Issue 7 Volume 42
Celebrating 41 Years!
FRIDAY February 14, 2014 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & newsstands
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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Missouri football star, NFL draft pick Micheal Sam comes out Courtesy of Getty Images
Micheal Sam
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman from the University of Missouri, publicly revealed that he’s Gay Sunday, creating the possibility he’ll be the first openly Gay player drafted by the National Football League. “I came to tell the world I’m an openly proud Gay man,” he said in an interview with ESPN. In that instant, Sam changed the world as we know it for any Gay child who loves sports. Inevitably, when he is drafted and plays and the sky doesn’t fall and the locker room doesn’t become a bathhouse, his courage to come out will make it possible for others to follow in his footsteps, opening the door for Gay players from now on. This is nothing short of historic and he should be celebrated. He said he told his Missouri teammates in August and suffered no repercussions. He said he was surprised to discover many people in the media al-
ready knew he was Gay. “I understand how big this is,” Sam said in the ESPN interview. “It’s a big deal. No one has done this before. And it’s kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be ... I want to be a football player in the NFL.” The game changer here is that Sam isn’t an NFL hopeful who just so happens to be Gay. He is an NFL hopeful who is good; in fact, he’s really, really good. Sam, at 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, starred in college football last season. Besides being first team All-American, he was named the top defensive player in the Southeastern Conference, considered the nation’s best league. Teammates named him the team’s most valuable player. So now we have a situation where teams might actually be fighting over who gets Sam. Again, this changes everything. There is one team in the NFL that Seattle knows well and that is our very own Seahawks. Could see sam page 5
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The new LGBTQ-themed museum exhibit, “Revealing Queer,” opens today at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHI). On Wednesday, a few members of the media, MOHAI members, and orga-
nizations and people who donated to the exhibit were invited for a special sneak peak of the exhibition. Seattle Gay News was there and I can tell you that the job the Community Advisory Committee and Queering the Museum’s chair, Erin Bailey, has done is outstanding. “Revealing Queer” is a must see!
Over the past year and a half, Bailey who is the curator of the exhibit, has collaborated with the Community Advisory Committee to develop the exhibition that explores the past 40 years of regional LGBTQ histories. The exhibition looks at legal reform, activism, community organizations and exceptional individuals that highlight the breadth of people and events that shape the diverse LGBTQ communities in the region. “Using a Community Advisory Committee is not a new model. The Wing Luke Museum has mastered the process and tells a multitude of complicated histories in beautifully touching exhibitions,” said Bailey. “Queering the Museum project adopted the model to create an advisory committee that supported our symposium in 2012, the digital storytelling workshop and the ‘Revealing Queer’ exhibition.” This committee supported the exhibition by shaping the content, editing text, connecting us with objects and spreading the word. “Our committee was dedicated to the process and tirelessly
courtesy of local 8
Queering the Museum a Controversy swirls fantastic display of 40 years around hotel boycott of Seattle LGBTQ advocacy
Unite Here Local 8 protesters at Hyatt Hotel
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
A wedding show scheduled for February 16 has set local hotel workers at odds with the GSBA (Greater Seattle Business Association), an alliance of businesses who market to the LGBT community. The One Love Wedding Expo has booked space at the Hyatt at Olive 8 hotel, which has been under a boycott called by its workers since August last year. Workers say they want to decide for themselves whether to join a union, and see museum page 9 hotel management will not agree
to a fair decision-making process. UNITE HERE Local 8, the union that represents local hotel and restaurant workers, says they were getting nowhere negotiating with local Hyatt owner Richard Hedreen on a fair process, in spite of an agreement with Hyatt corporate officers. “In July, UNITE HERE and Hyatt Hotels at the corporate level reached a national agreement on such a process, which has gone forward at other Hyatts in the U.S.” the union says in a statement on its website. “To date, losee boycott page 4
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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February 14, 2014
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In Loving Memory Of
Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold
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Seattle Gay News
op-ed by Mark Segal Philadelphia Gay News Special to the SGN Let me introduce you to Irene Benedetti: a short, slim, soft-spoken Italian woman who hails from South Philly, but could be from any Italian neighborhood in any major city. At a recent dinner party, someone asked her what it was like growing up as an out Lesbian in the early 1960s. You see, Irene is now a senior, and most LGBT activists of today only know a little of our elders’ stories, since it is their heritage and what they claim to be fighting for. But in our community, LGBT seniors are largely invisible. Our activists talk about or mention Stonewall and all it symbolizes, but that symbolism is rarely personalized. Irene always knew who she was, and from an early age she wanted to be true to herself. When she was old enough, she attempted to fit in; she even became a regular on the national TV show “Bandstand.” She was one of those teenagers who danced in the audience to Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker. Finally, one day she came out to her parents, only to be greeted with the “all-you-need-is-a-goodman” line. She snapped back, “Do you want me screwing men to prove a point? Or can I please be myself and happy?” That ended that conversation, and Irene was OUT. At that point, the best word to describe her relations with her family might be distant. She began doing what LGBT people did
boycott
continued from cover cal owner Richard Hedreen has refused to implement the agreed elections process in Seattle.” Local Hyatt workers say that management has also begun to bring in subcontracted workers who are paid less and get even fewer benefits than regular employees. One woman worker told SGN that she now has to work in three or four hotels “to cobble together a living,” one reason why she hopes the Hyatt will agree on a process for employees to decide if they want a union. She asked not to be identified by name or department, because “I still need to get hours [at the hotel].”
