Issue 33 Volume 40
Celebrating 39 Years!
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frANZ FERDINAND p. 30
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Paul Ryan hates you by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Total investment in state campaigns up to $3 million
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The national marriage equality advocacy group Freedom to
Marry announced on August 13 that it would make up to $500,000 in matching funds available to Washington United for Marriage for the Approve Referendum 74 campaign. The contribution to the Approve R-74 campaign means Freedom to Marry “has met its initial 2012 goal of raising and investing $3 million in three key states where marriage is on the ballot in November,” the group said in a statement announcing its contribution. “Freedom to Marry now intends
Representative Paul Ryan (RWis.), selected last week as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate, has one of the most anti-Gay voting records in Congress. To call it dismal would be charitable. According to the ACLU, Ryan “holds almost uniformly harmful views on five key civil liberties issues including a humane immigration policy, LGBT equality, reproductive rights, torture and indefinite detention, and fair voting access.” The HRC gave Ryan a zero rating on its most recent Congressional Scorecard, indicating no support whatsoever for pro-LGBT legislation. Ryan has worked long and hard to earn his reputation as one of Congress’s most anti-Gay members. In 1999, during his first term, Ryan voted to bar same-sex couples from adopting children in the
see r-74 page 20
see ryan page 20
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Freedom to Marry adds $500k to Approve Romney’s VP pick is one of the worst homophobes in DC R-74 campaign
Mitt Romney’s choice for Vice President, Rep. Paul Ryan
Security guard shot at Machinists union endorses anti-Gay group’s HQ marriage equality Suspect in Family Research Council shooting had volunteered at LGBT community center AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
FBI agents outside the Family Research Council in Washington after a security guard at the lobbying group was shot.
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On August 15, police say, a man who had been a volunteer at an LGBT community center walked into the lobby of the Family Research Council (FRC), a political organization with views differing from the LGBT community’s, pulled out a gun, and opened fire. Police and the FBI were investigating why the armed suspect, 28-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins II of Herndon, Va., did this. “The suspect made a negative reference about the group’s work and what it stands for before shooting,” said a law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to the Washington Post. Corkins also allegedly had a bag full of sandwiches from ChickFil-A, a fast-food chain that some members of the LGBT community are boycotting due to comments by its CEO disparaging same-sex marriage. see shooting page 20
Boeing local also makes donation to Approve R-74 campaign
campaign. The union also put its money where its mouth is, donating $2,500 to Washington United for Marriage. IAM 751 represents some 45,000 active and retired Boeing workers, plus workers in a number of other occupations including transit workers, deby Mike Andrew livery workers, regional disposal workers, workers at Grand Coulee SGN Staff Writer Dam, auto mechanics, heavy-duty The Boeing machinists’ union mechanics, machinists, welder/ – District 751 of the International fabricators, refrigerator repairers, Association of Machinists and building maintenance workers, Aerospace Workers (IAM 751) – has endorsed the Approve R-74 see union page 21
e t o v o t R e t s i g e R
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Marriage equality foes accused of illegalities Seattle law firm says Preserve Marriage Washington and NOM are not making required disclosures
Contributing Writers
Rev. Barbara Allen, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Scott Wittet, Nevin Jefferson, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Rex Wockner
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Marriage Washington and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) of violating state law by not disclosing the source A Seattle law firm is accusing Preserve of their money and how it is spent in their
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
campaign to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law. According to reports, Davis Wright Tremaine filed a 188-page complaint with the state Public Disclosure Commission on August 15, on behalf of Sandra Turner Fukumoto. The claim asserts that NOM should register as an out-of-state political committee and reveal where it is getting the money it’s using to oppose Referendum 74 on the November ballot. It also alleges the group is violating campaign spending rules by not listing its expenses for the services of several people, including high-priced strategist Frank Schubert. Preserve Marriage Washington, the complaint alleges, has flouted state law by not reporting expenditures for key campaign staff such as manager Joseph Backholm, who also is executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, headquartered in Lynnwood. At the very least, the group needs to report the value of the staff’s services as a debt or an in-kind expenditure, the complaint alleges. “Washington State has one of the strongest histories of openness and transparency in politics of any state in the country. I urge the PDC to hold Preserve Marriage Washington accountable for flouting that tradition and failing to be honest with the citizenry,” the complaint concludes. Washington United for Marriage, which is leading the campaign to Approve Referendum 74 in November, denied involvement with the complaint. “We had nothing to do with this, but it’s not surprising,” Washington United spokesperson Andy Grow said in an e-mail to The Herald of Everett. “NOM has a history of ignoring state finance reporting laws and is still tied up in litigation challenging Maine’s disclosure requirements going back to that 2009 marriage battle. At a minimum, it would certainly serve all voters if the Public Disclosure Commission makes sure everyone is playing by the rules, including NOM and Preserve Marriage Washington,” Grow continued.
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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A lion roars for equality Neighbours bartender’s ‘Leo Party’ boosts campaign to Approve R-74 by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer On Sunday, August 12, Joe Torres, longtime bartender at Neighbours Nightclub, threw his annual Leo Party. For nine years now, Torres has hosted the event at Neighbours to not just celebrate his birthday, but also to raise money for nonprofits that serve the LGBT community. “I’m too old to have my own party,” Torres told SGN. “When I was younger, I always wanted to do something for the community … this is my way of giving back.” This year, Torres chose to raise funds for the Youth Suicide Prevention Program (YSPP), a prevention/education organization dedicated to reducing suicidal behaviors among the youth of Washington state; and Washington United for Marriage, the coalition working to Approve Referendum 74 and defend marriage equality. In previous years, Torres has fundraised for Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Rise n’ Shine, The Human Rights Campaign, and many other groups. ‘SAINTED’ BY THE SISTERS Taking note of Torres’s history of altruism, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan, bestowed on him their most esteemed title. Torres joined the ranks of Steve Tracy, general manager of Neighbours Nightclub, and George Bakan, editor of SGN, in Sainthood. Being “Sainted” by the Sisters is no small affair. It’s the highest honor they grant to those outside of their organization, and the title is reserved only for people who do tremendous amounts of work for the LGBT community. “He deserves to be recognized like fellow Saints – Harvey Milk, Senator Ed Murray, and George Bakan. Joe is someone who
will reach out his hand in a heartbeat to help someone without question or hesitation,” said Aleksa Manila, who, along with Roxy Doll, has helped Torres organize the event for many years. “His sense of humor balances his compassion for the Gay community, especially Transgender individuals,” Manila continued. “He makes sure we all go home safe at the end of the night. Naming him ‘Santa Maria Josefa Manila – Protector of the Poon’ symbolizes his laughter and passion for our LGBTQ communities and the issues we fight for, like youth suicide prevention and marriage equality.” “Joe, as many know as the bartender at Neighbours Nightclub for over a decade now, is beyond just a representative of customer service. Joe, as an openly Gay man of color, has been a philanthropist, fundraiser, advocate, and activist in the community. He has supported and organized benefits to aid organizations such as Youth Suicide Prevention Program – OUTLoud, Seattle Counseling Service, and recently, Washington United for Marriage, as manifested in his annual Leo Party, where he shares the blessings of his birthday for the past nine years,” said Sister Yuriko Lomein, reading from Torres’s Sainthood citation. A SAFE HAVEN “Joe’s charisma and kindness is selfless and sincere. He has on many occasions protected many LGBTQ individuals, especially Transgender individuals. His friends in and out of the nightlife scene, and in his personal life, can attest to his generosity and opendoor policy of safety and refuge,” continued Sister Yuriko. “Joe is an excellent role model and an inspiration to many young individuals who may not have a strong leader to look up to.” “It’s such a blessing to know Joe Torres
Aleksa Manila (l) and Joe Torres
for over a decade,” said Manila. “He’s more than a bartender at Neighbours Nightclub – he’s an advocate, fundraiser, and ally. Most of all, a gracious friend to many community members.” The Leo Party featured a huge lineup of performers such as Gaysha Starr, Isaac Scott, Atasha Manila, Chase Silva, Julian Gaspay, and many others. “We are amazed each year at the entertainment lineup. These performers volunteer their time and talent for a great cause because they believe and support Joe’s efforts in community building,” Manila told SGN. “For example, Layla Manila came all the way from Florida to celebrate Joe’s birthday. The event raised $3,000 for Youth Suicide Prevention and [Approve] Referendum 74 – a testament to Joe’s altruism.” Torres said that choosing to fundraise
for the Approve Referendum 74 campaign wasn’t so much for money as it was for visibility. He has friends from all walks of life who come to celebrate his birthday, he said, and he wanted to make sure they were aware of the campaign to Approve Referendum 74 and preserve Washington’s new marriage equality law. “It’s such a pivotal issue in our community,” said Torres of Approve Referendum 74. Torres also chose to fundraise for YSPP last year. “As a child, being Latin and Gay, I was bullied, threatened, called names. And yes, I stood up. I became a bit of a counselor for a lot of friends who were, let’s say, different, and I would always stand up for my friends,” Torres told SGN. “I am glad that I’ve been given the opportunity to do what I do,” added Torres. file photo
Latest state primary results look good for LGBTs Gay man wins Wisconsin vote, Florida to get first Gay legislator by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In this week’s primary elections, LGBT candidates have scored additional victories, including one in Wisconsin and four in Florida. In Wisconsin, openly Gay Democratic State Rep. Mark Pocan won a chance to succeed Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Herb Kohl. The Victory Fund, which is backing both Pocan and Baldwin, predicts he will win easily in his heavily Democratic district, which includes the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Pocan has been active in local and state politics since 1991, and he has owned a small business in Madison since graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1986. He married his longtime partner, Philip Frank, in Toronto in 2006. Baldwin will face former Wisconsin governor and Bush II cabinet secretary Tommy Thompson, who squeaked by three opponents to win the Republican primary. Early polling shows the race will be close. On the same day, in Florida, four Gay men won Democratic primaries for the state
legislature and will advance to the general election in November. Miami Beach resident David Richardson won his primary and is unopposed in November’s election, guaranteeing he will become the first openly Gay state legislator in Florida history. In Key West, openly Gay Democrat Ian Whitney ran unopposed in his party’s primary and will advance to the general election, where he faces Republican Holly Merrill-Raschein. In Orange County, candidate Joe Saunders also won his Democratic primary. Saunders faces stiff Republican opposition in November, in what Gay South Florida website calls “the most hotly contested region of the state.” His opponent is Rene Plasencia. In Brevard County, Gay candidate John Paul Alvarez also won his primary and faces Republican incumbent John Tobia in November. Gay Miami Herald reporter Steve Rothaus exulted, “Florida has not only broken the lavender ceiling, we could shatter it entirely.” [Editor’s note: For an in-depth look at Washington state primary results, see last week’s SGN.]
