Issue 51 Volume 39
Celebrating 38 Years!
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BEST OF MOVIES 2011 Section 2
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Living in silence: Campaigning GOP candidates confronted about anti-Gay views Gay North Korea
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Life inside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, is not generally well understood. The nation is among the most isolated in the world. “Reclusive” only begins to scratch the surface of what one could say
about the DPRK’s obsession with secrecy. And because people often fear what they don’t know, North Korea isn’t exactly on the best of terms with Asia – or the rest of world, for that matter. On December 17, according to North Korean officials, Kim Jong Il died. The leader’s death has ushsee korea page 20
Whenever a GOP candidate spouts off anti-Gay hate, I know I’m not the only one who wonders, “Are they for real? Do they really believe what they say?” Their political party’s collective ignorance about the lives of LGBT Americans is evident every time they give a speech and tie our community into issues that have nothing to do with us – for example, when they claim that we are ruining the sanctity of marriage (even though we cannot legally marry on a federal level), destroying the nation with our homosexual agenda (which consists only of securing equality), and more degenerate statements I can’t bring myself to repeat. At times, the hateful and ridiculous words from these Republicans are downright sad. One would like to think that, as we say goodbye to 2011, we should see the exit of anti-Gay sentiment in the United States. It’s a nice thought, anyway. But the truth is, we find ourselves just weeks away from the Iowa primary, and the anti-Gay speech is in full swing – ratcheted up,
courtesy towleroad
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Rebecka Green (l) and presidential candidate Rick Perry
even. Well, we – the LGBT community and our supporters – seem to be fed up. And if Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney aren’t getting the message of “Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Homophobia has got to go!” they should. One by one, in city after city, members of the LGBT community have stood up at town
hall meetings – on their own, without the direction of national Gay advocacy groups – to ask the tough questions, confronted candidates on camera in diners about their anti-LGBT views, and sent a clear message that we, the Gay people of the United States of America, see GOP page 20
Lesbians share Navy’s iconic kiss FDA approves
phase of clinical trials, in which it will be tested on 600 HIV-negative volunteers at high risk for HIV infection. Researchers will measure the volunteers’ immune response to the vaccine. The third and final phase would enroll 6,000 HIVnegative volunteers at high risk for HIV infection. Half the participants would be vaccinated and half would be left unvaccinated. Dr. Chil-Yong Kang They would then by Mike Andrew be tracked for three years to observe how many in each group beSGN Staff Writer come infected with HIV. SAV001 was developed after 20 The FDA has approved human testing for a new HIV vaccine, years of research at the University SAV001. Approval was announced of Western Ontario in Canada. Dr. Chil-Yong Kang, professor December 20. Beginning in January, the vac- of virology at the Schulich School cine will be administered to 40 of Medicine and Dentistry at the healthy HIV-positive subjects to University of Western Ontario, called the FDA approval a “miletest its safety. If SAV001 is proven to be safe, see vaccine page 21 the vaccine will enter the second courtesy The University of Western Ontario
AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Brian J. Clark
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta (l) kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, VA., on December 21, 2011, after Gaeta’s ship returned from 80 days at sea. It is a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings – one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one.
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Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel
Treated like family Everett’s Providence Hospital “gets it”
courtesy Josh Horner and Trenton Garris
Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel, Miryam Gordon, Anthony Greer Contributing Writers
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Publication of names, photographs or likenesses 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 subscription or ad. However, credit towards any size ad will be given for the balance owed. No exceptions.
Josh Horner (l) and Trenton Garris
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor It could happen to any one of us. You begin to feel immense pain and realize you need to go to the hospital. You are LGBT. You are scared because you don’t know what’s going on. You do not want to be alone. You call a friend, who is also LGBT, to accompany you to the hospital in your time of need. They agree and you arrive, together, at the
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emergency room check-in. What next? There was a time not too long ago in the United States when members of the community would have to explain and re-explain, “No, we are not married and no, we do not have any paperwork saying he is my domestic partner, but I would like him by my side.” Or, “No, she is not my sister. This is my friend and I would like to hold her hand before I go into surgery.” Over and over again we would have to, during our time of
need, declare what our relationship status to our friend, lover, or partner was as we watched straight patients have friends, family, and near strangers breeze past the checkin counter to visit them when they are ill. Times have changed, thank goodness, and some hospitals really did get the message that LGBT patients deserve the same treatment and dignity as all patients. We are human, we have friends, and no, we aren’t all married or in a domestic partnership. Sometimes we just want our friend next to our hospital bed so we can be reassured by a friendly face and familiar voice that, yes, we will be OK. Providence Health & Services in Everett, Washington, is one of those medical facilities. On December 9, Josh Horner, an out Gay man living in Lynnwood, began to feel pain in his pelvic area and his heart rate began to elevate. Sensing that something was seriously wrong, the young man went to the emergency room at Providence, as that was the medical facility closest to his house. Scared and in pain, Horner asked that his friend Trenton Garris, also a Gay man, join him at the hospital. “I was dreading the check-in process because earlier this year, I was admitted to Swedish for pneumonia,” Horner told Seattle Gay News. “It was a nightmare. It took forever for anyone to see me. They wouldn’t admit me until we had the medical insurance conversation and when a friend came to visit, we had explain to each nursing and doctor shift who he was.” But, much to Horner and Garris’ delight, Providence was different. “They just asked for my name and could see that I was in a great deal of pain and took me straight back,” said Horner. “They didn’t ask one question about Trenton other than if it was OK for him to come back with me. I said yes it was and they never questioned us or brought it up as an issue.” According to Horner, he was admitted for tachycardia (an elevated heartbeat). Not knowing what else was wrong, the doctors began running tests and monitoring Horner. It became obvious that he would be admitted through the entire weekend. That’s when Garris, a volunteer at Gay City and a student at Pima Medical Institute, decided he was going to stay beside his friend to help him through the terrifying ordeal. “I assumed going into that situation they wouldn’t let me stay,” Garris told Seattle Gay News. “They actually let me check in with him. It really made me feel like the whole fight for freedom and rights is moving along. I felt validated as a community member. It was so refreshing. I was expecting to be treated different in a hospital setting, like so many LGBT people have before.” “Everett is far off the Hill,” he added, “but nobody every blinked twice at what we were
Celebrating 38 Years!
California teen sentenced 21 years for killing Gay student
staff. “When they discharged Josh, it was very late at night,” Garris recalled. “He was tired so they let us sleep in the room and when it was time to leave in the morning, we had a goodbye powwow with the p.m. nurses.” The hospital stay came to an end, but the memory and appreciation for what had happened is far from over. The two men say they will continue to praise Providence for years to come. Cheri Russum, P.R. manager for Providence, said she is not surprised the two men had such a positive experience. “Our policy is focused on family-centered care,” she said. “Because family means so many different things to so many different people, we treat our patients’ friends as if they were family.” “People who have their loved ones near them when they are ill tend to do better and fight harder,” she continued. “To us, it is important to have our patients’ loved ones near them to help engage in their care.” Providence believes in that philosophy so much that they placed sleeper couches in some of the hospital rooms. “Our mission is not something that hangs in a picture frame on the wall,” Russum concluded. “It is something that lives and Brandon McInerney breathes within our staff.” Horner, who has recovered from his ail- by Shaun Knittel ment, agreed. “To this day, I cannot believe SGN Associate Editor how much they care about their patients,” he Brandon McInerney, the Oxnard, Califorsaid. “There was not one person who even nia, teen who pleaded guilty to second-dehesitated at accepting Trenton and me.” gree murder in the killing of a Gay student, was sentenced December 19 to 21 years in prison. Although McInerney, now 17, didn’t
Tom McCarthy 1968-2011
Tom McCarthy loved and lived life like few others. As the youngest of six kids, he honed his humor and antics to thrive, given his place in the pecking order. Tom’s mother died when he was 6. These experiences forged Tom into the endearing and charming individual we loved. His childhood taught him how to overcome adversity. Tom was boisterous and irrepressible – traits which helped when he moved from New York to Seattle when he was 15 to live with his brother Brian and sister-in-law Lisa. In his early years, Tom taught himself computers, building them for friends and cash. He was gregarious; an extrovert with a capital “E.” He became a successful bartender, sought after by the trendy Seattle establishments looking to boost their popularity. He later moved into networking, as office connectivity grew explosively. He was soon leading crews. He led an all-volunteer effort to wire the Seattle public school (Coho/Noms) of his nieces, Madeline and Kathleen.
