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The Betty Pages - April 2016 Betty’s Corner
By Betty Desire, The Betty Pages
In The Mix
By Bridget Adams
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Mt Baker Theatre Presents
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Dude, What’s in My Pipe?
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Temperance
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By Kevin Walder
Miss Betty Desire has been entertaining anyone who would listen in Bellingham for over 20 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. 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.
Baking With Betty
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Community Note
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Queer Film Historian Lyle Pearson has published in FILM QUARTERLY, SIGHT AND SOUND, INTERNATIONAL FILM GUIDE, FILMFARE, YOUTH TIMES, MANSHOTS, THE BETTY PAGES and ASIAN CINEMA. With a BA from Pacific Lutheran College (1959) and a MA from San Francisco State College (1968), he has taught at Western Washington University in Bellingham WA. His main interest is Indian cinema.
March Fourth!
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Staff Photographer John Phillip after 40+ years of television
A Bibliography of Gay Film
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The Comics!
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What It Looks Like New
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By Lyle Pearson
By Sandy Soderberg
Hot Meals Served Daily - Food Resources
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GLBT Organizations (Whatcom & Skagit)
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production engineering work John has settled down in Bellingham to semi retirement and is now revised his love of photography. His education touched on Theology, pre-med, law enforcement, fire protection engineering and film production. John likes to keep broad horizons. “Don’t Dream It, Be It” Naomi graduated Whatcom Community College with an Associates in Visual Communications - Graphic Design but prefers more hands on tinkering & random projects (of which she always has many still to finish).
Stephanie Kountouros is a poly-queer femme who has been a Bellingham LGBTQ activist since 1996. She currently serves as LGBTQ liaison with the Community Advisory Board for the Bellingham Police Department, and on the Planning Committee for Bellingham Community Radio. She lives with her partner and her wife. É.F.K. O’Conghaile is a transgender organizer with particular focus on youth empowerment, transgender spaces, and homelessness issues. They are the Director of the Whatcom Queer Teen Shelter, and Facilitator for the Washington Gender Alliance support group in Bellingham
SparX helps Betty with - Baking with Betty
Sandy Soderberg A steward for the honor of cannabis. From activism in legislature and Farm Bureau to education in schools and public forum, Sandy speaks of common sense for the common good of the people and the plant.
Betty’s Corner
I took the opportunity to go to Seattle at the end of last month and see Bernie Sanders at Key Arena. I arrived at 10am so I could get a good spot in line. Bernie was scheduled to speak at 5pm, the doors were suppose to open at 2pm but the line was so long that they opened the doors at noon. Even though I arrived at 10, it took until 3 pm to get to the door and through security! Between the people who made it in and those who were left outside the crowd was over 18,000. It would have been larger, there were still some “nose bleed” seats avail-
In The Mix
able after they shut down the doors there just wasn’t enough time to process all the people through security who wanted inside. I was very impressed with the decorum of the crowd, no one was making a fuss about the wait, people were phone banking on their cell phones while they waited in line, and the whole gathering had more of a “concert” feel than a political rally. I was able to strike up conversations with many around me and talked to some who had driven 500 miles from Oregon to get a chance to feel “the Bern” I must admit, full truthfulness here, I love Bernie Sanders. I love the fact that he has been on point with his views on lgbt rights since 1982, that he has rightly, in my view, railed against the income inequality problem in our nation since then as well. That he still believes we should join the rest of the civilized world in granting health care to all as a right of citizenship. I feel, as he does, that private companies should not be making profit off of prison incarceration, that we should join the rest of the enlightened world and offer tuition free College education to any citizen who wishes to attend regardless of class status. Other Nations do this, are we such a backwater region that we, the richest nation in the history of the World, can’t accomplish what the rest of the European Democracies take for granted? The time is long past that the tax monies of the United States be allocated for the benefit of all. Not just the wealthy and powerful who care only for their bottom line. I feel “the Bern” because he has done what all the other “Progressive” Democrats pretend to believe. Actions speak louder than words. His money comes from the common folk. He has made the impossible possible, and by being true to his convictions, not accepting money from superpacs and the Billionaires. He has set a high bar for others who want to get our votes. It is time for the many to wrest the Republic from the hands of the few and restore government by all the people, for all the people. He said repeatedly in Seattle that we must not accept the perceived reality pushed on us by Corporate owned media, Wall Street bankers, and establishment politicians whose hands are permanently stuck in the pockets of large superpacs. We must think out of the box. For the last 40 years I have listened to politicians on both sides of the isle lament about big money buying elections and Bernie is the first one who is actually doing something about it. I will reward him with my vote. He is poised to take Washington State’s Caucuses. By the time you read this we will know by how big a margin. Those Democratic office holders who are “super delegates” need to take notice. If the don’t follow the lead of the caucus goers in Washington State, they will lose votes in the general election in November. Whether they lose enough votes to lose their re-election bid remains to be seen. As I said earlier, Bernie has set a high bar for future politicians clamoring for our votes. Good for you Bernie! And great for us.
