SGN Aug 17, 2018 - Part 2

Arts & Entertainment

Delicately intimate Cameron Post a stunning teenage character study

by Sara Michelle Fetters

SGN

A&E Writer

THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST

Now playing

When she’s discovered making out with a female classmate in a car, Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) is understandably mortified. Nonetheless, she’s somewhat surprised when her conservative, religious-

see CAMERON POST page 7

Seattle Opera’s Porgy and Bess fills the stage with life

by Alice Bloch

SGN A&E Writer

SEATTLE OPERA

PORGY AND BESS

BY GEORGE GERSHWIN

LIBRETTO BY

DUBOSE HEYWARD,

DOROTHY HEYWARD & IRA GERSWHIN

MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL

August 11 & 12 (through August 25)

“Given to Fly”: Pearl Jam’s Home Shows rally around Seattle’s homeless

by Jessica Price SGN A&E Writer

PEARL JAM THE HOME SHOWS SAFECO FIELD

August 8 (& 10)

“Seattle is our hometown. When there are challenges here, we want to be part of the solution. It’s heartening so many organizations and individuals coming together to do the same. It’s going to take all of us.”

– Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam

The Home Shows: From Concept to Stadium Pearl Jam launched the first of two sold out benefit shows August 8 at Safeco Field under the tagline “Banding Together to Fight Homelessness.” The Home Shows marked Pearl Jam’s first hometown appearance in five years, rivaling only the Rolling Stones in total attendance. The pair of benefits were the culmination of months of carefully orchestrated planning, a remarkable feat for a band that has grown as Seattle itself has grown. When the shows were announced in see PEARL JAM page 3

New Phantom lives up to its reputation

I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll never have the opportunity to attend a better production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess than the one now playing at Seattle Opera, co-produced with Glimmerglass Festival. An extraordinary cast, spectacular singing and acting and dancing, fabulous sets and costumes, perfect lighting to enhance the drama, an excellent orchestra conducted by the man who re-introduced Porgy and Bess

see PORGY AND BESS page 6

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer

BROADWAY AT THE PARAMOUNT THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE

Through August 19

Well, guess what! I liked the musical The Phantom of the Opera a bunch more than I

expected to. (See my preview at http://sgn. org/sgnnews46_32/page21.cfm.) (What kind of critic, you grumble, uses the phrase “a bunch more”?) Truly, the famous songs that have become popular from this musical, particularly “The Music of the Night,” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” made me feel like running away instead of marking my calendar for productions to see.

see PHANTOM page 6

PEARL

JAM continued from cover

January, the scrappy band that played their first-ever performance at the tiny Off Ramp (now El Corazón) back in 1990 pledged a minimum of $1 million toward the city’s most overwhelming problem. A goal was set to raise $11 million between the shows and partnering organizations and supporters.

To strategize, Pearl Jam and their team quickly assembled an 11-member Advisory Committee of advocates and foundation members to lend their expertise to The Home Shows campaign. Seattle has the third largest homeless population in the country, with over 12,000 people living without shelter on any given night; 5,000 of those individuals are youth. As our city thrives and the price of housing soars many of our neighbors are just one calamity away from losing everything. The widening disparity between income and the cost of living often hits the most vulnerable among us the hardest. While no two stories are the same, once an individual is on the streets the ability to rise again to stability, safety, shelter, and employment are a seemingly insurmountable task.

Jonathan Kumar, founder of Samaritan, stated recently in a discussion with Nordstrom employees that it takes roughly $1,000 to get one person off the streets and into housing again. “As a community, we have a responsibility to influence policies and systems that force people into homelessness,” added Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club and member of The Home Shows Advisory Board. While she admitted she wasn’t familiar with Pearl Jam at first, she has become a huge fan and has been touched by their passion for the homeless and for their home city. “The band has been amazing,” she said.

By August, The Home Shows brought together over 140 partners and supporters as far-reaching as nine charitable foundations, four sports teams, 80+ restaurants, and 60+ local businesses including Nordstrom, Microsoft, Expedia, Zillow, and Swedish. Restaurants participated in donating proceeds on the nights of the concerts, businesses organized email campaigns for employees and over 3,500 individual donations came in from around the country before the concerts.

And was it all worth it? Most definitely, yes!

The Home Shows: “Given to Fly”

In the week leading up to the benefits, the excitement was palpable even to nominal fans. Many locals recall the days when Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden were our biggest cultural export, eclipsing Amazon in popularity years before the tech boom would transform our city. Starbucks played Pearl Jam in cafes non-stop, restaurants advertised benefit nights, and Pearl Jam “tour dogs” and Ten Club members (Pearl Jam’s longtime fan club) began pouring into the city to see the boys on their home turf.

Fans from as far away as Australia and

all around the US stopped at Pearl Jam places of interest, snapping pictures at the Crocodile, the Showbox, Easy Street Records, and the Moore Theater, where Pearl Jam shot the video for “Even Flow.”

On the evening of the first show, the lines were long but spirits extremely high. Taking the stage in centerfield just as the sun set, Pearl Jam kicked off with “Long Road,” “Release,” “Low Light,” and “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” before Eddie Vedder addressed the massive baseball stadium. “We are Pearl Jam. We are from Seattle, Washington. I guess that must mean that we’re home.”

“Corduroy,” “Go,” and “Do the Evolution” followed, along with a handful of covers, a wild card that Pearl Jam has mastered with excellent song choices timely in message. Neil Young’s “Throw Your Hatred Down,” “I Am a Patriot” by Little Steven, and a few bars of “Help!” by the Beatles accompanied by Vedder’s acoustic guitar spoke volumes for the benefit’s purpose.

Notably, the band didn’t proselytize or speak much about the concert’s underlying message until Eddie Vedder stopped for a moment, remembering a homeless man he’d made the acquaintance of before

the band’s first European tour in the early ’90s. Within another tour or two, Vedder’s search revealed that his friend had passed on, never to know that he was inspiration for the hit song “Even Flow.”

As a sweet summer breeze drifted through Safeco Field, the band delivered song after song marked with years of skill and familiarity. “Black,” “Setting Forth,” and “Porch” preceded two sprawling encores. Before the first, Vedder reminisced about neighborhoods the band once lived in, places they played, thanking the fans for supporting them over the years and caring enough about their music to provide a livelihood to support them and their collective families (10 children and 8 dogs between them). During a plaintive acoustic version of the White Stripes “We Are Going to Be Friends,” Vedder’s two daughters appeared with their two favorite school teachers, dancing and enjoying a moment on stage with dad.

The kids’ teachers weren’t the only surprise guests, as Seattle’s Brandi Carlile took the stage for “Again Today.” “Better Man,” Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” “Alive” (their first hit single), “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Beatles, “Rockin’ in the Free World” by Neil Young, and “Yellow Ledbetter/Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix concluded the three hour set on an extreme high.

It was a perfect evening, the set a mix of old and new with a helping of beloved cover versions. Pearl Jam’s gorgeous talent, honed from nearly thirty years and ten studio albums, is undeniable and as real as their humility. Caring for the community has always been a part of Pearl Jam culture. In the words of Nick Lowe (which Pearl Jam has probably covered at some point in time), “What’s so funny ‘bout peace love and understanding?”

Visit pearljam.com/thehomeshows to learn more on the campaign against homelessness and actions you can take.

Bee smart and make a bee-line to see Queen

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer

QUEEN PRATIDHWANI (AT ACTLAB)

Through August 19

If you love playwriting that crackles with tension and possibility, is laugh out loud funny, and full of surprising emotional twists, and takes on a very topical and important subject all at once, then you need to hie yourself over to ACT Theatre for Pratidhwani’s production of Madhuri Shekar’s play, Queen. Sometimes, it’s not clear why a title exists with a script. This one is pretty clear – it’s about bees and colony collapse disorder: CCD. So, it involves queen bees. Also, it’s a story of two women doctoral candidates who are supreme. Supremely smart, and supremely good at their research, and supremely honorable in their intentions. Sanam Shah (Archana Srikanta) and Ariel Spiegel (Isis King) have been studying CCD at UC Santa Cruz and think they are on the verge of proving that a Monsanto chemical is the real culprit. They have been studying a model of research that Sanam is convinced has taken into consideration every variable that can be controlled for and excluded impacts from every variable that can’t be controlled for.

They are on the verge of being published in Nature magazine, which would make their professor famous, secure jobs for them, make them the envy of other

CCD study-teams and perhaps be the downfall of Monsanto’s chemical grip on this dangerous product. They could change the world. But. But the very last batch of data is skewing the whole study away from being “statistically significant.”

This is the one piece of mathematical understanding you need for this play. If something is statistically significant, it counts. Most calculations that are significant revolve around a particular 5% mark. If something falls outside that measure, it just doesn’t count any more. It’s not “significant.” Here, the data changes from under .05 to .08, and suddenly undercuts 7 years of study! Now what???!

Their professor, Philip (Stephen Grenley), just tells them to “do their job,” as if they can understand what he means. Does he mean they should fudge their results? Who would know? Would anyone find out? And suddenly the slippery slope appears! In the meantime, Sanam goes out on another blind date set up by her parents. Arvind Patel (Pratik Shah) immediately offends with his presumption that Sanam would want to give up her work to become a housewife, flaunts his money from Wall Street, and talks about himself almost exclusively. Sanam’s and Arvind’s interactions are really funny, and surprising.

While the play is done in the round in

ACT’s Bullitt Cabaret, which often makes a play even harder to direct well, Agastya Kohli manages to make it all flow together. With a simple, streamlined set (by Robin Macartney) of some asymmetrical desktops and some hexagonal blocks as seats (the desktops fit together to make hexagons, too, all like honeybee cells!), locations can change quickly from lab rooms to restaurants to a bedroom and a bee-yard. The sound choices by masterful Rob Witmer are just perfect in so many moments.

The script is really top-notch. This playwright knows how to write taut dialogue where every word is necessary and serves a purpose. It runs an hour 40 with no intermission. I’ll venture that few will be able to guess what comes next toward the end, and that is another way this play is smart. It does not telegraph what will happen. But it makes you care a lot about the characters and what they choose to do. You don’t want them to give up their own sense of honor and scientific accuracy, but you know how much they stand to lose if they don’t. You won’t want CCD to affect this little hive! For more information, go to https:// order.acttheatre.org/single/PSDetail. aspx?psn=10910.

Discuss your opinion with SGNCritic@ gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/ SeattleTheaterWriters. More articles can be found at MiryamsTheaterMusings. blogspot.com.

Nomadic Tempest a climatopian spectacle experimental rock opera performed

NOMADIC TEMPEST

GAS WORKS PARK

August 18-19 & 21-25 @ 8pm

International Theatrical Tall Ship and Caravan Stage Company presents Nomadic Tempest, a climatopian spectacle experimental rock opera performed on a tall ship in cooperation with Puget Soundkeeper and the Sierra Club.

The Caravan Stage Company defies illusions of borders and returns to the U.S. with a company of performers from six homelands aboard the Company’s 90-foot Tall Ship, Amara Zee, a replica Thames River Sailing Barge, bringing their original operatic spectacle, Nomadic Tempest to coastal cities in the Pacific Northwest.

