SGN Aug 31, 2018 - Part 1

Seattle Gay News

STDs hit record level in 2017 Funding cuts blamed

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

For the fourth straight year, the US experienced sharp increases in new cases of chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The spike in new STD infections is all the more worrisome because gonorrhea

could soon become resistant to antibiotics, the CDC said in an August 29 statement. Prevention efforts have also stagnated, and people are using condoms less frequently, the CDC added.

“We are sliding backward,” Jonathan Mermin, director of the agency’s national STD center, said in a statement. “It is evident the systems that identify, treat, and

see STD CASES page 14

At DNC meeting, Democrats reaffirm

support for LGBTQ people

DNC

This weekend, Democratic National Committee members passed historic new rules expanding the definition of gender in delegate selection and caucus participation rules to include gender-nonbinary Democrats. Members also passed a resolution condemning the Trump administration’s acceptance, empowerment, and promotion of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

see DNC MEETING page 13

Sixteen states file SCOTUS briefs against Trans rights

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Sixteen states filed a joint amicus brief with the US Supreme Court on August 23, arguing that Transgender workers have no rights under federal law.

Their brief was filed in the case R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. EEOC, in which a Transgender woman, Aimee Stephens, argues she was unlawfully fired by the funeral home because of her gender identity.

see TRANS RIGHTS page 15

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

For the first time, recreational pot smokers will have the option of buying their weed from a union-represented retailer. The Have a Heart chain has signed a first-ever collective bargaining agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 21. see UNION POT page 7

JESSE’S JOURNAL

Under six flags

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer

The most famous symbol of LGBT people and LGBT liberation is the RAINBOW FLAG. Designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker (1951-2017) in 1978, the six colored stripes - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple - represent our community’s diversity to friend and foe alike. Baker’s creation became so popular that it superseded the lambda, the labrys, the pink triangle, the equal sign and other symbols. There is hardly a person alive today who does not recognize the rainbow flag and what it stands for. Even Donald Trump took time off from his victory lap at the Republican Convention to hold a rainbow flag (upside down) to show his support for LGBT people. This happened before he became the most homophobic and transphobic president in decades.

The rainbow flag was created to represent all of us, which of course is impossible. The LGBT community is as diverse as humanity itself; and one flag cannot adequately represent our various and sometimes conflicting backgrounds, lives, struggles and interests. It was not long before various groups began to produce flags of their own.

The most famous of these is the TRANSGENDER PRIDE FLAG, a symbol of trans pride, rights and diversity created by Monica Helms in 1999. According to Helms, “the stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives.” Since 1999 the trans pride flag has been adopted by LGBT or allied governments or communities, which fly the flag at all times or during trans days of pride or remembrance.

Not to be outdone, the BISEXUAL PRIDE FLAG was designed by Michael Page in 1998 in order to give bisexuals their

own symbol. Page’s aim was to increase bi visibility, both within the LGBT community and among society as a whole. “In designing the Bi Pride Flag, I selected the colors and overlap pattern of the bi angles symbol,” Page said. “The pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only (gay and lesbian). The blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only (straight) and the resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes (bi).”

Some flags represent different lifestyles within and outside the LGBT community. The LEATHER PRIDE FLAG was designed by Tony DeBlase in 1989. According to DeBlase, “the flag is composed of nine horizontal stripes of equal width. From the top and from the bottom, the stripes alternate black and royal blue. The central stripe is white. In the upper left quadrant of the flag is a large red heart. I will leave it to the viewer to interpret the colors and symbols.” Since 1989 the flag was embraced by leather

folk of all sexual orientations or gender identities and has become the proud symbol of the kinky community.

The International Bear Brotherhood Flag (also known as the BEAR FLAG) was designed to represent the bear subculture within the LGBT community. Created by Craig Byrnes in 1995, the colors of the flag - dark brown, orange/rust, golden yellow, tan, white, gray and black - represent the fur colors of various bear species, not human races. The bear flag sports a bear paw print on its upper-left corner, a symbol as significant to bears as the red heart is to the leather/ sm/fetish community.

Recently the rainbow flag has been revised to be more representative of all facets of the LGBT community. Last year the Philadelphia advertising agency Tierney revised the flag by adding black and brown stripes to represent our racial diversity. The new flag made its premiere in Philadelphia during that city’s 2017 Pride ceremonies. Amber Hikes, the

director of LGBT Affairs, told Philadelphia Gay News that “this flag instills so much pride in me as a queer black woman. When I see the flag, I feel like I see myself.”

This year Daniel Quasar proposed a new, progress-focused rainbow flag that puts white, pink, light blue, brown, and black stripes in an arrow on the left side of the flag on top of the six-striped rainbow flag. Quasar took the light blue, pink and white stripes from the trans flag and added the brown and black stripes to represent people of color “as well as those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them.” This design has since been challenged by Puerto Rican author and vegan activist Julia Feliz, who re-designed the flag to place the black, brown, light blue, pink and white stripes diagonally over the rainbow. Quasar accepts the challenge: “The more flags, the more discussion, the better.”

Let a thousand flags wave.

OBITUARY

David McReynolds, gay socialist pacifist who twice ran for president, dies at 88

by Harrison Smith Washington Post

For more than three decades, David McReynolds was among the most outspoken socialists and pacifists in America, a leftist organizer who combined a belief in wealth redistribution with a fierce opposition to the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons.

