Celebrating 43 Years! Issue 48 Volume 45
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Seattle Gay News
Jenny Durkan sworn in Plans for the Seattle as first woman mayor AIDS Legacy Memorial since 1920s Resolution 31783 Takes action on homelessness, race, education approved
Photo courtesy of Sabrina Bolieu
Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine – Photo by Nate Gowdy
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Jenny Durkan was sworn in on November 28 as Seattle’s first woman mayor since
Bertha Knight Landes in the 1920s. In a break with tradition, she chose to hold her inauguration ceremony at the Ethi-
see MAYOR DURKAN page 10
Trudeau apologizes to the Canadian LGBT community
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – Photo courtesy of Reuters
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized to his country’s LGBT
community in an emotional speech to parliament on November 28. “Today, we offer a long overdue apology to all those whom we, the Government of
see TRUDEAU page 19
by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer On Monday, November 27, the Seattle City Council passed Resolution 31783 allowing the Seattle Parks Department to construct the Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial at Cal Anderson Park.
The resolution was drafted by Councilmember Debora Juarez with Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Mike O’Brien providing feedback. While speaking, Juarez made a point to thank former City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen for organizing the Community
see AIDS MEMORIAL page 6
25 years later, Bailey-Boushay House continues to pioneer HIV/AIDS care in Seattle
Photo courtesy of Bailey-Boushay House
by Brian Knowles Executive Director Bailey-Boushay House Special to the SGN
Flash back to the 1980s when acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was considered a death sentence. Treatment options simply did not exist. The Centers for
see BAILEY-BOUSHAY page 7
What is TRUVADA for PrEP?
Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP?
TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.
Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you:
Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.
® Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. ® Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. ® You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. ® If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. ® To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: ® Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. ® Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. ® Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. ® Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. ® If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: ® Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.
® Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.
What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: ® Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA. ® Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. ® Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. ® Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? ® All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. ® If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA. ® If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk. ® All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. ® If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.
December 1, 2017 1 2 TVDC0141_PrEP_D_10x15-675_SeattleGayNews_Vogue_p1.indd Seattle Gay News
Celebrating 43 8/30/17 Years! 1:27 PM
I'm passionate, not impulsive. I know who I am. And I make choices that fit my life. TRUVADA for PrEP™ is a once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when taken every day and used together with safer sex practices. ® TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP.
Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.
Learn more at truvada.com
Visit us online www.sgn.org 2 TVDC0141_PrEP_D_10x15-675_SeattleGayNews_Vogue_p1.indd
December 1, 2017
Seattle Gay News 3 8/30/17 1:27 PM
IMPORTANT FACTS
This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.
(tru-VAH-dah) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP
Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. • Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. • You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. • See the “How To Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.
TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP” section. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. • Bone problems. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.
ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. • To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health. Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. • Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.
HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1. • Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.
BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. • Have any other medical conditions. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.
HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. • Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.
GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection. • Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.
TRUVADA FOR PREP, the TRUVADA FOR PREP Logo, the TRUVADA Blue Pill Design, TRUVADA, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0141 07/17
December 1, 2017 3 4 TVDC0141_PrEP_D_10x15-675_SeattleGayNews_Vogue_p1.indd Seattle Gay News
Celebrating 43 8/30/17 Years! 1:27 PM
Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1974 MEMBER
2017
1707 23rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 324-4297 sgn2@sgn.org sgn.org
Deadlines Classifieds | Thursday at Noon Calendar | Tuesday at 6pm Display Ads Space Reservation | Monday at 5pm Ad Copy (non-camera ready) | Tuesday at 5pm Ad Copy (camera-ready) | Wednesday at 5pm Letters to the Editor | Tuesday at 5pm Obituaries | Call the SGN office All others | Tuesday at 5pm
Editor in Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel Travel Editor George Bakan Copy Editor Rick McKinnon (since Dec 2013) Advertising George Bakan • Maggie Bloodstone MK Scott National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Staff Writers Mike Andrew • Sara Michelle Fetters Miryam Gordon • Shaun Knittel Albert Rodriguez Contributing Writers Rev. Barbara Allen • Ron Anders Eric Andrews-Katz • Madelyn Arnold Alice Bloch • Maggie Bloodstone Beau Burriola • Sharon Cumberland Jessica Davis • Tina Gianoulis Anthony Greer • Milton W. Hamlin Nevin Jefferson • Richard Kennedy Liz Meyer • Jason A. Miller Jesse Monteagudo David Nguyen aka Teriyaki Temple Rod Parke • Don Paulson Jerry Peerson • Jessica Price Scott Rice • Leslie Robinson MK Scott • Gaysha Starr Paul Torres • Janice Van Cleve Ed Walsh • James Whitely Scott Wittet • Rex Wockner Calendar Editors Mike Andrew • Rick McKinnon Classifieds Rick McKinnon Photographers Nate Gowdy • Joseph P. Herron Shaun Knittel • James Whitely Production Mike Pham Website Designer Barry Thorsness / Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published by Frogs and Ink, Inc. © 2017. Frogs and Ink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reprints by permission. Publication of names, photographs, or likeness of any person, organization, event or business in this publication cannot be taken as any indication of the sexual orientation of the person, organization, event or business. Opinions expressed in bylined articles, columns, and letters are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management of this paper. Seattle Gay News welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or reject material. All rights revert to authors upon publication. We assume no liability for loss or damage of materials, solicited or not. We invite feedback, please write. And please play safe. It is our policy that no money shall be refunded if you choose to cancel your ad. Credit will be given for the balance owed. No exceptions.
