-establish compassionate human connections. Stigmatized and removed from “mainstream” life, people living with a terminal illness – sometimes with the additional complication of mental illness or chemical dependency – are often isolated, lonely, afraid, and have no one to reach out to.

Through four programs – Enhanced Assisted Living, Transformational Housing, CareTeams and Shanti – Rosehedge and Multifaith Works deliver critical services to individuals in need.

The Enhanced Assisted Living Program provides both long- and short-term housing in three facilities; two in North Seattle and one in Capitol Hill.

The Transitional Housing Program provides housing for up to two years as well as connection to addiction and mental health services to homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The program also manages a respite house for individuals with AIDS who are exiting the hospital, but are not yet well enough to live on their own.

The CareTeam Program matches a team of five to 10 volunteers with an individual or family affected by HIV/AIDS. The team provides emotional support and assistance with daily activities like shopping or light household duties that may be difficult for

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September 10, 2010

Celebrating 37 Years!

the client to perform.

Shanti volunteers are matched in one-onone relationships with clients and provide nonjudgmental listening that allows the clients to explore their feelings, identify issues, and find solutions to those issues on their own.

In addition to the four programs, there is SHIFT, a peer recovery network. SHIFT is a multi-agency collaboration that provides administrative, emotional, and supervisory support for volunteers and clients in the Seattle, King County area who are LGBT people struggling with drug and alcohol abuse and addiction issues. SHIFT represents collaboration between Multifaith Works, Seattle Counseling Service, Gay City Health Project, and Dunshee House, each of which brings unique experience and services to the network.

zeiger

continued from cover and atheist protests of the religious left and the Bible studies and prayer circles of the religious right is that our God is real.”

In another excerpt, Zeiger condemned the Girl Scouts as “radical feminists, Lesbians, and cookie peddlers … allied with the abortion industry and Planned Parenthood.”

“Knowing the radical agenda of the na-

tional Girl Scouts organization, parents need to take action,” Zeiger wrote.

In yet another over-the-top post, Zeiger wrote that GLSEN is more dangerous than al-Qaeda.

“We speak much of terror networks in our time, and here is one of the vilest, for it has made greater progress in the tearing down of American institutions and ideals than Iraq or al-Qaeda have. NEA and GLSEN are not the only groups in the network; the ACLU and NARAL and Planned Parenthood and Americans United for Separation of Church and State and others come to mind.”

Alex Hays, executive director of Mainstream Republicans, told SGN that the HorsesAss piece was “intellectually dishonest” because it quoted selected articles by Zeiger “out of context.”

Mainstream Republicans is a group claiming affiliation with the moderate conservative politics of former Washington Republican governor Dan Evans. They have endorsed Zeiger in his race and continue to defend him.

Asked if he or his group endorsed the views Zeiger expressed in his posts, Hays replied, “Your characterization of it can’t possibly be endorsed.”

“Blogs have a certain tone of voice – a tone that leads to hyperbole,” Hays continued, “and he was writing in the tone of a blog.”

Zeiger himself took a very similar tack when he spoke with SGN by phone.

“The short answer is that it’s stuff written when I was 18 or 19,” he said. “Now I’m 25. Since then, I’ve gone to college, I’ve graduated. … I realize the world is pretty complex, that there’s beauty and diversity in the world.”

“I grew up on talk radio and I was influenced by that approach, by those values,” he added. “I wouldn’t write the same thing today.”

While he was quick to distance himself from his earlier writing, Zeiger told SGN he thought the issue was a distraction from his current political race.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with my legislative race,” he said. “The main issue is how can we get jobs back.”

In that case, he was asked, did he support existing state law that prohibits discrimination against LGBT persons in employment?

“Obviously the issues are complex there,” Zeiger replied.

Pressed for a more explicit answer, Zeiger told SGN, “Discrimination is not a value I endorse. I want to be sure I’m a voice for human equality in the legislature.”

On the third try, Zeiger admitted, “You should have a fair shot at the jobs, yes.”

On the other issue he says is critical – improving public education – Zeiger was asked if he supported existing anti-bullying laws.

“I need to give that some consideration,” he replied.

The latest anti-bullying law was passed unanimously by both houses of the legis-

lature – in other words, with Republican as well as Democratic support – in August this year.

Zeiger is a senior fellow with the American Civil Rights Union.

According to media watchdog Media Matters, the ACRU’s “top issues include opposing the Fairness Doctrine [equal time for opposing views in public media], protecting state sovereignty, and supporting FISA amendments giving the president broad authority to engage in surveillance.”

The ACRU “defended the Boy Scouts’ right to discriminate against homosexuals in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, opposed handgun restrictions in Heller v. DC and NRA v. City of Chicago, and sided with the [white] New Haven firefighters in Ricci v.

Destefano [an affirmative action case].”

Zeiger is also an assistant Scout Master with the Boys Scouts of America.

Since the HorsesAss story broke, Zeiger’s posts have been taken down from the Intellectual Conservative website, although his writings are still available on WorldNetDaily.

The name of one of his early endorsers – former KVI talk show DJ Kirby Wilbur – has also been deleted from Zeiger’s website.

Wilbur is currently the Washington state chair of Americans for Prosperity – the front group used by right-wing tycoons Charles and David Koch to channel money to the Tea Party.

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22 Seattle Gay News

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