As a leader of the War Resisters League, he spurred a wave of antiwar demonstrations in 1965, when he joined four other men in lighting their draft cards on fire, defying a federal law that could have sent him to prison for five years and earned him a $10,000 fine.

He went on to become one of the first candidates to come out as gay to run for Congress and president. Although he never came close to winning office, he helped “define modern pacifism in the United States,” said his friend Bruce Cronin, chair of the political science department at the City College of New York.

McReynolds, who died August 17 at 88 at a hospital in Manhattan, drew the attention of the FBI and landed in jail several times as a result of his activism. His political career was all the more remarkable given his upbringing in Los Angeles, where he was raised by a family of conservative Baptists and joined the Prohibition Party in his youth.

Though he came to don tie-dye shirts, beads and patchouli cologne with other Vietnam-era peaceniks, he honed his public speaking skills with a group called the Traveling Temperance Talking Team, in which sharply dressed teenagers competed to see who could best denounce the evils of alcohol.

Indeed, McReynolds was described as more professorial than proletarian, with interests that ranged far beyond political rallies and campaigns. He was a prolific photographer, taking more than 50,000 pictures of New York City streetscapes and activists such as the gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin (whom McReynolds described as a mentor) and the pacifist A.J. Muste (for whom he worked as a top lieutenant).

McReynolds was also a member of the Bromeliad Society, an international botanical group, and filled his East Village apartment with tropical plants and hundreds of bottles of perfume, which he created himself and arranged on floor-to-ceiling shelves. He was found unconscious in the apartment August 15 several weeks after suffering a fall, said his younger brother, Martin McReynolds.

Active in the anti-Korean War and civil rights movements, McReynolds joined the War Resisters League in 1960 and was soon named field secretary. Alongside Norma Becker and Sidney Peck, he became a behindthe-scenes architect of the anti-Vietnam War movement, Cronin said, known for maintaining unity in a coalition that included members of the political left and right.

“If you can bring together labor, teachers, students, folks from all walks of life, then you can turn the country. That’s painstaking work,” said Cronin, who met McReynolds while preparing for a 1982 nuclear disarmament rally that, by some estimates, drew 1 million people to Central Park.

“It took somebody like David to bring people together and say, ‘Look, let’s keep the focus on what we want and not break up over trifles.’”

Among the league’s most controversial actions was the burning of draft cards. McReynolds made national headlines when he appeared on a wooden platform in Manhattan’s Union Square to burn his card on Nov. 6, 1965, amid counterprotests from a group chanting, “Drop dead, red.”

The burning was interrupted, the New York Times reported, when a man sprayed McReynolds and his fellow demonstrators with a fire extinguisher: “The pacifists managed to dry the cards over the flame of

a cigarette lighter, however, and the cards burned crisply.”

At 36, McReynolds was the oldest member of the group, which included Tom Cornell, Marc Paul Edelman, Roy Lisker and James Wilson. While the others were indicted on charges of defacing their cards (three were sentenced to six months in prison), McReynolds was left alone, reportedly because he was too old to be drafted.

He went on to coordinate antiwar rallies across the country and twice met with dissident groups in Vietnam. According to “A Saving Remnant,” a biography of McReynolds by Martin Duberman, he was visiting Czechoslovakia when the Soviets invaded in 1968 to quash the Prague Spring.

McReynolds, who said he was a socialist, not a communist, was able to return to the United States in time to run for a U.S. House seat that fall, on Eldridge Cleaver’s Peace and Freedom ticket. As in 1958, during his first bid for Congress, he was crushed, receiving 5% of the vote.

Undaunted, he went on to run for president with the Socialist Party USA in 1980, on a platform that called for nuclear disarmament, the breakup of large corporations and sharp reductions in military spending.

“We have no illusions that we will win the presidential election,” he said after a rally with his running mate Diane Drufenbrock, a nun. “Our purpose is to make possible a discussion of socialism and to raise issues on foreign policy and unemployment.”

McReynolds received fewer than 7,000 votes. He ran once more, in 2000, and four years later mounted a Green Party campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York.

In part, he said, his electoral defeats could be chalked up to an imaging problem in a country where “socialism” has long been a dirty word.

“One of the tragedies is that the things a Socialist candidate will say are things that really could be said by a compassionate and moderately insightful Republican,” he told the Progressive magazine in 2000. “If I say we should have much greater mass transit in the major cities, that we should be able to rebuild the railroad system so that Amtrak actually connects all the small towns, that’s a reasonable thing. It’s not a radical proposal.”

David Ernest McReynolds was born in Los Angeles on Oct. 25, 1929, one day after the Black Thursday stock market crash signaled the beginning of the Depression.

He described his leftward political turn as “probably a Freudian rebellion against my father,” a journalist and advertising salesman for McGraw-Hill who served in the Air Force Reserve.

At UCLA, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1953, he entered what he called a “cabal of radicalism,” joining a group of young socialists who danced the hora, listened to Edith Piaf records and published a leftist newspaper on campus. He said he also had a “liberating” sexual encounter

around that same time with choreographer Alvin Ailey.

In 1969, McReynolds wrote an article for WIN, the War Resisters League magazine, that marked his “coming out” in professional life. But he said that he never identified as a gay rights advocate, and when running for president in 1980, decided that his identity as a socialist pacifist was “complex enough.” He chose not to campaign as a “queer candidate,” he told the Manhattan newspaper the Villager, but remained open about his sexuality.

