THE BETTY PAGES The region’s most inclusive alternative-lifestyle entertainment tabloid
February 2011
a Desire Enterprises publication
The Betty Pages - February 2011 Betty’s Corner
By Betty Desire, The Betty Pages
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Photo By Lea Kelley
In The Mix
By Bridget Adams
Visit from a Dignitary By Tara A. Nelson
Sudoku for Tom
Written by Brian Spencer, The Betty Pages
Ex Libris: Andrew Lyall By Peter Storm
Bellingham Drag Celebrates 30+ Years with the Queen Mother By Peter Storm
P.S.: Der Schnitzel Haus By Peter Storm & Shanita Blough
The Brave New World of HIV Prevention By Scott Bertani
Inclusive Places of Worship GLBT Resource Guide
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About our Contributors... Miss Betty Desire has been entertaining anyone who would listen in Bellingham for nearly 10 years, and is proprietor of The Betty Pages, the monthly publication that you are reading at this very moment. It is her hope that your perusal of the Betty Pages will enrich your life one chuckle at a time.
Managing Editor Brian Spencer is a title-holder and board member with the ISCEE, aside from his involvement with various community organizations and work in graphic design. His interests include men, computers, drag queens and politics. Merry, happy holidays to you and yours! Live well, love much, laugh often.
Writer Bridget Adams currently resides in Washington State but that is always subject to change. Lucky enough to be a full-time, if poor, writer, she is most likely somewhere in front of her computer with a cup of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
Photographer Lea Kelley is a local artist, photographer, and writer. She is a recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award for her local photography project, Faces of Bellingham. Her abstract paintings can be found on line at leakelley.com.
Contributor Nick Milhoan is a student at WWU majoring in Journalism with a minor in LGBT studies. He is the current chair of the Bellingham Pride Festival and member of Whatcom PFLAG Board of Directors, as well as Princess for the ISCEE. His interests include movies, music, politics and the pursuit of equality.
Contributor Peter Storm has been an avid reader since he received his first stone tablet, Peter owns more books than any normal human would ever feel the need to read. A former contributor to This Week in the City of Honolulu magazine his interests include film, history and world domination.
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Contributor Scott Bertani is Assistant Director for Evergreen AIDS Foundation and will be guest writing a monthly satirical column for the Betty Pages.
Betty’s Corner
Betty Desire, The Betty Pages
was interviewed on KBIA’s The Joe Show while she was here and you can listen to the show by going to KBIA”s web site. Congratulations are in order for Empress Suzi Diamond as she ended her successful year and best of luck to Emperor Peter, Empress Shanita, Prince Brian and Princess Desanna as they take the Helm and steer us into uncharted waters! Stay tuned for updates as this year will be a wild ride!
Join me on Valentine’s Day at the Copper Hog as we celebrate single awareness day or SAD for short. Couples are welcome as I do not discriminate, but we singles with no Valentines are gathering to lick our wounds and drown our sorrows. I will attempt to lift spirits high at 10pm with the weekly Betty Show.
According to legend the ground hog did not see his shadow on February 2 so we call all breath a sigh of relief Spring is You all know that Miss Betty has a love on its way! Here’s to an early spring and hate relationship with technology and warmer weather! here is one reason why. About 3 weeks ago I received an official looking e-mail from the gmail support. The e-mail said they were updating the system and I needed to confirm my password. Most of you know where this is headed. I Counseling Education Programs ignored the e-mail at first and then Support Groups Children’s Services when it was re-sent with the warning that I would lose access to my account Parenting Classes Crisis Intervention if I did not reply, I sent the requested Shelter Referrals Info and Referrals information. A week later all of the Legal Assistance 24-hour support people on my g-mail list received a letter saying I was stranded in London and needed money. I apologize to all who received this bogus plea for cash There is NEVER an excuse and hope you were able to see through for domestic violence or the broken English poorly written sexual assault. scam. The IP addresses for this con act came from South Africa, but the broken English and grammar of the letter itself We’re here to help. looked like it was written by someone Free, safe, and confidential. from Eastern Europe. I will never know who begged for money using my name, I only hope they get what is coming to 24-Hour Support them. Please accept my humble apology (360)715-1563 for this intrusion I couldn’t be more www.dvsas.org embarrassed!
Betty Desire
Our Coronation for Emperor and Empress of our local drag organization is now a page in a scrap book. Great times were had by all and we were honored by the presence of our s international leader Nicole the Great. It was a delight to have her here with us to celebrate over 30 years of community fun-raising by our local cadre of rabble rousers. Whether in gowns suits, the crowd at the Lakeway Inn was treated to a stellar night of drag and awards Nicole gave an inspiring speech encouraging all to double our efforts with renewed emphasis on supporting our troubled youth. Nicole
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Sometimes it is good to know that this month (February) is the shortest month of the year! January was fraught with a whirlwind of activities and dismal happenings that I do not wish to remember. Oh there was plenty of good things going on but wow I am glad it is over.