In Loving Memory Of Steve Foiles • Scott Roger Alpert Cookie Andrews-Hunt James Leland Moore Randy Peters • Lee Richeson Shaun Shelton • Jim Tully James Arnold
OBITUARY
Jim Nabors dies at 87 by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Jim Nabors, TV’s Gomer Pyle, died at his home in Hawaii on November 30. He was 87. According to the Associated Press, the announcement of Nabors’ death was made by his husband, Stan Cadwallader. The couple married on January 15, 2013, at Seattle’s Fairmont Olympic Hotel after being together for 38 years. Nabors was born in Sylacauga, Alabama. His distinctive Gomer Pyle accent was natural, not put on for the part. After graduating from the University of Alabama, he moved to New York and worked as a secretary at the United Nations. “With my thick accent, people would try out different languages on me, never suspecting I was speaking English,” he later joked. Nabors soon moved to Los Angeles to break into show business. In the early 1960s, he was a regular performer at the Horn, a cabaret in Santa Monica that showcased new talent. There he was spotted by Andy Griffith, who thought Nabors would be perfect to play a character on his CBS sitcom, “The Andy Griffith Show,” set in the mythical Mayberry, North Carolina. Nabors was cast as Gomer, cousin of Goober, played by George Lindsey. Although Nabors was signed for just one episode in the show’s third season in 1962, the dim-witted but good-natured character proved to be popular, and Nabors went on to appear in 23 installments of the series. In 1964, Nabors got his own spin-off series, “Gomer Pyle USMC,” which ran until 1969. The show featured Nabors’ character being hounded by by-the-book drill sergeant Vince played by Frank Sutton. Although the show reached number two in ratings in its 1969 season, Nabors quit it to pursue other opportunities, including hosting his own variety show.
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Jim Nabors – Photo courtesy of Wenn
“It got down to what you think you want to be: an actor or an entertainer. I want to entertain,” Nabors said in 1969. “I don’t think I’m much of an actor. The only part I ever played was Gomer. I’m the most surprised person around that I’m successful anyway.” Nabors later admitted that he could not bear to watch the opening sequence from the series – a shot featuring him marching out of step with a line of actual Marines – because so many of the men he was marching with ended up being killed in Vietnam. In the 1970s, Nabors starred with Ruth Buzzi as time-traveling androids on the ABC series “The Lost Saucer.” He first demonstrated his singing voice to TV viewers in 1964 on CBS’s “The Danny Kaye Show,” and on a Gomer Pyle episode that aired in November 1967, he
sang “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha. The song would become a concert staple for him. His 1980 album, The Heart-Touching Magic of Jim Nabors, went platinum. In 1975, Nabors met his partner, Stan Cadwallader, in Honolulu, and the two remained together ever since. Although Nabors regularly brought Cadwallader to his gigs, the two were semi-closeted and never publicly discussed the nature of their relationship till their 2013 marriage. In spite of a 1994 liver transplant, Nabors remained active in show business, doing an annual stage show in Honolulu and singing the opening number at the Indianapolis 500 until 2014.
December 1, 2017
Seattle Gay News 5
AIDS MEMORIAL continued from cover
Advisory Group, which includes Seattle Gay News publisher, George Bakan.
This project has received $275,000 from the City of Seattle with construction to be completed by 2019 as part of the housing development to be built at the Capitol Hill Light Rail station. This memorial will honor members of
the LGBTQ and all communities who were affected by the AIDS pandemic. Mike O’Brien commented: “The HIV/ AIDS Pandemic: a Health Crisis, a Political Crisis and a Social Crisis, and the historical and current effects on the LGBTQ
Community have be devastating.” Council President Bruce Harrell called this legislation, “Powerful.” Below is a copy of the Full Resolution:
CITY OF SEATTLE RESOLUTION 31783
A RESOLUTION in support of the Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial. WHEREAS, the first case of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was identified in Seattle in 1982; and WHEREAS, by 1989, the rapid spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection resulted in 1,433 cases of HIV infection and 704 AIDS deaths; and WHEREAS, by 1996, when effective treatment for HIV/AIDS first became available, 5,111 King County residents had been diagnosed with AIDS and 3,273 persons had died from HIV; and WHEREAS, while AIDS affects people of all ages, incomes, genders, and races, AIDS has disproportionately affected people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people; and refugee and immigrant communities; and WHEREAS, The City of Seattle (City) recognizes the ways in which homophobia, transphobia, classism, and racism contributed to the AIDS pandemic being historically and culturally ignored; and WHEREAS, the historical public reactions to the AIDS pandemic was based in fear, discrimination, and condemnation of those diagnosed with HIV and AIDS; and WHEREAS, in spite of hostility, and indifference toward the suffering of others, courageous people including others members of the LGBTQ community, and more specifically lesbian, bi-sexual, and queer women, stepped forward to help those who were ill; and WHEREAS, current grassroots community organizations, such as Seattle Gay Clinic, Northwest AIDS Foundation, Chicken Soup Brigade (collectively now Lifelong); People of Color Against AIDS Network (now POCAAN); and Seattle AIDS Support Groups (now SASG) were created by these courageous people to politically advocate and provide a continuum of care including treatment, prevention, counseling, and housing resources; and WHEREAS, progressive leadership at Seattle-King County Public Health took decisive actions in response to AIDS such as: establishing the second U.S. AIDS Assessment Clinic in 1983; initiating one of the nation’s first AIDS Prevention Demonstration projects, with Federal funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1985; creating a communitybased continuum of care through a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant supporting provision/coordination of AIDS services in 1986; advocating for the enactment of Washington State‚Äôs AIDS Omnibus Bill in 1988; running the nation’s second syringe exchange program in 1989; establishing the Northwest Family Center, providing medical and social services to women, children, and