McReynolds moved to New York in 1956 and worked for the left-leaning magazine Liberation before joining the War Resisters League. He later served as chairman of War Resisters’ International, and formally retired from the league in 1999.

In 2015, he resigned from the Socialist Party after being censured for Facebook comments that the party deemed “potentially racist” and Islamophobic. (McReynolds said that his remarks about the “thuggish”

IN

behavior of Michael Brown, whose shooting sparked riots in Ferguson, Mo., had been misunderstood, and that he was “absolutely opposed to efforts to demonize Muslims.”)

In addition to his brother of Santa Rosa, Calif., survivors include a sister, Elizabeth Gralewski of Santa Barbara.

In 2000, 25 years after the end of the Vietnam War, McReynolds told the New York Times that he feared the war and its accompanying protests had “sunk into a memory hole,” and recalled that the period was a harrowing time for him as well as the country. He had turned from teetotalling to alcoholism, he said, but stopped drinking around the time the war ended.

“From one point of view,” he said, “it was a wonderful time – to feel that you were doing something, or that you shortened the war by one day, or saved one life on either side. To some extent, we did that.”

Courtesy of the Washington Post

[A NOTE FROM DON KILHEFNER: Comrades: David McReynolds was a friend of both myself and Morris Kight. We last communicated just a few weeks ago. In 1969, the early Gay Liberation Front of Los Angeles held its weekly Sunday afternoon meetings for a time at the War Resisters League’s Peace House on South Virgil prior to securing the GLF office at 619 N. Vermont Ave. in December 1969. After Stonewall, David was always openly gay and represented gay people gloriously. May his gay soul rest in peace. – Don Kilhefner, Gay Tribal Elder. Don Kilhefner, Ph.D, is a pioneer Gay Liberationist and has spent the past 50 years on the frontlines as a gay community organizer in Los Angeles and nationally.]

MEMORIAM Dr. Thomas J. Smith June 13,

1950 - May 5, 2018

One of the best-loved physicians among the Seattle area’s LGBT community has died. Thomas James Smith, M.D., was one of the region’s first specialists in treating patients with HIV/AIDS. He passed away at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Saturday, May 5, five weeks after being seriously injured in an auto accident. Dr. Smith was 67 and had lived most recently in Edmonds.

Trained in internal medicine, Dr. Smith is remembered by his many patients as professional, kind, knowledgeable, and –perhaps most importantly – understanding of the fears associated with living with the HIV/AIDS virus, especially in the years before effective therapy was developed. As one Yelp reviewer put it in 2017, “He has the most amazing bedside manner and truly

makes you feel like an individual.” Wrote another, “Going to see Dr. Tom is more like going to see a friend than a doctor. His medical skills are top-notch and his demeanor very friendly and caring.”

According to the Washington State Patrol, Dr. Smith was involved in a minor collision with another motorist on I-405 in Tukwila on Wednesday, March 28, around 11:30 p.m. After crossing the roadway to exchange insurance information with the other driver, he was struck and injured by a third motorist when he crossed again to return to his car. He suffered broken bones in both legs and a traumatic brain injury that rendered him conscious but largely incapacitated. No charges were filed in the incident. Dr. Smith was born June 13, 1950, in Hobbs, N.M. He received his B.S. in chemistry from New Mexico State University and his medical degree from the University of New Mexico, completing his residency in 1979 at Seattle’s Virginia Mason Hospital. He opened his practice in Seattle and was joined by his twin brother, Timothy J. Smith, the two practicing medicine together for 18 years. In addition to his brother, Dr. Smith is survived by an aunt, Jo Anne Zespy, of Hobbs. Dr. Timothy Smith now resides in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

A celebration of Dr. Smith’s life was held May 15 at Merrill Gardens at First Hill. A memorial Mass took place in July at St. Helena Catholic Church in Hobbs.

Seattle Human Rights Commission condemns the current administration’s treatment of families separated at the border crossing

SEATTLE (August 29, 2018) – As firsthand accounts [1] surface of the mistreatment of children and parents during the enforcement of the president’s “zero tolerance” policy on immigration, the Seattle Human Rights Commission is obliged to once more [2] condemn this practice and the ensuing actions of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

We call on local, state, and federal officials to do everything in their power to ensure that the Trump administration is held accountable for the abuse, neglect, intimidation, and assault faced by any child while in detention due to the forced separation of migrant families. The mistreatment of detained children is appalling and unacceptable. Not only do these allegations violate several articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child [3] but [they] also violate legal settlements [4] set in place years before the president’s policy came into effect in 2018.

Furthermore, we demand that any remaining migrant children currently under the care of the US government receive the absolute best treatment and that every effort possible [be] made to swiftly reunite them with their families. Recent reports [5] indicate that ICE is withholding parental contact information and intentionally delaying reunification of these children with their families. It should be the responsibility and highest priority of this administration (and not of NGOs [6]) to find the most appropriate and trustworthy caregiver that can provide each child with a safe and secure home, especially if their parent is unable to be found. Until then, children in custody must be given healthy meals, comfortable accommodations, and at all times, treated with utmost respect and acknowledgement of the varying needs of children.

It is our hope that we learn from the mistakes of the Trump administration on this matter and recognize that forced separation of child and parent is never a good practice. We can address immigration with respect and understanding of the complex factors that compel people to leave their homes and risk their lives. The Seattle Human Rights Commission will continue to hold our local, national, and federal governments accountable for any human rights violations committed while handling immigration cases.

