Issue 14 Volume 39
FRIDAY April 8, 2011 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands
Celebrating 38 Years!
GAY CAVEMAN p. 8 CALIFORNIA BALLOT p. 9 RU PAUL INTERVIEW p. 25
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
courtesy gaston Dissake
Military struggles From Cameroon to Seattle One Gay man’s harrowing struggle to be free with growing sexual assaults Why men in the military rape other men
shame and looks at why the sexual assault of males in the service is finally being confronted. In the staunchly traditional military culture, writes Ellison, male sexual assault is an ugly secret, kept hidden by layers of personal shame and official denial. According to the Newsweek article, last year nearly 50,000 male veterans screened positive for “military sexual trauma” at the Department of Veterans Affairs, up from just over 30,000 in 2003. For the by Shaun Knittel victims, the experience is a special kind of hell – a soldier can’t just SGN Associate Editor quit his job to get away from his When men in the military rape abusers. But now, as the Pentagon has beother men in the ranks, no one wants to talk about it. In this gun to acknowledge the rampant week’s Newsweek, writer Jesse Ellison proclaims that male-onmale rape is the Pentagon’s secret see military page 20
Gaston Dissake (in center, wearing cap) with his fellow teammates in Cameroon
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Gaston Dissake, 29, has never known life without soccer. For as long as he can remember, the soccer field has been where he found freedom. Unfortunately for Gaston, an openly Gay man in the oppres-
sive African nation of Cameroon, freedom stopped whenever he left the field. After years of police beatings, attacks from former teammates, and threats on his life, Gaston fled to seek asylum in the U.S., which eventually led him to Seattle and gave him a taste of the civil freedom that he only previously got on the field.
Gaston’s story is one of a man who risked all so that he could be free to be himself. He is ready to embrace a Gay community he only read about or saw on TV. Above all, he wants desperately to get back into soccer. see gaston page 18
Payback in Wisconsin Capitol Hill Chamber of Conservative justice trailing, Commerce Executive Wells Republican county executive courtesy capitol hill chamber of commerce
Michael Wells
AP
Keeping Capitol Hill vibrant a labor of love
candidate loses in landslide
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Seattle is a city of neighborhoods with which its citizens strongly identify. Capitol Hill has an identity all its own and is, perhaps, the most recognized of all. More than a Gayborhood, “The Hill” (as it’s commonly referred to) is home to beautifully constructed parks, unique retail, a vast array of eateries, and much more. A little bit of everything that can be found on Capitol Hill. In 2006, a group of neighborhood stakeholders joined hands with the City of Seattle to create a framework for public and private investments to revitalize Broadway and Capitol Hill. Within a year, the group incorporated the new Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) to spearhead economic, business, and community development. Now, with over 170 current Capitol Hill members
Protestors at the Wisconsin capitol
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
In a stunning reversal of political fortunes, conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser trails his opponent, Assistant State Attorney General Joanne Kloppenburg, by a slim 204 votes. At a press conference on April 6, Kloppenburg claimed victory, but see wells page 20 the election will almost certainly
be decided by a recount. While Wisconsin’s Supreme Court positions are officially nonpartisan, Prosser is well known as a Republican and an ally of Gov. Scott Walker. Kloppenburg was backed by many of the state’s labor unions. Nineteen Wisconsin counties that see wisconsin page 21
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Seattle Gay News
April 8, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
Visit us online www.sgn.org
April 8, 2011
Seattle Gay News
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Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1973
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MEMBER
e-mail: sgn2@sgn.org internet: www.sgn.org
2011
Deadlines
Classifieds - Thursday at noon Calendar - Tuesday 6pm Display Ads: Space Reservation - Monday 5pm Ad copy (non-camera ready) - Tues. 5pm Ad copy (camera ready) - Wed. 5pm Letters to the Editor - Tuesday 5pm Obituaries - Call the SGN office All others - Tuesday 5pm
Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel, Miryam Gordon, Tim Peter
LGBT elders raise serious fears about long-term care facilities
Contributing Writers
Rev. Barbara Allen, Mike Andrew, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Nevin Jefferson, Keen News Service, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Romeo San Vicente, Rex Wockner
Classifieds Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Photographers
getty images
Nick Ardizzone, Nate Gowdy, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Website Designer Barry Thorsness/Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published weekly by Frogs and Ink, Inc. © 2011, Frogs and Ink, Inc., all rights reserved. Reprints by permission. Publication of names, photographs or likenesses of any person, organization, event or business in this publication cannot be taken as any indication of the sexual orientation of the person, organization, event or business. Opinions expressed in bylined articles, columns, and letters are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management of this paper. Seattle Gay News welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or reject material. All rights revert to authors upon publication. We assume no liability for loss or damage of materials, solicited or not. We invite feedback, please write. And please play safe. It is our policy that no money shall be refunded if you choose to cancel your subscription or ad. However, credit towards any size ad will be given for the balance owed. No exceptions.
In Loving Memory Of
Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold
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Seattle Gay News
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor A majority of LGBT older adults who answered a national online survey believe that staff of long-term care facilities would discriminate against an LGBT elder who was open about his or her sexual orientation, and more than half believe that staff or other residents would abuse or neglect an LGBT elder. Released on April 5, the groundbreaking report “LGBT Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities: Stories from the Field” utilizes survey results for the first glimpse into some of the issues faced by LGBT older adults in long-term care facilities. Of the 769 individuals who completed the survey, 328 people reported 853 instances of mistreatment in such facilities. The survey, conducted from October 2009 through June 2010, did not use a representative or scientific sample, but includes hundreds of personal comments offered by the respondents, ranging from reports of staff harassment to staff refusals to provide basic services or care. Of the 769 individuals who completed the survey, 284 identified themselves as LGBT older adults. Others said they were family members, friends, social
April 8, 2011
service providers, legal service providers, or other interested individuals. The survey, website, and the report were prepared by the National Senior Citizens Law Center in collaboration with Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE). “Administrators and staff members at long-term care facilities should see this report as a wake-up call,” said National Center for Lesbian Rights Elder Law Project Fellow Daniel Redman, Esq. “An extraordinary 89% of respondents – from across the country, from a variety of backgrounds – assert that LGBT people cannot come out in a nursing home without risking their safety. Better policies, more comprehensive training, and an aggressive litigation strategy are all needed to bring the nursing home industry into the 21st century. As the report asserts, ‘Good care is possible.’ By following the report’s recommendations and taking affirmative steps to make facilities LGBTinclusive, long-term care facilities can do a lot to make their services welcoming to all seniors.” Said National Senior Citizens Law Center
Executive Director Paul Nathanson, “Our hope is that this report provokes thought, raises critical questions, and compels future systematic research that can be used to dive deeper into the issues raised by these findings and the many personal stories we received.” According to an April 5 National Center for Lesbian Rights press release, some of the comments point to possible violations of federal nursing home law, while others signify that far more training and awareness by staff is needed, in addition to enhanced consumer awareness. The report also points to a wide array of policy remedies that could be enacted to support LGBT elders better and improve the facilities where they reside. The report’s recommendations are directed toward policymakers as well as long-term care providers. “In SAGE’s experience, LGBT older adults often fear that they will encounter providers who might be uncomfortable with or even hostile towards them, are untrained to work with them, or unaware that they even exist,” said SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams. “Even when providers are supportive, fear of discrimination keeps many LGBT elders in the closet and prevents them from seeking the care they need. This speaks to a great need for training on cultural competency and LGBT aging issues, available through outlets such as the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, for staff at long-term care facilities.” Said Laurie Young, a specialist on aging and the director of public policy and government affairs at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, “LGBT elders remain a highly vulnerable and largely invisible aging population. We know that invisibility leads to greater social isolation, which can lead to increased vulnerability in many areas, such as the discrimination faced in longterm care institutions. This report highlights the issues faced by LGBT older adults in long-term care facilities and offers concrete recommendations on how aging advocates, policy makers, providers, and social service agencies can meet them.” Added Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director Hayley Gorenberg, “Unfortunately, we are hearing far too frequently, all across the country, from LGBT seniors who are forced into isolation for fear of being out and vulnerable, or older LGBT couples who are forced back in the closet when they visit their loved one in long-term care facilities. This report should shock our nation into action. As we continue to make great strides for equality, we cannot leave our elders behind.” Survey results, comments, and personal videos from LGBT older adults, as well as profiles of the authors, can be found at www. LGBTLongTermCare.org.
Celebrating 38 Years!
Local Norwegian man does it All For Norway courtesy doug miner
THANKS FOR SYPHILIS COVERAGE Thank you, Seattle Gay News and Sister Glo, for your feature story on syphilis in your March 18 issue. Thanks also to the anonymous letter writer last week who pointed out one of the dire consequences of syphilis when it goes untreated. Syphilis has made an astounding comeback in our local community – up 82 percent from 2009 to 2010. Nine out of every 10 cases last year were in Gay and Bi men; over half also had HIV. And it’s continuing to spread. The 2011 case numbers are double what they were this time last year. Syphilis is preventable and curable. In fact, it was virtually eliminated in Gay and Bi men in our area in the early 1990s.
