SGN Dec 6, 2019 - Part 2

Arts & Entertainment

Pacific Northwest Ballet: “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker”

by Sharon Cumberland

A&E Writer

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET “GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER”

MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL

November 29 – Through 12/28

Howl’s

Opening night of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s annual holiday extravaganza, “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,” was the fifth anniversary of this beautiful production by Ian Falconer for PNB, and the sixtieth anniversary of the original

Moving Castle

casts a charming spell

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer

A charming-though-complicated musical, Howl’s Moving Castle, has been crafted from a complicated book and is now making an updated and streamlined presentation at Book-It Repertory Theatre. Justin Huertas

Madonna’s Madame X Tour “comes alive”

by Jessica Price SGN A&E Writer

MADONNA MADAME X TOUR THE WILTERN THEATRE LOS ANGELES

November 16

“I’ll never be what society expects me to be.” – Madonna

Haunting Queen & Slim an American tragedy

by Sara Michelle Fetters

Madonna’s Madame X tour opens with the thunderous sounds of a woman typing a manifesto. As the words appear and new see PNB page 4 see MADONNA page 3 see BOOK-IT page 6 see QUEEN & SLIM page 10

A 21st century riff on classics like Bonnie and Clyde, Badlands, Thieves Like Us and Thelma & Louise, the emotionally explosive Queen & Slim is a nightmare romantic thriller ripped straight out of today’s head-

“...May your Yuletide be Gay!”

MADONNA

continued from cover thoughts form, gunshots destroy the projected text and she begins again. The manifesto builds, the typing continues, ending with a quote from novelist James Baldwin, “Artists are here to disturb the peace.”

Madonna’s Madame X persona – part secret agent, part agent of change – has embarked on an intimate theatre tour after a career built in stadiums and arenas. At 61, Madonna has earned the right (and can certainly afford) to stage whatever type of experience she wants. The third of a ten-night residency at LA’s Wiltern Theatre proved that the thrill of her typical multi-stage/multi-catwalk shows could be stripped down and still deliver a magical experience to a cozy 1,800 seats. Similar multi-night engagements are booked in ten cities only through early 2020.

As in all previous Madonna tours, the show is broken up into multiple acts (five in total). The first kicks off with the sociopolitical commentary of “God Control” and “Dark Ballet”. Imagery of civil unrest and gun violence segues into disco-revolution mayhem, complete with Madonna and dancers in Revolutionary War-era costumes and fanciful tricorn hats clashing with police brandishing riot gear. As in the Rebel Heart tour, allusions to Madonna’s chosen kindred spirit, Joan of Arc, and sinister clergymen abound. In “I Don’t Search I Find” Madonna is hounded by trenchcoated detectives, bringing to mind her Dick Tracy era. Though the first act’s narrative was a bit haphazard, there were moments of promise with “Human Nature” and an a cappella snippet of “Express Yourself”, which culminated in Madonna joined by a dozen women – as well as adopted daughters Stella, Estere and Mercy James –joining in the chorus and chanting, “I’m not your bitch!”

The over two-hour set was almost completely made up of songs from the Madame X album, which translates better as a live theater spectacle than as a pop album. Older songs were used mostly to underline the somewhat messy political statements, as if to emphasize that Madonna has well and truly been singing about artistic and personal freedom for over 30 years.

Midway through act two the show found its stride, quickly gaining momentum with another manifesto video interlude and costume change for “Vogue”, “Papa Don’t Preach” (lyrics altered supporting abortion), and “American Life”. This song in particular felt more meaningful now than when it was released in 2003 – way before we could have imagined the depths of the presidential cesspool yet to come.

Act three introduces the “fado club”, showcasing the musical style she’s soaked up in her adopted home of Lisbon. Madonna has always excelled at absorbing exotic influences, and this segment of the show was both the liveliest and most relaxed. Madonna frequently bantered with the audience while perched atop a piano, strumming her guitar. She seemed to be enjoying the looseness of the scaled back production quite a bit – more time to chat, not so many moving parts. Backed by Orquestra Batukadeiras, a group of over a dozen batuque drummers and singers, Madame X songs “Batuka” and “Killers Who Are Partying” were mixed with a few carefully studied covers (“Fado Pechincha” by Isabel De Oliveira and “Sodade” by Cesária Évora). Album highlight “Crazy” was a beautiful dance number followed by a mix of “La Isla Bonita/Welcome to My Fado Club”. “Medellín”, a typically festive Madonna dance sequence, stayed true to form with Maluma’s pre-recorded vocals and image popping up in the fado club’s windows as Madonna twirled with a partner. Edited down to its essence of batuque, North African-inspired songs and delectable urbano/Latino dance tracks, Madame X the album might have received more acclaim. She’s at her best when there

is a palpable connection between her and the collaborator of the moment. Throughout Madonna’s career not all have read as heartfelt or natural, but when the chemistry is right the results are pure pop bliss. The duet with Maluma is one of these.

Marking a costume change and as the intro to act four, a row of dancers in simple white dress shirts move in deliberate, spasmodic time with a recording of Madonna reciting the lyrics to “Rescue Me”. A scrim conceals the stage and with the opening strains of “Frozen” Madonna appears, alone and lit up behind it. The body of a female dancer projects across the scrim, her face obscured as her movements unfurl, beautiful and fluid. When the song reaches its chorus, the dancer, projected over Madonna, lifts her head and reveals

herself to be Lourdes Ciccone, Madonna’s firstborn daughter, whose birth inspired the Ray of Light album. It was a breathtaking moment visually and musically. Followed by an ecstatic “Come Alive”, the two songs were the high point of the evening.

“Crave”, “Like a Prayer” and a single encore of “I Rise” comprised the fifth and final segment (she also performed “I Rise” for the finale of Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC earlier this year). During the final song images of worldwide protests, Parkland shooting survivors, LGBTQ marchers, and women’s rights protesters flickered on screen. With fists raised in a symbol of unity and strength, Madonna and company left the stage through the audience, fist bumping attendees seated in the aisle along the way.

Though many don’t think of Madonna as an overtly political entertainer, she has been forcing the conversation with statements like these since the American Life album and has challenged her audience to come along on the journey. Time and time again, her performances deliver regardless of what anyone thinks of her new material. Her refusal to lean on the past or cash in on nostalgia tours is admirable and has in fact been her mission from the very beginning. Few stars have remained so uncompromising in the face of public opinion. As she states in the Madame X manifesto: “I’ll never be what society expects me to be.” While that may not be an easy road or equate to the Madonna that the masses want to see, a brazenly willful, constantly creative Madonna is the one that I prefer.

“HARK!

Harold the Angel Sings!” to be presented at All Pilgrims Christian Church Dec. 15

“HARK! Harold the Angel Sings!”

ALL PILGRIMS

CHRISTIAN CHURCH

December 15 @ 1:30pm

All Pilgrims Christian Church (500 Broadway E at E Republican St) will present a Christmas music and comedy event featuring resident and guest musicians on Sunday afternoon, December 15, starting at 1:30pm. For more information and to reserve your spot for just $1.00, visit haroldsings.brownpapertickets.com – Facebook Page: https://www. facebook.com/events/579422292843987/ –Donations of $0 to $100 will be graciously accepted at the door.

Harold, the Angel, is upset with the current state of life on earth, and specifically in Seattle, his new appointment. To Harold, everyone seems hurried, a bit unkind at times, and seemingly missing the Christmas messages of hope, love, and joy. He is so saddened, that he cannot find his singing voice.

Audience members will enjoy a wonderful variety of music and find out how Harold restores his ability to sing.

Director Stephen Marshall-Ward says, “I find great joy in curating the many talented musicians and artists of this unique community. They will all gather together –having a great deal of fun – as they share this unusual take on the Christmas story.”

