SGN Sep 18, 2009 - Section 1

Issue 38 Volume 37

Celebrating 36 Years!

FRIDAY September 18, 2009 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands

candidates for mayor p. 6 Register to vote p. 9

doma p. 16

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

City restores Lambert Seattle mobilizes House funding to Approve Referendum 71 More money still needed

Seattle’s Human Services Department has awarded Lambert House $68,837 for 2010. Lambert House Executive Director Ken Shulman was notified of the funding in a letter received last week.

“This restores our 2003 funding level from the City,” Shulman told SGN, “so I’m very happy. On the other hand, we’ll be able to start billing on this money in February

The battle to protect Washington State’s same-sex domestic partnership law gained momentum this week as Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST), the Gay advocacy group in charge of the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign, spoke directly to the LGBT community and joined forces with some of the Pacific Northwest’s biggest businesses in solidarity to approve R-71.

On November 3, voters will be asked to approve the referendum, meaning they support the extended benefits for registered same-sex domestic partnerships, or reject, meaning they do not wish to see 2010, and the money will become domestic partners in Washington available in March, so we have receive all rights, responsibilities, to find a way to stay afloat for six and obligations granted or imposed by state law on married couples. months.”

Lambert House is the largest MOBILIZE SEATTLE LGBTQ youth center in the North“The most profound social juswest. According to Shulman, his agency served 569 individual tice issue of our time” is how Rep. youth aged 11-22 in 2008, many of Jamie Pedersen (D), of the 43rd them from disadvantaged circum- Legislative District, described the stances. Eighty percent lived in Gay equality movement to an audience of over 300 people on September 15 at the Broadway Persee lambert house page 5 formance Hall during a town hall

Queer ally coalition

Queer Ally Coalition

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer The Queer Ally Coalition (QAC), an LGBTQ and allies group dedicated to grassroots organizing against homophobia and other issues affecting the LGBTQ community, has made the approval of Referendum 71 their key mission between now and the November 3 General Election. The organization has one message for

Washingtonians: Register to vote, and vote to approve R-71.

Mike Carlson, the QAC canvassing coordinator for the organizations R-71 campaign, told SGN, “I think that approving R-71 is a step in a broader struggle for Gay rights and Gay marriage in Washington State.”

Carlson said he believes R-71 is a civilized issue and if it gets rejected by voters this November “there will be even more attacks

Josh Friedes speaks to the crowd at the September 15 rally

campaign organizing meeting put on by WAFST. Pedersen, a Gay legislator who has consistently championed same-sex rights in Washington State, was the opening speaker for the central campaign’s bid to the community to approve Referen-

dum 71 this November. The popular state lawmaker encouraged LGBT people to talk with friends, neighbors and coworkers about the importance of keeping the domestic partnership law that offers imsee r-71 page 8

The Palm Center says Obama can change DADT wdc

Queer Ally Coalition working grassroots to Approve Ref. 71

Shaun Knittel

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

on the Gay community.” He said if voters approve the referendum, “we’ll have an even better chance to push for marriage equality in Washington.”

“Everyone should have equal rights, everyone should have the exact same rights under the law,” he told SGN. “Any kind of discrimination in our society should not be tolerated.”

QAC began to support the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign by putting the Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST) campaign placard on their website and by attending the Bumbershoot music festival. According to QAC officials, the organization sent people to Bumbershoot to hand President Barack Obama out flyers with information about R-71 during all three days of the by Shaun Knittel that the move allows the president festival.

SGN Staff Writer additional time to sign an execuHowever, the group quickly tive order suspending “Don’t Ask, identified a problem.

After President Obama extended Don’t Tell.” According to “stopthe National Emergency – which loss” statute 10 U.S.C. 12305, MANY CONFUSED began on September 14, 2001 – on Congress has authorized the presiBY R-71 VOTE September 10, for one year, by is- dent to suspend any law regarding “We encountered confusion,” suing a document titled “Continu- military separations during nationCarlson said. “Many people were ation of the National Emergency al security emergencies. confused about what side they With Respect to Certain Terrorist “By extending the state emerAttacks,” experts from The Palm see dADT page 19 see Queer ally page 18 Center research institute noted

Volunteers needed we need your help. Washington Families Standing Together is hosting phone banks out of the Equal Rights Washington Office in Seattle, every Monday thru Thursday. Many shifts are available, so please consider donating your time to make a difference in the lives of thousands of families across the state. Log on to: www.approve71.org for more details.

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September 18, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 18, 2009

Seattle Gay News

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Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1973

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2009

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

Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Tom Flint (retired) Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Rajket Dirzhud-Rashid, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel Miryam Gordon, Tim Peter Contributing Writers

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

Classifieds Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Photographers Nick Ardizzone, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel, Rajket Dirzhud-Rashid National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Website Designer Barry Thorsness/Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published weekly by JT&A, Inc. © 2008, 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.

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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.

Eight arrested in Atlanta Eagle bar raid

by James Whitely SGN Contributing Writer On September 10, The Atlanta Police Department (APD) raided the Atlanta, Georgia leather bar The Atlanta Eagle at approximately 11:30 p.m., during the Eagle’s “Underwear Night.”

A reporter from Atlanta Progressive News who arrived at the scene just minutes after the raid had begun reported that 10 APD cars pulled up to the Atlanta Eagle and stormed the bar, arresting multiple bar staff.

It is reported that Eagle patrons were ordered to lie on the ground and were handcuffed.

A police blockade was formed around the parking lot so as to limit the amount of patrons that could potentially flee the scene.

A patron who claimed to be present during the bar raid sent an e-mail to APN, claiming that everyone was searched at least once, and most patrons were searched twice. ”Most, but not all, of the officers were incredibly derogatory and insulting, whether they found evidence of drugs or not,” detailed the patron in their e-mail.

According to multiple patrons, many were kept on the floor for over an hour. It is alleged that the APD searched both cash registers and ice machines According to one patron, the APD handcuffed all Eagle staff members and dancers, and anyone who was wearing only underwear.

The APD released a statement September 11, the day after the raid.

“The Atlanta Police Department conducts routine inspections of city businesses with valid alcohol permits. The city received several complaints with descriptive information about alleged criminal conduct at the

the complaints and during the investigation, police observed criminal behavior taking place at the club. … While the police were conducting a compliance check, it led to the arrest of eight employees.”

“While there have been allegations of improper behavior by police officers conducting the investigation, there have not Atlanta Eagle Club.” been any official complaints filed with the “In an effort to ensure compliance with Atlanta Police Department,” the statement the law, the Police Department investigated concluded.

Multifaith Works seeks volunteers to combat isolation Most of us have known people in our community who have been affected by either AIDS or addiction. Many of us have watched as acquaintances have retreated into isolation due to stigmatization of who they are or who they are perceived to be.

Two local programs that excel in providing support to isolated members of our GLBTQ community are the Shanti and CareTeam programs at Multifaith Works, an agency that welcomes volunteers and clients of any cultural, sexual or spiritual orientation.

Shanti volunteers are matched in oneon-one relationships with someone whose life has become difficult or isolating due to AIDS, addiction, or other life-limiting illnesses. They might meet to talk at the person’s home or take a walk together, or visit over coffee. Volunteers provide confidential, non-judgmental listening that allows their Shanti partner to explore their feelings, find their own solutions, and feel less alone in the process. One Shanti partner remarked: “I don’t know where I would turn to for the emotional strength that my Shanti volunteer gives me. He is more than a friend; he is a life saver.” Another stated, “Shanti has given me an outlet for my fears and confusion, and a way to work through problems that I can’t share with friends, family, or my

partner.”

The CareTeam Program matches a team of four to six caring volunteers with an individual or family affected by AIDS or in recovery from addiction. The team provides emotional support and assistance with daily activities such as shopping, transportation to medical appointments, or light household chores. A recent CarePartner told us: “My own family deserted me, saying that I deserved AIDS because of the things I had done. My CareTeam loves me like a family – has become my family – and gives me hope.”

Both programs are a mainstay for companionship and support in the lives of many people within the LGBTQ community. Both programs are in dire need of more volunteers to serve a growing waitlist of individuals needing support. Can you help?

The CareTeam training for new volunteers is Saturday, October 10. The next Shanti training takes place the weekends of October 17, 18 and 24, 25.

For information on how to become involved, call 206-324-1520. Shanti Program Coordinator, ext 228. CareTeam Program Coordinator, ext 226.

Courtesy of Multifaith Works

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 18, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

WHERE ARE THE APOLOGIES? British Prime Minister Tony Brown, in swift response to an online petition, very properly issued a public apology for the “barbaric” treatment by the British Government of Gay genius Alan Turing, whose arrest for a Gay relationship and resultant loss of security clearance and loss of his govern-

ment job led to his suicide in 1954.

Meanwhile, 55 years later, in the US, tens of thousands of Gay woman and men are being discharged from the military under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” When will they receive their apologies from our government?

Barbara Tomlinson

Judith Clarke 1944-2009 Judith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 21, 1944. She lost her mother to illness when she was a young girl, and she survived a difficult childhood by relying on her own strength, resourcefulness, and rich imagination.

She spent the later years of her childhood in Sitka, Alaska, and graduated from Western Washington University in Bellingham with a degree in psychology.

In the late 1960s, she moved to Seattle, where she became actively involved in the early 1970s explosion of Lesbian-feminist politics and thought. She would remain strongly identified as a Lesbian feminist and an important part of Seattle’s Lesbian

community throughout her life.

Over the years, Judith worked as a housecleaner, a licensed massage therapist, a counselor, a writing teacher, and a caregiver. She was also an artist who used perception and humor to transform pain into beauty as she helped document the lives of her friends and chosen family through her vision as a photographer, a videographer, and a writer. The loves of her life were animals, nature, books, movies, and music (especially Aretha and Laura Nyro).