Syphilis starts as a painless open sore and then a rash on your torso, palms, or soles of your feet. Left untreated, it can lead to blindness, deafness, heart failure, dementia, or even brain tumors like the one suffered by last week’s letter writer. And untreated syphilis can advance more quickly in people who have HIV. I’ll be talking more about syphilis in an upcoming Dr. J column. In the meantime, if you’re sexually active and at risk, but have not tested recently, please get tested. You can test for syphilis and other STDs including HIV at Public Health’s STD Clinic, Gay City, or your doctor’s office. For hours and locations, call 206-296-4649 or go to www. kingcounty.gov/health/hiv. Dr. Joanne Stekler (aka Dr. J)
New survey tries to estimate LGBT population Doug Miner
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor In December of 2008, Doug Miner, 35, was stuck at home during the snowstorm that made headlines across the nation. Each morning, Doug would wake up and read the news. As luck would have it, he came across an ad asking for American-Norwegians to attend a casting call to learn about their heritage through a reality show. “I didn’t really want to be on a TV program, but had been so bored because of the snow that I told a friend about it and he came over and filmed my application video,” Doug told Seattle Gay News. “He took my rambling footage home and edited it and sent me the file. I sent in the application without even watching the video he put together, expecting that nothing would come from it. But after an on-camera interview in Chicago, I was cast for the show!” The show, Alt For Norge (All For Norway in English) takes 10 Norwegian Americans who don’t know much about Norway, have never traveled to Norway, and don’t speak Norwegian back to the country to learn about their heritage. “The generic name for the show is ‘Culture Shock Norway,’ and the intent is to put Norwegian-Americans into situations that every Norwegian knows about, but are all new to the Americans,” Doug told SGN. The show’s format could be likened to the hit reality TV show Amazing Race. “Each week we traveled to a new part of Norway, were divided into two teams, and did a group competition dealing with something ‘traditionally’ Norwegian,” said Doug. “The winning team got a prize and was safe from elimination and the losing team had to compete in an individual competition. The person who did the worst in the individual competition was sent home. The grand prize was $50,000 and getting to have a family reunion with our Norwegian relatives.” Doug was not the only Gay character on the show. “Out of 10 contestants, there were two of us,” he said. “The other LGBT cast member was Signe Harriday, a Lesbian from NYC. She is an actress, married to her beautiful wife Erin, and an overall amazing person. We bonded immediately and she became my best friend from the show.” Doug says the experience was “the coolest thing I’ve done in my life.” “I pretty much had a first-class, all-expenses-paid trip around Norway with an amazing group of cast and crew. During my stay on the show, I was able to travel from the southern tip of Norway all the way up to Svalbard and everywhere in between,” he said. “Visually, everything about Norway is awe-inspiring. Cliffs, fjords, valleys … so to be able to experience Norway from top to bottom made me feel incredibly lucky.”
The show was light-hearted and fun – even in competition – and all of us were there for the same reason: to learn about our heritage, so there was little drama among the cast and we all genuinely got along, he said. “I do have to say, however, that being in a contained environment without control of what is coming, and knowing that your performance determined your fate in the show was very stressful for me, and I may have cried or screamed a few times to release the stress,” admits Doug. Something not seen on-camera, said Doug, “was that after we wrapped each episode, we had a huge cast/crew party on location.” “We had such good times drinking and partying the nights away. I thought the Gays had it down, but those Norwegians know how to party,” he joked. “In a small fishing town, after our wrap party for that episode, I got up the next day to stumble my way to breakfast. Some of the crew were still up and had not gone to bed because they were waiting for the sun to set. That far north, the sun doesn’t set that time of year! We laughed about it, and I gave them my sleeping bag so they could catch some sleep and sober up.” We don’t want to spoil the outcomes, so we won’t print if Doug ends up winning the competition or not. You can find out by attending the Alt For Norge official viewing party at The Lobby Bar (916 E. Pike St.) every Sunday at 8 p.m., until May 15. Doug currently works at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance supporting the Cellular Therapy Lab’s operations. “I’ve been there for about a year and a half. I had lost my previous job to go on the show but was lucky to find a job so quickly after getting back,” he said. “I used to sing with the Seattle Men’s Chorus and played volleyball for years, so people may have seen me through those organizations. Like most Seattleites, I like spending as much time outside as I can when we have nice weather, so will play tennis or go hiking or whatever I can do when it’s not raining.” “I have a house just north of Northgate and a cat, Chester,” he continued. “Although not an ‘artist,’ I enjoy being creative and just finished a year-long ‘photo of the day’ that I was posting on Facebook. And aside from game nights or dinners and movies with friends, that’s pretty much me in a nutshell!” “I’m very happy to have people reach out to me if they have any questions about the show,” he said. “It was such an amazing experience for me, I’m happy to talk to people about it. They just cast season two of the show, and they also are currently casting a Swedish version of the same show. I’d recommend submitting an application for the next round of the show if you qualify, because it was a ton of fun!
Visit us online www.sgn.org
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer How many LGBT Americans are there? More than 9 million, according to Williams Institute researcher Gary Gates. The Williams Institute is a think tank associated with UCLA Law School that studies law and public policy as they relate to sexual orientation and gender identity. Gates is a demographer at the Institute and the author of a number of previous surveys of LGBT population. According to a new report by Gates released on April 7, about 3.5 percent of Americans identify themselves in surveys as being Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual. The study also reported an estimated 700,000 Transgender individuals in the U.S. – about 0.3% of the population. In total, the study suggests that approximately 9 million Americans – roughly the population of New Jersey – identify as LGBT. Gates says he arrived at the estimates by averaging results from five surveys conducted in the U.S. between 2004 and 2009. In the survey results, the range of people who say they are Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual varied widely, from a low of 1.7 percent to a high of 5.6 percent. Gates said that many people have heard estimates as high as 10% of the population. That figure, he said, comes from a 1948 study of male prisoners done by Alfred Kinsey. Kinsey noted at the time that one in 10 men was “more or less, exclusively homosexual for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55.” “The number stuck,” Gates said. “Here we are, decades later, and it’s still the most predominant number cited.” The question of how many LGBT folks there are depends in part on how the terms Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender are defined, and who researchers decide to include. “In measuring sexual orientation,” the Gates study notes, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual individuals may be identified strictly based on their self-identity or it may be possible to consider same-sex sexual behavior or sexual attraction.” The Gates study bases its numbers only
on self-identification. In other words, individuals must tell researchers they are LGBT to be counted in one of those categories. Gates does acknowledge that a different definition would yield different numbers, however. “Estimates of those who report any lifetime same-sex sexual behavior and any same-sex sexual attraction are substantially higher than estimates of those who identify as LGB,” the study says. “An estimated 19 million Americans (8.2%) report that they have engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and nearly 25.6 million Americans (11%) acknowledge at least some same-sex sexual attraction.” People who engage in same-sex relations or experience same-sex attraction may not identify as Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual for a number of reasons, including but not limited to social, family, or religious pressures, absence of a visible LGBT community, or perceived danger in being out. “Defining the Transgender population can also be challenging,” the report continues. “Definitions of who may be considered part of the Transgender community include aspects of both gender identities and varying forms of gender expression or non-conformity.” Getting an accurate count of LGBT Americans is not merely an academic pursuit for Gates. “The number matters,” he said to reporters. “An unfortunate part of our political system is that you don’t really count unless you’re counted. LGBT Americans still are not routinely counted. That allows legislators and policymakers to say they really don’t matter much, because if they did, we’d have this data.” Gates is also the creator of the Gay/Lesbian Index, which measures the proportion of same-sex couples among all households in any given U.S. metropolitan area. The idea that most LGBT people live only in urban enclaves like the Castro in San Francisco or Chelsea in New York City is a myth, Gates notes. “Gay people live everywhere,” he says, “in cities, suburbs, and even in the country – one in seven same-sex couples live in rural areas.” The 2000 Census found same-sex couples living in 99% of U.S. counties.
“Defining the Transgender population can also be challenging. Definitions of who may be considered part of the Transgender community include aspects of both gender identities and varying forms of gender expression or non-conformity.”
April 8, 2011
Seattle Gay News
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INTERNATIONAL courtesy ILGA-Europe
NEWS
by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer
quake recovery efforts According to a report issued March 28 by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and Haiti’s SEROvie, “violence and discrimination against [Haitian] LGBT people has increased since the January 2010 earthquake” and their needs during the recovery period have been “completely ignored.” “U.N. agencies, private organizations, and governments must recognize the horrible impact of the Haiti disaster on LGBT people,” said Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC’s executive director. “While the needs of some marginalized groups are at least acknowledged, LGBT people are completely ignored.” In addition, some religious leaders have blamed the quake on Gays, saying God punished the nation for homosexuals’ sins. The findings detailed in the IGLRHC/ SEROvie briefing paper are based on more than 50 interviews the groups conducted with LGBT people and representatives of relief organizations, the United Nations and diplomatic missions. For the full document, see tinyurl.com/iglhrchaiti. ILGA-Europe launches major documentation project ILGA-Europe – the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association – has launched a large-scale project to document the advance of LGBT rights and related social changes across the continent. “Rainbow Europe: ILGA-Europe Annual Report on the Situation for LGBTI People in Europe” will appear on the group’s website at the beginning of next year.
ILGA-Europe Communications Manager Juris Lavrikovs
Ten years of same-sex marriage in the Netherlands It was 10 years ago April 1 that the Netherlands became the first nation in the world to let same-sex couples marry. Now same-sex marriage is legal in 12 nations, including in five U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and the Netherlands has seen nearly 15,000 same-sex marriages. This reporter was present for the first Dutch Gay weddings on April 1, 2001, and wrote: “Amid an international media frenzy, the weddings took place at City Hall as the law became effective at the stroke of midnight. Mayor Job Cohen officiated. “As Cohen finished his opening remarks at 11:58 p.m., the audience in the City Council chambers began syncopated clapping as they waited for the room’s clock to click over to 12:00. When it clicked, cheers erupted. “The ceremonies themselves took about half an hour. Cohen stood where individuals stand to address the City Council. The four couples sat in the front row of the seats where the councilors sit. “Cohen read the marriage vows once for each couple and they individually responded, ‘Yes.’ Each couple shook hands, kissed, and signed documents which were then signed by the mayor. “A reception followed in the City Council foyer and the couples departed in four brightly colored Volkswagen Beetles for a party at a Gay club.” In the intervening 10 years, 14,813 of the Netherlands’ 55,000 Gay couples have gotten married, according to Statistics Netherlands. Of those couples, 7,522 were female and 7,291 were male. There have been 1,078
same-sex divorces, 734 of them by female couples. Same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Mexico (where same-sex marriages are allowed only in the capital city but are recognized nationwide). In the U.S., same-sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. In addition, same-sex marriages from anywhere in the world are recognized as marriages in Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and California (if the marriage took place before Proposition 8 passed), even though those states do not let same-sex couples marry.
Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill reportedly dropped Uganda’s Parliament reportedly has dropped consideration of the notorious antihomosexuality bill that has been pending since 2009. The measure would imprison for life anyone convicted of “the offense of homosexuality,” punish “aggravated homosexuality” (repeat offenses, or having Gay sex while being HIV-positive) with the death penalty, forbid “promotion of homosexuality” and incarcerate Gay-rights defenders, and jail individuals in positions of authority for up to three years if they fail to report within 24 hours the existence of all LGBT people or sympathizers known to them. Ugandan LGBT activists are not relaxing, however, because in announcing that the bill is being abandoned, a government spokesman added that “most” of the same provisions are contained in another active bill, the Sexual Offenses Bill. No details were provided. “We have not completely let down our guard, at least not until May when this Parliament term comes to an end,” said Adrian Jjuuko, executive director Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum Uganda. “One battle might have been won, but the war on the other fronts clearly goes on. What the government has done is to remove this ‘troublesome’ bill and still reach the same conclusions using existing laws and new bills.” IGLHRC: LGBT Haitians ignored in
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“Already for a couple of years, ILGAEurope produced the Rainbow Europe Map identifying the legal situation for LGB people in Europe, and in 2010 we started comparing and indexing them,” said Communications Manager Juris Lavrikovs. “We want to cover LGB and TI issues, we want to monitor and document developments in many more areas. ... More importantly, we want to start a proper indexing and comparison so it will be easy to identify and follow the changes and developments.” The project will track legislation and policy, statements by politicians and other prominent or influential individuals, lawenforcement activity, court activity, research and polls, LGBTI-movement developments and other areas. It also will follow all LGBTI-related developments at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “For European decision makers, politicians, media, researchers, and students, this will be an ‘all in one’ annual document providing them with an overview of the situation across Europe,” Lavrikovs said. “We believe this will be a valuable tool to advocacy work on the national level as the advocates at the national level will be able to compare their countries, to measure their national situation and developments to established European standards and consequently build stronger claims and arguments.” The project will rely, in part, on information provided by activists on the ground. Information can be submitted to rainboweurope@ilga-europe.org. With assistance from Bill Kelley
NATIONAL
NEWS
DOMA enforcement in green-card cases halted, restarted The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on March 28 said it had temporarily suspended enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act as it applies to U.S. citizens’ foreign same-sex spouses. Then, two days later, the agency said the suspension was over and that it would continue to enforce DOMA against foreigners who seek a green card based on their legal marriage to an American of the same-sex. Opposite-sex foreign spouses of U.S. citizens ordinarily qualify automatically for a green card, but DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing any married same-sex couples, including binational ones, as actually married. The brief suspension followed the recent decision by the Justice Department and President Barack Obama to stop defending in court the portion of DOMA that prohibits the federal government from recognizing U.S. states’ same-sex marriages. On February 23, Obama and Justice said that that portion of DOMA is unconstitutional and that any governmental discrimination based on sexual orientation, like discrimination based on race or religion, is automatically unconstitutional absent some important governmental need for treating Gay people differently. A CIS spokesman told the D.C. LGBT publication Metro Weekly that the hiccup in the agency’s enforcement of DOMA had stemmed from a wait for “final guidance related to distinct legal issues.” Meanwhile, on March 22, in a case brought by Gay immigration activist Lavi Soloway, an immigration judge in Manhattan adjourned deportation proceedings against the Argentine wife of an American woman because of the Justice Department’s determination on DOMA’s constitutionality.
by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer The measure previously passed the House of Representatives, but would need to pass both chambers again before it could appear on the ballot in three years’ time. Indiana law already bans Gay couples from marrying, but some legislators want to create a stronger ban that would be harder to undo. Similar constitutional amendments are in place in 30 states. At the same time, same-sex couples can marry in five states – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont – and Washington, D.C. Five other states recognize same-sex marriages from anywhere in the world as marriages, even though same-sex couples cannot marry in those states: Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and California (if the marriage took place before Proposition 8 passed).
Montana Gay-sex ban lives on Montana’s House of Representatives on March 29 failed to muster enough votes to force out of committee a bill that would have decriminalized Gay sex by redefining “deviate sexual relations.” The committee had refused to act on the bill, which already had passed the full Senate. The state Supreme Court struck down the deviate-sexual-conduct law in 1997, saying, “Having concluded that [the law] constitutes a governmental intrusion into Respondents’ right to privacy, guaranteed by Article II, Section 10 of Montana’s Constitution, and finding no compelling state interest for such an intrusion, we hold that [the law] is unconstitutional as applied to Respondents and other consenting adults engaging in private, same-gender, non-commercial, sexual conduct.” Later, in 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively struck down all Gay sex bans remaining in the U.S. Opponents of repealing the Montana law Indiana aims to ban same-sex claimed it still could be useful in situations marriage in constitution that involve Gay sex that is nonconsensual, Indiana’s Senate voted 40-10 on March 29 incestuous, in public, with minors or for to send voters a state constitutional amend- pay. ment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions. With assistance from Bill Kelley
Celebrating 38 Years!
NORTHWEST
NEWS
compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR SEATTLE PRIDE PARADE www.seattlepride.org NORTHWEST BEARS SPRING THAW APRIL 7-10 www.nwbears.com; www.springthaw.org.
“DINA MARTINA: LIVE AT RE-BAR PLACE” On Fridays and Saturdays, through April 30, at 8 p.m., at Re-bar (1114 Howell St.), join the talent-stuffed Dina Martina and ultra-gifted accompanist Chris Jeffries for their semi-awaited return to Re-bar for a Spring show that’s oozing with razzledazzle – minus the dazzle! Dina Martina’s shows are brimming with unwittingly hilarious songs, point-free stories, astoundingly funny videos, bizarre audience gifts, costumes on their deathbeds and, as The Village Voice says, “comedy that’ll make you piss your pants!” Tickets are $20 and available online at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/143300 and at the door. NOTE: There are two Sunday matinees on Sundays, April 17 and 24, at 2 p.m. 2011 MR., MISS & MS. GAY WASHINGTON PAGEANT On Saturday, April 8, 5 p.m. door, show at 6 p.m., at The Poodle Dog (1522 54th Ave. E., Fife), join current Gay Washingtons, Sir Awesum and Ifeelya Bottoms, for the 2011 Mr., Miss & Ms., Gay Washingon Pageant. Cost: $35. Host hotel is Days Inn – Fife, Washington (5601 Pacific Highway E., Fife). Mention “Court of Tacoma” for special $55/night rate – 253-926-2301.
seattle.org. Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle is rooted in the LGBTIQ communities. “With respect for spiritual diversity, we exemplify inclusivity in worship and community, provide spiritual education, community outreach, and promote social transformation by advancing our call to social action and justice.” For more information, visit http://mccseattle.org. NW NETWORK QUEER YOUTH SUPPORT GROUP On Wednesdays, April 13-May 18, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at a Capitol Hill location, a new Seattle-based Queer Youth Support Group facilitated by Megan Kennedy (MA, LMHC) and Shannon Perez Darby (NW Network advocate) will be held. Themes of the group will include Individual Identity and Interests, Healthy Relationships, Family, Community, School, Stressors and Wellness. The group will meet for six weeks. Young people between the ages of 13-20 years old who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer and/or questioning are encouraged to register by calling the Northwest Network, 206-568-7777. This group is not a drop-in support group. It will be closed to the first 15 participants who register. If the group is totally filled, there will be an opportunity to be placed on a waiting list and/ or invited to participate in the next group. Please email Megan Kennedy at mkennedy37@gmail.com if you have any questions about the group and call the NW Network at 206-568-7777 to register.
PLU HARMONY PRESENTS DRAG BINGO IN TACOMA On Thursday, April 14, doors at 6:30 p.m., starts at 7 p.m., at Pacific Lutheran UniverEMERALD CITY SOFTBALL sity’s, Chris Knutzen Hall (12180 Park St. ASSOCIATION OPEN DIVISION S., Tacoma), PLU’s LGBT student organizaGAMES UNDERWAY tion, Harmony, presents an evening of drag On Sundays (except Memorial Day week- bingo. Enjoy drag performances and bingo end) through June 12. the Emerald City – $1 for a round of bingo. Softball Association Open Division is coordinating league softball games at North WOMEN OF COLOR SeaTac, Riverview, and Russell Road ballLIVING POSITIVE – fields. For complete details, visit www.emHIV/AIDS CONFERENCE eraldcitysoftball.org. Spectators are welFOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS come! On Friday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., African Americans Reach & Teach SEATTLE PRIDE IDOL Health Ministry and Northwest AIDS EduOn Sundays, through June 19, doors at 6 cation and Training Center UW present this p.m., competition at 7 p.m., at Neighbours day-long health conference at the Holiday (1509 Broadway. entrance in alley off E. Inn Seattle/SeaTac International Airport Pike St. between Broadway and Harvard), (17538 International Blvd). Sessions: Womjoin Seattle Out and Proud (SO&P) for Se- en and HIV, Strategies for Reducing HIV/ attle’s Pride Idol talent competition to see AIDS Stigma, Keynote Address: Emerging who will represent Seattle Out & Proud on Issues in HIV; women and HIV: Concurrenthe Pride Idol Float in the Seattle Pride Pa- cy and Domestic Violence; Women of Color rade on Sunday, June 26. For complete de- & HIV in Correctional Settings. Cost is $40; tails, visit www.seattlepride.com. registration at www.aarth.org; registration deadline is Monday, April 11. CRIS WILLIAMSON & FRIENDS AT THE TRIPLE DOOR GLSEN SPONSORS On Sunday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m., at The DAY OF SILENCE AND Triple Door (216 Union St.), join singer/ NIGHT OF NOISE songwriter Cris Williamson for an evening On Friday, April 15, the Gay, Lesbian of new songs and old favorites. Doors at and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) 5:30 p.m. Tickets: $20-advance; $22.50 at sponsors the National Day of Silence to the door. 206-838-4333; www.tripledoor. bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, com. bullying, and harassment in schools. Each year the event has grown and now hundreds POZ SEATTLE of thousands of students around the country EASTER BUFFET participate to encourage schools and classOn Wednesday, April 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 mates to address the problem of anti-LGBT p.m., at The Cuff Complex (1533 13th Ave. behavior. Started in 1996, the Day of Siat E. Pine St., in the downstairs bar), join lence has become the largest single studentHIV-Positive men and their friends for an led action towards creating safer schools for Easter buffet catered by MCC Seattle, a gra- all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender cious supporter of POZ Seattle. Enjoy Eas- identity or gender expression. For more inter ham, chicken, potatoes, and all the fixins. formation about Day of Silence and to regThis event will have a suggested donation of ister, go to www.dayofsilence.org. If you are $5, but no one will be turned away for lack interested in having a Day of Silence at your of funds. school, contact joe@wagsa.org. POZ Seattle is a social organization run GLSEN WA presents Night of Noise at for and by Seattle-area HIV-positive guys Gameworks (1511 7th Ave. at Pike St.). The that is committed to planning and promot- event is open to all youth in the Puget Sound ing fun social activities. POZ Seattle meets region. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are the 2nd Wednesday of each month at The $20 in advance at http://bit.ly/gsuy2j and at Cuff. For more information, visit www.poz- the door, but PLEASE pre-register. mail@