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Embracing Passion
Page 3 Models Photos by Lea Kelley
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In The Mix Bridget Adams
Okay, Poppets, here we are in February. Oh…goodie…? Forgive my reticence but February and March are kind of my anti-October. Every October, I struggle with limiting myself to writing one column because there is so much I could write about. February, not so much. If October is an exciting month, February is blah. March isn’t much better. The holidays are over but Spring hasn’t come to bring long - and warm – days, yet. Blah. But would I let you be blah for long? Hell no.
A little farther down the coast, in Portland, we’ve got KinkFest 2011 coming March 18-20 and registration is going on right now. Personally, I’m a fan of kink festivals, fetish flea markets, toy fairs, what have you, under any circumstances. This time, I want to point one thing out: KinkFest 2011 is, by their own admission and press release, actively courting the gay male population. Full disclosure, I don’t know the politics behind this, what has happened in the past, or why this year is any different. On the one hand, I’m thrilled with the thought that a group that really needs to be accepting and inclusive is making a concerted effort to be so. On the other hand, I’m curious as to why they need to take this step in the
first place and why they are only courting gay men, as opposed to everyone within the community. Without having more information, and not being able to find more, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume this is truly a good faith effort. Note – if anyone has different information, please email me and let me know. I’ll pass it along. Meanwhile, kink is good. Being with other people who understand this is good. You can find more here: http:// www.kinkfest.org Washington, Oregon…California, baby! The nation’s first ever LGBT museum has opened in San Francisco at 4127 18th Street. This is no small thing, Poppets. It’s the story of our history. Where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. The history of a people is important. Right now, new as the museum is, it needs donations and volunteers to stay open. Of course, volunteering is going to be tough for most of us. That doesn’t mean we can’t make donations. Add it as a stop on our road trip and pay the entrance fee. At the very least, talk it up. People won’t go if they don’t know about it. http://www. glbthistory.org/museum February blahs, my ass. Who needs Spring? Okay, yeah, I do. But here are three blahs shattering ways to help us through until it gets here. Enjoy this time, Poppets. And until next month, take care of you.⁂
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Let’s start locally. While the Seattle Erotic Art Festival isn’t until Spring, the call for submissions has already come, for those of you who are artistically inclined. The time for all of them is midnight, PST. For Installation Art and the Literary Art Exhibition, Tuesday, February 15. For the Erotic Short Film Exhibition, get it in by Monday, February 28. The Performance
Art deadline is still TBA. For more information about submissions and/or attendance, go to http://seattleerotic. org/
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A Visit from a Dignitary Tara A. Nelson
“We are the best hidden secret in the gay community,” he said. “If you look at it, we are the last Americans not to achieve equality. Our stories are probably the most lost in civil rights movement.”
Imperial Court System Empress Nicole Murray Ramirez aka “Nicole the Great” (pictured on left) sits with Bellingham chapter president Peter Storm. Ramirez, who currently sits on the San Diego City Council and has worked alongside Coretta Scott King, Harvey Milk, Jesse Jackson and other civil rights activists, is one of the Court’s original members. He was visiting Bellingham on Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend for their Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire Ball.
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As a nation remembers one of the greatest civil rights leaders the world has known, one man - a man in a dress, to be specific - is saying we still have a ways to go before America achieves total equality.
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That man is Nicole Murray Ramirez, aka “Nicole the Great,” a politician and civil rights activist who has bumped shoulders with such influential figures as Coretta Scott King, Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and has worked alongside such prominent civil rights activists as Jesse Jackson and Harvey Milk.
Ramirez is also one of the original members of the Imperial Court System, an all-inclusive nonprofit international advocacy group that aims to advance rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community as well as other underrepresented groups. The organization is now the second-largest GLBT group in the world and has 65 chapters in three countries - United States, Mexico and Canada. It recently celebrated its 45th anniversary with a gala state dinner in Lexington, Kentucky, last June. The foundation -- first known as the Imperial Court de San Francisco -- was started in 1965 by Jose Julio Sarria, the first openly gay candidate to run for public office in 1961. Sarria, also known as the Empress of San Franscisco, later named Nicole the Great to be her heir apparent during the mid 1990s. Together, they formed what is now known as International Court Council (ICC). Sitting in a cozy corner booth at Lakeway Inn’s house restaurant, Oboe Cafe, last Friday, Ramirez spoke with a group of mostly men – some tattooed,
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some in leather, and all with a demeanor sweeter than Southern tea – about the importance of holding the frontline of the GLBT movement. Q: You talk about how it’s important for activists to make appearances in smaller towns. Can you talk about your experience with that? “I’ve been blessed to meet these historical and political figures and am honored to have become friends with them. But to me, I get more out of visiting smaller cities because the gays and lesbians living in smaller cities are more on the frontlines for civil rights and equality. If the change is going to happen it’s going to come from people who are openly gay and proud of who they are in smalltown America. Harvey Milk said that. The truth is when you’re out to your neighbors and your church that is where change starts to happen. If America is going to change it’s going to be about people coming out in small towns. “I once got an invite to speak at Joshua Tree Pride festival in Joshua Tree, California. At first, I had never heard of Joshua Tree and I looked it up and found out it’s a community of maybe 1,000 people near Palm Springs. When they invited me, I looked at my calendar and thank God I had the day open. “When I got there, they acted like someone really big had come to town. It’s easy to be gay in a big city with lots of progressive politics but it’s a lot harder in a small town. That’s why I was so impressed with the mixture of gay and straight people who turned out for this event and just seeing the comfort level between the two. There was no gay bar in this town, but the single bar in town flew a rainbow flag. That was so refreshing. It was a reminder that any progressive activist worth their grain of salt should take a trip to Bellingham or Joshua Tree or some other small city if they really want to understand the fight for equality. There are a lot of unsung heroes out there.” Q: You were the only gay activist being invited to all five marches on the March on Jobs in Washington. Do you think we’ve come far enough in realizing that dream?