Nomadic Tempest is a mythical saga of a band of monarch butterflies forced to migrate due to climate-change. The butterflies, embodied by four talented aerial artists, serve as a metaphor for today’s Climate Refugees. The Monarchs are from four global regions: Salish Sea, Syria, China and Mexico, each with their own song: Hunqeminem, Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish. Kanandra, the narrator/singer, can foresee the future, but is cursed by the SwallowWarts, the evil oil industry, so that no one believes the prophecies. Together, they combat the SwallowWarts, in order to protect and ultimately save the planet and reclaim our own hearts.

Nomadic Tempest will be presented in Seattle at Gasworks Park (2101 N Northlake Way) August 18-19 & 21-25 at 8:45pm and in Everett at Boxcar Park (1200 Millwright Loop West) August 31 & September 1-2 at 9pm. Tickets: bit.ly/Caravan Seattle – $25 adults, $15 seniors & students, $10 children 8-14. A portion of proceeds benefits Puget Soundkeeper’s and the Sierra Club’s work to protect a clean and healthy environment for all.

Nomadic Tempest premiered in April of 2017 in St. Petersburg, FL traveling the Gulf Coast, performing in New Orleans, and Beaumont, TX. The Ship was transported

on a tall ship

through the Panama Canal to BC, where the Caravan performed at Gibsons Landing, Vancouver and Victoria. The Caravan wintered, produced and premiered this year’s reprise of a metamorphosed Nomadic Tempest in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. Sailing the Salish Sea, bringing the art of storytelling and the magic of the arts to create change in our hearts in Courtenay and Sooke, BC. Following the currents of today’s headlines, the Caravan brings Nomadic Tempest to Bellingham, Seattle, Everett and Port Townsend in 2018.

The Caravan’s Tall Ship is transformed into a technologically innovative, contemporary theater. Audiences gather on the shore and experience original music, soaring vocals, aerial artistry and large scenic elements backed by spectacular lighting and sound effects. The production is a continuous cinematic panorama of originally designed video graphics, animations and images. Within the upper trusses and the lower decks, as the Aerialists cavort, a palette of surprises, colors, and mechanical transformations are engineered into this one-of-a-kind experimental rock opera.

“The Caravan show is this amazing, experimental rock opera, with giant puppetry, aerialists working on silk, and lots of riggings and music. All of us were spellbound by the spectacle. Caravan Stage Company is a massive operation. Go see the show.” – METRO JAX, Jacksonville, FL

“Terrific. Magnificent. Amazing. Colourful. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Diverse. Informative. Creative Healing. Heartening. Thoughtful. Stunning. Thank You!” – Ann Jacob, Director, Coma Communications, Victoria. (June 2018)

“Caravan’s Nomadic Tempest is truly wonder-filled. Something wholly original. It moves at the pace of nature, mesmerizing and grand. It has some wicked technical chops. One-of-a-kind. You will never see anything else like it!” – Frank Moher, Artistic Director, Western Edge Theatre, Nanaimo, BC. (June 2018)

The Caravan Stage Company is a community of nomadic artists. Fundamental to the “Caravaners” is the inherent manifestation of the value of co-operative work and participation. Hundreds of people have learned

the craft of theatre, while experiencing a demanding living environment, in which to develop self-reliance, individual confidence, and motivation. The Amara Zee serves as our floating performance venue as well as our communal living environment. In this way, the Caravan can provide a sustainable model for harmony and diversity. We collaborate on all aspects of the production, performance and maintenance of the ship. As a community, we hope to provide the world with an example of effective, sustainable, self-organizing living.

The Caravan Stage Company, created in Victoria, BC in 1970, by Paul Kirby and Adriana Kelder, is a professional non-profit theatre company travelling and performing with a diverse cast; creating original experimental theatre and opera, encompassing the themes of civil rights and environmental justice. The Caravan began as the World’s Only Horse Drawn Theatre Company – the one-wagon puppet show traveling throughout Vancouver Island grew to become a major theatrical organization with a 25-person company of actors, musicians, artists and technicians touring in six large wagons pulled by a team of Clydesdale horses.

Puget Soundkeeper is a non-profit grassroots organization working to protect and preserve the waters of Puget Sound. For more information visit Puget Soundkeeper –https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/

Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. For more information visit Sierra Club – https://www.sierraclub.org/.

Nomadic Tempest takes place on the traditional, unceded territory of the Duwamish and Puget Sound Salish peoples. We recognize their sovereignty and we are dedicated to building a new relationship between us based on respect and consent.

Courtesy of Caravan Stage Company

PHANTOM

continued from cover

This touring production is quite honestly very lavish and attentive to making a great experience for the audience. It’s opulent to look at when it needs to be and dark and mysterious, too. The folding and unfolding set works beautifully to change locations. The falling chandelier is not really all that scary (it doesn’t fall that fast), but it’s really pretty.

One aspect that definitely delighted me was how campy funny some of the moments in the musical are – at least in this production. There are two scenes in the production office of the opera company where the characters all produce notes written to them by the Phantom, as he threatens them variously to pay him or else, or let Christine sing or else, or various other demands or else. It’s clear that they know it’s a joke and make the most of the moment. It got big laughs from the audience.

The river scenes were a bit tortured, as far as believing it was a big long river, but not terrible. However, the scene where Raoul has to find his way alone to the Phantom’s underground lair to save Christine was just completely not credible, unless there is only one way to get to the lair and it’s not very far, even if you don’t have a boat….

The night I saw the production, Emma Grimsley replaced Eva Tavares as Christine and did a great job. I could not tell that she was in any way an understudy! Quentin Oliver Lee was a great choice for the Phantom, with a smooth, powerful voice and he’s a large person, so he seems very compelling as a commanding personality.

As far as the love triangle, the story/ script is not believable as far as why anyone is in love with anyone else, with the exception of Christine having both a reverence for

her phantom tutor (before she knows it’s the Phantom) and being compelled magically to feel attraction for him. Why the Phantom has become obsessed with Christine is one of those “things” you just have to accept. The heart wants what it wants, I guess.

As for why Christine glombs onto Raoul, well, there just is not enough script given to explain that. They knew each other as teens. OK. And? The heart wants what it wants, I guess.

The Phantom, in the meanwhile, has likely morphed with society’s cultural expectations from a “poor man” who is lonely and desperately insecure from being deformed, into a real monster who only peripherally cares about who he hurts. Certainly, if anyone ever wanted him to end up with Christine, that’s likely no longer possible.

And in fact, that makes the horrendous sequel, Love Never Dies, that came through Seattle in May, even more awful. Just kill that one dead.

The supporting characters, particularly Jacquelynne Fontaine as Carlotta, and Phumzile Sojola as Ubaldo Piangi, who were both terrific singers and also funny, and David Benoit as Monsieur Firmin, and Edward Staudenmayer as Monsieur Andre, who were pompous and funny, were top notch in their talent.

If you love Phantom, you’ll probably be very happy with this production. If you have never seen it, I can recommend it as a spectacle with some terrific singing.

For tickets, go to https://paramounttheaterseattle.boxoffice-tickets.com/Theatre.

Discuss your opinion with SGNCritic@ gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/ SeattleTheaterWriters. More articles can be found at MiryamsTheaterMusings. blogspot.com.

PORGY AND BESS

into the opera repertoire in 1976, and Gershwin’s incredible music: who could ask for anything more?

This production, created by Francesca Zambello and directed in Seattle by Garnett Bruce, conveys the feeling of a community – Catfish Row (based on Cabbage Row) in Charleston, South Carolina –where people struggle to scrape out a living and help each other survive poverty and racism. From the moment the curtain rises, the stage is full of the life of that community. No one is idle for an instant, and we’re constantly made aware of the web of social and family relationships, the tension between the “God-fearing” and the “Goddamning” factions of the community.

Even if you’ve never seen Porgy and Bess on stage, you’re sure to be familiar with its music. Everybody has heard at least one arrangement of “Summertime,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “Bess, You Is My Woman Now,” “I Loves You, Porgy,” “I Got

step back into the community at large. In this production, there isn’t a weak link. Every singer is worthy of the solos, and the chorus as a whole has a glorious sound. Among the standouts are Judith Skinner as the feisty shopkeeper Maria, Ibidunni Ojikutu as Strawberry Woman, Ashley Faataolia as Crab Man, and Martin Bakari as Peter/Honey Man.

Choreographer Eric Sean Fogel must have rehearsed extensively with this talented cast to produce the magnificent dance sequences and the use of expressive movement by every character in every scene.

All aspects of the production are flawless. The gorgeous (and appropriately dilapidated) sets designed by Peter J. Davison, equally gorgeous (and suitably rumpled) costumes designed by Paul Tazewell and Loren Shaw, and super-dramatic lighting designed by Mark McCullough are extremely effective in creating and sustaining a sense of gritty reality, punctuated by moments of joy, grief, or fear.

Plenty of Nothin’,” and “My Man’s Gone Now.” All of these songs have much more meaning in the context of the drama, and you haven’t really heard “My Man’s Gone Now” unless you’ve heard it sung by powerhouse soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams. Williams’ performance as Serena in Porgy and Bess earned her a Seattle Opera Artist of the Year award in 2011, and if anything, her acting and singing skills are even more formidable now.

In the title roles of Porgy and Bess, bassbaritones Alfred Walker and Kevin Short and sopranos Angel Blue and Elizabeth Llewellyn are all superb, singing beautifully and bringing complexity and nuance to the stereotypes of the noble disabled man and the drug-addled loose woman. In my opinion, it really doesn’t matter which pairing is featured in the performance you attend, because all four of these singers are so strong and because no other roles are double-cast.

One of the wonders of this opera is that although the cast is large, Porgy and Bess is a true ensemble work, in which many members of the chorus have solo moments when they become important characters and then

The two threats to Bess’s relationship with Porgy and to her safety in the world are her abusive lover Crown (Lester Lynch) and her drug dealer Sportin’ Life (Jermaine Smith). Lynch does a fine job in his villainous role, and Smith conveys perfectly the charm and vivacity of a slick con man. Smith has played Sportin’ Life in many productions all over the world, and his is a masterful performance. He knows every note of the score and times every flick of his hands and twitch of his legs to coincide with the notes being played by the orchestra.

Speaking of the orchestra, it’s enormous and it sounds terrific. Conductor John DeMain has been conducting Porgy and Bess since 1976, when he advocated successfully for returning it to its operatic roots. Although Gershwin wrote Porgy as an opera, it had been produced exclusively as a musical for 40 years until DeMain presented it at Houston Grand Opera, where he was music director at the time. Since then, he has conducted more than 400 performances of Porgy, and this is the fourth time he will have conducted it for Seattle Opera. It’s an understatement to say that he’s an expert. With all the visual splendors of this

production, an audience member could have enjoyed either performance I attended with eyes closed. Porgy and Bess is a wonderful opera both musically and dramatically, but one that has also been problematic for audiences and casts. As Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor writes in her excellent article in the program, “It’s a source of pride. It’s a source of stereotypes.” On the one hand, this was the first serious opera about African Americans, and the first to be performed by African American singers. In 1935 it was common for black characters in plays and musicals to be played by whites in blackface, so Gershwin’s opera represented a great step forward and a great opportunity for African American singers. On the other hand, the opera was written by white people, and even today, production teams for Porgy are predominantly white. The issue of cultural appropriation arises; and the use of dialect and the assumption that murder, drug-dealing, and domestic violence would have been common parts of a tight-knit African American community cause plenty of discomfort in today’s audiences and casts.

