Celebrating 42 Years! Issue 17 Volume 44
FRIDAY April 22, 2016 FREE!
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Paul McCartney
End of a purple reign
rocks and rolls for almost 3 hours
SEC 2 PG 1
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Landmark Trans rights ruling: 4th Circuit says schools must let Trans students use restrooms appropriate for their gender identity
Big changes for Lambert House: Youth center must buy building or move
Lambert House – thesunbreak.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer public restrooms – wearebothright.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In a ruling that Lambda Legal described as “a game changer,” a panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on April 19 that federal law requires school districts that receive money from the U.S. government – in other words, almost all of them – to allow Transgender students to use restrooms that conform to their gender identity.
At issue was the interpretation of the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sex in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. In a 2-1 vote, the 4th Circuit panel found that “sex” covers gender identity and therefore protects Trans students. “Wowie, yowie, zowie!!!” Lambda Legal national legal director John Davidson exclaimed on Facebook. “The Fourth Circuit just ruled that Title see 4TH CIRCUIT page 6
SPD Safe Place campaign officially launched in Seattle Public Schools
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Seattle Police Department Safe Place – seattle.gov
On Wednesday, April 20, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, along with Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Larry Nyland, more than 20 youth from Garfield High School’s Gay and Straight Alliance (GSA), Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea), and Seattle Police LGBTQ Liaison Officer Jim Ritter, announced that Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) “Safe Place” program will expand to all 98 Seattle Public Schools. SPD Safe Place is a public education and visibility program aimed at preventing and responding see SAFE PLACE page 4
Lambert House, which has been Seattle’s LGBT youth center for the past 35 years, must either buy its iconic old house at 15th Avenue and Denny Way or find a new location, according to executive director Ken Shulman. “We have to come up with $2 million before the end of the year,” Shulman told SGN, if the organization wants to buy its current location. “The existence of Lambert House is not threatened,” Shulman said, echoing a press release sent out April 6, but the
youth center must undertake an intensive capital campaign to purchase either its current location or a new space. “It was kind of a kick in the pants,” Shulman told SGN. “We’d been considering launching a capital campaign for a long time. Now we have to go ahead with it.” Lambert House’s landlords have agreed to give the center a short-term lease through the end of 2016 – “for which we’re very grateful,” Shulman says – but then they must buy the property or move. Simply shutting down is not an option, Shulman insists, because “Lambert House is a one-of-a-kind organization. It’s the see LAMBERT HOUSE page 5
Senator Patty Murray honors Gay Seattle resident with Golden Tennis Shoe Award
Vice President Joe Biden, Joe Krumbach, Scott Evans and Sen. Patty Murray at the Golden Tennis Shoe Awards luncheon – Photo credit: Red Fish Blue Fish Photography
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor U.S. Senator Patty Murray honored Joe Krumbach with a Golden Tennis Shoe Award last week.
Murray gives the awards every year to “everyday heroes,” people who make a difference in their communities. Krumbach most certainly is deserving of the award by its definition. He recently made history for see TENNIS SHOE page 6
2 Seattle Gay News
April 22, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!
“Gay gene” study makes no such conclusion Editor: I don’t know where Shaun Knittel picked up the idea for his article (“Half of all people carry ‘gay gene’ one study suggests,”) but the study in question makes no such conclusion. Prof. Chaladze’s article concerns his playing around with computer models because he is wondering how come there are so many gay men if gay men have so few children. There are many things problematic with his research design. But Knittel has seemed to misunderstand – this article ends with a hypothesis, not a conclusion: “male homosexuality can be maintained in a population at low and stable frequencies if roughly more than half of the females and half of the males are carriers of genes that predispose the male to homosexuality.” It could be “maintained” by other methods as well, of course. First of all, it has never been proven that there is such a thing as a “gay gene, “ although Chaladze seems to take it as fact. Indeed, the SGN has published a piece I did many years ago debunking the early research claiming such “proof.” Second, the numbers regarding the prevalence of homosexuality for Chaladze to feed into his computer models is very squishy. In a well-researched population such as the U.S., estimates range from 3-10%; one can only imagine that for most other societies (such as in the Republic of Georgia) we have absolutely no idea whatsoever what the incidence of queerness is. A 300% variation in input to a computer model surely leaves the output very inaccurate. This is referred to as “stable”?