Having been deprived of the support of a family for most of her life, Judith placed great importance on her friendships and her relationships with animals. She developed strong bonds which often lasted for decades, and valued nothing higher than a quiet evening with a friend, sharing conversation, music, and emotional intimacy.

Judith drowned on August 20, 2009, in Lake Washington, near her favorite dogwalking spot. She is survived by Marcia, Humphrey, Bartholomew, Bella, cousins, aunts, uncles, and a number of loving friends.

A memorial is planned for Sunday, September 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. at picnic shelter #4 in Seward Park. All who cared about Judith are invited to share our memories of her life and our complex grief at her loss.

From the White House to Hot-lanta, SGN ’s fall travel issue is packed with coolness St. Louis CVB

St. Louis

Don’t let the morning frosts and evening chills discourage you from traveling this fall. This is the time to go anywhere, with dramatically reduced fares on nearly every airline and thousands of hotels, from beachside resorts to grand casinos. And if you need ideas on where to go, let Seattle Gay News introduce you to some of the coolest spots around, including destinations only a short drive away, in our special travel issue next week. Ever dreamed of going inside the White House? Eric Andrews-Katz got a privileged tour of the national landmark, just after having coffee with US Senator Maria Cantwell.

Is Atlanta really hot, in more ways than one? You bet, and Albert Rodriguez visits a few of the hottest lounges in this South-

ern city, including the trendy rooftop bar at the W Hotel. What’s the best way to see glamorous West Hollywood? On foot, and Scott Rice takes you on a stroll through the Queerest nooks in this very popular Gay-cation spot. Looking for a quirky, hip place to stay at in San Francisco? You’re in luck; Jessica Price found one that hands out Jelly Bellys in its lobby. And, did you know that a newly four-star rated hotel is just 35 minutes from downtown Seattle?

Find out which one it is next week (hint: it has blackjack tables). All this, plus travel tips for St. Louis, Las Vegas, Oahu and Vancouver BC in our upcoming September 25 edition. Grab a copy and meet us at the gate.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

John R. Miller 1949-2009 John R. Miller passed away peacefully in his Shoreline home September 5. John was born in Rhode Island, grew up in Alabama and went on to join the Navy in 1977 after achieving a black belt in Korean Kido. After John got out of the Navy he moved to Seattle, where he met the love of his life, Peter Lindsay, and they were later married in their home. John was known as a hard and dedicated worker as a cable installer/ engineer at TCI, a relief mate at Cruise West and most recently as an Able-Bodied Seaman with the Washington Ferry System. John was a very spiritual person. He hosted a weekly meditation group focused on ending war and poverty. John will be most remembered for his love of sailing and his volunteer time aboard the historic Schooner Zodiac. John was predeceased by Peter Lindsey and is survived by his many, many friends especially CaraLee Cook, Mike and Tracy Marconi, Cathy Mepham, and his goddaughter Echo Rowe. His ashes will be spread off the Schooner Zodiac.

lambert house continued from cover

low-income households. Fifteen percent of them are homeless, in many cases because their parents kicked them out after discovering their sexual orientation. Forty-six percent are young people of color. Six percent identified as Transgender.

Shulman participated in the July 22 meeting with Mayor Greg Nickels organized by the Commission for Sexual Minorities, along with other board members and staff representing LGBT community organizations. He came away optimistic the City would award new funding to Lambert House.

“The mayor – how did he put it? – wanted to see continuity of funding,” Shulman said. “And that’s exactly what they’ve done.

He said he wanted to hold the level of human services funding steady for 2010, but he wasn’t sure he could hold it steady for 2011.”

Like other non-profits, Lambert House is trying to cope with problems posed by a difficult economic environment. Competition for the limited public funds available can be intense. Nevertheless, Lambert House’s reputation among other non-profits has helped keep it in the running for funds, Shulman says.

“I have to tell you this story. We’d applied for this grant, and another agency – University Street Outreach – said ‘we’re not applying because we want to see funding go to Lambert House,’” he told SGN. “Some other agencies have not been so helpful,” Shulman added with a grin.

According to Shulman, Lambert House also has an advantage over other non-profits because 62% of its funding comes from individual donors.

“We’re envied by other non-profits,” Shulman told SGN, “because we have so many individual donors. Normally, non-profits are tied to large grants. If the grant goes away, it kills them.”

“If you get enough from multiple sources, that’s what makes you viable,” Shulman explained. “But with people losing their jobs – all our diversified funding sources – everything is going down at once. The problem is the whole economy and what it means for

us.”

“We’re in triage every hour of every day,” Shulman continued. “We’ve frozen two part-time positions. And that means I do the work, or the work just doesn’t get done.”

Shulman took over as executive director at Lambert House in 2003, and he helped the agency recover from the brink of fiscal collapse. He’s optimistic he can put together a plan to keep donations coming in until the City money becomes available.

“We usually do direct mail pieces around Pride,” Shulman says, “but we might add an extra mail piece in October, and then a holiday mail piece. I’m hopeful that individuals – both major donors and smaller amounts – will respond.”

“Small donors in bad times tend to step up,” he adds. “They understand the need.”

Shulman also plans to ask community organizations to sponsor Lambert House fundraisers. “I think there’s a real opportunity if we ask,” he says. “They may have an event coming up – a holiday party – where Lambert House could be the beneficiary.”

Shulman also counts on a committed corps of volunteers to keep Lambert House running. Every year, about 100 volunteers contribute 8,000 hours of work, delivering a wide array of services to LGBTQ youth at no cost to the agency.

Because of the number of hours volunteers put in and Shulman’s frugal budget, Lambert House devotes an amazing 76% of income to its program and only 16% to administrative expenses.

“We had a fiscal audit,” Shulman grins. “I was happy they were coming. Our operation is really, really, really good. People always come away impressed with what we’re doing.”

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SGN exclusive interview SGN exclusive interview

Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn

Mike McGinn

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer “I wouldn’t recommend to anyone that they run for mayor, but you do learn a lot,” Mike McGinn chuckles. He is running to succeed Greg Nickels as mayor of Seattle.

Asked what he’s learned, he shoots back, “I feel fortunate to live in a city that’s pretty progressive and has diverse communities.

The thing I’ve enjoyed the most has been the opportunity to reach out to communities I haven’t had contact with before. I’ve been engaged in my community for a long time.”

While this is McGinn’s first run for office, he is a longtime activist. Talking about his motivation for jumping into the race for mayor, he says, “I’ve been working for years on issues important to me. I have two kids.

I’ve been active in the Sierra Club and the Greenwood Community Council….”

“Seattle is ready for change,” McGinn concludes. “Clearly the current mayor is not ready.”

While he was confident he would make it through the primary, McGinn expected to be running against incumbent Mayor Greg Nickels in the general election. “I thought Greg would come in first, and Joe and I were running for second,” he says.

“It became clear that there was a lot of dissatisfaction with the mayor,” McGinn explains, trying to account for the surprise outcome. “The public had lost confidence in him.”

“You may have to remind me of this if I’m fortunate enough to win,” he adds. ”It’s hard to maintain your connection to the voters.”

Turning to the issues of the campaign, McGinn tells SGN, “We need three things:

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Seattle Gay News

September 18, 2009

publicola.net

file photo

We need a strong economy, we need to protect the environment, and we need to provide opportunities for Seattle citizens.”

On what is perhaps the most debated issue of the campaign, McGinn explains his opposition to plans to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a bored tunnel.

“We should have choices where we will put our resources,” he says.

“The tunnel is very expensive – $930 million. It’s the wrong priority to put that much money into burying a highway.”

The $930 million is the total amount the City of Seattle would be committed to raise for projects associated with viaduct replacement, like repairs to the Elliott Bay seawall, a pedestrian promenade, and transit.

McGinn insists the tunnel is not yet a done deal. As mayor, he would hold up the City’s portion of the financing for the project, he says. “$1.8 billion of the financing has not been secured,” he says. “Almost $1 billion has to come from Seattle. That hasn’t been appropriated. It has to be voted on. The financing is far from complete.”

McGinn’s opponent, Joe Mallahan, favors the tunnel, as did outgoing Mayor Greg Nickels and Nickels’ supporters in Seattle’s labor movement. Many unions, especially the powerful building trades unions, have let it be known that opposition to the tunnel is a “deal breaker” when it comes to choosing a candidate to replace Nickels.

McGinn seems unconcerned, however.

“The [AFL-CIO] unions are holding an open process right now to evaluate candidates,” he tells SGN. “SEIU is also holding an open process.”

“In any case, I will not back down on opposition to the tunnel,” McGinn insists.

SGN spoke with McGinn before the Martin Luther King County Labor Council made its endorsement decisions Wednesday night.

The group, which represents some 150 union locals, gave its endorsement to Mallahan, largely because of McGinn’s position on the tunnel.

“It’s OK to disagree as long as you’re focused on solving problems,” McGinn says philosophically. “We have people who argue a lot because they care a lot.”

Turning to other issues, McGinn cites public transit and jobs as critical problems the City must solve.

“The city needs more and better transit.

Real transit,” he says. “Bus ridership is up 20% and the service has been cut 20%. We need to find ways to partner with the county and the state to provide the mass transit we need.”

McGinn wants to create “sustainable opportunities for everyone,” he says. “We need a green jobs program where we invest in the local economy. And there’s federal stimulus money we could use to develop that.”

“Government isn’t a business,” McGinn concludes in a jab at his opponent, T-Mobile Vice President Joe Mallahan. “Many people have been left out, and we expect government to play a role to close the gaps.”

Mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan

Joe Mallahan

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Like his opponent, Mike McGinn, mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan expected to be facing Greg Nickels in the general election this November.

“I was stunned he didn’t make it through the primary,” Mallahan told SGN in an exclusive interview.

A first-time candidate for public office, Mallahan decided to run for mayor of Seattle because he felt that Nickels had worn out his welcome with the public.

“I’ve long had a plan to enter public service,” he told SGN, “and I thought there was a need for change in City Hall. The mayor just wasn’t effective anymore.”

For Mallahan and his opponent, the fight is on to win over Nickels’ supporters. “Many groups in Seattle are just getting to know me,” he says.

“The mayor’s support came from a number of quarters,” Mallahan says. “He was good to the labor community, he supported them, and they gave him their support.”

“I’ve worked hard to reach out to labor,” he continues. “I recognize the roles of unions in creating and maintaining the middle class in this country. I think they’ll respond to my progressive values.”

“I’ve picked up a number of [labor] endorsements, and those endorsements will continue to come,” Mallahan says, noting that he’s already received endorsements from the Police Guild, the Firefighters union, Council 2 of the County and City Employees, and a Carpenters local.

Wednesday evening the Martin Luther King County Labor Council – which represents some 150 union locals and 75,000 workers – added its endorsement to Mallahan’s column.

“The mayor was also well regarded by the environmentalist community,” Mallahan adds. “McGinn, at first blush, is their choice, but I’ve also reached out to them.”

“I’ve joined the governor on a program to save Puget Sound,” he says, referring to Gov. Gregoire’s allocation of NOAA stimulus money to clean up the Sound and develop a salmon recovery plan.

“There are three targets to improve, and two of them relate directly to Seattle: vehicle waste, and the human impact – in other words, sewage,” Mallahan says.

On what is arguably the most debated issue of the campaign – the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel – there is a stark contrast between the two candidates. Mallahan is for the tunnel, McGinn is against it.

“It’s irresponsible to revisit decisions that have already been made,” Mallahan says.

“We risk jobs, we risk public safety – if the viaduct is not replaced pretty soon, it’s gonna fall down. … It’s irresponsible on the economy. We’ve got to keep Seattle moving forward.”

“Like everybody else, I’m frustrated it took eight years to get to a decision,” he adds. “The mayor needs to work with the state and SDOT to accomplish something.”

Organized labor favors the tunnel, especially the construction unions who backed Nickels, and this issue helped Mallahan secure the MLKCLC endorsement Wednesday. Environmental activists, on the other hand, have been skeptical.

Sen. Ed Murray (D-43), who was chair of the Transportation Committee when he was in the State House, has argued that the whole debate on the tunnel is misdirected. Murray believes that 520 replacement and its consequences are the key transportation issue the city must face.

Asked about Murray’s position, Mallahan says, “Well, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and 520 are both important.”

T-Mobile, the company Mallahan works for as a vice president, has a reputation for being unfriendly to both union organizers and its LGBT employees. HRC, which issues an annual “Corporate Equality Index” rating, gave T-Mobile only 50 points out of a possible 100 – the lowest rating in Washington state, and the lowest in the telecommunications industry.

Asked about his own role in formulating T-Mobile’s LGBT policies, Mallahan is silent for a long time.

At last he says, “You know, at T-Mobile I lead a relatively small team of white-collar professionals with advanced degrees. I’ve never managed a big front-line department.

Those issues didn’t come up.”

“A number of my colleagues have been LGBT professionals,” Mallahan continues.

“People who know me know I’m absolutely supportive of LGBT rights, and I think it’s outrageous that the LGBT community has to have its rights up for a vote [in Referendum 71].”

“SEAMEC gave me straight As in my interview,” he adds.

The other charge against Mallahan is that he has failed to vote in 10 separate elections since 2000.

“I voted at least 12 times in recent elections,” he responds. “I regret that I missed votes sometimes, as have 95% of Seattle voters. But I pledge to do better.”

“It speaks to my character that that’s the one issue that’s highlighted,” he says.

Celebrating 36 Years!

INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer Andy Harley

Budapest’s 14th Gay pride parade

Police prevent attacks on Budapest pride march A heavy police presence prevented widespread violence at Budapest’s 14th Gay pride parade September 5.

About 2,000 people marched down a boulevard that was, due to a security cordon, largely devoid of spectators, said correspondent Andy Harley of UK Gay News.

One man broke through the cordon and popped some marchers’ balloons and tried to snatch away flags.

In other incidents, a British participant was punched in the face and a woman wearing an official pride T-shirt was punched, pushed to the ground and kicked by antiGay protesters at a train stop near the parade’s endpoint.

Scuffles between riot police and hundreds of other counterdemonstrators took place outside of the cordon that encompassed Andrássy Avenue, one of the city’s main streets.

Police used tear gas to control the protesters, who threw rocks and bottles at them and burned a rainbow flag.

“The cops sealed off the route – about two

miles long from Heroes’ Square to the Embassy Quarter through downtown,” Harley said. “A block each side of the route was a ‘no go’ area. ... The scuffles were completely out of sight of the march.”

Marcher Cary Alan Johnson, head of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, said that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“There was a sense that while the security was appreciated, we had been cut off from the rest of the city,” Johnson said. “We may have been out of the closet, but we weren’t necessarily in the streets.”

About 40 counterdemonstrators, many of whom were skinheads, were detained for various reasons, including carrying explosives. Charges will be filed against 17 of them, police said.

In an address to the marchers, Juris Lavrikovs of the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (aka ILGA-Europe), said: “You are not alone in your struggle for equality and respect ... and your struggle against violence and intimidation. Let’s

NATIONAL

NEWS

NGLTF endorses march on Washington The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has endorsed the National Equality March scheduled for Washington, D.C., October 11.

NGLTF joins a small number of other national GLBT groups – among them the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches and Join The Impact – that are formally supporting the grassroots/netroots GLBT march.

“The Task Force will be there at the march to support the voices of new activists, LGBT people and our allies who push and push for the end to hatred, discrimination and unjust laws,” said Executive Director Rea Carey.

“The Task Force is excited to support a new wave of activists and advocates.”

Marchers will “demand action from the federal government to protect our rights in all 50 states,” said organizer Kip Williams.

“Real equality can only come from the president, the Congress and the Supreme Court.”

Vocal supporters of the march include veteran activists David Mixner, Torie Osborn, Cleve Jones, Ann Northrop and Nicole Murray-Ramirez, along with newer activists such as Dustin Lance Black, Lt. Dan Choi, Corey Johnson and “Meet in the Middle” organizer Robin McGehee.

by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer Black, who won an Academy Award for writing the Milk screenplay, said: “The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law, but LGBT Americans are still denied that protection. Now is the time to push for real equality, in all matters governed by civil law.”

The Human Rights Campaign has not endorsed the march but did issue a statement saying it has an “obligation to ensure that in October, we amplify our energy not divert it.”

“With thousands of LGBT people and allies coming to Washington to make a difference, it’s our mission to help them become the citizen lobbyists that they want and need to be,” said President Joe Solmonese.

The weekend also will feature workshops, trainings, seminars and teach-ins, but no official parties, concerts or entertainment. The march route still is not finalized. For more information, see nationalequalitymarch. com.

Mass. has nation’s lowest divorce rate Massachusetts, the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, has the nation’s lowest divorce rate – and it’s continuing to fall.

The rate in 2007 was 2.3 per 1,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s Division of Vital Statistics. Pre-

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march with pride, dignity and determination. Let’s show Hungary and the whole of Europe that violence, threats and intimidation will not defeat us.”

Former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and his wife were among those who joined the parade.

Last year, right-wing extremists attacked the parade’s 1,500 marchers and fought with police afterward. Hundreds of counterdemonstrators threw rocks, eggs, bottles, firecrackers, feces, acid, paint and Molotov cocktails at the participants and the cops.

They also set a police van on fire and damaged media trucks.

Around 45 of the attackers were arrested after riot police used tear gas and water cannons to subdue them. Some 25 people were injured, including several of the 2,100 police officers protecting the event. A post-parade concert was canceled.

This year’s pride march received official “support” and “solidarity” from the embassies of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Human rights – including justice, equality, humanity, respect and freedom of expression – and the rule of law are the foundations upon which democratic states are built,” the embassies said in a public statement. “Today, many individuals face discrimination, both systemic and overt, based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Our governments seek to combat such discrimination by promoting the human rights of all people. ... We urge all governments to ensure that neither sexual orientation nor gender identity form the basis for criminal penalties.”

Other pride-week events this year included music, parties, an “antifascist demonstration,” workshops, an open-mic night, a picnic and a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of Károly Kertbeny, “who invented the term ‘homosexuality,’” pride organizers said.

Italy sees anti-Gay crime wave More than 1,000 people marched in Rome on September 4 in protest of an ongoing anti-Gay crime wave.

In one incident, a Gay couple was attacked outside a Gay club, allegedly by a far-right activist nicknamed “Little Swastika.” According to Amnesty International, one of the victims was stabbed and required surgery to save his life. liminary data for 2008 show the rate has dropped further, to 2.0.

“Despite all the dire warnings [about Gay marriage], the sky did not fall down,” noted lesbian MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. “In fact, Massachusetts divorce rates are now down to pre-World-War-II levels: 1940.”

“So, awkwardly, it turns out Gay marriage is a defense of marriage act,” Maddow said.

Arizona state workers stripped of partner benefits Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a budget September 4 that, among other things, stripped away health coverage for state employees’ domestic partners.