As it did a year ago for Madama Butterfly, Seattle Opera has confronted the problems with Porgy head-on, as an opportunity for audience education. The lobby at McCaw Hall contains a fine display of instructive material, and the Seattle Opera Blog is full of thoughtful, interesting pieces about the history of Porgy and great interviews with African American cast members and other artists and activists (seattleoperablog.com/p/black-voices-inresponse-to-porgy-and.html). In addition, Seattle Opera and Glimmerglass Festival collaborated last month to present an outstanding forum about “equity, diversity and inclusion in opera; how art is produced in an increasingly diversified America; who has the right to tell whose story; and what roles social justice plays within the artistic mission of an opera company.” A video recording of the two-hour forum is available on YouTube, and it is well worth watching. To find it, search for “Breaking Glass” at youtube.com.

CAMERON POST

continued from cover

minded guardians send her off to be a “disciple” at a church-run gay conversion camp to be cured of her same-sex attractions. But at least initially she’s willing to give Reverend Rick (John Gallagher Jr.) and camp director Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle) the benefit of the doubt that they might know what they’re doing, Cameron quickly realizes they’re clearly making these supposed faith-based therapeutic procedures up as she goes along. Making friends with fellow disciples Jane (Sasha Lane) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck), she determines that the only course of action is to remain true to her core beliefs and not give in to the psychological abuse this camp, whether unintentionally or on purpose, is inflicting upon her and the other kids residing there, learning more about what she wants from life on the whole in the process.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is sensational. Based on the novel by Emily M. Danforth, writer/director Desiree Akhavan (Appropriate Behaviour) and co-screenwriter Cecilia Frugiuele have composed a pitch-perfect coming of age tale that oozes empathy and compassion yet still does not shy away from the underlying darkness this collection of gay, lesbian and gender queer teens are being forced to deal with. Yet there is a marvelous depth, an underlying layer of benevolence that permeates this story right to its core, Akhavan bringing everything to life with an effortless grace that never feels heavy-handed or didactic.

Set in 1993, this story might as well be happening right now. The parallels are so obvious they hardly need to be stated out loud. But Akhavan refuses to play up these similarities, instead keeping the focus squarely on Cameron and her journey. She is the one who has to figure out what she wants, the one who must determine which path she is going to walk down and which one she’d rather avoid. Cameron is a teenager dealing with teenage problems and all the baggage that goes along with that, and that’s all on top of coming to grips with the fact she’s attracted to girls instead of boys and a bunch of oblivious adults for some reason feel the need to change that about her.

Moretz has never been better, the Let Me In and Kick-Ass actress delivering a gorgeously understated turn filled with observational nuance. I love the way Cameron always seems to be processing things, how she truly believes, at least early on, that the adults her guardians have chosen to surround her with do have her best interest at heart. Moretz begins to showcase the cracks in this façade slowly and with deliberate gravitas yet at the same time doesn’t shed the accepting demeanor that has allowed her to size up people with unvarnished honesty. She cares for everyone she comes in contact with, even those who do not end up having her best interests at heart, the actress making all of this come to life with minimal body movements and only the subtlest of facial expressions.

No more is this apparent than in a breathtaking scene between Moretz and Gallagher that takes place in Cameron’s dorm room not too long after a terrifying tragedy rocks the camp. Rick is trying to explain to his young charge what it is they are feeling, how important it is they process their emotions together and not succumb to temptation. But the reality is that he’s struggling to process what has happened just as much as anyone, and as she’s sitting there watching him the truth of what is going on hits Cameron with horrified, if still nonplussed, surprise. Moretz and Gallagher are in perfect sync, each playing off the other nicely. What’s most significant is that, as shattering as this realization turns out to be, Cameron still takes the time to show Rick a form of tender compassion that none of the adults, for all their proclamations of looking out for the teenager’s better interests, have ever shown her. It’s breathtaking stuff, this scene the kind of moment I’m going to be happily pondering for the remainder of the year.

But that’s this movie in a nutshell. While the bigger picture is always important, the fact Akhavan and Frugiuele spend so much time dwelling on the quieter and more interior machinations of their story’s inner workings is why it ends up having the gigantic emotional impact it ultimately does. Watching Moretz, Lane and Goodluck hangout, talking about nothing, even though everything of importance is being said, is the crux around which so much of this film’s drama is built upon. It all reminded me of my immediate reaction to watching Stephen Chbosky’s magnificent 2012 adaptation of his own novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time, and it’s safe to say Akhavan’s effort will likely have the same sort of lasting impact and resonating staying power that one has proven to have.

There’s a point where it’s possible to say too much and I don’t want to do that. The simple truth is that there is more happening inside of The Miseducation of Cameron Post than initially meets the eye, its ability to tackle so many varying thematic ideas with such appealingly awkward élan close to incredible. While changes have been made to Danforth’s original prose, the core of the story is every bit as powerful and as authentic here as it ever was in the source material. Akhavan has delivered one of the best films I’ll see in 2018, and I have a sneaking suspicion this is one teenage drama I’m going to be waxing poetic about for many years to come.

Teenage awakening

The Miseducation of Cameron Post director Desiree Akhavan on giving her Gay conversion drama authentic emotional life

by Sara Michelle Fetters

SGN A&E

Writer

THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST

Now playing

Based on the book by Emily M. Danforth, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is one of 2018’s best films. Written and directed by Desiree Akhavan, the story follows the titular orphan after is she is sent by her guardians to attend God’s Promise, a Gay conversion camp whose mission is to help their teenage “disciples” overcome their battle with same-sex attraction and live a more biblical life. Chloë Grace

Moretz portrays Cameron with a level of empathetic specificity that’s astonishing, while Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck add sensational support as two fellow disciples at God’s Promise her character makes almost instantaneous friends with.

The reason the movie works so well is that it never preaches, Akhavan refusing to push any sort of sermonizing agenda while she allows all of the story’s various charac-

ters discover which path they’re most comfortable walking down in as naturalistic a manner as possible. This allows the myriad of emotions lurking at the narrative’s core to speak with authoritative gusto, Cameron’s journey to self-acceptance universally relatable no matter what the viewer’s age, gender, race or background.

I had the pleasure to chat briefly with Akhavan about her film one day before its theatrical release here in Seattle. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

Sara Michelle Fetters: Not only has the film done well during its time out on the festival circuit earlier this year, now that it’s in general release The Miseducation of Cameron Post has been receiving a litany of rave reviews and enthusiastic responses from ticket-buying audiences. I imagine you’re feeling pretty terrific about all of this right about now.

Desiree Akhavan: Thank you for saying that! I feel really grateful. I’m just feeling so grateful right now. It’s surreal. I think every-

see DESIREE AKHAVAN page 8

Sister Act

Aug 17

The Devil Wears Prada Aug 24

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Ever ything! Julie Newmar Aug 31

Hot popcorn, cold drinks, candy, and other concessions for sale on site. Limited lawn chair rentals available.

Devil’s Doorway a darkly unnerving crisis of faith

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer

THE DEVIL’S DOORWAY

Now streaming on-demand

In 1960 Father Thomas Riley (Lalor Roddy) and Father John Thornton (Ciaran Flynn) were sent by the Vatican to investigate and document strange goings on at a Magdalene Laundry in Ireland. The Mother Superior (Helena Bereen) in charge of this home for so-called “fallen women” (i.e., young women and girls who are both single and pregnant) is immediately dismissive of the two men who have entered her dominion and is positive they will not discover anything of interest. Yet both show remarkable persistence to try and learn why so many strange and horrifying things keep happening at the laundry, in the process uncovering a terrifying secret that will lead each of them to question the very fabric of the faith they purport to hold so dear.

Newcomer Aislinn Clarke’s confident and sinister debut feature The Devil’s Doorway is a clever twist on the “found footage” subgenre of horror films, her movie more concerned with her three principal characters and their twisting moral ambiguities than it is with unleashing a bunch of nonsensical cheap scares. Not that the movie isn’t thrilling, the director doing a fine job of delivering the requisite bits of misdirection and visual subterfuge audiences have come to expect from titles like As Above So Below, Paranormal Activity, and The Taking of Deborah Logan that are similar to this one. But Clarke is more concerned with questions of faith, masculinity, and female empowerment than with anything else, and as such her nifty little low-budget shocker digs under the skin in a way that’s far more unsettling than any of the jump scares that are liberally littered throughout her freshman offering.

There is something intriguing about the setup to this story. Father Riley and Father Thornton initially aren’t at this Magdalene Laundry to investigate any sort of reported wrongdoing. Instead, it’s a miracle they’ve been asked to chronicle, the statues of the Virgin Mary inexplicably crying tears of blood for no apparent reason. It’s not until they’ve begun their task, interviewed the Mother Superior, and spoken with a few of the various girls and nuns in the laundry that they start to suspect there’s something even more unnatural taking place. Once the visions of ghostly children playing ominous games of hide-andseek begin, all bets are off, especially when they end up leading the two men to a pregnant young woman seemingly imprisoned in the bowels of the laundry.

Clarke allows her film to take its time, the conversations between the two priests covering a massive amount of territory and, in the process, delicately revealing various character complexities giving each man additional layers of depth. As

for the Mother Superior, it’s obvious she’s not exactly the paragon of virtue and pious faithfulness one hopes a woman who has devoted her life to serving the tenants of her professed religion would be. Yet there is something about the way in which Clarke and her co-writers Martin Brennan and Michael B. Jackson have constructed the character that is uncomfortably fascinating, and it’s clear the director doesn’t want this nun to come off as merely a second-rate Nurse Ratched.

The overall excellence of the core trio of actors goes a long way toward helping the director keep her focus on the characters and their journey, rather than any pointless sequences of shock and awe. Bereen has a focused intensity that had me on pins and needles whenever she was a part of a scene, while Flynn’s instinctive introspection allows the inquisitive Father Thornton to be a nice counterpoint to Father Riley’s grizzled, world-weary indifference to the job the pair have been sent out to accomplish. But it is Roddy as that latter character who is the reason this movie ends up having such an affecting emotional core. His faithfueled battle, especially as he takes in the various human, non-supernatural horrors of what is happening inside the Magdalene Laundry, has a knowingly withered complexity that’s deeply compelling. Roddy is excellent, the Grabbers and “Game of Thrones” actor delivering a transformative performance that I couldn’t help but respond to favorably.

Things do eventually follow genre convention, right down to the pair of Fathers having to climb through fissures in the earth into darkened catacombs where claustrophobic fear-induced paranoia is par for the course, but not before an unforeseen twist into The Exorcist territory with that discovery of the pregnant girl in the laundry’s basement. A lot of this is pretty standard stuff, and Clarke doesn’t veer too far off of a relatively familiar path. Still, Lauren Coe delivers a suitably creepy performance as the cellar-dwelling mystery girl, while an important scene involving Roddy and Bereen dealing directly with her and why she is being confined crackles with sinister electricity.