ANNEX

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Article 9

1. States Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will, except when compe-

UNION POT

continued from cover

Under this agreement, 134 current and all future Have a Heart employees will receive above-average wages for the industry, comprehensive health and welfare coverage, and other benefits, including trainings, mentoring programs and staff-development opportunities.

As a fast-growing part of Washington’s burgeoning cannabis industry, Have a Heart expects to generate even more family-wage jobs, along with other economic and health advantages, the company said.

Ryan Kunkel, CEO of Have a Heart, said his company is proud that its agreements with UFCW 21 emphasize equal pay and fair treatment in the workplace regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or cultural background.

tent authorities subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child. Such determination may be necessary in a particular case such as one involving abuse or neglect of the child by the parents, or one where the parents are living separately and a decision must be made as to the child’s place of residence.

2. In any proceedings pursuant to paragraph 1 of the present article, all interested parties shall be given an opportunity to participate in the proceedings and make their views known.

3. States Parties shall respect the right of the child who is separated from one or both parents to maintain personal relations and direct contact with both parents on a regular basis, except if it is contrary to the child’s best interests.

4. Where such separation results from any action initiated by a State Party, such as the detention, imprisonment, exile, deportation, or death (including death arising from any cause while the person is in the custody of the State) of one or both parents or of the child, that State Party shall, upon request, provide the parents, the child or, if appropriate, another member of the family with the essential information concerning the whereabouts of the absent member(s)

“At Have a Heart, we believe in ‘doing good,’” Kunkel said. “We consistently strive to have a positive impact in the neighborhoods where we do business, and we see our partnership with UFCW 21 as part of our commitment to creating a safe and empowering workplace.”

“This relationship is quite unusual, in a very positive sense,” said Todd Crosby, UFCW 21 president. “It’s rare for an employer and their employees to reach a first contract so quickly and one that is so promising for current and future employees. These partnerships strengthen individuals, families, and communities – and lead to superior service for customers.”

Have a Heart was founded in Seattle in 2011. Its recreational and medical marijuana retail operation includes five stores in Washington and one in Hawaii, and it has plans to expand nationally. Its Seattle location is at 115 Blanchard Street, in Belltown.

of the family unless the provision of the information would be detrimental to the well-being of the child. States Parties shall further ensure that the submission of such a request shall of itself entail no adverse consequences for the person(s) concerned.

Article 10

1. In accordance with the obligation of States Parties under article 9, paragraph 1, applications by a child or his or her parents to enter or leave a State Party for the purpose of family reunification shall be dealt with by States Parties in a positive, humane, and expeditious manner. States Parties shall further ensure that the submission of such a request shall entail no adverse consequences for the applicants and for the members of their family.

2. A child whose parents reside in different States shall have the right to maintain on a regular basis, save in exceptional circumstances, personal relations and direct contacts with both parents. Towards that end and in accordance with the obligation of States Parties under article 9, paragraph 1, States Parties shall respect the right of the child and his or her parents to leave any country, including their own, and to enter their own country. The right to leave any country shall be subject only to such restric-

UFCW 21 is the largest private-sector union in Washington State, with 46,000 members in grocery stores, retail, health care, and other industries. The UFCW International includes local unions that represent 1.3 million workers throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Some 508 retail licenses have been issued to pot shops statewide. As the retail pot industry grows and becomes more mature, employers inevitably face issues with employment laws and guidelines.

The situation is complicated by the lack of federal oversight, because retail pot sales are still illegal under federal law. Employment issues get even messier, because federal law prevents pot retailers from deducting employer-paid benefits from their income taxes.

Crosby said this was the first successful collective bargaining agreement his union has been able to sign in Washington state.

tions as are prescribed by law and which are necessary to protect the national security, public order (ordre public), public health or morals, or the rights and freedoms of others and are consistent with the other rights recognized in the present Convention.

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/21/us/ undocumented-migrant-children-detentionfacilities-abuse-invs/index.html https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ immigration-border-crisis/lawsuit-challenges-jail-detention-migrant-childrenn887981 [2] https://news.seattle.gov/2018/06/26/ seattle-human-rights-commissioncondemns-separation-of-immigrantfamilies/

[3] https://www.ohchr.org/en/ professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx [4] https://www.centerforhumanrights. org/Unaccompanied%20Immigrant%20 Minors/Flores%20Case.html [5] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ entry/ice-withheld-deported-parentsnumbers-from-lawyers-and-advocatesaclu-says_us_5b6cd9c7e4b0ae32af96b27d [6] https://www.washingtonpost.com/ news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/03/trumpadministration-puts-burden-on-aclu-tofind-deported-parents-separated-fromchildren/?utm_term=.3245a9c09ab0

“There’s been a number of false starts, where people tried to organize and got to the bargaining table, but it has always fallen apart,” Crosby said. “This is the first time that it’s gone all the way to a stable, solid, collective bargaining agreement.”

On his end, Kunkel said he has been trying to expand benefits for his workers for years, but federal laws have made that impossible. Joining a large union was the most effective way to expand those benefits, according to Kunkel.

“We’ve been trying to figure out how to get these guys health care, pensions, and benefits. Mathematically we couldn’t figure it out, there was no way to do it internally, not right now,” Kunkel said. “So that was the main driver for teaming up with them. Beyond all of the practical organized labor benefits, you have access to health care, pensions, and normal things that cannabis companies don’t offer.”