“On Martin Luther King Day, you say we know the struggles of the black community but there is struggle for equality within the gay community. We know the struggles of the African Americans in this country. We know their history. But what history do we have about gays and lesbians during the ‘60s? And we have the biggest bragging rights because we were here before Christopher Columbus. If you look at a lot Native American cultures, the first nation cultures have always respected two-spirited people. We were here because we were homosexual Indians. That’s bragging rights. I believe after Adam gave the apple to Eve, she probably gave that apple to another lady (laughs). “Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is not done. We all
know he taught those beautiful words about children from all races coming together and playing. We all know some of these children are gay and lesbian. Some of us are not yet at the table of equality. The real measure of success of any civil rights group is building bridges with other communities. We as a community have brought awareness of gay and lesbian bullying but we also know that more than 75 percent of handicapped youth have also reported being bullied. All of our children should be able to get a public education without having to worry about being bullied or beaten up. The hate crime against Matthew Sheppard is a hate crime against all Americans. “ Nicole the Great. The website of the Imperial Court Council is www.impcourt.org.⁂
Sudoku for Tom
The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire along with The Betty Pages would like to send a big
Written by Brian Spencer, The Betty Pages
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Ex Libris: Andrew Lyall, Gay Vampire Peter Storm
In so far as Vampires and Werewolves and things that go bump in the night are all the rage (Yes, I’m reading Twilight). I thought it would be fun to look at one of my favorite gay vampires, Andrew Lyall. Created by Jeffrey N. McMahan, Andrew was first introduced in Somewhere in the Night, Alyson Publishing, 1989. This collection of short stories by McMahan, feature two of Andrew’s adventures along with several other fun tales.
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Andrew’s adventures continue in another collection of short stories, Embracing the Dark, edited by Eric Garber, Alyson Publishing, 1991. In Embracing the Dark, Andrew is outed to parents by his greed driven brother. One of my favorite sections is when Andrew’s brother Winston is discussing Andrew’s death and what being a vampire means: “I know the implication,” Winston says, undeterred. “Wooden stakes and mallets at sunrise…And I become sole beneficiary.” His eyes brighten as his legal mind kicks into gear. “He’s dead and I’m your only living offspring.” he says to our dumfounded parents. “I’m not cutting Andrew out of my will on that flimsy technicality,” Father retorts.
Andrew’s adventures conclude with the novel, Vampires Anonymous, Alyson Publishing, 1991. In the full novel Andrew deals with his current lover Pablo; who has joined what he believes is a Vampires Anonymous support group; a vampire gang war; and an orphan 4 year Asian old vampire, whom Andrew describes as “a blood relative“. Written in a light-heated campy fashion, the stories deal with issues such as self-identity, relationships, personal responsibility, and protecting youth, who have no where to turn for answers.
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The stories details are written against the background of the late 1980’s in which; AIDS, social rejection, and life in a closeted community were common, which leaves the stories somewhat dated. However, the bigger issues of pride and acceptance are still valid today. Definitely a fun light hearted read with a special appeal to those who remember a campier time. I have been unable to locate any further works by McMahan, or any personal details, except that he lived in Los Angles as of 1991. An interesting mystery?⁂
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Bellingham Drag Celebrates 30+ Years with the Queen Mother Peter Storm, Photo by D. Colburn Tarpenning, II
The visit of Queen Mother of the Americas Nicole the Great was an historic occasion for the Evergreen Empire. For the first time in the 35 year history of the organization the head of the International Court system paid a State Visit to our community.
from Bellingham, and small towns across America is more important than a letter from San Francisco, because it shows true community support”.
Nicole Murray-Ramirez is the executive director and international spokesperson for the International Court System an affiliation of over 65 chapters across Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Lastly, Murray-Ramirez announced she will be proclaiming 2011 “the Year of our Youth” in her Annual State of the Empire Address, March 19 in Connecticut. At which time Nicole, Queen Mother of the Americas will announce the Trevor Project as the charity of the year.