The event will feature music by The All Pilgrims Choir along with Steve Thoreson, Savanna Williams, and Martha Macabare, vocal soloists; Alex Johnston, singer/songwriter; Rodger Pegues, jazz pianist; David Beck, cellist; Kyle Erickson and Tyler Prosch, trumpeters; and Sharon Nichols, flutist.

The event will also feature special guests Andre Feriante, guitarist/composer;

Tobias the Owl, singer/songwriter; Claudia Walker, Celtic harpist; reSound, a Northwest Chamber Ensemble; and comedian, Brett Bizik, as “Harold, the Angel” with actor Royce Napolitino.

The afternoon program begins at 1:30pm. Gather in festive and warm clothing in the Same-Love Garden (in front of All Pilgrims Christian Church at Broadway

E & E Republican St) for hot cocoa, hot cider, and musical surprises! At 2pm process into the Sanctuary for the remainder of the show. At 3:15pm celebrate at the Reception including “Beer & Carols” (which is a super fun sing-along).

All are welcome and the cost is a sliding scale – from FREE to whatever amount you would care to donate – for this festive holiday celebration.

This event is co-sponsored by ISCA (The Institute for Social Change through the Arts), a ministry of All Pilgrims Christian Church.

About All Pilgrims Christian Church

All Pilgrims Christian Church is a progressive faith community that offers opportunities for worship, spiritual growth, ministry, and community. We take pride in our diversity and welcome the full participation of all as equal members in our community: people of all colors, ages, economic circumstances, sexual orientations, gender or transgender identities, physical and mental abilities, education levels, and conditions of health.

Courtesy of All Pilgrims Christian Church

premier of Balanchine’s now classic version at the New York City Ballet where he was the founder and resident choreographer. PNB’s General Manager, Peter Boal, was a ten-year-old when he danced the central role of the Nutcracker/Prince, at NYCB, directed by Balanchine himself, so Boal was the ideal person to bring this new production of Mr. B’s great choreography to McCaw Hall. Judging from the full house of happy adults and delighted children on opening night, “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” will be a holiday tradition for a long, long time.

The ballet’s two acts have two goals: Act I recounts the E.T.A. Hoffman tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (1816) about a young girl, Clara, whose Christmas gift of a Nutcracker – carved to look like an like old man – comes to life, and leads the toy soldiers under the Christmas tree in a battle against the Mouse King and his mouse army. In the 19th century, even upper class households like Clara’s would have mice in the walls, cellars, attics, pantries, so this wasn’t quite as far-fetched a fantasy as it appears now. Clara wins the Nutcracker’s gratitude because she accidently kills the Mouse King when she throws her slipper at his seven-crowned heads.

All of this dramatic fighting is done in the great Russian tradition of pantomime. It comes after the opening pantomime of a Christmas party where adults and children also dance a reel, marche, and gallop to Tchaikovsky’s lively music. We get a strong impression of 19th century social life – as vividly imagined by Ian Falconer’s colorful and generous imagination. We see the children greet each other gleefully, receive gifts from the grown-ups, chase each other around, play tricks, and finally go home to bed. Clara gets up in the night to check on the Nutcracker that her pesky brother Fritz has broken, and finds herself in the battle of the toys vs. mice. Despite her victorious role, Clara faints onto a magical bed that floats her into a magical woods where the

Nutcracker loses his beard and becomes a charming young Prince.

In Act II the Prince escorts Clara through dancing Snowflakes, where a band of little angels lead them into the Land of Sweets. They’re regally entertained by the Sugar Plum Fairy, who produces a succession of entertainments representing

yummy things: hot chocolate, candy canes, marzipan – as well as a giant Mom, Mother Ginger, with eight little children under her skirt who emerge to do a folk dance to a fairground tune before tumbling back under their mother’s skirt. Each group performs to music that conjures up either treats or imaginary versions of real places like

Spain, Arabia, and China. (It doesn’t bear close analysis, other than it’s a 19th century list of good things to eat and intriguing places in picture books.)

The pièce de résistance is the Waltz of the Flowers, in which fourteen dancers clad in flower petals, led by an elegant Dewdrop, perform the most complex, magical, heartsoaring dance of the entire evening. “The Nutcracker” fantasy concludes with the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier leading the whole troupe in a delightful finale, and with Clara and the Prince flying home in a carriage pulled by reindeer galloping through the air. The children wave goodbye to the magical world of the Land of Sweets and – I kid you not – a great many members of the audience (including me) wave back, as though we’re saying to Clara and all the inhabitants of “The Nutcracker” dreamland “Goodbye! Stay happy! See you Next Year!”

Of the many things there are to love in this wonderful production, I especially enjoy the way Balanchine created dances for students, so that the tiniest children create magical impressions – as did the troupe of little golden angels – with dance steps as simple as walking in time to the music, and basic gestures like lifting candle sticks up and down, and maintaining proper distance from one another while crossing the stage. The children who flow out from under Mother Ginger’s skirts, the candy cane kids who manipulate hula hoops, and all the youngsters in Act I who chase each other around the stage and dance politely with the adults are so charming and disciplined that you forget that they must have practiced for months to appear so natural on stage.

The Clara on opening night, Marissa Luu, was particularly charming and animated (so much so that the slipper she threw at the Mouse King soared over his seven heads, and he dropped dead from shock!) Miss Luu was a delightful partner to the very dignified Nutcracker/Prince, Owen Odegard, whose tall elegance was the perfect counterpart to her cheerful demeanor. Adam Abdi as Fritz, Clara’s obnoxious little brother, was a real joy –and a very talented young performer. Hoping to see more of you, Adam.

Among the adults on opening night there was nothing but perfection. Leta Biasucci set the tone with her sparkling Sugar Plum Fairy, whose gracious smile and delicate steps welcomed the young visitors with regal courtesy. Elizabeth Murphy was a late replacement as the Dewdrop but performed her demanding sequences among the fourteen waltzing flowers with sharp precision, from her perfectly executed balances to her airy pirouettes.

I think Balanchine’s Waltz of the Flowers is one of the most superb dances for a corps de ballet ever conceived – it’s a crash course in choreography. Anyone who wants to learn how to move groups of dancers across and around a stage in constantly changing forms that sustain intrigue as well as elegance should study this work. Balanchine shows us how fourteen dancers can mirror each other in sevens, bourrée in a ring with arms floating overhead like drifting fronds, form lines of four that collapse sequentially into soft cascades, cross hands to form a horizontal line that splits into opposing pin-wheels as the Dewdrop jetés through the center. It sounds clunky in words – language isn’t adequate to describe the intricacy and mesmerizing beauty of this work. Even the great dance critic Alastair Macaulay, describing every combination with terms like “mathematic,” “geometric,” and “kaleidoscopic” (NYT 11/23/2018) can’t give an effective idea of how intricately the flow of formations from one shape to the next imitates the flowing, fractal patterns of nature.

But PNB has done dance lovers a great favor by filming a rehearsal of The Waltz of the Flowers coached by Peter Boal. (Search on YouTube under “Rehearsal Stream – Waltz of the Flowers | George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker”). It gives you a chance to unpack the intricacy of what goes by too quickly on the stage. And yet the real deal is to go see Balanchine’s choreography of The Waltz of the Flowers in real life. As Boal mentions to the dancers in the rehearsal stream, 90% of the audience is looking at their faces and costumes, but 10%, who know something about the art, understand what they’re seeing: how much effort goes into the illusion of effort-

lessness, how difficult the steps and gestures are to execute and perfect, how tiny details like lifting a cheekbone, aligning an arm with a foot, or accenting an arm movement completes the perfection of the choreography

itself. Every dancer is an artist of the greatest discipline and commitment – and all so that you and I can forget the details and spend ethereal moments in the presence of multifaceted beauty.