Betty Desire
Bridget Adams
This article’s going to be short, Poppets, because sometimes it doesn’t take many words to say what I want to say. April 25th is the last day you can register to vote or update your voter registration status online. In other words, if you want to be able to vote in the Presidential primary next month, it helps to be on top of it this month. May 16th is the last day to register IN PERSON to vote in the Presidential primary. But you have to be able to get to the County Auditor’s Office. In Bellingham, that’s at 311 Grand Avenue, suite 103. All voters are encouraged to register early in order to prevent delays, glitches, or other issues. And do not for a moment, Poppets, believe that the nominees are inevitable, have already been decided. THEY HAVEN’T. I know it doesn’t feel like your vote counts, but it’s important to vote anyway. Think of it this way – if everyone who didn’t vote because their vote “didn’t matter”
it would be enough people to change the outcome. Don’t be one of those people. Don’t like any of the candidates? I feel your pain. Vote anyway. Vote against a candidate instead of voting for one. There are candidates running this year who hate us. They aren’t afraid. It’s not a difference of opinion. They hate us. Vote against them, or you are voting for them. Doing nothing favors the other side. It just does. The names on the ballot come November matter. They matter deeply. Take a stand. Have a voice. Participate. Changes always start small, with one person. November isn’t that far away. You could even say it starts this month. So you start this month, too. Start this month. This election. This vote. It matters because you matter. Because we matter. Until next month, Poppets, take care of you – and each other.
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Well you know what they say about April showers I guess we will have to wait until May for the flowers! Unless of course you live in the Skagit Valley! Starting April 1st and continuing through the end of the month, if colorful tulips is what you crave the the flats of the fertile Skagit River Valley is where you want to be. Tens of thousands of people flock to the valley and out to the flower fields during the Month of April so if you are trying to drive anywhere during the Festival allow extra time. I grew up in the Valley and graduated from Mt Vernon High School so I have many fond memories of working at Washington Bulb Company. Every year when the High School ASB elections occurred campaign signs papered the hallways just like any other School, but at Mt Vernon the campus lawn was covered in colorful campaign signs made of Tulip pedals. It was an amazing rite of Spring that we all sort of took for granted because this is how it was for as long as any of us could remember. I am not sure any of us realized how very unique this tradition was at that time. It was a much simpler era then, I don’t remember the tulip displays ever being messed with, at least during my 4 years at the school. Skagit Valley actually produces more Tulips than any place outside of the Netherlands. People arriving in Mount Vernon who wish to get out to the tulip fields, but don’t have transportation can ride Skagit Transit Route 615, departing from Skagit Station. The route operates Monday through Saturday and takes you on Mc Lean Rd.; be sure to get off (or ask the driver to stop) at Beaver Marsh and Mc Lean Rd. From there you can walk to RoozenGaarde (about 1/4 mile south on Beaver Marsh Rd.) or walk to Tulip Town (about one mile away -- Mc Lean Rd. west to Bradshaw, and then north on Bradshaw Rd.). I highly recommend taking the trip out to the flower fields! I am an old Hippie after all!