in those days: They found what we called the wild side of town, where they’d find a bar, which usually was Mafia-controlled, or cruised with their friends (translation: riding around in cars where they thought they would be safe or just hanging out with friends). This in the 1960s was dangerous. For Irene, it meant being picked up by police. She was riding in a car that police stopped outside one of those clubs. The police claimed the driver didn’t use a turn signal. Once the officer shined a flashlight in the car, he asked Irene, “What are you doing in the back seat with that other woman?” She replied, “Nothing,” but she and the other three women were arrested, taken into the police station and spent the next six hours facing intimidation. She was released after proving she was a woman by having to demonstrate, despite the humiliation, that she was wearing three pieces of traditionally female clothing. Irene, like many others, found shelter in those bars. On occasion, they were raided, mostly during election time when those car stops and other forms of harassment were a regular occurrence for LGBT people so politicians could say “We’re cleaning up this town,” no matter if it was Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia or New York City. This was a regular pattern of oppression nationally. Regardless of having no family support, with fears of arrest, seeing the occasional friend being Gay-bashed or reading about the murdered faggot, Irene continued to hold her head high. She lost many jobs in
her quest to be who she was. By the 1970s, as she put it, she was a “bad person.” She was drinking a lot at those clubs and taking the party favors of the time, psychedelic drugs. She, like others, was attempting to escape what she was going through. On one of those nights, she was bashed on the street and remained in a coma for three days. Still, her resilient spirit climbed. Irene recovered and joined a young movement for Gay rights. She began to work for LGBT businesses and, finally after all those years, late in her life, she was chosen to become the LGBT liaison for a City Councilman. Irene was, and is, a pioneer. She never hid and she suffered continually until society caught up to her sense of pride in who she was. Arrest, humiliation, Gay-bashing and shame never pinned her down. There are many like Irene, and it’s important to know their stories since it is our history. From a grateful community, thank you Irene.
that fellow-GSBA member Harding move her wedding show to a different venue. “[The Hyatt at Olive 8] along with the Grand Hyatt Seattle, is under a workercalled boycott as workers fight for dignity and respect on the job,” Pine wrote. “As a GSBA member, your opinion is important. Please get in touch with Ms. Harding and encourage her to support workers’ rights by moving her event out of the Hyatt.” The email infuriated GSBA Executive Director Louise Chernin, who sent out an email the same day accusing UNITE HERE of “targeting and harassment of womenand LGBT-owned small businesses.”
his partner, broke into politics almost 40 years ago as an aide to San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, and went on to found the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. In 2009, he was the main organizer of the National Equality March in Washington, DC. “More than half of [UNITE HERE’s] members are women, and more than half of our new young [union] leaders are LGBT,” he told SGN proudly. “On Levi’s boycott team, they’re so young and so energetic – and so Queer!” UNITE HERE Local 8, which represents some 5,000 workers in the Pacific Northwest, has long been a champion of LGBT rights. In 2006, Local 8 signed on to an amicus brief supporting the right of Gay and Lesbian couples to marry in the Andersen case. In 2007, the union won the first hotel contract in the country to explicitly protect Transgender workers, at Seattle’s landmark Westin Hotel. In 2008, UNITE HERE’s national executive board unanimously endorsed marriage equality, one of the first national union organizations to do so. In 2009 Local 8 supported R-71 for comprehensive domestic partnerships, and in 2012 it endorsed R-74 for equal marriage rights.