Wisconsin state representative Mark Pocan
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Openly Gay athletes triumph at Olympics Nearly half the members of ‘Team LGBT’ win medals by Scott Wittet SGN Contributing Writer Of the 23 openly Lesbian and Gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics – 20 women and three men – 10 of them won a medal, either solo or in a group, reports Gay Star News. This represents an impressive 43% success rate. If the athletes had competed together as “Team LGBT,” the seven medals (four gold, one silver, and two bronze) they won would have placed them 31st among nations, tied with Mexico, Ethiopia, and Georgia. They would have beaten the medal count of such nations as Jamaica, Ireland, Argentina, and India. Their four golds would tie them for 17th place with Iran, Jamaica, the Czech Republic, and Korea. (The overall medal count is different from the number of athletes who won medals, because four of the athletes who medaled did so as members of the Dutch women’s field hockey team.) Of course, these competitors are likely only a fraction of the real number of LGBT people who took part in the London Games, which concluded August 12. Karen Hultzer of South Africa, who competed in women’s individual archery, said, “I am an archer, middle-aged, and a Lesbian. I am also cranky before my first cup of coffee. None of these aspects define who I am – they are simply part of me. “I am fortunate that my sexual identity is not an issue, and I don’t suffer the level of discrimination and violence that black Lesbians in South Africa do. I look forward to the day when this is a nonissue and as relevant as my eye color or favorite sushi.” Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, one of the world’s highest-profile Gay athletes, shared similar sentiments.
“Ideally I would like one day for sexuality to be as unimportant and uninteresting as hair color, or eye color, or even just gender in general,” he said. “One day it will get to that.” He added, “But until it is easy for sports people to come out without fear of persecution or fear of lost sponsorship income and stuff like that, or fear of being comfortable in the team environment, I don’t mind attention being brought to my sexuality in the hope it might make other people feel more comfortable.” IT’S HARDER FOR MEN The two other out male athletes, Carl Hester and Edward Gal, won gold and bronze respectively in the equestrian team dressage events. The Dutch field hockey team has largest number of openly Lesbian players, with Marilyn Agliotti, Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel, Kim Lammers, and Maartje Paumen helping the Netherlands team win gold. American Seimone Augustus helped the U.S. women’s basketball team to its fifth consecutive victory, with an 86-50 win over France. German Judith Arndt, the first solo Gay athlete to medal, won silver in the cycling time trial. American soccer midfielder Megan Rapinoe was integral in the U.S. women’s team’s gold win, finishing with four assists and scoring three goals. Also, U.S. tennis star Lisa Raymond won bronze in the doubles event. Rapinoe, who came out earlier this year, said it was more difficult for male athletes than for women to be open about their sexuality. “I think there’s a lot of Gay women in Michael E. Macmillan
Marilyn Agliotti is a member of the gold winning, field hockey team from Holland this year.
Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham
sports, and it’s widely known in the team, they can live a pretty open lifestyle without being open in the media,” she said. “But I think for men unfortunately it’s not the same climate in the locker room.” London 2012 had roughly twice as many openly Lesbian and Gay athletes than Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, which had 10 and 11 respectively. THE BREAKDOWN Here is the complete list of Lesbian and Gay medal winners, according to Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of Outsports.com: GOLD: Seimone Augustus, USA, Basketball. The U.S. women’s basketball team was arguably the most dominant team in any sport at these Olympics. GOLD: Carl Hester, Great Britain, Equestrian. Hester and his two teammates won Great Britain’s first-ever team dressage gold. Hester finished fifth overall in the individual competition. GOLD: Marilyn Agliotti, Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel, Kim Lammers, and Maartje Paumen, Netherlands, Field Hockey. The Dutch women beat Argentina, 2–0, in the gold medal match. Paumen and Dirkse van den Heuvel scored the team’s two goals. GOLD: Megan Rapinoe, USA, Soccer. The Americans beat Japan, 2–1, in the gold medal match. Rapinoe had a key pass in the game. She also had two big goals in the semifinal match. (Team coach Pia Sundhage is also openly Lesbian.) SILVER: Judith Arndt, Germany, Cy-
cling. Arndt was the first out athlete to win a medal in London, taking silver in the road race time trial. BRONZE: Edward Gal, Netherlands, Equestrian. Gal was on the bronze-medal team for Team Dressage; He finished ninth overall in the individual event. BRONZE: Lisa Raymond, USA, Tennis. She and partner Mike Bryan won the mixed doubles bronze medal. PUTTING A MYTH TO REST The 43% of out athletes (10 of 23) who won a medal in these Olympic Games is more than double the percentage of athletes overall who won medals (20%). Team LGBT even outperformed Team USA, 39% of whom took home hardware. Over the years, a whopping 58% of all openly Gay, Lesbian or intersex Olympians have won a medal – an incredible statistic. We have heard that some athletes don’t want to come out because of how it will affect their performance, but that argument just doesn’t hold anymore. Rapinoe came out only weeks before the Games – yet she won gold and contributed in a big way to her team’s victory. Augustus came out publicly within the last year, and the result was similar. The argument that athletes can’t come out for fear of performance on a team has been destroyed by the results of the London Olympics. SGN Associate Editor Shaun Knittel contributed to this report.
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Fired Gay Eagle Scout draws massive online support Tens of thousands sign petition demanding the BSA rehire Tim Griffin by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer On Wednesday, August 15, Tim Griffin, a 22-year-old Gay former Eagle Scout, and Alex Hayes, former program director of Camp Winton in California’s Eldorado National Forest, delivered more than 70,000 signatures to the Boy Scouts of America’s Golden Empire Council in Sacramento, California, urging the council to reinstate Griffin and reject the BSA’s policy barring Gay scouts and leaders. After delivering the petition signatures, Hayes and Griffin were invited to meet directly with Glen Goddard, the council’s program director. “While today’s meeting was productive, the delivery of these petitions marks the beginning of this journey, not the end,” said Hayes afterward. “The 70,000 signatures and the attendance here today speaks for itself. By blindly obeying the Boy Scouts of America’s discriminatory anti-Gay policy, the Golden Empire Council risks losing some of its most loyal and active members.” Hayes launched the campaign for signatures on Griffin’s behalf on Change.org, an online petition website, after he and nine other Camp Winton employees resigned in protest over Griffin’s dismissal. Griffin, who was the camp’s longest-serving employee, says he was fired because of his sexual orientation. REASON FOR FIRING DISPUTED However the Sacramento-based chapter released a statement Tuesday, August 14, anticipating the delivery of the signatures,
attesting that Griffin was not fired because of his sexuality. “Contrary to media reports, the Golden Empire Council did not remove this camp staff member because of his sexual orientation or the BSA’s membership standards policy,” reads the council’s statement. The council maintains that Griffin was fired for “insubordination” and “failure to dress appropriately” for camp functions. “Regardless of what the council gives as reasoning for my removal, the overwhelming show of solidarity at today’s delivery tells quite a different story,” said Griffin. “I loved being part of the Boy Scouts, and I’m simply overwhelmed by the love and support the Scouting community has given me through this difficult time. I hope the council rejects this horrible policy soon, so no more Scouts or leaders have to go through what I did.” Zach Wahls, founder of Scouts for Equality, a Scout-led organization dedicated to lifting the ban, applauded Hayes and Griffin for taking action locally, noting that their efforts reflect what’s happening in Boy Scout councils across the country. “From Minnesota to Vermont, Rhode Island to California, local Boy Scout councils are standing up and rejecting the Boy Scouts of America’s discriminatory policy barring Gay scouts and leaders,” said Wahls. “Scouts for Equality is at the forefront of this effort, and we’ll continue working with brave Scouts and leaders like Tim and Alex, empowering local councils and charter organizations to speak for themselves and their members.”