Betty Desire, The Betty Pages
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Temperance By Kevin Walder
With the advent of legal recreational Marijuana in
Washington State Thousands of us who may have rarely partaken of “weed” now have the opportunity to experiment. Thanks to the help of a friend of mine who is co-owner of a Recreational Store, we are going to offer a Dear Abby style column that will give you the opportunity to ask any and all questions you may have about Recreational Marijuana. All you need to do is send your Queries to whatsinmypipe@ gmail.com. There is no such thing as a foolish question, and an informed consumer will make informed choices. Your question is valuable because if you are asking this chances are you are not alone. If we don’t know the answer here at the Betty Pages we will try to find a resource that does. Send in your questions and we can learn together. -Betty
Way back from Warnick asks: “I’m a smoker from way back in the 60’s, and have heard todays weed is a lot stronger than back my day. Is this true? If so how did this happen?” Way back, you open the door on one of the most controversial subjects around the campfire. I would say yes from my experience. Testing has come a long way from the 60’s and we’ve learned that the tests from then may not have been the most accurate. So it all depends as to where you found your stash. Was it the Mexican Bunk Brown, the Humboldt Honey Bud or the Warnick Wonder? The way we can see that Marijuana has become stronger today scientifically is via greater accuracy on testing that was not available in the 60’s. One can see through genetics and testing that Marijuana has been cross bread and specific characteristic have been taken from specific plants and bred into newer more potent strains. So now your local budtender can always turn you onto something mellow from back in the day or perhaps they can blow your mind with some of today’s top THC wonders. Lost in the Laurel asks: “I was cleaning my bedroom and found two bags that got lost in the couch. I was wondering if there was a shelf life on weed, and if so how can I tell that my weed is pasted the primetime?” Lost, congratulations on winning the Stoner Lottery! It all depends how well those baggies were wrapped up. Hopefully you don’t have any chips or popcorn conjoined with your weed. The couch qualifies as a great place to store your weed. A cool and dark spot is key, along with an air tight container. Some say a freezer, a cupboard, or a box; the two worst enemies of your weed are air and light. I personally once found some 20 year old heady weed jammed in a yearbook. To my surprise the airtight yearbook and box it was in preserved my weed so well, it truly took me back to HIGH SCHOOL. So if you find it in the dark chances are it’s good take a toke and if you don’t like it remember it was lost and you can always give some back to mother earth and recycle it. Enjoy your smokes, tokes and jokes. Cheers, The Weed Dude
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As a member of the Major Arcana family The Temperance Card carries a great deal of power and advice. Traditionally the word temperance has to do with balance, moderation, and patience and like so many of the Major Arcana cards balance is key. I often refer to this card as the “alchemy” card. It indicates that there is something which has received little or no attention in our lives which has the power to transform us and we need only to begin to notice it, or perhaps, we need only to notice it to begin. True advancement requires balance and patience along with the power to creatively fill the void of expectation. The artwork for this card varies somewhat from deck to deck sometimes showing an individual holding fire in one hand and water in the other, or as in the case of the Robin Wood deck with one foot in the water and one on land while juggling. The Legacy Of The Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti depicts an angelic being swathed in satin holding fire in one hand and water in the other while floating in air in a shaft of sunlight. It indicates taking unrelated items and using them to transform each other into something far more valuable. Alchemy is a form of magick dedicated to shifting things in our lives. The old legends about magicians who could transform lead into gold were the most commonly retold about the process of alchemy. We all possess traits or talents which we may not consider valuable but this card encourages us to use our magick to improve our lives. The act of making a living often distracts us from the art of living and Temperance is speaking to us of those forgotten or ignored values which will guide us in creating the life we truly desire. When I see The Temperance Card appear in a reading I begin to examine how the querent is using his/her magick in their life’s challenges. It often indicates they have undertaken a new project or career based on something they had never considered before. This card serves as a beacon pointing the way to trusting your own magick. This card raises questions about the elements available to the querent. How are they making use of the elemental influences in their environment? What support systems are being overlooked while the querent is working at restoring balance and creativity in their lives? By peering deeper into the heart of the matter we can help each other understand the importance of rediscovering the wonder of living. The transformative power of Temperance is a very positive influence in any reading where this card appears. It serves to remind us of the power we already possess and the need to tap into that inner strength to accomplish our goals. For me this card speaks of the contract we each have made with the universe to make this life the most meaningful experience possible. How is Temperance or Alchemy at work in your own life right now? What examples of alchemy can you point to in your past? What plans are you currently considering which will call on you to use alchemy? For more insights on Tarot and its use in enriching your life please visit Kevin’s website at: http://www.kevinwalder.com
Dude, What’s in My Pipe?