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Over how long a period of time? How does he know? Finally, the concept of “gay” originated to describe actions/behaviors, not to characterize complex human beings (although we all use the term as a shorthand). As most of your male readers will be able to attest, many “straight” guys have had gay sex. Non-genetic (“environmental”) factors certainly affect human sexual behavior as well (e.g., prisons, sexually fluid college campus cliques, etc). I wonder what Chaladze’s definition of a gay guy actually is. Although lawyers have gone to court and won important gay rights victories using briefs which include genetic and essentialist arguments, and while there are many gay people who have “always known,” we still have no clear proof that there is a genetic basis to queerness (pity the poor bisexuals whose genomes must be in frequent upheaval). Your picture caption “Studies have identified a genetic link between a person and their sexuality” is just not true (it is attributed to “Alamy,” a company that sells stock photos, not one that claims to know anything about genetics). I urge the SGN to tread a bit more lightly around this topic. Phil Bereano (for what it’s worth, Prof. Emeritus, UW, in the field of Technology and Public Policy) DNA helix – healthdailydigest.com
April 22, 2016
Seattle Gay News 3
Labor Council endorses Marcus Courtney in 43rd District race by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Marcus Courtney – marcuscourtney.nationbuilder.com
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to anti-LGBTQ bias crimes. SPD LGBTQ Liaison Officer Jim Ritter created the program and oversees its implementation, growth, and vitality. SPD Safe Place has received support from Mayor Murray and Police Chief O’Toole since its inception. The announcement Wednesday at Garfield High School underscored the culture shift that has taken place in Seattle, but has yet to arrive in such states as North Carolina and Mississippi. “While we see a rolling back of civil rights protections for LGBTQ people in some corners of the country, Seattle remains inclusive and welcoming to all people,” said Mayor Ed Murray, Seattle’s first openly Gay elected mayor. “SPD Safe Place brings together businesses, community organizations, and the public to stand up against hate and intolerance. I applaud Seattle Public Schools for bringing this important program to our schools, empowering students to
speak out against anti-LGBTQ harassment.” Launched in May of 2015, SPD Safe Place is a voluntary program that provides businesses and organizations with decals and information on how to report malicious harassment, more commonly known as hate crimes. Training for these organizations includes when and how to call 911, sheltering victims of crime until police arrived, and proactive outreach about working with the SPD’s LGBT liaison officer Jim Ritter. Ritter told Seattle Gay News that it was an emotional moment for him, when thinking about how different it is today for young LGBTQ youth and guys from his generation who never even thought they would be able to be free and open about their sexual orientation. “We are thrilled that SPD Safe Place is growing through a partnership with Seattle Public Schools,” said Chief Kathleen O’Toole. “We want to create a safe, inclusive community for everyone and are encouraged by the ongoing support we have received for this program.”
Safe Place supporters at press conference – Photo by Shaun Knittel
4 Seattle Gay News
April 22, 2016
The Martin Luther King County Labor Council (MLKCLC) has endorsed Marcus Courtney for the open state House seat in the 43rd Legislative District. Courtney is currently the Northwest regional rep for the AFL-CIO labor federation. He was a founder and president of WashTech, the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, the first union for contract tech workers in the country. “I am proud to receive the recommended endorsement from the MLKCLC and its affiliated unions,” Courtney said. “My whole career, I have challenged powerful corporations on behalf of working people for good jobs that can sustain families, and fought for environment and human rights for all in more than 42 countries around the world.” The 43rd takes in Capitol Hill, the University District, Madison Park, Montlake, Wallingford, Eastlake, Green Lake, and parts of Fremont, Ravenna, South Lake Union, and downtown. The current incumbent, Rep. Brady Walkinshaw, is running for the 7th District congressional seat being vacated by Jim McDermott. The MLKCLC is made up of more than
The school’s Gay Straight Alliance is currently pressing for gender-neutral restrooms and a gender-neutral graduation ceremony where the sexes are no longer separated by purple (male students) and white (female students) robes. Julia Robaideh, president of the Gay Straight Alliance, said the situation is “not good in a ways” at many Seattle schools and even at the diverse, multicultural Garfield. “My concern is not for physical safety but of harassment,” she added. The Gay Straight Alliance at Garfield has been serving as a support network for more than 20 years. Keenan Simpson came to Garfield as a sophomore after spending the ninth grade at
150 King County labor organizations representing some 80,000 workers, and is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. MLKCLC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Grant said Courtney’s long history fighting for workers’ rights was a key reason he got the labor endorsement. “Marcus Courtney will be our champion in Olympia who fights for all workers, from workers in the aerospace and tech economies to workers in the service industry,” she said. “He will put the fight against income inequality in the forefront. “Working families will benefit from his commitment to combat climate change, fight for investment in infrastructure and education, and hold corporations accountable. I am proud he won the endorsement,” Grant added. Courtney has also received endorsements from the Boeing machinists union (IAM 751); Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 7, Washington State Council; International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) 609; and the Sailor’s Union of the Pacific. The next stop for Courtney will be the May 21 Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) convention that will decide on statewide political endorsements.