A quick study, Tom became proficient with network and transport technologies, and worked at MCI, WorldCom, and T-Mobile. He was highly regarded professionally, which led to promotions and a relocation. T-Mobile moved Tom and Larry to Hawaii in 2004. Tom enjoyed the beach, kite-surfing, skydiving, and Larry’s everblooming flowers. He recently began watercolor classes and created beautiful paintings of Hawaiian flowers. Tom’s health worsened, but he didn’t complain or let it diminish his inimitable and positive outlook. He fought on until Monday, November 28, when he passed peacefully with Larry at his side. Thomas J. McCarthy, a resident of Ewa Beach in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, was born in New York on November 2, 1968, to Edwin B. McCarthy and the late Joan (O’Shea) McCarthy. Tom is survived by his father; by his partner of 18 years, Larry Milanovich; and by siblings Brian, Maureen, Dennis, Kevin, and Sean. His 11 nieces and nephews will miss him dearly, and most would call Tom their “funnest” uncle. Please visit Tom’s memorial website (www.respectance.com/TomMcCarthy) and read and/or share memories and photos. A celebration of Tom’s life will be held on Friday, December 30, 2011, at David and Ron’s “Big House” (2007 N.W. 61 St. Seattle) from 3 to 5 p.m. Please join us, all are welcome! You can make a gift in Tom’s honor to the Seattle Animal Shelter, 2061 15th Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98119-2798, (206) 386-PETS. Alternatively, make a tribute in Tom’s name to the Hawaiian Humane Society, 2700 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI, 96826, (808) 356-2213.
SUPPORT BRADLEY MANNING, STOP OUR ADDICTION TO RELIGION I am one of many people around this country and the world who support Bradley Manning. There are two major causes for all the world’s problem. The number-one cause is religion in its many forms and the other is too much secrecy. Until people move beyond religion and all its dogma to embracing science and facts there will continue to be violence committed in the name of gods and one way for people to overcome their addiction to religion is to have a completely open society. This country uses secrecy not so much to protect its citizens as to protect decision makers in both private and public areas who have and continue to make decisions to protect them from the pubic finding out just how corrupt and incompetent the country’s decision mak-
file photo
doing.” Horner also reports feeling validated. “Before this experience, I’d never felt equal in a medical setting,” he said. “At Providence, there was never a problem. Trenton even stayed next to me in the bed.” To help him deal with the pain he was feeling, Horner was given morphine. Due to the drug’s heavy side effects, he said, it helped that Garris was there in more ways than one. “I felt a great deal of comfort,” he said. “When you are in that much pain and you don’t know what is wrong with you it helps to have someone near you who you trust.” “[They’re] scary places, hospitals,” said Horner. “Not somewhere you want to be alone, all hooked up to machines.” When Horner was sedated, Garris says the hospital staff interacted with him, giving him updates so he could help keep his friend informed of his condition. “They have an amazing nursing staff there,” Garris said. “They were gracious and funny and treated us like an old married couple.” To help lighten the mood, Garris and the nurses did their best to keep the lucid Horner in good spirits. “There were times when we were in the hospital that it felt a bit like we were on vacation, talking and laughing and playing games,” said Garris. “The nurses even danced with us in the hallway.” Over the course of the weekend, Horner recovered, and the two men had made some new friends among the nurses and hospital
speak at the proceeding, his lawyer said the teen is “deeply remorseful for his actions.” In November, as part of a plea deal, the teen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and use of a firearm. When he was just 14 years old, McInerney pulled a gun out of his backpack and fatally shot 15-year-old Larry King at point-blank range at the E.O. Green Junior High School in 2008. King’s family said they couldn’t forgive their son’s killer. “You took upon yourself to be a bully and to hate a smaller kid, wanting to be the big man on campus,”’ King’s father, Greg King, said on behalf of his wife. “You have left a big hole in my heart where Larry was and it can never be filled.”’ A mistrial was declared in September after a hung jury couldn’t decide between murder or manslaughter. McInerney then pleaded guilty to seconddegree murder and voluntary manslaughter, and in return, prosecutors agreed not to go forward with the second trial, which could have resulted in a life sentence.
ers are. The current financial crisis facing the world is a prime example of secrecy being used to protect white-collar criminals. George Whitaker
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Scott Arnold
Gingrich says Gays should vote for Obama by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Newt Gingrich endorsed President Obama – sort of – at a campaign event in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on December 20. “I asked him if he’s elected, how does he plan to engage Gay Americans. How are we to support him? And he told me to support Obama,” said Scott Arnold, who encountered Gingrich at the Smokey Row coffee house where the former House speaker was shaking hands. Arnold, an adjunct professor of writing at William Penn University, admits to being a Democrat, but told Des Moines Register reporters that he still has an open mind about the 2012 election. After reading Gingrich’s statements about LGBT Americans, Arnold said, he wanted to ask the candidate how he would be able to represent them. Gingrich’s advice to support Obama did not impress Arnold. “When you ask somebody a question and you expect them to support all Americans and have everyone’s general interest,” Arnold said. “It’s a little bit frustrating and disheartening when you’re told to support the other side. That he doesn’t need your support. “It doesn’t inspire hope at all. And if that’s what he’s trying to do and that’s what he’s trying to say, that this is a collective effort
if he’s elected president, yet he tells me to support the other side?” Although Gingrich’s half-sister, Candace Gingrich-Jones, is a Lesbian who has married her partner Rebecca, the candidate said in Iowa that same-sex marriage “is a temporary aberration that will dissipate.” In a letter to The Family Leader this month, Gingrich said he supported a federal constitutional amendment that would deny marriage rights to same-sex couples. Gingrich-Jones is following her brother’s advice and working on Obama’s reelection campaign. She told Gay blogger Michelangelo Signorile that she has no idea if her brother really believes what he says about LGBT people, or if he has adopted his position because he thinks it will help him win the Republican nomination. “For someone who has publicly and financially opposed marriage equality, he has not so far treated us any differently than a married couple,” she said. “That’s the question that I ask myself, and many have asked me, ‘Does he believe the things he says or is he saying them as part of his political stands?’ Really, the bottom line is: I don’t like either of the possibilities there, and I don’t know what the actual answer is.”
Anti-Gay groups spend far more money than LGBT groups by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Anti-Gay organizations are able to spend far more money than pro-LGBT groups, according to a new report released this month. The comparative study was done by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), “an independent think tank that provides rigorous research, insight, and analysis that help speed equality for LGBT people,” according to its website. MAP surveyed the 40 largest LGBT organizations in the country for its annual National LGBT Movement Report. According to Zack Ford of the progressive ThinkProgress blog, the MAP report “analyzes the financial documents of 40 prominent LGBT organizations,” comparing them to the 10 leading anti-Gay groups. Shockingly, the MAP report finds that Focus on the Family by itself spends more money than all 40 LGBT groups combined. Focus on the Family spent more than $132 million in 2010, compared to less than $127 million for the LGBT groups. In fact, at more than $330 million, the 10 largest anti-Gay groups spent almost three times as much as all 40 of the LGBT groups combined. In part, the gap can be attributed to a very small funding base for pro-LGBT organizations. MAP estimates the number of individual donors to LGBT organizations amounts to only 3% of LGBT Americans. Ninety-seven percent of the estimated 8.7 million LGBT Americans never contribute to these organizations at all. The report also estimates that most LGBT groups rely on just 10 contributors for 45% of their annual income. The other 55% is
made up of smaller donations. Another problem for pro-LGBT organizations is that their supporters tend to be concentrated on the coasts, some activists say. “There are many reasons for the relative dearth of donations coming from within our own community, but coming from the Midwest, I can tell you that many of our national organizations aren’t very well known in the interior of the country,” the interim executive director of Stonewall Democrats, Jerame Davis, told Washington Blade reporters. “H.R.C., Stonewall Democrats, PFLAG, and Lambda Legal are the only organizations we heard from on a consistent basis in Indiana. Go ask your average Midwestern LGBT person to name even five national LGBT organizations; something tells me they wouldn’t get past number three.” LGBT Midwesterners tend to feel alienated from the “movement” on the coasts, Davis said, and therefore are not as likely to donate to LGBT organizations. “It has been a regular complaint from those in ‘flyover country’ that the national LGBT movement needs to focus more on the very clear and obvious lack of equilibrium in equality around the country,” Davis continued. “The stark imbalance when you look at a state like Indiana versus a state like New York makes it hard for folks in those states with less equality to believe the national movement is working for them. That turns off a lot of potential donors who are motivated to give, but feel they have few outlets to do so that will directly impact their daily lives.” The MAP report also had some good news to report.