families affected by HIV in 1990; and WHEREAS, the City took early leadership in responding to the HIV epidemic, with Mayor Charles Royer establishing the Mayor’s Task Force in 1984 advising City departments about humane responses to City employees afflicted by HIV/AIDS and crafting the continuum of care model resulting in the award of the first coordination of care grant; and WHEREAS, community-based organizations were established by individuals to advocate and address the HIV care, treatment, housing, social services, and prevention needs of Seattle and King County residents diagnosed with or at risk of HIV infection and to work with public health authorities; and WHEREAS, the engagement of community organizers and activists, including the Seattle chapter of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP/ Seattle), was responsible for politically awakening the AIDS crisis and essential in creating a comprehensive system of HIV care and prevention, including the provision of street-based syringe exchange in 1989 and overcoming community opposition to allow Bailey-Boushay House AIDS hospice to open in 1992; and WHEREAS, diverse community members have determined that the many stories of AIDS in Seattle must be told; and
6 Seattle Gay News
December 1, 2017
WHEREAS, community volunteers and organizations have stepped forward to seek to create the Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial (SALM) to tell the many stories about the first days of AIDS; and WHEREAS, in response to support from the community, the Seattle City Council in 2016 approved Green Sheet 910-7-A-1 to “Add $75,000 to The Office of Arts & Culture to support an AIDS memorial legacy planning process” and WHEREAS, a volunteer community advisory group and volunteer steering committee now meet regularly to support the development of the SALM; and WHEREAS, the community advisory group has developed site criteria for the SALM and researched numerous Seattle locations as potential sites; and WHEREAS, the SALM work groups have identified the appropriate site for the AIDS legacy memorial, described collectively as the north edge of Cal Anderson Park, the adjacent public plaza on the Capitol Hill Link light rail transit-oriented development, and the block of East Denny Way between Broadway Avenue East and Tenth Avenue East deemed by the Seattle Department of Transportation as a festival street; and WHEREAS, the SALM, having received approval from Gerding Edlen Development, is currently negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the developer to site legacy memorial elements on and near its public plaza in Capitol Hill; and WHEREAS, the SALM has received strong support and endorsements from the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, the Cal Anderson Park Alliance, and the Capitol Hill Champion, which has been advocating for the incorporation of community goals into light rail station development through engagement with community and neighborhood groups and business interests; and WHEREAS, the SALM is prepared to engage artists, design and engineering professionals, historians, and curators to: develop concepts; prepare collateral materials to share options for a legacy memorial project; produce a final report that outlines scale, location, timeline, financial information, and other components of the project; complete preliminary research; and present legacy memorial options to the community advisory group for consensus on a recommended legacy memorial project and course of action; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT: Section 1. The City Council states its continued support for the Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial Project (SALM). Section 2. The City Council requests that an Interdepartmental Team be formed to assist in the creation of the SALM and that it be convened by the Office of Arts & Culture, which will invite relevant City departments to join, including: the Seattle Department of Transportation; the Department of Parks and Recreation; and other departments and offices as appropriate; along with SALM project management, who will staff the Team; Gerding Edlen, the developer of the Capitol Hill Light Rail Transit Oriented Development site; and Berger Partnership, SALM’s landscape architecture consultant. Adopted by the City Council the 27th day of November, 2017, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this 27th day of November, 2017. Bruce Harrell, President of the City Council The Mayor concurred the 28th day of November, 2017. Tim Burgess, Mayor Filed by me this 28th day of November, 2017. Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
Celebrating 43 Years!
Photo courtesy of Bailey-Boushay House
BAILEY-BOUSHAY continued from cover
Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions were only beginning to rule out routes of transmission and implement programs to research and track the disease worldwide. The federal government was stuck in a slow vortex, unable to have any sort of impactful immediate response. By the end of 1983, AIDS cases in the U.S. had risen to 3,064 and nearly half of those were lives lost. In 1984, 7,699 cases and 3,665 lives lost. The numbers kept climbing.
these individuals found themselves at a loss for resources. In the late 1980s, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation took a seat at the table and engaged in this crisis, beginning to evaluate the needs of King County. For nine months, Lieberman sat at that table and one of the group’s community recommendations included building a 35-bed skilled nursing facility and day health program. AIDS Housing of Washington was founded in 1988 and the facility they launched would become known as BaileyBoushay House (BBH), named after Thatcher Bailey, a founding donor, and his
working on permits and licenses, while Hurley served as the first executive director building the operations and programming. Virginia Mason Medical Center showed its support when other hospitals bowed out, helping BBH build its vision of creating a 24-hour care residence where people with AIDS could find care and a way to live their last days with dignity. In 1992, BBH was officially established in the Madison Valley neighborhood of Seattle. It opened with 50 staff, 35 beds and two programs. The neighborhood was still fearful, but thanks to early supporters like Café Flora, BBH was able to build a stable foundation to grow into what it is today. Since I started as director of the outpatient program in 1992 to now serving as executive director of BBH, I’ve seen our programming and services evolve just as the disease has evolved from “fatal” to “chronic.”