a school that was “a different story,” adding: “It was a little scary to come out.” Social Outreach Seattle helped the department debut the program in May of 2015. The organization has worked closely with SPD on anti-crime initiatives on the Hill. For more information visit www. SocialOutreachSeattle.com. Officially, SPD Safe Place program has reached 1,600 locations. Businesses, organizations and educational institutions can request SPD Safe Place placards or posters and learn about how to work with police to prevent and address anti-LGBT crime concerns at http://www.seattle.gov/ spd-safe-place/.
SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole speaking to the crowd – Photo by Shaun Knittel
Celebrating 41 Years!
LAMBERT HOUSE continued from cover
only place that specializes in social services for LGBT youth. “There are other groups that serve youth in general, and other LGBT youth organizations, but Lambert House is the only one that deals specifically with the constellation of risks that LGBT youth face and offers them services and social support.” The center helped 603 young people in 2015, including dozens of homeless youth, through an estimated 15,000 indi-
vidual contacts. While Lambert House is based on Capitol Hill, the youth it serves come from an estimated 135 ZIP codes “throughout King County and beyond,” according to the center’s press release. SGN readers who wish to donate to Lambert House can find out how to do so via their web page, by clicking on “How to Help.” Shulman says that if the center has to move to a new location, they want one similar to their current old house. “The youth have expressed a strong preference for a building they describe as ‘homey,’” Shulman told SGN. “They like
the old house. I’ve heard that for years. “The thing they want to avoid at all costs is an office-like setting, like a counseling office, or a government office. They don’t want that at all.” Fortunately, Shulman says, there are suitable houses for sale on Capitol Hill, but “we’ll need $2.5-3 million” to buy one. Even then, there will be drawbacks, he added. “They’re usually less space than we have now, they’re served by fewer bus lines, they’re farther from the [Broadway] light rail station than we are. We could make it work, but we’d rather stay in our
current location,” he said. Shulman says he has had initial conversations with city officials about funding to purchase their current location. San Francisco’s city government purchased Lyric House, the equivalent to Lambert House in the Bay Area, he noted. In any case, Shulman said, their lease on their present location gives Lambert House “a window to raise money. A short window. Still, it’s a window. Worst-case scenario, we will find another place to lease, while we continue our capital campaign for an eventual purchase.”
NEW $20 BILL: Andrew Jackson out, Harriet Tubman in
Harriet Tubman on $20 bill – slashgear.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Former U.S. President Andrew Jackson will be dropped from the $20 bill and replaced by former slave and abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman. Images of civil rights movement leaders will join President Abraham Lincoln on the $5 bill. The changes were announced April 20 by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. Lew said last summer that he was considering plans to replace former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill
with a female historical figure. Hamilton is the subject of a hit Broadway musical, which reinforced his reputation as the creator of the U.S. financial system, however, and Lew dropped the plan to eliminate his image from U.S. currency. Images of women will be added to the back of the $10 bill instead. The changes to the $20 bill mirror contemporary reevaluations of U.S. history. Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in 1822 and escaped to the North in 1849. She returned to the South in secret to rescue her family and subsequently went back many times to lead hundreds of others
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out of slavery on the Underground Railroad – a secret network of safe houses organized by Northern anti-slavery activists. In 1859, Tubman helped John Brown recruit fighters for his unsuccessful raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. During the Civil War she worked as a scout and spy for the Union Army. After slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment, Tubman was a militant women’s suffrage activist until her death in 1913. Although he was a hero to 19th century Americans and the founder of the modern Democratic Party, Jackson was a slave
owner and a military leader in several wars against Native American tribes. As president, he initiated the genocidal removal of the Cherokee nation from their original settlements in Georgia and Alabama to Oklahoma – the infamous Trail of Tears. Ironically, Jackson as president tried to undo Hamilton’s chief accomplishment – the creation of a central bank for the federal government. Jackson’s anti-bank policies held sway until the Civil War, when the necessity of floating loans to finance the war effort led the federal government to re-create a system of national banks.