Community supports boycott Veteran Gay activist Cleve Jones, who now works for UNITE HERE, dismissed the bullying and harassment charges as “preposterous!” Most LGBT organizations and community allies support the Hyatt boycott, Jones told SGN. “HRC moved four events from other boycotted Hyatts,” Jones noted. The Low Income Housing Institute also moved an event out of the Hyatt at Olive 8 in solidarity with low-income hotel workers, Jones added, “and they’re not flush with cash.” Seattle Counseling Service, whose signature ICON fundraiser was held at Hedreen’s Grand Hyatt in 2013, will reportedly hold the event at a different venue this year, and Q Law’s annual dinner will also move to a different hotel. Neither Pine nor Jones could confirm that the groups had moved their events in response to the boycott, but Pine told SGN that the changes were “encouraging.” The Hyatt boycott is also supported by local political leaders, Pine pointed out. On November 12 last year, all nine members of the Seattle City Council wrote to Hyatt owner Richard Hedreen advising him that “agreeing to a process that would bring an end to the disruptive boycotts seems like a step in the right direction for you, the workers in your hotels, and the City.”
Wedding Expo to move in 2015 Jenny Harding, owner of One Love Wedding Expo, told SGN she would hold the event in a different venue next year, but was unable to pull out of her 2014 contract for the space. “I’m fully, fully supportive of what they’re trying to do,” she said. “If it had been easy to move, absolutely! But the hotel would not let me out of my event agreement. “I have $10,000 worth of expenses [for the One Love event]. I don’t see how taking down one person to uplift another does any good.” UNITE HERE organizer Levi Pine said Harding’s decision to move her wedding show in 2015 “reflects what kind of person she is. It reflects her good intentions.” Pine had reached out to Harding earlier, when he first heard that her event was scheduled at a boycotted hotel, to ask her to respect the boycott. Pine told SGN that he has no issue with the Expo itself. “I think the event is providing a wonderful service for my own LGBT community,” he said. “And there are enough people who want to get married that it can be a successful business opportunity. “But,” he added, “the setting doesn’t reflect the will of the community.” According to Pine, after a single conversation with Harding, her attorney sent Pine UNITE HERE and LGBT rights a cease and desist letter, preventing further Jones, in Seattle for an event with Eastside contact. So on January 27, Pine sent an email to other Catholic School students protesting the firing members of the GSBA asking them to request of Vice Principal Mark Zmuda for marrying
February 14, 2014
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. He can be reached at mark@ epgn.com. Courtesy Philadelphia Gay News
Celebrating 41 Years!
Virginia federal district judge rules Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional On Thursday, February 13, Federal District Judge Arenda L. Wright ruled that Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. She said: Almost one hundred and fifty four years ago, as Abraham Lincoln approached the cataclysmic rending of our nation over a struggle for other freedoms, a rending that would take his life and the lives of hundreds of thousands of others, he wrote these words: “It can not have failed to strike you that these men are for just … the same thing – fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have.” The men and women, and the children too, whose voices join in noble harmony with Plaintiffs today, also ask for fairness and fairness only. This, so far as it is in this Court’s power, they and all others shall have. ORDER: The Court finds Va. Const. Art. I, 15-A, Va. Code 20-45.2, 20-45.3, and any other Virginia law that bars same-sex marriage or prohibits Virginia’s recognition of lawful same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions unconstitutional. These laws deny Plaintiffs their rights to due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAM
continued from cover Sam be coming to play for the Hawks anytime soon? If openly Gay Mayor of Seattle Ed Murray had his way, the current Super Bowl champions would snatch him up in the next round of draft picks without hesitation. “I applaud Michael Sam for his incredible courage to come out. He could – and should – become the first openly-Gay NFL player in history. Who he is or who he loves shouldn’t be a big deal, but it is because he is the first to blaze this trail,” said Murray. “The importance of his leadership on this issue cannot be understated – even as we hear about the possible reluctance of teams to take a chance on a player who happens to be Gay. I hope to see Michael Sam play for a team deserving of his incredible talents – perhaps even right here in Seattle for our Super Bowl Champion Seahawks.” While serving in the Washington State legislature, then Senator Murray was a key architect of Washington State’s anti-discrimination, domestic partnership and marriage equality laws. So what did the Seahawks think of the opportunity of Sam becoming a member of their ball club? Suzanne Lavender, a spokesperson for the Seattle Seahawks told Seattle Gay News, “We support Michael Sam’s decision and applaud his courage. There is always room on the Seahawks for a good football player and teammate.” “As outlined in our core value statement,” she continued, “the Seahawks organization is guided by overall principles of acceptance and understanding that help us create a culture of respect, equality and inclusiveness both on and off the field. It is our goal to use these core principles and our commitment to passion, character and excellence to empower change within our community.” “We, as an organization and as individuals, represent and respect a wide range of human differences, personal experiences and cultural backgrounds,” she said. Sam also spoke about his sexual orientation Sunday to The New York Times, saying: “I just want to make sure I could tell my story the way I want to tell it. I just want to own my truth.” But not everyone is so accepting of his truth. He’s expected to be picked in the NFL draft in May, yet coming out as Gay is expected to hurt his chances – according to who you ask that is. The Bleacher Report mock draft projected him to go in the late rounds because “athletic limitations including a lack of flexibility and a lack of optimal