Dear Reader, you can be one of those ten-per-centers. Watch the rehearsal online, and then go to McCaw Hall and see PNB’s brilliant “Nutcracker” with that extra bit of understanding. It makes a difference. As wonderful as this production is for children, it’s a transfixing challenge for adults who can see the geometry, the kaleidoscope, the math-in-motion aspect of great choreography.

This is an especially good year to focus on Balanchine’s take on Tchaikovsky’s immortal ballet music because Seattle’s native son, Mark Morris, has brought his dance company to town to perform a more modern version of the same E.T.A. Hoffmann story set to the same music – the not-so-classical “The Hard Nut” (1991). [”The Hard Nut” appears December 6-15 at The Paramount Theatre.] Morris is a genius of the caliber of Balanchine, but in an edgier, more humorous vein. His dances are as brilliant but his vocabulary uses ballet as a foundation rather than a primary focus. You may never have a better opportunity to see two equally fabulous inventions so differently interpreted by two such brilliant choreographers.

But first, see “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.” It is true in all the arts that to be a great artist you have to know the rules in order to break the rules. Balanchine knew the Russian school of ballet backwards and forward, then came to the U.S. and re-invented both technique and vocabulary. In addition to reinventing ballet movement and breaking the narrative shell that surrounded ballet in France and Russia, he decided that tall women could be ballet dancers (a revolutionary idea that we take for granted now). Likewise Mark Morris learned from the great Mr. B and transformed the classical dance vocabulary into movement that’s brought a new level of musicality to modern dance. Oh, it’s a great season for dance lovers!

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” is performed at McCaw Hall through December 28.

It’s definitely December!

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer

As we close out the year and wait for the holidays, there are reprises galore and some counter-programming for those needing a break from the routine. Here are some

BOOK-IT

continued from cover

(music and lyrics) and Myra Platt (book adaptation) have mostly successfully captured the story, though if they’d trim a few more confusing details, it would feel a little less overwhelming to audiences that don’t already know the book or the movie.

The story focuses on the Hatter family, the mother, Fanny (Alyssa Keene), and daughters Sophie (Rachel Guyer-Mafune), Lettie (Fawn Ledesma), and Martha (Varinique “V” Davis). In the land of Ingary, a kingdom of magical properties where the story takes place, everyone has a particular job to do. Fanny decides that Lettie should apprentice at a bakery, Martha should learn spells, and Sophie should help run their hat shop. Sophie thinks her lot in life is to “never be successful” and tries to resign herself to it.

When Martha learns a changing spell, she and Lettie decide to swap themselves in their apprenticeships, though inhabiting the same bodies in place. This gives Sophie a kind of permission to change what she’s doing. Before she gets a chance, though, the Witch of the Waste (Andi Alhadeff in one of many roles) turns her into a 90-year-old woman because the WOTW thinks Howl, the wizard (Nicholas Japaul Bernard), is in love with Sophie and the WOTW is jealous.

Now, Sophie must try to find a way to break the spell and to do that determines she must find Howl. In his castle, she meets a fire demon, Calcifer (Adam Fontana), who is also cursed, and thinks if she can break his curse, he’ll break hers. Other characters include Howl’s assistant, Michael (Randall Scott Carpenter) and a dog-who-is-notreally-a-dog (Tyler Rogers).

How that all happens becomes a bit of a convoluted mess with too many characters

of the productions opening in December.

[NOTE: Also see the SGN Holiday Events calendar on the SGN website at www.sgn. org for theater already underway in December in the Seattle area.]

The Bishop’s Wife: A Live Radio Play, Taproot Theatre, 12/1-28

Based on the classic Lux Radio Theatre broadcast starring Cary Grant, this original adaptation of the beloved holiday tale, adapted by Karen and Mark Lund, will fill you with warmth and nostalgia for the

golden age of radio. Dudley is an angel and the answer to Bishop Brougham’s prayer to build a new cathedral. But when the angel turns his attention to the bishop’s friends and family, Dudley’s minor miracles require divine intervention.

www.taproottheatre.org

see DEC. OPENINGS page 10

and subplots. We don’t really understand why Howl has left Wales (! Wales?) or what his aims are in life besides chasing women. If Huertas and Platt could figure out which subplots could be dispensed with, it could help streamline the difficulties for audiences.

Some of the songs Huertas has written for the musical are quite charming and fit well. There are a few too many reprises and lyric repetitions in some of them that don’t forward the story and get a little boring, but that aspect could easily be fixed. A couple songs (such as “The Mushroom Bonnet”) are very dispensable and slow the plot down and the character of Jane Farrier is not really needed. Some songs are wonderful, including “A Different Person”,

where Sophie wishes to be someone else, “Lettie Loves Me”, an exuberant song for Michael, and “The Witch of the Waste”, which Alhadeff puts over masterfully.

There’s a lot of magic-boot-travel and other location changes that are nicely managed through intricate lighting changes in Andrew D. Smith’s design. Costume design is also well-managed with some modest clothing for the sisters and outrageous clothing suitable for the witch (by Jocelyne Fowler).

Director Platt keeps the pacing quick and focused through the myriad changes.

The cast is uniformly excellent at both their character renditions and the terrific singing. They are ably supported with subtle movement and choreography by Jimmy

Shields and music direction from Elisa Money and a tiny band.

This is an all-ages enchantment. GuyerMafune is an adorable and spunky heroine who leads the play to a satisfying conclusion. Female empowerment is an unstated theme in a lovely way and, of course, everyone gets what they want in the end.

For more information, go to www.bookit.org or call 206-216-0833.

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

December 14, 3pm

To continue this vital political work, community members who care about LGBTQ Equality are needed now to join the SEAMEC Steering Committee to reinvigorate this organization as we prepare for the critical upcoming 2020 elections.

With the current political turmoil in our nation, our hard-fought gains for LGBTQ Equality are in great jeopardy, making SEAMEC’S mission as urgent and vital as ever. In the upcoming 2020 election cycle, we must raise $10,000 to protect and retain the rights we have secured in our ongoing quest for equality!

Volunteer opportunities are also available to interview, evaluate, and recommend candidates running for office as well as other politically-related activities.

SEAMEC has served the LGBTQ Community of Seattle and King County since 1977 by expanding the level of political awareness of voters with the mission of increasing the influence and impact of our community on elections.

DEC. OPENINGS

continued from page 6

A Very Die Hard Christmas, The Habit Comedy and Marxiano Productions, 12/128/19 (at the Bathhouse Theater)

This musical parody borrows from the iconic film and promises lots of action, ‘80s jokes, smooth soft rock jams, and snarky German terrorists.

www.seattlepublictheater.org

The Christmas Spirit, Burien Actors Theatre, 12/1-22

When Death arrives to whisk Julia Dowling into the afterlife, Julia instead fast-talks him into a nonexistent Christmas party. As Julia scrambles to bring her estranged family together on Christmas Day, old resentments surface, new connections are made, and even Death feels the magic of the Christmas spirit. www.burienactorstheatre.org

SUSAN, On the Boards, 12/5-8

Ahamefule J. Oluo’s darkly comic musical portrait of Oluo’s mother builds one story out of many, a journey from Section 8 housing in 1980s Seattle to the mangrove swamps of the Niger Delta to the Clallam Bay Correctional Facility. With stunning new compositions combined with soul-baring stand-up interludes, Oluo explores two intertwining narratives: his mother’s life as the white, Midwestern wife of a Nigerian chief and, later, a destitute single mother; and his own journey to Nigeria, as an adult, to visit his late father’s village and discover a family on the other side of the world.

https://ontheboards.secure.force.com/ ticket#/

A Christmas Carol, SecondStory Repertory, 12/6-23

This original adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is rich with traditional carols, alive with color and movement, and created to tell this enduring tale in a fashion that will appeal to people of all ages. Join the SSR family and celebrate this timeless seasonal classic. www.secondstoryrep.org

The Christmas Killings at Corgi Cliffs, Cafe Nordo, 12/6-29 (world premiere)

Nothing says Holiday Cheer like murder!