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Organizers suggest bringing water to glsenwa.org; www.glsenwa.org. This includes 90 minutes of unlimited gameplay at drink. A bin for non-perishable food donathe arcade with a buffet of pizza, cookies, tions is available at the hall. Please come fragrance free in consideration of those with and beverages. allergies. Bring a dry shirt to change into if you sweat a lot. No drunkenness, rude or EVELYN HARRIS abusive behavior will be tolerated. TO HEADLINE http://seattledance.org/contra/rainbow; VOICES RISING SHOW On Friday, April 15, doors at 7 p.m., show YouTube: Seattle Rainbow Contra Dance. at 8 p.m., at Washington Hall (153 14th THREE DOLLAR BILL CINEMA Ave.), Voices Rising presents Evelyn HarPRESENTS JEAN GENET ON FILM ris. Three Dollar Bill Cinema presents its 6th Evelyn Harris has dedicated her voice to giving depth and meaning to an extensive Annual Spring Film Series. Showcasing array of musical styles. Her 18-year tenure four provocative films based on the work of with the internationally acclaimed Black the radical Queer writer Jean Genet, these women’s acapella ensemble Sweet Honey rarely seen prints showcase Genet’s brilliant in the Rock guided her studies as an art- satire and celebration of beauty in evil. The ist, performer, arranger and composer. The films will screen on select Thursdays and show will also feature: Rosco Kickingstone, Saturdays in April at the Northwest Film Fabiola Romero, Christine Cruz Guiao and Forum (1515 12th Ave.) at 7 p.m. “In times when it’s increasingly important April Nishimura. Tickets: $10-$25 sliding scale. www. to be politically active, we’re proud to pay brownpapertickets.com. www.voicesrising- tribute to an esteemed artist who was both unapologetically Gay and a radical activseattle.org. ist,” says Jason Plourde, Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s programming director. “Jean Q-SQUARED MEN Genet rallied against censorship, fought for Q-SPRING 2011 APRIL 15-17 A celebration of Self and Spring for Gay, civil rights, and exposed the politics of opBisexual, and Transgender Men held at a pression.” The “Outlaw: Jean Genet on Film” series comfortable retreat center on Vashon Island. Enjoy delicious meals. Towels and linens provides an arousing mix of films, themes provided. Q-Spring is a chance to gather and performances. Filmgoers have an opwith other men to reflect on, embrace, and portunity to see the late Susannah York, who celebrate who you are, where you have never shied away from Queer or controverbeen, and where you are headed. This year’s sial roles, in The Maids on Thursday, April theme is a nautical theme: charting your own 7. Two films (Deathwatch on Saturday, course, navigating the future, and celebrat- April 16, and The Balcony on Thursday, ing the journey along the way. Discover new April 21) feature a pre-Star Trek Leonard parts of yourself and enjoy the company of Nimoy. His support helped Three Dollar other men in a non-judgmental, attitude-free Bill Cinema acquire the rare print of Deathwatch, a homoerotic story behind bars that atmosphere. www.qsquared.org is not available on video. Finally, Querelle on Saturday, April 30, the final film from MUJERES DIVERSAS AND groundbreaking German director Rainer THE LGB LATINO COMMUNITY Werner Fassbinder, follows a muscular COMMUNITY FORUM – French sailor’s surreal sexual adventures in “WOMEN OPENING PATHS a seedy seaport. TOWARD CHANGE” For complete schedule of all films feaOn Saturday, April 16, from noon to 4:30 p.m., at Miller Community Center (303 19th tured, visit http://threedollarbillcinema.org/ Ave. E.), Mujeres Diversas invite you to a calendar/outlaw-genet-on-film/. community forum to: discover the power of CAMP TEN TREES community involvement, improve services ANNUAL DINNER & AUCTION for the Latina Lesbian community, enhance On Saturday, April 23, at 6 p.m., at Herban communication networks in the pursuit of social justice, strengthen women’s presence Feast’s SODO Park (3200 1st Ave. S.), join in the community. All women who want to Camp Ten Trees staff and supporters for work for social change, regardless of sexual “BELIEVE: A magical evening in support orientation, creed, race, etc. are invited. To of Camp Ten Trees.” Believe in the chilRSVP, call 206-856-8267; 206-322-7700. dren and youth of LGBTQA comunities. Free lunch and childcare. Co-sponsored by Believe in the possibilities created in their lives when they find support and connecEntre Hermanos. tion at this loving, engaging summer camp. This annual dinner and auction raises the WAYNE BESEN OF vital funds necessary to ensure that every TRUTH WINS OUT child and youth who needs this camp can atCANCELS VISIT TO SEATTLE Due to a scheduling conflict, Wayne Bes- tend, regardless of ability to pay. Tickets are en of Truth Wins Out (TWO) has had to can- $55-individual; $125-VIP individual. Regcel his visit to Seattle. His planned visit had ister online at www.camptentrees.org or call 206-288-9568. been mentioned in last week’s SGN. ALIX DOBKIN IN CONCERT On Saturday, April 16, at 7 p.m., at Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church (14724 1st Ave. NE, Shoreline), legendary Lesbian singer/songwriter Alix Dobkin will give a rare Seattle area concert. Alix was out and in front of microphones three years before the first Michigan Womyn’s Festival. To hear a Lesbian sing of being out, proud and beautiful was a revolutionary act in the 1970s and ’80s. And she is still singing for us! To this day, Alix Dobkin’s music has the ability to move women to tears, fire them up, and most importantly, get them to sing along. Tickets: $10-$20. For reservations, 206545-3521. SEATTLE RAINBOW CONTRA DANCE On Saturdays, 4/16, 5/7, 5/21, 6/4, 6/18, no dance 7/2, resumes 7/16, at Ballard Odd Fellows Hall (1706 NW Market St.), join LGBTQ folks and friends (and all who want to dance) for this fun, easy-to-learn, easyto-dance, gender-neutral contra dance, with live calling and live bluegrass music. No experience or partner necessary. All dances taught. Free lesson at 7 p.m. Dance from 7:30-10 p.m. Cost is $8.
April 8, 2011
BOSTON POPS “OVER THE RAINBOW” NATIONAL SING-ALONG COLLAGE To pay respect to the shared cultural heritage of the American Songbook, the Boston Pops is asking for video submissions of fans singing “Over the Rainbow” for inclusion in a video collage to be shown at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. Voted number one on the RIAA and NEA’s “Songs of the Century” list, Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” is an American Songbook selection that unites generations and ties the 2011 Spring Pops Season together – from the opening-night Judy Garland tribute to the finale “Triple Crown” performance celebrating America’s Heartland. The signature Boston Pops sing-along has long been an audience favorite, so this year the orchestra is opening the sing-along to a national choir. Participants of all ages can submit video of themselves singing “Over the Rainbow” by adding a video to YouTube and e-mailing a link and contact info to overtherainbow@ bso.org. Videos will be featured on the Boston Pops YouTube channel, on the Boston Pops website www.bostonpops.org, and at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. All video submissions are due by Saturday, April 26, 2011.
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Jim McDermott issues statement on ENDA file photo
Wal-Mart wins court case for defending Lesbian
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Congressman Jim McDermott
“I am an original cosponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act – passing it is critical to moving our country closer to the goal of equal rights for all Americans. Beginning with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we’ve recognized the importance of ending discrimination in the workplace, and the LGBT community deserves these basic protections. Recently, the LGBT
community has seen a number of victories for equality. Just last December, the U.S. Congress repealed ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,’ ending nearly 100 years of legal discrimination in our military. But, we still have a long way to go, and ENDA is one of many important bills that we must pass to guarantee all Americans the promise of freedom and equality.”
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Wal-Mart was acting within both its legal rights and the stated policy of the company when it fired a fundamentalist Christian for harassing a Lesbian employee. Tanisha Matthews, who worked as an overnight stocker in a Joliet, Illinois, WalMart, was involved in an incident at the store in September of 2005. Store officials found during an investigation that Matthews had stood over an employee named Amy, “screaming over her” that God rejects Gays, they don’t belong “on earth” and will “go to hell” because they are “not right in the head.” Five employees came forward to substantiate the complaint. Wal-Mart officials then fired Matthews because she had violated their Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy,
a policy that is clearly posted in Wal-Mart break rooms. Matthews shot back by suing Wal-Mart under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, saying she was fired for her religious beliefs. She also filed a racial discrimination portion of the suit, but voluntarily dropped that. The Appeals Court ruling stated that “if Matthews is arguing that Wal-Mart must permit her to admonish Gays at work to accommodate her religion, the claim fails.” “Wal-Mart fired her because she violated company policy when she harassed a co-worker, not because of her beliefs, and employers need not relieve workers from complying with neutral workplace rules as a religious accommodation if it would create an undue hardship,” continued the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling. LGBT advocacy groups are hailing the ruling as a victory that shows that religion does not trump civil rights in America.
Possible Gay caveman found in Czech Republic by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
the wrong side. Not so, say archaeologists, because there are more clues. Men during that time period were often Five thousand years after he died, a group buried with weapons, hammers, and flint of archaeologists believe they may have un- knives as well as several portions of food and drink to accompany them to the other earthed the first known “Gay caveman.” So how do they know? By the way he was side. Women would be buried with pets, copper earrings, and necklaces made from buried. According to archaeologists, the skeleton teeth, as well as domestic jugs and often an is from the late Stone Age dating back to egg-shaped pot placed near the feet. The Gay caveman was buried with housebetween 2900 and 2500 BC. During that period, men were traditionally buried lying hold jugs, and no weapons. Archeologists are dispelling claims that on their right side with the head pointing towards the west, while women were buried this was all an accident due to the imporon their left side with the head facing east. tance attached to funerals during the period. “From history and ethnology, we know In this case, the man was on his left side that people from this period took funeral with his head facing west. What gives? Maybe someone made a mis- rites very seriously, so it is highly unlikely take and accidentally placed the body facing that this positioning was a mistake,” said
europics
The skeleton was found in a Prague suburb with its head pointing eastwards and surrounded by domestic jugs – rituals only previously seen in female graves. Men would normally be buried with weapons, hammers, and flint knives.
lead researcher Kamila Remisova Vesinova. “Far more likely is that he was a man with a different sexual orientation – a homosexual or transvestite.” Another member of the same archaeological team, Katerina Semradova, said that colleagues had uncovered an earlier case dating from the Mesolithic period where a female warrior was buried as a man. 8
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April 8, 2011
She added that Siberian shamans, or witch doctors, were also buried in this way but with richer funeral accessories appropriate to their elevated position in society. “This later discovery was neither of those,” she said. “We believe this is one of the earliest cases of what could be described as a transvestite or third-gender grave in the Czech Republic.”
