SGN Aug 30, 2019 - Part 1

Seattle Gay News

ELIZABETH WARREN IN SEATTLE

Log Cabin Republicans lose executive director after endorsing Trump

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Losses continue for the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) in the wake of their endorsement of Donald Trump’s re-election. The latest to flee their ranks is their

executive director, Jerri Ann Henry. She quit August 26. Henry had been executive director of the group for less than a year. She told NBC News that she would not issue a statement

Pioneering report exposes global reach of so-called conversion therapy

NEW YORK (August 22, 2019) – A groundbreaking report released by OutRight Action International today exposes the global reach of so-called conversion therapy. Drawing on data from survey results with almost 500 respondents from 80 countries, and in-depth interviews with

experts and survivors from more than a dozen countries, the report overwhelmingly shows that so-called conversion therapy efforts occur across the world and are predominantly promoted and perpetrated

Labor Day special feature: a list of union-made beers

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The Labor Day picnic is a traditional and beloved end-of-summer event, and no part of the event is more beloved than icecold beer. So if you like a beer or two – or more – on Labor Day, why not get into the spirit of the occasion and buy union-made beer?

Our community’s history with union beer goes all the way back to 1973, when Harvey Milk teamed up with the Teamsters to boycott Coors beer – then an anti-union and anti-Gay company. Now you can enjoy union-made Coors with a clear conscience, knowing they treat their workers, including LGBT ones, as well as any employer in the industry.

Here’s a short list of beers and ales made by members of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), United Autoworkers (UAW), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), and International Union of Electronic Workers-Communication Workers of America (IUE-CWA).

Not only do these unions represent expert beer-makers, canners, bottlers, and beer truck drivers but they are among the most progressive, pro-LGBT unions in the country.

• Budweiser

• Coors Light

• Sam Adams

• Shock Top

• Rolling Rock

• Red Stripe

• Miller Genuine Draft

• Beck’s

• Henry Weinhard’s

Want some grilling items to go with your beer? Here’s a list of union-made and union-packed hotdogs, burgers, and other items:

• Ball Park franks

• Butterball turkey tenderloins, drumsticks, burgers, and franks

• Dearborn Sausage Company

• Empire Kosher chicken and turkey

• Farmer John

• Foster Farms poultry

• Hormel beef, pork and chicken franks

• Omaha Steaks

• Sara Lee buns

• Oroweat buns

Snow emergencies will now mean free Metro transit

[On Wednesday, August 28] the Metropolitan King County Council approved legislation sponsored by Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles that would waive enforcement of Metro transit fares when Metro activates its Emergency Snow Network to encourage people to use transit and avoid driving during severe snowstorms.

Metro customers will be able to ride without paying the transit fare while the Emergency Snow Network is in effect. The legislation increases accessibility of Metro transit service for those experiencing homelessness in need of shelter and encourages all residents to avoid driving during severe snowstorms.

“Like our policy of free fares on New Year’s Eve, this legislation is about promoting safety,” said Kohl-Welles. “It will encourage people to stay off the roads and get to where they need using a safer mode of transportation – regardless if they have an Orca Card or enough money to pay the fare.”

The measure was proposed earlier this year by Kohl-Welles in response to a massive storm that devastated roads and highways across the region in February and became known as “Snowmaggedon.” This

Governor appoints J. Manny Santiago as executive director of Washington State LGBTQ Commission

The possibilities are endless. For the first time, the LGBTQ community will have a full-time voice in Olympia, and a direct line, which leads to the Governor’s Office. GSBA was proud to have had a leading role in creating our first-ever Washington State LGBTQ Commission and we were honored to be part of the early selection process for an executive director. In the end, it was the Governor’s decision and we think his choice of J. Manny Santiago is outstanding.

Manny has done an incredible job in his role as executive director of the Rainbow Center in Tacoma. Given that our LGBTQ community members in rural Washington are often underserved, Manny’s background coming from rural Puerto Rico and

being bilingual, will provide a bridge and bring more visibility to the needs of our community in eastern Washington. In addition, Manny’s ministerial experience opens up new connections to faith-based communities throughout the state.

Manny has a wealth of experience in facing and addressing barriers and discrimination, whether in a coastal city, a small town, or in more rural areas. From his lived to his learned experiences, we are fortunate to have the leadership of Manny Santiago as our new executive director for Washington state’s first-ever LGBTQ Commission.