Generations Aging with Pride announces new Executive Director

Generations Aging with Pride (GenPride) is pleased to announce the selection of Steven Knipp as our new Executive Director. “Steven brings 10 years of experience from previous leadership roles at St. Vincent de Paul, and we are thrilled to have him join the team of our board members, volunteers, donors, staff, and other community organizations to improve the health and well-being of our LGBTQ community,” says Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, GenPride’s founding board member.

Steven comes to GenPride via a new partnership with Companis, a non-profit agency that specializes in placing their skilled members with other non-profits to build staffing capacity that fits a certain budget. GenPride not only gets the impressive experience that Steven brings, but the entire staffing mechanism of Companis comes along with him. “It is our pleasure to have the opportunity to collaborate on this very important issue in support of our LGBTQ seniors,” says Gary Davis, the Executive Director at Companis.

GenPride is looking to build upon the knowledge gained from recent surveys of our elder community to create a program

that is relevant to the needs mentioned.

“Our intention is to build GenPride into an agency that recognizes the wisdom of our LGBTQ elders and empowers them to address their unique challenges. We also

want to bring together our younger generation to learn about the experience of aging, prepare those in our community approaching older age with useful information, and pay deep respects to our recent ancestors who didn’t get the chance to grow old. This is our chance to give back to those who evolved our community to the freedoms we enjoy today,” says Steven. “I’m looking forward to meeting others in the community who want to be a part of our work.”

Mission Statement

Generations Aging with Pride empowers older 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.

About GenPride

Generations Aging with Pride, a nonprofit organization, is offering important new opportunities to develop and test multigenerational solutions to the challenges facing LGBTQ midlife and older

adults, building on the many strengths across the generations. Utilizing research findings from Caring and Aging with Pride and Aging with Pride, Generations Aging with Pride is assessing needs and designing trainings and services for LGBTQ people, their families and communities. The goal of this partnership is to develop and test the first evidence-based trainings for providers of care to LGBTQ older adults and their families. In addition, the organization is partnering with local organizations to create evidence-based cross generational support programming that will help reduce isolation of LGBTQ older adults and enhance their success as they age-incommunity. This project is funded by the City of Seattle.

GenPride’s office is located at the Broadway Market, 401 Broadway E, Unit 223. GenPride can be reached by phone at (206) 393-3400, via email at info@gapseattle.org or online at http://gapseattle.org.

Courtesy of Generations Aging with Pride

LGBTQ Allyship’s Seattle Pride Dine OUT: Seattle restaurants committed to LGBTQ respect and safety in the workplace

Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill and Columbia City restaurants come OUT to support gender considerate best practices making Seattle a safer place for LGBTQ communities

On Wednesday, September 12, LGBTQ Allyship is kicking-off their first Seattle Pride Dine OUT, a one-night-only celebration of Seattle restaurants committed to being LGBTQ affirming. Seattle Pride Dine OUT is a collaboration with LGBTQ Allyship and leading Seattle restaurants, bars and cafes who have taken the Talk Gender to Me pledge. The Talk Gender to Me pledge is a commitment from restaurant owners to a professional development training of staff around utilizing gender considerate language and practices in the workplace. In addition, staff are trained around their worker protections, which include a know-your-rights training for immigrant employees targeted by ICE. Several Seattle establishments who have taken the Talk Gender to Me pledge are participating in Allyship’s first Seattle Pride Dine OUT. They are: Molly Moons (All day at both locations: Capitol Hill, 917 E. Pine St. and Columbia City, 4822 Rainier Ave. S.), Due’ Cucina Italiana (5pm to 10pm, 412 Broadway E.), El Quetzal (5pm to 8pm, 3211 Beacon Ave.).

In Seattle Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill and Columbia City are neighborhoods where many LGBTQ people work and live. Supporting safety and respect for workers and our neighbors at the local level, is a

starting place to address the growing lack of safety for LGBTQ, immigrant and other marginalized individuals. The Talk Gender to Me project works with employers to support dignity and the vastness of experiences and voices of workers and customers around their gender identity, gender expression, gender and immigrant status.

Co-Founder Davide Macchi of Due’

Cucina Italiana explains their commitment in taking the Talk Gender to Me pledge: “Capitol Hill is a magical place that celebrates diversity and inclusion. As the neighborhood (and the City of Seattle in general) becomes more diverse, it’s critical that local businesses like us do their part to defend the values that make this community so special.”

In the current political climate, many LGBTQ people are worried about their rights and safety on multiple levels and Allyship believes that employers are powerful partners in achieving healthy economies and vibrant neighborhoods of customers and workers.

Venus Aoki is an undocumented trans woman of color who worked in the restaurant industry when she first immigrated to the United States. She started her transition while working at a restaurant and many of her colleagues and customers misgendered her. The weight of discrimination around her gender identity was too heavy but when she saw the pictures of the Trump Administration caging undocumented children, Venus became inspired to stand up for freedom and dignity. Venus wanted to advocate for undocumented and trans people like her. She learned of LGBTQ Allyship’s Talk Gender to Me project and became their Economic Justice Organizer bridging the issues of immigrant and LGBTQ safety, respect and inclusiveness. “This is important for me because when somebody respects my pronouns I’m allowed to express my authentic self. Breaking the standard of male/female we are open to be inclusive and respectful with our community.”