From Murray-Ramirez official biography: “As a City Commissioner for San Diego, Nicole Murray-Ramirez made city history when he was re-elected the chair of the San Diego Human Relations Commission (HRC) for an unprecedented fourth term. The HRC comprises leaders from the religious, Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, black and Native American communities appointed by the mayor and the City Council. Murray-Ramirez was appointed by then-Mayor Dick Murphy, and reappointed by Mayor Jerry Sanders. When first elected four years ago, he was the first openly gay man elected as chair. Murray-Ramirez has served the last five mayors of San Diego, and was elected as the chair of the first mayor’s GLBT Advisory Board and the first GLBT Advisory Board to the chief of police.
He has been honored for his work a number of times by the Latino community, including receiving the Cesar Chavez Humanitarian Award present by Chavez’s widow, Helen Chavez, and the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Latino Unity Coalition.” At an informal press conference Murray-Ramirez discussed several important themes. First, He discussed that Gays and Lesbians are the last group fighting for civil rights in the United States.
As Murray-Ramirez states, “the gay and lesbian youth are not our future they are our Here and Now!”⁂
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“Gays and Lesbians in smaller cities are more in the front lines in the struggle for civil rights than the big cities. It is easy to be gay in New York or San Francisco where there is a large gay population. But to be openly gay in small towns and to be accepted is so important for us to win our civil rights.” A second issue Murray-Ramirez feels is very important is the passing of the Harvey Milk Stamp by the United States Post Office. This will represent the first time an openly gay person is recognized by the government as a gay community leader. The stamp has been moving quickly through the process due to the large community support across the country and the various levels of local, state and national government support. Murray-Ramirez, “a letter
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Murray-Ramirez has been a Latino and gay activist for 40 years and is a past national board member of the Human Rights Campaign, past national chair of LLEGO, the national chair of Stonewall 25, and the only gay activist in the country who has been elected to all four national boards of the marches on Washington, DC. He was also elected chair of the Millennium March. He is the past state chair of Equality California and is currently serving a four year term on the national board of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. He was also appointed by the county Board of Supervisors to the Regional Task Force on AIDS in the 1980’s and has served as a county deputy marriage commissioner.
The Trevor Project is a 24 hour hot line for youth with questions about sexual identification. This comes as a direct response to the issues of bullying and the increased suicides by teens nation wide.
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P.S. Food Reviews: Der Schnitzel Haus Peter Storm & Shanita Blough
The basics: Located on Cornwall Ave. in front of the Bellingham Public Market. Open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cash only.
it’s always hard to decide what to try which was wonderful. It was not next. your typical American soup; the taste had a distinct German flavor, P: I’ve tried the Kase Bratwurst - very yet was still a great accompaniment good; the Bavarian meatloaf lunch with the meatloaf. special and the Bavarian meatloaf sandwich - excellent. However, this P: We both recommend the German P: Since it’s our third time here we time I went all out and ordered a potato salad with bacon. The perfect knew the food would be great. slice of the sauerkraut pie (think side to any of the entrees. German pizza). Only $2.50 and S: That being said with so many it’s a full meal by itself. A sweet S: The potato salad is also available choices and an ever changing menu sauerkraut on a German flat bread with out bacon for those who are loaded with bacon not fans. - add a little stone ground mustard and Drawbacks: Limited hours and all you have perfection. meal take away only (although the '4* public market is right there with S: I’ve had the plenty of seating). Bring your own Andouille Brat, the tableware; the biodegradable plastic Gefullter Steinbach tableware just doesn’t cut it. /<+ ;9/) <+8? .;89*'?! (German meat 5)'2 8:/9:9 '4* +2:/) ;9/) wrapped with bacon) Advantages: Great food, free /4* ;9 54: and on this visit I parking, conveniently located also had the Bavarian downtown, very reasonable prices meatloaf sandwich. and friendly helpful staff. ++89 54 '6... 58+ 53/4- 554! 5<+8 ++89 :5 ).559+ ,853! However, this isn’t your momma’s meatloaf; 5::2+* ++89 Overall Rating: 4.5 Snaps normally you think '4* #/4+ 5 5 /@@' • ;(9 • #/4-9 • 358+ beef, ketchup, bread crumbs and whatever else you throw in. This is nothing like that, but the flavor of P: 4.5 snaps S: 4.5 snaps this particular style is amazing, especially with some stone 1 snap: Not coming back; 2 snaps: ground mustard. The We’d come back if we had a coupon; sandwich itself was a 3 snaps: We’ll be back but not soon; meal; however, I had 4 snaps: We like, We will return, We a bowl of the potato recommend; 5 snaps: You can eat it '9: '62+ :8++: • +22/4-.'3 • - broccoli cheddar soup, in bed if you share.⠂
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McKay's TapHouse
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The Brave New World of HIV Prevention Scott Bertani
At a community event the other week, a provider came up to me and asked what effect the state’s budget crunch ($4.6 Billion) will mean to the prevention efforts of HIV/AIDS in our region— something (as anyone who knows me would say) that I am deeply passionate about, not just as an HIV agency administrator (at Evergreen AIDS Foundation) but also as a Person Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) myself. After answering his question (in that long-winded, animated way that I am often prone to do—and The Betty Pages readers know all too well), I thought it might be useful for others in the community to listen in on that conversation—because, really, there is no other issue that so binds (and frightens) the GLBTQ community than the 30-year old