Reprinted with permission from GSBA’s August 26 e-newsletter.

by Tim Peter SGN Contributing Writer

State Rep. Laurie Jinkins, Democrat of Tacoma, is the new Speaker of the state House of Representatives; she is the first female and first LGBTQ person to be hold the office. She replaces Rep. Frank Chopp of Seattle who stepped down as speaker after a quarter century; he remains an active member of the House. According to the Washington state constitution, acting Speaker John Lovick (D-Mill Creek, 44th District) will continue serving as acting speaker until the start of the next legislative session, which convenes on January 13, 2020.

Jinkins represents the 27th Legislative District in Pierce County. When she’s not serving in the legislature, she is also Deputy Director of Tacoma-Pierce County Public Health. Before winning election in 2010, she served in the state Department of Health as Assistant Secretary. Additionally, she earned a law degree from Seattle University.

“Jinkins started her career litigating child abuse and neglect cases for the state Attorney General’s Office,” according to her website, www.lauriejinkins.com. “She then shifted her career toward public health, eventually serving as an assistant secretary of health at the state Department of Health before taking the position of interim director, deputy director and director of organizational development at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, where she continues to serve.”

She has worked hard for social justice issues in Washington state. She advocated for a woman’s right to choose (whether or not to have an abortion); worked to end domestic violence, promoted immigration reforms and living wages for all. In 2009, she co-chaired the state’s Referendum 71 campaign regarding domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. (In 2012, Ref. 74 was approved by the voters to provide for samesex marriage in the Evergreen State.)

She is currently chair of the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee and sits on the House Appropriations and Health Care & Wellness Committees. Several bills which she worked on were signed into law: reducing medical debt bankruptcies, expanding access to life-saving drugs to chronically ill patients, and a first-in-the-nation Long-Term Care Trust Act. She has devoted much of her legislative career to improving Washington’s behavioral health system.

Following her election as Speaker she said, “I first ran for public office because I wanted to make sure all families have the same opportunities for success. Washington continues to rank among the top states to live, work, and do business in large part due to the forward-thinking policies adopted by the Legislature over the last twenty years. We made sure all kids have access to health care regardless of family income. We have some of the best colleges and universities in the nation. And we support families by embracing marriage equality, paid family leave, equal pay, and many other polices. I want every family to have the same opportunities my family has had, and that vision will be the guiding force during my service as speaker.

“I thank my colleagues for their confidence. This will be the most challenging job I’ll ever have, but I am humbled and buoyed by the support of members of this caucus. For 20 years, we’ve worked together to improve quality of life on behalf of the people of Washington and House Democrats are committed to continuing that work for communities and families all across the state.”

Jinkins lives in Tacoma with her wife, Laura Wulf, and their 18-year-old son. They married in 2013, just a few months short of their 25th anniversary.

Fun in the sun at 5th Annual Alki Beach Pride 2019

On Sunday, August 25, Alki Beach was a happening place with attendance that doubled compared to last year for the 5th Annual Alki Beach Pride.

Event founder and organizer, Stacy Bass-Walden, along with her wife and cofounder and organizer, Jolie, were dancing while hosts Briq House and CarLarans introduced Seattle drag star, La Saveona Hunt, along with Izohnny, Kristy Stray, and the returning former American Idol contestant, DeAndre Brackensick (w/JRoQ).

Alki Beach Pride also had karaoke and twerking contests, but the highlight for me was when DeAndre mentioned that since coming out last year he has moved to New York and has a boyfriend. When he said that he came out a year ago in the Seattle Gay News, the crowd roared with “wow!” and delight. It was truly an afternoon to remember.

Photos by MK Scott

GSBA takes Tampa by storm: GSBA members & staff thrive at NGLCC Conference

The stars aligned for GSBA at the 2019 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference in Tampa, Florida [August 13-19, 2019]. What an honor to be recognized with awards in multiple categories before over 1,400 LGBTQ-owned business, chamber, and corporate leaders from around the globe who gathered for the largest LGBTQ business event in the world.

GSBA Members Elise Lindborg of Brand|Pride and Marti Hoffer of lumenomics were among four finalists selected to make their “pitch” at the Shark Tank-style LGBT Biz Pitch Competition. After delivering her innovative and powerful pitch, Marti won the competition for lumenomics, taking home $50,000 in cash and prizes.