Some legislators had been working to kill the benefit since former Gov. Janet Napolitano approved it last year. Napolitano is now the federal secretary of homeland security.

“This is a cruel and cynical ploy by the far right to target and hurt the families of Gay and Lesbian state employees under the guise of cost-cutting,” said Tara Borelli, staff attorney for Lambda Legal. “The cutting of benefits pulls the rug out from underneath hardworking state employees and saves the state next to nothing.”

Calif. Assembly tells FDA to end gay blood ban In a 41-28 vote September 8, the California Assembly told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to end the 26-year-old ban on blood donation by Gay men.

The ban applies to any man who has had sex with another man at any point in the past 31 years.

“The law prevents innumerable Gay and

September 18, 2009

On August 29, a nightclub that hosts a popular Gay night was set alight by someone who broke a window and tossed in a flammable liquid. Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly.

On September 2, skinheads threw large firecrackers into a crowd in Rome’s very Gay Via di San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John Lateran Street). One person was slightly injured and a scooter was damaged.

Leading Gay group Arcigay said that Italy had seen as many anti-Gay incidents nationwide by the end of August as in all of last year.

Arcigay President Aurelia Mancuso said the attacks highlight the fact that Italy desperately needs a Gay-inclusive hate-crimes law to stop “dangerous fringe elements” from thinking “they can get away with violence.”

Queer culture festival in St. Petersburg The International Festival of Queer Culture will take place September 19-27 in St. Petersburg, Russia, with support from the Swedish and Dutch consulates and local travel-book publishers.

Planned events include plays, photo exhibits, poetry readings, music performances, seminars, workshops and discussions.

A closing-night concert will feature the American pop rock group Betty along with established and emerging local bands.

“We use the term ‘Queer’ to go beyond LGBT-sphere and to include everyone,” said the organizers. “’Queer,’ in our interpretation, is rebellion against stigmas and labels. It expands the rigid frameworks surrounding social stereotypes and stereotypes of identity, sex and gender. ... The aim of our festival is to unite different people around constructive creativity, common values, and positive emotions.”

Belgrade Gay film festival canceled Serbia’s first Gay film festival, scheduled for September 11-13 in Belgrade, was postponed till November on September 9.

Organizers said they feared violence from participants in a September 12 “family parade” that was organized to protest the city’s September 20 Gay pride parade.

The “International Queer Film Festival” has received support from the local French Cultural Center and the British Council, said GayEcho.com.

With assistance from Bill Kelley Bisexual men who are otherwise healthy from contributing to the nation’s blood supply, which faces chronic shortfalls due to a lack of donations,” said Equality California.

“Adopted in 1983, the rule targeted Gay and Bisexual men because of fear over HIV/ AIDS transmission. [Today,] significant innovations in blood-screening technology make the fear of HIV/AIDS spreading through the blood supply nearly nonexistent.”

The resolution was sponsored by Gay Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, who commented: “The FDA is well aware of this technology as well as the erroneous and unscientific belief that the virus is only spread by Gay and Bisexual men.

I hope President Obama hears our call to change this shameful and discriminatory practice immediately, so we can save more lives.”

The measure now advances to the state Senate.

With assistance from Bill Kelley

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Seattle Gay News

7

r-71

continued from cover portant protections and rights that have been kept from Gay Washingtonians for years.

“I challenge each one of you to get involved directly with the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign,” Pedersen said. “Become engaged with the campaign and your community. This November, we have a chance to show everyone what kind of state we are, and what kind of country we ultimately want to be.”

WAFST Campaign Manager Josh Friedes echoed Pedersen’s call to action, saying, “It’s essential that we engage our neighbors in positive conversation. It’s important for them to know we need to take this journey to equality together.”

Anticipating an audience that would exceed the capacity of the auditorium, the campaign planned a presentation mirroring the one inside the auditorium that was held in the lobby of the Broadway Performance Hall near the ticket booth. Both audiences were a mix of LGBT persons as well as straight allies, senior citizens whose domestic partnership rights are under attack, and advocates wearing green “Approve R-71” T-shirts.

Tuesday night’s meeting was the first tangible sign that the campaign to maintain the domestic partnership law is on, and that litigation, for the most part, is over. Regardless of how or why Protect Marriage Washington got enough signatures to place R-71 on the ballot has become a moot point. It’s on the ballot, certified by the state. One of the most important battles for same-sex equality in the state of Washington is underway.

EDUCATION MUST DEFEAT COMPLACENCY According to Friedes, complacency is something WAFST cannot afford to see happen. He told the audience that every vote counts and that, unfortunately, we are up against numbers that show “voters who tend to stay at home are people who support LGBT rights.” He said, however, WAFST and the LGBT community is up for the challenge.

“Bottom line,” Friedes said, “we are on the ballot. Vote early and vote to approve Referendum 71.”

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The General Election ballots are scheduled to arrive as soon as October 14, which is a mere six weeks away. Friedes said this is a historic campaign for a referendum that barely made the ballot during the state’s first all-mail-in vote (except in Pierce County).

Education is key, Friedes told the audience. He mapped out a plan for people to effectively communicate to the people who may be confused about the referendum process or ballot language, and who may not understand which way to vote.

“Every referendum in Washington State works the same,” he said. “A referendum simply asks, ‘Should an existing law be approved or rejected?’ Because the domestic partnership law already exists, we simply have to vote to approve it, so that we may keep it.”

Friedes asked people to “constantly” visit www.approvereferendum71.org for news and updates. He said the website has a number of tools that can aid the community in educating themselves, as well as the moveable middle voting populous, whose vote is important in the success of the referendum’s approval.

The domestic partnership law is a working families law, Friedes said. The law affects everyone in our community. Friedes said he’s “proud of the fact that we’ve included seniors in this law.”

In a bid to silence the central campaign’s critics, Friedes mapped out the direction WAFST is headed. The strategy it will employ include a statewide phone banking effort, canvassing neighborhoods with a door-to-door campaign, and major media advertising.

Still, he leveled with the audience. “We need your help,” he said. “There are simple things each one of you can do that will make a big difference for the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign.”

He asked everyone in the room to think of themselves as a leader. Imagine, he said, if everyone in the room spread the word to 25 other people outside the room. Imagine “how fast word would get out that we need to keep the domestic partnership law.”

In addition, he asked people to change their voicemail messages to remind callers to vote to approve R-71, add a message about the campaign to their e-mail signatures at work, and write a letter to the editor of a newspaper telling their story and why R-71 should be approved. He continued, appealing that each person utilize Facebook and other social networking sites to spread word of the campaign. Specifically, little things like updating your status bar to approve R-71 messages or changing your picture to the campaign placard would greatly help, he said.

Friedes said that visibility is important, but cautioned against negativity. He said the community has to be very careful about the way they communicate because, statistically speaking, Washington voters are turned off

by conflict. The way you speak to potential voters, he said, is terribly important.

“We each have a story. Day in and day out, we are fighting for full civil rights,” Friedes said. “We have to be smart about that fight.

It is important to harness our anger in a constructive way, so we can win.”

He said engaging in bashing is “not a productive conversation with the movable middle.” Instead, he said the community should remind people that we have many of the shared values that other Washington citizens have, “because our families are no different than our neighbor’s families.”

At the meeting’s end, the message that WAFST and Rep. Pedersen had sent seemed to be that winning the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign is real, that – should the community pull together and tell their story – they will collect the number of votes needed to beat those who would take rights away from registered same-sex domestic partners and the elderly.

In the end, Friedes said, the fight is about moving Washington State forward toward realizing that Gay marriage may one day be possible on the Olympic Peninsula.

“Our hope should be,” he said, “that the children born today will never know a time when LGBT people didn’t have equal rights.”

MONEY MATTERS The type of campaign that WAFST needs to conduct in order to see that R-71 is approved is a costly one. Friedes said the campaign needs a minimum of $1.5 million to properly conduct a media blitz that would include TV advertisements, print materials for door to door canvassing, important online advertisements, and other collaterals.

The good news for WAFST and their supporters came in the form of checks this week. With support pouring in from both private and major corporations, WAFST wasn’t staring into empty campaign coffers at week’s end.

Two national LGBT advocacy groups made donations to the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign. The Human Rights Campaign and The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force both made substantial $10,000 contributions.

“Yesterday, during HRC’s weekly phone bank and the Seattle area organizing meeting, HRC governor Lacey All and political co-chair Steve Gibbs presented a $10,000 check to WAFST to help fund the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign,” the Human Rights Campaign said in a September 15 press release.

The Human Rights Campaign also announced that the money raised at the 2009 Pacific Northwest Gala Dinner to support HRC’s work in Washington, Oregon and beyond, will be directly donated to the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign, as well.

Local labor pitched in as well. On September 9, SEIU Washington State Council wrote a $10,000 check, while SEIU 775 Northwest contributed $1,000 and a Teamsters local gave $250.

IMPORTANT ENDORSEMENTS FOR A GROWING COALITION

On September 15, The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce voted unanimously to join employers and more than 170 labor, nonprofit, senior citizen and community groups across the state in support of the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign.

“This law is about the rights and responsibilities of adults in committed relationships raising families, running businesses, and owning property. Diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace, and in our state as a whole, are core values in our business community,” said Taylor Washburn, chair of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

“We must protect and enhance them if we want to attract, retain, and grow a talented workforce needed to stay competitive in the global economy. Supporting the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign sends the right message about the economic environment we have and want.”

Six of the Northwest’s largest employers – The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Nike, Puget Sound Energy, RealNetworks, and Vulcan Inc. – announced on September 14 their support for the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign.