It all culminates as expected, and I can’t say Clarke manages to maintain tension and suspense for all of her debut’s brief 77 minutes. But it isn’t like the stuff in those underground catacombs fails to startle, and I really do like the fact that this film is more about characters dealing with a crisis of faith, and how organized religion tends to minimize women to the point their innate human rights are systematically erased, than it is anything else. The Devil’s Doorway is a thought-provoking descent into spiritual madness and mayhem, and I can’t wait to see what the talented Clarke might have hiding in the deviously dark corners of her imagination next.

Atmospheric Our House built on interesting characters and frustrating genre clichés

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer

OUR HOUSE Now playing

After his parents die in an auto accident, brilliant electronics student Ethan Lightman (Thomas Mann) puts college on hold to become the adult caregiver to younger siblings Matt (Percy Hynes White) and Becca (Kate Moyer). While making sure the day-to-day drudgery of everyday life, like doing homework and taking out the trash, is accomplished , Ethan still feels compelled to continue research into a machine he hopes will revolutionize how people power their homes. But instead of working as designed, turns out his invention is far more powerful in a way he could never have anticipated. Somehow, this device has paranormal abilities, and soon the spirits of the trio’s dead parents are apparently attempting to interact with them from beyond the grave.

Based on the 2010 film Ghost from the Machine, writer Nathan Parker (Moon) and director Anthony Scott Burns’ Our House is a slick reinvention of filmmaker Matt Osterman’s indie shocker that makes up in visceral intensity and emotional nuance what it lacks in originality. It’s a fast-paced, character-driven thriller that, while not nearly as scary as it could have been, managed to grab hold of my attention fairly easily. I was intrigued as to how Ethan and his siblings were going to solve this supernatural mystery, and while the answers weren’t surprising they were still just good enough to keep me pleasantly satisfied for the majority of the film’s brief 91-minute running time.

I honestly liked how mundane much of the first half of the film is. Ethan is forced to become an adult far sooner than he thought he was going to have to, putting his own dreams on hold in order to take care of his brother and sister. In turn, Matt and Becca aren’t always sure how to relate to him. Is

he still their brother? Is he their new parental guardian? All three are forced to figure things out as they go along, hitting a variety of roadblocks along the way as they also attempt to process their grief. All of this gives the film a heartfelt human element that I found crushingly effective, this emphasis on the relationship between all of the Lightman kids allowing the more suspenseful aspects of the story to have an extra unsettling kick they otherwise wouldn’t have had.

What doesn’t work is the film’s final 15 minutes. It’s not exactly a shock to discover the spirits conjured up by Ethan’s machine aren’t all benevolent. It’s equally obvious that at least a few of the ghosts whispering silently to Matt and particularly to Becca might not always have their best interests at heart. When things go crazy the answer to the supernatural riddle vexing the Lightman clan is pretty easy to solve, even with odd Insidious meets The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo twists concerning their home’s troubled history which happens to include an unsolved mystery involving a missing girl and some rather convenient extra square footage in the basement that wasn’t in the original building plans. It’s

standard stuff, and Burns has trouble doing much that’s all that unique or unexpected with any of it, and as such tension and suspense are diluted quite significantly.

Even with this being the case, I enjoyed Our House. As I’ve already stated, I couldn’t help but respond to the film’s emphasis on the emotional interactions of the three siblings. There is a realistic, lived-in complexity to their dynamic that augments the inherent drama of their situation, and because of this I genuinely cared whether or not they were going to survive. Burns, working as his own cinematographer, shoots things with a naturalistic simplicity that’s striking, the use of natural light adding a layer of mystery that likely wouldn’t have existed otherwise.

As far as performances go, Mann is in full Me and Earl and the Dying Girl mode with a dash of the flippant uncertainty of his Kong: Skull Island helicopter pilot thrown in for good measure. Some will find that combination of character traits to sound intriguing while others will likely want to run screaming in the opposite direction of whichever theatre this film happens to be showing in. As I liked Mann’s performances in both those efforts I thought he

was just fine here as well, and even if the actor isn’t noticeably challenging himself I still think he anchors the major dramatic moments with a determined confidence that felt unforced and natural. White and Mayer are also good, the former in particular, while Robert B. Kennedy is suitably unnerving as the Lightmans’ next door neighbor who has suffered his own recent tragedy, a misfortune that will revisit him thanks to Ethan’s little invention.

I can’t help but wish that Parker and Burns had spent as much time on the paranormal aspects of this tale as they did the familial ones, and as strong as the latter aspects might be the unexceptional routine inevitability of what is going to happen to the Lightmans does get frustrating at a certain point. The lack of tension, no matter how technically proficient the film on the whole might prove to be, is a major stumbling block, as is the throwaway role as Ethan’s questioning girlfriend, rising star Nicola Pelz, is tasked with portraying, all of which makes it hard for me to recommend this one, even to genre fanatics, with anything close to enthusiasm.

But I still enjoyed Our House, all of those various issues notwithstanding. It has heart. It has notable style. It puts its characters first and worries more about their development than it does the central complexities and machinations of its ghostspawning sci-fi MacGuffin. Burns showcases raw, imaginative talent behind the camera and Parker, much like he did with Moon, composes characters for a relatively benign and intellectually unthreatening genre programmer and makes them more emotionally complex than initially meets the eye. Even with all its faults I still liked this movie enough that I’d happily watch it again, the Lightman family’s paranormal exploits just interesting enough to make going to a matinee screening or renting it via VOD moderately worthwhile.

Incomprehensible Slender Man a supernatural missed opportunity

by Sara Michelle Fetters

SGN A&E Writer

SLENDER MAN Now playing

Four Massachusetts teenage girls, Hallie (Julia Goldani Telles), Wren (Joey King), Chloe (Jaz Sinclair) and Katie (Annalise Basso), get together for a night of clandestine drinking while talking about boys, school and their future plans. Bored, they overheard a rumor earlier in the day that their guy friends were going to get together later this evening in order to summon the mysterious Slender Man. Deciding to investigate this urban legend for themselves, they stumble upon an Internet site that claims to have posted the ritual that will allow curious youngsters to contact this ethereal supernatural being. They perform the ceremony thinking that doing so will only be a harmless bit of spooky fun, never considering that Slender Man might be real. But after Katie mysteriously disappears into the woods during a school outing it begins to appear that

this urban legend might not be so fictional after all. Soon each of the girls is experiencing various forms of psychological trauma spurred on by visions of an obscenely tall faceless man dressed in a three-piece suit with squid-like arms outstretched to embrace them. With Chloe’s sanity hanging by a thread and Wren madly researching Slender Man’s origins in hopes of stopping him from stalking her or her friends, Hallie isn’t as quick to believe what’s happening isn’t just some fanciful flight of their combined terrified imaginations.

Based on a creature and a mythology dreamt up by Eric Knudsen in 2009, Slender Man is as gigantic a missed opportunity as anything I’ve seen in ages. Director Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard, The Losers) and writer David Birke (Elle, 13 Sins) have crafted a motion picture that’s never as interesting as it wants to be and does a poor job of maintaining tension and suspense throughout the majority of its 93-minute running time. While the opening half hour introducing the four main characters and setting up the supernatural scenario is solid, the film grows to be less and less interesting as it goes along. The midsection is particularly ponderous, while the climax is a mishmash of unfinished ideas and incoherent storytelling that left a bad taste in my mouth. It doesn’t work, and what should have been an unsettling journey into the petrifying unknown instead becomes a tedious exercise in genre futility the less said about the better.

In all fairness, there are reports that White and the studio didn’t see eye-to-eye

in regards to the finished film, and there are moments where it feels as if this one had been edited together with a jackhammer and not with any sort of eye for detail. This is especially true during the last third, the climactic showdown seeming to come out of nowhere, while an entire subplot devoted to Hallie’s younger sister Katie (Annalise Basso) doesn’t make a lick of narrative sense. Wren, who in many ways is the one driving the plot forward as the only person who seems to realize the girls needed to start fighting back against Slender Man right from the get-go, remains a frustrating enigma, making choices for inane reasons that are maddening in their grotesque stupidity. As for the ending, it’s nothing more than fogdrenched visual misdirection coupled with some eerie sounds of the outdoors that all add up to zero, and even a creepy image of the titular demon embracing his chosen prey wasn’t enough to set my pulse racing beyond what would be construed as normal.

I don’t get the online video that assists the girls in their summoning of Slender Man. It’s as if White and Birke had recently watched Gore Verbinski’s 2002 version of The Ring and thought to themselves the one thing their film was missing was a retro bag of creepy visual weirdness so they threw some in just for the heck of it. They also can’t seem to get a firm grasp on who or what their titular character is, almost as if they like the idea of Knudsen’s creation even if they never had the first clue as to how to effectively utilize him. While I liked the allusions to H.P. Lovecraft, this super-

natural boogeyman is still too ephemeral to be threatening, the few scares that are generated due more to Luca Del Puppo’s (Emelie) cinematography, Jeremy Woodward’s (Thoroughbreds) production design and Brandon Campbell (The Thinning) and Ramin Djawadi’s (Iron Man) effectively discombobulating score than they are because of anything character-driven or emotionally substantive.

Rising star Telles, known for her work on television appearing in “Bunheads” and “The Affair,” does her best to turn in a complex performance, and for a little while I thought she was going to give viewers a reason to watch this misfire all on her own. But while she does far more for the film than it in turn does for her, after the opening act Hallie’s refusal to take seriously the paranormal undertones of what is going on becomes more than a little silly. Still, Telles gives it her best shot, and her emotional commitment to her character is undeniably laudable.

I honestly can’t say I hated Slender Man It is well cast and, as already mentioned, is really well shot by Del Puppo. But the inherent creepiness of the titular character never resonates and as such there are precious few scares. Even if this isn’t the film White and Birke set out to make I’m still at a loss to figure out what the pair could have done differently in order to make their horror entry even moderately worthwhile. This is nothing more than a forgettable disappointment, Knudsen’s creation deserving of a better cinematic debut than this sadly turns out to be.