Most of the 40 organizations studied have turned their finances around from a 2009 low, with revenue exceeding expenses this year. In 2009, most of them were in the red. Most LGBT organizations now report a general increase in revenue coupled with a general decrease in expenses. LGBT organizations have also kept cost of fundraising in check, with only 11% of their average annual expenses going toward fundraising. On average, LGBT groups spent 79% of their money on programs and services, and only 10% on operations. The LGBT groups included in the MAP survey ranged from large national organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Victo-
ry Fund, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and National Center for Lesbian Rights to smaller organizations like Log Cabin Republicans, SoulForce, the Trevor Project, and In The Life Media, and even some state-wide and local organizations like Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, and the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. The top 10 anti-Gay groups include Focus on the Family, the Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defense Fund, American Family Association, Coral Ridge Ministries, Family Research Council, American Center for Law and Justice, Concerned Women for America, Traditional Values Coalition, and National Organization for Marriage.
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Celebrating 38 Years!
U.N. issues landmark report on LGBT rights Sebastien Feval/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses the assembly during a speech entitled “Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights” at the United Nations in Geneva on December 6, 2011, ahead of the International Human Rights Day. Clinton urged an end to discrimination worldwide against Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgender individuals.
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The United Nations called on governments to protect LGBT people, repeal discriminatory laws, and prosecute hate crimes in its first-ever report on LGBT rights, issued December 15. “Homophobic and Transphobic violence has been recorded in all regions. Such violence may be physical (including murder, beatings, kidnappings, rape, and sexual assault) or psychological (including threats, coercion, and arbitrary deprivations of liberty),” said the report by the U.N.’s high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay. The findings of the report will be presented for discussion at the Human Rights
Council in March 2012. One of the most important recommendations is a call for the decriminalization of same-sex relations between consenting adults. The report also notes the particular experiences of Lesbians and other women who suffer violence, killings, rape, and abuse, often at the hands of family and community. The report includes a call for protection and recognition of the self-identified gender of Trans persons. The U.N. urged governments to recognize persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds for refugee status, and to train government officials to be sensitive to the unique challenges faced by LGBT refugees.
The report also pointed out that LGBT refugees are extremely vulnerable to violence, both before they flee their homelands and during the refugee status determination and resettlement process. It also calls for a more consistent approach for safeguarding the human rights of LGBT refugees. For example, it urges governments not to return LGBT refugees to countries they have fled, where their rights will be threatened because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The U.N. Human Rights Council commissioned the report in June, after passing a resolution recognizing equal rights for LGBT people and condemning discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation. The resolution was introduced by South Africa, which has included LGBT protections in its constitution, but many African and Middle Eastern countries opposed it while the U.S., Latin American, and European countries supported it. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her historic speech to the 47-member Human Rights Council in Geneva on December 6, said “it should never be a crime to be Gay.” The new report was welcomed by the IGLHRC, an NGO that works closely with the U.N. and its member states to promote LGBT rights. “The report is a tribute to all of the activists who have fought for recognition of homophobic violence and Transphobic discrimination over decades, often in the face of extreme hostility,” IGLHRC’s acting executive director, Jessica Stern, said. “It will serve as an invaluable aid to each one of us who seeks to advance LGBT rights – not only at the United Nations but in cities and towns around the world.” Jabu Pereira, IGLHRC program coordinator for Africa, added that “the report will send a strong message to those African governments which continue to criminalize Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender persons under the guise of culture, religion, and sovereignty.” The U.N. Human Rights Council found a high level of violence directed against
LGBT people, and said that it tends to be especially vicious, with “a high degree of cruelty” including mutilation and castration. In addition to spontaneous “street” violence, people perceived as being LGBT may be targets of organized abuse, “including by religious extremists, paramilitary groups, neo-Nazis, and extreme nationalists,” the U.N. report said. Members of sexual minorities are disproportionately subjected to torture, often in custody, the report added. It cited allegations that in a police station in Indonesia, a man and his male partner were severely beaten and sexually assaulted a day after having been attacked by civilians. A Lesbian couple in Brazil were allegedly beaten at a police station and forced to perform oral sex, according to the report. The report noted that in the past year, Gay men have been murdered in Sweden and the Netherlands, while a homeless Transgender woman was killed in Portugal. Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender women in El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan, and South Africa have been targeted for gang rapes, family violence, and murder. Women are also victims of so-called “honor killings” carried out by relatives or community members who believe their same-sex relationships have brought shame on their families, according to the 25-page report. Currently 76 countries have laws that criminalize sexual orientation or gender identity, the report said. “Such laws, including so-called ‘sodomy laws,’ are often relics of colonial-era legislation. … Penalties range from short-term to life imprisonment and even the death penalty,” it said. “In at least five countries, the death penalty may be applied to those found guilty of offences relating to consensual, adult homosexual conduct,” the U.N. said. The report did not identify the countries, but activists named them as Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen. Areas of Nigeria and Somalia also impose the death penalty for homosexual practices, they said.
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Cardinal Francis George, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, told Fox News that the city’s Pride march could “morph into the Ku Klux Klan” if Pride organizers went ahead with plans to march by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at 10 a.m. next year. The pastor of the church said he would be forced to cancel its morning Mass if the Pride Parade passed by at that time. Pride organizers moved up their march time to accommodate city officials who expressed concern that the previous noon start time encouraged public drunkenness and other safety hazards. “I go with the pastor,” the cardinal told Fox News. “He’s telling us that he won’t be able to have services on Sunday if that’s the case. You don’t want the Gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism.” When the Fox host told George his statement was “a little strong,” the cardinal stood by his language. “It is, but you take a look at the rhetoric,” he continued. “The rhetoric of the Ku Klux Klan, the
rhetoric of some of the Gay liberation people. Who is the enemy? Who is the enemy? The Catholic Church.” While the modern Klan has been antiCatholic – as well as anti-Jewish – it has also been militantly anti-Gay, a fact the cardinal overlooks. According to Chicago’s LGBT newspaper, The Windy City Times, Pride organizers offered to revert to their noon start time to accommodate the church’s morning Mass. LGBT Catholic group the Rainbow Sash Movement criticized Cardinal George for promoting a double standard in pushing for the parade to start later. “One only has the look at the Chicago Marathon, and the negative impact that race has on parishes such as Assumption Parish, St. Joseph’s Parish, Immaculate Conception Parish, and St. Michael’s Parish, just to name a few,” their statement read. Other Chicago LGBT leaders said they were disappointed with the Cardinal’s controversial statement on Fox. State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) called the Cardinal’s choice of words “very unfortunate ... we should all speak respectfully of each other.” State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) also weighed in on the statement, telling ChicagoPride.com, “The Cardinal’s unfor-
courtesy brigham young university
Pride march will “morph into the Ku Klux Klan,” Catholic cardinal says
Cardinal Francis George
tunate choice of words in comparing the same-sex marriage. LGBT community to the Klu Klux Klan is offensive. ... I would hope an apology [is] forthcoming.” LGBT advocacy group The Civil Rights Agenda executive director Anthony Martinez told Chicago Phoenix reporters he suspected the cardinal is “lashing out at the LGBT community over past matters and legislation that have now been resolved.” The Roman Catholic hierarchy in Illinois opposed the state’s new civil union law, and laws allowing same-sex adoption and foster parents. The Illinois Catholic Conference has also launched a “Defense of Marriage” department in hopes of blocking any further steps the state might take toward recognizing
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INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
GAY KENYA SEEKS OPEN, SAFE SPACE Gay Kenya (gaykenya.com) has launched an appeal on the Global Giving website to establish a safe place for Gay people. Their goal is to raise $53,000 to procure a permanent safehouse for individuals and for support activities. If they successfully raise $4,000 from 50 donors before December 31, 2011, they will earn a permanent spot on the site. As of December 8, Gay Kenya had raised $425 from six donors. Elphas Naivasha, the board chair of Gay Kenya, said, “It is important to note there is a difference between already existing safehouses and our proposed safe place shelter. Current safe houses remain secret locations that house those who are under threat for being Gay.” But the physical existence of a Gay-owned initiative to reach out to the community without fear will help LGBT
by Scott Wittet SGN Contributing Writer November. A packed public gallery booed after chief executive Bill Jaboor announced two apologies for non-attendance at the inaugural ceremony and Briffa received a standing ovation as he donned the mayoral robes, with a member of the public calling out, “Perfect fit!” During his campaign, Briffa promised that he would attend Victoria’s Pride March in February 2012 in full mayoral robes.