Tim Griffin delivering signatures to the BSA Empire Council in Sacramento, California
As of late, the effort to change the BSA’s policy on Gay scouts and leaders has garnered bipartisan support. Last week, President Obama, who serves as honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America, publicly opposed the policy. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has also said he supports allowing Gay Americans to participate in Scouting.
Here in Washington, both of the state’s gubernatorial candidates, Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee, support lifting the ban. At press time, Hayes and Griffin’s online petition had garnered nearly 80,000 signatures. You can sign the petition online at www.change.org/petitions/golden-empirecouncil-reject-the-boy-scouts-of-americas-anti-gay-policy-and-reinstate-tim-griffin. Brian Snyder/Reuters
Equality foe Chris Christie to keynote Republican convention Governor who vetoed same-sex marriage a favorite with party base by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Two days after announcing that anti-Gay Rep. Paul Ryan would be his vice-presidential running mate, Mitt Romney’s campaign revealed that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would deliver the keynote address at the Republican National Convention. Christie is perhaps best known to the LGBT community as the man who vetoed New Jersey’s marriage equality law in February. “I think it’s the institution of marriage and it’s bigger than just a word – it’s hundreds of years of tradition both [sic] legally and societally and religiously, and that’s what I stand up in protecting,” Christie said at the time. Christie refused to sign New Jersey’s marriage law unless it was put on the ballot for voters to approve or reject it, a tactic common to anti-equality forces in many states. The LGBT community should have been happy to have its rights put up for a vote, Christie maintained. ANGERED AFRICAN AMERICANS “The fact of the matter is, I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South,” he said. Needless to say, Christie’s statement horrified not only LGBT rights advocates but
also New Jersey’s large African-American community. “People were fighting and dying in the streets of the South for a reason,” New Jersey Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver said. “They were fighting and dying in the streets of the South because the majority refused to grant minorities equal rights by any method. It look legislative action to bring justice to all Americans, just as legislative action is the right way to bring marriage equality to all New Jerseyans. “The governor’s comment is an insult to those who had no choice but to fight and die in the streets for equal rights,” she added. OPPOSES WOMEN’S RIGHTS Christie does not limit himself to opposing LGBT rights, however. He is against reproductive choice and supports mandatory waiting periods and parental notification laws, as well as banning late-term abortions. Christie is also a strong advocate of tax credits and state-funded vouchers for parents who wish to send their children to religious schools, as he does. Like Ryan, Christie also wants to defund social programs to finance tax cuts. Last year, for example, Christie signed a taxcut bill that reduced funding for the state’s Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) fund by $190 million per year. TDI provides income to people who are temporarily unable to work because of illness or injury.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A Lesbian mother has filed a RICO lawsuit against a number of religious organizations and individuals who, she says, were involved in kidnapping her daughter and taking her to Nicaragua. The RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act provides for civil lawsuits against ongoing criminal enterprises involving multiple parties. In the suit filed on August 14, Janet Jenkins says the defendants assisted her former partner, Lisa Miller, in kidnapping their daughter Isabella and taking her first to Canada and then to Nicaragua. Miller reportedly converted to Christianity and now identifies as “ex-Gay.” Jenkins and Miller entered into a civil union in Vermont in 2000, shortly after the state became the first to legally recognize same-sex relationships. Miller conceived the child through artificial insemination, and both acted as parents. After Miller’s religious conversion, the couple dissolved their civil union and a child-custody case went to Vermont family court in 2004. Miller was awarded primary custody and moved to Virginia. Jenkins, who was given visitation rights, appealed
the custody decision. Isabella, now 10, was last seen in a WalMart parking lot in Virginia on September 20, 2009. According to Jenkins’ suit, her former partner, the partner’s father, and two operatives of an organization called Response Unlimited were involved in removing the girl from the country. Response Unlimited describes itself as a “mailing lists and creative services” provider. Its political orientation is indicated by its “featured lists,” which include “AntiObama Donors,” “Alan Keyes Universe,” “Republican Hotline Donors,” “Religious Freedom Coalition,” and “Nora Lam Ministries.” In her RICO suit, Jenkins also names Christian Aid Ministries, Liberty University School of Law, Thomas Road Baptist Church, and several of their employees as defendants. PREACHER CONVICTED On the same day that Jenkins filed her suit, a Mennonite preacher was convicted in federal court of aiding and abetting kidnapping in the case. The case was tried in federal court because Isabella was taken across the U.S. border. Federal prosecutors said Kenneth Miller
file photos
Lesbian mom charges religious extremists with organized crime Lisa Miller (l) and Janet Jenkins
of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, helped orchestrate Lisa Miller’s flight to Canada and Nicaragua with Isabella in 2009. Mennonite minister Kenneth Miller is not related to Lisa Miller. During three days of testimony, prosecutors used cell-phone records and sometimesreluctant witnesses to document a broad network overseen by Kenneth Miller that helped Lisa Miller escape the U.S. with Isabella and travel first to Canada and then to Nicaragua. Prosecutors said Kenneth Miller arranged for another person to drive the two from Virginia to Buffalo, N.Y., where they crossed into Canada and were picked up by an Ontario Mennonite, who took them to an airport. After they arrived in Nicaragua, prosecutors said, the two were cared for by American Mennonites who felt they needed to protect Isabella from what they considered a sinful Lesbian lifestyle.
Tammy Smith of the Army Reserve is now a onestar general by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On August 10, the U.S. Army Reserve promoted Col. Tammy Smith, an out Lesbian, to the rank of Brigadier General – making her the first openly Gay flag officer in the U.S. military. In a ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, the now-Gen. Smith had her new insignia pinned on her uniform by her wife, Tracey Hepner, co-founder of the Military Partners and Families Coalition, and her father, Jack Smith.
According to Sue Fulton, OutServe communications director, “All the trappings were present – the playing of honors, a rousing rendition of the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance (led by a young boy whose carefully perfect recitation made everyone smile as they joined in), the invocation, reading of the orders, unfurling of the new general’s flag – right down to the Army Song. Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, spoke glowingly of Smith’s performance working for the U.S. Army Reserve and about her volun-
General Tammy Smith
teering for Afghanistan in the thankless job of Army Reserve liaison officer, Fulton said. “It’s a high-profile job, because you never get noticed until something goes wrong with a soldier. That’s why you have to have your best and brightest in there,” said Stultz. In her new role as the Army Reserve’s deputy chief of staff, Smith’s responsibilities include looking out for reservists’ families, making sure that pay and benefits are administered and that they get the support to which they are entitled. “I am deeply honored and genuinely humbled with my selection for Brigadier General,” Smith said in an August 16 statement.
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“With this promotion, I embrace the opportunity to serve in positions of greater responsibility and to continue to lead the amazing soldiers in the world’s premier army. “While the DoD position is that sexual orientation is a private matter, participating with family in traditional ceremonies such as the promotion is both common and expected of a leader,” she said. “I was grateful to be surrounded by my family, friends, and coworkers at this special event.” “Looking at the photos of Tracey’s joy as she pins the star on my shoulder is a memory that will imprint my heart forever,” said Smith. “Her support keeps me Army Strong.” According to Fulton, Smith refuses to be drawn into a discussion about the fact that her own spouse doesn’t receive benefits. Her focus, Fulton said, is on doing her job well, which means leading and taking care of her soldiers and their families. In Smith’s August 10 acceptance speech, she spoke about “standing on the shoulders of giants,” women in the military who’d broken barriers, who’d been “firsts,” who’d “broken glass ceilings but got scratched in the process.” Fulton concluded, “I can only imagine that in the future, Gay and Lesbian generals and admirals will be open and proud of their families, and will show the humility that Tammy Smith showed today – and thank her for being first.” file photo
First openly Gay flag officer promoted
Kenneth Miller’s attorneys said he aided Lisa Miller out of Christian solidarity with her decision to reject homosexuality and her former partner. The jury deliberated only a few hours before finding him guilty. He now faces the possibility of three years in prison. No sentencing date has been set. Jenkins was not in court at the time, but her attorney said she is pleased that Kenneth Miller is being held accountable. “She hopes that the verdict will send a message to those who continue to aid and abet Lisa Miller in Nicaragua,” said attorney Sarah Star. “Her greatest hope is that the government’s efforts will lead to Isabella’s safe return to Vermont.” The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Nicaragua, and the Central American country has not signed the 1980 Hague convention on international child abductions, which is designed to return children illegally taken from member countries.