The Seattle Pride Dine OUT symbol-

izes a lot of what is right in our communities – partnership, safety, inclusiveness and respect for restaurant’s customer base and their staff.

To participate in the Seattle Pride Dine OUT on September 12th contact Allyship at info@allyship.org. All are welcome!

For more information, please visit our website at http://www.allyship.org, or contact Debbie Carlsen at 206-930-6668 or debbie@allyship.org.

LGBTQ Allyship is a social and economic justice organization in the Puget Sound area. We serve over 3000 individuals and work on access to affordable housing, economic equity, and eliminating youth and senior homelessness in the LGBTQ community through education, advocacy, research and community organizing. For more information go to http://www.allyship.org.

Courtesy of LGBTQ Allyship

Historic victory for LGBTQ US House candidate Lauren Baer continues rainbow wave

WASHINGTON, DC – Openly LGBTQ candidate Lauren Baer won her primary for a US House seat and is on track to becoming the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Florida. The seat is considered pivotal to Democrats’ efforts to retake the House, and she will

face Republican anti-LGBTQ incumbent Brian Mast in November. Baer will also be the first openly LGBTQ mother to serve in Congress if she wins on Election Day.

“Democratic primary voters are demanding authentic, values-driven leaders who prioritize policies over politics – and

they are finding those leaders in LGBTQ candidates like Lauren,” said Victory Fund President and CEO Annise Parker.

“Lauren’s victory is the latest in a rainbow wave that represents an evolution in American politics, with voters trusting proud, out LGBTQ leaders to best advance the poli-

cies that improve their lives and communities. This is not about sexual orientation or gender identity explicitly; it is about the struggles and experiences of LGBTQ candidates providing perspectives and priorities that resonate with voters.

“Lauren’s primary victory is a powerful moment for Florida – nominating an LGBTQ mother in a state where antiLGBTQ adoption laws remained on the books until just a few years ago. Lauren now faces anti-LGBTQ incumbent Brian Mast, who supports marginalizing trans service members who fight for our country and supports Trump’s ban on recruiting trans troops. Lauren is a brilliant public official who served her country in promoting human rights and international law abroad. She is perfectly positioned to fight back against the Trump administration’s attacks on equality and the rule of law –and it will be all the more sweet when she defeats an anti-equality incumbent along the way.”

The LGBTQ Victory Fund works to change the face and voice of America’s politics and achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government. victoryfund.org

Courtesy of the LGBTQ Victory Fund

Health of aging LGB people in California similar to that of straight older adults

LOS ANGELES (August 28, 2018) – A new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that, in contrast to previous studies, LGB older adults in California are as healthy as their straight counterparts. However, among LGB older adults, bisexuals and Hispanics/Latinos exhibit poorer health and well-being than their lesbian and gay and non-Hispanic peers.

Researchers analyzed data from the 2015-2016 California Health Interview Survey. LGB and straight older adults in California had similar experiences in terms of where they lived (urban or rural areas), access to health care, overall health, and specific health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. However, one of the significant differences between the groups was that LGB older adults were more likely to live alone.

“This study cannot explain why aging people in California fare better than aging LGB people in other states or even what had been recorded in California a decade ago. I believe that California’s progressive health policies and greater protections for LGBT people has resulted in health benefits for aging LGB people,” said study author Ilan

DNC MEETING continued from cover

[See https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/25/ politics/democrats-gender-nonbinarycharter/index.html.]

New rules, passed first by the Rules and Bylaws Committee and subsequently by the full body of the Democratic National Committee, will update the existing DNC rules and bylaws to be inclusive of gendernonconforming Democrats. Prior rules required an equivalent number of self-identified men and women in DNC membership, committees, vice chairs, and presiden-

H. Meyer, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute.

“This is consistent with other studies in the past few years that have shown health benefits related to LGBT-affirmative laws and policies.”

According to the study, 3.5% of adults in California age 50 and older identify as [lesbian, gay, or bisexual]. Approximately 268,800 of Californians over 50 identify as lesbian or gay and 163,000 as bisexual.

Key findings:

Hispanic/Latino LGB adults aged 65 and older were more likely than non-Hispanic LGB people of the same age to have diabetes, experience psychological distress, and have nowhere to go for health care when they were sick.

Hispanic/Latino LGB adults aged 50 to 64 were less likely than non-Hispanic LGB people of the same age to have health insurance.

Hispanic/Latino LGB adults aged 50 and older were less likely than non-Hispanic LGB people of the same age to use the internet and to use it as a resource for health information.

tial delegations. Additionally, some state caucuses required caucus-goers to declare male or female upon voting. The language adopted expands the definition of gender to ensure that gender-nonconforming Democrats have the opportunity to freely identify without risk of being wrongly identified.

“At the root of our diverse party is a commitment to inclusion and opportunity,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “By adopting this amendment, the Democratic National Committee is ensuring [that] every Democrat feels welcomed and embraced for who they are. This action reaffirms our solidarity with the LGBTQ community and challenges governments, employers, and organizations

Hispanic/Latino LGB adults aged 50 and older were more likely than non-Hispanic LGB people of the same age to live 200% below the federal poverty level.

Bisexuals aged 65 and older were less likely than gay men and lesbians of the same age to have been born in the US and to own their own home.

Bisexuals aged 65 and older were nearly twice as likely as lesbians and gay men of the same age to live 200% below the federal poverty level.