Darren Howe
FIRST EVER CHINA RAINBOW MEDIA AWARDS The first annual China Rainbow Media Awards announced winners on December 9 in Beijing. According to Yang Yang, executive chairwoman of the event, Chinese mass media for years have presented negative or distorted views of the Gay community. The misleading reporting strengthened social prejudices of the tireless work Li Yinhe and others have Then Mita suggested a “coming out” website where people can share their stories. been doing for all these years.” So taking both ideas into consideration, we thought, why not have a website that reachINDONESIAN TEENS es out to young LGBT Indonesians so they TWEET SUPPORT Nicky Nurman and Paramita Mohamad know they’re not alone? JG: You said that one of the first people know that it can be tough being a Gay teenager in Indonesia, and they wanted to do to upload a photo and words of encouragesomething to help. After watching videos ment was a girl wearing the hijab (Islamic from the “It Gets Better” project, they fig- headscarf). Mita: It was really touching. She said ured out how to use Twitter and Tumblr to help Gay Indonesians accept their sexuality something like, “Please show who you are. and straight Indonesian youth to better un- Please show your true colors so it’s easier derstand Gays. Here are some excerpts from for people to love you just the way you are.” I think that’s awesome. their Jakarta Globe interview: JG: In what ways have you seen more Jakarta Globe: Is your Twitter account, support for LGBT people in Indonesia? @NickynMita, for a particular audience? Nicky: I was in Yogyakarta during the Mita: I think [Gay] people outside Jakarta or in smaller cities lack role models. 2010 Q! Film Festival. While we were there, They think [if you’re Gay] you’ll end up be- fundamentalists with steel bars crashed the ing the laughing stock of the village or that festival, trying to hurt and even kill us. But you’ll have to come to Jakarta and become the most amazing part was that the people a shampoo boy or something. A lot of them who came to support us weren’t Gay – they are placed in hair salons by Myrna, also were straight. The people who kept me hidknown as Bambang, who founded Jakarta den from the fundamentalists were also deTransgender Association in 1978 to help vout Muslims. For me, that was much more Newly elected mayor of Sydney, Australia, Tony Briffa boys who fled their kampung [village] and encouraging than if they had been Gay. My people live happily and responsibly to the and discrimination towards Gay people and affected the living circumstances of millions benefit of the entire society. In his appeal, Naivasha said, “We need of Chinese Gays and Lesbians. “We want not to hide because being a different sexual to use the momentum generated by these orientation is not a shame. But one may ask awards to build strong LGBT communities themselves, what if my family rejects me and to build a genuine platform of commuand throws me out? What if I lose my edu- nication with the mass media. We hope to cation support? Or lose my job? This is why improve public opinion regarding sexual we needed to reassure our community and minority communities.” Among the honorees, Dr. Li Yinhe, a wellprovide the safe place shelter.” As African culture is structured in such a known sociologist and activist for same-sex way that young people are expected to care marriage, received a Special Contribution for the elderly, part of Gay Kenya’s longer- Award. A 72-year-old Gay man nicknamed term ambition is to develop an old-age “Old Paris” presented the award. He had been jailed three times for being Gay, but home for Gay people. today lives a quiet life with his boyfriend. “Although I went to prison several times, WORLD’S FIRST I never felt that I was wrong. I never stole INTERSEX MAYOR? Melbourne has Australia’s, and maybe anything, I never robbed anyone, and I nevthe world’s, first openly Intersex mayor fol- er did anything that was wrong.” Expressing his sincere gratitude toward lowing the election of longtime Queer community supporter and advocate Councillor Yinhe, he said: “At this moment I’m the Tony Briffa to the top position at the end of happiest I’ve ever been. That’s all because courtesy jakarta globe
Nicky Nurman and Paramita Mohamad.
had nowhere to go. He would place them in salons or teach them basic skills, or maybe they would become drag queens. [On Twitter] we get responses from all over the country, like people asking where to find a gayfriendly kost-kostan [residence] in Jakarta. And we help. We throw it out there and people respond. JG: What’s on your “Kamu Nggak Sendirian” [“You Are Not Alone”] Tumblr account? Nicky: It started from “It Gets Better,” and we wanted to do something similar.
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straight friends are more than happy to say, “You come any closer to this guy and I’m gonna beat you to a pulp!” NEPAL TO RECOGNIZE THIRD GENDER The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) reports that following the signing of a major peace agreement, key political parties in Nepal are scheduled to conclude a constitutional reform process this month. The draft constitution stipulates “citizenship rights for third gender indi-
Celebrating 38 Years!
the “Gay and Lesbian” brand as vital for visibility. Though the cover of Sydney Mardi Gras’ official 2012 guide welcomed “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex pride,” the official name change meant that New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell’s message in the brochure did not actually mention LGBT people. A couple of Mardi Gras Board speakers said the name change was made to better welcome those of a younger generation less bound by traditional sexuality “labels.” But one attendee reminded the meeting that local LGBTI youth support network Twenty10’s Managing Director Rebecca Reynolds had spoken out strongly against the rebrand. Not everyone reacted badly to the name change. Some at the meeting agreed with the move, while one attendee pointed out that the same situation happened back in 2003 but was reversed after similar community outrage. MEXICO CITY RECORDS 1,000 GAY MARRIAGES PinkNews reports that Mexico City’s civil registry announced that 1,000 same-sex marriages have been registered since marriage equality came into law in 2010. The legislation changed the definition of marriage in the city’s Civil Code from “a free
hatred.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid left open the possibility that a further vote on Aponte’s nomination may be brought before the Senate.
A short documentary by the group Gay Middle East called Iraq’s Unwanted People focuses on the lives of Gay Iraqi men seeking refuge in Damascus, Syria, due to their sexuality. The film has been released oncourtesy withfriendship.com
viduals” and “bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” It also calls for “government affirmative action in support of LGBT people” and asks for all legislation to include “gender-neutral language on the rights to work, health, education, and marriage.” Openly Gay Nepali Member of Parliament Sunil Pant stresses that this popular support for equal rights for LGBTI people in Nepal came largely as a result of the active participation of Queer groups, women’s organizations, disabled people, and sex workers in the people’s movements that brought down the feudal monarchy there. In December 2007, Nepal’s Supreme Court declared that LGBTI people are “natural people” who “deserve equal rights and opportunities.” The decision directed the government to issue citizenship identification documents accurately stating gender identity, repeal or amend discriminatory laws, and form a committee to draft a samesex marriage law. The latest move toward inclusivity is a landmark step forward for third-gender persons not only in Nepal but worldwide. Aside from Nepal, only India officially recognizes at the national level third-gender persons, and includes an “other” category in addition to “male” and “female” in its census. Thirdgender persons, sometimes referred to as
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni
getty images
PUT RAILWAYS BEFORE GAYS, UGANDAN PRES TELLS U.S. AND U.K. AFP reports that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday urged international donors not to let concerns for Gay rights affect development aid, saying homosexuals also needed roads, power, and trains. “Before anyone gives me a lecture about homosexuals and their rights, first talk about railways,” Museveni told delegates at the end of a regional meeting in Kampala attended by five other African presidents. “Homosexuals also need electricity, homosexuals also need roads, homosexuals also need railways,” Museveni said to applause. Earlier this month, Barack Obama ordered all government agencies, including those handing out aid, to put LGBT rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. In Uganda, being Gay is punishable by life in prison. A controversial bill that calls for the death penalty for certain homosexual acts was re-
line and asserts that violence against LGBT Iraqis has claimed more than 750 lives since 2003 and caused a massive exodus, with the most favored destination being Syria. This in spite of the fact that homosexuality is illegal under Syrian law. In the video a man identified as Nasser describes how the militia in Iraq discovered he was Gay and confiscated his house. “They beat me. They hit me on head with their guns,” he said. “Then I had to flee. They couldn’t catch me so they went after my son instead. They captured my son. They killed him. After they killed him, they killed the other son too.” Dan Littauer, executive editor of Gay Middle East, says the Western intervention in Iraq actually made things worse for LGBT people. He said, “Homosexuality is not illegal, technically, in Iraq. But there is a policy by the militias, with the complacency or even participation of government forces, to persecute Gays. “If they are outed, they can be killed. They can suffer extortion for the rest of their lives official photo
Mexico City legalized Gay marriage in 2010.