size are concerning.” His agent said Monday that he does not think Sam’s decision to acknowledge his sexual orientation will hurt his draft prospects. “I think, if anything, teams will look at it and see a guy who was honest and upfront instead of waiting until after the draft to potentially make his announcement,” Joe Barkett told CNN. “Mike was forward, and he wants the team who drafts him to accept him for who he is.” Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh said on The Rush Limbaugh Show that heterosexuals “are under assault” this week. And yes, he said all that because Michael Sam came out as Gay. “Heterosexuality has no political agenda and there is no agenda attached to it,” he said in a tirade Monday. “Heterosexuality does not have activists. Heteros – you say heterosexuality may be 95, 98 percent of the population – they’re under assault by the 2-5 percent that are homosexual. So why – I’m just asking, I’m just throwing it out there – why is there a political agenda attached to and driven by homosexuality and there is no corresponding heterosexual agenda?” “Forget minority versus majority,” he said. “That’s not what I have in mind here, and it’s not because a minority must do what it has to do to overcome a majority because that’s not the answer. OK cool, good, that’s wrong too. I got people shouting what they think in my ear. They’re all going to be wrong.” “OK, let me keep going. Why is it OK now for a Gay man to play football? I thought it was dangerous and leads to concussions, that it was barbaric,” he said. “I thought that it was too dangerous and leads to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and early death, suicide, but yet, but yet, here comes the first announced Gay guy and ‘hey cool, man, go for it!’ Why is it heroic for a Gay man to play football?” Limbaugh goes on to say, “… because the media wants a Gay football player to succeed. Why is a Gay man playing football heroic? The NFL issued a statement on Twitter on Sunday: “We admire Michael Sam’s honesty and courage. Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014.” However, the NFL has made headlines on the issue of sexual orientation in the past. According to CNN, last year, a University of Colorado player said an NFL team asked him if he liked girls and had a girlfriend. The NFL quickly said, “Any team or employee that inquires about impermissible subjects or makes an employment decision based
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on such factors is subject to league discipline.” Sam issued his own Tweet: “I want to thank everybody for their support and encouragement, especially @espn, @nytimes and @nfl. I am proud to tell my story to the world!” Part of Sam’s story includes some things that many LGBTQ people can understand: rejection, the closet, and feeling as though you might never get out of the situation you are in. There’s one thing that is for sure – Sam hasn’t had it easy – at home or on the field. According to a story that ran in the New York Times this week: “Last Tuesday, Michael Sam Sr. was at a Denny’s near his home outside Dallas to celebrate his birthday when his son sent him a text message. Dad, I’m Gay, he wrote. The party stopped cold. “I couldn’t eat no more, so I went to Applebee’s to have drinks,” Sam Sr. said. “I don’t want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment. “I’m old school,” he added. “I’m a manand-a-woman type of guy.” As evidence, he pointed out that he had taken an older son to Mexico to lose his virginity. On Sunday night, just after Michael Sam announced his intention to make sports history, his father was still struggling with the news. Sam Sr. loves his son, and he said he hoped his son made it to the NFL. “As a black man, we have so many hurdles to cross,” he said. “This is just one he has to cross.” But he expressed discomfort at the very idea of a Gay NFL player, even if the player was his son. He grumbled that Deacon Jones, the Hall of Fame defensive end renowned for his toughness, “is turning over in his grave.” But Sam had anticipated his family’s uneasiness. In the past he has spoken out about his tough upbringing, which he said was more challenging than the decision to come out publicly. “I’m closer to my friends than I am to my family,” Sam said. His family life is mired in tragedy and struggle. Michael Sr. and his mother, JoAnn Sam, were separated after having eight children. He went to North Texas to work as a trucker. She tried to keep what was left of her family together. A sister drowned when she was 2, before Michael was born, when another child accidentally knocked her off a fishing pier. Another brother, Russell, was 15 when he was shot and killed trying to break into a home, in what his father has said was part of a gang initiation. Another brother, Julian, has not been heard from since he left for work one day in 1998; his family believes he is dead. Two others are in jail.