ming. Services address the holistic needs of clients, from chemical dependency, to mental illness and depression, to homelessness, incarceration and, of course, other chronic diseases. By creating this foundation of support and trust, we see greater success with treatment and adherence. A huge area of focus is our Housing Stability Project. Bailey-Boushay House is the only organization of its kind in the U.S. to tackle permanent housing for those who are living with HIV/AIDS and are homeless. Through weekly drop-in classes, BBH meets people where they are in the community (such as shelters) and in-house to provide them the tools and skills to get off the streets, and teach them the basics of taking care of a home. We’ve made great strides at BBH over the past 25 years as the nation’s first nursing care residence for people living with HIV/AIDS. We have provided a sense of
Shawntel Deloney, clinical dietician, speaks with a Bailey-Boushay client. – Photo courtesy Virginia Mason Medical Center
Hospitals were on the hook to care for those dying from AIDS, driving up insane daily operational costs that were not sustainable. Advocates, private groups and community members across the country were trying to figure out how to care for these people whose lives were being robbed. In Seattle, it was all about community. Different communities coming together – embracing the creative, vibrant culture this city has always offered. Of them were Betsy Lieberman and Chris Hurley. Lieberman had a long career as clinic coordinator of the Pike Place Market Community Clinic, where Hurley also worked. In the mid-80s, the clinic started to see an increase in patients with HIV, all with extreme needs – from health care to housing. At this time, home health care didn’t want to take these people in. Hospice wasn’t as large as it is today, and
partner Frank Boushay who died of AIDS in 1989. However, the opening of BBH was a rough road. It was contested by the public, resources were scarce, and hospitals were not interested in supporting the effort. While hospitals were the most viable option at the time for caring for those living with AIDS, there was a lot of fear in the medical community – from nurses to doctors – about the unknown. I still remember seeing patients at clinics be completely neglected because staff were afraid of contracting HIV. And there was a lot of fear in the public as well – no one wanted their neighborhood, their restaurants, their laundromats to be infiltrated with the disease. Still, Lieberman and Hurley pressed on. They knew there was a better way; these individuals deserved compassionate care. Lieberman focused on raising money,
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Billy Burton, clinical care manager at Bailey-Boushay House. – Photo courtesy Virginia Mason Medical Center
When we opened BBH’s doors, death surrounded us. In fact, half of King County residents who have died from HIV/AIDS have died in our building. Every single day was emotionally charged as we navigated our harsh reality. While it was tragic, we found comfort knowing that people were able to live their last days with dignity rather than neglect. Since those early days and thanks to medical advancements, BBH has grown to offer a range of services focused on helping people live well with HIV/AIDS through outpatient and inpatient program-
community and care for thousands and thousands of people not just here in Seattle, but across the Pacific Northwest, from Alaska to Idaho. But there is always more we can do to improve the quality of life for people living with AIDS. On World AIDS Day, it is important to reflect on the history of HIV/AIDS and its impact on our city, our community and its people. This includes acknowledging the tragedies of the past, while also celebrating improvements in the quality of care and the steps that have led us to where we are today and where we’re going.
December 1, 2017
Seattle Gay News 7
A return to “We Don’t Serve Your Kind Here”? Far-reaching dangers of Masterpiece Cakeshop case highlighted by Open to All campaign NEW YORK, NY – In the context of a nation rocked by racial discrimination at levels unseen in decades, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 5th in a case that could gut not only state nondiscrimination laws but also erode the Civil Rights Act – and turn back the clock to a time when businesses could tell people, “We don’t serve your kind here.” In response, a broad coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), civil rights, racial justice and allied organizations have launched Open to All, a national campaign to focus attention on the far-reaching, dangerous risks of the Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case. In 2012, a gay couple was denied service when they attempted to purchase a cake for their wedding reception. The bakery argues that businesses with a “creative” element should be allowed to refuse service to some people in violation of laws against discrimination. Yet despite the high stakes of the case, it has received relatively little media attention. “If the Supreme Court gives businesses a constitutional right to discriminate, it would have implications that reach far beyond bakeries,” said Ineke Mushovic, executive director of the Movement Advancement Project (MAP). “If the Court carves out a broad exemption in nondiscrimination laws for so-called ‘creative’ enterprises, we could see an explosion of discrimination by restaurants, hair salons, event venues, funeral parlors and more. And the impact of such a decision wouldn’t be limited to LGBT people; it could be used to allow discrimination against people of color, women, minority faiths, people with disabilities, and others.”
The Open to All campaign is supported by more than 75 organizations, including MAP, the ACLU, Color of Change, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Anti-Defamation League, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the National Black Justice Coalition, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and Freedom for All Americans. A full list of supporting organizations can be found at www.OpenToAll.com The campaign was launched with a new website – OpenToAll.com – and two new ads developed by MAP: “We Don’t Serve Your Kind Here” illustrates how Masterpiece could lead to a wider array of people – including LGBT people and families of color – facing discrimination, while helping other viewers imagine how they would feel if they faced similar discrimination. The ad was produced in partnership with 24 national advocacy groups including civil rights, progressive, LGBT, health, and faith organizations. “License to Discriminate” depicts ways in which a decision in favor of the bakery in this case could be used by those who seek to discriminate against LGBT people and others. The ads can be viewed at www.OpentoAll.com In addition to the ads, the site includes two new MAP resources on the damaging implications of the Masterpiece case, Understanding Masterpiece Cakeshop vs.