April 22, 2016
Seattle Gay News 5
TENNIS SHOE continued from cover
taking on the Department of Veterans Affairs and ultimately beating them in court for benefits he says were entitled to him after his husband died. Krumbach married Jerry Hatcher in 2003 with an extravagant wedding at Salty’s in Seattle. Hatcher was a decorated Vietnam veteran who earned two purple hearts, two bronze stars, and an Army Commendation for Valor. Sadly, Hatcher died of cancer with Krumbach at his bedside in 2008. Despite being domestic partners, Washington state did not recognize their same-sex marriage until 2012. In all reality, this is what life was like for many same-sex couples just a few short years ago. The protections and privilege that is afforded to us now is light years away from the oppressive – and often cruel – way that newly-widowed partners of same-sex couples were treated by state and federal governments. Simply put – no benefits were awarded to the spouses of same-sex couples, ever. In 2013, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the federal Defense of Marriage Act in the historic United States v. Windsor decision, many people that had been domestic partners or had entered into a civil union with someone from the same sex, began to look into benefits that they felt might be owed to them now that the highest court in the land boldly said that discrimination against same-sex couples by excluding them from being able to legally marry and have that marriage recognized was infringing on their rights as a U.S. citizen. Seizing the moment, Krumbach says he applied for VA benefits. And like so many that had tried before him, he was denied. “I was pissed,” said Krumbach. “How dare you say ‘no.’ His service was no different than any other service and denying someone those benefits is inherently wrong.” The VA again rejected Krumbach’s claim for so-called dependency and indemnity compensation as well as health insurance after a letter writing campaign where Krumbach asked again and again for the benefits. The VA would not budge. They refused to reverse their decision. None of this seemed to make any sense
4TH CIRCUIT continued from cover
IX obligates schools that receive federal financial assistance to allow transgender students to use the restroom that matches their gender identity. This is a game changer. Congratulations to Josh Block at the ACLU, who argued the appeal, and to everyone who worked on this case (including Tara Borelli and Kyle Palazzolo, who authored Lambda Legal’s amicus brief on appeal). For those of you who don’t know, North Carolina is within the Fourth Circuit and governed by this decision. Bye, bye HB 2.” North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed a bill denying his state’s Trans students their restroom rights, promised to abide by the appeals court ruling. “As governor, I will uphold my oath of office to respect these court rulings, and make sure these court rulings are abided [by], because I’ve sworn an oath to do just that, and I have a tradition of doing just that,” McCrory told reporters. “It is my understanding that this ruling will most likely be immediately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court,” he continued.
6 Seattle Gay News
Vice President Joe Biden, Joe Krumbach, Scott Evans and Sen. Patty Murray at the Golden Tennis Shoe Awards luncheon – Photo credit: Red Fish Blue Fish Photography
to Krumbach but he knew that he could no longer do this and win if he continued on his own. So Krumbach contacted Legal Voice, a law firm in Seattle, and Senator Patty Murray’s office to try and finally make the change. Both Lambda and Murray’s office stepped in to answer Krumbach’s request for help. With a little help from his friends Krumbach became the first known Gay person in Washington state to have his marriage retroactively recognized by the state and the Department of Veterans Affairs and receive survivor benefits because of it. The awarding of the benefits came after a two-year fight. The ruling allowed him to retroactively change Hatcher’s death certificate to signify he was married, thus making Krumbach eligible for the benefits. “It’s not about the money for me. I hate the word ‘entitled.’” he told KING 5 News after the ruling. “It was emotionally exhausting. But what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong.” Fast forward to a few weeks ago in March and Krumbach says a staff member from Murray’s office called him and told him that he had been nominated several times and that he would be one of three people to receive a Golden Tennis Shoe award, on March 21, at the Washington State Convention Center.