Bisexuals aged 65 and older were significantly less likely than gay men and lesbians of the same age to use the internet to find health information online.

“These findings demonstrate the importance of assessing differences among LGB subpopulations in addition to looking at differences between LGB and straight people,” said lead author Soon Kyu Choi, project manager at the Williams Institute. “Disparities between aging Hispanic and non-Hispanic LGB residents prevail and require special attention from LGBT service providers, policy makers, and researchers.”

across the country to do the same.”

“This decision is not just significant for the DNC but the entire LGBTQ community,” said DNC Secretary and Rules and Bylaws Committee Member Jason Rae. “We wanted to make sure that when people came to participate in our process that they felt included and free to express their identity. We still have work to do, but I’m excited for the step forward that we’re making to show that we are the party that welcomes all members of the LGBTQ community.”

The Democratic National Committee also passed a resolution condemning discrimination against LGBTQ people in the name of religious freedom. The reso -

The California Health Interview Survey is a representative survey; 2015-2016 was the first time the survey asked people over 70 about their sexual identity and behavior. “Older LGB adults are a population that is often missing from population data, rendering them invisible,” said study co-author Krystal R. Kittle, research project coordinator at the Williams Institute. “The inclusion of LGB adults over the age 70 provides insight into the experiences of those we don’t often hear from.”

Read the full report [at https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/ uploads/1809-CHIS-Older-Adults-Report. pdf].

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, a think tank on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, is dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research with real-world relevance.

Courtesy of the Williams Institute

lution specifically targeted recent efforts by the Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Task Force and was unanimously passed by both the DNC’s Resolution Committee and the full DNC membership. “Republicans at every level of government continue to push forward an antiLGBTQ agenda completely out of step with the American people and our values,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “This resolution shows that Democrats refuse to stand on the sidelines and allow anti-LGBTQ extremists to attack the rights of our fellow citizens.”

Courtesy of the DNC

Trump administration officials dined in the White House with an anti-LGBTQ activist who said marriage equality was the creation of Satan

NEW YORK (August 28, 2018) –GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, released the following research to draw attention to the anti-LGBTQ record of the guests [President] Trump hosted last night and call on media to put the event into proper context by reporting on the anti-LGBTQ records of the public figures who attended the event.

“Last night President Trump, Vice President Pence, and others in the administration surrounded themselves with anti-LGBTQ activists who have equated marriage equal-

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ultimately prevent STDs are strained to near-breaking point.”

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STD, with almost 1.7 million cases in 2017, up from just over 1.4 million in 2013. Almost half of the chlamydia cases were reported in girls and women aged 15 to 24.

Since 2013, syphilis cases have risen 76%, to 30,644, while gonorrhea diagnoses have increased 67% to 555,608.

Gonorrhea cases in men nearly doubled to 322,169 in 2017 compared with 2013, the CDC said. Among women, gonorrhea

ity with genocide, likened being gay to some of the most reprehensible behaviors, and suggested that transgender people should be shot in public restrooms,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD. “The President and [his] administration’s practice of bringing fringe groups united around hatred towards LGBTQ Americans through the White House gates cannot go unnoticed and must be called out and checked.

President Trump and Vice President Pence, along with Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and other administration offi-

diagnoses rose almost 18%, to 232,587. The disease reached crisis levels in the late 1970s, with more than a million new infections annually. The number of new infections had gradually declined until the past four years, according to CDC data.

While all three diseases can be treated with antibiotics, gonorrhea has become resistant to nearly every class of antibiotics except ceftriaxone. Doctors typically prescribe a single injection of ceftriaxone, followed by an oral dose of a different antibiotic, azithromycin.

More than 4% of gonorrhea samples were resistant to azithromycin in 2017, up from 1% in 2013. The CDC is concerned that such resistance could eventually extend to ceftriaxone, which would make

cials, warmly hosted and posed for pictures with Fox News regular Robert Jeffress, who preaches that gay people are “engaged in the most detestable, unclean, abominable acts you can imagine,” and Tony Perkins, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center–designated anti-LGBTQ hate group Family Research Council, who has called gay people “intolerant,” “hateful,” and “vile.” Also in attendance was Jim Garlow, who has said same-sex marriage is the creation of Satan.

Last night GLAAD shared photos of Trump administration officials posing

the disease untreatable by any currently available antibiotic.

“We expect gonorrhea will eventually wear down our last highly effective antibiotic, and additional treatment options are urgently needed,” said Gail Bolan, director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention.

David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said the rise in new STD cases is due to stagnant federal funding for prevention efforts, a lack of screening, and a decrease in condom use. CDC funding for prevention efforts has hovered around $157 million for the past 18 years, Harvey said.

“The field desperately needs new resources,” he added.

with the anti-LGBTQ activists and shared their anti-LGBTQ records in real time via Twitter: https://twitter.com/glaad/ status/1034228158734643200.

Read more about the anti-LGBTQ views and remarks of event attendees below.

Background information: AntiLGBTQ records and statements from Trump’s evangelical dinner attendees Robert Jeffress, prominent member of Trump’s advisory council: Preaches that gay people are “engaged in the most detestable,

Harvey also cited a lack of awareness that some methods used to prevent other STDs – PrEP to prevent HIV infections, for example – don’t protect against chlamydia, syphilis, or gonorrhea.