In a joint statement, the five employers said that the state’s domestic partnership law “simply recognizes that, regardless of their sexual orientation, people may enter into partnerships and create family units that deserve respect and equal treatment. …

We urge a vote to approve R-71.”

“We are a group of businesses who stand united together by the commonality of our companies’ core values, which respect and support employees with diverse backgrounds,” the joint statement began. “We are committed to supporting our employees and our customers and to ensuring the health of our communities. Accordingly, we support the campaign to approve R-71.”

The statement said overturning the law would undo years of equal rights progress made in Washington State. The businesses said they do not believe that this step backward would be in the best interest for “the future of our state.”

“Vulcan Inc. certainly hopes it will be approved,” David Postman, spokesman for Vulcan Inc., told SGN. “Washington residents believe in equal rights, and when voters understand that R-71 preserves the law as passed by the Legislature, we are confident they will vote to approve R-71.”

Postman told SGN the domestic partnership bill was the culmination of years of work done by people who believe that all Washington residents, regardless of sexual orientation, should be able to create families.

“If R-71 is defeated,” he said, “it would not just stop the progress, but set it back years, perhaps, and we should not ask anyone to wait for the respect and equal treatment under the law they deserve.”

This is an important issue and must not get lost in the attention given to the Seattle mayor’s race or other campaigns, he said.

According to Postman, Vulcan Inc. is donating $5,000 to the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign.

“Supporters of equal rights have to remember to vote to approve R-71 to maintain the law,” Postman said.

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You can get a FREE VIP ticket to BUMP, Seattle’s Hottest Halloween Party!! Ask your friends to support Gay City, and for every $200 you raise, you get a ticket!

Join Fund Buddies, help your community, and win prizes!

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NEWS

compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

REGISTER TO VOTE If you live in King County and are not registered to vote or need to change your voter registration because you have moved, visit the King County Office of Records and Elections website at www.kingcounty. gov/elections or phone their office at 206296-8683. There is extensive information about voter registration on their outgoing voice mail if you reach their office after hours. If you live outside of King County, visit the Washington Secretary of State’s website at www.secstate.wa.gov and scroll down to the “Register to Vote” link in the home page’s “Most Requested Info” category or call the Elections Division at 360902-4180.

Deadline for mail-in registration is 29 days before the November 3 General Election. Mail-in registrations must be POSTMARKED no later than Monday, October 5 to meet the deadline.

Online registration must be received no later than Monday, October 5 at 11:59 p.m.

If you miss the 29-day mail-in and online registration deadline AND you are not currently registered in the state of Washington, you can register in person 8 days before the November 3 General Election at the King County Elections office in Renton.

Contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division for 8-day in-person registration locations in other counties.

If you have moved from one county to another and need to change your voter registration, you must revise your registration by mail, online or in-person by Monday, October 5. If you have not revised your registration by Monday, October 5, call the King County Office of Records and Elections or the Washington Secretary of State’s office for further information on how you can vote in the November 3 election.

If you have any questions or concerns about registering to vote or revising your voter registration, please contact the King County Office of Records and Elections or the Washington Secretary of State’s office.

SEATTLE OUT & PROUD SEEKS BOARD MEMBERS Seattle Out & Proud (SOaP), producers of the annual Seattle Pride® Parade, seeks several at-large board members to fill recently vacated spots. Ideal candidates will have a passion to serve the LGBT community by advancing their dual missions of advocating for equal rights for all persons and presenting the best and largest LGBT event in the Pacific Northwest.

For complete information on time commitment, qualifications and how to apply, visit www.seattlepride.org or call the Pride office at 206-322-9561.

Deadline for application submission is September 30, 2009.

EQUALITY WEEKEND ORGANIZERS WANT YOU TO HELP SELECT COMMUNITY SPEAKERS FOR SEATTLE’S LGBT EQUALITY WEEKEND RALLY For the last two weeks, organizers of Seattle’s LGBT Equality Weekend events have been soliciting 3-minute video entries in their Seattle LGBT Equality Weekend “Idol” competition to win a speaking platform at Seattle’s Equality Weekend Rally to be held on Sunday, October 11 at the new Federal Courthouse, 700 Stewart St., in conjunction with the National March for Equality in Washington, DC. The Seattle LGBT Equality Weekend Outreach Committee will select the top five videos on Friday, September 18 and post them on their website, www.seattleOUTprotest.org, with links to YouTube and their Facebook Page by Saturday, September 19. (Click on the link at the cover page on the committee’s website to take you to their main site.) Voting will take place over the next week and end at

5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time on Friday, September 25.

Winning will be based on the highest YouTube ratings combined with the highest number of “thumbs up” from our Facebook page. In the unlikely event of a tie, the subcommittee will make the final decision.

RADICAL WOMEN’S GIGANTIC RUMMAGE SALE: DONATIONS WANTED, VOLUNTEERS WANTED. STOP BY AND SHOP! On Saturday, September 19, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Sunday, September 20, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Radical Women will hold a Gigantic Rummage Sale at New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave. S. in Columbia City.

The sale will include quality housewares, collectibles, books, toys, tools, working electronics, clean clothing, kids’ stuff, furniture, office equipment and more.

If you have items to donate, drop by New Freeway Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. weekdays thru Thursday, September 17 (and by arrangement on the weekend of September 12-13). Or call 206-722-6057 or email RWseattle@mindspring.com to arrange a pickup.

If you’d like to help out with the sale, call Radical Women to sign up.

GAY CITY CO-HOSTS “SHIFTING WORDS” On Saturday, September 19, at 7 p.m., Gay City co-hosts “SHIFTing Words,” an evening of spoken word in celebration of our recovery from alcohol and substance abuse and in recognition of National Recovery Month. The event will be held at Dunshee House, 303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St. IMPERIAL COURT OF SEATTLE PRESENTS “EMPRESS EXPRESS” & “EMPEROR’S TURNABOUT” SHOWS AT NEIGHBOURS On Saturday, September 19, the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle presents “Empress Express” featuring The Electric SixString Wonder, Rock & Roll Empress of the Emerald City, Her Most Imperial Sovereign Majesty Olympia XXXVIII, Candace Derriere, at Neighbours, 1509 Broadway (entrance in alley between Broadway & Harvard Ave.), doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. $7 suggested donation.

On Sunday, September 20, the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle presents “Emperor’s Turnabout” featuring The Golden Hearted Silver & Rhinestone Tiger Emperor His Most Imperial Sovereign Majesty Rainier XXXV, Eric Bonesteel, at Neighbours, 1509 Broadway (entrance in alley between Broadway & Harvard Ave.), doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. $7 suggested donation.

FRIENDS OF THE CONSERVATORY IN VOLUNTEER PARK FALL PLANT SALE On Sunday, September 20, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., you can pick up orchids, epiphyllum, bromeliads, cacti and many other unique indoor plants at the Friend of the Conservatory’s Fall Plant Sale. The sale will be held at the Conservatory at the north end of Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Galer St. www.volunteerparkconservatory.org.

COMING OUT, COMING HOME, MAKING ROOM FOR GAY SPIRITUALITY On Sunday, September 20, local author, Kenneth A. Burr, will read from his new book, Coming Out, Coming Home, Making Room for Gay Spirituality, at 2 p.m., at Elliott Bay Book Co., 101 S. Main St. In a recent study, Burr conducted heartfelt interviews with sexual minorities who were seeking meaningful connections between their spirituality and sexuality. When asked why he felt compelled to write his book, Burr states, “As I began to collect the sacred stories of people’s lives, I felt I was stand-

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ing on holy ground and given a gift that had to be passed on to others. Those who shared their stories did so with their blessings and hope that other sexual minorities and their allies might be encouraged to continue to enlarge their spiritual journeys as well.”

she got to be the owner of three great coffee places. The GSBA’s Connecting Women Affinity Group aims to value the experience that GSBA women members have by providing short monthly presentations followed by ample time to network. Bring your business cards. Cost is $5 for members; $10 for non-members. To RSVP, call 206-363-9188 or visit www.thegsba.org.

GAY SKATE PARTY AT BELLEVUE SKATE KING On Monday, September 21, from 7-10 p.m., come out for an evening of roller skat“JUST ART” ing at Skate King Bellevue, 2301 140th SMC/SWC’S Ave. NE. It’s a community social event for 6TH ANNUAL friends and family – fun and games for all BENEFIT ART AUCTION ages. Cost is $8.00 ($5.00 under 18 years). & COCKTAIL PARTY Regular skate rental included with cost of On Friday, September 25, from 6-10 p.m., admission. Inline skate rental: $4.00 or at Fremont Studios, 155 N. 35th St., join the bring your own skates. For more informa- Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s tion, call 425-458-4707.

Chorus for “Just ART,” their 6th annual benefit art auction and cocktail party.

BEYOND CRYSTAL: Enjoy fine wine from Darby and Joan NEON’S CRYSTAL METH Winery, delicious nibbles from Flying Fish RECOVERY GROUP Restaurant, decadent dessert items by Suess Project NEON is sponsoring a 12-week Chocolates. Entertainment by The Swedish psychoeducational counseling group de- Housewife, Lily Verlaine, Miss Indigo Blue, signed for Gay and Bi men who want to quit Ben De La Creme, Waxie Moon, Dyno the meth. The group will meet every Monday Aerialist, Eric Lane Barnes, Nathan Young, and Thursday, 5:30-7 p.m., from September Body Painting by Scott Ward.

21 to December 10. Please contact Martin The silent and live auctions will feature at 206-323-1768 for more information and exquisite work by some of the Pacific Northan assessment. Participation in this group is west’s premier talents, as well as pieces by FREE. Project NEON is a program of Se- gifted up-and-comers who have not shown attle Counseling Service for Sexual Minori- in galleries or other usual venues - 96 differties. ent artists.