Our annual Scot Auguston “Dragatha Christie” offering sees the return of Butch Alice as Becky June Beasley-Jones, a small-town girl who can’t seem to stop solving crimes. There’s a caper to solve before dessert because Becky-June suffers from “Jessica

Fletcher Syndrome” and murder follows her like a corgi after a banger. www.cafenordo.com

The Flight Before Xmas, Macha Theatre Works, 12/6-22 (at West of Lenin) Maggie Lee’s musing about spending Christmas Eve stranded at the airport with a bunch of strangers. With endless delays,

kids shuffling between stepfamilies, old and new relationships being tested to their limits, and a rogue cat on the loose, the holiday spirit can disappear quicker than your lost luggage. But sometimes you just need to be a little late in order to truly appreciate what you’re rushing toward.

http://www.machatheatreworks.com/

Othello, Fern Shakespeare Company, 12/6-29 (at Inscape Arts Building)

Shakespeare’s Othello, The Moor of Venice, follows the story of the military general Othello through love, jealousy, and deceit. Told from the point of view of his most trusted and most treacherous friend, Iago, as Iago whispers Othello down a path of ruin he cannot return from. Is it his love for a woman that is his downfall or is it his own fierce jealousy?

www.fernshakespeare.com

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some), Revelry Theatre, 12/13-22/19 (at Taproot Theatre)

Tired of performing A Christmas Carol for the hundredth time, three actors ditch the script and leave no holly unturned in their attempt to perform every Christmas story ever told. Can they have their fruitcake and eat it too?

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/4451086

Miracle on 34th Street, Seattle Musical Theatre, 12/19-29 (at Shoreline Center, 18560 1st Avenue NE, Shoreline, WA 98155)

Based on the beloved 1947 film, this 1963 Broadway hit by Meredith Wilson, creator of Music Man, comes to life on stage in this new holiday production. Filled with such beloved songs as “Pinecones and Hollyberries,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” and finally answering the question, “Is Kris Kringle really Santa Claus?”, this heart-warming musical is pure family entertainment and the perfect present to fill everyone’s stocking.

www.seattlemusicaltheatre.org

lines. It is a chronicle of corruption, abuse and racial inequality where a defensive act of violence becomes a frightful trek of survival and discovery, this road trip into the unknown a breathlessly visceral journey that almost can’t help but end in tragedy.

Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) have almost nothing in common. After their first, and likely only, date heads towards its conclusion, the pair are pulled over for what appears to be a minor traffic violation. Queen is a lawyer and quickly realizes things are not going well and Slim is in mortal danger, but when she tries to use her cellphone to record this encounter the officer shockingly shoots her in the leg. Whether by accident or on purpose things take a decided turn for the worst after that. Fearing for Queen’s life, Slim gets into a fight with the cop. One thing leads to another and the officer ends up dead, the pair forced to grab his gun and flee into the night knowing that Southern law enforcement will not be quick to believe their story this all happened in self-defense.

Directed by Grammy-winner Melina Matsoukas (the mind behind Beyoncé’s “Formation” video) and written by Emmywinner Lena Waithe (“Master of None”), Queen & Slim is nowhere as simple as that synopsis makes it sound. This is a sprawling, almost epic drama that goes in several intriguing, and oftentimes increasingly outraged directions, all leading to complex societal and political questions most

of which are purposefully left unanswered. There is no easy out here, no simple resolutions, everything leading to a place of carnage and sadness that is as eye-opening and haunting as it is disgustingly unavoidable.

Clueless members of the audience will wonder why Queen and Slim don’t turn themselves in. They will mention that the officer had a dashboard camera and the entire incident was caught on film. They will try to argue that these two characters make a catastrophic mistake when they run and shouldn’t be raised up as heroic figures for doing what they did. These are all arguments I do not hold to. While there are other options for the pair, I think that the way Waithe has crafted this story it’s blatantly obvious what would lead Queen and Slim to hit the road instead of standing put to face the music for what happened. In that split second after the gun is fired and the officer hits the asphalt their decision to flee honestly made sense to me, and I find it difficult to understand how others watching the film could ever think or believe otherwise.

Even with that being the case, the key to this drama’s success is that Matsoukas never lets the characters off the hook. She doesn’t sugarcoat what has happened but she also doesn’t apologize for any of the mistakes that are made by the pair after they have hit the road. Instead, she and Waithe are intent to analyze the American underbelly in ways we seldom are privy to get a look at within the confines of a major Hollywood studio production. Queen and Slim unwittingly spark adoration, fear, anger and even violence, and while all they want to do is survive to see another sunrise the effect they

end up having on America’s racial divide is undeniably substantial.

Much of this works magnificently. The opening late-night traffic stop followed by the pair’s subsequent flight into the darkness is stunningly realized, the entire sequence drowning in heartrending tension that had me sitting in my theatre seat as if I were straddling a razor-sharp dagger. There’s also a terrific sequence where Queen turns to her estranged relative Uncle Earl (Bokeem Woodbine) for help, the pools of regret that pass between them so deep I wondered for a moment if I were going to accidentally slip inside one of them and drown. I was also struck by a set-piece inside the home of the Shepherds (Flea, Chloë Sevigny), their dinner table chat a powerful back-and-forth that’s abruptly cut short for reasons best not recounted here.

Other bits I still can’t quite fully embrace and fit inside the larger narrative as well as I would honestly like to. There’s a sequence where Queen and Slim are forced to stop at an auto shop for assistance that ends up leading to a day-long stroll and conversation with the mechanic’s teenage son Junior (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) that offers up a great deal in the way of food for thought. While I think I understand what Matsoukas and Waithe are trying to do here I’m honestly uncertain what ends up transpiring next works particularly well. A senseless act of violence is juxtaposed with a moment of emotional and sexual need neither of which feels as organic to the larger story as almost everything else inside the motion picture does. It left me scratching my head while also placing a somewhat bad tasting pill in my mouth that I was unable to spit out, and

I’m still not entirely certain what it is the filmmakers were wanting me to take away from this moment afterward.

Both Turner-Smith and Kaluuya are magnificent, however, while Woodbine turns in a supporting performance that’s arguably the best he’s given in his 25-year career. Better, even at a methodically paced 132 minutes, Matsoukas’ debut never feels like it is overstaying its welcome, her film an immersive descent into the modern political, cultural and racial morass that grows in authoritative ferocity as it goes along. She gives cinematographer Tat Radcliffe (White Boy Rick) the freedom to shoot things in hushed elongated takes that grow in nervously primal urgency, the vistas rushing by outside the car’s windows becoming increasingly expansive and expressive as the pair inch closer to their secretive destination.

I’m still not entirely sure how I am supposed to react to the climax to this story. There are numerous unanswered questions which I am certain is by design. The conclusion also left me stewing in a sea of anger, and I can’t help but feel that was the screenwriter’s intent as well. But Waithe and Matsoukas also close on an image of hope, one that appears to also be on the verge of being co-opted by interests more corporate in nature than they are grassroots. This apparent hypocritical duality was also likely intended, but it has left me uncertain as to what my response to all I witnessed was now supposed to be.

Granted, maybe that is the point to Queen & Slim The are no easy answers. Heck, there might not be any answers at all.