Celebrating 38 Years!
California: Prop 8 repeal ballot in 2012? Steve Bott
by a slightly larger margin. At a January 2009 meeting in Los Angeles, Kors acknowledged some of the No on 8 campaign’s mistakes. He said, “When I look at what was the biggest mistake, when I lie awake at night prepping my emails I’m going to send to all of you and I think about the biggest mistake that we made, it’s that we’ve turned everything over to political experts and political consultants. And I would never ever do that again. You know, when we started Equality California, everyone was like, ‘Hire professional lobbyists to go lobby on LGBT issues,’ and I was like, ‘You gotta be kidding. We’re going to do our own lobbying because it’s about our lives and we know what we’re talking about and we know how to do this.’ One thing, you know, that I would never do again ... we should have been in the strategy room and part of those [consultants’] conversations, and that was a huge mistake.”
Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri Jean, another key member of the No on 8 leadership team, was similarly forthcoming at the 2009 meeting. “How could we have realized earlier that professional, high-paid consultants were not delivering product?” Jean asked. “I’m trying to say this and not be too provocative, since we have so many professional political campaign consultants in the room. But, you know, there is an approach that people who are professionals use to do this. And I think one of our challenges as a community, given that issues of relevance to our community are different than anything else that goes on the ballot because of the emotion and the other things that are associated with them, we have got to find a completely different way than business as usual to do this work.” With assistance from Bill Kelley
Military chaplains group supports lawsuit against DADT
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Protesters at the “Meet in the Middle for Equality” anti-Prop 8 demonstration on May 30, 2009, in Fresno, California.
by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer Equality California on April 4 launched a campaign to gauge community support for heading back to the ballot in 2012 to try to undo Proposition 8. Approved by voters in November 2008, Prop 8 amended the state constitution to reban same-sex marriage, which had been legal for almost five months. EQCA said the ongoing federal lawsuit against Prop 8 “could take years to resolve” and so it wants to know what the “community” wants to do. In a case brought by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, represented by famous attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, a federal district court struck down Prop 8 last summer and issued an injunction barring its further enforcement. However, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals suspended the injunction, and the people who had put Prop 8 on the ballot appealed District Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision. Then a new question emerged: whether ballot-measure sponsors have legal standing to appeal a federal court’s strikedown of a state ballot measure. None of the people who were sued in the case – including California’s previous and current governors and attorneys general – had or has any interest in defending Prop 8. They consider it to be unconstitutional. The 9th Circuit eventually decided it was unwilling to answer the “standing” question on its own and, in February, officially queried the California Supreme Court on whether ballot-measure proponents have any right under state law to defend their measures when they are struck down. That’s where the case stands now. The California Supreme Court has said it will not hear oral arguments on the question sent to it by the 9th Circuit until September at the soonest. “Because legal experts are advising that the Proposition 8 federal challenge could take years to resolve, Equality California is launching a community engagement initiative to start a discussion on whether to return to the ballot in 2012 to repeal the marriage ban or whether to wait for a final decision by the courts,” the group said. “Before making any recommendation, Equality California will survey its membership, hold 10 town halls across the state and an online town hall, conduct a poll of likely 2012 vot-
ers, consult with political experts, coalition partners, and engage with its members and the LGBT community. Equality California will announce results of polling and analysis by Labor Day.” EQCA Interim Executive Director Jim Carroll said, “We were truly optimistic that the court case to overturn Prop 8 would restore marriage equality by the end of 2010 or early this year, making a ballot measure unnecessary. Despite the amazing work of the dedicated lawyers leading this effort, there is no guarantee how or when the courts will ultimately rule. As a community, we will figure out together whether we wait until the courts rule or whether we repeal Prop 8 at the ballot box.” “The courts ... are passing the case back and forth to different courts and refusing to allow same-sex couples to marry as they delay acting on our rights,” he said. Town hall meetings are scheduled for May 19 in San Francisco, May 25 in West Hollywood, and June 2 in San Diego. Equality California was harshly criticized over its leadership role in the costly 2008 campaign that failed to stop Prop 8 at the ballot box. The new effort to consult with the community about a possible 2012 campaign was launched just four days after then-EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors stepped down from the job he had held since 2002. Although numerous organizations and activists were involved in running the failed No on 8 campaign, EQCA and Kors, in particular, bore the brunt of LGBT community anger over the loss. In an interview April 4, Kors said the timing of his departure from EQCA was a matter of his partner’s decision to retire from his job at this time. He also said he wanted the new EQCA executive director, who has yet to be selected, “to have enough time in the position prior to the 2012 election cycle, as redistricting and potential ballot measures will impact LGBT rights.” Critics of the 2008 campaign said it failed to engage key voting blocs, including people of color, didn’t have enough door-to-door contact with voters, turned over too much power to outside consultants and big donors, and produced TV ads that were disastrously awful. Notably, however, a year later, when Maine activists mounted a major campaign to prevent voter revocation of same-sex marriage rights there, the Maine activists corrected for many of the California activists’ perceived errors – and lost nonetheless,
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On April 4, The Forum on the Military Chaplaincy, a group led by retired military chaplains, filed an amicus curiae brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals supporting the Log Cabin Republican’s position in their lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). The Forum is joined in the brief by the general synod of the United Church of Christ; the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; the Metropolitan Community Churches; Unitarian Universalist Association; California Council of Churches; California Faith for Equality; and nine retired senior military Chaplains. A trial federal court in California found the law unconstitutional in 2010. According to news reports, The Forum has worked for several years, mostly behind the scenes, to fight the DADT policy they consider harmful to the military, and is now taking a public stance to support this lawsuit. In the brief, the Forum argues that DADT “represents no threat to the religious liberty of anti-Gay clergy” who will continue to be able to preach their beliefs within their congregations. However, retaining the policy is a threat to religious liberty of all service members “by imposing anti-Gay dogma offensive to many religious organizations, [and] by preventing military chaplains from ministering to the needs of service members whose faith communities are welcoming and affirming to Gays and Lesbians,” among other things. “The right of anti-Gay chaplains to preach their beliefs within their denominations is not being abridged,” said Chaplain Paul Dodd, founder and co-chair of the Forum
April 8, 2011
on the Military Chaplaincy. Dodd served 31 years in the Army Chaplaincy, including a tour as command chaplain for the Army Medical Command. “But more importantly, military chaplains are trained to be pluralistic. They must respect the rights of others to hold and practice religious and moral values different from their own.” Chaplain John Gundlach, who served 27 years in the Navy and now serves as minister for government and professional chaplaincies for the United Church of Christ, said, “Chaplains understand when they are commissioned that they are entering a ministry environment that is religiously pluralistic and culturally diverse. While chaplains have the right to perform their religious duties according to the tenets of their faith groups, they are there to serve all military members without discrimination. For chaplains and faith groups who opposed the repeal of the military’s discriminatory DADT policy to now claim they will be victims of discrimination themselves is at best questionable. What these religious groups are trying to preserve is their right to discriminate on the basis of their theological beliefs against Gay and Lesbian service members who will now be able to serve openly. This is not a principle that deserves legal protection.” The case is pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals with no hearing date set. The Forum on the Military Chaplaincy is a group of retired chaplains, clergy, and military veterans, advocating for a military chaplaincy committed to free and diverse religious expression, and to the sacred values of personal integrity, selfless compassion, respect for others, and excellence in leadership.
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10 Seattle Gay News
April 8, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
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April 8, 2011
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12 Seattle Gay News
April 8, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
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14 Seattle Gay News
April 8, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
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April 8, 2011
Seattle Gay News 15
Mysterious “AIDS-like” disease hits China New virus or psychosomatic phobia?
courtesy the epoch times
their own fear of HIV infection. “It is not new in clinical practice and I have seen many such patients in Shanghai,” said Dr Lu Hongzhou, vice president of Shanghai Public Health Center and a leading AIDS expert. “These people suffer serious mental pressure while suspecting they have been infected with the HIV virus and compare their own symptoms with those of AIDS. However, they have received many tests and all negative. It is actually AIDS phobia,” Lu said. “According to Nanfang Daily, the Ministry of Health has required Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Guangdong to launch a study of the problem,” the Shanghai Daily article said. “A total of 59 blood samples of patients from the disease control and prevention centers in the six regions have been sent to laboratories in the United States for testing.” “We tested seven to eight samples in Guangdong and it wasn’t HIV/AIDS,” Lin Peng, director of AIDS Prevention and Control Institute under Guangdong Province Disease Control and Prevention Center, said. He said the Chinese government would be announcing the test results soon. The Chinese Ministry of Health previously did not recognize the disease, and would not carry out an investigation of its own when the illness first came to light in 2009. Lurid stories and unreliable sources Evaluating reports of the disease is complicated by the history of the story, and the fact that the news sources originally reporting it are considered unreliable or biased. According to the Danwei China Media Guide, New Express Daily is “a daily newspaper based in Guangzhou. The newspaper provides a financial incentive (50 yuan
each) for anyone who can come up with newsworthy clue. “The newspaper delights in tabloid stories and news items that are sure to get a rise out of readers. It often pulls content from the internet, sometimes without fact-checking, a practice that has not done good things for its reputation.” Epoch Times was founded in 1999 by supporters of the Falun Gong religious sect, a group that has been involved in many runins with the Chinese government. The Chinese government considers Falun Gong as an anti-government political organization, and it is now banned in China. An associated Falun Gong publication, New Epoch Magazine, reported on the disease in June 2010, alleging that a group called “Harbor” was seeking revenge for their own illness by “intentionally donating blood to infect people.” “Members of Harbor also wander around on busy streets. They spread the virus to all the prostitutes they meet. By 2009, many prostitutes in night clubs and on streets had become infected,” the New Epoch story said. The first stories of the mysterious disease date to 2009, when New Tang Dynasty (NTD) TV reported “that patients have symptoms of fatigue, chronic diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes, and weakened immunity.” The stories were immediately reposted on libertarian Republican Ron Paul’s website. According to its website, “New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television serves more than 100 million potential viewers in China and around the world. “Founded by Chinese Americans, and rooted in traditional Chinese culture, NTD serves as a unique bridge between the East and the West.” NTD is owned by Falun Gong supporters based in New York.