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Baking With Betty I am very excited to be able to share this new column with you! Together we are going to venture into the world of “adult' baking. Many folk like myself enjoy the euphoria of Weed but don't really want to smoke it. All of the recipes listed here can be made with ingredients readily available at your local recreational weed store. Please keep in mind when using any edible the effect of the high tends to take a good 20 minutes or more. Consume accordingly, always err on the side of caution. With everyone getting ready to enjoy this wonderful weather we are going to start having, packing your hiking bags, strapping your sandals over your socks, you need something for on the go! Enjoy a relaxing outdoor experience with some nut-filled goodness! ---Granola goodness that is. These bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months, which makes them even better for on the go! Make sure to mark that these are for ADULTS only!
Check out the C&C ad on page 9!
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Nutty Ganja Granola
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4 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats ¾ cup all purpose flour 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (depends on how sweet you want it) 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ cup Cannabutter, melted ¼ cup water ½ cup peanut butter (creamy OR crunchy) 1/3 cup brown rice syrup or corn syrup 1/3 cup honey 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups chocolate chips, seeds, dried fruit and/or chopped nuts.
Community Notes:
Film Is Truth Announces Second Annual Fundraiser On Friday, April 8, Film Is Truth will host its second annual evening of film-inspired performance and poetry at Honey Moon in downtown Bellingham. Every Frame Tells A Story will feature poets Mighty Mike McGee (In Search of Midnight), Bruce Beasley (author of Theophobia), Troy Osaki (2015 Rain City Slam Poetry Champion), Elizabeth Vignali (Object Permanence), and Dee Dee Chapman (Colluvium). Admission is free, but donations to Film is Truth are greatly appreciated. Film is Truth is a non-profit organization committed to maintaining and expanding a large collection of films in Bellingham, and to supporting and organizing film education programs. The event is all-ages, and begins at 8:30pm. Honey Moon is located at 1053 N. State Street in downtown Bellingham, behind Pepper Sisters. For more information, please contact Sam Kaas or Anna Wolff at filmistruthinfo@gmail.com.
Need something to do? Check these sites for local events!
Instructions 1)Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 in. baking pan, and cut a rectangular piece of parchment paper to line the pan bottom, making sure to leave at least 2 inches hanging over the side to create a sling. Also grease the parchment paper. 2)In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and baking soda. In a separate bowl mix the butter, water, peanut butter, brown rice/corn syrup, honey and vanilla extract. 3)Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until well incorporated. Now proceed to add the 2 cups of chosen added yummies. 4)Press the mixture evenly into the pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before lifting the bars out of the pan via the parchment paper sling. Place it on a cutting board and cut into 12 equal pieces. Enjoy! w w w. i s s u u . c o m / t h e b e t t y p a g e s
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Six Queer Films In Six Indian Languages: A Bibliography of Queer Cinema By Lyle Pearson
One definition of art is working at the edge of possibility in any given medium or beyond it. One example is the high international regard of Iranian cinema in spite it of being made under an extremely oppressive regime: a film cannot even show a woman’s hair. But remember, an Iranian film won Hollywood’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Picture of 2011, Asghar Farhadi’s JODAL-E NADER AZ SIMI (A SEPERATION). In it, a couple is bent on divorce, one member wanting to stay in Iran and the other wanting to leave. (While some Iranian critics were shocked that anybody would want to leave Iran, another suggested that winning the Oscar signaled the beginning of the fall of Western dominance. For his next film, Farhadi left Iran,) The history of queer cinema in India is short and until 1997 almost non-existent. If may start with Satyen Bose’s 1954 JAGRITI (AWAKENING), his second remake from Bengali, on a lame boy rejected by an older boy, or his DOSTI (FRIENDSHIP, 1964), on two orphans, one blind and the other lame, who form a bond that will never break (according to the dialogue), singing “People stop and stare/we are different/people stop and stare/but are we so different?”Or it may start with Prem Kapoor’s BADNAM BASTI (THE ILL-FAMED SLUM, 1971), on a relationship between a thieving bus driver and a young bus cleaner. But BADNAM BASTI received only limited release and its negative may not have survived. There is no print available at the National Film Archive of India. Since Deepa Mehta’s lesbian drama FIRE (1996) there has been an awareness that a minority was not being served, except in occasional comic turns by hijras. According to Oxford, the meaning of hijra is “eunuch,”“an impotent man,”or “a masculine looking woman.”According to one source, 60% of hijras have reached “nirvana,”i.e. been castrated, and the rest only wear saris. Formally hijras were assigned to courts as spiritually superior beings. Now they beg at traffic intersections and on railway trains, prostitute themselves and for bribes threaten to expose their lack of male genitals to shopkeepers.