Meetings Events Activities

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

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

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

SATURDAY - December 7

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

Positively Living Coffee Social. 10am-12 noon. Cupcake Royale, 1111 E Pike St. Every Saturday. Casual social get-together for the HIV community. (206) 9571600. Sponsored by LIfelong.

Seattle Prime Timers AMcoffee - Coffee & Conversation Group. 10:30am. The Urban Bakery, 7850 E Greenlake Dr N (at Wallingford Ave N). Meets 1st Saturday each month. Baked goods, soup & sandwiches and espresso bar. Metro 45, transfer to 45 from 26 & 62. www.seattleprimetimers.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. Sex and Love

Addicts Anonymous is a 12-step/12-tradition-oriented fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope to overcome sex and love patterns of addiction. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org.

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

(Also Thursdays & Fridays 4-10pm.)

Ingersoll Gender Center’s Snowball! 6-8:30pm. Bertha Knigbt Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 5th Ave & Cherry St. Celebrate Ingersoll Gender Center’s biggest year yet at Snowball!, their annual community celebration. Join the yearly celebration of our trans and gender diverse communities and learn what Ingersoll has in store for 2020. There will be a robust program, including free food, beverage and community awards! Advance registration recommended; tickets may be available at the door; $25 community member-$50 ally. https://ingersollgendercenter.org/event/2019snowball/

SUNDAY - December 8

Center for Spiritual Living. 9am meditation; 9:30am & 11am services. The Mountaineers, 7701 Sand Point Way NE. Blessings & we hope to see you soon! (206) 527-8801 ext 203, www.cslseattle.org Gay Men’s Bowling in Everett 9:30am. Glacier Lanes, 9630 Evergreen Way, Everett. Every Sunday. Spectators welcome. Join us for lunch afterwards! Sponsored by the Snohomish County Gay Men’s Task Force. For info email John at johndmarsh@mac.com; www.gaysnohomish.org University Lutheran Church. 9:30am Worship, 10:30am Coffee Fellowship, 11am Adult Forum & Education Hour. 1604 NE 50th St. All are welcome. We choose love. (206) 525-7074. universitylutheranseattle.org Plymouth Church United Church of Christ. 10am Worship. 1217 6th Ave. Love your (LGBTQ) neighbor as yourself. (206) 622-4865, plymouthchurchseattle.org Wallingford United Methodist Church. 10am Worship. 2115 N 42nd St. A progressive congregation. In 1984 Wallingford UMC became the 9th reconciling Methodist church in the U.S. (206) 547-6945 (office); (206) 2855077 (George).

All Pilgrims Christian Church. 10:30am Worship. 500 Broadway E. Come as you are. All are welcome. A congregation of the Disciples of Christ & the United Church of Christ. (206) 322-0487, www.allpilgrims.org Columbia City Church of Hope. 10:30am Worship. 3818 S Angeline St. We are a progressive faith community rooted in God’s grace and acceptance growing together toward justice, love and wholeness. (206) 722-5651. www.ColumbiaCityHope.org.

Northminster Presbyterian Church. 10:30am Worship. 7706 25th Ave NW. A village church in the city open to all. (206) 783-3402. www.northminsterpres.org (Conveniently located a block from the Metro #40 bus route.)

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

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

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

S Bayview St. Where people of all genders and sexualities, and families of all shapes & sizes are welcome and

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celebrated. A welcoming and affirming community since 1987. welcometablecc.org

Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle. 11am Worship. Chapel at University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 NE 43rd St. MCC is a progressive Christ-centered faith community committed to providing a nurturing environment for individual & community growth thru Jesus Christ while celebrating unity in diversity. MCC is Seattle’s oldest Gay-friendly church. (206) 325-2421, www.mccseattle.org.

Lotus Sisters Guided Meditation. 11am-1:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Meets 2nd Sunday each month. Senior students lead the meditation, provide dharma talks or reflections & lead discussion. (206) 329-5908; www.LotusSisters.org. (Meets in 2nd floor meeting room; no elevator.)

Meditation for GBT Men. 11am-1pm. Cal Anderson House, 400 Broadway. Suitable for beginning & experienced meditators. Sponsored by Dharma Buddies. Contact Forrest Rode, (206) 920-6117, or Doug Allison, doug.l.allison@gmail.com. Find us under “Dharma Buddies” on Meetup.com or at DharmaBuddies.org. (Women are invited to contact our sister meditation group at www. LotusSisters.org.)

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

Just for Today (NA). 12-1:15pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Every Sunday. Drop-in 12-step Narcotics Anonymous group open to anyone in recovery. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

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

Orca Swim Team Workout. Sun: Afternoon; Mon/ Weds/Fri: Evenings; Tues/Thurs: Mornings. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. Pre-registration required. Orca Swim Team workouts

are for both competitive & recreational swimmers. www. orcaswimteam.org

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

Dignity/Seattle Prayer Service. 6pm. Ravenna United Methodist Church, 5751 33rd Ave NE. Meets 2nd Sunday each month. Dignity/Seattle is the local chapter of the nationwide organization of GLBT Roman Catholics. “We celebrate our inherent dignity with pride in liturgy, mutual support, work for justice, & social activities.” Gender-inclusive & relationship affirming liturgies & prayer services. All welcome. (206) 325-7314. Shame to Grace (SAA). 6-7:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Every Sunday. Sex Addicts Anonymous is a fellowship of men & women who share their experience, strength & hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction & help others recover from sexual addiction or dependency. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828, SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. (206) 322-2437. www. peerseattle.org

Ski Buddies Monthly Potluck. 6-8:30pm. See website for details. Meets 1st or 2nd Sunday each month (OctApr). Come & hear about all the great ski trips & winter activities Ski Buddies has planned. Whether you snow board, downhill, cross-country, or telemark, there are trips & events for you. Bring a potluck dish to share. Ski Buddies is a non-profit GLBT & GLBT-friendly club which meets regularly thruout the fall & winter, offering camaraderie & deeply discounted skiing adventures for all levels of skiers & snowboarders. www.skibuddies.org Pride League Bowling. 6:30pm. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW. Every Sunday. Regular league bowling. Jeff, (206) 932-3731; leagues@wsbowl.com. [EXCEPT no bowling June, July & August.] Integrity/Puget Sound. 7pm Worship & Fellowship. St. Mark’s Cathedral, Thomson Chapel, 1245 10th Ave E. Integrity is an international ministry of Gay & Lesbian Episcopalians, their friends & families, dedicated to education, support & service within the Church & the GLBT community. (425) 226-2746.

MONDAY - December 9

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

SOBER On Meds. 1-2pm. Peer Seattle 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Every Monday. 12-step group open to anyone in recovery & living on a medicine regimen. (206) 3222437; www.peerseattle.org

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 2-3:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www.strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437. Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Redhawk Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday afternoon listing.)

Meditation Class for LGBTQ Seniors. 6:30pm. GenPride Senior Center, 401 Broadway E, Suite 223. Free class every Monday for LGBTQ seniors, their caregivers and allies. Beginners welcome. www.gapseattle.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters. 7-8:30pm. Gay City, 517 E Pike St. Find your voice with Seattle’s safe speaking space for the LGBTQ community. Individuals of all orientations and identities are welcome. Meets 2nd and 4th Mondays (except holidays and December break). For more info email contact@freelyspeaking.org.

PFLAG/Seattle Monthly Meeting. 7-9pm. Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave. Meets 2nd Monday each month. (206) 325-7724 or info@pflagseattle.org; www.pflagseattle.org. PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality.

PFLAG/Skagit County Monthly Meeting. 7pm. Skagit Valley Food Co-op Bldg, Room 309, 202 South 1st St., Mt. Vernon. Meets 2nd Monday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses, & families of GLBT persons, as well as those minorities. PFLAG/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724.