hijras, aravani, or jogappa, have long been accorded a space in social and cultural life in South Asia. Contemporary exclusion and marginalization of third-gender persons in the subcontinent is largely the result of the imposition of British norms and penal codes during colonial rule that ended in 1947. In spite of recent advances, third-gender and LGBTI persons in Nepal still face violence and extortion by the police and general public, social and sexual harassment, cultural stigma, dismissal from their jobs, and difficulties finding housing. But, Pant observes, “Nepal is going through tremendous transformation – politically, socially, economically, and legally – so a lot of communities who had no space or voice before have emerged.” SYDNEY MARDI GRAS NAME CHANGE IRKS SOME Australian LGBT website Samesame. com.au reports that the Board of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras don’t believe their decision to shorten the festival’s namechange to Sydney Mardi Gras was a mistake, but they apologized for not adequately consulting their members before making the polarizing decision. Attendees of a “Community Information Session” responding to the change said that it had especially angered those with a long history with the festival and those who see
union between a man and a woman” to “a free union between two people.” The first 1,000 weddings involved 548 Gay couples and 452 Lesbian couples, with about 6% being foreigners. About 85% of the marriages were between partners age 31 and older. Overall the average age for marriages in the country is 28 for men and 25 for women. REPUBLICANS BLOCK APPOINTMENT OF U.S. AMBASSADOR TO EL SALVADOR OVER PRO-GAY RIGHTS ARTICLE PinkNews reports that Senate Republicans blocked president Barack Obama’s nominee to be ambassador to El Salvador after expressing outrage at an article she wrote in support of Gay rights and unfounded rumors that an ex-boyfriend was a Cuban spy. Conservative anger toward Mari Carmen Aponte is in part based on a column she wrote in June for the El Salvador newspaper La Prensa Grafica in response to a request by the U.S. State Department urging ambassadors to support Gay Pride Month. Aponte wrote: “No one should be subjected to aggression because of who he is or who he loves. Homophobia and brutal hostility are often based on lack of understanding about what it truly means to be Gay or Transgender. To avoid negative perceptions, we must work together with education and support for those facing those who promote
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Mari Carmen Aponte
cently re-introduced in the Ugandan parliament after lawmakers failed to debate it during the last session of the legislative body. It brings in the death penalty for anyone caught engaging in homosexual acts for the second time as well as for Gay sex where one partner is a minor or has HIV. FILM CLAIMS IRAQI GAYS WORSE OFF NOW
December 23, 2011
and this also puts their families at risk.” Littauer told Gay Star News that GME is now concerned about the “Arab spring” governments and the power vacuum in the Middle East that is being filled with radical elements by the U.S.-backed power brokers in the region, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The film can be seen at http://vimeo. com/33738482.
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If you’re in crisis or need someone to talk to there is help: o National Suicide Prevention Hotline
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The importance of being fucked up by Michael Raitt SGN Contributing Writer The other day, I found myself living a cliché: nearing the end of the year and looking back while philosophizing about what the year to come has in store for me. The first thing that came to mind was how horrified I was to walk past a mirror a few weeks ago and take note of how my ass seemed to be as flat as a glass door. “Rude!” I thought. I’d been avoiding accepting how time was having a gradual effect on my body and remembering what it was like to be 22 – fit, lean, and looking good, if I do say so myself! I’ve lost my hair. My do-dah is droopy more than I’d like it to be, and it gets progressively harder to keep the chest firmed up. I’m chronically behind on paperwork, billing, articles, house-cleaning, and keeping up with friends and people I care about. I have episodes of road rage – embarrassing when you are cussing and throwing universal sign language at other drivers only to find out a few days later it was a client in front of you (true story). My personal confidence shifts faster than
sand in a windstorm. My feelings get hurt, I get reactive, jealous, and lonely sometimes, and occasionally I lash out in my “loyal daughter of the Empire” way by being cold and pulling away. I don’t know about you, but when I’m in this place, tons of music lyrics play through my head reflecting loneliness and rejection and feelings of not belonging – it’s like gas on a fire. I can’t help but think I’m fucked up when I look at all of this. I think, to a bystander, I would appear fucked up as well! Although the details may be different, I know a good number of you have had similar thoughts about yourselves because you see how you are changing, rejection always hurts, and you feel overly emotional sometimes. It is safe to say when you look around that the vast majority of those you see have had similar experiences of feeling completely fucked up. (There is an irony here that I’ll share shortly.) Honestly, though, here’s what I know to be really true: What I’ve just described isn’t about being fucked up. It is about being human. It is a part of being alive and loving others. What is also true is that this is only a
reflection of a circumstance – a reaction to a situation. It is not a description of a part of your character. I’ve learned to accept that I don’t look perfect, nor do I handle every situation flawlessly. I’ve also accepted that I’m a pretty good guy overall. I may not look good in a Speedo any more, but I do have a huge, caring heart. (I know that when some of you read the word “huge,” your mind quickly wandered. Busted!) And as I understand personal/professional ethics and integrity at any given moment, I walk through the world with those as best I can. I work hard at forgiving others and harder at forgiving myself. When I’m down on myself and feeling like a fuckup, I ride that wave and get to a spot where I realize I’m not a fuckup. This is a place where I can make amends and work to repair any hurt or problems I’ve caused in my reactions. I’ve also learned that there is a gift in providing space for those I care about to do so similarly in their process. Acceptance is never about approval or condoning bad behavior. I don’t have the right to hurt someone and justify it because of how I’m feeling, and neither do you. However, I never strive for perfection, either! I’ll fail myself and surely fail others in that pursuit. I do make personal goals. I am trying hard to be less angry when I’m driving the car and sure as hell try to get a sense of whether I’m driving behind someone I know or not before I use gestures. I can’t afford to cuss out more clients. I work very hard at not getting down on myself. I don’t look at my ass in the mirror any more, but I do work out, and today I say, “Not too bad.” I try to catch myself before I misread a situation and get my feelings hurt and pull away in the middle of a temper tantrum. Monitoring how long and how impactful my reactivity is is important. There is a dif-
ference between an event and a way of life. I don’t want to be angry, lonely, sad, jealous, or self-hating most of the time. I give myself permission to experience any variation of those periodically, while making sure that I don’t intentionally cause undue hurt to others. Here’s the irony: Feeling fucked up, as I’ve described, isn’t really being fucked up. Those who deny these experiences, however, should reflect upon how fucked up it might be to not ever acknowledge something that is very much a part of being human and in a relationship. I get way more concerned about people who deny having strong feelings than those who admit the feelings. The purpose of this article is to provide some of you permission to accept yourselves in some of your less glamorous moments without labeling yourselves as fucked up. It serves to remind us to give our loved ones room when they are having their moments. When things happen periodically, it is good to know that it is a normal way of being and that we all have the ability to make changes and live our values. For many of our loved ones, the apology and acknowledgment is a more meaningful act than the reaction itself was. My wish is that his provides peace of mind to some of you so that you can put some of these things behind you for this year and look forward to a new perspective. I’d like to wish George Bakan, the staff at SGN, and all of you the very best for the holiday season and a happy, loving, prosperous New Year for 2012. Michael Raitt, MA, LMHC, is a therapist and a contributing writer to the SGN. If you would like to comment on this column, ask a question, or suggest another topic of interest, please contact him at askingmichael@ comcast.net.
Sarah Palin Pope Benedict XVI 1. Get Todd his own reality show on 1. Continue leading the Church backsnowmobile racing. wards. 2. Win the Arizona Senate seat. 2. Convince God I’m too valuable to be 3. See Russia from Scottsdale. called home.
Helping out on the resolution front
Donald Trump Grethe Cammermeyer 1. Convince the world I’m the most im1. Make sure certain persons know I’m portant person in it. available to serve on the Joint Chiefs. Barack Obama Steve Jobs 1. Recapture the White House. 1. Reveal to the world that my conscious2. Work on my place in history. ness now resides in Apple’s latest product, 3. Resume smoking, no matter what Mi- the iMback. chelle says. Kim Kardashian Michelle Obama 1. Become a spokesperson for Gay mar1. Campaign like crazy. riage rights, even if they don’t want me. 2. Urge America to support Iraq veterans. 3. Rotate my crops. Chaz Bono 1. Appear on several reality shows. Bo Obama 2. Question reality. 1. Locate an irreplaceable White House antique and eat it. Tinky Winky 1. Haunt Rick Perry by being PhotoJohn Boehner shopped in with him as often as possible. 1. Do my part to get a Republican in the White House. Jerry Sandusky 2. Perfect my tan so Sports Illustrated has 1. Go down fighting. to ask me to model in the swimsuit issue. 2. Go down lying.