1533 13th Ave. - 323-1525

SEATTLE

BATHS

SEATTLE

BATHS

CLUB Z - (men)

1117 Pike near Boren - 622-9958

HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women)

CLUB Z - (men)

SW corner of Pike & 11th

1117 Pike near Boren - (206) 622-9958

HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women)

(stairs behind Wildrose) - 568-3240

SW corner of Pike & 11th

STEAM WORKS - (men)

1520 Summit - 388-4818

(stairs behind Wildrose) - (206) 568-3240

STEAM WORKS - (men)

1520 Summit Ave - (206) 388-4818

RESTAURANTS & BARS

88 KEYS - 315 2nd Ave. S. - 839-1300

BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - 625-4444

RESTAURANTS & BARS

THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE

2328 E. Madison St. - 323-1098

88 KEYS - 315 2nd Ave. S - (206) 839-1300

C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE

BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - (206) 625-4444

1701 E. Olive Way - 726-0565

THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE

2328 E. Madison St. - (206) 323-1098

RETAIL SHOPS

DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - 322-1080

GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - 324-2577

BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - (206) 328-2914

HOT MAMA’S PIZZA - 700 E. Pine St. - 322-6444

CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17

JAZZ ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. E. - 441-9729

JULIA’S - 300 Broadway Ave. E. - 860-1818

1017 E. Pike St - (206) 204-0126

KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - 682-2935

DOGHOUSE LEATHERS

MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - 325-6537

1312 E. Pike St. - (206) 257-0231

NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - 324-5358

EMERSON SALON - 909 E. Pike St. - (206) 323-7437

OUT WEST - 5401California Ave. SW

FANTASY UNLIMITED

2027 Westlake Ave. - (206) 682-0167

THE PINE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - 588-0375

POCO WINE ROOM

1510 1st Ave - (206) 624-1784

1408 E. Pine St. - 322-9463

HASHTAG - 3540 Stone Way N - (206) 946-8157

POKE BAR - 1542 12th Ave - 402-5178

HERBAN LEGENDS - 55 Bell St - (206) 849-5596

HERB(N) ELEMENTS

PONY - 1221 E. Madison St. - 324-2854

PURR - 1518 11th Ave. - 325-3112

11013 Lake City Way NE - (206) 535-8769

LAUGHING BUDDHA TATTOO

R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - 322-8828

RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - 233-9873

ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - 420-3214

1534 Broadway - (206) 329-8274

NEW YORK EXCHANGE

THE CANTERBURY - 534 15th Ave. E. - 322-3130

CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD

CAPITOL CIDER - 818 E Pike St. - (206) 397-3564

C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE

2103 N. 45th - 545-8363

1701 E. Olive Way - (206) 726-0565

SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591

225 Broadway E. - (206) 726-3300

SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - 441-5449

STOUT -1530 11th Ave - 397-3825

ONYX LEATHER

TOULOUSE PETIT

1605 12th Ave. #8 - (206) 328-1965

THE CRESCENT - 1413 E. Olive Way - 720-8188

THE CANTERBURY

THE CUFF COMPLEX

534 15th Ave. E - (206) 322-3130

CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD

2103 N. 45th - (206) 545-8363

THE CRESCENT

1413 E. Olive Way - (206) 720-8188

THE CUFF COMPLEX

1533 13th Ave. - (206) 323-1525

DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - (206) 322-1080

GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - (206) 324-2577

HOT MAMA’S PIZZA

700 E. Pine St. - (206) 322-6444

JAZZ ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. E - (206) 441-9729

JULIA’S - 300 Broadway Ave. E - (206) 860-1818

KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - (206) 682-2935

THE LUMBER YARD

9619 16th Ave. SW - (206) 695-2007

MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - (206) 325-6537

NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - (206) 324-5358

OUT WEST

5401California Ave. SW - (206) 937-1540

THE PINE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - (206) 588-0375

POCO WINE ROOM

1408 E. Pine St. - (206) 322-9463

POKE BAR - 1542 12th Ave - (206) 402-5178

PONY - 1221 E. Madison St. - (206) 324-2854

QUEER BAR - 1518 11th Ave - (206) 687-7491

R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - (206) 322-8828

RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - (206) 233-9873

ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - (206) 420-3214

SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - (206) 621-7591

SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - (206) 441-5449

STOUT -1530 11th Ave - (206) 397-3825

TOULOUSE PETIT

601 Queen Anne Ave. N - (206) 432-9069

UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - (206) 325-6492

UNION - 1318 E. Union St. - (206) 328-1318

WILDROSE - 1021 E Pike - (206) 324-9210

ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS 9614 14th Ave SW - (206) 763-1347

OZ - 3831 Stone Way N - (206) 251-0630

601 Queen Anne Ave N - 432-9069

UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - 325-6492

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHOP

4411 Wallingford Ave. N. - (206) 535-6920

PANACHE - 225 Broadway E. - (206) 726-3300

RUCKUS - 1465 E Republican St - (206) 257-4805

TABOO ADULT VIDEO

9813 16th Ave SW - (206) 767-4855

TRUE LOVE ART GALLERY & TATTOO

1525 Summit Ave. - (206) 227-3572

UNDER U 4 MEN

709 Broadway Ave. E - (206) 324-6446

UNCLE IKE’S

2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

501 15th Ave E - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

9822 15th Ave SW - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

WILD AT HEART

1111 NW Leary Way - (206) 782-5538

BELLINGHAM

LOVER'S 193 Telegraph Road - (360) 752-1862

RUMORS CABARET

1119 Railroad - (360) 671-1849

DES MOINES

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 2 21635 Pacific Hwy S - (206) 878-7780

SECRETS 22862 Pacific Hwy S - (206) 878-8480

EVERETT

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 11732 Airport Road - (425) 290-7555

LOVER’S - 112 SE Everett - (425) 353-3607

LOVER’S - 3402 Broadway - (425) 252-8754

KENT

WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210

ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS

5633 Airport Way S - 466-5954

9614 14th Ave SW - 763-1347

LOVER’S - 25801 104th Ave. SE - (253) 852-1720

RETAIL

SHOPS

THE FANTASY SHOP 604 Central Ave. S - (253) 850-8428

CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17

NASHVILLE’S SPORTS BAR (Drag Shows) 114 - Railroad Ave. N - (253) 852-0909

1017 E. Pike St - 204-0126

DOGHOUSE LEATHERS

LA CONNER

1312 E. Pike St. - 257-0231

EMERSON SALON - 909 E. Pike St. - 323-7437

HASHTAG - 3540 Stone Way N - 946-8157

THE HERON INN & WATERGRASS DAY SPA

NEW YORK EXCHANGE

225 Broadway E. - 726-3300

117 Maple Ave. - (877) 883-8899 info@theheron.com

ONYX LEATHER - 1605 12th Ave. #8 - 328-1965

OZ - 3831 Stone Way N - 251-0630

PANACHE

OLYMPIA

225 Broadway E. - 726-3300

DARBY’S CAFE

RUCKUS 1465 E Republican St. - 257-4805

THE FANTASY SHOP 9630 16th Ave. SW - 762-3299

211 5th Ave. SE - (360) 357-6229

TABOO ADULT VIDEO 9813 16th Ave SW - 767-4855

LOVER’S 3959 Martin Way E, Suite D - (360) 456-7300

JAKES - 311 4th Ave. E - (360) 956-3247

TOYS IN BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - 328-2914

UNDER U 4 MEN

PORT ANGELES

709 Broadway Ave. E. - 324-6446

MAPLE ROSE INN 112 Reservoir Rd - (800) 570-2007

UNCLE IKE’S 2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

501

SPOKANE

ANDY’S - 1401 W. 1st Ave. - (509) 747-0304

THE BLIND BUCK

BELLINGHAM

204 N. Division St. - (509) 343-9425

LOVER’S

GLOBE BAR AND KITCHEN

204 N. Division St. - (509) 443-4014

NYNE BAR AND BISTRO

232 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 474-1621

DES MOINES

EVERETT

KENT

LA CONNER

TACOMA

OLYMPIA

PORT

SPOKANE

TACOMA

Meetings Events Activities

TO GET A CALENDAR LISTING: To have your meeting or event considered for the Community Calendar, please mail, fax, or drop off details to: SGN, Attn: Community Calendar, 1707 23rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98122. SGN phone: (206) 324-4297. E-mail: sgn2@sgn.org.

INCLUDE: Date, time, location, contact phone # for publication (if possible), brief description of event & sponsoring organization. DEADLINE: Tuesday 5pm. ACCESSIBILITY: Is your event accessible to LGBTQ people with visible or hidden disabilities? See Jean’s List webpage www.scn.org/activism/calendar/disabilities. html for Marla Nonken’s disabilities accommodations lists.

NOTE: 10-digit dialing has come to the Seattle area. The (206) area code must now be used to dial local calls. Location of meetings/events is in Seattle unless otherwise noted.

SATURDAY - August 18

Positively Living Coffee Social. 9:30am-12 noon. Cupcake Royale, 1111 E Pike St. Every Saturday. Casual social get-together for the HIV community. Anthony, 206-957-1600. Sponsored by LIfelong. “All Things Japanese” Sale. Sat: 10am-4pm, Sun: 11am-2pm. Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington, 1414 S Weller St. Large rummage sale featuring Japanese items including artwork, dolls, furniture, fans, clothing, accessories, plush toys, jewelry, books, and more. Free admission. Volunteer opportunities are available and donations of Japanese items for the sale are gratefully accepted. For info call (206) 568-7114 or email savorgino@jcccw.org.

Cultural Health and Wellness Festival at Othello Park sponsored by NW Black Pride. 11am-6pm, Othello Park, 4351 S Othello St. Hosted by comedian Flame Monroe with special guest Diamond St. James. Also featuring Amora Dior Black, D. Dynasty, Klass’N’Sass, Klimax, and “Love and Hip-Hop” star Bobby Lytes. Free and VIP ($45) tickets at www.nwblackpride.org.

Rainbow Walk for LGBTQ Elders 50+ - Green Lake Walk. 12 noon-1pm. 7201 E Green Lake Dr. N. Every Saturday - Come Rain or Shine! - Meet at the Wading Pool (along the north end of the lake). Hot coffee and beautiful Rainbow umbrellas to use “just in case.” For info, call (206) 393-3400;. Wheelchair-friendly walk. Sponsored by Generations Aging With Pride. PNW G/B/Q Longhaired Men. 2pm. Locations vary. Check the website or call for details. An informal social group for longhairs, growers, longhair admirers & their friends. We gather for brunch on the 3rd Saturday each month to socialize, chat & often go out afterwards for coffee or some activity. Please join us! For information & to RSVP: www.longhair.shorturl.com

Seattle Prime Timers Annual Picnic. 3pm. Lower Woodland Park Shelter #5. RSVP to Dan Frickell by Thursday, August 16 with your choice of grill items - meat or veggie hamburgers and/or hot dogs. - (206) 2276513 or frickelldaniel@gmail.com. Bring a potluck dish to share. This is one of our biggest events of the year. More information at seattleprimetimers.org

Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 9am. Greenlake (outside Evans Pool). Every Saturday. GLBT running & walking club sponsors weekly runs, monthly potlucks, track & field activity, annual Run With Pride. (206) 4488518. www.seattlefrontrunners.org.

Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 6pm-12 midnight. Call for location & details. Every Saturday. (253) 671-2838. www.oasisyouthcenter.org.

(Also Thursdays & Fridays 4-10pm.)

All White Affair sponsored by NW Black Pride. 10pm-1:30am. Seattle Airport Marriott, 3201 S 176th St, SeaTac. Come in your finest threads. Bring out your diamonds and pearls. Dance party social with signature cocktails. Dress to impress. $15. 21+ with ID. www. nwblackpride.org.

SUNDAY - August 19

Center for Spiritual Living. 8:25, 9:45, 11:30am. 5801 Sand Point Way NE. Blessings & we hope to see you soon! (206) 527-8801 ext 203, www.cslseattle.org

Ravenna United Methodist Church. 8:30am “Seattle’s most dangerous Sunday school” - 9:45am Worship. 5751 33rd Ave NE. A reconciling congregation, fully inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ persons. (206) 525-7988. Seattle Unity Church. 9am & 11am Sunday Services.

200 8th Ave N. “Come join our Gay & Lesbian-friendly, spiritual family at Seattle Unity Church. Our mission is to bring love, miracles & spiritual awakening into everyday life!” (206) 622-8475; www.seattleunity.org.