Proceeds benefit SMC and SWC and the SEATTLE VOLLEYBALL CLUB contributing artists receive 20% of the sellFALL 2009 LEAGUE SEASON ing price of their work. Tickets are $75 at The Seattle Volleyball Club Fall 2009 206-388-1412. www.flyinghouse.org.

League Season will run from Monday, September 21 to Monday, December 7. (The SEATTLE AIDS WALK Winter 2010 League Season will run from On Saturday, September 26, join the LifeMonday, January 25 to Monday, March 31.) long AIDS Alliance’s Seattle AIDS Walk Seattle Volleyball Club is an organization 9 a.m. registration, 9:30 a.m. rally, 10 a.m. for Gay volleyball players and their friends. walk - at Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect www.seattlevolleyball.com.

St., in support of their AIDS prevention and client support programs, including the QUEER ALLY COALITION Chicken Soup Brigade meals program. For SPONSORS WEEKLY more information and to sign-up visit www.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING SeattleAIDSWalk.org.

MEETINGS The Queer Ally Coalition sponsors weekQ-SQUARED BOOK GROUP ly Community Organizing Meetings on On Saturday, September 26, at 1 p.m., at Tuesdays, at 7:30 p.m., at Cascade People’s the Capitol Hill Branch Library, 425 HarCenter, 309 Pontius Ave. N. The Queer Ally vard Ave. E., the Q-Squared Book Group Coalition is a grassroots democratic alliance will discuss the novel, Living Upstairs, by of LGBT people and allies committed to the Joseph Hansen. Author of the acclaimed fight for Queer rights, culture, and libera- Dave Brandstetter mystery series, Hansen is also a Lambda Award winner. The Los tion.

Any questions, call 206-612-6139 or Angeles Reader described Living Upstairs email queerallycoalition@gmail.com or as a “A gripping novel of love and lies, innocence and treachery ... confirms the New visit www.queerallycoalition.org.

York Times’ judgment that Joseph Hansen is ‘one of the best we have.’” Q-Squared Book GSBA CANDIDATE FORUM Group is open to men who are interested in & BUSINESS LUNCHEON On Wednesday, September 23, from Gay literature and always welcomes new 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Red Lion Ho- members. www.qsquared.org. tel Seattle, 1415 5th Ave., join GSBA and “SPEAK!” - THE HRC’S Q-Law members and moderator Deborah 10TH ANNUAL Brandt, former host of KUOW’s “Morning PACIFIC NORTHWEST DINNER Edition,” for the GSBA’s Candidate Forum On Saturday, September 26, doors at to hear from candidates for King County Executive – Dow Constantine and Susan 5:30 p.m., at The Westin Seattle, 1900 Fifth Hutchison; Seattle Mayor – Joe Mallahan Ave., join local LGBT activists, communiand Mike McGinn; Seattle City Attorney ty members and allies for “SPEAK!” - “A – Tom Carr and Pete Holmes; Seattle City night to speak up! For yourself, your famCouncil races: Position 2 – Richard Conlin ily, and your community. A night to speak and David Ginsberg; Position 4 – Sally Bag- out! For equality, hate crimes protection, the shaw and David Bloom; Position 6 – Jessie repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Israel and Nick Licata; Position 8 – Mike end to DOMA. A night to speak proudly!

O’Brien and Robert Rosencrantz; Port of For your accomplishments, individuality Seattle Commissioner – Position 3 – David and passion. Join us for a dazzling night of Doud and Rob Holland; and a presenta- united voices!” Enjoy dinner, silent and live tion from the Approve Ref. 71 Campaign. auction, entertainment, awards ceremony, Cost is $30-GSBA & Q-LAW members; dancing. Tickets are $200; $150-student/ $35-nonmembers; walk-ins are $15 more senior. 1-800-494-TIXS or online at www. at the door. To RSVP, call 206-363-9188 or hrcseattle.org. register online at www.thegsba.org. The foSEATTLE COUNSELING SERVICE rum is sponsored by Q-Law, the GLBT Bar GALA DINNER & DANCE Association of Washington.

On Saturday, October 10, celebrate Seattle Counseling Service’s 40th anniversary SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL with fun and elegance with special surprise LATINO FILM FESTIVAL guests, including SCS founders and other September 24-27. www.cineseattle.org dignitaries too numerous to mention. The gala will be held at the Sheraton Seattle HoGSBA’S “CONNECTING WOMEN” tel, 1400 6th Ave. at Pike St., with reception AT FUEL COFFEE On Thursday, September 24, from 5:30- at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. The celebration 7:30 p.m., at Fuel Coffee, 2300 24th Ave. continues till midnight, Tickets are: $125 per person, with $25 E., Dani Cone, owner of Fuel Coffee, will host the monthly gathering of the Greater discount for hosted tables. For more inforSeattle Business Associations women mem- mation and the RSVP, call 206-323-1768 or bers (and non-members) and talk about how visit www.seattlecounseling.org.

September 18, 2009

Seattle Gay News

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September 18, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

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Seattle Gay News 15

Protect Maine Equality DOMA repeal introduced fighting for marriage law in House by Nadler, Polis, Baldwin, no Barney Frank

by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer

opensecrets.org

NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality, the statewide, grassroots campaign defending Maine’s marriage equality law, is asking the state’s citizens to vote No on Question 1 this November 3 during the General Election.

Earlier this month, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap certified that the law’s opponents had collected enough signatures to place their referendum to repeal the marriage equality law, which was passed by the legislature and was signed by Governor John Baldacci, on the ballot.

Maine became the fifth state to legalize Gay marriage in May. Opponents, led by the Catholic Church and other clergy, immediately began campaigning for a people’s veto, which would ask voters to overturn the law. The group successfully collected the 55,087 registered voter signatures needed to put the question on the ballot.

The same-sex marriage law would’ve taken effect 90 days after the Legislature’s June 13 adjournment, but is now on hold due to Question 1 making the General Election ballot.

In Maine, voting actually begins in early October. Maine has one of the most liberal absentee ballot laws, with same-day voter registration.

Protect Main Equality said the certification did not come as a surprise. On their website, www.protectmaineequality.org, the organization said, “We’ve been gearing up for months to fight this battle.”

The opposition for same-sex marriage equality in Maine, the National Organization for Marriage, has hired anti-Gay-marriage Schubert-Flint Public Affairs as its consultant. This is the same company that ran the successful Yes on Prop 8 Campaign in California last year.

The fight for marriage equality in Maine has thrust the state into the national spotlight. The pro Gay marriage organization,

however, says that despite some opposition, there are many, many voters in the state who are for equality.

On their website, Protect Maine Equality said marriage equality honors the commitment – often lasting decades – that thousands of loving same-sex couples in Maine have made to each other. Without marriage equality, loving, committed same-sex couples are not recognized as a legal pair. They cannot file taxes jointly, do not have access to health insurance as a family, and are not allowed to inherit property at the time of death without the hardship of crushing taxes.

“Separate is not equal, and everyone, including Gay and Lesbian couples, should be treated equally under the law,” Protect Maine Equality posted. “Marriage equality reflects traditional Maine values of fairness and equality.”

The organization said marriage equality protects children, as well. It guarantees the children of same-sex couples all of the rights and protections that marriage grants automatically to a married couple’s children. According to Protect Maine Equality, marriage equality recognizes that it is a person or couple’s parenting skills and the love for one’s children that makes a good parent.

As for people of faith, Protect Maine Equality has said that Maine’s marriage equality law respects and protects the rights of people of faith.

“It explicitly ensures that no one empowered to perform marriages will be required to marry any couple, including same-sex couples, contrary to their conscience or their religious beliefs,” Protect Maine Equality said. “Nonetheless, marriage equality is supported by many leaders and people of faith, some having long chosen to recognize the love and commitment of same-sex couples.”

The campaign leader, Jesse Connolly, said Maine Freedom to Marry was changed from a successful legislative campaign to a field campaign. He said people are knocking on doors, making phone calls, and asking Maine residents to support Gay marriage.

“We need to show folks that the Legislature and the governor passed this law and signed this law,” said Connolly. “And the Legislature and the governor heard from tens of thousands of Maine citizens that understood what marriage equality meant for them.”

Connolly said, “There’s an old saying: ‘As Maine goes, so goes the nation.’ When Maine speaks loudly for equality on November 3rd, our voices will be heard around the nation.”

“It explicitly ensures that no one empowered to perform marriages will be required to marry any couple, including same-sex couples, contrary to their conscience or their religious beliefs.”

16 Seattle Gay News

September 18, 2009

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Congressional heavyweights Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Barney Frank (D-MA) squared off over Nadler’s Respect for Marriage Act, introduced in the US House of Representatives on September 15.

Nadler’s bill would repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in its entirety, and require federal recognition of same-sex marriages concluded in states where they are legal. No companion bill has yet been introduced in the Senate, but Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) is reportedly being lobbied by activists to sponsor such a bill.

“The full repeal of DOMA is long overdue,” a beaming Nadler told a press conference in front of the US Capitol. “When DOMA was passed in 1996, its full harm may not have been apparent to all members of Congress because same-sex couples were not yet able to marry. Now, in 2009, we have tens of thousands of married same-sex couples in this country, living openly, raising families and paying taxes in states that have granted them the right to marry, and it has become abundantly clear that, while the sky has not fallen on the institution of marriage, as DOMA supporters had claimed, DOMA is causing these couples concrete and lasting harm.”

“Discrimination against committed couples and stable families is terrible federal policy,” Nadler continued. “But, with a president who is committed to repealing DOMA and a broad, diverse coalition of Americans on our side, we now have a real opportunity to remove from the books this obnoxious and ugly law.”