elephant-in-the-room called HIV/AIDS. So, here goes…
After EHB 2360 passed, the “shift in deck chairs” (from AIDSNets to DOH planning) radically transformed the role of prevention
*At-risk populations are ranked by order of their HIV prevalence: 62% MSM (men-who-have-sexwith-men), 8% IDU (intravenous-drug-users), 8% MSM/IDU and 13% Heterosexuals at-risk—those with partners of MSM, persons with an STD/I, sex trade workers, et al. To keep some semblance (and continuity) of prevention “regions” going, DOH has set to differentiate counties by their HIV prevalence (to keep you in the loop, statewide, there an estimated 10,656 Persons Living with HIV/ AIDS or PLWHA). After some further refining DOH further realized that there really was only one high-prevalent county in the state—King County (62.3% of statewide PLWHA); later they segmented the outreach map into midprevalent counties and listed them by rank order: Pierce (9.0%), Snohomish (6.3%), Clark (4.1%), Spokane (3.9%), Kitsap (1.8%), Thurston (1.7%), Yakima (1.6%), Benton-Franklin (1.5%) and lastly Whatcom (1.3%). The rest of Washington’s 29 counties combined—where there is little-tono “real” prevalence—comprise just 6.5% of all PLWHA. And when there is no “real” prevalence, it only stands to reason—and here’s that term again—in an “era of diminishing resources”, those 29 counties won’t be receiving any prevention monies whatsoever. DOH, however, will continue to support HIV case finding efforts statewide through local health departments (i.e. through HIV testing and partner services).
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This year brought some long-term, programmatic fine-tuning to the Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) HIV prevention methodology (and modality)—especially when it concerns lowprevalent counties, like Skagit, Island and San Juan. To give our readers some historical precedence on how outreach programs were tooled prior to 2011, the State Legislature, back in 1988, established the AIDS Omnibus Bill, creating what would be for 23-years an HIV services network of planning and delivery. In that bill, they created six distinct, statewide prevention regions (or AIDSNets)— all divisible by prevalence and geography. Our region (Region 3) was made up of five counties: Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan and Snohomish. With the passage of EHB 2360 (3/16/10), by law the AIDS Service Network system was eliminated; and with it, the centralized position of regional coordinators— administrators who monitored the financing, planning and capacity building to those agencies holding prevention and care contracts. Prior to 2011, those contracts were awarded and administrated by the lead agency in the largest county—for us that was the Snohomish Local Health Jurisdiction (or LHJ).
for the largest AIDS Service Organization in our region (Evergreen AIDS Foundation). So, to maximize service delivery to constituents in an era of diminishing resources (a polite way of saying “cash-poor”), DOH (smartly) decided to reframe the governmental, public health response to HIV/AIDS to more effectively serve its at-risk* populations. In essence, as of January 1st, Evergreen lost its DOH fundable capacity to do outreach (and prevention) to the three lowest-prevalent counties (again, Skagit, Island, San Juan). These cost-saving measures were implemented so that DOH could more effectively target state resources to support HIV prevention efforts in LHJs with the greatest disease burden.
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Where there was real disease, they wanted to get the most bang-for-the-buck they could, placing a special emphasis on addressing the HIV epidemic among Gay and Bisexual Men in the Puget Sound throughout King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Proudly, Evergreen AIDS Foundation was awarded a portion of those funds (through June 30, 2011) to conduct highly targeted outreach in Snohomish County.
To cite another example, according to epidemiological surveillance data, from 20072009, in all counties statewide, there have been just 69 newly diagnosed cases of HIV in persons aged 0-19—an age group we’ve all been hearing about lately. While that number is trending up—from 1% of all newly diagnosed HIV cases in 20012006—to 4%, it isn’t sufficient (not in terms of human figures, mind you, but in terms of public dollars,) to warrant CBOs, like EAF, to conduct outreach to teens in low prevalent counties (like Skagit, Island or San Juan). That statement might seem baffling, but it is statistically proven that even diffused effective behavioral interventions (DEBI) to at-risk individuals have a low efficacy rate with regards to safer-sex retention rates past 6 months (about 12-16%, dependent upon the DEBI, before trending downward).
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So, what do all of these cutbacks mean to consumers (and providers) like you? Well, it means that Evergreen (like any Community-Based Organization or AIDS Service Organization out there) will no longer be funded by DOH to do outreach and prevention in very low-prevalent counties. To bring it closer to home (literally and figuratively) by citing an example, Skagit County, specifically, has 55 presumed persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)—a comparatively low number to say Snohomish County where there are roughly 673 PLWHA; by contrast Whatcom County has 140 presumed PLWHA. And over a ten year, epidemiological surveillance period these “numbers” (in reality, people) have trended
steady; so, in those regards, we are confident that there are no hidden pockets or “core of disease” that we don’t already know of—to our credit, I think we’ve done a good job of reaching new case findings.