According to the CDC, “annual HIV infections and diagnoses are declining in the United States. The declines may be due to targeted HIV prevention efforts. However, progress has been uneven, and annual infections and diagnoses have increased among some groups.”

Most STDs go undiagnosed and untreated, the CDC warned, which can cause infertility, stillbirth, and an increased risk of HIV.

unclean, abominable acts you can imagine” and that homosexuality is “as immoral” as bestiality, incest, and pedophilia.

Tony Perkins, president of SPLC-designated hate group Family Research Council: Says about gay people, “They are intolerant. They are hateful. They are vile. They are spiteful”...”pawns” of the “enemy.”

Franklin Graham: Graham, who spoke at the dinner, says he loves gay people “enough to care to warn them that if they want to continue living like this, it’s the flames of hell for you.”

TRANS RIGHTS

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Stephens complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency charged with enforcing civil rights laws in the workplace, but her former employer refused arbitration, setting off a court battle.

At issue is the meaning of Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1967. The EEOC says the law’s ban on discrimination on account of sex protects gender identity, and this interpretation was supported by a 2014 ruling from then Attorney General Eric Holder.

James Dobson: Dobson, who received a shout-out from President Trump during the event, claims that marriage equality is “the fall of Western civilization” and has even longed for the days when a husband would have shot a transgender person in a bathroom.

Ronnie Floyd: Believes that “Satan has taken his tool of homosexuality, a gross and evil sin, and done a con job on the American culture, making it seem like all is okay when you are gay.”

Jim Garlow: Said same-sex marriage is the creation of Satan, and compares chil-

The states, on the other hand, say that Title VII’s protections do not extend to sexual orientation or gender identity.

Their version of the law is supported by current Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has ruled that Title VII does not protect LGBT employees.

Stephens’ claim against her former employers has been upheld by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled definitively that Transgender people are protected from workplace discrimination and harassment, but the states challenge the 6th Circuit’s analysis.

“The 6th Circuit’s opinion… erases all common, ordinary understandings of the term ‘sex’ in Title VII and expands it to

dren of same-sex couples to children who lost their parents on 9/11.

Alveda King: Equates marriage equality with genocide.

Michele Bachmann, former congresswoman: Claims homosexuality is “part of Satan.”

Greg Laurie: Insists that gay people should not be who they are “any more than a person who is tempted to steal, lie, lust, or murder.”

Darrell Scott: Said his church believes the Bible is “anti-homosexuality.”

include ‘gender identity’” and “‘transgender status,’” their brief reads.

“In doing so, the lower court rewrites Title VII in a way never intended or implemented by Congress in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, a Republican, is leading this action.

Another state official signing on to the amicus brief is the notoriously anti-LGBT Maine governor, Paul LePage.

Maine Democrats condemned his participation.

“After refusing to protect LGBTQ youth in Maine from conversion therapy, Gov. LePage has turned his efforts toward making sure businesses can fire work-

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad. org.

Courtesy of GLAAD

ers based on their sexual orientation and gender identity,” they said in a statement.

“By working to exclude LGBTQ Mainers from these protections, Gov. LePage has once again shown that he does not stand with Mainers who are overwhelmingly in favor of upholding these basic standards of decency.”

The Supreme Court will decide in the coming months if it will hear the appeal in this case during its next session.

2018 NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series preview

Nine Seattle teams head to Tampa Bay, Florida Sept. 4-8 to compete for a national title

by Sara Michelle Fetters

SGN Staff Writer

Next Tuesday, nine Seattle softball teams will take the field in Tampa Bay, Florida in three different competitive divisions in a quest to be crowned champion at the 2018 North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance’s (NAGAAA) Gay Softball World Series (GSWS). Each team earned their way to the GSWS by competing in the Emerald City Softball Association’s (ECSA) regular season, which ran this year from early April to the end of June.

Split into three competitive divisions of play based on an overall team’s particular level of skill, the D Division, C Division and B Division, the top two teams in each group at the end of the ECSA regular season automatically earn a berth to the GSWS. The third entry is selected by an end-of-season competition dubbed the “Berth Tournament,” an event that allows all teams that competed during the regular season one last shot to qualify for the GSWS.

This year’s first place teams were The Crazy Pitches (D Division), the Seattle WolfPack (C Division) and the Lawless (B Division), while the Berth Tournament winners were the Seattle Revolution (D Division) and the Seattle Slayers (C Division). The Seattle SASSSquatch and the Seattle Wildfire finished in second place of the D and C divisions respectively during the ECSA regular season and thus received automatic GSWS berths. In the B Division, the Freeze, Lawless and Los Gallitos all announced their intention to attend the GSWS at the start of

the season. As they were the only teams to compete in the B Division in 2018, no Berth Tournament to select a third GSWS representative was necessary.

The GSWS begins on Tuesday, Sept. 4 in Tampa Bay, Florida and runs through Saturday, Sept. 8. Schedules will be released on Sunday, Sept. 2 and will be available to be viewed by player and fan alike at http://www. tampagsws.com/home.html. In the spirit of full disclosure, the writer of this article plays on the B Division team the Freeze and coaches the C Division team the Seattle Slayers and will be in Florida competing for a championship herself starting on Tuesday.

All regular season photos of the Freeze, Lawless, Los Gallitos, Revolution, SASSSquatch, Slayers, Wildfire and Wolfpack teams copyright ECSA professional photographer Robin Thompson. All photos of The Crazy Pitches copyright ECSA Hall of Fame member Jim Cash.