Colorado Civil Rights Commission and Issue Brief: The Broader Danger of the Masterpiece Cakeshop Case. The site also features a social media graphics sharing section where users can spread the word and build conversations about the campaign through one-click sharing to Facebook, Twitter and other platforms – as well as a comprehensive list of amicus briefs filed in support of the couple who was discriminated against in this case. Among them, briefs filed by: leading racial justice legal and advocacy organizations, 211 members of Congress, 15 faith and civil rights organizations, 37 leading businesses and organizations, and many others. Recent research shows that small business owners support protecting LGBT people from discrimination. A new poll released in November 2017 by the Small Business Majority shows that 65% of small business owners believe businesses should not be permitted to deny goods or services to LGBT people based on an owner’s religious beliefs, and 55% of small business owners don’t believe that a business owner should be able to claim an exemption to nondiscrimination laws if they believe serving a customer goes against their right to free artistic expression. Open to All is nationwide public engagement campaign to build understanding and discussion about the importance of our nation’s nondiscrimination laws – and the bedrock principle that when businesses open their doors to the public, they should be Open to All. For more information and resources, visit www.OpenToAll.com. You can also find the campaign on social media at @OpentoAllofUS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Website and Resources: www.OpentoAll.com will include graphics, policy resources, and ways to take action, including a petition from the ACLU: www.opentoall.com/petition which will roll out over the course of three days, opening up to the public as a People’s Petition on Friday. Check out the Resources page at www. opentoall.com/resources; you’ll find useful policy content, videos and infographics that explain the importance of the case and what is at stake. Social media: In addition to the website launch, we will be launching two new ads, and a number of #OpentoAll graphics showing the harms of a loss in the Masterpiece case. We have also set up social media accounts for the campaign. Please follow these accounts and feel free to retweet and share posts directly from here: Facebook: www.facebook.com/OpentoAllofUs; Twitter: @OpentoAllofUs; Instagram: @OpentoAllofUs Hashtags: #OpenToAll; #Masterpiece; #LicenseToDiscriminate (as well as #NoLicenseToDiscriminate) Founded in 2006, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) is an independent think tank that provides rigorous research, insight and analysis that help speed equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. www.lgbtmap.org Courtesy of Movement Advancement Project (MAP)
LGBT Asians/South Asians file innovative amicus briefs: Urge courts to deny anti-LGBT discrimination in Masterpiece Cakeshop case And block anti-immigrant/anti-sanctuary city law in Texas Amicus briefs filed in US Supreme Court and US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) filed two amicus (“friend of the court”) briefs in federal courts defending the rights of LGBT people, Asian Americans, and immigrants. Those cases involve a claim of religious exemption to allow anti-LGBT discrimination in Colorado and a harsh anti-immigrant, anti-sanctuary city law in Texas SB4. Fighting a Religious Exemption for Anti-LGBT Discrimination in the US Supreme Court Washington, DC – The case is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday December 5, 2017. NQAPIA joined the National LGBTQ Task Force to file an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission to deny discrimination against LGBT people based on one’s religious beliefs. The brief was developed with the pro bono assistance of Morrison & Foerster LLP. Brief is here: http://www.thetaskforce.org/wp-content/ uploads/2017/10/16-111-bsac-LGBTQTask-Force.pdf The case involves a Colorado man who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple because of his religious beliefs.
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“Religion should never be an acceptable reason to refuse services to anyone, as courts have long held,” said Glenn D. Magpantay, NQAPIA Executive Director. The innovative brief illustrates the intersection of race-based discrimination and anti-LGBTQ discrimination. For decades, the Supreme Court has held that a business owner’s prejudicial views on race, even if based on religion, do not allow racebased discrimination. If the Court allows an exception to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, it would exacerbate the multiple layers of discrimination that LGBTQ people of color already face in public accommodations, housing, and employment. Indeed, it could open the door to legally permissible discrimination based on the intersections of race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Other co-signers to the amicus brief include GLAAD, Basic Rights Oregon, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity, National Coalition for LGBT Health, SisterSong: National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, and Witness to Mass Incarceration. Challenging Texas SB 4 in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit San Antonio, TX – NQAPIA and LGBT Asian groups and allies in Texas filed an amicus brief in federal court to block the implementation of Texas’s anti-immigrant/
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anti-sanctuary city law (SB 4). The brief was developed with the pro bono assistance of Reed Smith LLP. Brief is here: http:// www.nqapia.org/wpp/nqapia-brief/ SB 4 is the most aggressive anti-immigrant law enacted since Trump took office. The law bans sanctuary cities and will promote racial profiling of immigrants. KhushATX a South Asian LGBT group in Austin; OCA Greater Houston Chapter, a non-LGBT ally Asian American group; The Collective of Houston Asian Americans; and Dragonflies of Dallas –joined NQAPIA on the brief that was filed in City of El Cenizo v. Texas. More information about Texas SB 4 is available here: http:// www.nqapia.org/wpp/fact-sheet-sb4/ “Texas SB 4 will subject Asian Americans, LGBT people, and Latinos to illegal profiling about their immigration status by local law enforcement.” said Glenn D. Magpantay, NQAPIA Executive Director. The brief argues that Texas SB 4 would subject LGBT people who are ethnic and racial minorities to discriminatory stops and unlimited questioning by police. Asian Americans are the fastest growing immigrant group in Texas. The Asian population is growing at twice the rate of the Hispanic population. Large metro areas like Dallas and Houston are experiencing particularly rapid growth of Asian Americans, and each has a significant number of undocumented Asian American immigrants. A disproportionate number of the