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“It was very hard growing up in that environment,” Sam told the New York Times. “My family was very notorious in the town that we lived in. Everyone would say, ‘There goes those damn Sams.’ I didn’t want to paint that ill picture of me. I knew the good in my family. They didn’t know our background and the adversity we had to endure. I wanted to succeed and be a beacon of hope in my family.” Nobody in Sam’s family had attended college, and he did not believe he would be the first. But as Sam coped with a disjointed family and wrestled with his sexuality, he says he knew he needed to get out of Hitchcock. He knew his best chance was through football. And now, he is being considered for NFL play. Sam’s story is an inspiration; and not just for LGBTQ youth, but anyone who feels as though the adversity they face in their daily life controls the outcome of their future. Sam turned everything around. Sam’s announcement comes as the federal government expands its recognition of same-sex marriages. Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memo Monday that extends the federal government’s recognition of same-sex marriages, even in the 34 states that don’t consider it legal. GLAAD said Sam is “the latest high-profile athlete to come out as LGBT. Others include the NBA’s Jason Collins, the WNBA’s Brittney Griner, WWE’s Darren Young, UFC’s Liz Carmouche, MMA’s Fallon Fox and Major League Soccer’s Robbie Rogers.” Of those athletes, Collins made the biggest media splash. He’s not playing in the NBA this season. Sam’s head football coach at Missouri, Gary Pinkel, told media, “We’re really happy for Michael that he’s made the decision to announce this, and we’re proud of him and how he represents Mizzou. Michael is a great example of just how important it is to be respectful of others, he’s taught a lot of people here first-hand that it doesn’t matter what your background is, or your personal orientation, we’re all on the same team and we all support each other.” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said in a prepared statement: “By rewriting the script for countless young athletes, Michael has demonstrated the leadership that, along with his impressive skills on the field, makes him a natural fit for the NFL. With acceptance of LGBT people rising across our coasts – in our schools, churches, and workplaces – it’s clear that America is ready for an openly Gay football star.”
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national news
Nevada AG drops defense of marriage ban Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Catherine Cortez Masto
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto filed a motion with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on February 10 withdrawing her defense of her
state’s ban on same-sex marriages. Two days later the Ninth Circuit granted a motion by Lambda Legal for an expedited hearing in Sevcik v. Sandoval, the case challenging Nevada’s marriage law. Masto said in a statement that her about face was due to a Ninth Circuit ruling in an
unrelated case that disparate treatment of LGBT people should be examined by courts with “heightened scrutiny.” “After thoughtful review and analysis, the state has determined that its arguments grounded upon equal protection and due process are no longer sustainable,” Masto said in her statement. In a case involving jury selection, the Ninth Circuit ruled on January 21 that a more stringent standard of review had to be applied to cases involving discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, a Republican, said he agreed with the Democratic Attorney General’s action. “Based upon the advice of the attorney general’s office and their interpretation of relevant case law, it has become clear that this case is no longer defensible in court,” Sandoval said in an email to the Associated Press. Masto’s decision means Nevada will not argue to uphold the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage passed by voters in 2002. In a February 12 press statement, Lambda Legal announced that they had secured an expedited hearing in the case. “The fact that the government defendants no longer are defending Nevada’s exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage makes any delay in these loving and committed couples securing the relief they seek particularly intolerable,” Lambda Legal senior attorney Tara Borelli said. “The wheels of justice are now on a much faster track.” Lambda Legal represents eight same-sex couples challenging Nevada’s law banning marriage for same-sex couples. The lawsuit
argues that barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. Constitution. A U.S. District Court judge granted Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit in November 2012, and Lambda Legal appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit. The State submitted its brief supporting the marriage ban to the Ninth Circuit on the same day as the Court’s ruling in SmithKline, the case which established the heightened scrutiny standard. Lambda Legal said Masto’s decision to drop the state’s defense of its existing marriage ban shows that it was discriminatory. “In the wake of the Ninth Circuit ruling in SmithKline Beecham v. Abbott Laboratories, the Governor has recognized that the writing is on the wall, and that arguments seeking to perpetuate discrimination are becoming extremely difficult to justify,” the group said in a statement. “Denying marriage to same-sex couples serves no legitimate state interest and is intended solely to perpetuate discrimination. As the Governor himself recognized, the heightened scrutiny standard that the Ninth Circuit’s SmithKline ruling now requires be applied to discriminatory classifications based on sexual orientation renders arguments supporting the marriage ban no longer tenable, and the Governor frankly made the only call he could.” Last year Nevada lawmakers took the first step toward repealing the law. If legislators approve Senate Joint Resolution 13 again next year, it would go to voters on the 2016 ballot.