Celebrating 39 Years!
NORTHWEST
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compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer
REGISTER TO VOTE Register to vote at myvote.wa.gov. Mail-in voter registration forms can also be obtained in person at city and county public libraries and county election offices around the state. For more information on the 2012 election, visit www.vote.wa.gov. The deadline for online and mail-in voter registration as well as CHANGES OF ADDRESS and other updates is Monday, October 8. (Because Monday, October 8, is a federal holiday, if you are planning to mail in your voter registration, you are advised to mail it in no later than Saturday, October 6, before the last mailbox pick up time that day, because the post office will not be processing mail on October 8.) Because Washington State has a voteby-mail system, it is important to submit changes of address to ensure you receive your ballot in the mail. If you have not submitted a change of address by October 8, you can still vote, but you will need to pick up your ballot from your previous address or contact your county elections office for information on other voting options.) The FINAL deadline for NEW (in person only) Washington State voter registration is Monday, October 29. After October 8, the only option to register to vote in Washington State is to go in person to your county elections office. The King County Elections Office is located at 919 SW Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057. The Snohomish County Elections Office is located at 3000 Rockefeller Ave. #505, Everett, WA 98201. The Pierce County Elections Office is located at 2501 S. 35th St., Tacoma, WA 98409. For other county locations contact the Washington State Elections Office, 360902-4180. The 18-day mail-in voting period for the 2012 General Election is October 19-November 6. Ballots must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, November 6. If you mail your ballot on Tuesday, November 6, be sure to put your ballot in the mail box before that mail box’s last scheduled pick up of the day so that it is postmarked November 6. (Earlier voting is recommended.) Your county elections office can also provide you with locations where you can drop off your ballot in person. The November 6 General Election has several important candidates and issues on the ballot – including President of the United States, Governor of the State of Washington, Attorney General of the State of Washington, Referendum 74 to APPROVE Marriage Equality (LGBTQ Marriage) in Washington State, and Initiative 502 to Decriminalize Marijuana in Washington State. For more information, contact the Washington State Elections Office, 360-9024180; 800-448-4881 (voter hotline). SEATTLE HEMPFEST AUGUST 17-19 On Friday, August 17, from noon-8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, August 18-19, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Seattle Hempfest will be held at Centennial Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, and Olympic Sculpture Park along Seattle’s downtown waterfront at the north end of Alaskan Way. Seattle Hempfest will feature five stages of world-class music and renowned speakers along with hundreds of arts, crafts, food, and political vendors. Hempfest will also include a “Hemposium” with panel discussions and presentations, keynote speakers, displays, and workshops. The Seattle Hempfest seeks safe access to medical grade cannabis for qualified patients, the legal domestic production of industrial hemp, and alternatives to incarceration for otherwise responsible adults convicted of marijuana offenses. Seattle Hempfest advocates that cannabis be regulated like alcohol, adults who responsibly use cannabis not be treated as criminals, and non-violent drug offenders be given treatment rather than incarceration. Admis-
sion to Seattle Hempfest is FREE, but free speech is not! It costs over $400,000 to produce Seattle Hempfest each year and without your donations the festival would not exist. So please donate what you can to keep Hempfest alive! “TONY TRIPOLI: DIRTY, SEXY, FUNNY!” AT RE-BAR On Friday, August 17, and Saturday, August 18, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., at Re-bar (1114 Howell St., at Boren Ave.), Tony Tripoli, head comedy writer for Joan Rivers, brings his “Dirty, Sexy, FUNNY!” comedy show to Seattle joined by the fabulous Lily Armani. Tickets: $20 advance, $25 at the door. www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/258196. THREE DOLLAR BILL CINEMA OUTDOOR MOVIE SERIES – “ROAD TRIP” Celebrate summer nights with four irresistible on-screen adventures at Cal Anderson Park (11th Ave. & E. Olive St., just north of E. Pine St.). Movies start at sunset (approximately 8:30 p.m.) and admission is FREE. The final movie: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (August 17) Bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on. Hot popcorn, cold drinks, candy and other concessions will be for sale and a limited number of lawn chairs will be available for rent. Donations to Three Dollar Bill Cinema will be happily accepted. Come early to enjoy music with 12HR NOTICE DJs and the Shopping Cart Soundsystem. www.threedollarbillcinema.org.
are probably the most famous and long-lasting are his Berlin Stories. Let’s start there. Part of that collection, Goodbye to Berlin, is called a novel. Looks like a collection of stories to me. One of those stories is “Sally Bowles,” the basis of the character made famous by Liza Minnelli. Mr. Norris Changes Trains is in Britain published separately as a short novel, but in the USA is included in Berlin Stories. There is so much supporting film material that we’ll have a great time. There’s the musical Cabaret, of course. There’s a documentary called Chris and Don that sounds excellent. Isherwood’s novel about the ten years he spent in Berlin, Christopher and His Kind, was also made into a film. If this turns out to be a thoughtful and provocative direction, we might think of reading Christopher and His Kind for September and making this a two-month jaunt through Isherwood and Berlin, 1929-1939, and the last wild flourish of sexual freedom before the rise of the Nazis into power. Or not. Maybe we’ll do Rimbaud next month. Who knows? Let’s play it by ear, and this month, together let’s discover Goodbye to Berlin.” All GLBTQ folks are welcome to participate in this free book club. For more information email nickdimartin@earthlink.net, visit http://faculty.washington.edu/swittet/ SGLBookClub/ or contact SASG at 206322-2437; www.sasgcc.org. For discount on cost of books, email Nick. MARRIAGE EQUALITY: A POSITIVE CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE On Wednesday, August 22, from 7-8:30 p.m., at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral’s Bloedel Hall (1245 10th Ave. E.), Sister Jeannine Gramick (co-founder of New Ways Minstry) and Francis DeBernardo (Director) will conduct a town hall meeting on Marriage Equality. New Ways Ministry is a Gay-positive ministry of advocacy for LGBT Catholics. Sponsored by Call to Action Western Washington. www.newwayministry.org; www.ctaww.org.