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To put it in even starker contrasts, after King County—the county with the highest proportion of PLWHA (6,640)—the next most highlyimpacted areas are Pierce County (961) and Snohomish County (673). Whatcom County hangs in at around 140 of all PLWHA statewide; Island at about 49 and San Juan 16—with incidence trending flat over a ten-year period. So, it only stands to reason that the dollars have to follow the long-term trends of disease, because in reality it’s difficult, if not impossible, to build prevention programs around so few newly diagnosed people per year—especially when one year it could be 6 men (all MSM) and the next year 4 heterosexual, minority women connected to a particular source. Now, as an HIV agency administrator (and PLWHA myself ), while I agree that prevention is care, and care is prevention, there are some pertinent, clinical things to consider when planning basic community outreach strategies to low-prevalent populations. First and most (thankfully), we are quickly learning that the antiretroviral medications out there (29 in all—
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with five combinable classes, called a “cocktail” therapy) are sufficient to lower transmissibility rates—that is, when they’re 95-100% adhered to within any given month.
OK. Well, enough. But right now, what you’re really thinking is, “So, what might this diminished capacity mean to incidence rates in the long haul if you’re no longer in 3-counties?” And I’d say, “Great question, actually. We’re on that.”
We happen to believe (through experiential evidence and epidemiological surveillance, and not just anecdote) that the value in preventing HIV is in conducting highly targeted outreach to persons of known or increased risk in these low-prevalent areas, and that the future of HIV prevention statewide is not won in the general message of years past. That doesn’t mean that community awareness isn’t important, actually quite the opposite. Like other health-minded organizations, we, too, have a mission—to foster a healthy and hopeful community response… [with ours geared towards] to HIV/AIDS in Northwest Washington; but, implicit in that statement is that we have to figure out a way to end the social determinants that have “plagued” the GLTBQ community in the guise of stigma, discrimination and isolation (and, of course, HIV/AIDS). With your help (and, yes, that means time and money), I know we can. This year’s changes (or quite regrettably, reductions) have happened quite suddenly—something many organizations out there were unprepared for. At Evergreen, we saw this coming and we began ramping up. In the long-term, it is our goal to enhance EAF’s capability to build its own capacity to do this type of meaningful (and truly impactful) outreach, and we hope that Y-O-U, our GLTBQ community, will support that mission (either through word-of-mouth support, or through donations); but, it takes time to reach that arc of engagement; and, the stark reality is that the work costs money. I know, I know, money is tight… but, look at the new face of AIDS. It really could be any one of us. Since this epidemic hit in 1981, over 1.4 million (yes, million) of us (Americans either gay or straight) have been infected with this
disease—over 600,000 have died. Friends, family, lovers. Roughly 68% of them were gay men alone. In the meantime, we will continue to triage those counties that have been defunded in our region, and we are currently in the process of developing strategies to better increase our fund development to supplement these consequential cutbacks. Remember, all of EAF’s privately donated funds go DIRECTLY into building and maintaining consumer/client programs—into programs like HIV testing (at Rumor’s Cabaret, Great Northern Books to name a few); into medical case management services; into peer advocacy and women’s programs; or back into the Barney Wood Memorial Fund—the fund that started it all way back in 1985, at a bar called Toyon, the forerunner to today’s Rumor’s. But the most important thing I want our GLBTQ community to be aware of is that regardless of the cuts that have happened at the HIV prevention level, there are guidelines and standards to medical case management. And that “CARE” side is based on a parity model—meaning that all clients, no matter their residence, receive the same, basic level of service, as say a client in Seattle or Spokane. So, to answer the question (sorry my exegesis took so long), we’re proud to continue doing outreach to those most at-risk in low-prevalent counties; and, I want you, our readers, to spread this message to those in the larger community who may have questions of “So, where has Evergreen gone?” Why? Because it’s important that we, as a CommunityBased Organization, are not seen as shirking our prevention responsibility, and that after 25-years of continual service, Evergreen AIDS Foundation remains in all five counties—providing those with HIV/AIDS the medical case management they deserve, and the HIV counseling, testing and referrals mandated by DOH. If you have any further questions or comments, email us at info@evergreenaids.org Think, Test… Donate.⁂
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In fact, the Swiss Cohort Study (2008 findings) suggests that HIV-positive individuals receiving effective antiretroviral treatment don’t appear to be at “significant risk” of transmitting the virus to their HIV-negative partners in the absence of condom use during sex. Decidedly, this doesn’t mean that HIV-positive people should practice unsafe sex with HIV-negative individuals, in lieu of condoms, but what it does mean is that we have most certainly (and joyfully) turned the corner in the disease’s transmissibility rate, especially throughout our 3-county, low-prevalent “region”. Now, there are caveats to the findings we (and any sexually active PLWHA) must be familiar with. One, the person must be undetectable in their viral load (<75 copies per milliliter of blood— remember virus particles can be measured in the millions and more); two, they must have no other active STD/Is; and three, they must be above 350 CD4+ T Lymphocytes, or Absolute CD4 count (an average persons’ CD4 count ranges anywhere from 600-1,200 per cubic millimeter). All three of these caveats are relatively easy to obtain. In fact, our medical case management teams here at Evergreen—coupled with a person’s primary care doctor—design individualized, client service plans to help make sure everyone reaches these crucial benchmarks. And while, neither HIV treatment nor safe sex practices alone have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing the transmission of HIV infection, the combination of the two strategies serve as a strong and viable prevention message—one any healthcare provider out there should tout when conducting HIV counseling, testing and referrals. It’s a powerful tool in our prevention arsenal. Even the CDC in 2010 recommended it.