By the time the Delhi High Court legalized homosexual acts in 2009 (temporarily, as we shall see) there were also Gay Pride Parades and Weeks in several major cities. The films sometimes became more playful. In Mathew Menacherry’s IN THE CLOSET (2011) when a man’s wife leaves their apartment, his male lover pops out of a closet. They are in comic flagrance, the husband sitting backward naked on a chair with a rose between his teeth while his consort gyrates in front of him, when a cellphone rings from another closet –on the pavement below the wife has dialed her secret lover, who now pops out of that second closet. But after India’s Supreme Court criminalized homosexual acts again in 2014, queer filmmakers retreated from their comic vision in favor of screeds against the court’s decision. Ironically, if you please, India in the same year declared hijras as an underprivileged class, promising them a percentage in education and job opportunities. It’s as if the court tried to rectify the wrongs done to the adherents of an Indian tradition of many centuries while otherwise not admitting that homosexuals existed.
To the northeast, in Satarupa Sanyal’s ONYO OPALAA (THE JOURNEY OF A WOMAN), in Bengali, Opalaa (Rupa Ganguly) has been a widow for twenty-five years. It’s now time for her late husband Shyam’s twenty-fifth death rites and she has therefore called her only son, Atanu (Nigel Akarra), a hunk with a totally tattooed arm, home from California. A photo of the late husband, always highlighted, sits near her bedside, venerated by her. But as she reminisces, in flashbacks (now played by the director’s own daughter) we learn that the husband was not only gay, but a devotee of his pansexual guru Ananta, believing to be god Krishna himself. When Opalaa finds the pair in full flagrance she attempts to poison herself, but Shyam (also a name for Krishna) not only saves her, he keeps her as his only real “girl friend.”Raped by Ananta, Opalaa gives birth to Atanu. In the present, Opalaa plans to turn over her hawali (mansion) to Atanu, until she happens past Atanu’s bedroom while he is breaking-up with his California lover on Skype, because he to plans to stay in India, and discovers that the lover is a man. That’s enough of a spoiler. The orthodox Opalaa’s decision after her initial shock is not one of rejection, nor according to the director, of only realizing that life for her son would be easier in California, but that her own life, without love, should not be repeated in his life. The film’s style, slow in physical movement, but rapid in its plot development in past to present, is reminiscent of Satyajit Ray, although the gay subplot is not one that he would touch. So is the hawali reminiscent of Ray, which we are told in is in a village, although we never see the village. Budget constraints, perhaps demanded only one exterior, in an open field. A couple of minor characters are stereotyped, particularly Ananta as an old man, thin and about to die –but of what? There is one classical dance number, intercut with pertinent moments from the film. ONYO OPALAA has been a relative hit in Bengal, its director claiming it has paid for itself and is “returning some interest to its investors.” To the immediate south, the experimental Amartya Bhattacharayya’CAPITAL 1, in Odia, is essentially plot-less, a dreamlike film on lesbianism. A girl is trapped between her male lover and her hallucinatory lesbian lover. She will decide between them yet in the meantime the two women appear in an Odia dance sequence, one sitting demurely to the right and the other dancing in Odia style, as if they were reliefs on the homoerotic Sun Temple in the village of Konark. In keeping with the symbolic nature of the film, when the woman finally makes her decision, a weighing scale appears on screen between her and her proposed lover. I doubt CAPITAL 1 will have a commercial release in Odisha, dealing with a controversial topic in an orthodox and relatively underdeveloped state, despite these erotic same-sex sculptures in Konark.
To Be Concluded
It takes awhile to make a film and only a year later, in 2015, India’s queer festivals featured shorts advocating the overthrow of Section 377, outlawing such “acts against nature.” But this is 2016, and now we return my first sentence: one definition of art is working at the edge of possibility or beyond it. As Iranian cinema has progressed under a repressive regime, queer Indian cinema has flowered even as homosexual acts are again made illegal.
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After FIRE, and the scandal it produced among the Victorian-influenced orthodox in India’s three major religions –Hinduism, Islam and Christianity -- Indians began to come out and soon there were independent films and film festivals that took this matter seriously. Many of the first films were short documentaries on subgroups or oppression. Riyad Wadia’s BOMgAY (qv, 1966) is considered the first queer experimental Indian film.