MEN OF ALL COLORS & BLACK NAIL KARAOKE CULTURES TOGETHER (MACCT) AT JULIA’S ON BROADWAY AUGUST POTLUCK SOCIAL WEDNESDAY EVENINGS On Saturday, August 18, starting at 4 p.m., Black Nail Karaoke is now hosting karaMen of All Colors & Cultures Together will be hosting their August Potluck Social. oke on Wednesday evenings, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Please call 206-923-8313 or email macct- at Julia’s on Broadway (Broadway E. & E. seattle@yahoo.com for more information, Thomas St.) including location/directions. “RE-BOOT YER SCOOT!” – MACCT is a Gay/Bisexual multi-racial, PUDDLETOWN SQUARES multi-cultural organization commited to FREE TASTE OF fostering supportive environments wherein GAY SQUARE DANCING racial and cultural barriers can be overcome On Thursday, August 23, from 7-9 p.m., and the goal of human equality realized. at Miller Community Center (330 19th Ave. E.), join Puddletown Squares for a IMPERIAL COURT OF SEATTLE – free taste of Gay square dancing, with caller CAR WASH 2012 On Sunday, August 19, from 2-6 p.m., Gary Monday. Singles and couples welImperial Prince 38 David Link Lake and the come. Same-gender partnering. Casual atImperial Court of Seattle present “Car Wash tire. No experience necessary. Please bring 2012” at The Cuff (13th Ave. & E. Pine St.). a non-perishable food donation in support This will be a very festive car wash event, of Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s Chicken Soup with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Brigade. Abbey of St. Joan, adding to the soap suds. RAINBOW CITY ORCHESTRA – Suggested donation: $10-cars, $15-trucks. “SOUNDS OF THE SUMMER SEASON” LES FAERIES VERTES & On Thursday, August 23, at 7 p.m., at GAY CITY HEALTH PROJECT – A CAJUN COOKOUT FUNDRAISER Wedgwood Community Church (8201 30th On Sunday, August 19, from 2-5 p.m., on Ave. NE), Rainbow City Orchestra perthe rooftop of the Legacy at Pratt Park Apts. forms “Sounds of the Summer Season,” (1800 S. Jackson St., just buzz “Cookie” on with music by Mascagni, Dvorak, Debussy, the call box), join Les Faeries Vertes’ annual with the orchestra’s own concertmaster, CaCajun Summer Cook Out. Enjoy Southern- leb Tizon, featured as a soloist in Vivaldi’s style food (with vegetarian options), drinks “Spring” from The Four Seasons. Tickets: (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), meet new FREE admission, no ticket required, but people and support Gay City Health Project. there will be a special offering taken to benSuggested donation: $15 per person. www. efit the Wedgwood Church and their music/ piano fund. A reception with refreshments lesfaeriesvertes.org. follows at 8 p.m. SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BORDER RIDERS BOOK CLUB – MOTORCYCLE CLUB GOODBYE TO BERLIN SUMMER CAMPING The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club The Border Riders Motorcycle Club is the meets every Wednesday from 6-7:15 p.m., at Seattle Area Support Groups Community largest and one of the oldest Gay motorcycle Center (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St.). clubs in North America. Founded in 1969, “For August, Christopher Isherwood is BRMC currently has over 70 members priour man. We all know his name. His stories marily from Washington, Oregon and Britwere behind the musical, Cabaret. Several ish Columbia. The club provides social and years ago we read his short American novel, educational opportunities for our members A Single Man, and went to see the film with and guests interested in recreational moColin Firth. Of all his works, the ones that torcycle touring. Our diverse, international
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August 17, 2012
membership is composed of both seasoned riders and beginners, and we come from all walks of life and professions. Border Riders hosts a short monthly Meet and Greet gathering on the Wednesday before the third weekend of each month at 7 p.m., at The Cuff Complex (1533 13th Ave.). The next Meet and Greet will be held on Wednesday, September 13. From May through October, BRMC hosts monthly weekend camping trips – May 1821, June 15-17, July 20-22, August 24-26, September 21-23, and October 19-21. www.borderriders.com. JAPANESE CULTURAL & COMMUNITY CENTER OF WA – “ALL THINGS JAPANESE SALE!” AUGUST 25-26 On Saturday and Sunday, August 25-26, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of WA (1414 S. Weller St., at Rainier Ave. S.), presents their annual “All Things Japanese Sale!” Not your average rummage sale, this event features an eclectic variety of new and used quality Japanese antiques, collectibles, and more, including kimono, records, CDs, DVDs, kitchen and cooking items, ornaments and giftware, ikebana, tea ceremony, tableware, pottery, toys and dolls, tools, furnishings, art, textiles, books. All proceeds benefit JCCCW. Free admission. www. jcccw.org. NOTE: A special sneak preview night will be held on Friday, August 24, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sneak preview admission: $25 members; $50 nonmembers. SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE – CRAPTACULAR RUMMAGE SALE AUGUST 25-26 On Saturday, August 25, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, August 26, from noon-6 p.m., at All Pilgrims Church (Broadway E. & E. Republican St.) the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Abbey of St. Joan, host their annual Craptacular Rummage Sale to benefit All Pilgrims Church and the Sisters Granting Fund. BOYZ IN THE WOODS Q-SQUARED CAMP LABOR DAY WEEKEND www.qcamp.org. MR. & MISS NEIGHBOURS PAGEANT 2012 On Sunday, August 26, doors at 7 p.m., pageant at 8 p.m., at Neighbours Nightclub (1509 Broadway, entrance in alley off E. Pike St.), join hosts Gaysha Starr and Ebony La Face with special guest performers and Mr. & Miss Neighbours 2011, Ceasar Hart and Bianca Starr, for the 2012 Mr. & Miss Neighbours Pageant. Donations to benefit Washington United for Marriage/Approve Referendum 74 campaign. BUMBERSHOOT AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 3 www.bumbershoot.org FESTIVAL OF THE BABES SOCCER TOURNAMENT IN SEATTLE LABOR DAY WEEKEND Festival of the Babes is a soccer tournament for Lesbians, and those willing to be mistaken for one! Register a team of up to 15 ladies, register as a single player or get into all the events for FREE by volunteering. http://festivalofthebabes.com. TRIANGLE RECREATION CAMP AT BENDER CREEK – “MARDI GRAS WEEKEND” Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek hosts LGBTQ camping all summer long. Labor Day Weekend, August 31-September 3, TRC hosts Mardi Gras Weekend. www.camptrc.org or on Facebook. NATE GOWDY – PHOTO EXHIBITS AROUND TOWN Celebrated SGN photographer Nate Gowdy is showing his work at The Grill on Broadway (314 Broadway E.) and Frame Central (901 E. Pike St.) in the upstairs gallery through August.
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e t o v o t RegisteR
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Celebrating 39 Years!
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August 17, 2012
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Broadway
Farmers Market 12 Seattle Gay News
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Broadway & E. Pine at Seattle Central Community College Sundays, 11am - 3pm, April 22 - Dec 23. Celebrating 39 Years!
The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence Abbey Of St. Joan cordially request the honour of your presence at our 2012
Support the Sisters, Washington United For Marriage, and buy fabulous crap at the same time! Cake and punch to be served in the Fellowship Hall.) All Pilgrim’s Church, 500 Broadway E., on these days: Sat., August 25, 11 am- 6pm Sun., August 26, Noon- 6pm Proceeds to benefit All Pilgrim’s and the Sisters Of Perpetual Indgulgence’s Granting Fund.
Visit us online www.sgn.org
August 17, 2012
Seattle Gay News 13
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Celebrating 39 Years!
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August 17, 2012
Seattle Gay News 15
NEWS
RUSSIAN OFFICIAL CALLS MADONNA A ‘WHORE’ As expected, last week’s gig by the Queen of Pop in Russia’s second-largest city did not pass without controversy. Pink News reports that hours before her performance in St. Petersburg, Madonna announced on Facebook that she would be handing out pink wristbands in a sign of support for the city’s LGBT community. Earlier this year, the U.S. singer vowed to defy a local ban on “Gay propaganda,” a law she described as a “ridiculous atrocity.” Before the concert, police officers were deployed to the venue, as priests vowed to burn pictures of the pop icon. Officials reportedly were incensed about her performance in Moscow two days earlier, when she wore a balaclava, the trademark accessory of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, who recently made international news by releasing a song critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and supporting LGBT rights (see story in last week’s SGN). Madonna also stripped to reveal a black bra and the name of the band written on her back. During Thursday’s gig in St. Petersburg, the Material Girl again stripped to her bra, this time to reveal the words “No Fear!” written on her back. She told the 10,000-strong audience that Gay people deserve the same rights as everybody else. None of this has gone down well with Russia’s hard-line politicians. According to Sky News, earlier this week,
6to poder
INTERNATIONAL by Scott Wittet SGN Contributing Writer He claims that children under the age of 18 attended Thursday’s performance and thus were exposed to Madonna’s Gay-supportive remarks. LEBANON URGED TO STOP ‘TESTS OF SHAME’ The international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded that Lebanon’s Justice Ministry immediately issue a directive ending the use of anal examinations by police to determine a suspect’s sexual behavior. They urged the ministry to follow the lead of the Lebanese Doctor’s Syndicate, which recently denounced the tests as a form of torture. On July 28 a Lebanese vice squad arrested 36 men during a raid on a movie theater in Beirut, the third such raid in recent months. The men were transferred to a police station where they were subjected to anal examinations. The exams are conducted by forensic doctors on orders of the public prosecutor, to “prove” whether a person has engaged in anal sex. Police released all of the men several days later but charged three of them for having Gay sex, partly on the basis of the examinations. “Forensic anal examinations of men suspected of homosexual contact, conducted in detention, constitute degrading and humiliating treatment,” said Rasha Moumneh, a Middle East and North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “These ‘tests of shame,’ as local activists call them, should stop immediately – the state has no business punishing and degrading its KHAM/REUTERS
Participants adjust stickers on each other while attending Vietnam’s first-ever Gay pride parade in Hanoi
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin implied Madonna was a whore on Twitter: “Every former whore seeks to lecture everyone on morality as she gets older – especially during tours and gigs abroad,” he said. Meanwhile, there are reports that St. Petersburg lawyer Vitaly Milonov, author of the city’s anti-Gay censorship law, has threatened legal action against either the singer or the concert’s organizers.
citizens for consensual sexual conduct.” HRW research has shown that police and doctors in Lebanon use invasive bodily examinations, both anal and vaginal, as a form of punishment, intimidation, and humiliation. In August 2010, a police officer threatened to physically force an HRW researcher and a local activist, who were visiting a detained man charged with “unnatural sexual relations,” to submit to a “virginity test” themselves.