Gay Men’s Bowling in Everett 9:30am. Glacier Lanes, 9630 Evergreen Way, Everett. Every Sunday. Spectators welcome. Join us for lunch afterwards! Sponsored by the Snohomish County Gay Men’s Task Force. For info email John at johndmarsh@mac.com; www.gaysnohomish.org

Tacoma First United Methodist Church. 9:30am Worship, 11am Adult Education. 423 Martin Luther King Way, Tacoma. This reconciling congregation welcomes with warm hands, warm hearts & open minds GLBT persons seeking a spiritual home. (253) 627-0129, www. fumctacoma.org

University Lutheran Church. 9:30am Worship, 10:30am Coffee Fellowship, 11am Adult Forum & Education Hour. 1604 NE 50th St. All are welcome. We choose love. (206) 525-7074. universitylutheranseattle.org

community calendar

Baha’i Prayer & Fellowship Circle. 10am. Pearl Warren Bldg, 606 12th Ave S. Meets 3rd Sunday each month. Share prayers, readings, thoughts & music. All backgrounds, all faiths welcome. (206) 391-2188.

Central Lutheran Church. 10am Worship. 1710 11th Ave (just north of E Pine St). An open & affirming church, which in Lutheran churches is called “Reconciled in Christ.” “We seek to share God’s love with all people regardless of race, age, gender or sexual orientation.”

All are welcome. (206) 322-7500.

East Shore Unitarian Church. 10am Sunday Service. 12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue. An open & affirming congregation. (425) 747-3780.

Plymouth Church United Church of Christ. 10am Workship. 1217 6th Ave. Love your (LGBTQ) neighbor as yourself. (206) 622-4865, plymouthchurchseattle.org

Queen Anne United Methodist Church. 10am Worship. 1606 5th Ave W. (206) 282-4307.

University Congregational United Church of Christ. 9am all ages education; 10am Worship. 4515 16th Ave NE. UCUCC is an open & affirming congregation. (206) 524-2322; www.universityucc.org.

Wallingford United Methodist Church. 10am Worship. 2115 N 42nd St. A progressive congregation. In 1984

Wallingford UMC became the 9th reconciling Methodist church in the U.S. (206) 547-6945.

All Pilgrims Christian Church. 10:30am Worship. 500 Broadway E. Come as you are. All are welcome. A congregation of the Disciples of Christ & the United Church of Christ. (206) 322-0487, www.allpilgrims.org

Ethyl Forever Car Club, Pacific NW Region Lambda Car Club Monthly Tire Kick/Social. 10:30am. Randy’s Restaurant, 10016 E Marginal Way S (south of the Museum of Flight). Meets 3rd Sunday each month. This monthly informal auto enthusiasts event starts with breakfast at this location with a show & tell and continues to a chosen point of interest. Open to all LGBTQ persons & friends who have an interest in the automobile, not just collector or performance vehicles. ethylforever@hotmail.com

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church. 10:30am Worship. 1501 32nd Ave S. Great music. Dynamic preaching. Holy communion. Encountering the transformative and unconditional love of God in Christ. Join us! www. stclementseattle.org

Seattle Sunday Bowling. 10:30am. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW (at SW Oregon St). Open bowl every Sunday for the GLBT community & friends. You don’t have to worry about how you bowl! $6.50 + $3 shoe rental. (425) 785-4729.

Welcome Table Christian Church. 9:45am Meditation; 10:30am Worship; Labyrinth 2nd Sundays 1-4pm. 1322

S Bayview St. Where people of all genders and sexualities, and families of all shapes & sizes are welcome and celebrated. A welcoming and affirming community since 1987. welcometablecc.org

Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation. 10:30am. 7141 California Ave SW. (206) 935-0418, office@wsuu.org, www.wsuu.org

“All Things Japanese” Sale. 11am-2pm, Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington, 1414 S Weller St. (See Saturday listing 10am for more details.) Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle. 11am Worship. Chapel at University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 NE 43rd St. MCC is a progressive Christ-centered faith community committed to providing a nurturing environment for individual & community growth thru Jesus Christ while celebrating unity in diversity. MCC is Seattle’s oldest Gay-friendly church. (206) 325-2421, www.mccseattle.org.

Meditation for GBT Men. 11am-1pm. Cal Anderson House, 400 Broadway. Suitable for beginning & experienced meditators. Sponsored by Dharma Buddies. Contact Forrest Rode, (206) 920-6117, or Doug Allison, doug.l.allison@gmail.com. Find us under “Dharma Buddies” under Meetup.com or DharmaBuddies.org.

(Women are invited to contact our sister meditation group at www.LotusSisters.org.)

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. 11am Worship. 6512 12th Ave NW. An “open & affirming” congregation. “We celebrate our diversity in religious background, sexual orientation, race, age & abilities.” (206) 783-6733; www.stpauluccseattle.com.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. 11:15am (also 7:30am, 9am, 5pm). 15 W Roy St. We are an accepting, progressive, Anglo-Catholic parish, renewing its people for their Christian lives in today’s world through worship, spiritual formation, engagement in the arts, and acts of compassion. www.stpaulseattle.com

Holy Covenant International Christian Community Church. 12 noon. 4525 19th Ave NE. Outreach to the LGBT community. holycovenantccc@gmail.com

Just for Today (NA). 12-1:15pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Sunday. Drop-in 12-step Narcotics Anonymous group open to anyone in recovery. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12 noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E #201, O’Neil Room. MEETS DAILY (except Saturday). Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is a 12-step/12- tradition-oriented fellowship of men and

women who share their experience, strength and hope to overcome sex and love patterns of addiction. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Paths to Recovery Al-Anon Family Group. 12-1:30pm. Seattle University Student Center, 901 12th Ave, Room 122. Every Sunday. LGBTQ supported. The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives & friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength & hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness & that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number (206) 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org

Rainbow Walk for LGBTQ Elders 50+ - Green Lake Walk. 12 noon-1pm. 7201 E Green Lake Dr. N. Every Sunday (See Saturday listing at noon for complete details.) Sponsored by Generations Aging With Pride. Ecumenical Church Service sponsored by NW Black Pride. 2pm-3:30pm. Liberation Ministries, 832 32nd Ave. An LGBTQIA-based interfaith worship service. Hosted by Living Waters International Church and Liberation Ministries. Sponsored by NW Black Pride. www.nwblackpride.org.

Orca Swim Team Workout. Sun: Afternoon; Mon/ Weds/Fri: Evenings; Tues/Thurs: Mornings. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. Pre-registration required. Orca Swim Team workouts are for both competitive & recreational swimmers. www. orcaswimteam.org

“Pear-a-dise” at Garden House. 2-6pm, Garden House Pear Orchard, 2336 15th Ave S. The Garden House’s historic pear trees are loaded. Come share in the harvest! “Pear-a-dise” features free all-you-can-carry pear picking, pear-based dishes and recipes, pear crafts, pear games, and other pear-related fun plus house tours and music by Cantatorum, a 10-voice women’s ensemble. Sponsored by Beacon Arts. Information at www.beacon-arts.org.

Rain City Soccer Club - Kickabout. Sunday afternoon usually at 3pm. Location varies. Join us for Seattle’s mostly-weekly mostly-LGBTQ pickup soccer game. We play an organized, 2-hour scrimmage on nice fieldturf surface. Sometimes there is a brief training/practice session before we play. Usually there is a “one-beer” after the scrimmage. To sign up visit www.raincitysoccer.org

Seattle Poly Potluck & Discussion Group. 5-8pm. (contact for new location) Meets 3rd Sunday each month. For people interested in polyamorous, open, and ethically non-monogamous relationships. $5 donation; please bring a potluck dish. This event is open to the public. Look for us on Facebook or Meetup. Shame to Grace (SAA). 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Sunday. Sex Addicts Anonymous is a fellowship of men & women who share their experience, strength & hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction & help others recover from sexual addiction or dependency. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828, SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Integrity/Puget Sound. 7pm Worship & Fellowship. St. Mark’s Cathedral, Thomson Chapel, 1245 10th Ave E. Integrity is an international ministry of Gay & Lesbian Episcopalians, their friends & families, dedicated to education, support & service within the Church & the GLBT community. (425) 226-2746.

Return of The WIZ: Emerald City Mini-Ball Party sponsored by NW Black Pride. 8pm-10pm. R Place, 619 E Pine St. Tickets: $5-$10. www.nwblackpride.org Noche Latina - Latino Night. 10pm. Capitol Lounge, 916 E Pike St. Every Sunday. Go-go dancers at 10:30pm; drag show at midnight. 21+ ID required. $10 cover. Co-sponsored by Entre Hermanos.

MONDAY - August 20

Rainbow Walk for LGBTQ Elders 50+ - Volunteer Park Walk. 12 noon-1pm. 14th Ave E & E Prospect St. Every Monday - Come Rain or Shine! - Meet at Black Sun sculpture across from museum. Hot coffee and beautiful Rainbow umbrellas to use “just in case.” For info, call (206) 393-3400;. Sponsored by Generations Aging With Pride.

SLAA New Beginnings: 12 Steps of SLAA. 12-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201, in the O’Neill Room. Every Monday. SLAA step-study meeting starting with Step One in “A Gentle Path.” The meeting is open to anyone interested in doing 12-step work. No matter where you are in the steps, or if you haven’t begun, feel free to join us. Books, paper, and pens provided. You need only bring your willingness to grow!

SOBER On Meds. 1-2pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Monday. 12-step group open to anyone in recovery & living on a medicine regimen. (206) 3222437; www.sasgcc.org

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 2-3:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www. strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437. Seattle Women’s Commission Meeting. 5:30-8pm. Municipal Bldg, 600 4th Ave Rm 221. Meets 3rd Monday each month (except December). SWC is a 20-member volunteer advisory board that advises the Mayor, City Council, & all City of Seattle departments on matters concerning women & women’s rights. Meetings open to the public. (206) 684-4537. Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

PFLAG/Kitsap County (Bremerton) Monthly Meeting. 6-7pm. Kitsap Pride, 532 5th Ave #20, Bremerton Meets 3rd Monday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses & families of GLBT persons, as well as those minorities. www.kitsappflag.org and on Facebook. kitsappflag@yahoo.com. (888) 636-0652. PFLAG/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724.

Freely Speaking Toastmasters. 7pm. Seattle Unity Church, 200 8th Ave N. Every Monday (except holidays & the last Mondays in August & December). Seattle’s only LGBT speaking club. www.FreelySpeaking.org

PFLAG/Everett (Snohomish County) Monthly Meeting. 7pm. Stillaguamish Public Meeting Room #1, Robert J. Drewell Bldg., 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. Meets 3rd Monday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses & families of GLBT persons, as well as those minorities. www.pflageverett.org; PFLAG/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724.

Trans Youth Group. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. A chance for youth to talk with others about their experiences & concerns related to identifying as Transgender. www.lamberthouse.org

Lambert House Art Night. 7:30-9:30pm. 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. Bring your ideas & let’s have some fun. (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org

Destiny/Unity AA Meeting in Tacoma 7:30-8:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma. Every Monday. LGBTQ-friendly AA meeting. (253) 474-8897. (Also meets Fridays.)