Nadler – who chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties – was joined as sponsor of the legislation by openly Gay Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and by Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers (D-MI), civil rights veteran John Lewis (D-GA), Ny-

dia Velazquez (D-NY), and Barbara Lee (DCA). In all, 91 members of the House have signed on as sponsors, including the entire Connecticut delegation.

Barney Frank – the longest serving openly Gay Representative, and chair of the powerful House Financial Services Committee – was noticeably absent from the list of sponsors, however.

“Come on, let’s be honest with each other,” Frank said in an interview with SGN soon after the bill was introduced on September 15. “We don’t have the votes for DOMA [repeal] now – and the sponsors know that we don’t. It’s a mistake [to introduce the bill].”

Frank worried that the portability provisions in Nadler’s bill – what Nadler calls the “certainty provision” – might endanger other pending legislation.

“It’s a mistake to put in a provision that someone who’s married in Massachusetts can move to Ohio and still be married,” he told SGN. “Given that we don’t have the votes for DOMA [repeal] now, introducing that argument just engenders controversy and opposition. It’s a mistake to rekindle that debate.”

According to Frank, there are four pieces of pending legislation that should take priority over DOMA repeal.

“Hate crimes and domestic partnership benefits for federal employees are in good shape,” he said. “An inclusive ENDA [Employment Non-Discrimination Act] and [repeal of] Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell [DADT] are in the balance right now. We will have a majority for them in the House. Everyone should now be lobbying their senators [for ENDA and repeal of DADT].”

Nadler dismissed Franks’ argument in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

“Mr. Frank knows better than anyone that our opponents will falsely claim that any DOMA repeal bill ‘exports marriage’ in an effort to generate fear and misunderstanding,” Nadler said. “But the dishonest tactics

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Pub:HERALD RETAIL Tag Line: Color Info: can,” he said. “We have a big task ahead of us of – education and clarification and so forth – but 90 co-sponsors in a couple of days is an incredible show of support, so we’re going to do that regardless of that fact that Barney has chosen for the moment not to be a sponsor.”

Frank told SGN that he sees more results coming from one of the several lawsuits challenging DOMA on constitutional grounds.

“A lawsuit, at this point, has a better chance to win,” he said.

“There’s a lawsuit introduced by GLAD [Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders] in Massachusetts [Gill v OPM] alleging that DOMA violates Equal Protection,” Frank continued. “It’s very good lawyering. Very

thoughtful. Much better than the California people.”

GLAD filed suit against DOMA on March 3 this year, saying that Section 3 of DOMA violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by singling out only samesex couples and depriving them of federal protections in the areas of tax law, Social Security, pensions, and issuance of passports. Arguments in the case are expected later this month.

Smelt v United States was dismissed by a federal judge in California last month on technical grounds, and will be refiled. Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer – legally married in California before passage of Prop 8 – argued that DOMA illegally restricted their rights to interstate travel.

0001659526-01

of our opponents should not stop us from aggressively pushing to end this horrific discrimination now, as is the consensus of the nation’s top LGBT groups who all support this approach.”

“Our bill does not tell any state who it must marry or what marriage it must recognize under state law,” Nadler continued.

“Our bill allows states to continue deciding those questions, while ensuring uniform access to critically important federal responsibilities and rights that hinge on marriage and upon which all married couples should be able to rely.”

Nadler said supporters of DOMA repeal intend to move forward with or without Frank’s endorsement.

“We are going to move this bill when we

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September 18, 2009

Seattle Gay News 17

Queeries

Guess who’s coming to dinner. Your ex!

by Steven Petrow SGN Contributing Writer Guess who’s coming to dinner? Your ex!

Q: It’s said that in the Lesbian and Gay community, “we are an army of lovers and ex-lovers.” How do you handle invites, seating arrangements, etc., when you know that so many of the guests are former lovers, and you want to invite them all?

A: Indeed, what they say is true. I remember being unpleasantly shocked at a birthday party for my former boyfriend Victor to see all four of his other exes in attendance. At one point, the five of us were even corralled into a group photo. Flash! Posterity recorded. What Victor hadn’t counted on was that we would talk – talk about him – and since we were all history, as they say, we had a lot of pent-up dish. By night’s end, the entire party was referring to our merry little band as “Victor’s Victims.” Probably not what Victor had in mind.

Back to your question! First of all, as a host, you need to think of your guests’ comfort. Just because you want to invite them all doesn’t mean you should. Masked or unmasked bitterness, rage or jealousy can quickly tank the best of parties. But if

you’re committed to this potentially prickly guest list, be transparent. You don’t need to tell each guest who among their exes will be present, but if they ask, fess up. Then, it’s every man and woman for him or herself.

Some will simply not show, but at least the others know what they’re getting into.

Likewise, if you’re having trouble choosing between two separated lovers, feel free to invite them both. Let them choose to attend or not. Or the exes can decide between themselves what’s appropriate. But again, if asked whether the other is invited or attending, say what you know.

As for seating arrangements, you’ve got to be kidding. You can’t just put a group of unhappy souls at a table and ask them to break bread together. Instead, make sure the party is big enough so that folks can hide in corners or behind a tree.

The art of mingling (LGBT-style) Q: Whenever I have a party, it seems that my Lesbian friends stay to themselves and my Gay male friends do the same. How can I encourage my guests to mingle instead of clinging to their samegender friends?

A: Of course, the larger question is: How do you get people who don’t know each othRe fees t duced hr Sept ough . 30

er to try and connect? Sad to say, but most of us like to stick with our own kind, or at least with what’s tried and true. With strangers, simply starting a conversation can be the biggest challenge. And this is where a good host makes all the difference. Go around the party and match up people who happen to have something – pretty much anything – in common. For instance, “Rochelle, I’d like you to meet Mike; he also lived in St. Louis before moving here.” Or: “Mike, you probably didn’t know that Rochelle has a new puppy, too.”

Of course, one of the reasons that the Gays and the Lezzies may be staying in their own camps at your parties is that they’re on the prowl for a date. Here, too, a good host intervenes. Introduce Sally to Jeanne, saying something like: “You’re two of my favorite people and you’re both screenwriters.

I think you should know each other.” And then let them be. Your work is done – until the next party.

How to have a successful Lesbian potluck?

Q: I hate to be a stereotype, but I’m going to have a Lesbian potluck next month.

It’s the food that has me worried, though.

The last time I did this, I wound up with several different versions of lentil salad, no main courses, and no ingenuity. How can I get my friends to do better?

A: Well, you can get them to do better by doing better yourself. Get organized. By that, I mean give out assignments. One way is to divide your guest list alphabetically with one group bringing appetizers and salads (you might tell this team jokingly, “let’s skip the lentil salad this year”), another main dishes, and the last, desserts. Maybe you can provide the beverages yourself.

And the next time you’re a potluck guest?

Inquire whether anyone coming has special dietary considerations – perhaps someone is vegan or lactose intolerant or has celiac disease, for example. (If you yourself have special needs, be sure to bring something that you can eat and let your host know beforehand so there are no worries.)

Potluck guests should also avoid making their dish at the host’s house, even if it’s just a salad. All the prep work should be done at home, except perhaps for reheating a dish right before serving.

Steven Petrow is the author of The Essential Book of Gay Manners & Etiquette. Send your manners questions to him at queeries@live.com.

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Queer ally continued from cover

were on. People didn’t know they were supposed to vote ‘approve’ in order to keep the domestic partnership law,” he said. “I personally had over 20 people I had to remind that we are now on the ‘yes’ side of the argument. People still have the ‘decline to sign’ message in their head.”

He said the public’s reaction to the QAC presence was overwhelmingly positive.

People took flyers and placards from the group and thanked them for supporting the approval of R-71. Carlson said they only ran into a handful of people who represented the opposition.

The activist said the group is meeting Wednesdays and Sundays to distribute flyers and put up Approve Ref. 71 posters all over Capitol Hill, considered the epicenter of Gay life in the city.

“We want to cover the Hill – not just the main streets, but even the small streets,” he said. “In a week, we are doorbelling. We are just going to go door to door to hand out flyers, yard signs, and register people to vote.”

In addition, QAC officials say they are utilizing the members of their group who attend the University of Washington (UW) to do tabling and to make announcements about approving the referendum on the campus radio station.

“We are involved in the Seattle OUTProtest October 10-11 vigil and march,” Carlson told SGN. “Our goal is to increase visibility about the R-71 campaign and Gay rights in general.”

He said QAC is an organization that really wants to hear what people have to say and wants to involve the community in the movement, adding, “we want to involve the broader community in the struggle and get people’s voices heard.”

Put simply, he said, QAC and the Approve R-71 Campaign need people to vote. “We know there is support,” Carlson said. “But this is a tipping point. We don’t just need the support, we need the vote.”

QAC member Lonnie Lopez taught a class about LGBT history at Gay City University last Saturday. He said the class was well-attended and, overall, it was a great day.

“We had a good discussion afterwards and the big theme was criticism of the ‘leadership’ of the LGBT movement up to now, as well as simple visibility,” Lopez told SGN. “Many were confused about ... how to vote for the referendum and how it got to this point.”