LGBT undocumented immigrant community is Asian American. The impact of SB 4 is further compounded for those immigrants who are both Asian American and LGBT. The law will subject LGBT immigrants to increased harassment and detention. Studies show that federal immigration authorities already use their discretion to target and detain the LGBT population more routinely than other populations. Moreover, many LGBT immigrants come from countries that criminalize homosexuality. SB 4 increases the likelihood that they could be forced to return to countries and face persecution. NQAPIA and OCA-Greater Houston published an op-ed further illustrating the impact of SB 4 on Asian Americans in Texas at https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/texas-sb4s-impacton-asian-americans-why-we-should_ us_59a7127be4b00ed1aec9a532 The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a nationwide federation of LGBT Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (API) organizations. We seek to build the organizational capacity of local LGBT API groups, develop leadership, and expand collaborations to better challenges anti-LGBT bias and racism. Courtesy of NQAPIA
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Trans people of color speak out for World AIDS Day Transgender Law Center releases three powerful videos created by members of TLC’s Positively Trans program OAKLAND, CA – In honor of World AIDS Day, Transgender Law Center (TLC) is releasing three new videos created by trans people of color living with HIV. The videos from Positively Trans members Aryah Lester, Arianna Lint, and Marcus Ecks, developed at Story Center workshops, provide a more personal look at the lives and stories behind data showing the epidemic’s disproportionate impact on transgender communities. “In 2017, we live in a world where contracting HIV is completely preventable,” Arianna Lint, a Positively Trans National Advisory Board member from Florida, says in her video. “We are living in a world where if you contract HIV, it’s
a chronic and critical disease, not a death sentence – unless you are poor, unless you are a person of color, and especially unless you’re a poor, transgender person of color. If you are holding any of those identities, especially if you’re holding all of them, you don’t live in 2017. For us, it’s 1980.” In their videos Arianna, Marcus, and Aryah share their experiences and advocacy as trans people of color living with HIV. Their videos can be viewed at:
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Arianna’s video: https://youtu.be/cvDn84Yx2ak Marcus’s video: https://youtu.be/plNXLSjeHpc
Aryah’s video: https://youtu.be/0oLBl0tRPA8 Transgender Law Center launched Positively Trans in 2015 with the support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation as a response to the structural inequalities that drive the high rate of HIV/AIDS and poor health outcomes. By partnering with a National Advisory Board of community leaders, Positively Trans seeks to mobilize and promote resilience of transgender people most impacted by or living with HIV/AIDS, particularly transgender women of color, through research, policy advocacy, legal advocacy, and leadership strengthening. The full library of Positively Trans
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videos and research reports is available here: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/ programs/positively-trans. Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation. transgenderlawcenter.org Courtesy of Transgender Law Center
Seattle Gay News 9
MAYOR DURKAN continued from cover
opian Community Center in Rainier Beach rather than at City Hall, as her predecessors have done. Later she also made appearances in the Delridge neighborhood of West Seattle, Chinatown-International District, Phinney Ridge, and Lake City. “It is a great opportunity to serve as your mayor, but with the honor comes a deep responsibility,” Durkan told a standing-room-only crowd at the Ethiopian Community Center. “Our challenges are real, but people across our city are ready to work together to tackle our shared challenges and seize the opportunities that will continue to make Seattle the great city we love. We are the place that invents the future – and there is no doubt in my mind that working together, we will continue to look out to the horizon and create that better future for the next generation.” In her first official action as mayor, Durkan, signed an executive order to assist low-income renters pay for housing. According to Durkan’s office, her executive order includes four measures to help renters with housing costs:
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• To immediately reduce costs for the hardest hit, households on the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) waitlist will be contacted in the first few weeks to determine if they are eligible. If they are eligible for reduced utility rates, they will be expedited into the Utility Discount Program or other programs to help reduce their expenses. • By January, a pilot Seattle Rental Housing Assistance Program will be developed. • By the end of January, the Office of Housing (OH) and the SHA will develop partnerships to expedite placement of those on the SHA waitlist through the Multifamily Property Tax Exemption (MFTE) program. • By March, there will be progress on the creation of an affordability portal to streamline benefits for Seattle residents. “On a daily basis, Seattle residents are being forced from their homes and our city as rent prices continue to skyrocket,” Durkan said in a statement. “Our housing affordability crisis needs urgent remedies: families and individuals should not be forced to choose between buying much-needed medications, heating their homes, buying groceries, or paying their rent. While this action is only one tool for addressing our affordability crisis, families who need it most will see money back in their pockets now… “This combination of immediate strategies hopefully can make the difference between keeping a roof over the heads of struggling families or forcing them onto the streets or into their cars,” she added. On her first day in office, Durkan also called for a review of how the City is carrying out the Race and Social Justice Initiative that requires implicit bias training for City department directors. The next day, November 29, Durkan announced her “Seattle Promise” collegetuition program, which would offer all of the city’s public high school graduates two years of free community college. “There is no better investment we can make as a city than in the education of our young people,” Durkan said. The program will begin next fall with a new group of graduates from Cleveland, Chief Sealth, and Rainier Beach High Schools and by offering a second year of free college to students now benefiting from an existing program, the 13th Year Scholarship. Photos by Nate Gowdy
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Enough is enough: Lambda Legal condemns U.S. Senate for handing architect of Trump administration’s anti-LGBT agenda lifetime appointment on powerful DC Circuit Court
Katsas confirmation marks beginning of Senate’s year-end surge to stack federal bench with Trump’s dangerous nominees WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Senate this evening [Tuesday, November 28] confirmed Gregory Katsas – the legal architect of many of Donald Trump’s anti-LGBT efforts – to the powerful U.S. Federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Lambda Legal strongly condemned the Senate GOP leadership and those Senators who confirmed Katsas for this lifetime position on the federal bench, and noted that this evening’s vote marks the beginning of a year-end surge by the GOP leadership and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to jam through a series of similarly dangerous nominees to other federal courts. Tomorrow, [Wednesday, November 29] the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on the nominations of Stuart Kyle Duncan to the Fifth Circuit and Supreme Court “short-lister” David Ryan Stras to the Eighth Circuit. On Thursday, [November 30] the Committee is expected to hold hearings on L. Steven Grasz for the Eighth Circuit – who was deemed unanimously “not qualified” by the nonpartisan American Bar Association – and Mark Norris for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Lambda Legal opposes all of these nominees, citing each individual’s dangerous record and contempt for LGBT Americans. Sharon McGowan, Lambda Legal’s Director of Strategy, issued the following statement: “Today’s confirmation of the legal architect of much of this administration’s anti-LGBT agenda to the powerful DC Circuit is a disgrace, and demonstrates that the Senate has become nothing more than a rubber stamp for Donald Trump, without