Progress on HIV vaccine, Chinese researchers say by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A poster to promote AIDS awareness ahead of World AIDS Day in Beijing.
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Reports of what some news sources characterize as “a highly contagious AIDS-like disease” said to be sweeping China are circulating in Western news media. If accurate, the reports would be cause for serious concern, because the as-yet-unidentified virus is said to be far more contagious than AIDS. Chinese government sources, on the other hand, say the reports are overblown, and in fact describe a psychosomatic reaction to fear of getting AIDS. While reports of this mysterious disease date back as far as 2009, the latest stories apparently originate in a March 24 New Express Daily article. That article became the source for a March 30 story in Epoch Times that was in turn quoted by a number of other newspapers and websites. According to New Express Daily, they
investigated 30 cases of the disease. Most of the 30 patients were said to have become infected through sexual contact. According to the report, “the disease seems to be highly contagious and can spread by contact via any bodily fluid – through kissing, shared utensils, sweat, and even protected sex.” “Once infected, the immune system appears to be attacked, which results in a decrease of white blood cells and the body’s ability to defend against infectious disease and foreign materials,” the newspaper said. Patients were said to suffer “night sweats, numb limbs, aches all over, creaking joints, rashes on [their] hands, and weight loss … swollen lymph nodes on [the] neck, sore knees that made clicking sounds, and pain all over [the] body.” While symptoms are said to mimic AIDS, patients invariably test negative for HIV. According to the Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily News, at least six Chinese provinces have reported cases of the disease. The newspaper said thousands of patients in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Guangdong provinces had developed the disease. Cases have also appeared in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. According to the published reports, many patients unwittingly infected their families and friends, but no deaths have been attributed to the disease. AIDS phobia, say Chinese officials Official Chinese sources said in an April 4 article in the English-language Shanghai Daily that the patients were, in reality, suffering from a psychosomatic reaction to
16 Seattle Gay News
April 8, 2011
Chinese researchers have successfully concluded the first stage in clinical trials of a new HIV vaccine, according to the country’s top HIV/AIDS expert. Shao Yiming, lead researcher for the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, told China Daily on April 4 that the second phase of experiments on the vaccine “is likely to start in three or four months.” China Daily is an English-language newspaper published by the Chinese government and intended to reflect the government’s policies for a non-Chinese audience. A vaccine to prevent infectious disease normally needs to pass three phases of clinical trials – to evaluate its effect on healthy people, to test its effectiveness on people exposed to a risk of infection, and to evaluate its impact on high-risk groups. The vaccine project has already been approved by the national drug administration. It is one of the 16 major science and technology projects that made “significant progress during the nation’s 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010),” according to China Daily. China started research on an HIV vaccine in 1993 by conducting clinical trials with a vaccine produced outside the country. In 2005, Chinese scientists developed a new vaccine using the smallpox vaccine as a carrier. Clinical trials of the new vaccine started in 2007 and, late last year, it was proved to be able to induce an immune reaction in the cells of healthy people. “The smallpox vaccine has a long history and wide application, so we chose it for its reliability and its higher immunogenic potential,” Shao said on a Chinese government website. “The smallpox vaccine has been used on
hundreds of millions of people. All Chinese people under 25 have been vaccinated,” Shao continued, pointing out that this is a unique characteristic among the “more than 100 ongoing experiments in the world.” If the vaccine proves successful, it will have a huge impact on the nation’s HIV prevention policy, Shao said in an interview with China Central Television. According to UNAIDS, China has around 740,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. The number is estimated to reach 1.2 million by the end of 2015. China is estimated to have a total population of 1.3 billion. In February, China’s State Council called for greater efforts to control the spread of HIV and improve medical services for HIV/ AIDS patients, including intensified research efforts and international cooperation to develop new medicines and technologies. Authorities should consider increasing the supply of affordable anti-retroviral drugs to those in need under the national medical insurance plan and do more to reduce the costs of the drugs, the government said in a February circular. The government also stressed efforts to improve care for HIV/AIDS patients and protect their rights, particularly in health care services, employment, and schooling. The State Council also called for more research efforts as well as international cooperation to develop new medicines and technologies to target HIV/AIDS. A vaccine being developed at the University of Western Ontario in Canada was reported to be ready for initial human trials in June 2009. More recently, the drug Truvada – which has been used as a treatment for people with HIV/AIDS – was touted as a possible vaccine, but tests showed only a 40% effectiveness rate in preventing new HIV infections.
Celebrating 38 Years!
Chinese police raid Gay bar in Shanghai – 60 arrested by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Chinese police raided the popular Q Bar in Shanghai at 1 a.m. on April 3, arresting more than 60 patrons and employees. According to the English-language newspaper Shanghai Daily, police were responding to reports of live “sex shows” at the bar. On Q Bar’s blog, an advertisement said the bar was holding a “table dance party” on Saturday night, April 2. The blog showed pictures of a man, identified as “GoGoBoy,” dancing on a table in his underwear. Located on the first floor of the building at No. 1029 Zhongshan Road S., the bar is just a block away from the local police station. According to Shanghai Daily, witnesses at the scene told police that they often saw bar patrons naked in public. “Migrant workers living in a temporary shelter on the rooftop of the building told Shanghai Daily that they often saw naked men on the roof, drinking beer, chatting loudly, and even having sex. “They didn’t appear to notice that the migrant workers were living there.” Shanghai Daily did not note whether the migrant workers were the ones who had summoned police to the scene. Bar DJ Steven Bao, one of those arrested, told Shanghai Daily that he believed the fierce competition among local Gay bars had induced another bar to lodge a complaint with the police. Many Gay Chinese, like Bao, adopt Western-style first names, so they cannot be readily identified by relatives if they are mentioned in the press. After his release, Bao tweeted on Sina Weibo blog that for nearly 12 hours he “was kept in custody like a dog with no food or drinks.” Many of the arrestees tweeted updates and protests to Sina Weibo and to Shangaiist blog. Shangaiist is a popular Englishlanguage blog founded in 2003 by the New York-based Gothamist LLC. According to Shanghaiist: “Detainees were not stripped [as some initial reports said], but many did not have access to their jackets which were back in the bar. “Among the detainees were a handful of female bar patrons. “They were kept mostly in three rooms, one had about 40-over people, one had 20over people, and the third had about five or six bar employees, including the go-go boy dancing that night.
“They were not made to undergo a urine test, so this was not a drug raid. But they did have their ID numbers and pictures taken, and were questioned one by one. Most of the questions appeared to be pointed at the gogo boy act: ‘Did he take it all off? Were his genitals visible? Were bar patrons inserting bills into his thong?’” According to arrestees, the five or so Caucasian bar patrons were not arrested, but police accidentally arrested two citizens of another Asian country. “[My partner] and i were there last nite also and were also brought to the police station! but we kept saying we were foreigners in English and they let us go after about an hour ‘phew’ but police attitude was really quite bad,” one of them posted on Shanghaiist. “I did not see any violence when we were there but there WAS a lot of pushing and shoving.” Franck Crouvezier, a French restaurant consultant, was one of the lucky foreigners to have been spared the ride to the police station. “You know, I’ve been through a couple of raids now in Shanghai and Hong Kong and elsewhere, and I’ve never seen anything so heavy-handed on such a tiny bar before!” Crouvezier posted on Shanghaiist. “Yes, it was a sexy show, but it certainly wasn’t a sex show. People were just there having drinks, and you could totally have been there without knowing there was a show going on, and the next thing you know, you’re in a police station. This was just way over the top!” Crouvezier added. Another man who said he was a customer in the bar blogged on Sina Weibo that even customers who had been leaving the bar when police arrived were stopped and taken to the police station. Several arrestees said police offered to let them go if they signed statements corroborating the official version of events. “When the computer printout finally came, it was just as I expected,” one arrestee posted on Shanghaiist. “The details related to the second dance performance were not what I said at all. I had said, ‘I was drinking with friends, with my back towards the bar, so I didn’t notice what was going on.’ I said, ‘I’m unable to sign this.’ Then the policeman told me to go back to the room and continue waiting.” Other arrestees complained that police singled out a Gay bar for exceptional treatment. “I just don’t understand what’s up with the
police,” a bar patron identified by Shanghaiist as “Bobo” wrote. “If you can have so many bars around town with go-go girls dancing in bikinis, why can’t a Gay bar have go-go boys dancing in briefs?” “How unlucky was I, man! I didn’t even know there was going to be a show that night,” Bobo added. “In fact, I had only barely arrived with my friends before the police rushed in and escorted us unceremoniously to the police station. And to add insult to injury, they didn’t even do anything with us till the next day. What the hell.” According to Shanghaiist, one of the arrestees has indicated a “strong desire” to
sue the Huangpu Police’s Xiaodongmen station, and said he would be on the lookout for other arrestees to join him in a possible class-action suit. Shanghaiist did not name the man, but said that he is a “well-known writer with a large following who moves actively in music and fashion circles.” “As someone who is completely out about his sexuality to his family and friends, he feels that he has nothing to lose” by suing the police, Shanghaiist said. Asked what the objective of such a suit would be, he replied, “My ultimate goal is really just to ensure that such things do not happen in the future ever again.”