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

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

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

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

TUESDAY - December 10

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

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave #100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

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

Pride Foundation 2019 Gratitude Celebration. 5:307:30pm. Panoramic Room at the Pacific Tower, 1200 12th Ave S. FREE. RSVP requested. (206) 323-3318; pridefoundation.org/get-involved/events/gratitudecelebrations/ Strength Over Speed (SOS). 6-7:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www.strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437.

ALISS - Aging Lesbians in South Seattle Evening Gathering. 6:30-8pm. Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S Holly St, Rainier Ave S & S Holly St., Social Hall. Meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday each month. This is a group primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Facilitator: Fai Coffin; Cost: FREE. Metro route 7. Wheelchair accessible. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org. Alzheimer’s Association’s LGBT Caregivers’ Support Group. 6:30-8pm. Home Street Bank, 7307 Greenwood Ave N. Meets 2nd Tuesday each month. A free information and support group for care partners, family members and friends of individuals with dementia. Please contact group facilitator Mandi Gunderson, (206) 471-2352 prior to attending.

Diverse Harmony. 6:30-9pm. Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave. Every Tuesday. Diverse Harmony is the nation’s first Gay/Straight Alliance Youth Chorus. Youth ages 13-22 are welcome regardless of sexual orientation. www.diverseharmony.org

LGBTQ MS Connection/National MS Society. 6:308pm. Swedish Conference Center, Cherry Hill Campus, James Tower, 550 17th Avenue, Room E, 1st Floor. Meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday each month. MS Connection is a support group with the goal of providing a safe environment for the LGBT community to express their experiences and the impact of MS on their lives and the lives of their loved ones, as well as provide support for one another. Contact Kim at (425) 785-8593 or lgbtmsconnections@comcast.net.

No Man’s Land - For Female-Identified Youth, Ages 22 & Under. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Tuesday. Topics range from family issues to school happenings to like/lust/love relationships. All Queer females welcome. Come discuss how smart. strong Queer women live their lives. (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org

Tuesday Night Sex Addicts Anonymous (GLBTQI). 7-8:30pm. All Pilgrims Christian Church, 500 Broadway E (enter at 509 10th Ave E; buzz in, Colonial room). Every Tuesday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women whose primary purpose is to stop addictive sexual behavior & help others recover from sexual addiction. Seattle SAA helpline (206) 237-8828. SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. Men’s Discussion Group. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Tuesday. Peer group for Gay & Bi men. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

Here & Now Gay & Lesbian AA Meeting in Tacoma 7:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma. Spiritual Empowerment. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. A vibrant drop-in workshop for those of any spiritual belief. (206) 322-2437; www. peerseattle.org

Seattle Otters Water Polo Team. 8-9:30pm. See website for details. Every Tuesday & Thursday. GLBT & GLBT-friendly co-ed water polo team is open to all who want to play. Beginners & experienced players welcome. Check our website for up to the minute details, or call the Otter Hotline (206) 414-8797. www.otterpolo.com. Seattle Poetry Slam. Doors 8pm, Show 8:30pm. Rebar, 1114 Howell St. Every Tuesday. A spoken word poetry event that features a weekly open mic, feature poet, and slam (poetry competition). Come out and express yourself. LGBTQ- & QTPOC-friendly; all genders welcome. $5. 21+. seattlepoetryslam.org

WEDNESDAY - December 11

GSBA Annual Meeting & Holiday LuncheonChanging Power Dynamics: A Conversation With Seattle Women CEOs About Shifting the Power. 10:45am-1:15pm. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St. Cost: $75 members; $85 nonmembers; $50 students; $10 additional cost for walk-ins. RSVP to (206) 363-9188; https://www.thegsba.org

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

Mature Friends Dining Out Luncheon. 12 noon. Jimmy’s on Broadway, Silver Cloud Hotel, 1100 Broadway @ E Madison St. Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesday each month. Just drop in - no RSVP required. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

True Colors: Connecting LGBTQ Teens in Shoreline 4-5pm. Every Wednesday. Discussing your important issues, building a supportive community. For information, location & to REGISTER call Lindsay Bagley (206) 362-7282 x 8018 or email lbagley@chs-nw.org

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

Generations Aging with Pride (GenPRIDE) Community Conversations - Capitol Hill. 5:30-6:30pm. GenPRIDE Center, 401 Broadway E #223. Meets 2nd Wednesday each month. Our peer groups are LGBTQIA+ safe spaces by and for our community. While others are welcome to participate, our communities’ voices will be prioritized and we hold a judgment free, safe space for all members. Members are free to speak about any topic; however, we provide pre-selected topics each week that serve as great ice breakers. More info: (206) 393-3400, info@gapseattle.org; www.gapseattle. org/community-conversations.

GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): A Support Group for GLBTQ+Youth (14-20) serving Snohomish County & surrounding communities. 6-8pm. Phone or email for location. Every Wednesday. Sponsored by PFLAG Everett. Brenda, (425) 263-2908. globeleaders@hotmail.com POZ Seattle and Positively Living Monthly Potluck & Social. 6-8pm. The Cuff Complex, 1533 13th Ave. Food, music, 50/50 raffle. $5 suggested donation; no one turned away for lack of funds. www.pozseattle.com. Lotus Sisters Meditation & Dharma DiscussionNorth. 6:15-8pm. Ravenna Bryant neighborhood. Every Wednesday. Call (206) 525-7295 for location. www. LotusSisters.org.

Generations Aging with Pride (GenPRIDE) Community Conversations - Shorellne. 6:30-8pm. Shoreline/ Lake Forest Park Senior Center, 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline. Meets 2nd Wednesday each month. Our peer groups are LGBTQIA+ safe spaces by and for our community. While others are welcome to participate, our communities’ voices will be prioritized and we hold a judgment free, safe space for all members. Members are free to speak about any topic; however, we provide pre-selected topics each week that serve as great ice breakers. More info: (206) 393-3400, info@gapseattle. org; www.gapseattle.org/community-conversations. Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 6:30pm. Volunteer Park, 14th Ave E & E Prospect St. Every Wednesday. Meet at Black Sun sculpture across for museum. (See Saturday at 9am.)

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

Ingersoll All-Trans Drop-In Support Group. 7-9pm. Seattle Counseling Services, 1216 Pine St, Suite 300. Every Wednesday. All Transgender, Gender Variant, Gender Queer, Gender Questioning, allies, family & friends are welcome. This is a drop in group to get & give

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support, social interaction & information for the whole Gender community. No fee, donations welcome. www. ingersollcenter.org

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

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

THURSDAY - December 12

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

OLGA Monthly Meeting. 10-11:30am. Northshore Senior Center, 10201 E Riverside Dr, Bothell. OLGA (Older Lesbians Gathering Around) meets the second Thursday of each month, followed by lunch in the dining room (11:45-12:30). All are welcome. Contact Margaret at mvanreuth@outlook.com for more info.

BABES Women’s Support Group/Lunch Meeting. 12-2pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. The BABES Network is a peer led agency; a sisterhood of women facing HIV together. (206) 720-5566 or 888-292-1912; www.babesnetwork.org.

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

Rainbow Lunch on Thursdays. 12 noon-12:45pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, Lower Level, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N. Meets most Thursdays, except holidays. WCSC welcomes and supports the gender, romantic, and sexual minorities (GRSM, or LGBTQQIAA+) community! Join us at Rainbow Lunch on Thursdays to celebrate this integral group. Expanded van service is available on Thursdays thanks to volunteering by Bruce Terrey of Mature Friends. In proud partnership with GenPRIDE, Mature Friends, and Lake City Seniors LGBTQ2+Allies. $4 members; $6 general public. Drop-ins encouraged. (206) 461-7825; info@wallingfordseniors.org.