3. Confront Marcus once and for all. 4. Introduce legislation removing all Gay people to Key West – at least Marcus will I’ve taken the liberty of composing New be warm. Year’s resolutions for individuals who are Marcus Bachmann just too busy to do it themselves. 1. Reconcile my faith, my orientation, and my choices. Newt Gingrich 2. Not. 1. Lose weight. 2. Win the Republican nomination. Rick Perry 3. Win the presidential election. 1. Burn the jacket I wore in the anti-Gay 4. Gloat. video. 2. Remain firmly ignorant about everyMitt Romney thing. 1. Win the Republican nomination. 2. Win the presidential election. Barney Frank Ron Paul 3. Sentence Newt Gingrich to Devil’s Is1. Serve effectively in Congress until my 1. Lose the Republican nomination. land. 2. Declare Houston a new libertarian na- final term in finished. 2. Try not to laugh when people suggest I tion. Herman Cain lead the HRC. 3. Deny foreign aid to Dallas. 1. Land a gig on FOX. 2. See a marriage counselor with Gloria. Tammy Baldwin Jon Huntsman 3. Find a new piece of chicken on the 1. Win Wisconsin’s tough Senate race. 1. Come from behind, way behind, and side. 2. Publicly downplay that I’m the first win the Republican nomination. 2. Failing that, accept a cabinet post – in openly Gay U.S. Senator. Rick Santorum 3. Privately tingle all over. the Obama administration. 1. Lose the Republican nomination. 2. Sulk. Angela Merkel Fred Karger 1. Save the European Union. 1. Be denied entry to the Republican NaMichele Bachmann 2. Vacation anywhere but Greece. tional Convention. 1. Win the Republican nomination. 2. Lose the Republican nomination. 2. If that fails, angle for the vice-presiden3. Start planning for 2016. tial nomination. by Leslie Robinson SGN Contributing Writer
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Ian McKellen 1. As The Hobbit is edited, check to make sure I’m not being upstaged by Bofur, Bifur, and Bombur. Jane Lynch 1. Write another book. 2. Host more awards shows. 3. Star in Glee and appear in other shows. 4. Continue doing ads. 5. Throw in a movie. 6. Avoid a nervous breakdown. Leslie Robinson hasn’t gotten around to fashioning her own resolutions. If you have suggestions, email her at lesarobinson@ gmail.com. Read more of her work at www. generalgayety.com.
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FDA asked to approve PrEP HIV therapy
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Biopharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences has asked the FDA to approve the antiretroviral drug Truvada as a PrEP HIV prevention therapy. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a way to reduce risk of HIV infection among uninfected people with antiretroviral drugs
people. iPrEx study results were first reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in November, 2010. The PrEP drug in question is a single-tablet once-daily combination of emtricitabine (FTC 200 mg) and tenofovir (TDF 300 mg), marketed under the brand name Truvada. The iPrEx study found that MSM who were prescribed a single daily Truvada tablet experienced an average of 44% fewer HIV infections than those who received a placebo pill. Among a study sub-set of participants who used the tablet regularly as prescribed, the rate of HIV infection was reduced by more than 90%. All participants in the iPrEx study received condoms and comprehensive HIV prevention support. The HIV prevention benefits of PrEP were in addition to the benefits obtained from other prevention methods. “With 2.6 million new HIV infections occurring each year, and fewer than half of people with HIV receiving treatment, the world needs new and effective HIV prevention strategies,” said iPrEx protocol chair Robert Grant, M.D., M.P.H., of the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California at San Francisco. “Men who have sex with men have borne an enormous burden in this epidemic, and have also been consistently at the head of efforts to help reverse it. The 2,499 men and Transgender women who participated in the iPrEx study in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, and the United States have made an historic contribution to the effort to that would otherwise be prescribed for HIV- help end this epidemic.” The iPrEx study was sponsored by the positive patients. If approved, Truvada would be the first U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and antiretroviral agent licensed for HIV pre- by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Two other trials, Partners PrEP and TDF2, vention in uninfected people. Gilead’s application is based partly on involved almost 6000 couples in which one data from the Global iPrEx study of men partner was HIV-positive and one HIV-negwho have sex with men (MSM), the first ative. In Partners PrEP, taking Truvada lowered human efficacy study to prove that PrEP reduces HIV infection risk in HIV-negative the risk of HIV infection in the negative
partner by 73%, while tenofovir alone cut the risk by 62%. In TDF2, daily Truvada lowered the risk of HIV acquisition by 63%. Both the iPrEx and Partners PrEP studies found that PrEP is safe, with very low levels of side effects and limited risk of HIV drug resistance. FEM-PrEP, a fourth trial of Truvada in HIV-negative African women, was stopped by researchers in April 2011 when an independent review panel established that Truvada would not protect these women from HIV. According to the International AIDS Society, it has not yet been established why the FEM-PrEP results were not consistent with those of the other three studies. “The data are clearly strong enough to warrant FDA approval of Truvada for HIV prevention,” said Dana Van Gorder, executive director of the AIDS advocacy group Project Inform. “The decision about whether to approve Truvada for prevention should be made with compassion, based on science rather than ideology, and without judgment regarding the behaviors of people at risk for HIV. We firmly believe in the right of people at risk of becoming infected with HIV to choose PrEP, which has been shown to be effective when used with condoms, as an additional method of HIV prevention.”
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courtesy canada.com
Zimbabwe lawmaker arrested for calling Mugabe Gay by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A member of Zimbabwe’s parliament has been arrested for saying that President Robert Mugabe is Gay. According to the Daily Nation newspaper, Lillian Kirenyi, a legislator from Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, was charged on December 20 with undermining the authority of Mugabe. Tsvangirai – now Prime Minister of Zimbabwe under a fragile power-sharing agreement with his rival, Mugabe – told the BBC in an October interview that he wanted to see LGBT rights protected in Zimbabwe’s new constitution. Mugabe has been a fierce enemy of Zimbabwe’s LGBT community, saying they were “worse than pigs and dogs.” He also called British Prime Minister David Cameroon “satanic” after Cameron said that Britain would cut aid to countries that criminalize same-sex relations. The Daily Nation said that information
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe
given to a Zimbabwean court indicated that Kirenyi committed the alleged offence during an address to party supporters on December 9. She is quoted as saying that “Zanu PF [President Mugabe’s party] members been attacking MDC president Tsvangirai alleging he is pro-homosexuals, yet Robert Mugabe has practiced homosexuality with [Professor] Jonathan Moyo [former Information minister] and Canaan Banana [Zimbabwe’s first ceremonial president].” Moyo, a powerful member of Mugabe’s party, has called for Tsvangirai to resign after Tsvangirai broke off his 12-day marriage with Harrare commodities broker Locadia Karimatsenga last month. Banana, who died in 2003, was deposed by Mugabe and later jailed for having sex with his bodyguards. The Zimbabwean government reportedly argued against bail for Kirenyi, saying that she faces a serious charge, and that she might be harmed by Mugabe’s supporters if she is released.
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Roman Catholic archbishop of the Twin Cities has issued a special prayer to protect one man-one woman marriage. Minnesota will vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage next November. Archbishop John Nienstedt wants Catholics to recite the prayer for traditional opposite-sex marriage during every Mass. He also wants Catholics “to embrace Fridays as a particular day of prayer and sacrifice for the success of this most current struggle to defend marriage with our civil constitution. Without such deliberate prayers and sacrifices, our efforts will be in vain. But with God, all things are possible.” “Much rides on the success of our struggle to defend marriage,” Nienstedt wrote in a letter to parishioners posted on the archdiocese’s website.
courtesy dnu.org
Catholic archbishop orders prayers against marriage equality
In his prayer, the archbishop requires Catholics to pray not only against same-sex marriage, but also against divorce and birth control. “Grant to us all the gift of courage to proclaim and defend your plan for marriage, which is the union of one man and one woman in a lifelong, exclusive relationship of loving trust, compassion, and generosity, open to the conception of children,” the prayer says in part. This fall, Minnesota’s Catholic bishops directed parish priests to form committees to help get the marriage amendment passed by voters in November 2012. Meanwhile Duluth, Minnesota, became the first municipality in the state to take an Archbishop John Nienstedt official position on the amendment when its City Council voted 6-2 to oppose it. plied, “I believe the role of city government rectly affects and impacts people in the city While some council members argued that is to be the front line of democracy.” of Duluth. This is about maintaining incluthe marriage amendment was not city busiThe sponsor of the resolution against the sive communities that will help us grow and ness, Council President Sharla Gardner re- amendment, Jeff Anderson, said, “This di- thrive.”