“I was very surprised and a little overwhelmed,” Krumbach said, recalling that the call from Murray’s office came five years to the day after his father died. The significance is that his father had not come to his 2003 wedding to Hatcher. Krumbach took this as a sign. “I thought, ‘Wow, maybe he was saying I was wrong,’” Krumbach said. Krumbach recalls that when he and Hatcher married, they did not care what anyone thought about their relationship or the fact that they were two people from the same-sex. But he certainly had no idea that their marriage would lead to a prolonged legal fight or receiving the award given in front of 1,400 people. After receiving the award, Krumbach addressed the crowd. “I was a little emotional,” he said. Hatcher was the last person he acknowledged. Krumbach feels that through it all Hatcher has watched over him, saying, “He has been my silent partner in all of this.” Vice President Joe Biden was at the luncheon and Krumbach met Biden oneon-one and said he was “friendly, genuine and amazingly personable.” The two other recipients of the 2016 Golden Tennis Shoe Awards are Gary Kennison, who, after his daughter was murdered by her estranged husband,
helped lobby for a state law requiring family notifications when a confiscated firearm is returned to a potentially dangerous owner, and Cheryl Senson, who overcame drug addiction to become an advocate for the needy and now heads the nonprofit Jubilee Women’s Center in Seattle. Krumbach told Seattle Gay News, “I am very proud to be recognized by Senator Murray.” “When I started this battle against the State of Washington to get Jerry’s death certificate changed from Registered Domestic Partner to Married, and then took on the VA to receive Jerry’s benefits I really had no idea of what I was doing, or how it would impact others, I was just mad; he earned these benefits through his service, and his blood,” he said. “Now, its part of the official record, change was made,” said Krumbach, pointing out, “Through these actions Jerry and I became the first “legally married” same sex couple in Washington State having been married in 2003.” Krumbach told SGN, “This victory against the VA will make it easier for others to be able to get their legally entitled benefits from their marriages.” “It was the right thing to do,” he adds. “Sometimes you have to be really mad to get off your backside and fight back.”
“I mean, this is a major, major change in social norms.” In addition or being a major victory for the Trans community, the decision was also a victory for the Obama administration, which filed a brief supporting the Transgender plaintiff in the case. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has argued since 2012 that where discrimination on the basis of sex is prohibited, as in Title IX and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sexual orientation and gender identity are also protected. The 4th Circuit ruling is the first authoritative legal victory for that theory of U.S. civil rights legislation. The case involved a Trans high school student in Virginia, Gavin Grimm, who sought to use the boys’ restrooms at his school. When his local school district adopted a policy basing restroom use on “biological gender,” he sued with the aid of the ACLU and Lambda Legal. “I feel so relieved and vindicated by the court’s ruling.” Grimm said in a statement. “Today’s decision gives me hope that my fight will help other kids avoid discriminatory treatment at school.”
“Today’s 4th Circuit decision is a vindication for Gavin and a reinforcement of the [federal] Department of Education’s policy,” said Joshua Block, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU LGBT Project. “With this decision, we hope that schools and legislators will finally get the message that excluding transgender kids from the [appropriate] restrooms is unlawful sex discrimination.” “Gavin’s fight has been a beacon of hope in the face of increasingly hostile rhetoric against transgender people in Virginia, and across the nation,” said Gail Deady, the Secular Society Women’s Rights Legal Fellow at the ACLU of Virginia. “The court’s ruling sends a strong message to schools and lawmakers that discriminatory restroom policies don’t just harm transgender students, they put Title IX funding at risk.” The Democratic Party, which has made North Carolina’s new anti-Trans law an issue in that state’s gubernatorial election, also weighed in. “This court victory affirms that there is no commonsense reason to bar transgender students from using the restroom that aligns with their gender identity, and that
doing so is discriminatory and harmful,” DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a press release. “This ruling sets a precedent in five states, including North Carolina, where Republican legislators and the Republican governor have embraced the exact type of discrimination that the court today has overruled. Republican legislators who continue to push anti-LGBT measures, and the Republican presidential candidates who fan the flames of discrimination with ignorant rhetoric, have been exposed by this ruling for what they’re truly peddling. Just this week, one of the Republican presidential candidates told victims of discrimination to ‘get over it.’ Well, it’s time for the Republican Party to get over their anti-LGBT bias and join the rest of the country in embracing the full equality of every American.” A new Elon University poll shows Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper leading McCrory by 48% to 42%. Cooper says he believes North Carolina’s anti-Trans measures are unconstitutional, and he will not defend them in court.