Safe and Sober (AA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

Seattle Prime Timers Cards. 2pm. Northgate Retirement Center, 11501 15th Ave NE. Meets 2nd Thursday each month. Beginners welcome. We will go out for a light dinner afterwards for those who are interested. www.seattleprimetimers.org.

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

Capitol Hill Arts Walk. 5-8pm. Participating shops & galleries in the Pike/Pine corridor. 2nd Thursday each month. Keep your eyes out for curbside A-boards that mark each participating venue. Pick up a walking map from any location & you’re on your way. Enjoy refreshments & meet the featured artists as you stroll the Hill. www.caphillchamber.org

Queer Parent Networking Dinners. 6-8pm. NW Network Community Engagement Center - phone, email or visit website for location. Meets 2nd Thursday each month. Open to all LGBT, Two-Spirit, Queer & Questioning families - including parents, co-parents & other people who have a significant role in the life of a child. RSVP requested to facilitate planning for dinner and childcare. (206) 568-7777 or qpnd@nwnetwork.org. www.nwnetwork.org

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

Generations Aging with Pride (GenPRIDE) Community Conversations _ Ballard. 6:30-8pm. Ballard Senior Center, 5429 32nd Ave NW. Meets 2nd Thursday each month. Our peer groups are LGBTQIA+ safe spaces by and for our community. While others are welcome to participate, our communities’ voices will be prioritized and we hold a judgment free, safe space for all members. Members are free to speak about any topic; however, we provide pre-selected topics each week that serve as great ice breakers. More info: (206) 393-3400, info@gapseattle.org; www.gapseattle.org/ community-conversations.

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

PFLAG/Tacoma Monthly Meeting. 7pm. First United Methodist Church, 621 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma. Meets 2nd Thursday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses & families of GLBT persons, as

well as those sexual minorities. www.pflagtacoma.org; PFLAG/Tacoma: (253) 234-9790. PFLAG/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724.

21st Century Bowling. 7pm. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW. Every Thursday. Regular league bowling. Jeff, (206) 932-3731; leagues@wsbowl.com. [EXCEPT no bowling June, July, August.]

Buddhism & Recovery. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100 Every Thursday. A meditation/ recovery group. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

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

Gay Male Sexuality & Relationships. 7:30-9pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Thursday. Ongoing support group open to Gay and Bisexual men. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org [NOTE: Please contact the facilitator prior to attending.]

Seattle Otters Water Polo Team. 8-9:30pm. See website for details. Every Tuesday & Thursday. GLBT & GLBT-friendly co-ed water polo team is open to all who want to play. Beginners & experienced players welcome. Check our website for up to the minute details, or call the Otter Hotline (206) 414-8797. www.otterpolo.com.

FRIDAY - December 13

Ageless in Recovery (AA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Friday. A drop-in AA group for 55+. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

New Beginnings (SLAA). 12-1pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Meets daily. (See Saturday listing at noon for details.)

Road to Recovery (SLAA). 12-1:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Every Friday. Ongoing 12-step group for sex and love addicts. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

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

LGBTQ & Allies 18+ Free Friday Night Drop-In Volleyball. 6-7:45pm. Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E. Every Friday. (206) 684-4753.

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

Strength Over Speed (SOS). 6-7:30pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100. Peer support for Gay and Bisexual men recovering from crystal meth addiction. www.strengthoverspeed.org. (206) 322-2437; www. peerseattle.org

Game Night. 7pm-11pm. Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100 Every Friday. Card games, board games and fellowship. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

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

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

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

LGBT Friday Night Al-Anon Family Group. 8-9pm.

Peer Seattle, 1520 Bellevue Ave, Suite 100, Room 3. Every Friday. The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives & friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength & hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness & that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number (206) 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon. org; (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

SATURDAY - December 14

(See previous Saturday for ongoing activities.)

A Gathering of Men in Woodinville 8:15-11:30am. 21920 Highway 9 SE (WA-9), Woodinville. Meets 2nd Saturday each month. Men gather monthly for drumming, singing, storytelling & sharing of life experience. We create a safe, confidential & sacred space in which a man can speak his truth from the heart, to heal & empower himself. We are fiercely non-political, nonsectarian & non-judgmental. All men are welcome. www. agatheringofmen.org

Generations Aging with Pride (GenPRIDE) Writers Workshop & Literary Open Mic. 10am-noon (group craft session); noon-4pm (personal coaching sessions); 4:30-6pm (literary open mic and potluck). GenPRIDE Center, 401 Broadway E #223. Meets 2nd Saturday each month. RSVP to sign-up for group craft and personal coaching sessions; no RSVP required for Literary Open Mic and potluck (open mic sign-up is on a first-come, first-serve basis. More info: (206) 393-3400, info@gapseattle.org; www.gapseattle.org.

SEAMEC Annual Meeting. 3pm. Capitol Hill Library Meeting Room, 425 Harvard Ave E. Learn about SEAMEC’s work educating and evaluating political candidates regarding LGBTQ issues and educating voters about where political candidates stand on LGBTQ issues and how you can help.

Georgetown Art Attack. 6-9pm. Meets 2nd Saturday each month. Reflects the industrial-strength character of the neighborhood. For information stop into Georgetown Records at Airport Way S & S Vale or visit www. georgetownneighborhood.com

Ballard’s Second Saturday Artwalk. 7-10pm. Pick up maps at participating shops & galleries located in the Ballard business district (Ballard Ave NW & NW Market St area). Meets 2nd Saturday each month. Enjoy an evening of art as local galleries & businesses showcase artists from Ballard & beyond. (206) 784-9705; visitballard.com

SUNDAY - December 15

(See previous Sunday for ongoing activities.) Baha’i Prayer & Fellowship Circle. 10am. Pearl Warren Bldg, 606 12th Ave S. Meets 3rd Sunday each month. Share prayers, readings, thoughts & music. All backgrounds, all faiths welcome. (206) 391-2188. Ethyl Forever Car Club, Pacific NW Region Lambda Car Club Monthly Tire Kick/Social. 10:30am. Randy’s Restaurant, 10016 E Marginal Way S (south of the Museum of Flight). Meets 3rd Sunday each month. This monthly informal auto enthusiasts’ event starts with breakfast and a show & tell, and continues to a chosen point of interest. Open to all LGBTQ persons & friends who have an interest in the automobile, not just collector or performance vehicles. ethylforever@hotmail.com

Seattle Poly Potluck & Discussion Group. 5-8pm. (contact for new location) Meets 3rd Sunday each month. For people interested in polyamorous, open, and ethically non-monogamous relationships. $5 donation; please bring a potluck dish. This event is open to the public. Look for us on Facebook or Meetup.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

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

American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us

Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html

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

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org

Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount Vernon) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook. COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities - www.colage.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call

Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979. Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com

Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse. org

LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - (425) 785-8593; lgbtmsconnections@comcast.net. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org

Lion’s Main Art Collective - www.lionsmain.org

MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.com; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples.org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www. seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.) MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org.

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

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

Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly. org

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

Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org

PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State: www. pflagwsc.org. Peer Seattle (formerly Seattle Area Support Groups) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle, www.utopiaseattlewa.org; VietQ Greater Seattle, vietqorganization@gmail.com

Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Pride Lives - www.facebook.com/PrideLives/ Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay

community calendar

& Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org

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

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

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

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

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

Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) i- SEE LISTING for Peer Seattle.

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

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

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503. www/ seattle.gov/lgbtq

Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org

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

Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org

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

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

Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays. (425) 339-5298.

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

SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www.