This has been an extremely good year for queer Indian shorts (I’ll deal with them later) and feature films, especially in regional languages. Like women’s hair in Iranian cinema that cannot be seen, 377 hardly ever is mentioned. I’ve seen six of these features, in as many languages. Here’s a run-through of them, geographically clockwise, northeast to northwest.
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McKay's '4* TapHouse /<+ ;9/) <+8? .;89*'?! w w w. t h e b e t t y p a g e s . c o m
5)'2 8:/9:9 '4* +2:/) ;9/)
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/4* ;9 54:
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What It Looks Like Now Sandy T Soderberg
crop or as a barrier crop. It has the ability to protect other crops with its “fence”like attributes, so neighboring fields have a wind shield. In other news, because I was unable to actually make a living off my hemp company over the last several years, due to government constraints, I had to take a job in the pot industry to pay my bills. Funny, huh…pot is legal, and hemp isn’t. But the legality of pot in our “LEGAL MARIJUANA STATE”isn’t all that you thought it was when you voted for it…I will say this, you should read next month before you go sharing a joint with your spouse…SMH.
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The Comics! w w w. i s s u u . c o m / t h e b e t t y p a g e s
Last month, due to time constraints, I was unable to write a fresh article for you. I apologize. The printed editorial last month was of an experience a couple years ago. Things have changed, as they do. That truly is the only thing you can count on, things are always changing. More often than not, we have to give it time to see the change…sometimes more time than anticipated. Two years ago, when that article was written, I was working with legislators to try and help write a good bill for the people in regards to Industrial Hemp. The reefer madness hype was still alive and well. Here in a LEGAL MARIJUANA STATE, the legislators were attempting to regulate hemp more than marijuana. Application fees, licensing fees, per acreage fees, random testing fees, FBI background checks, only “select”seeds…basically, making it untenable for farmers to farm and gardeners to garden the most beneficial plant known to man, CANNABIS. Everything about it is a benefit, including the fact that it grows like a weed. Proof that it is meant to be here. I have continually said, we already have a law to grow cannabis. If we want to grow “pot” defined in law by the percentage (.3%) of Delta Tetrahydrocannabinol 9 (THC), we need a license that has been vetted through the LCB…u8217 cause in Washington, we can do that! If the plant DOESN’T have that much THC, then it is HEMP, an unregulated crop…as it should be. We don’t regulate soy or corn. We don’t regulate beans or potatoes. We don’t need to regulate hemp…especially in a LEGAL MARIJUANA STATE! But the State AAG (assistant attorney general) for the Department of Ag begs to differ. If you ask why we need a bill in this state, you will be told that “we need a hemp bill to be congruent with the federal farm bill, section 7606” Because we really cared what the feds thought when we legalized pot, right? SMH So, here we are two years later and the games continue. There still isn’t a tenable bill that has been passed for the people of Washington State. The Senate produced a nice, unregulated, short bill again this year that would have called hemp out for what it is, let WSU research it and given the Department of Ag the authority to write rules and regulations for it. They passed it and it moved onto The House of Representatives, who got ahold of it and threw some malarkey to it, namely by attempting to make it against the law for farmers to harvest any part of the plant that wasn’t seed, for consumption. In other words, if a farmer produces 1000 acres of hemp for the fiber, the farmer cannot harvest the flower from it and use it to make CBD products. The House too passed it once it they spit on it, and sent it onto Governor Inlsee, who thankfully, VETOED the bill! We have an opportunity to lead the way in this industry, and the politicians are being led around by corporate lobbyist groups and associations that want to keep cannabis under the strictest control, regardless of whether it has THC or not. Hemp is an agriculture fiber and seed crop that has many uses from cordage to fuel to food to medicine to beauty products to plastic and building applications…the list goes on, and on. NONE of which can make a person “high”u8230 including the medication…remember, no THC. THC is the most popular and only cannabinoid in the plant that has psychoactive properties, the “high”feeling of smoking “marijuana” There are about 85 other cannabinoids that have many other beneficial properties. CBD comes is with a close second most popular vote, because of it’s amazing properties for pain, seizures, spasticity, tremors, etc. Why would the legislators want to take away 85% of the value away? Drum roll, please… …FDA just announced they are giving CBD to “big pharma”to “research”!! Are you fucking kidding me??? Who are these asshats that keep taking away our rights to honor mother nature? They aren’t the ones who have paid with their life in prison for non-violent gardening offenses. The asshats are the ones that are allowed to poison people with drugs and genetically modified crap we are supposed to ingest that either gets you addicted quickly and destroys your life, or just slowly kills you over time. If there was ever a time to use your voice, that time is now! We need the people to speak up. We need to be heard over the extreme lobbyists that bend the ears of the legislators on a daily basis. We need them to know that we care! Speaking of caring, our environment NEEDS this plant just as bad, if not worse, as our economy and health do. Hemp is an excellent PHYTOREMEDIATOR, which means it has the ability to remove toxins from soil and remediate it. This plant was used in Chernobyl successfully and can be used here in America, with just as great of success for our super-fund sites. Washington has over 100 alone that need use this plants help. Right here in Bellingham at our Port would be a nice place to start. Or how about Hanford? This plant doesn’t require pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides. It can be used as a rotation
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This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with the consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.