be found here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/ legal-docs/dc_20171120_41-lgbt-groupsoppose-gregory-katsas
Gregory Katsas – Photo by Alex Wong / AP
regard for how anti-LGBT, anti-woman, anti-Muslim, or anti-immigrant the records of his judicial nominees. The courts play an essential part in protecting those most vulnerable in this country, and the damage being done to the judicial system by this administration cannot be overstated. Senators abdicate their constitutional duty when they simply roll over and allow Donald Trump to pack the courts with lifetime appointees who share Trump’s distorted view of the Constitution. “We demand better, and deserve better from our Senators. This week, the Senators on the Judiciary Committee have the opportunity change course. We salute Senator Kennedy (R-LA) for standing up for a fair judiciary by voting against Gregory Katsas’ nomination, and urge other Republicans to show that they understand that they have been sent to Washington to serve the people and not just their party. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has discarded longstanding traditions and safeguards in order to jam these nominees through at a break-
neck pace, and Lambda Legal is here to say: enough is enough. Take the time, look at their records, and do not allow Donald Trump to corrupt the integrity of our judiciary for generations to come. Our country has a right to expect a fair and impartial judicial system to protect their rights. “We have laid it all out for those on the Judiciary Committee. We have demonstrated each of these nominee’s contempt for LGBT people, our relationships, our families, and our children. No reasonable person believes that these nominees are capable of administering fair and impartial justice to LGBT litigants who come before them. These nominees’ records cannot and should not be ignored. Too much is at stake for the country. To the Senate, we say: Do Your Job.” Ahead of tonight’s [Tuesday, November 28] confirmation vote, Lambda Legal brought together 40 other national, state, and local LGBT organizations to oppose Gregory Katsas’s nomination, citing his central role in the anti-civil rights efforts of the Trump administration. That letter can
More information on Stuart Kyle Duncan from Lambda Legal can be found here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/news/ dc_20171114_lgbt-groups-oppose-judicialnominees h t t p s : / / w w w. l a m b d a l e g a l . o r g / blog/20171114_lgbt-groups-oppose-judicial-nominees More information on Steven Grasz from Lambda Legal can be found here: h t t p s : / / w w w. l a m b d a l e g a l . o r g / blog/20171030_trump-keeps-losing-in-thecourts https://www.lambdalegal.org/news/ dc_20171115_senators-should-rejectunqualified-nominees More information on Mark Norris from Lambda Legal can be found here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/news/ dc_20171101_anti-lgbt-judicial-nomineeschoke-justice h t t p s : / / w w w. l a m b d a l e g a l . o r g / blog/20171101_mark-norris-anti-lgbtqrecord Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work. For more information, visit www.lambdalegal.org Courtesy of Lambda Legal
Chairman Grassley and Senate Judiciary GOP bulldoze judicial nominations process to stack federal courts with extremist nominees WASHINGTON, DC – [On Wednesday, November 29] the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on two judicial nominees for lifetime appointments to the federal bench: Kyle Duncan for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and David Stras for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The hearing took place as a result of Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley breaking with precedent to override the “blue slip” process, which traditionally gives the Senators from each nominee’s home state the opportunity to weigh in on the nomination and prevent them from moving forward by refusing to return the blue slip. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) refused to turn in his blue slip for David Stras, and Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) turned in a negative blue slip for Kyle Duncan. Lambda Legal has opposed the nominations of both Kyle Duncan and David Stras, and Lambda’s Director of Strategy, Sharon
McGowan, issued the following statement on the hearing: “There is precedent for a reason. When the President nominates someone for a lifetime appointment, who will outlast any administration, then the Senate has a responsibility to ensure that person is deserving of that position. That includes the blue slip process, which gives Senators from each nominee’s home state the privilege to have first say on each nominee before they are considered by the Judiciary Committee. When the process is working as it should, a negative blue slip or a refusal to return a blue slip would stop a nomination from moving forward, and demand a better, more deserving nominee for this lifetime position. “However, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, like many of his colleagues in the GOP leadership and Trump administration, has shown a total disregard and lack of respect for any prec-
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edent. He has abdicated his responsibility as a United States Senator by simply becoming a rubber stamp for Donald Trump, jamming through nominee after nominee without a care for how heinously anti-LGBT, anti-women, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, and anti-civil rights their record has been proven. That could not be clearer today as he has ignored the blue slip process and moved forward with hearings for Kyle Duncan and David Stras. It could not be clearer this week more broadly as the Senate confirmed Trump’s own Deputy White House Counsel to the powerful DC Circuit, and as the Judiciary Committee continues to vote on and hold hearings on nominees like Steven Grasz, Mark Norris, and Don Willett. “These nominees have extremist records that have been presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Any Senator who actually takes a look will see that these nominees are a threat to the LGBT commu-
nity, our relationships, our families, and our children, as well as all Americans who rely on a fair and impartial judiciary. The process is in place so that nominees like these do not get handed a lifetime appointment. With the process being decimated by Chairman Grassley, it is up to the other Senators on the Judiciary Committee to take a stand and not allow these nominees to move any further forward.” Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work. For more information, visit www.lambdalegal.org Courtesy of Lambda Legal
Celebrating 43 Years!