Gay men murdered in Mongolia by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Two brutal murders of Gay men have shocked Mongolia’s small LGBT community. The Mongolia LGBT Center, based in Ulaanbaatar, the country’s capital, identified the first victim as “A Gay male of 40 to 50 years of age who went by the nickname ‘S’ in the community, a dentist by profession who had a practice in Zuunkharaa town, Selenge province.” The second victim was “an HIV-positive Bisexual male ‘E,’ of 40 to 45 years of age, one of the founders of a community-based non-governmental organization working for HIV-positive people.” According to the Mongolia LGBT Center, E’s “mutilated body was found on 24 or 25 March 2011: his right hand was cut off and his body was burnt.” “Although it is obvious that these are hate crimes, police questioned only Gay and Bisexual males in the city in relation to the latest murder as the Gay and Bisexual males are immediately considered automatic suspects in such cases,” the Center said. The LGBT Center is Mongolia’s first human rights NGO. The Center was finally registered with the government in 2009, after a three-year struggle for official permission to operate. The name of the organization “conflicts with Mongolian customs and traditions and has the potential to set the wrong example for youth and adolescents,” an official rejection letter stated. The government backed down and registered the LGBT Center only after appeals from international human rights organizations, and the direct intervention of the Mongolian presidential advisor for human rights and public participation policy, Oyungerel Tsedevdamba. Discrimination and human rights abuses against sexual minorities are widespread
in Mongolia, according to the Mongolian Minorities Report that was presented at the U.N. Human Rights Council’s first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) presented November 2 last year. “LGBT people have been viciously targeted, beaten and raped; they’ve been kicked out of their homes and lost their jobs. Rampant discrimination has also forced people to seek asylum to escape constant threats to their lives,” Robyn Garner, executive director of the LGBT Centre, said at the UPR meeting. While LGBT people in Mongolia have been targets for discrimination and violence in the past, there had recently been hopeful signs that the government was interested in protecting LGBT rights. For the first time, Mongolian officials discussed LGBT issues at the November UPR meeting in Geneva. At the meeting, seven member states offered Mongolia recommendations for passing anti-discrimination legislation to enhance legal protections for sexual minorities. Mongolia is a large but sparsely populated country of less than 3 million people. It became independent of China in 1911, but fell under the influence of the Soviet Union in 1924. The Communist government collapsed in 1990. LGBT rights activists blame Communistera ideology for modern-day intolerance. “Our ancient Buddhist and shamanistic beliefs tolerated and accepted sexual diversity. But the very tolerant traditions have been lost just like our monasteries … and with time, people have forgotten,” said LGBT Center activist Tsedendemberel. Tsedendemberel added that most Mongolians view homosexuality largely as a Western phenomenon. One of the few Mongolian Gay men to come out in the open and actively campaign to end discrimination against LGBT persons, Tsedendemberel said he and his family are increasingly anxious about his safety.
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Seattle Gay News 17
courtesy gaston Dissake
Gaston (back row, sixth from left, wearing cap) and his fellow teammates in Camaroon
gaston
continued from cover FROM CAMEROON WITH LOVE In his home of Cameroon, a country of west-central Africa with over 18 million citizens, association football (soccer) dominates the male culture. Amateur football clubs abound, organized along ethnic lines or under corporate sponsors. The Cameroon national football team has been one of the most successful in the world since its strong showing in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Within that world, Gaston Dissake was a star. Gaston and I talked over coffee on a rainy afternoon in a café in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He is polite and soft-spoken, and communicates well, despite his limited knowledge of English. He has a great smile and his face lights up when he talks about his favorite sport. “I was a well-known soccer player and coach in my country,” he told Seattle Gay News. “I’ve played many other sports – ten-
nis, basketball – but soccer has always been her. my life.” The meeting was not a pleasant one. Gaston told me that, after many years of “My mother was not happy with the news, professional play and minor-league coach- and she didn’t want to believe I was Gay,” ing, he became a free agent, playing for he recalled. “She blamed Jonathan for makteams that needed a player for tournaments. ing me Gay and said the young man had posHe traveled throughout the African conti- sessed me. She demanded I see a priest and nent, Eastern Europe, and Asia. prayed for the ‘evil spirit’ to leave me.” In 2003, he explained, “My life changed His teammates didn’t take the news any forever.” better. “They became so outraged that they Gaston and his teammates were in Hong beat me,” he said. “They accused me of deKong when, for the first time in his life, he ceiving them. They would go to my mothacted on his homosexual urges. A practicing er’s house and threaten her.” Christian and closeted Gay man, Gaston not “2004,” he says, “was a very difficult only “passed for straight”; he was straight, year.” as far as he was concerned. Still, he says he Homosexual acts are banned in Cameroon knew that deep down inside, after having with a penalty of five years of imprisonsexual relations with another man, he would ment and a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 francs. have to come out as Gay. More severe sentencing is likely when one When he returned home, he developed a of the offenders is under 21 years of age. relationship with Jonathan, another native Like many African nations, Cameroon is a of Cameroon. The men carried on for some conservative society in which same-sex acts time, and Gaston mustered up the courage are frowned upon and LGBT persons sufto tell his mother about his relationship with fer great violence and imprisonment – and his new lover and introduced Jonathan to sometimes death.
In the years following his coming out as Gay, Gaston was arrested six times by the police. “Each time I suffered severe beatings on the bottoms of my feet, plus humiliation and insults in every possible manner,” he said. Whenever he was released from jail, he was thrown back out into a world where people on the street often abused him. In 2010, Gaston’s father passed away. His mother was now his full responsibility, and Gaston knew that something had to change in order for him to survive to be able to take care of her. After trying an ex-Gay-style exorcism to prove to his mother that he was Gay and nothing would ever change that fact, he and Jonathan emigrated from Cameroon to Colombia, and then to Panama to seek asylum. IN SEARCH OF A HOME “I chose Panama because when I did my research on the internet, I found the country to be very welcoming to immigrants from Cameroon,” he explained. “But 30 days be-
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April 8, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
fore Jonathan and I arrived, the process had changed.” When the two men arrived in the South American nation, they were detained for 14 months while they solemnly waited to hear the outcome of their immigration case. During that time, Gaston said he was the victim of discrimination at the hands of the Salvation Army. “Once the case managers figured out we were Gay, the Salvation Army no longer helped us,” he said. “They were very bad to us. I think it is because of them that our plea for asylum got denied.” Down and out and quickly running out of options, Gaston used his savings for the couple to escape Panama for Mexico, paying bribes as they went along. Once in Mexico City, the couple was once more detained. “The Mexican government asked us if we wanted asylum in Mexico,” said Gaston. “I declined. I told them, ‘No. I have to reach America.’ But Jonathan, fearful of the drug cartels and the uncertain journey to the U.S. border, told me he would not come with me.” To this day, Jonathan remains in Mexico City. “He was afraid to try to come to the U.S., but I am brave and so I came,” he said. Without his family, his lover, or any friends, Gaston plowed ahead, eventually making it to the Tijuana, Mexico/San Diego, California border. “At last,” he thought, “I’ve made it.”
GRANTED ASYLUM, AT LAST At the border, Gaston – no longer fearful of anything – bravely walked up to the customs office and asked the clerk for asylum in the U.S. Once again, he was taken into custody – only this time, something was different. Gaston knew his life was about to change for the better. For the first time in years, it seemed, luck was on his side. “I said to myself, ‘OK, I have reached the country of liberty, and things are going to get better,’” he said. Gaston was eventually transferred to The Northwest Detention Center, an illegal immigrant detention center in Tacoma, Washington that can hold up to 760 inmates. Gaston faced immigration charges and possible deportation. Over the next five months, attorney Matt Sullivan fought, pro bono, to win Gaston asylum. In February of this year, Gaston won his claim for asylum. Seattle Frontrunner members Ron Hochnadel and his partner Mike Gaeta then opened up their home to Gaston, who has been living with the men ever since. “Even though he suffered all this persecution, Gaston has managed to remain a kind and thoughtful person who doesn’t seem to harbor much ill will towards anyone,” said Matt Sullivan, Gaston’s immigration attorney. “He wants nothing more than to rebuild his life as a soccer coach and agent.” Gaston is now ready to put his life back
together. “I want to find employment and I am taking English classes at Seattle Central Community College,” he said. “I am new to Seattle, but I think it is a very nice city. I’ve met some good people and made friends easily.” These days, Gaston doesn’t play much soccer. In fact, he’s just trying to get by and send money home to help take care of his mom. He said that he misses Jonathan from time to time and has found it hard to integrate into the local Gay scene because, for him, it is difficult to live as Gay out in the open after suffering so much violence in Cameroon. But he is willing to try – and after speaking with Gaston, one can’t help but feel that he will persevere. Ron and Mike are helping Gaston with his résumé. He speaks French, Spanish, and
English and is ready and willing to work hard. Seattle’s Rain City Soccer has donated money to help Gaston buy much-needed clothing as well as a pair of soccer shoes, and beginning this month, the International Refugee Committee is providing Gaston with a monthly stipend. Gaston is leaving Ron and Mike’s house this month to live in a small apartment of his own, so he is in need of all things one would need to furnish a new home. You can help. If you are thinking about upgrading your furniture, computer, kitchenware – anything – please consider Gaston. To make a donation, contact Ron Hochnadel at ronh@ intrass.com to arrange where to bring your donations, or ask for pick-up. “I want to make Seattle my home,” said Gaston. “This is where I want to stay.”
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Seattle Gay News 19
military
continued from cover problem of sexual violence for both genders, men are coming forward in unprecedented numbers to tell their stories and hoping that speaking up will help others – and themselves, put their lives back together. “We don’t like to think that our men can be victims,” Kathleen Chard, chief of the post-traumatic stress unit at the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs, told Newsweek. “We don’t want to think that it could happen to us. If a man standing in front of me who is my size [and] my skill level has been raped, what does that mean about me? I can be raped, too.” According to Ellison, the high victimization rate of female soldiers – women in the armed forces are now more likely to be assaulted by a fellow soldier than killed in combat – has helped cast light on men assaulting other men. For most of military history, there was neither a system nor language in place to deal with incidents of soldier-on-soldier sexual assault. It wasn’t until 1992 that the Defense Department even acknowledged such incidents as an offense, and initially only female victims were recognized. But last year, said Ellison, more than 110 men made confidential reports of sexual assault by other men – nearly three times as many as in 2007. The real number of victims is surely much higher. Even among civilians, sexual assault is a
vastly underreported crime. In the military, the silence is nearly complete. By the Pentagon’s own estimate, figures for assaults on women likely represent less than 20% of actual incidents. Another study released in March found that just one in 15 men in the Air Force would report being sexually assaulted, compared with one in five women. ASSAILANTS ARE HETEROSEXUAL While many might assume the perpetrators of such assaults are closeted Gay soldiers, Ellison found that military experts and outside researchers say assailants usually are heterosexual. Like in prisons and other predominantly male environments, experts say male-onmale assault in the military is motivated not by homosexuality, but power, intimidation, and domination. Assault victims, both male and female, are typically young and lowranking; they are targeted for their vulnerability. “Often, in male-on-male cases, assailants go after those they assume are Gay, even if they are not,” wrote Ellison. “One of the reasons people commit sexual assault is to put people in their place, to drive them out,” Mic Hunter, author of Honor Betrayed: Sexual Abuse in America’s Military, told Newsweek. “Sexual assault isn’t about sex, it’s about violence.” According to Hunter and others, the repeal of the military’s DADT policy might actually help the institution address the issue. Under that rule, being Gay meant being funda-
mentally unfit to serve; it meant you didn’t belong. It also meant that victims were even more reluctant to report their attacks. “I wouldn’t say that the repeal is going to make it safe,” Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, a think tank on Gays in the military, told Newsweek. “But male victims will be a little bit less reluctant to report their assaults.” Belkin notes that it’s not just the military that avoids the issue: even Gay-rights organizations are wary of it. “We don’t like to talk about it because it makes rape look like a Gay issue,” he said. “The military doesn’t want to talk about it because, as embarrassing as male-female rape is, [from their perspective] this is even worse. The very fact that there’s male-onmale rape in the military means that there are warriors who aren’t strong enough to fight back.” Fear of a ruined career is a major factor preventing victims from coming forward, said Ellison. “In 2010, the Pentagon anonymously surveyed active-duty soldiers who had been sexually assaulted about why they declined to report their attacks. Almost half the responding men said they kept silent because they didn’t want anyone to know, a third said they didn’t think anything would be done, and almost 30% said they were afraid of retaliation or reprisals.” In recent years, the Pentagon has tried to show that it takes the issue seriously, defining sexual assault in broad terms as a “spectrum of offenses from rape to nonconsensual sodomy to wrongful sexual contact, as well as attempts to commit these offenses.” In 2005, it established a special unit, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, and provided training for 1,200 officers to handle incident reports. Yet critics believe that the Pentagon has moved too slowly and that military procedures for prosecuting such crimes are far less effective than civilian laws.