But that’s not all: GSBA was thrilled

to receive both the Chamber Excellence Award and cheer on Ilona Lohrey, VP of Membership & Programs, who received the Supplier Diversity Champion Award for her outstanding supplier diversity program.

GSBA was also joined by Members Eli Allison of Repair Revolution and Chantel Jackson of Thyme Well Spent, who were this year’s Wells Fargo Fellows, receiving

an all-expense paid trip to the conference. It’s both an honor and a responsibility to be recognized by one’s peers, and all of us who attended the NGLCC Conference are more committed than ever to the economic empowerment of our community.

Reprinted with permission from GSBA’s August 19, 2019 e-newsletter.

GSBA and Ventures take aim to elevate LGBTQ Communities of Color, Transgender, and

other Gender Diverse Business Owners

The organizations are launching a small business incubator program

Entrepreneurs and budding small business owners face a labyrinth of obstacles beginning the first day of their business. These obstacles can become insurmountable for entrepreneurs from LGBTQ POC, transgender, or gender diverse communities. Barriers, including lack of access to capital, new-business resources, and a network of experienced mentors, can often make or break a new business in the first three years.

GSBA, Washington state’s LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce, and Ventures have partnered to create the first small business incubator designed specifically to support LGBTQ POC, transgender, and gender diverse business owners in the Pacific Northwest.

“We know many small businesses succeed or fail in their first year of doing business. We also know that economic disparities are greatest among LGBTQ POC and transgender communities, including new entrepreneurs. We believe that strong and vibrant diverse businesses build strong and vibrant diverse communities,” said Louise Chernin, President & CEO of GSBA.

As part of the incubator, participants will receive a free first-year membership to GSBA, along with a consultation with GSBA VP of Membership & Programs, Ilona Lohrey, to help new business owners maximize the benefits of membership. They also will receive bi-weekly mentorship sessions while enrolled with Ventures’ course from a GSBA staff member or business mentor. Participants will have access to the GSBA Business Empowerment Workshop Series, fees waived for LGBTBE Certification, and will receive a certificate for completing the Ventures Business Basics Program.

“Ventures has helped entrepreneurs launch more than 2,500 businesses with

proven courses, tools, and resources to see new business owners succeed. We focus on supporting women, people of color, immigrants, and individuals with low income. Our ultimate goal is to support individuals to increase their income potential, achieve long-term financial stability, provide for

their families, and enrich their communities through small business ownership,” said Beto Yarce, Executive Director of Ventures.

The GSBA and Ventures Small Business Incubator Program will officially launch on Friday, August 30 at 10am, with a KickOff Celebration at Landscapes Café (2901

Western Ave.) in the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. A small program will begin by 10:15am with comments from previous Ventures graduates, GSBA President & CEO Louise Chernin, and Ventures leadership. This event is open to the public, new business owners, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and press are encouraged to attend. Applications for the GSBA and Ventures Small Business Incubator Program will be found online on August 30 – https:// bit.ly/2zwJlwf

GSBA is Washington State’s LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce, and the largest LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce in North America. They represent over 1,300 small business, corporate, and nonprofit members who share the values of advancing equality and diversity in the workplace. For more about GSBA, visit theGSBA.org.

Ventures is a Seattle-based nonprofit that empowers aspiring entrepreneurs with limited resources and unlimited potential. They provide access to business training, capital, coaching, and hands-on learning opportunities for entrepreneurs. They serve those in the community for whom traditional business development services are out of reach, with a focus on women, people of color, immigrants, and individuals with low income. Their ultimate goal is to support individuals to increase their income potential, achieve long-term financial stability, provide for their families, and enrich their communities through small business ownership. For more about Ventures, visit VenturesNonprofit.org.

Courtesy of the GSBA

explaining her decision to quit.

Henry’s name did not appear alongside those of LCR board members Robert Kabel and Jill Homan in the Washington Post op-ed announcing the group’s endorsement of Trump. The Log Cabin Republicans declined to endorse Trump in 2016.

Other former LCR members said Henry’s resignation indicated how deeply divided the group had become.

“To see her leave really shows how serious of a blow the organization has taken,” said Jordan Evans, town constable of Charl-

ton, Mass., and the first openly transgender Republican elected official in the US. “Jerri Ann was brought on to bring the group to a new direction, so that’s really telling.”