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

Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org

Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org

Three Dollar Bill Cinema - TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival; Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival; Outdoor Cinema at Cal Anderson Park. www. threedollarbillcinema.org

TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound:

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

WOMEN: Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.): We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS) - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Coming Out Women Support Group of Tacoma: www. comingoutwomen.org; Festival of the Babes: www. festivalofthebabes.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Puget Sound Old Lesbian Organizing for Change: http:// psoloc.org, (253) 777-3357; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol. com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle. wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www. sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, in Seattle, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way; (206) 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www. llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace.com ; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www. mockingbirdsociety.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org; OKAY! LGBTQ+ Outreach for Kent Area Youth: (253) 859-0699 ext 3034. OKAY! is an open support group for youth ages 13-19 who identify as LGBTQ+. A program of Kent Youth & Family Services; OUT There Adventures: www.outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724, www. seattle-pflag.org; Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets (PSKS) Drop-In Center & Young Adult Shelter: 1609 19th Ave @ E Pine St., (206) 726-8500; www.psks.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www. pizzaklatch.org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup - Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www. facebook.com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 6983335; www.kchaf.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition. org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; The Vera Project: fuels personal & community transformation through collaborative youthdriven engagement in music and art. (206) 956-8372; theveraproject.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

SEATTLE

BATHS

SEATTLE

BATHS

CLUB Z - (men)

1117 Pike near Boren - 622-9958

HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women)

CLUB Z - (men)

SW corner of Pike & 11th

1117 Pike near Boren - (206) 622-9958

(stairs behind Wildrose) - 568-3240

HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women)

STEAM WORKS - (men)

SW corner of Pike & 11th

1520 Summit - 388-4818

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

STEAM WORKS - (men)

1520 Summit Ave - (206) 388-4818

RESTAURANTS & BARS

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

BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - 625-4444

RESTAURANTS & BARS

THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE

2328 E. Madison St. - 323-1098

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

C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE

THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE

1701 E. Olive Way - 726-0565

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

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

1533 13th Ave. - 323-1525

RETAIL SHOPS

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

GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - 324-2577

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

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

CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17

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

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

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

DIEGO PELLICER - 2215 4th Ave. S - (206) 624-0070

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

DOGHOUSE LEATHERS

MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - 325-6537

NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - 324-5358

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

OUT WEST - 5401California Ave. SW

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

FANTASY UNLIMITED

THE PINE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - 588-0375

POCO WINE ROOM

2027 Westlake Ave. - (206) 682-0167

1510 1st Ave - (206) 624-1784

1408 E. Pine St. - 322-9463

POKE BAR - 1542 12th Ave - 402-5178

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

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

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

HERB(N) ELEMENTS

PURR - 1518 11th Ave. - 325-3112

R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - 322-8828

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

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

LAUGHING BUDDHA TATTOO

ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - 420-3214

1534 Broadway - (206) 329-8274

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

CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD

C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE

2103 N. 45th - 545-8363

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

THE CANTERBURY

SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591

THE NEW YORK XCHANGE

SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - 441-5449

225 Broadway E. - (206) 726-3300

STOUT -1530 11th Ave - 397-3825

ONYX LEATHER

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

THE CUFF COMPLEX

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

CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD

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

THE CRESCENT

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

THE CUFF COMPLEX

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

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

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

HOT MAMA’S PIZZA

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

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

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

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

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

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

NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - (206) 324-5358

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

POCO WINE ROOM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE SWALLOW -9608 16th Ave SW - (206) 257-0217

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

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

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

ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS

9614 14th Ave SW - (206) 763-1347

TOULOUSE PETIT

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

601 Queen Anne Ave N - 432-9069

UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - 325-6492

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

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHOP

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

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

PONDER - 2413 E Union - (206) 420-2180

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

TABOO ADULT VIDEO

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

TRUE LOVE ART GALLERY & TATTOO

1525 Summit Ave. - (206) 227-3572

UNDER U 4 MEN

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

UNCLE IKE’S

2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 501 15th Ave E - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 9822 15th Ave SW - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

WILD AT HEART 1111 NW Leary Way - (206) 782-5538

BELLINGHAM

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

RUMORS CABARET 1119 Railroad - (360) 671-1849

DES MOINES

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

EVERETT

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

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

KENT

WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210

ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS

5633 Airport Way S - 466-5954

9614 14th Ave SW - 763-1347

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

RETAIL SHOPS

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

CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17

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

1017 E. Pike St - 204-0126

DOGHOUSE LEATHERS

1312 E. Pike St. - 257-0231

LA CONNER

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

HASHTAG - 3540 Stone Way N - 946-8157

NEW YORK EXCHANGE

THE HERON INN & WATERGRASS DAY SPA 117 Maple Ave. - (877) 883-8899 info@theheron.com

225 Broadway E. - 726-3300

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

OZ - 3831 Stone Way N - 251-0630

PANACHE

OLYMPIA

225 Broadway E. - 726-3300

RUCKUS 1465 E Republican St. - 257-4805

DARBY’S CAFE

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

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

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

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

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

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

UNDER U 4 MEN

ORCAS ISLAND

709 Broadway Ave. E. - 324-6446

UNCLE IKE’S 2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 501 15th Ave E - 1-800-GET-DRUGS

BROWN BEAR BAKING, LLC 29 N Beach Rd #1966, Eastsound - (360) 855-7456

PORT ANGELES

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

BELLINGHAM

SPOKANE

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

THE BLIND BUCK

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

GLOBE BAR AND KITCHEN

DES

204

EVERETT

TACOMA

LA CONNER

OLYMPIA

PORT

SPOKANE

TRI-CITIES

TUKWILA

10 [HOUSEMATES] 11 [FOR RENT] 14 [HELP WANTED]

19

[HOME SERVICES]

JOANN'S NEAT & SWEET CLEANING

Trustworthy & reliable housekeepers. Over 10 year's experience. Homes * Offices * Apartments. Weekly * Bi-Weekly * Monthly. & unbelievable rates! 425-3993287. 47/3

TIDY'S HAUL IT ALL LAWN SERVICE / LANDSCAPING offers a professional appliance and junk removal service at a competitive price. Also experienced lawn service, landscaping and yard work. Free Estimates. Tidy, 206-354-8949. 34/6

19

[PET SERVICES]

KITTY CO. –

WE EXCLUSIVELY SERVE CATS

Capitol Hill based provider of in-home cat sitting services. Licensed, bonded, insured and meticulous about your cat care needs. Book now for peace of mind while you’re away. Gay owned! www.kittycoseattle.com; 206-612-1533 39/3

20 [HEALTH & WELL-BEING]

ENERGY/BODYWORK

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

21

[LICENSED MASSAGE - NON-SEXUAL]

EXCEPTIONAL BODYWORK

Given by highly trained LMP. I specialize in injury treatment, acute, chronic, and repetitive stress motion. I have a studio on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Insurance accepted. Matt Shafer, LMP, 206-2357766. 37/12

22

[FOR SALE]

1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE

Runs good, drives smooth, beautiful interior, great on gas, never been in an accident, clean title, good tabs. $1,700. 206-851-0453. 47/3

37 [BODYWORK]

EROTICALLY CHARGED nude full body rubdown from playful top, stimulating the senses. Get seduced. Incalls in Renton area. Scott, 206-355-4469. 35/

GREAT MASSAGE

Given by highly-trained, clean-cut, handsome guy. I have two private studios, one on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Call/text Matt, 206-235-7766. In/ out calls. 37/12

38 [MEN]

RAIN CITY JACKS

RCJ is Seattle’s private club hosting hundreds of group jack-off events since 2005. Hot, friendly, and genuine male bonding for men 18+ only. Email or visit our web site for information. info@raincityjacks.org; www. raincityjacks.org. 26/12

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