April 22, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!
Tennessee: Sponsor pulls anti-Trans bill by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The sponsor of a bill to restrict Tennessee public school students to restrooms appropriate for the sex assigned to them at birth has pulled the legislation. Tennessee House member Susan Lynn said on April 18 that she was delaying debate on her bill until next year in order to “study” the issues. “There’s definitely some issues that we need to work out,” Lynn told reporters. “We know as soon as this bill passes we’re going to be sued. If we’re going to be headed into a lawsuit, we want to make sure we have the strongest position possible.” “I have learned that our school districts are largely following what the bill says,” she added. “I am still absolutely 100 percent in support of maintaining the privacy of all students. But I’m going to roll the bill over until next year so we can work on those issues.” Tennessee’s Senate also delayed action on companion legislation in its chamber of
the state legislature. Supporters of the measure blamed Republican Gov Bill Haslam, who had voiced concerns about the legislation. “It is no secret that the governor had concerns about the bill,” said Jennifer Donnals, Haslam’s press secretary. The governor’s concerns were reinforced by a legal opinion from Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, who said the bill could cost the state $1 billion in federal education funding under the Obama administration’s interpretation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Two Transgender high school students, Henry Seaton and Jennifer Guenst, visited Haslam’s office with a petition opposing Lynn’s bill that bore more than 67,000 signatures, including nearly 6,000 people who identified as clergy or people of faith. At the same time, some 30 pastors from the conservative Tennessee Pastors Network joined the head of the Family Action Council of Tennessee at the state capitol to show support for the controversial bill.
Tennessee House Representative Susan Lynn – blogger.com
The one reason to be for Ted Cruz: Rep. Peter King promises to take cyanide if Cruz wins
Rep. Peter King – b1450.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer New York Republican Rep. Peter King has promised to take cyanide if Ted Cruz wins the Republican nomination, adding an extra incentive for LGBT voters to support the Texan. “I hate Ted Cruz, and I think I’ll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination,” the New York Republican told MSNBC’s Morning Joe on April 19, as voters prepared
to cast ballots in the state’s primary. King has also said that New Yorkers mulling a vote for Cruz “should have their heads examined.” His hard feelings toward Cruz stem from Cruz’s opposition to a 9/11-related health care bill for New York police and firefighters. Why should LGBT voters want King to take cyanide? He voted to ban Gay adoptions by in Washington, D.C., in July 1999; for a federal marriage amendment defining marriage
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Ted Cruz – irishcentral.com
as opposite-sex only in July 2006; against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in November 2007; and against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Act in April 2009. King has received a big fat 0 rating from both HRC and NARAL for a consistently anti-LGBT, anti-choice voting record. He got a mere 14% rating from the ACLU and 42% from the NAACP. In contrast, King received a 76% rating from the Christian Coalition.
King has endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the Republican presidential race, and he also has harsh words for Donald Trump. Trump needs to show “he has some comprehension of what’s going on in the world,” King said, and that he’s “not just the guy at the end of the bar, throwing in remarks.”