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Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin
INDIAN TRANSGENDERS TO GET PENSION In another move to help Indian Trans women (locally called hijras, or eunuchs) and bring them into the social mainstream, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu recently announced that her government would provide a monthly pension of 1,000 rupees (about $18) for hijras who are older than 40 and living in poverty. There are about 20,000 hijras in Tamil Nadu, according to the Times of India. “It is a very positive step. Elderly Transgenders are completely helpless as they cannot resort to even commercial sex work or begging. So they have to depend on younger Transgenders for food and health care,” said Kalki Subramaniam, head of a foundation that works with hijras. The rationale for the aid is that they do not have children to care for them. Tamil Nadu is among the more progressive Indian states and was the first to accord hijras a “third gender” status. The state government also set up the first hijra welfare board in the country. TRANS WOMEN TO CUFF DELHI COPS The Hindustan Times reports that police in the Indian capital of New Delhi will have their hands – or at least their wrists – tied during the upcoming Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan. On that day sisters traditionally bind a sacred thread (rakhi) around their brothers’ wrists. This symbolizes the sister’s prayers for her brother’s well-being and the brother’s lifelong vow to protect his sister. In a bid to get police to support their community, a group of Trans women are reaching out to their brothers in uniform – they plan to visit police stations all over the capital, tying rakhis. “Eunuchs and Transgenders are treated as outcasts. Cops’ support will make it easier for them to assert their rights,” said Rupika Dhillon, director of the group that started the campaign. For those who aren’t easy to reach, like the Delhi Police commissioner, “e-rakhis” –
online greetings – will have to do. The ladies hope their newfound brothers will live up to expectations. Among police, however, the jury is still out. “It’s a good initiative. Eunuchs are humans, too, and deserve to live with dignity,” said Superintendent Mohinder Singh. Officer Sanjay Bhatia had a slightly different take: “We are duty bound to protect all citizens. There is no need for eunuchs to make special appeals by tying rakhis.” TRANS MATRIARCH REMEMBERED IN MALAYSIA The life of Asha Dewi, a matriarch to the Transgender community in Malaysia, was celebrated by more than 1,000 people with a colorful funeral procession through the streets of Kuala Lumpur last week. Dewi, 68, died of a heart attack August 7. The mourners, mostly Transgender women Dewi had cared for, were grief-stricken, but still they sang, danced, and played musical instruments. Dewi’s coffin was adorned with flowers. Dewi was ethnically Indian and the funeral ceremony was similar to those performed by the hijra (Transgender) community in India. A Trans woman called Latha told Free Malaysia Today that in addition to hijras, Dewi also helped children and the poor of Kuala Lumpur. To watch a video report of the raucous event, search YouTube for “asha dewi funeral.” FIRST HANOI PRIDE A SUCCESS Around 100 people participated in Vietnam’s first-ever Pride event August 5, forming a convoy of brightly decorated bicycles and motorbikes that traveled about six miles through the capital, Hanoi. Organizers changed the parade route at the last minute to avoid clashing with antiChina demonstrations, according to Gay Star News. The parade went smoothly despite not having official permission to go ahead – unlike the anti-China demonstrators, who were dispersed by police, with around 20 taken to
Celebrating 39 Years!
a detention center. Nguyen Thanh Tam, program coordinator for Viet Pride, said her participation in Stockholm Pride last August inspired her to initiate a similar event in Vietnam. Marchers called for an end to discrimination against LGBTs and for the legalization of same-sex marriage. They were inspired by comments by the country’s justice minister, Ha Hung Cuong, in July, that it might be time to consider the issue. Not all participants were LGBT. Nineteen-year-old marcher Kyle Tran told the AFP that he was there to support his Lesbian cousin. Viet Pride organizer Tam Nguyen explained that the event had been held to raise the profile of the LGBT community in Vietnam. “The most important thing about Pride is that you send out the message to the public that the Gay community exists, because in many countries, including Vietnam, people still deny the existence of this community,” Nguyen said. “Pride also shows those who are still in the closet that they can find the community and that they do not stand alone in this world.” LIBERIAN SENATE PASSES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN The 30-member Liberian Senate unanimously passed legislation last month that imposes severe penalties for same-sex marriage. The draft amendment is now headed to the 64-member House of Representatives. If approved in its current form, it will be sent to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for her signature. Sirleaf has already made it clear that she will veto the proposed legislation should it reach her desk. However, the President’s veto can be overridden by a vote of twothirds of the members in both houses of the Liberian Parliament. If the unanimous support the legislation has received in the Senate is any indication, it is likely that the president’s veto will easily be overridden and the legislation will become law. The penalty the proposed legislation would impose for same-sex marriage is dramatically higher than that applicable to a homosexual act, which is also an offense. A homosexual act under existing law is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison. But the proposed legislation seeks to make same-sex marriage a second-degree felony, punishable by imprisonment for up to five years. Similar legislation has been proposed in Nigeria, with even harsher penalties. NEW GHANA VP RUMORED TO BE GAY A political scandal is rocking Ghana, with allegations circulating in the local media that the nation’s newly sworn vice president, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, is Gay. Amissah-Arthur denies the unsubstantiated rumors, accusing a former schoolmate of starting them. In January 2011, a man named Joseph Kwabena Owusu-Sekyere told the Daily Guide newspaper that he had been in a Gay relationship with a prominent figure in the current government since the 1960s. But the direct allegation implicating Amissah-Arthur only emerged in the last two weeks when he was announced as a prime candidate for the vice presidency. Several papers have since been running the story with many religious leaders commenting on the dangers of homosexuality to Ghana, stirring up anti-Gay feeling throughout the country. There is speculation that the center-right National Patriotic Party, the opposition party to Amissah-Arthur’s left-wing National Democratic Party, is fueling the rumors. Amissah-Arthur broke his silence regarding the allegation when he was grilled by Parliament on August 6. He told members that the “libelous” reports against him were masterminded by an
old schoolmate who fell out with him after he refused to give him money. “It is not true, it is absolutely not true. I had not seen this gentleman for 40-something years,” Amissah-Arthur said. Amissah-Arthur was sworn in as vice president the following day. The press still continues to allege that he is Gay and dismisses his denials. Under Ghanaian law, male same-sex sexual activity is illegal. Gay men can also be punished under provisions concerning assault and rape. Speaking with Gay Star News, prominent Ghanaian LGBT advocate Prince Kweku (a pseudonym) said, “I have no concerns whether the vice president is Gay or not. “My only problem is the people treating Gay people as a ‘bunch of animals’ not fit to live among humans. “Gay people are here in Ghana and nothing can push the community or movement backwards. Effort therefore should be made to get Gay people to be part of nation-building, bearing in mind the challenges marginalization of sectors of society can cause to a nation. “In some part of the country, locals have seen generations of Gay people in their lineage and so have no issues with Gay people.” Kweku blames the obsession with homosexuality in Ghana on rising Christian religious fundamentalism. FOOTBALLER ARRESTED FOR GAY HATE TWEET A 28-year-old soccer player from Wales has been arrested for his homophobic tweet about Olympic divers Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield, reports Pink News. The message on Daniel Thomas’s Twitter feed denigrated the diving pair, neither of whom is known to be Gay, after they lost out on medals in the synchronized men’s 10-meter diving this week. It said: “If there is any consolation for finishing fourth at least Daley and Waterfield can go and bum each other #teamHIV.” At first Thomas denied he had sent the homophobic tweet, claiming that he had been the victim of a “prank.” Authorities later issued a statement that said, “South Wales Police have arrested a 28-year-old man from the Port Talbot area in connection with offensive comments made on the social networking site Twitter.” The owner of the soccer team, Andrew Edwards, confirmed the arrestee was Thomas. VATICAN REJECTS ENVOY OVER GAY NOVEL A 39-year-old Bulgarian lawyer has seen his hopes of becoming his nation’s ambassador to the Vatican dashed. According to the U.K. Independent newspaper, the Holy See rejected Kiril Maritchkov after learning of his literary past. Maritchkov is the author of a novel called Clandestination. It tells the story of Ivan, a young man fleeing a Russian state following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Ivan eventually finds himself in Rome working as a prostitute and earning 50 euros for sex with a male Italian. Before this week’s uproar, Maritchkov seemed to be on course to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was Bulgaria’s first ambassador to the Vatican two decades ago. Maritchkov is married to an Italian and speaks five languages, but his proposed selection by Bulgaria appears to have offended senior Vatican officials. The Telegraph states that Archbishop Janusz Bolonek, Pope Benedict’s representative in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, reportedly sent his superiors a copy of the book with its controversial passages highlighted. Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican’s chief spokesman, declined to comment on the allegations but confirmed the ambassadorial position remains vacant.