Washington Gender Alliance Support Group Meeting in Shoreline 7:30pm. Center for Human Services, 17018 15th Ave NE, Shoreline. Every Monday. www. washingtongenderalliance.com

TUESDAY - August 21

Orca Swim Team Workout. Morning. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

LGBTQ+ Group. 1:15-2:15pm. Orion Center, 1828 Yale Ave. Every Tuesday. A group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 & their allies. Sponsored by Youthcare. (206) 622-5555.

Rainbow Walk for LGBTQ Elders 50+ - Alki Beach Walk. 2-3pm. 61st Ave SW & Alki Ave SW. Every Tuesday - Come Rain or Shine! - Meet at Statue of Liberty statue. Hot coffee and beautiful Rainbow umbrellas to use “just in case.” For info, call ((206) 393-3400;. Wheelchair-friendly walk. Sponsored by Generations Aging With Pride.

LGBTQ Questioning & Allied Youth Drop-in Group in Renton 6-8pm. Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS), 1025 S 3rd St, Renton. Every Tuesday. Confidential. Snacks provided. Bring friends or come alone - anyone 12-18 is welcome. Questions? Call Sarah Hardin, (425) 271-5600 ext 155, or email sarahh@rays.org Seattle Police Department LGBTQ Advisory Council Monthly Meeting. 6-8pm. Seattle Police Department East Precinct Community Meeting Room, 12th Ave & E Pine St. Meets 3rd Tuesday most months. An opportunity for the GLBT community to speak openly with the SPD to dialog on public safety issues, plan officer training on sexual-minority topics, suggest ways to improve communications & procedures, explore protection strategies to minimize Gay-bashing incidents, & address other related concerns. The Sexual Minority Community Advisory Council has been established by the SPD to increase relationships & communication between the community & the SPD. Members of the GLBT community are invited to attend. kim.bogucki@seattle.gov

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www. strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437. Diverse Harmony. 6:30-9pm. Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave. Every Tuesday. Diverse Harmony is the nation’s first Gay/Straight Alliance Youth Chorus. Youths ages 13-22 are welcome regardless of sexual orientation. www.diverseharmony.org Seattle Tennis Alliance Summer Social Doubles. 6:30-8:30pm. Lower Woodland Tennis Courts, 5773 W Green Lake Way N. Most Tuesdays & Thursdays. Courts #5, 6, 7 & 8. June-August. Weather permitting. Pre-pay online if possible. seattletennisalliance.org

No Man’s Land - For Female-Identified Youth, Ages 22 & Under. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Tuesday. Topics range from family issues to school happenings to like/lust/love relationships. All Queer females welcome. Come discuss how smart. strong Queer women live their lives. (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org Tuesday Night Sex Addicts Anonymous (GLBTQI). 7-8:30pm. All Pilgrims Christian Church, 500 Broadway E (enter at 509 10th Ave E; buzz in, Colonial room). Every Tuesday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women whose primary purpose is to stop addictive sexual behavior & help others recover from sexual addiction. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828. SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. Different Drummers. 7:15-8:30pm. Every Tuesday. Hand drumming classes for Gay men. It’s easy, it’s fun & anyone can do it! Learn traditional African & AfroCaribbean rhythms & basic hand drumming techniques. Experience connection, community & spirituality. Drums are provided. For info & location call Dennis at (206) 363-4500 or www.outdrum.com

Men’s Discussion Group. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Tuesday. Peer group for Gay & Bi men. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Here & Now Gay & Lesbian AA Meeting in Tacoma 7:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma. Every Tuesday.

community calendar

Spiritual Empowerment. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th

Ave E, Suite 201. A vibrant drop-in workshop for those of any spiritual belief. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Seattle Poetry Slam. Doors 8pm, Show 8:30pm. Rebar, 1114 Howell St. Every Tuesday. A spoken word poetry event that features a weekly open mic, feature poet, and slam (poetry competition). Come out and express yourself. LGBTQ- & QTPOC-friendly; all genders welcome. $5. 21+. seattlepoetryslam.org

WEDNESDAY - August 22

Mature Friends Walk Around Greenlake. 11am. Meet up at 10:50am with a group of older men gathered at the north end of the parking lot that is next to the boathouse along the southwest side of Greenlake. Every Wednesday. Walk around Greenlake followed by lunch at a local restaurant. www.maturefriends.org

Mature Friends Dining Out Luncheon. 12 noon. Roosters Restaurant, 611 Broadway E. Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesday each month. Just drop in - no RSVP required. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends.org

Rainbow Walk for LGBTQ Elders 50+ - Volunteer Park Walk. 12 noon-1pm. 14th Ave E & E Prospect St. Every Wednesday. (See Monday listing at noon for complete details.) Sponsored by Generations Aging With Pride. True Colors: Connecting LGBTQ Teens in Shoreline 4-5pm. Every Wednesday. Discussing your important issues, building a supportive community. For information, location & to REGISTER call Lindsay Bagley (206) 362-7282 x 8018 or email lbagley@chs-nw.org

Positively Living. 5-7pm. Lifelong, 1016 E Pike St., 3rd Fl. Every Wednesday. Social and support group for the HIV community with various topics for discussion and conversation. Anthony, 206-957-1600. Sponsored by Lifelong.

GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): A Support Group for GLBTQ+Youth (14-20) serving Snohomish County & surrounding communities. 6-8pm. Phone or email for location. Every Wednesday. Sponsored by PFLAG Everett. Brenda, (425) 263-2908. globeleaders@hotmail.com

Queer Seattle Book Club. 6pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E (upstairs). Every Wednesday. This month’s title is “My Ex-Life: A Novel” by Stephen McCauley. https://faculty. washington.edu/swittet/SGLBookClub/ Lotus Sisters Meditation & Dharma DiscussionNorth. 6:15-8pm. Ravenna Bryant neighborhood. Every Wednesday. Call (206) 525-7295 for location. www. LotusSisters.org.

Center for Spiritual Living. 6:30pm-Meditation, 7pmService. 5801 Sand Point Way NE. Blessings & we hope to see you soon! Info (206) 527-8801 ext 203, www.cslseattle.org

Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 6:30pm. Volunteer Park, 14th Ave E & E Prospect St. Every Wednesday. Meet at Black Sun sculpture across for museum. (See Saturday at 9am.)

Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Ingersoll All-Trans Drop-In Support Group. 7-9pm. Seattle Counseling Services, 1216 Pine St, Suite 300. Every Wednesday. All Transgender, Gender Variant, Gender Queer, Gender Questioning, allies, family & friends are welcome. This is a drop in group to get & give support, social interaction & information for the whole Gender community. No fee, donations welcome. www. ingersollcenter.org

Mature Friends Weekly Bridge Group. 7pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, lower level of Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnywide Ave N. Every Wednesday. All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www. maturefriends.org

SEAMEC Monthly Meeting. 7pm. 1605 12th Ave, Suite 21. Meets 4th Wednesday each month. SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www. voteseamec.org

Washington Gender Alliance Open Support Meeting in Everett 7:30-9pm. Everett United Church of Christ, 2624 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. Every Wednesday. Trained peer facilitators lead a structured support meeting helping people deal with issues of gender identity & expression. All adults are welcomed, including those who are questioning, allies, or identify as FTM, MTF, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex, among others. (360) 445-2411; www.washingtongenderalliance.com.

THURSDAY

- August 23

Orca Swim Team Workout. Morning. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Capitol Hill Tree Walk. 10:30am-12 noon, meet at corner of E Prospect St & Harvard Ave E. Explore the amazing trees of Capitol Hill with “tree ambassador” Julianne, and learn about the trees’ origin and functionality in Seattle’s urban canopy. LGBTQ-friendly, disabled-friendly event sponsored by City of Seattle/ Trees for Seattle. RSVP to TreeAmbassador@seattle. gov. More information at www.seattle.gov/trees/events. html or (206) 615-1668.

Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.) Monthly Lunch Get-Together. 12 noon. Ballard NW Senior Center, 5429 32nd Ave NW. Meets 4th Thursday each

month. Look for the A.B.L.E. sign on the table. We are Lesbians, 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of this group is to connect, socialize, and support each other. We have been meeting since 2015. The purpose of this group is to connect, socialize, and support each other. The group hosts evening potlucks, outings and get-togethers. Cosponsored by Puget Sound Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. (PSOLOC).

Safe and Sober (AA). 12 noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

BABES Women’s Support Group/Lunch Meeting. 12 noon-2pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. The BABES Network is a peer led agency; a sisterhood of women facing HIV together. (206) 720-5566 or 888-2921912; www.babesnetwork.org.

Rainbow Walk for LGBTQ Elders 50+ - Green Lake Walk. 12 noon-1pm. 7201 E Green Lake Dr. N. Every Thursday. (See Saturday listing at noon for complete details.) Sponsored by Generations Aging With Pride. Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Thursday. (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org (Also Fridays 4-10pm & Saturdays 6pm-12 midnight.)

B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group). 6:30-8pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. Sponsored by Youth Eastside Services, which offers many programs for GLBT youth. (425) 747-4937.

Seattle Tennis Alliance Summer Social Doubles. 6:30-8:30pm. Lower Woodland Tennis Courts, 5773 W Green Lake Way N. Most Tuesdays & Thursdays. Courts #5, 6, 7 & 8. June-August. Weather permitting. Pre-pay online if possible. seattletennisalliance.org

Boys Group - For Male-Identified Youth, Ages 1422. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Thursday. Youth take the opportunity to talk about issues that relate to their everyday lives, with the facilitation of a male volunteer. (206) 322-2515 ext 16. www. lamberthouse.org

Buddhism & Recovery. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. A meditation/recovery group. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Gay Fathers Association of Seattle. 7:30-9pm. Group Health, 201 16th Ave E, Central Bldg, Lower Atrium. Every Thursday. Support meetings for Gay fathers & Gay men who are currently or previously married. Safe, anonymous, non-judgmental environment of caring fathers & friends. You are not alone. For information, community events & “questioning” visit www.gfas.org or our message board at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/ gayfathersseattle

Gay Male Sexuality & Relationships. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. Ongoing support group open to Gay and Bisexual men. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org [NOTE: Please contact the facilitator prior to attending.]

Styx in Concert. 8pm, Tulalip Amphitheatre, 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd, Tulalip. One of the best-loved rock bands of the ’70s and ’80s plays live under the stars. Tickets start at $70 and are available at https://bit.ly/2Ifu85q. More information: www.tulalipresortcasino.com or (360) 7166000. (Coming Sept. 8: Dwight Yoakam & Joe Nichols.)

FRIDAY - August 24

Ageless in Recovery (AA). 12 noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Friday. A drop-in AA group for 55+. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Rainbow Walk for LGBTQ Elders 50+ - Kubota Gardens Walk. 12 noon-1pm. 9817 55th Ave S. Every Friday - Come Rain or Shine! - Meet at the corner of 55th Ave S and Renton Ave S. Hot coffee and beautiful Rainbow umbrellas to use “just in case.” For info, call (206) 393-3400;. Wheelchair-friendly walk. Sponsored by Generations Aging With Pride. Road to Recovery (SLAA). 12 noon-1:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Friday. Ongoing 12step group for sex and love addicts. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Friday. (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org (Also Thursdays 4-10pm & Saturdays 6pm-12 midnight.)