Updated International Human Rights Principles for the Treatment of LGBTI People released The Yogyakarta Principles Plus 10 reflect changes in law and society over the past decade LOS ANGELES – International human rights experts today released a supplement to the groundbreaking Yogyakarta Principles, a universal guide to human rights related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics which applies to all United Nations member states. The original Yogyakarta Principles were drafted by human rights experts in 2006 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in response to documented human rights abuses against LGBT people worldwide. They have been translated into 30 languages and have been cited by judges, legislators and government officials around the world as well as the U.N. The Yogyakarta Principles Plus 10 (YP+10) include nine new principles and 112 additional state obligations that address developments in international human rights law and changes in society on issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC). “The document issued today is destined to become one of the most important touchstones in the development of LGBTI rights
globally,” said Andrew Park, Williams Institute International Program Director, who served as secretariat for YP+10. Key additional recognitions and obligations in YP+10 include: • A broader recognition of characteristics upon which governments are barred from discriminating. The original Yogyakarta Principles focused on sexual orientation and gender identity, or SOGI. YP+10 provide guidance on human rights based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics, or SOGIESC. • The rights of intersex people. YP+10 state that no one should be subjected to invasive or irreversible medical procedures, including those done for sex conditions, without free, prior and informed consent. This includes children, in a manner consistent with their evolving capacity. • The rights of refugees. A well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of SOGIESC is acceptable ground for the recognition of refugee status, and all asylum seekers have the right to protection from violence and discrimination during the
determination of their claims. • Personal information. Governments should only record personal information, including gender, when that information is relevant, reasonable and necessary. When gender is recorded, governments should establish mechanisms to allow individuals to change gender designations to match their gender identity. • Sanitation. All people have the right to sanitation, including access to bathrooms, without regard to sexual orientation, gender identity or sex conditions. • Information technology. All people have the right to use information and communication technologies without discrimination and to employ encryption, anonymity and pseudonymity tools. • Truth. All people have the right to the truth, including the right to know what medical procedures have been conducted on them. “The Yogyakarta Principles are not about aspiration,” said Park. “They detail exactly what governments should be doing to comply with current international standards under today’s human rights treaties.
When countries appear before the U.N. to have their human rights record reviewed, they are asked if they comply with the Yogyakarta Principles.” The Williams Institute and international human rights groups will host a series of webinars with YP+10 signatories to give more detail about the principles and their implications. RSVP for the webinar on January 16, 2018 here: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ br7t74fuxb08&eom RSVP for the webinar on February 15, 2018 here: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ gx45ipcwxe7u&eom The Yogyakarta Principles Plus 10 and the official press release can be found here: http://www.yogyakartaprinciples.org/principles-en/ The Williams Institute, 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
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hugs Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ issues, after delivering his apology. – Photo courtesy of Reuters
TRUDEAU
continued from cover Canada, wronged,” the prime minister said. “We are sorry. We hope by acknowledging our failings we can make the crucial progress LGBTQ2 people in Canada deserve. We will continue to support each other in our fight for equality because we know that Canada gets stronger every single day that we choose to embrace diversity.” Trudeau’s official apology included “statesponsored, systemic oppression and rejection” of LGBT Canadians, as well as the suppression of “two-spirit Indigenous values and beliefs” and “abusing the power of the law, and making criminals of citizens.”
Trudeau’s government also introduced legislation to expunge the criminal records of Canadians previously convicted of having consensual same-sex activity. Canada decriminalized homosexuality in 1969, but records of prior convictions still remain on the books. The bill earmarks $4 million Canadian ($3.11 million US) over the next two fiscal years to carry out the destruction of these criminal records. Trudeau also announced that an agreement had been reached in a class-action lawsuit for $110 million Canadian ($85.80 million US) to be paid out to former civil servants and members of the military who lost their jobs because of their sexual orientation. A ban on Lesbian and Gay military service persisted until 1992.
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The text of Trudeau’s statement was crafted by an advisory committee of representatives from the Canadian government and LGBT rights organizations, including Egale Canada Human Rights Trust Executive Director Helen Kennedy, who said the apology has “been a long time coming.” Kennedy said Tuesday’s apology was an important “acknowledgement of LGBTQ2 identities and LGBTQ2 lives,” but, she added, “there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of the systemic changes.” “We have huge amounts of work still do here in Canada. We have very high rates of LGBTQ2 youth homelessness, housing is a big issue, unemployment, access to health care… We have a blood ban in effect for men who have sex with men,” she explained.
Leaders of Canada’s main opposition parties echoed Trudeau’s sentiments. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer condemned past policies for failing to protect citizens and public employees from “overreaching governments.” Guy Caron, the New Democratic Party’s parliamentary leader in the House, praised NDP member Svend Robinson, the first openly Gay member of Parliament and an activist on LGBT rights issues. Robinson, now retired from politics, traveled to Ottawa and sat in the gallery for the historic apology.
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