Evans had already announced her own departure from the LCR in a scathing op-ed for the LGBTQ magazine The Advocate. Jennifer Horn, a former board member, and Robert Turner, the former president of the LCR’s DC chapter, have also denounced the Trump endorsement and left the group.

Other Log Cabin members defected in the wake of Henry’s resignation.

For example, Casey Pick, who served as the LCR’s programs director from 2010 to 2013, wrote in a Facebook post that

even though she began distancing herself from the group after the 2012 election, she decided to give it another chance after Henry was brought on board as executive director.

“I was hopeful that despite watching the organization’s slide toward Trump apologism under Gregory T. Angelo [the group’s former president], their hiring a skilled and principled operative like Henry meant the organization would finally be able to again be a conscience this party needs,” Pick wrote.

“I publicly celebrated her hiring, and encouraged my peers in the LGBT advocacy community to give the LCR another shot, knowing that a vibrant and effective

Log Cabin could be a godsend during a Trump/Pence administration.”

But Henry’s “hands have been tied,” Pick complained. The group “increasingly fulfills the stereotypes that used to be hurled at Log Cabin Republicans: overwhelmingly gay men who are indifferent to the experiences of women, transgender Americans, or LGBT people who lack the financial or social resources to protect them from the discrimination that they so often deny even exists,” she charged.

“Don’t call me a Log Cabin Republican,” she wrote at the conclusion of her post.

HRC denounces Trump nominee’s anti-LGBTQ remarks on Matthew Shepard

WASHINGTON, DC (August 23, 2019) –Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to news that Steven Menashi, Trump’s nominee for the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, has a history of hateful, disturbing writings that render him unfit to be an impartial federal judge tasked with protecting the rights and civil liberties of all. In one piece, Menashi explicitly diminishes the hate that led to the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard.

“Nominating a person who has exploited and downplayed the murder of Matthew Shepard to a lifetime seat as a federal judge is offensive and appalling and yet another low point for the TrumpPence White House,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “At a time when violence and discrimination against LGBTQ people other marginalized communities is on the rise in this country, the last thing we need is another judicial nominee who does not recognize LGBTQ people as people worthy of basic respect and protection under the law. Steven Menashi is not fit to serve on any judicial bench, much less a court one step down from the Supreme Court. He should withdraw, and if he doesn’t, he should be rejected by the Senate.”

Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked in Laramie, Wyoming, in an anti-LGBTQ hate crime on October 6, 1998, and died from his injuries six days later. Just months before Matthew was murdered, James Byrd, Jr., a black man, was beaten by a group of white supremacists, tied to the back of a pickup truck and dragged three miles before dying. After their murders, both families became tireless advocates for a federal hate crimes

law. Their work led to the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Action (HCPA) in 2009.

The Anti-Violence Project reported an 86% increase in hate violence-related homicides of LGBTQ people between 2016 and 2017. Last year, at least 26 transgender people – mostly black women – were killed. So far in 2019, there are reports of at least 16 transgender people who have been killed.

Currently, 32 states lack statutes that include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics under

state hate crimes prevention laws. Not only is further progress needed in state legislatures, it’s essential that Congress take action to ensure that training and data collection around all hate crimes is mandatory, not voluntary.

In the wake of Shepard’s death, his parents founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which seeks “to erase hate by replacing it with understanding, compassion and acceptance [and]…through local, regional and national outreach…empower individuals to find their voice to create change and

challenge communities to identify and address hate that lives within their schools, neighborhoods and homes.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. The HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

Courtesy of the HRC

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Anal-sex bishop in trouble with the law

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Greek Orthodox bishop Neophytos Masouras, who made headlines earlier this summer with his claim that people become Gay people because their mothers had anal sex, is in trouble with the law.

Cyprus, the country where the bishop holds office, is a member of the EU and therefore has laws on the books prohibiting hate speech and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Police in Cyprus are now working with the country’s attorney general to determine whether Neophytos’s comments could be classified as hate speech.

Several Cypriot government officials have called out the bishop’s remarks for being “insulting” and “injurious.”

In July, the bishop attended a public event where he shared his theory about how people become Gay.“It follows an unnatural sexual act between the parents,” Neophytos said. “To be more clear, anal sex.”