Zimbabwe police raid LGBT rights group’s headquarters 44 arrested after police storm GALZ meeting
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Zimbabwe police raided the headquarters of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) on August 11, arresting 44 members of the group. GALZ members had gathered at their offices in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, to launch their report on civil rights violations. According to the organization, 15 riot police stormed the meeting. “GALZ deplores the arrest of its 44 members who had attended the launch of the GALZ Violations Report and a briefing on the second draft of the Zimbabwe constitution on 11 August 2012 at the GALZ offices,” the group said in a statement reported by News Day Zimbabwe. “Four police officers attempted to gain entry into the premises before calling for backup, where about 15 riot squad members descended on the office and effected arrest. Thirty-one men and 13 women members were detained overnight at Harare Central Police Station,” the statement continued. GALZ charged that some of the police officers were drunk and said they assaulted the group’s members. “Police, some of them visibly drunk, assaulted most of the members using baton sticks, open hands, and clenched fists before detaining them without charge. Such use of force is in direct contradiction to the Global Political Agreement,” organizers said. “GALZ does not condone violence and we are not a threat. Those who cause violence are a threat to public safety and security and we ask that they stay away from our premises.” Harare Chief Inspector James Sabau said
police entered the GALZ headquarters looking for suspects. “They were only taken for screening,” Sabau said about the 44 GALZ members. “We had received information that people we were looking for were there. So it’s false to say they were arrested and that they slept in the cells.” A PATTERN OF HARASSMENT The raid comes only a month after GALZ was charged with insulting Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, which is illegal under Section 33 of the Criminal Law Act. It was alleged that the group displayed a letter critical of Mugabe from former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. In May 2010, two GALZ activists, Ellen Chademana and Ignatius Muhambi, were arrested and tortured by police before being released a week later. Police alleged they were circulating pornographic material, but they were never brought to trial. Mugabe has been consistently hostile to his country’s LGBT community, at one time calling its members “worse than dogs and pigs.” His political party, ZANU-PF, recently vetoed proposals to include LGBT rights in Zimbabwe’s new draft constitution. Last November, Mugabe characterized as “satanic” a suggestion by British Prime Minister David Cameron that the U.K. might cut off aid to countries that fail to respect LGBT rights. Mugabe, now 88, was prime minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987, when he became president. In September 2010, Wikileaks reported that Mugabe was dying of prostate cancer, but that report was denied by Zimbabwe’s government.
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by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On August 16, a jury awarded an openly Gay former University of Michigan student $4.5 million in his lawsuit against a former Michigan assistant attorney general who posted about him in an anti-Gay blog. The U.S. District Court jury decided in favor of Christopher Armstrong, who claimed he suffered distress after a blog created by
Jessica Carerras
Gay student wins $4.5m judgment in defamation case Andrew Shirvell accused him of enticing minors with alcohol and recruiting people to become homosexual. “I’m just incredibly humbled by what happened today,” Armstrong told the Associated Press. “This is truly a victory – not just for myself, but for a lot of other kids out there.” Shirvell, who represented himself in court, called the jury award “grossly ex-
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Former Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell seen here in spring of 2010 protesting Chris Armstrong on the University of Michigan campus.
cessive” for what was “clearly protected speech ... and activity.” “This should have been thrown out,” he said, adding that he plans to appeal. “Juries give short shrift to First Amendment rights.” Armstrong accused Shirvell of defamation as well as emotional distress for his actions on the blog, in Facebook posts, and during visits to the Ann Arbor campus. JUST WANTED AN APOLOGY Then-Attorney General Mike Cox fired Shirvell in 2010 after he criticized Armstrong, who was UM’s student body president before his graduation last year. Shirvell has said he viewed his blog “as a movement to get” Armstrong to resign his position. Shirvell argued he was acting within his First Amendment rights and that
his statements were either true or protected because of Armstrong’s role as a “public figure.” Armstrong’s attorney, Deborah Gordon, had said she would drop the lawsuit if Shirvell apologized and retracted his comments. Shirvell called that statement disingenuous, since it wasn’t until closing arguments that a multimillion-dollar award was brought up. Shirvell said he’s unemployed and “there’s no way I could possibly ever pay such a judgment.” Gordon said the jury couldn’t make him apologize, so the money was the only answer. “We needed him to retract the flat-out fabrications he had come up with about Chris,” she said. “Once he refused to take responsibility, we put it in the hands of the jury.”
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by Dan Woog SGN Contributing Writer Last month, after a two-year, super-secret study, the Boy Scouts of America announced that their next hike would take them all the way back to the 1950s. They decided to ignore their own Scout Law, which mandates values like courtesy and kindness, by continuing to ban Gays at every level of Scouting, from the youngest Tenderfoot through the oldest administrator. That portion of America not stuck in the mid-20th century reacted with outrage. Editorial writers tsk-tsked. Eagle Scouts returned their badges. Major League Soccer acted. Within days, MLS President Mark Abbott announced that the league’s strategic partnership agreement with the BSA – including cross-promotions, “Scout Nights” at stadiums featuring discounted tickets, and player visits to local Scout troops – would not be renewed at the end of this year. The partnership had just begun in January. MLS cited “a variety of business reasons” for the abrupt end of the alliance, but the connection was clear. Since when does an organization announce the end of a partnership six months in advance, only six months after it began? This was not the first time the league acted so decisively. In March, MLS officials suspended Houston Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark for three games and fined him an undisclosed amount of money for yelling “faggot” at a young ballboy who was slow to toss him a ball during a game in Seattle. Six weeks earlier, the Vancouver Whitecaps gave Lee Nguyen (now with New England) a “formal warning” for tweeting the word “fag” to describe a teammate. SOCCER LEADS THE PACK Soccer seems to be a sports-world leader in many LGBT-related ways. The MLS team Chicago Fire, for instance, has hooked up with Equality Illinois in a very visible manner. Team representatives marched with
file photo
Major League Soccer kicks Boy Scouts off the field
the organization’s float – and its banner reading “I DO Support Marriage Equality” – in Chicago’s Pride Parade in June. Players Gonzalo Segares and Jay Nolly showed up at an Equality networking cocktail party. Earlier this month, a portion of ticket sales at the Chicago Fire Pride Night game was donated to Equality Illinois’ Education Project. Southern California’s Chivas USA, meanwhile, sponsored an Equality Night, preceded by a pre-game reception with the NOH8 campaign. The Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus sang the national anthem and the It Gets Better Project staffed a booth at Home Depot Center’s main concourse. And to top it off, cheerleaders performed a halftime routine to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Another example of soccer’s Gay-friendliness is former Montreal Impact player David Testo, who was known to be Gay by most of his teammates and coaches. He stated it openly in a radio interview shortly after his contract with the team expired, and received many expressions of support from his former colleagues. On their own, soccer fans have started a private effort to get professional players to affirm publicly their support for Gay rights. The drive is taking place at the website www.gay4soccer.com. (Its slogan, riffing on a long-ago denigration of soccer: “Because soccer isn’t Gay, but once in awhile it kinda is.”) The online petition, signed by scores of players (including national team members Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit, broadcaster Kyle Martino, Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl, and entire team fan clubs), says, “Sports are about fairness and equality, respect and dignity. Sports teach individuals how to strive and succeed, how to cope with success and disappointment, and to bring people together to achieve a common goal.” Petition signers promise to reach out to LGBT people, to challenge unacceptable behavior, and to make soccer “a welcome, inviting, and inclusive place for everyone.”
Openly Gay Soccer player David Testo
A MENTAL GAME Once you think about it, it’s easy to understand why the North American soccer world supports LGBT issues. Soccer is a game that celebrates independent thinking. Unlike most other sports, where coaches call timeouts and diagram plays, soccer players constantly have to solve problems on their own. They don’t need to be told what to do – they already know. In addition, soccer is an international game. Players are used to teammates from different nationalities, with different accents, doing little things differently. Sexuality is just one more difference to appreciate. The Boy Scout oath includes the words “physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” But it’s Major League Soccer that truly walks that talk.
Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, Gay activist, and author of the Jocks series of books on Gay male athletes. Visit his website at www.danwoog.com. He can be reached in care of SGN or at OutField@qsyndicate.com.