Thirteen arrested in Utah Gay rights protest by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Thirteen LGBT rights activists were arrested February 10 at the Utah state capitol during a sit-in to demand that the state legislature act on a bill banning housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. According to Reuters news agency, 20 activists assembled in the state capitol building and announced they would not leave until Senate President Wayne Niederhauser agreed to allow the bill to get a hearing. “For five years, the Utah legislature has refused to hear a non-discrimination bill. We’re tired of their excuses, we’re tired of the delays,” organizer Troy Williams said as the protest started outside the governor’s office. During the protest, bill sponsor Senator Steve Urquhart, a Republican, shuttled messages between activists and state Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, also a Republican, in hopes of finding an amicable end to the stalemate. Before they were arrested, activists turned down a request to leave the Capitol in exchange for a closed-door meeting with Niederhauser later in the day, and an offer of a town hall-style meeting with legislators in the coming week. “It just feels a little silly that they’ve called to arrest us when all we want is to not be discriminated against,” protester Dustin Trent told the Salt Lake Daily Herald a moment before being handcuffed. “It’s time for us to engage in civil disobedience.” Thirteen of the 20 were arrested after they blocked the doorway to a Senate committee chamber. They were held on suspicion of disorderly conduct and then released, ac-
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cording to Utah Department of Public Safety spokesman Dwayne Baird. The arrestees were held for about six hours and were greeted outside the jail by some twodozen supporters who cheered and snapped cell phone camera photos of the group. “This is the proudest day of my life,” said protester Donna Weinholtz. The legislation activists want to have heard would make it illegal to use sexual orientation as a justification for discrimination in job and housing issues. The measure includes a religious exemption for churches. Similar legislation has been passed by local governments in more than a dozen Utah cities over the past five years. Salt Lake City’s ordinance, the first to pass, had the backing of the Mormon church. State lawmakers have refused to give the anti-discrimination bill a hearing in each of the past five legislative sessions. A week ago, Republican lawmakers decided against considering the bill for a sixth time after Utah’s attorney general advised that it might affect the outcome of the same-sex marriage case pending at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Democratic Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis, who married his partner of more than 27 years in December after a federal court struck down state law barring same-sex marriages, applauded the activists for pushing to restart a debate of the bill. “The dialogue is back on the table now and that’s where it should be,” he said. A trio of statewide polls, including one from the conservative Brigham Young University, have found that as many as 72% of Utahans support a non-discrimination law. Republican Governor Gary Herbert has said he supports the concept of a non-discrimination bill.
Celebrating 41 Years!
northwest news
“REVEALING QUEER” – LGBT HISTORY AT MOHAI FEBRUARY 14-JULY 6 Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry (860 Terry Ave. N. in South Lake Union) presents “Revealing Queer,” a landmark exhibit on the history of the Puget Sound region’s LGBTQ community. On Friday, February 14, from 7-11 p.m., MOHAI will host a special opening night celebration for the exhibit. Enjoy Gay Bingo hosted by Mama Tits, Queer burlesque with Lily Divine and Pidgeon Von Tramp, DJ SassyBlack (Cat of THEESatisfaction), gallery talks with Community Advisory Committee members throughout the night, and a Queering the Museum Project digital storytelling video playing in the Prologue Theater. All galleries at the museum will be open during this event. Tickets: $12 in advance; $15 at the door. www.mohai.org
GAY CITY ARTS – “ON THE TRAIL OF TREES” FEBRUARY 10 - MARCH 10 Shawn Marie Johnson’s “On the Trail of Trees” vividly captures her naturalist outings in the great Northwest, with colorfully saturated watercolors, sumi-ink paintings, and bold metal sculptures. Her work is on display at Gay City (517 E. Pike St.) “On the Trail of Trees” is presented in conjunction with Gay City Arts, through which Gay City collaborates with local LGBT artists to galvanize an audience for Queer arts, foster the development of LGBT
artists, and facilitate artistic excellence across a wide range of disciplines, including theatre, music, dance, film, spoken word, literary and visual arts. A portion of any sales will be donated to Gay City. www.gaycity.org.
SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BOOK CLUB – VAINGLORY The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club meets every Wednesday from 6-7:15 p.m., at Seattle Area Support Groups Community Center (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St.). In February, the club will discuss Vainglory by Ronald Firbank, a classic Gay writer who was a huge influence on E.M Forster and Evelyn Waugh. Alan Hollinghurst wrote about him in The Swimming Pool Library. He wrote eight short novels before dying at the age of 40. His first novel, Vainglory, written in 1915, is still available 99 years later. You have NEVER read anything like it. Take a chance on one of the oddest, most eccentric Gay stylists EVER. This is an experience in Gay sensibility. It’s the beginning of camp. For further details, vist the book club’s website. All GLBTQ folks are welcome to participate in this FREE book club. For more information, visit http://faculty.washington. edu/swittet/SGLBookClub/.
compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer
show at 7 p.m., at Neighbours Nightclub (1509 Broadway, entrance in alley between Broadway and Harvard Ave. off E. Pike St.), the Imperial Court presents the Out of Town Show ($15 cover), featuring performances by dignitaries and friends of The Court visiting from outside Seattle in town for Coronation. On Saturday, February 15, doors at 5 p.m., ball at 6 p.m., at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel (515 Madison St.), the Imperial Court presents Coronation 2014 – “The Future Masquerade: A Journey Through the Past, Present & Future.” Tickets: $50 available in advance at goo.gl/ioy2wX and at the door. Light fare available for purchase outside the ballroom. All entries $7. Queen Mother of the Americas Empress Nicole the Great presents her 8th annual State of the Empire address. On Sunday, February 16, at 11 a.m., at Lost Lake (1505 10th Ave.), the Imperial Court presents the Victory Brunch. Come celebrate the investiture of The Court’s new reigning monarchs. Cost: $20 per plate. On Sunday, February 16, at 2 p.m., at C.C. Attle’s (1701 E. Olive Way), the Imperial Court presents the Alaska Birdwater Party, featuring performances by dignitaries and friends of The Court in town for Coronation.
of Gay Bingo! Bridesmaids Edition featuring live performances from your favorite drag queens plus live on-stage weddings and vow renewals plus costume contests, photo opportunities and more. This isn’t your grandmother’s bingo. Tickets: $50 general admission; $69 Queen for a Day VIP. Proceeds benefit Lifelong AIDS Alliance. www.llaa.org/gaybingo. ONE LOVE WEDDING SHOWCASE On Sunday, February 16, from 12 noon5 p.m., at the Hyatt at Olive 8 (1635 8th Ave at Olive Way), enjoy over 100 fabulous vendors ready to help you plan your life together. Hot trends, classic touches, fresh inspiration. Complimentary admission and the first 50 guests will receive a free cocktail. Valet parking available at discounted flat rate of $12. www.oneloveseattle.com.
Q SQUARED MEN – Q-SPRING 2014 APRIL 25-27 Q-Spring, a celebration of self and Spring for Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Men, is a chance to gather with other men to reflect on, embrace, and celebrate who you are, where you have been, and where you are LIFELONG AIDS ALLIANCE – headed. Discover new parts of yourself and GAY BINGO! enjoy the company of other men in a nonIMPERIAL COURT OF SEATTLE – BRIDESMAIDS EDITION judgmental, attitude-free atmosphere. CORONATION WEEK On Saturday, February 15, from 7-10 For more information and to register, visit FEBRUARY 9-16 p.m., at Fremont Studios (155 N 35th St.), www.qsquared.org or phone 253-216-3997. On Friday, February 14, doors at 6 p.m., join Lifelong AIDS Alliance for an evening
Idaho Supreme Court OKs adoption by Lesbian couple
Darin Oswald – Idaho Statesman
old, that Darcy wished to adopt; her application was rejected last summer by Ada County Magistrate Cathleen McGregor Irby. Irby ruled that the couple must be in a legally recognized union, which their marriage is not in the state of Idaho. “[T]his court concludes that the legislature’s intent in relation to adoptions is that the petitioner must be in a lawfully recognized union, i.e. married to the prospective adoptee’s parent, to have legal standing to file a petition to adopt that person’s biological or adopted child,” she wrote. The Idaho Supreme Court, however, found that the law says that “any adult person” may adopt a minor child, and that language clearly allows for one or both partners in a same-sex couple to adopt. “Any adult person” is defined as any human being over the age of 18 and “cannot possibly be construed to mean ‘any married adult person’ as the magistrate ultimately determined,” Justice Jim Jones wrote for the court. “In sum, the magistrate’s interpretation of Idaho law is simply not supported by the plain text of the statute,” Jones continued. “In light of the unambiguous language in I.C. 16-1501 that allows for ‘any adult person residing in and having residence in Idaho’ to adopt ‘any minor child,’ and because chapter 15 contains no provisions that limit adoption to those who are married, Idaho’s adoption statutes plainly allow Jane Doe to adopt John Doe and John Doe I.” Darcy Simpson is referred to as “Jane Doe” in court documents because in Idaho law adoption cases are under seal to protect the parties’ privacy. Darcy and Rene chose to go public with their case in December. Their attorney, Bill Mauk, said the case would set a precedent for adoption not just by same-sex couples, but also for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and others. Rene Simpson (l) and Darcy Drake Siimpson Idaho’s law banning same-sex marriage might also be struck down by court action in by Mike Andrew Lesbian may adopt her wife’s children. the near future. Four Idaho Lesbian couples SGN Staff Writer Darcy Drake Simpson and Rene Simpson filed a lawsuit last year in Federal District have been together since 1995, and were Court charging that the ban violates the U.S. In a unanimous decision, Idaho’s Su- married last year in California. Constitution. There has not been a substanpreme Court ruled on February 10 that a Rene has two sons, now 12 and 15 years tive ruling in that case.