April 22, 2016
Seattle Gay News 7
EMILY’s List endorses Tina Podlodowski for Secretary of State WASHINGTON, D.C. – EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has endorsed Tina Podlodowski, who’s running for Secretary of State in Washington State to continue her lifelong fight for women and families. “EMILY’s List is thrilled to support Tina Podlodowski for Secretary of State in Washington State,” said EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock. “Washington State has been at the forefront of so many movements, from working to end gun violence to implementing marriage equality; it’s exciting to think about what election reforms could happen under the leadership of someone like Tina – a computer systems expert and former software executive at Microsoft. Her business background combined with her dedication to creating an equitable election system could be the combination to finally unlocking voting 2.0 for all of us.” Tina Podlodowski is a first generation American, the daughter of two naturalized U.S. citizens who fled post-WWII Europe as refugees. Tina is a devoted philanthropist and former Seattle City Councilmember. She was also a senior policy advisor for Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and before entering public service she worked as a software
executive at Microsoft. Tina is committed to environmental justice, gun control, public health, and women’s rights. She helped form the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, ran Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Puget Sound, and strengthened Seattle’s LGBT anti-discrimination statute. Washington State has never before elected an openly LGBT person to statewide office, and if elected Tina would be the second lesbian elected to a statewide executive office in the nation. EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $400 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making it one of the most successful political organizations ever. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research women’s issues, and turn out women voters. We’ve trained over 9,000 women to run and helped elect over 100 women to the House, 19 to the Senate, 11 governors, and over 700 to state and local office. Since its founding in 1985, almost one-third of the candidates EMILY’s List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color – including every single Latina, African American, and Asian American Democratic congresswoman currently serving. Courtesy of EMILY’s List 1995 opponents reunited! [Tina Podlodowski and Jesse Wineberry] fighting together for voting rights in 2016 – Photo credit: Tina Podlodowski
Kim Davis, loser – Appeals Court dismisses her suit against former governor by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Kim Davis – blogspot.com
8 Seattle Gay News
April 22, 2016
Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who defied the U.S. Supreme Court by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, has lost a suit alleging that her religious liberty was denied by the state. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Davis’s suit on April 19, saying she had not shown any irreparable harm. Davis grabbed headlines by turning away same-sex couples who came to her office for marriage licenses in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision. After being ordered by a federal district court not to discriminate against same-sex couples, she stopped issuing the licenses altogether. The ACLU then sued her on behalf of two same-sex and two opposite-sex couples Davis had turned away. Davis retaliated by
suing Kentucky’s then-Gov. Steve Beshear and then-State Librarian Wayne Onkst, claiming they were violating her religious beliefs by requiring her name to appear on documents authorizing same-sex marriage. Beshear left office in December, and his successor, current Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, issued an executive order removing the names of county clerks from marriage licenses. That fact was sufficient, the Sixth Circuit said, to establish that Davis was not suffering harm from same-sex marriages. “The revision of the official marriage license form eliminates any claim by Davis that she is suffering any serious or irreparable consequences as the result of the district court’s order,” the appeals court said. The ACLU suit against Davis is still pending.
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April 22, 2016
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Beware of North Carolina and Mississippi, British government warns travelers by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer British travelers to the United States should beware of North Carolina and Mississippi, the UK’s Foreign Office warned in a new travel advisory. In the past, the Foreign Office – the British equivalent of the U.S. State Department – has advised LGBT Brits to “take care abroad” but had no specific caution on travel to the United States. The new travel advisory states that “Laws vary from state to state. When you are physically present in a state, even temporarily, you are subject to that state’s laws... “The US is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country. LGBT travelers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi. Before travelling please read our general travel advice for the LGBT community. You can find more detail on LGBT issues in the US on the website of the Human Rights Campaign.” HRC issued a statement lamenting the necessity of the travel advisory on April 20. “It is both frightening and embarrassing that one of our nation’s staunchest allies has warned its citizens of the risks of traveling to North Carolina and Mississippi because of anti-LGBT laws passed by their elected officials,” said Ty Cobb, Director of HRC Global. “It is now more clear than ever that these terrible measures are not only harming
British Airways – freethoughtblogs.com
individuals and taking an economic toll on the states but are also causing serious damage to nation’s reputation and the perceived safety of LGBT people who travel here.” North Carolina’s HB 2 has eliminated existing municipal nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people and prevents such protections from being passed by cities in the future.
In addition, the legislation bars Transgender people from using public restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity, and it revokes the ability to sue under state nondiscrimination laws on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, religion, national origin, and sex. In Mississippi, the so-called “Religious Liberty Accommodations Act,” or HB 1523,
would allow individuals or organizations to use religion to justify discrimination against LGBT people in many areas, including the right to refuse service to LGBT people. Under HB 1523 schools, employers, and service providers could refuse Transgender people access to appropriate sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity.