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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A federal court ruled on December 16 that religion may not be used as a reason to discriminate against LGBT clients in a professional setting. In Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley, a panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals held that a public university graduate program can require its students to follow the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) code of ethics, including its prohibition on discrimination, before allowing those students to work with clients. The court rejected Jennifer Keeton’s claims that her rights to religious freedom and free speech under the U.S. Constitution barred Augusta State University from enforcing the code of ethics in her case. In its decision upholding a prior federal district court ruling, the 11th Circuit said that the university is not a public forum, and therefore, university officials “may impose restrictions on speech that are reasonable and viewpoint-neutral.” “The crucial or ultimate fact that will determine Keeton’s viewpoint discrimination claim, then, is ASU’s motivation” for imposing the additional coursework,” the 11th Circuit said in its written decision. In this case, the court said, it could not find any evidence that the university imposed the additional coursework “because of [Keeton’s] views on homosexuality.” “Rather, as the district court found, the evidence shows that the [additional coursework] was imposed because she expressed an intent to impose her personal religious views on her clients, in violation of [the counseling professional code of ethics] and that the objective of the [additional coursework] was to teach her how to effectively counsel GLBTQ clients in accordance with [the code of ethics].” Keeton was enrolled as a graduate student in a counseling program at Augusta State University in Georgia. She repeatedly told her faculty supervisors that “as a high school counselor confronted by a sophomore student in crisis, questioning his sexual orientation, she would tell the student that it was not OK to be Gay.” University officials perceived her to be deficient in the “ability to be a multiculturally competent counselor, particularly with regard to working with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (GLBTQ) populations.” The school would not allow Keeton to proceed with her required experience in one-on-one counseling until she completed remedial coursework on LGBT issues. The university also threatened to expel
her from the program unless she indicated she would be able to counsel students without imposing her religious views on them. Although she initially agreed to do the remedial coursework, Keeton ultimately sued the university, claiming that it was violating her First Amendment rights to freedom of religion and speech. The court rejected Keeton’s argument, saying that people who choose to enter a profession are bound by the profession’s standards of conduct and ethics. “Just as a medical school would be permitted to bar a student who refused to administer blood transfusions for religious reasons from participating in clinical rotations, so ASU may prohibit Keeton from participating in its clinical practicum if she refuses to administer the treatment it has deemed appropriate,” the court said. “Every profession has its own ethical codes and dictates. When someone voluntarily chooses to enter a profession, he or she must comply with its rules and ethical requirements. Lawyers must present legal arguments on behalf of their clients, notwithstanding their personal views. Judges must apply the law, even when they disagree with it. So too counselors must refrain from imposing their moral and religious values on their clients.” Augusta State University “has a legitimate pedagogical concern in teaching its students to comply with” the ACA Code of Ethics, the 11th Circuit said. The ACLU and Lambda Legal filed briefs supporting the university, and both organizations expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision. “As this decision makes clear, while we’re all entitled to our own religious beliefs, schools like ASU can mandate that counseling students adhere to professional standards and not use their religion to discriminate against students who come to them for help,” the ACLU said in a statement after
courtesy Alliance defense fund
Religion no excuse for discrimination, court says
Jennifer Keeton
the 11th Circuit announced its ruling. “This is especially important for LGBT students in crisis, who may have already faced rejection and judgment from their community, and who may not have any other trusted adult to talk to.” “Augusta State University had legitimate concerns to require Ms. Keeton to complete a remediation program after expressing her
desire to subject LGBTQ youth to dangerous conversion therapy,” said Greg Nevins, supervising attorney in Lambda’s Atlanta office. “If a counselor cannot respect the dignity and promote the welfare of her LGBTQ clients and uphold the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, she is not a competent counselor.”
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korea
continued from cover ered in a period of tremendous uncertainty in Northeast Asia, an area of the world that the late leader helped to destabilize on more than one occasion. South Korea immediately ramped up its level of military alert and Japan held emergency military meetings while the U.S. remained in close contact with the two allied nations. The region is an explosive geopolitical mix. The South, which has the support of the United States, and the nuclear-armed North, allied with China, have technically remained at war since the conflict that split the peninsula in the 1950s. Even before Kim’s death, tensions had spiked between the two Koreas last year. The North was accused of sinking a South Korean naval vessel in the Yellow Sea and fired artillery at a South Korean island in November 2010, killing two civilians. But the U.S. and other parties appeared to make progress in recent weeks as they tried to revive negotiations, known as the six-party talks, over the North’s nuclear program. Those efforts now seem to have been in vain. Kim Jong Il is dead, and his son, Kim Jong Un (about whom little is known) is now apparently in control of the closed communist nation. Late last year, Kim Jong Il promoted his 28-year-old son to the rank of four-star general, in what was seen as a bid to extend the nation’s ruling dynasty to a third generation.
Despite that support, analysts say Kim Jong displays of affection, Gay-themed clubs, Un has had little time to earn the trust of Gay-rights activism, and sexual promiscupower brokers in the military and the ruling ity are probably all frowned upon. Korean Workers’ party. “THE CONCEPT OF SAME-SEX GAY LIFE IN NORTH KOREA ATTRACTION HARDLY EXISTS A MYSTERY IN THE MINDS OF PEOPLE” Researching Gay life in the DPRK is like There is such fear and secrecy about many navigating your way through a dark tunnel aspects of North Korea that it is difficult to without the aid of a flashlight – you don’t find anything reliable about everyday life know which way to turn, dead ends are com- there, especially in regard to homosexualmon, and little ground is gained. ity. The DPRK does, however, have some inFor answers on what Gay life in North formation that has been made available to Korea might look like, I turned to Globalthe public about their views on homosexu- Gayz.com, a Gay owned charitable travel ality. Although it is difficult to report de- and culture website focused on LGBT life finitively on what the legal status for LGBT in countries around the world. The informaNorth Koreans is, the official government tion and firsthand accounts on the website statement is as follows: are based on actual visits to countries and “Due to tradition in Korean culture, it is are presented in stories, links, and news. not customary for individuals of any sexual GlobalGayz officials said, “The concept orientation to engage in public displays of of same-sex attraction hardly exists in the affection. As a country that has embraced minds of people. Even with people who feel science and rationalism, the DPRK recog- this attraction, there is ignorance about what nizes that many individuals are born with it means or how it can be expressed in behomosexuality as a genetic trait and treats havior.” them with due respect. Homosexuals in the Homosexuality is not discussed in public DPRK have never been subject to repres- and it’s a likely assumption that almost all sion, as in many capitalist regimes around Gay or Lesbian people are conditioned or the world. However, North Koreans also coerced into marriage and they live that way place a lot of emphasis on social harmony without ever understanding their conflicted and morals. Therefore, the DPRK rejects feelings, GlobalGayz officials report. many characteristics of the popular Gay Even for someone with a bit of knowledge culture in the West, which many perceive to about human behavior, the official view is embrace consumerism, classism, and pro- that homosexuality is an aberration that exmiscuity.” ists only in a capitalist society, they said. This statement seems to insinuate that ho“I am sure there is homosexual activity in mosexuality may not be illegal, but public some places, but these would be impossible to find and, as well, surrounded with fear and ignorance and guilt,” wrote one GlobalGayz official. “Since sexual desire and longing are felt in people of all cultures, I would also guess there are some very secret places where anonymous homo sex happens, but probably at night and very quickly. There would be no lingering ‘love-making,’ but rather getting off and then running home.” That same official reported they searched the internet and found almost nothing. “There was one story excerpt from a newspaper in Pakistan about North Korean workers in Cuba. A second reference is a blog summary about an escaped North Korean man who had no idea how to understand his homosexual feelings until he got to South Korea and was exposed to information and the freedom to act on his feelings.” “HOMOSEXUALITY IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF WESTERN MORAL DEGENERACY” There is much more known about what North Korea does not recognize than what it does. For instance, the DPRK does not recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, or domestic partnerships. Culturally, North Koreans face strong social pressure to marry a suitable person of the opposite sex and the government rarely allows divorce. It is unclear what the North Korean government’s policy on Transgender citizens is. No laws are known to exist that address sexual orientation or gender identity based
discrimination or harassment. However, there exists a vaguely worded law that the government can use to punish anyone who is deemed to be “against the socialist lifestyle,” which could be used to harass or discriminate against LGBT people. It is also unclear what the age of consent, if any, for homosexual activity is. Article 153 of the criminal law states that a man who has sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 15 shall be “punished gravely,” but the law is unclear about the age of consent for boys or for same-sex sexual activity. North Korean propaganda has sporadically portrayed homosexuality as a characteristic of Western (particularly American) moral degeneracy. North Korea opposed both the U.N. declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity, which called for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality, and the exclusion of sexual orientation as discriminatory grounds for execution. Its precise reasons for doing so remain unclear.