LGBTQ & Allies 18+ Free Friday Night Drop-In Volleyball. 6-7:45pm. Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E. Every Friday. 206-684-4753. Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www.strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437; www. sasgcc.org

Game Night. 7pm-11pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Friday. Card games, board games and fellowship. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Lambert House Queer Movie Night. 7-9:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Friday. Lambert House is a nationally-recognized activities & resource center for GLBT & questioning youth, ages 14-22. (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org

Rain Country Dance Night. 7-11pm, lessons at 7:15pm. The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave. An evening of country-western dancing for the LGBTQ community. FREE. www.raincountrydance.org.

The Ultimate Lip Sync Battle. 7pm. The Lumberjack Bar, 9619 16th Ave SW. $5 to sing; $5 to force a friend to sing. It’s not as easy as it looks. Whoever collects the most tips wins each round. Proceeds benefit the J.C./ Lady Graytop Memorial Scholarship Fund. Complete details at Imperial Court of Seattle Facebook page. Destiny/Unity AA Meeting in Tacoma 7:30-8:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma. Every Friday. LGBTQ-friendly AA meeting. (253) 474-8897. (Also meets Mondays.)

LGBT Friday Night Al-Anon Family Group. 8-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201 - in the O’Neill Room. Every Friday. (See related listing Sunday at noon for details.) Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number (206) 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org; (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Outdoor Cinema: “The Devil Wears Prada.” 8:40pm (time approximate), Cal Anderson Park, 11th Ave & E Olive St (SE corner of park). Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep star in this madcap satire of the fashion industry. Subtitled. Free; arrive early to get a good spot. Blankets and low-back chairs welcome; refreshments available. FREE. www.threedollarbillcinema.org.

SATURDAY - August 25

(See previous Saturday for ongoing activities.)

SUNDAY - August 26

(See previous Sunday for ongoing activities.) No Safeword Writers Group. 1pm. See website for location. Meets 2nd & 4th Sunday each month. NSWG exists to provide mutual support for members’ efforts. Support is in the form of critique & commentary on each other’s work, information about publishing opportunities, & discussion of issues facing writers. NSWG’s primary focus is erotic writing - but they welcome anyone who writes. The only requirements are to write, to attend, & to be respectful. For info & location, www.nosafewordwritersgroup.org

Seattle Prime Timers Rap Group. 1:30-3pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E #201. Meets 4th Sunday each month in the Ian MacKintosh Room. This month’s topic: What is the Key to Your Survival? www.seattleprimetimers.org

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, (206) 279-8169.

American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html

BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org.

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org

Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount Vernon) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook.

COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities - www.colage.org

Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994.

DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). (206) 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest. org

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, (206) 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Networksupport & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, (206) 568-7777 (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce County Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence Unit, (206) 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911 Report domestic violence and sexual assault. Equal Rights Washington - (206) 324-2570; www. equalrightswashington.org

Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.org

Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, (206) 860-6969. www.gaycity.org

Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country.

Generations Aging With Pride empowers elder LGBTQ adults to live with pride and dignity by promoting, connecting, and developing innovative programs and services that enhance belonging and support, eliminate discrimination, and honor the lives of older members of our community - (206) 393-3400; gapseattle.org

GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org

Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - (206) 363-9188; www.thegsba.org

HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979. Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com

Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse. org LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - (206) 250-5002; LGBTMSConnection@gmail.com. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org Lion’s Main Art Collective - www.lionsmain.org

MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.com; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples. org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www.seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www.tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org.

Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com

Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org

Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly. org

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) making a difference within local companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Xerox. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org

PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State: www. pflagwsc.org.

PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle, www.utopiaseattlewa.org; VietQ Greater Seattle, vietqorganization@gmail.com

Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Pride Lives - www.facebook.com/PrideLives/

Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with metham-

community calendar

phetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org

Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx

Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - (206) 682-6711; www.q-law.org

Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - (206) 235-7235. Queer Geek! - queergeekseattle.org

Rainbow Center - Resource Center for Tacoma/Pierce County LGBTIQA community. Through education, advocacy and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources, and safe space for the LGBTQIA community. Sponsors Tacoma Pride Festival. (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org

Safe Schools Coalition - www.safeschoolscoalition. org; (206) 451-SAFE; (206) 451-7233.

SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www.voteseamec.org

Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences. (206) 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network - BiSeattle.wixsite. com/SBWN and on Facebook.

Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. (206) 323-1768.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503. www/ seattle.gov/lgbtq Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org

Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov

Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - (206) 860-3666; www.theabbey.org

Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays.

(425) 339-5298.

South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.SouthSoundQCal.com Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net

SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club: www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flag Football: www.cascadeflagfootball.org; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby.com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball. org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www.puddletownsquares.org; Rain City Soccer: www.raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance.org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefrontrunners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www. seattlegaybasketballassociation.com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam.org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www. seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@aol.com, www. teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www.theprideleague. com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, (206) 367-4064, www.teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@ camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org, 1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934. Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www.

rainbowcntr.org

TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www.SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity: www.genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born Support Group: (206) 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: (206) 329-6651, www. ingersollcenter.org; Lion’s Main Art Collective: www. lionsmain.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/Olympia-Trans-DiscussionGroup/262449878114; [trans] ACTION: Trans* & Gender Non-Conforming Sex Workers’ Support Group - a safe, peer-led space. mail@utopiaseattle.org; TRANSform Washington: transformwashington.com; Trans Resource & Referral Guide: kctransguide.org; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www. washington genderalliance.com

WOMEN: Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.): We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS) - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Coming Out Women Support Group of Tacoma: www. comingoutwomen.org; Festival of the Babes: www. festivalofthebabes.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Puget Sound Old Lesbian Organizing for Change: http:// psoloc.org, (253) 777-3357; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol. com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle. wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www. sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.) YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, in Seattle, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way; (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www. llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace.com; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www.mockingbirdsociety.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www. oasisyouthcenter.org; OUT There Adventures: www. outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/Puget Sound: (206) 3257724, www.seattle-pflag.org; Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets (PSKS) Drop-In Center & Young Adult Shelter: 1609 19th Ave @ E Pine St., (206) 7268500; www.psks.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www.pizzaklatch.org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup - Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www. facebook.com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS): LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth drop-in group, ages 12-18 - Sarah Hardin, (425) 271-5600, ext 155; sarahh@rays.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

20 [HEALTH & WELL-BEING]

ENERGY/BODYWORK

TIDY'S LANDSCAPING & HAULING

We Do - All Types of Yard Work, Hauling, Gutter Cleaning, Demolition, Etc....Free Estimates. Call 206-3548949 For More Info & To Schedule Appointment. 34/3.

Therapeutic massage. 30 years experience. Relaxation, major/minor injuries, chronic muscle pain. Small Ballard home office/studio. Massage table or massage chair. Convenient parking. (I’m a Gay-friendly straight male graphic artist, web author.) First session 50% off = $45/1.5 hours (travel extra). By appointment only. References available. Chris Pringer, Reiki Master, 206-286-0899. If you get a voice message mentioning “extension #,” please hang up and call back again; otherwise, please leave a message. Brochure, testimonials, etc. via chalicebridge.com/BMI-Brochure. html. 44/21

21 [LICENSED MASSAGE - NON-SEXUAL]

ENJOY A SOOTHING MASSAGE Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports, and Hot Stone Massage on Capitol Hill. $65 an hour. Jeff, LMP. 206-6500542; rjeffa@hotmail.com; www.broadwaymassage. com. 29/3

PETS OF THE WEEK

Adoption Center

Sunday – Wednesday | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

13212 SE Eastgate Wy, Bellevue, WA 98005 (425) 649-7563 | adoption@seattlehumane.org

Is your life missing a furry friend? Now is the perfect time to open your world to a pet in need. Coldwell Banker’s Homes for Dogs program with Adopt-a-pet.com has helped place 20,000 dogs into homes across the country. Could your place be the next happy ending for a pet in need? Make your house a home by visiting the shelter and bringing back the pet of your dreams.

Adoption Special:

Clear the Shelters Day

Saturday, August 18

Animal lovers all across the nation will join together on August 18 for “Clear the Shelters” day. Join the movement by adopting a pet at Seattle Humane. “Name your price” adoption fees are available one day only – August 18 – on the pet of your dreams! Find your perfect match at seattlehumane.org or in person at the shelter in Bellevue!

EXCEPTIONAL BODYWORK

Given by highly trained LMP. I specialize in injury treatment, acute, chronic, and repetitive stress motion. I have a studio on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Insurance accepted. Matt Shafer, LMP, 206-2357766. 41/12

22 [FOR SALE] 33 [WOMEN]

LOOKING FOR bisexual female, 18-25, who would like to travel to live in New York state. Looking for friend with benefits. Must be honest, easy going, and no drama. Leaving Seattle August 22. Call me 310-595-6749. Shaylee. 32/1

37 [BODYWORK]

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GREAT MASSAGE

Given by highly-trained, clean-cut, handsome guy. I have two private studios, one on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Call/text Matt, 206-235-7766. In/ out calls. 41/12

Nina

Meet Nina, a 10-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Mix who loves her people. Nina came to us from another shelter when they ran out of room. She also spent some time in one of our loving foster homes after Nina had a dental and our vets checked her over. She has plenty of pep in her step but we have we found that Nina is deaf. Nina was an excellent companion in her foster home, happy to hang out with her people and up for any adventure. She is great with new people, children, chasing a ball, and meeting other friendly dogs. If you are looking for a new furry best friend, Nina is ready for anything you can suggest. Come meet this charming little gal today at Seattle Humane.

Nina has been spayed, microchipped, vaccinated and behavior tested. She will go home with a certificate for an examination by a King County veterinarian and an identification tag. PLUS, most dog adoptions include 30 days of pet insurance from Trupanion and six weeks of training in one of our on-campus dog behavior course – a great way to start off on the right paw!

Bangalee

This adorable 4-month-old fellow is Bangalee! He's a unique-looking black kitty sporting a grey tail and cute paws that look like mittens. Bangalee is also very energetic and loves to play with toys, but finds the most joy in tumbling with his littermate. He does take a little more time to get used to human interaction, but when he gets to know his human friend he's open for pets. Is Bangalee the cute little firecracker you want in your life? Meet him today at Seattle Humane – you'll fall in love at first site.

As with all of our cats, Bangalee has been neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and behavior tested. He will go home with a certificate for a complimentary veterinary examination and an identification tag. PLUS, most cat adoptions include 30 days of pet insurance from Trupanion - a great way to start off on the right paw!

38 [MEN]

RAIN CITY JACKS

RCJ is Seattle’s private club hosting hundreds of group jack-off events since 2005. Hot, friendly, and genuine male bonding for men 18+ only. Email or visit our web site for information. info@raincityjacks.org; www. raincityjacks.org. 30/12

FREE & ANONYMOUS HIV & STD COUNSELING/TESTING Walk-In or by Appt GAY CITY HEALTH PROJECT 517 E. Pike St. M-F: 3pm-8pm; SAT: 12:30pm-5pm More Info & to Schedule Appt 206-860-6969