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GLBT Organizations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties -Cascade Rainbow Community Cntr is a community of LBGQT people that enjoy each other’s company. We gather every Friday @ 6:30 PM for community, sharing of food, conversation, ideas, and current events. Each Friday is either game or movie night. The group has a lending library, Pride participation, and educational support. We are located at The Center for Spiritual Living @ 1508 N 18th St., Mount Vernon, WA. For information call (360) 840-8499 and for additional information checkout and subscribe to our Facebook Page. -Evergreen Wellness Advocates Evergreen Wellness Advocates 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
-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
-PFLAG of Skagit County Support meetings for Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and GLBT individuals are held at Central United Methodist Church, 1013 Polte Rd, Sedro-Woolley 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 online at www.pflagskagit.org. -PFLAG of Whatcom County 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 -Sean Humphrey House A housing unit for people who need assistance living with HIV/AIDS in Bellingham. For more information call 360-733-9357 -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. -WWU 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. -WCC’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!
-Whatcom Queer Teen Shelter We’re in Whatcom county and currently organizing community support and resource sharing, specifically for LGBT youth and generally with any trans and queer people. We are also fundraising for the future shelter, and invite all trans and queer people to get involved in the direction of our organization. Email us at wqts.general@gmail.com or wqts.youthresources@gmail.com -Gay Bellingham Wednesday Dinner Wednesday dinner gathering. Open to all, but mostly attended by gay men. Tends to be older men. Usually around 10 to 15. New people find it on the web and come meet Bellingham area folks. Rotates to different restaurant locations each week as announced in the Yahoo Group. www.gaybellingham.org/ https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ alternativebellingham/info
Group leaders If we need to update our list because a group is no longer meeting please contact us!
If you are a member of or know of another LGBT group that would like to be listed please send us an email!
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-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.
every individual has the information, services, and freedom to make healthy, responsible decisions about sex, sexuality, and parenthood. We offer transgender services, comprehensive reproductive care, affordable STD testing and treatment and annual exams. Sliding scale available. Make an appointment on-line! http://www.mbpp.org Bellingham Clinic: (360)734-9095 Mount Vernon Clinic: (360)848-1744 Transgender Services now available!
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MONDAY
KARAOKE
9PM-12AM
$2.75 Micros
WITH
ZACH ZINN
$4 Black Velvet
TUESDAY
TREBEL DEEP HOUSE MUSIC
9PM-12AM
$1 WELLS
FREE POOL
$2.25 PBR Pitchers
WEDNESDAY
LEVELED TODAY’S EDM
Rumors Cabaret
9PM-12AM
$3.75 FIREBALL
$1.25 PBR PINTS
HOSTED BY
11PM-12AM
AXIS EVENTS
$2 WELLS
THURSDAY
9PM-11PM THROWBACK $2.25 RANIER JUGS
80’s & 90’s
$1 WELLS 11PM-12AM
DJ ENZ
$2 WELLS
FRIDAY
DANCE PARTY
SATURDAY
9PM-12AM
$3
LONG ISLANDS
SPECIAL EVENTS DJ MIKE TOLLESON
HOUSE/TOP 40/CLUB DANCE
9PM-12AM
SPECIALTY