To offset decreased public funding, we’ll be committing our own resources to boost outreach— paying for a portion of Evergreen’s prevention staff’s FTE (full-time equivalency) to sufficiently (and adequately) maintain that presence of “boots on the ground” that we’ve always had. But, we’ll be doing that on a very selective (and limited) basis—looking mostly to intensive individual level interventions to neutralize any chance that incidence rates might sneak up.
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Inclusive Places of Worship in Whatcom & Skagit Counties Bellingham Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship 1708 I Street Bellingham, WA 98225 360-733-2301 www.buf.org Beth Israel Synagogue 2200 Broadway Bellingham, WA 360-733-8890 www.bethisraelbellingham.org Center for Spiritual Living 2224 Yew Street Road Bellingham, WA 98229 360-734-4160 www.csl-bellingham.org Faith Lutheran Church ELCA 2750 McLeod Rd Bellingham, WA 98225 360-733-3970
Garden Street Methodist 1326 N Garden Street Bellingham, WA 360-733-7440 www.gardenstreetumc.org On Eagle’s Wings Ministries A Special Work of the UFMCC (Bellingham) PO Box 425 Maple Falls, WA 98266 360-599-2627 Woodside Church of Religious Science 2224 Yew Street Road Bellingham, WA 98226 360-734-4160
Blaine Free Church Unitarian 1218 Harrison Avenue Blaine, WA 98230 360-332-4781 or 360-332-5563 www.uublaine.org
Skagit County Central United Methodist Church 1013 Polte Road Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 360 856-6412 www.gbgm-umc.org/cumc-sedrowoolley St. James Episcopal Church 810 Puget Ave. Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 (360) 855-0040 Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ 2802 Commercial Anacortes, WA 360-293-5675 www.PilgrimUCCSkagit.org Celebration Lutheran Church Worship at The Depot Arts Center 611 R. Avenue Anacortes, WA 98221 360-299-3225 Christ Episcopal Church 1216 7TH Street Anacortes, WA 98221 (360) 293-5790
Mount Vernon Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (WEL) PO Box 1203 500 West Section Mount Vernon, WA 98273-1203 360-419-9014 www.skagituuf.com Center for Spiritual Living 1508 N. 18th Street Mount Vernon, WA 98273 360-355-9029 www.cslmountvernon.com St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 415 South 18th Street Mount Vernon, WA 98274 (360) 424-1822
Island County Langley United Methodist Church Located at 3rd & Anthes PO Box 374 Langley, WA 98260 www.langleyumc.org
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First Christian Church Disciples of Christ 495 East Bakerview Road Bellingham, WA 98226 360-734-6820 www.bhamfcc.com
First Congregational UCC (ONA) 2401 Cornwall Avenue Bellingham, WA 360-734-3720 www.fccb.net
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Mission Statement
Whatcom PFLAG is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about advocacy and supporting our LGBTQ loved ones while promoting the health and well-being of those individuals and their families, friends and allies. Only through respect, dignity and equality for all will we reach our full potential as human beings.
Programs, Services & Activities
• Bellingham Pride Festival each July • Monthly support meetings • Local scholarship for high school seniors • Distribution of materials on coming out and family outreach • Movie & literature library • Confidential support phone-line and e-mail
Get Involved! Help Make a Difference! Monthly Support Meetings 2ND Thursday @ 7pm (excluding July) First Congregational Church 2401 Cornwall Avenue (in basement) Bellingham, WA
For more information on PFLAG or Bellingham Pride contact info@whatcompflag.com
www.whatcompflag.com
(360) 733-1500
www.bhampride.org
Become a Member or Make a Donation Today! $25 Individual
$35 Family
Other/Donation
Make Check or Money Order Payable to Whatcom PFLAG and mail to PO Box 28704 Bellingham, WA 98227 Whatcom PFLAG is a registered 501(c)3 organization & all donations are tax deductible.