Lopez points out that, according to him, there seems to be a lack of political consciousness in the LGBT community. However, instead of pointing fingers, he’s decid-

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ed to take this time to educate people on the LGBT persons in the workplace, and a majority – including a majority of Republineed for political awareness. cans – support an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

STRAIGHT ALLIES “On issue after issue, the majority of SIGNAL MAJOR SHIFT Americans are overwhelmingly supportive IN GAY COMMUNITY “The community’s been overwhelmingly of equal rights for LGBT people, and those responsive and actually appreciates that numbers keep going up [as] more people see we’re going out into the community,” Lo- us fighting a dignified, confident, and proud pez said. “QAC’s presence was, after all, fight,” Lopez told SGN. “We know, accordthe first public presence on Broadway of ing to the 2008 University of Washington the Approve R-71 Campaign. Given the fi- study, that at least 66% of Washingtonians nancial weakness of the campaign because either support marriage equality or support of the recession, what better way to get the legal recognition of LGBT couples in the message out for free than hundreds, if not form of civil unions or domestic partnerthousands, of Approve R-71 posters across ships. That’s a two-thirds majority who are already on our side. If we get everyone who Capitol Hill and throughout Seattle?”

Lopez said he could see a major shift in already supports us to vote to approve R-71, the Gay movement, in that; straight allies we will win this by a landslide and we’ll dance in the streets like we did last General really are out there.

“There’s a myth about hostility between Election Day.” But, Lopez admits, getting everyone to Gay men and straight men,” he said. “The truth is that 75% of Americans know some- vote can be a big obstacle. “We have to get one who is LGBT, and we all know that our supporters – especially the younger when you know an LGBT person, you’re LGBT community – to actually register and vote in this off-year election.” more likely to support their equal rights.”

“We can win this if we want to. We have He said the right wing loves to say that those who support Gay marriage are a small to,” he said. “The consequences are huge. If minority of homosexual activists trying to the bigots win, they won’t stop at this. We force their lifestyle on an innocent and un- know they’ll gain confidence and fight to suspecting heterosexual population. This, take even more rights away.”

The QAC holds a weekly organizing he said, is an outright lie.

“Our straight brothers and sisters want to meeting Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at show their solidarity and support,” said Lo- Cascade People’s Center, 309 Pontius Ave. pez. “This is a historical shift from previous N., in Seattle. For more information about moments in our movement, when straight QAC, visit the organization’s website at people were actively kept out of the move- www.queerallycoalition.org. ment. That there are so many straight allies who are fed up with homophobia … is a huge advantage, and it’s time we recognize continued from cover that reality.”

QAC officials are asking people to call into radio stations to voice support for the gency,” said Dr. Aaron Belkin, director of Approve Referendum 71 Campaign. Lopez the Palm Center, ”the president has given said he remembers listening to a local radio himself more time to suspend the Gay ban station last year, after Prop 8 passed, and the via executive order.”

DJ was a Lesbian who spoke of how angry On September 10, Obama issued a docuand hurt she was. He said the idea clicked: ment titled, “Continuation of the National What better way to get the message out than Emergency With Respect to Certain Terrorto have LGBT equality supporters call their ist Attacks” where he said, “I am continufavorite morning radio shows and tell every- ing for one year the national emergency deone to vote to approve R-71? Lopez points clared on September 14, 2001.” out that calling in is free, and that most of Belkin, who proposed the idea of susthe stations are based out of Seattle and are pending the U.S. military’s Gay ban known already allies. as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) by exLopez said those who oppose the ap- ecutive order in May, said there’s evidence proval of R-71 are directly attacking the that the legislative process to repeal the polLGBT community in Washington. He said icy is badly stalled.

R-71 like Prop 8, as it is “about taking rights “Because the legislative process is frozen, away.” He says nearly 90% of the country a two-part strategy is the only realistic way supports ending discrimination against to go,” Belkin said. “Start with an execu-

tive order, and then follow with legislative repeal.”

In a recent Politico.com article, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) says the Senate is swamped and has little time on the schedule for the DADT fight. Also, the Senate’s patron saint of the cause, Ted Kennedy (D-MA), died before being able to introduce long-promised bipartisan legislation to overturn the policy. With no Republican cosponsors for a repeal, key moderate Democrats have remained uncommitted.

Leading opponents of DADT, such as Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), an openly Gay Congressman, said there will be a better chance to overturn the ban next year. The public, however, has become widely opposed to keeping the ban.

A July 2008 poll by the Washington Post and ABC News found that 75% of Americans support allowing Gays to serve openly in the military, up from just 44% in 1993.

Perhaps adding to public frustration is the absence of a big push from the Pentagon leadership and President Obama – who, when running for president, promised to end the ban.

To date, nearly 400 Gay and Lesbian servicemembers have been discharged under the policy since Obama and the 11th Congress were sworn in last January. Since the policy’s 1993 implementation, almost 13,000 servicemembers have been discharged.

Belkin isn’t just saying the ball is in Obama’s court, he’s asking, “Where are the LGBT national leaders?” when it comes to a

DADT repeal.

“The legislative process is badly stalled.

The writing on the wall has been apparent for months,” he said, “but some community leaders have been unwilling to acknowledge or even see it.”

He said that within weeks after Obama took office, a White House spokesperson told journalists that the White House would begin to study the Gay ban sometime in 2010.

“Not act,” he said, “but study.”

“How long will community leaders continue to protect the White House from any meaningful pressure to sign an executive order suspending DADT?” Belkin asked in a September 15 blog entry on the Palm Centers’ website.

He said there is really only one question our community leaders need to answer: “Do you want Gay troops to serve openly and legally tomorrow, or not?”

The multi-step approach proposed by the Palm Center has been endorsed by the Center for American Progress and a number of other prominent organizations.

The Palm Center is a research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The Center uses rigorous social science to inform public discussions of controversial social issues, enabling policy outcomes to be informed more by evidence than by emotion. Its data-driven approach is premised on the notion that the public makes wise choices on social issues when high-quality information is available. For more information, visit www.palmcenter.ucsb.edu.

September 18, 2009

Seattle Gay News 19

dadt

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Gay soccer: The world’s sport

by Dan Woog SGN Contributing Writer Though soccer is the world’s most popular sport – and the International Gay and Lesbian Football (Soccer) Association boasts more than 80 teams in over 20 countries – this year’s annual international tournament almost did not happen.

But thanks to the energy and enthusiasm of Gay men and women – and straight allies – in Washington, D.C., the 2009 Gay Soccer World Championship was a rousing success.

When the Philadelphia organizers bowed out of their commitment just nine months before the event, the Washington soccer world kicked into high gear. The Federal Triangles Soccer Club has long been one of the strongest members of the IGLFA, participating in every world championship since the club’s founding in 1990. Led by president Jim Ensor, they put on a show that attracted 26 teams, from as far away as Australia and Argentina.

London Stonewall repeated as men’s Division I champion. The Seattle Jet City Strikers took the men’s Division II title, while the Philadelphia Falcons won the women’s exhibition category.

Gay soccer provides clubs and teams a place where “people can feel free to play, and be who they are. Too often Gay men and women are stereotyped, and made to think they can’t do certain things. It’s telling that, still today, there is not one out athlete actively playing in a major U.S. team sport,” says Michael Pranikoff, 2009 tournament marketing chair, Pranikoff notes that many youngsters still find it difficult to be both athletes and out of the closet. In Turkey, a Gay soccer referee was recently banned.

Rumors about top soccer players around the world continue to make harsh headlines.

Gay soccer offers a sanctuary. “There is a freedom on the pitch,” Pranikoff says.

“People can relive a childhood desire that they couldn’t, or were too afraid to try. They can even relive a high school or college moment when they played, but now they can

celebrate a goal with their partner, boyfriend or girlfriend who is sitting on the sideline, openly and loudly cheering for them. That is not something you see on most soccer fields in the world.”

At the same time, Pranikoff says, straight and questioning players are welcome. And this year’s tournament received a big boost from Washington’s two professional teams.

DC United of Major League Soccer and the Washington Freedom (Women’s Professional Soccer) both offered key support. They joined organizers at D.C.’s Pride this year, supplying players to sign autographs. (The Freedom sent superstar Abby Wambach.)

But staging the tournament was ultimately a grassroots effort. Ensor – who first played in the tournament in 1997, coached high

school soccer for 12 years and worked extensively with the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association – helped beat the bushes to get the D.C. soccer community, Gay and straight, involved.

People rolled up their sleeves, he says, “because the event was unique, the visibility of GLBT sports has improved in recent years, the stigma attached to Gay sports has softened, and the need for outreach and acceptance is creeping in at all levels of sport.”

The Greater Washington Sports Alliance, Destination DC (local tourist bureau) and mayor’s office were all early supporters.

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September 18, 2009

Celebrating 36 Years!

all came through strongly.

Social events, as well as all-week Metro passes and shuttle buses to fields, extended the feeling of camaraderie – and partying – beyond the matches themselves.

“All of the teams hung out together,” Pranikoff reports. “Old friendships were renewed, and new connections made.”

Pranikoff spent countless hours updating the website, and posting Feedback and Twitter news. “People told me they’d call home to tell their boyfriend, partner or family they’d won, and the person on the other end would say they already knew because they were watching online,” Pranikoff says with pride.

At the closing party, JC Cummings – a Washington-area Gay soccer pioneer – was honored for his contributions to the IGLFA. He expressed gratitude and love for what Gay soccer has given him.

“The people who were supposed to care for me when I was young tried their best, but they didn’t do a very good job,” Cummings said. “They told me that Gay people could not participate in sports. That confused me.

Groups like the Federal Triangles Soccer Club and ILGFA have liberated me from their prejudices.”

Cummings called the players and officials at the 2009 championships “part of a movement. In 1995, when the tournament was in

Berlin, the leader of the German women’s gally marry. We move the beach one grain national team told his players that anyone of sand at a time. It’s a slow movement, but who played would lose her place on the na- you are doing the work.” tional team.

“In Germany today, Gay couples can leDan Woog is a journalist, educator, soc-

cer 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.

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