gop
continued from cover intend to hold the candidates accountable for their attempts to strip away the rights we have worked so hard to achieve. “YOU CAN’T TRUST HIM” Last week, Seattle Gay News ran a story about Bob Garon, the Gay 63-year-old Vietnam veteran who put Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the hot seat over same-sex marriage in a Manchester, New Hampshire, diner. You gotta love this fiery guy. He was relentless (yet respectful) in the face of a man who would not treat him with the same regard because Garon is Gay. Garon’s wish is simple, yet unobtainable thanks to the Republican Party’s unhealthy obsession with halting Gay marriages around the nation. He would like to see New Hampshire’s same-sex marriage law (passed in December 2009) remain untouched by Republican lawmakers, who are currently kicking around the idea of repealing it. Romney doesn’t want the law to remain. He told Garon he supports a repeal of the law because he believes that marriage is a relationship between a man and woman – nothing new there, except for the fact that, with cameras rolling, Garon pressed the issue until Romney was whisked away by an assistant. “You can’t trust him,” the Gay veteran later exclaimed to reporters. What I love most about that interaction was that Romney saw an older white male with a Vietnam veteran ball cap on and instantly thought, “Ally!” Boy, was he wrong. And the fact that Garon was brave enough to go on camera and confront the politician over something that is near and dear to his heart is nothing short of admirable. Garon is not a director at HRC or the Task Force. He is not a young man running for a city seat as an openly Gay politician backed by campaign money. He is simply an out
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December 23, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
“Gay is good!” and throwing glitter on him. Instead, one-on-one, she looked him in the eye and asked him to explain himself. Although the teen did not get the answer she would’ve liked to hear, she forced the Republican to publicly state that he bases his “HERE’S MY ISSUE. political decisions on his faith. I guess Perry THIS IS ABOUT MY FAITH” Texas governor and Republican presiden- wants us to hate the Party and not the polititial candidate Rick Perry has not remained cian? immune to questions from our community. GINGRICH TO GAY IOWAN: Over the weekend, while on the campaign VOTE FOR OBAMA trail in Decorah, Iowa, a 14-year-old openly Newt Gingrich’s star is falling as quickly Bisexual girl collared Perry after his town hall and challenged him to explain the rea- as it rose in the Republican race for a nomisoning behind his belief that Gays should nee. Over the course of the past few days, he’s managed to open his mouth, effectively not serve openly in the military. “I just want to know why you’re so op- letting all of the ignorance spew out. Case in point: Gingrich told a Gay man posed to Gays serving openly in the military, why you want to deny them that freedom and longtime Oskaloosa, Iowa, resident that when they’re fighting and dying for your he should vote for President Obama. The right to run for president,” Rebecka Green, man, Scott Arnold, an adjunct professor of a high school student, asked the Texas gov- writing at William Penn University, asked Gingrich about how he plans to engage Gay ernor. “Here’s my issue. This is about my faith, Americans, given his stance on same-sex and I happen to think, you know, there are marriage. In other words, Gingrich said that if you a whole host of sins. Homosexuality being one of them, and I’m a sinner and so I’m not disagree with him, then you’d better just going to be the first one to throw a stone,” vote for someone else. He wasn’t even willing to speak with Arnold in hopes of exPerry said. “I don’t agree that open Gays should be plaining himself. “When you ask somebody a question and serving in the military. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was working, and my position is just you expect them to support all Americans like I told a guy yesterday, he said, ‘How and have everyone’s general interest, it’s a would you feel if one of your children was little bit frustrating and disheartening when Gay?’ I said I’d feel the same way. I hate you’re told to support the other side – that the sin, but I love the sinner, but having he doesn’t need your support,” Arnold said. The kicker in all of this is that Newt Ginthem openly serve in the military, I happen to think as a commander in chief of some grich, who doesn’t think that LGBT Ameri20,000-plus people in the military, is not cans should be able to legally wed, has been good public policy, and this president was married three times, two marriages ending forced by his base to change that policy, and after Gingrich’s adulterous behavior. I don’t think it was good policy, and I don’t KINSEY REPORT A “MYTH” think people in the military thought it was There’s no love lost between Michele good policy.” Once again, with cameras rolling, the Bachmann and Gay-rights activists. It is no press was more than happy to speak with secret that Gays do not get along with BachGreen about her views and why she con- mann and her husband, Marcus. The Bachmanns are our worst nightmare. fronted Perry about the issue. “I’m openly Bisexual and I don’t want to They do not like LGBT people, do not bebe told that if I wanted to serve in the mili- lieve we should have equal rights, oppose tary that I couldn’t, and I just think that pol- same-sex marriage, and own a clinic that icy is completely ridiculous. … I just don’t has come under scrutiny for reportedly telllike it,” Green said. “Him or nobody should ing homosexual patients to “pray away the be able to tell somebody who they can or Gay” in order to become straight again. The Republican presidential candidate can’t love.” The wonderful twist in this story is that was confronted at a pizza restaurant in ClarPerry was unaware that Green was Bisexual ion, Iowa, when Kathy Schnell, an LGBT when she approached him with the question. advocate, told Bachmann it was likely that Green did not approach Perry with an army several of her foster children were Gay. Schnell approached the Bachmann’s at the of rainbow-flag-waving activists chanting, Gay senior citizen who wants a politician to tell it like it is and be honest. For Garon – and, I suspect, many other LGBT Americans – Romney is not that politician.
campaign event with a sign that said “Gayfriendly Iowan.” “I was wondering if you would sign my sign?” she asked Bachmann on Sunday. “Gay-friendly Iowan?” a smiling Bachmann asked before signing it. Schnell continued, “I wonder if you’re aware that 10% of the population is Gay. And if you have 28 children, then 2.8 of those kids are very likely Gay.” The Minnesota congresswoman and her husband have five biological children, and have fostered 23 kids. Bachmann tried to ignore Schnell at first, but eventually replied. “Well that’s according to the Kinsey Report,” she said, referring to Dr. Alfred Kinsey, who came up with a study that concluded approximately 10% of people in the general population are Gay. Her husband chimed in, “Your facts are wrong. It’s been a myth for many years.” The encounter comes just weeks after an 8-year-old boy approached Bachmann and said, “My mommy, Miss Bachmann, my mommy’s Gay, but she doesn’t need fixing.” SANTORUM: GAY PEOPLE HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS Rick Santorum, by many accounts the craziest of all the GOP candidates (which is really saying something), has said that LGBT Americans have equal rights. On December 20, Santorum received the personal endorsement of Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, a religious conservative watchdog organization that strongly opposes same-sex marriage. Santorum (as did Bachmann and Perry) signed the group’s controversial 14-point anti-Gay marriage pledge which asked each candidate to “vigorously” oppose marriage equality, be faithful to his or her own spouse, and vow to protect women and children from pornography. He then appeared on Fox News’ On the Record with Greta Van Susteren. When the host asked Santorum how he planned to get the Gay vote given his views on same-sex marriage, he responded, “Well, look, I have nothing against Gay people. They have rights of every other citizen. But what they did in Iowa and what some are trying to do – not all Gays, but some, are trying to do – is change the laws of this country with respect to what the definition of marriage is.” “If there are differences, I’m certainly go-
ing to speak out on those differences when I think it’s in the best interest of our country to have laws that reflect having men and women raise children and form solid marriage bonds,” he added.
vaccine
continued from cover stone.” “We started the basic science research two decades ago,” Kang said. “The vaccine development, we started 10 years ago. This is incredible for us to get to this stage of development.” “We have gone through so many different challenges to come to this point,” he added. “This is the first time that I feel very happy and comfortable to initiate this human clinical trial. FDA approval for human clinical trials is an extremely significant milestone for our vaccine, which has the potential to save the lives of millions of people around the world by preventing HIV infection.” Kang said the vaccine is the first preventative HIV vaccine approved for clinical trials to use a killed whole HIV-1 virus to activate the immune response in humans. The HIV used in the vaccine has been genetically altered to render it non-pathogenic, meaning it is unable to cause disease. Kang and his research team then further inactivated the virus using chemicals and radiation. “In the past, people did not use this strategy because people did not know how to make a safer virus and people did not know how to make large quantities of it,” Kang said. “Now we have solved those problems by the genetic engineering of the virus.” The strategy has been used before to develop successful vaccines for influenza, polio, rabies, and hepatitis A. Kang said these past successes indicate the SAV001 vaccine will work against HIV. According to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, there are 30 HIV vaccines currently being tested in phase 1 clinical trials around the world. Many of these vaccines have largely focused on using one specific component of HIV to trigger an immune response. Other vaccines have used other viral vectors. To date, no HIV vaccine has been proven effective. Kang and his team received funding from Sumagen Canada, a subsidiary of a Koreanbased pharmaceutical venture company created in 2008 to support the development of the vaccine.
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