GLBT Organizations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties ISCEE The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire is affiliated with the International Court System and has been actively raising money for charity for over 30 years by sponsoring drag shows and pageants. The group is open to all regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, seeking to provide social activities and community service opportunities for gays, lesbians, and their friends and allies in Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan Counties. Leather, Levi & Bear Social Monthly gathering of men who like Leather, Kink, and Unabashed Masculinity. Second Saturday of the month, Rumors Cabaret, 7:30 to 10:30. Info 360.380.6409 www.theslowlane.com This website includes a gay resource guide for Bellingham located at www. theslowlane.com/guide.html.
Triskeli Guild The Triskeli Guild is Bellingham’s BDSM group that promotes community and education for safe, sane and consensual play. They encourage participation by all sexual preferences, race and age 18 and up people. They meet monthly every 2nd Tuesday, at Pandora’s Box at 314 W. Champion St. at 7 m. www.triskeli.org Queries—triskeli@triskeli.org
Washington Gender Alliance A support and educational organization for anyone dealing with issues of gender identity or expression, and the people in our lives. We have weekly Open Support meetings in Bellingham and Everett. For more information, please write to us at info@ WashingtonGenderAlliance.com or call 360-445-2411, or visit our web site at www.WashingtonGenderAlliance. com. Counseling Line To connect with a licensed therapist in Whatcom County who is educated about kink, polyamory, and LGBTQI lives and lifestyles, call 360-756-0718. Individual, couples, and family. Sean Humphrey House A housing unit for people who need assistance living with HIV/AIDS in Bellingham. For more information call 360-733-9357 On Eagle’s Wings Counseling Sue Stackhouse offers counseling services to the GLBT community in Whatcom and Skagit County. For information call 360-599-2627 PFLAG of Skagit County Support meetings for Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and GLBT individuals are held at the Skagit Valley Co-Op Bldg. at 202 S. 1st St. in room 309 (down town Mount Vernon) on the second Monday of every month at 7 PM. For directions and information all 360-856-4676 and for additional information and events check the website at www.pflagskagit.org.
Bellingham Radical Faeries Community of queerfolk interested in lifestyles celebrating queer sexuality, spirituality and sustainability of the natural world. 18+ recommended. Meet at Three Trees Coffeehouse, 118 W. Holly St, Saturdays from 11am-ish to 1pm-ish. http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/BellinghamRadicalFaeries/
Whatcom County PFLAG Whatcom County Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays meets the 2ND Thursday of each month, 7pm at First Congregational Church, 2401 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham. For more information and events visit www.whatcompflag.com
Whatcom Community College’s Queer Straight Alliance is committed to supporting the GLBT community by promoting awareness of queer issues and entertaining and educating students and staff of WCC. We can be reached at wccqsa@gmail.com.
Whatcom County KINK is a group to help organize events, munches, help if you have items to sell, or just a way for people to get to know each other. Meetings are the 1st Tuesday of the month at Rumor’s Cabaret. Happy Spankings!
Western Washington University LGBTA The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance at Western Washington University is a student organization which supports lesbians, gays, bisexuals, people who identify as transgender, and their allies; in the various stages of their coming out process, in the creation and affirmation of positive self identities, and in the promotion and defense of their human and civil rights. The LGBTA is located on Western’s Campus in Viking Union 515 and is open from the first day of Fall quarter until the last day of Spring quarter. For information call 360-650-6120.
Mount Baker Planned Parenthood Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood proudly demonstrates its commitment to the LGBTQ community in all of our educational and service areas, by partnering with LGBTQ service organizations and through sponsorship and participation in Bellingham Pride. Our goal is to ensure that every individual has the information, services, and freedom to make healthy, responsible decisions about sex, sexuality, and parenthood. We offer comprehensive reproductive care, affordable STD testing and treatment and annual exams. Sliding scale available. Make an appointment online! http://www.mbpp.org Bellingham Clinic: (360)734-9095 Mount Vernon Clinic: (360)848-1744
The Betty Pages Copyright Notice While The Betty Pages and/or its contributors generally reserve all rights and privileges of copyright, several parts of this publication are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. For more information and permissions, contact The Betty Pages at thebettypages@gmail.com or send a letter to The Betty Pages, c/o Desire Enterprises, PO Box 2724, Bellingham, Washington, 98227-2724, USA.
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4th Corner Poly Polyamory is the practice or acceptance of having more than one loving, honest relationship at a time. We’re a friendly, welcoming group for people involved in or curious about polyamorous relationships. Our group consists of and welcomes diverse sexual and gender identities . This is a family, kid-friendly get-together for sharing experiences and desires—not a dating or swing scene. we meet every 4th Thursday evening at alternating locations. For more information: http://groups. yahoo.com/group/4thcornerpoly
Evergreen AIDS Foundation Evergreen AIDS Foundation provides support services for people living with HIV and AIDS who reside in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan and Snohomish counties. Bellingham: 115 Unity St. 360-671-0703, Everett: 2709 Wetmore Ave. 425-740-3000
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