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Seattle Gay News 19
ryan
continued from cover District of Columbia, over which Congress has administrative oversight. In 2003, Ryan voted for the Marriage Protection Act, which would have barred federal courts from considering the constitutionality of DOMA and possibly overturning it. Ryan twice voted in support of the failed Federal Marriage Amendment to make discrimination against same-sex couples part of the U.S. Constitution – once in 2004 and again in 2006. Ryan also voted No on the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009. And in 2011, Ryan voted against repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In the one case in which Ryan is on record as supporting LGBT rights – his vote for ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) in 2007 – his performance was
ambiguous. In the complex maneuvering before the final up-or-down vote on the bill, Ryan voted for a Republican-sponsored “motion to recommit” – in other words, to kill ENDA for the session by sending it back to committee without a vote. Only after that motion was defeated did he switch to supporting the bill. The 2007 version of ENDA, which passed the House but was not taken up in the Senate, included protections only for sexual orientation. Ryan has not said what he thinks about the current version, which covers both sexual orientation and gender identity, but Romney opposes it. As the ACLU pointed out in its statement, LGBT folks are not Ryan’s only target. For example, Ryan voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which made it easier for women who are victims of paycheck discrimination to sue their employers. “Paul Ryan may end up a heartbeat away from the presidency but he’ll be light years
from civil liberties,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU executive director. “Paired with Romney’s already abysmal record on civil liberties, Ryan’s positions only take this ticket further from the vision of our founding fathers.”
shooting
continued from cover Fortunately, no one was killed in the Wednesday morning shooting at the downtown Washington, D.C., headquarters of the FRC. The only person injured was an unarmed security guard in the lobby. POLICE: GUARD A ‘HERO’ Leo Johnson, 46, who was shot in the arm, managed to wrestle the alleged gunman to the floor. Police credited him with thwarting an attack that could have turned deadly. “The security guard here is a hero, in my opinion,” D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. Johnson was conscious and in stable condition at an area hospital after the shooting. Corkins faces a charge of assault with intent to kill, and a count of bringing a firearm across state lines. He used a 9 mm pistol that was legally bought and owned, according to authorities. The alleged shooter’s parents told FBI agents their son has “strong opinions with respect to those he believes do not treat homosexuals in a fair manner.” The shooting drew swift condemnation from President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, as well as a range of advocacy groups from the LGBT and allied communities. Seattle Gay News also publicly condemned the act of violence. ‘HATE GROUP’ LABEL BLAMED The FRC, headquartered in a busy, tourist-filled area of downtown Washington, strongly opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, and says it advocates “faith, family, and freedom in public policy and public opinion.” The group maintains a powerful lobbying presence on those causes, testifying before Congress and reviewing legislation. Its president, Tony Perkins, said Wednesday the group’s main concern was with the wounded guard. Brian Brown, president National Organization for Marriage, which also opposes same-sex marriage, was less measured in his reaction, saying the shooting of the
guard by someone who worked as a volunteer for a Gay rights group “is the clearest sign we’ve seen that labeling pro-marriage groups as ‘hateful’ must end. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the Family Research Council a ‘hate group’ for its pro-marriage views, and less than a day ago the Human Rights Campaign issued a statement calling FRC a ‘hate group’ – they even specified that FRC hosts events in Washington, D.C., where today’s attack took place. “For too long national Gay rights groups have intentionally marginalized and ostracized pro-marriage groups and individuals by labeling them as ‘hateful’ and ‘bigoted’ – such harmful and dangerous labels deserve no place in our civil society, and NOM renews its call today for Gay rights groups and the Southern Poverty Law Center to withdraw such incendiary rhetoric from a debate that involves millions of good Americans,” Brown continued. ‘LICENSE TO SHOOT’? But, according to the SPLC, the FRC is classified as a “hate group” not simply because it opposes same-sex marriage but because it defames the LGBT community by promoting junk science about homosexuality and asserting that Gay men are more predisposed than straight men to pedophilia. On Thursday, the FRC’s Perkins charged that the SPLC’s rhetoric gave the gunman “a license to shoot.” The SPLC called that claim “outrageous” and said the council had a pattern of “demonizing” comments. Michael McGough, senior editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times, wrote, “Legality aside, blaming an act of violence on spokesmen for a cause to which the offender has attached himself is almost always a cheap shot. That’s true whether it’s liberals blaming the Tea Party for the attack on Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords or conservatives insinuating that Gay rights supporters have the blood of the Family Research Council guard on their hands.”
r-74
continued from cover to continue working to raise more funds toward the more than $10 million still needed by the three campaigns,” the statement added. Speaking to SGN by phone, Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson
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www.sgn.org 20 Seattle Gay News
August 17, 2012
Celebrating 39 Years!
said the contribution furthers his organization’s plan for winning equal marriage rights nationally. “Freedom to Marry’s national strategy has always been to grow a majority, to win more states, and build a national majority,” Wolfson told SGN. “To build momentum that can influence other decision makers – not just legislators and voters, but even the Supreme Court if they hear the [DOMA] case.”
cated campaign equipped to win at the ballot box in November,” Wolfson said. “In an election season where candidate campaigns and Super PACs are snapping up television airtime, Freedom to Marry is especially pleased to be able to provide crucial early funding to support TV buys and other ways of making the case for the freedom to marry. We will continue to raise dollars and channel them into campaigns to ensure we get family stories in front of the voters and MAJOR IMPACT make the most personal and powerful case “It’s hard to overstate the impact of this for why marriage matters.” match by Freedom to Marry,” Washington United for Marriage campaign manager TV TIME GETTING SPENDY Zach Silk said. “Early money has never Because of competition for airtime in an been more important than in 2012, and this election season that features presidential, much-needed contribution will go a long senatorial, gubernatorial, and state legislaway in our fight for marriage in Washington tive races, the cost of TV advertising is risState.” ing rapidly. In the Seattle market, rates have Silk announced the new contribution from nearly doubled over the last few months. Freedom to Marry in a statement to supportIn his email to SGN, Silk stressed the imers. He also revealed that the Approve R-74 portance of TV ad buys to the Approve R-74 campaign has already raised $92,670 toward campaign. the $500,000 matching-fund goal. “Even in today’s increasingly digital In response to questions from SGN, Silk world, television is one of the most powsaid his organization was tracking new con- erful storytelling mediums,” he said. “We tributions and would update the community are planning to run a very competitive teleregularly. vision advertising campaign. It will be a “We are able to track contributions day-to- multi-million dollar campaign and will run day,” Silk told SGN in an e-mail. “We will statewide.” release more numbers early next week.” In its statement, Freedom to Marry also The matching funds will come from Free- said the group’s money should be used for dom to Marry’s Win More States Fund, “field campaigns in all three states to supwhich was announced in March of this year. port one-on-one conversations with voters This latest donation means that the group about the importance of the freedom to marwill meet its goal of contributing $3 mil- ry for all committed couples.” lion to pro-marriage campaigns in Maine, Silk told SGN that the Approve R-74 field Minnesota, and Washington more than two campaign is already up and running, and months earlier than originally projected. would expand with new funds from Free“Early and strategic support shows that dom to Marry. our movement has evolved into a sophisti“Our field campaign is going great,” Silk
said. “We have opened action centers across the state and have hundreds of volunteers taking time to talk to voters almost every night. These extra resources will allow us to open more offices and hire more staff to work with the thousands of volunteers who want to help.” Wolfson told SGN that the group’s decision to invest significant resources in ballot campaigns this year was based on a belief that pro-equality forces could win. “We can win one or more of these ballot measures in November,” he said. “That will take away the last talking point of our opponents – that we can’t win.” “But money alone, or one organization alone, can’t do it,” Wolfson cautioned, “unless people take action. Absolutely we can win if we all step up and do the work of making the case – enough times to enough people before Election Day. Each of us has to be part of the work of persuasion. It’s all hands on deck!”
union
continued from cover and irrigation workers. Although the union includes same-sex domestic partner benefits in its labor agreement with Boeing, it has not previously been involved in the campaign for relationship recognition. It was not a part of the R-71 campaign to approve the state’s “everything but marriage” domestic partnership laws in 2009, for example, and did not lobby for the Marriage Equality Act when it was before the state legislature. According to IAM 751 legislative and political director Larry Brown, the union has
evolved on the issue and felt it was time to take a stand. “I think like all humans and human institutions, we grow and we change, and we transform,” Brown told the Seattle-based news blog Publicola. “This is not a monolithic organization – our union stands for social justice, and this seems like the right time to come out for the right position on this initiative. “Our legislature passed it, the people approved, we have domestic same-gender partnership benefits at Boeing now, and have had for a while. It just seemed like the right time.” Brown told SGN that the endorsement of the Approve R-74 campaign was not a big change for IAM 751. “We’ve provided domestic partner benefits for our Gay and Lesbian members for a long time,” Brown said. “We want them to know that they matter and they’re represented.” Asked if there had been any pushback from more conservative union members about the endorsement, Brown said “No, not all. There was some trepidation, but no. I’m very pleased.”
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