tutions in which perpetrators were promoted … and plaintiffs and other victims were openly subjected to retaliation.” CASES HANDLED WITH LITTLE TRAINING Ellison says that because reports of such crimes happen outside the reach of police and are handled by a unit’s commanding officer, according to the Pentagon’s own figures, last year just 15% of reported cases were actually prosecuted. “There’s no investigatory training. They don’t tell you to look for evidence,” Greg Jacob, who retired as a captain after 10 years in the Marines and is now policy director for the Service Women’s Action Network, told Newsweek. “Military justice imbued me with the ability to be judge and jury. Honestly, I had no idea what to do.” Commanders often decline to take any action at all. “I have nothing bad to say about the military. There’s sick bastards in all walks of life,” says Michael F. Matthews, who was raped during basic training in 1972 but didn’t tell anyone until 30 years later. “I get angry with the military system sometimes, but I understand it. What happens is on small levels. You take [a complaint] to your commanding officer. He doesn’t want that black eye. He wants the promotion. So he tries to keep it under the carpet.” AN ONGOING PROBLEM “What’s clear is that the Pentagon has only just begun to figure out how to treat men who have been sexually traumatized,” writes Ellison. “Until 2006, sexual assault was classified as a women’s health issue, and even today, Pentagon awareness campaigns target women almost exclusively.” Kathleen Chard, the Cincinnati VA psychologist who runs PTSD programs, told Newsweek that more than 11% of the men she works with eventually admit that they were sexually victimized. Nationwide, there are just six programs like hers, and there is a single VA facility, in Bay Pines, Florida, that specifically treats male survivors of sexual trauma. If you are the victim of a sexual assault and you’re seeking assistance, go to the National Center for PTSD to find a service provider in your area. For immediate help, contact the Safe Helpline, the Department of Defense’s new crisis support service, via phone call, text, or instant message. Operated by RAINN, the nation’s largest antisexual-violence organization, your information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone on your chain of command.
“YOU MUST HAVE PROVOKED THEM” “Greg Jeloudov was 35 and new to America when he decided to join the Army,” wrote Ellison. “Like most soldiers, he was driven by both patriotism for his adopted homeland and the pragmatic notion that the military could be a first step in a career that would enable him to provide for his new family. “Instead, Jeloudov arrived at Fort Benning, Georgia, for basic training in May of 2009, in the middle of the economic crisis and rising xenophobia. The soldiers in his unit, responding to his Russian accent and New York City address, called him a ‘champagne socialist’ and a ‘commie faggot.’ He told Newsweek he was ‘in the middle of the viper’s pit.’ “Less than two weeks after arriving on base, he was gang-raped in the barracks by continued from cover men who said they were showing him who was in charge of the United States. When he reported the attack to unit commanders, he in their network, the opportunities to build says they told him, ‘It must have been your relationships and engage in the community are endless. fault. You must have provoked them.’” Michael Wells sits at the helm of the In February, Jeloudov and 16 other former and active-duty service members filed CHCC as its executive director. Wells is a class-action lawsuit against Defense Sec- hardly new to the neighborhood; he is the retary Robert Gates and his predecessor, former owner of Bailey-Coy Books on Donald Rumsfeld, charging they “ran insti- Broadway. He managed the store for 15 years and became the owner in 2003. During that time, Wells was active with both the Broadway Business Improvement Association and the CHCC, serving as the founding board president for the first two years of the current Chamber’s inception. In 2009, after serving the Capitol Hill and greater Seattle community for 26 years, Bailey-Coy closed and Wells was asked by the CHCC to act as its interim director. Shortly thereafter, he was hired as the new executive director. “I believe in the work that the CHCC does, namely supporting economic development in the Capitol Hill community,” Wells told Seattle Gay News. “That support takes many forms: advocating for Capitol Hill with the City of Seattle and other public agencies (such as Sound Transit), showcasing and marketing our members, and connecting businesses, groups, and individuals in the Capitol Hill community.” “I have a long relationship with Capitol Hill, having been a resident and business owner for over 20 years,” continued Wells.
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20 Seattle Gay News
April 8, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
“I believe in this neighborhood as an example of the best in urban living. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my love of Capitol Hill than to be a leader in an organization committed to its health and vibrancy.” Wells likes the neighborhood so much he recently contributed to the Dan Savage and Terry Miller It Gets Better book. He wrote an essay titled Not Normal, about leaving his hometown Normal, Illinois to find his own personal home on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington. “We are a neighborhood in the midst of great change,” he told SGN. “That change must be stewarded by committed individuals and organizations that work to serve the neighborhood during that change.” Wells says it is the Chamber’s job to grow and maintain this neighborhood in a way that reflects the wants and desires of the community. “We are at a critical juncture in our cities and neighborhoods in this country, and we want to be an organization that makes sure that Capitol Hill thrives during these turbulent times,” he said. “The Chamber has a fantastic, superstar Board of Directors made up of business folk, nonprofit organizers, artists, and residents who do heroic work on behalf of Capitol Hill every day,” said Wells. “Our tag line is ‘Not your daddy’s Chamber,’ and by that we mean that our work is a little different than some traditional Chambers – we reflect the many faces of Capitol Hill: business, art, entertainment and nightlife, restaurant and
food culture, parks, and cultural institutions. I’m very proud of the work that we do.” Wells was raised in Normal, Illinois, and attended the University of Iowa, where he received a degree in general studies with an emphasis on English and theatre. He relocated to Seattle in 1989 and began his bookselling career at Bailey-Coy Books that year. At Bailey-Coy, he curated a reading series, bringing authors as diverse as Armistead Maupin, Quentin Crisp, Anne Rice, Gloria Steinem, David Sedaris, Sandra Bernhard, Sapphire, Dorothy Allison, Tony Kushner, and a host of others to Capitol Hill. Wells received the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development Small Business Award in 2005 and was awarded the Spirit of the Hill Award by the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce in 2008. The CHCC is committed to supporting an economically vital, livable community and promoting Capitol Hill as a unique urban neighborhood that is welcoming to everyone. For more information about the
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had been carried by Walker in last year’s gubernatorial election flipped and voted for Kloppenburg, many by large margins. Kloppenburg carried LaCrosse County by 59% of the vote, Sauk County by 56%, and
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Dunn County by 56%. In other races, Democrat Chris Abele won the election for Walker’s former position as Milwaukie county executive, trouncing his Republican opponent with 61% of the vote. Abele’s opponent was Rep. Jeff Stone, a Republican Assembly member who voted for Walker’s anti-collective bargaining law. On a conference call with reporters on April 6, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate was jubilant over the results, saying they represent a “watershed moment for Wisconsin and a Waterloo for Scott Walker.” “It should give Republicans, who are – for the moment – in the majority, pause about how they proceed in enacting Walker’s terrible budget,” he added. The results were directly attributable to Walker’s very unpopular bill stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Until Walker rammed the bill through the state legislature, Prosser’s reelection was thought to be a sure thing. In the primary for Prosser’s Supreme Court seat, he led with 55% of the vote. Kloppenburg got only 25%. In his previous election for the Supreme Court position, Prosser won with a whopping 99.54% of the votes cast. If Kloppenburg holds on to her lead to win the election, the political balance of the state’s highest court will shift from a 4-3 conservative majority to a 4-3 liberal-leaning court. One of the consequences may be that Walker’s anti-collective bargaining bill – which is now being challenged in state courts – will be found unconstitutional. Collective bargaining – the right of workers to negotiate wages, benefits, and work-
ing conditions with their employers – is at the heart of the modern labor movement. Both of Wisconsin’s statewide LGBT groups, Fair Wisconsin and Equality Wisconsin, supported collective bargaining rights for public employees because the state’s unions had been successful in bargaining for same-sex domestic partner benefits and tough anti-discrimination language in public sector contracts. These gains are now at risk, and could be lost if Walker’s anti-union bill is upheld by the state’s courts and not repealed by the legislature. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-partisan public policy institute at New York University Law School, some $3.5 million in so-called “soft” money was spent on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race by groups not directly associated with either candidate. About $1.4 million was spent in support of Kloppenburg by unions and other progressive groups. The balance came from organizations financed by the notoriously right-wing Koch brothers and the Club For Growth on behalf of Prosser. The Koch brothers also financed Walker’s election as governor in 2010. While it is significant, this election will not be the end of the drama. Progressive groups have filed recall petitions for Republican legislators who supported Walker’s bill. In retaliation, Republicans filed recalls against Democratic senators who fled the state to stall passage of the measure. If petitioning is successful, the recall elections would be held in November this year. Walker himself is not legally eligible for recall till 2012.
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April 8, 2011
Seattle Gay News 21
22 Seattle Gay News
April 8, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
Visit us online www.sgn.org
April 8, 2011
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