ESPN fires Curt Schilling for transphobic tweet by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer ESPN has fired All-Star pitcher and high-profile sports analyst Curt Schilling after he reposted a crude anti-Trans meme on his Facebook page and added offensive commentary of his own. Schilling had worked for the sports network since 2010 and was a fixture on Monday Night Baseball. The image Schilling reposted showed an individual intended to be read as a man, dressed in disheveled women’s clothes and a blond wig, with the caption “LET HIM IN! to the restroom with your daughter or else you’re a narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving, racist bigot who needs to die.” To that, Schilling added: “A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for the penis, women’s not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic.” “ESPN is an inclusive company,” the network said in a statement. “Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable, and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.” It was not the first time Schilling’s right-wing views got him into trouble with ESPN. Last August the company suspended him for a month for a tweet comparing Muslims to Nazis.
Schilling describes himself on his Facebook account as a “conservative pro life pro 2nd amendment American who wants to help those that cannot help themselves.” In March Schilling said in a radio interview that Hillary Clinton “should be buried under a jail somewhere” because she allegedly jeopardized security by using a private email server. While Schilling refused to talk to the New York Times about his latest run-in with the network, he did post a defense on his personal blog. “Let’s make one thing clear right upfront,” he wrote. “If you get offended by ANYTHING in this post, that’s your fault, all yours. “This latest brew ha ha [sic] is beyond hilarious. I didn’t post that ugly picture. I made a comment about the basic functionality of men’s and women’s restrooms, period,” he added. Schilling also appeared on an April 20 radio show to defend himself. “I replied to the post. I didn’t post that,” Schilling told WEEI radio in Boston. “To be in a place where people actually believe I’m a racist or I’m transphobic says to me that something has gone horribly askew somewhere,” he added. Media analysts said the network had few options other than firing Schilling. “If you’re taking a paycheck from ESPN, you have to be extra careful about
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Curt Schilling – inquisitr.com
how you communicate publicly and always err on the side of caution and responsibility,” said James Andrew Miller, a co-author of Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN. “It’s not an unfair or impractical posi-
tion for ESPN to hold. If you want to express your own opinions in a provocative way on social media, then ESPN and a lot of other media organizations are probably not where you should be working.”
April 22, 2016
Seattle Gay News 13
Is Trump the least obnoxious Republican? (not that it’s a high bar) by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Donald Trump may have emerged as the least obnoxious Republican candidate – at least as far as LGBT rights are concerned. While Trump has become infamous for barely concealed racism directed at Hispanic and Muslim immigrants, he showed surprising openness to Transgender people in an April 21 interview with NBC’s Today Show. “North Carolina did something that was very strong, and they’re paying a big price. And there’s a lot of problems,” Trump said about a recently passed North Carolina law that, among other things, bars Trans people from gender-appropriate restrooms. “Leave it the way it is. North Carolina, what they’re going through, with all of the business and all of the strife – and that’s on both sides – you leave it the way it is. There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble. And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment they’re taking.” Trump went on to say that if Caitlyn Jenner visits Trump Tower, she would be free to use any restroom she chooses. In contrast, Ted Cruz – who Jenner prefers as a potential Republican presidential nominee – suggested at an April 18 Good Morning America town hall that LGBT Americans already have adequate legal protections. Todd Calogne, a married Gay man who is also a registered Republican and owner of a pizza parlor in New York City, asked Cruz what he would do to protect him and
14 Seattle Gay News
Donald Trump on the Today Show – theepochtimes.com
his husband as a married couple. “When it comes to religious liberty, religious liberty is something that protects all of us; it applies to Christians, it applies to Jews, it applies to Muslims, it applies to atheists,” Cruz said. “That freedom ultimately protects each and every one of us.” When asked about the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationally and what should happen to same-sex couples who are already married, Cruz replied that marriage laws should be settled on the state level rather than the federal level. The Texas senator has previously
April 22, 2016
promised to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn the Obergefell decision and return control of marriage laws to state legislatures. Trump has made similar statements. On April 17, John Kasich, the third Republican in the race for president, also came out against the North Carolina legislation, but said Trans people should “get over” their outrage and pray for bigots. On CNN’s State of the Union, John Kasich said he would “probably not” have signed the North Carolina law if he had been governor, but he would not try to prevent states from passing similar laws.
“What I like to say is, just relax,” Kasich said, “if you don’t like what somebody is doing, pray for them. And if you feel as though somebody is doing something wrong against you, can you just for a second get over it?” “Everybody, chill out, get over it if you have a disagreement with somebody,” he added. Kasich has attended the wedding of a Gay family friend, while saying publicly that he supports only opposite-sex marriage.
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