He went on to say that “when the woman enjoys that, a desire is created, and then the desire is passed on to the child.”

The bishop was – of course – widely mocked for his little talk. Things only got worse for him when he apparently forged a letter of support from 38 international academics.

The letter appeared on the church’s website shortly after the bishop’s speech and was signed by professors in fields ranging from dentistry to economics at universities in Greece, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, and the United States.

“ The Bishop of Morphou gave a possible scientific explanation of homosexuality without offending individuals,” the let-

OUTRIGHT

by people acting in the name of religion or pseudo–health care, often instigated by family pressure.

“Conversion therapy” is the most widely used term to describe practices [of] attempting to change, suppress, or divert one’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It is also called reorientation therapy, reparative therapy, reintegrative therapy, or, more recently, support for unwanted same-sex attraction or transgender identities. The practices vary due to religious, cultural, or traditional contexts and range from overtly physically violent, such as electroshock or “corrective rape,” to psychologically abusive, such as isolation or psychiatric hospitalization, or more subtle forms of talk therapy or group therapy. Practices can also be religiously based, including extensive prayer, fasting, and spiritual rituals.

But regardless of the form they take or the name attributed, so-called conversion therapy practices are not a recognized form of therapy and certainly do not result in conversion. In fact, such practices cause deep, lasting trauma that affects every realm of life.

OutRight’s study found that:

• The main perpetrators and advocates of “conversion therapy” are people acting in the name of religion or pseudo–health care, with LGBTIQ individuals often coerced or pressured by family.

• A third of the people who responded to this study who experienced so-called conversion therapy sought it out themselves.

• While they may vary due to religious, cultural, or traditional norms and contexts, “conversion therapy” practices never work; instead, they cause deep, lasting trauma.

• The persistence of “conversion therapy” is directly related to societal beliefs about LGBTIQ people and the degree to which our lives are deemed unacceptable within families, faiths, and societies at large.

ter stated. “For the church, all individuals are pictures of Christ therefore holy and beloved. Sin, however, is not acceptable because it destroys a person.”

One of the supposed signatories, music professor Alexandros Kapsokavadis, said he never signed the letter and has no idea how

his name ended up on it in the first place.

In a Facebook post, Kapsokavadis wrote: “What business do I have to publicly express my opinion over matters of the church? What would the church care for my opinion anyway? Since when would I ‘support’ a man that I haven’t even heard of!”

• Respondents from 80 countries showed that “conversion therapy” occurs in all regions of the world.

George Barasa, a survivor of conversion therapy from Kenya, reflected: “Conversion therapy is not a single event – it is a process

of continued degradation and assault on the core of who you are. There are oftenrepeated violations in the form of psychological and sometimes physical abuse… It is not one instance – it is a continued sense of rejection. The pressure is enormous.”

Neophytos is bishop of Morphou, Cyprus, a town now under the control of Turkish occupation forces, meaning he has no particular spiritual or administrative responsibilities – and clearly has too much time on his hands.

Maria Sjödin, deputy director of Outright Action International, commented: “Our report paints a chilling picture of the global prevalence of these barbaric practices which constitute cisgender, heteronormative indoctrination. So-called conversion therapy efforts hinge on the belief that cisgender heterosexuality is the norm, and gender identities beyond the binary and/or same-sex attraction not only fall outside the norm but have to be changed, if need be by brutal, inhuman force, through practices which have been recognized to be tantamount to torture by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.” Strides have been taken to raise awareness and even outlaw such practices in parts of the US, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. However, to date, only four countries have an outright ban on so-called conversion therapy.

Sjödin continued: “We welcome the efforts of a handful of governments around the world to ban so-called conversion therapy, and urge governments in other countries highlighted in this report to take similar steps to safeguard their LGBTIQ citizens from these harmful practices. At the same time, it is clear that the demand for ‘conversion therapy’ will only diminish when social, family, and religious condemnation of LGBTIQ lives ceases, and LGBTIQ people are free to live their lives with access to their full human rights. As such, we look forward to working across civil society, states, and multilateral organizations to not only ban ‘conversion therapy’ but continually seek ways to ensure the sustainable, and genuine inclusion, acceptance, and safeguarding of the human rights of LGBTIQ people.”

Access the full report [at https://www. outrightinternational.org/reports/globalreach-so-called-conversion-therapy].

Courtesy of OutRight Action International