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Divine Productions, Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project, Oasis worked on this exhibition over the last year Youth Center, Puget Sound – Old Lesbiand a half,” said Bailey. “Without them the ans Organizing for Change, Queer Youth exhibition would simply not exist.” Space, Rainbow Center, Seattle Gay The committee intentionally ap- News, Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) proached LGBTQ groups in the region and the University of Washington. to join the committee in October of 2011, “Revealing Queer” opens today with a finalizing the list in early 2012. The orga- bang! Opening Night Celebrations start nizations that accepted the offer include at 7p.m. and features DJ SassyBlack (Cat API Chaya, Entre Hermanos, Gay City of THEESatisfaction), Queer burlesque Health Project, Ingersoll Gender Center, performed my Lily Divine of Lily Divine Gender Alliance of the South Sound, Lily Productions and Pidgeon Von Tramp of continued from cover
Pidgeon Coop Productions, Gay bingo hosted by Mama Tits, and will include gallery tours led by Erin Bailey, Nicole Robert, Seattle Gay News publisher George Bakan and Larry Knopp. Throughout the night Queering the Museum’s Digital Storytelling workshop films will be screened. The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) is located at 860 Terry Ave. N. Admission is $12 advance; $15 at the door. For more information, visit www.mohai.org.
Kentucky must recognize legal same-sex marriages, federal judge says by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, a federal judge ruled on February 12. U.S. District Judge John G Heyburn II wrote in a 23-page decision that the state government could define marriage and attach benefits to it, but cannot “impose a traditional or faith-based limitation” without “a sufficient justification for it.” “Assigning a religious or traditional rationale for a law does not make it constitutional when that law discriminates against a class of people without other reasons,” Heyburn continued. Consequently, he found that Kentucky law treats “gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans them.” In his opinion, Heyburn cited a long line of cases going back to the legalization of mixed-race marriages and mentioned recent same-sex marriage decisions in nine other states, including Hawaii and Utah. But his main arguments relied on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling striking down a section of the DOMA, on which Kentucky’s samesex marriage amendment is based. Heyburn also pointed to older rulings dealing with race and gender, noting that bans on interracial marriage, segregation, and restrictions on women had been cited in the past as keys to a more stable society. But courts gradually did away with those restrictions, he noted. “Each of these small steps has led to this place and this time, where the right of samesex spouses to state-conferred benefits of marriage is virtually compelled,” Heyburn wrote. With Heyburn’s ruling, Kentucky becomes one of 10 states where state or federal courts have reached similar conclusions about same-sex marriage bans. Heyburn was appointed to the federal bench by President George H. W. Bush.
The case was brought in July 2013 by four Gay and Lesbian couples seeking to force the state to recognize their out-of-state marriages. It is still unclear if Kentucky will appeal the decision to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has never been asked to rule on whether a state must recognize a samesex marriage from another state. One of the plaintiffs in the case, 55-yearold Gregory Bourke of Louisville, said the only surprise was the speed with which the ruling came down. “The word was it could happen any time and I wasn’t prepared for it,” Bourke said. “It’s what we hoped for.” Plaintiff Kim Franklin, who married Tamera Boyd in Connecticut in 2010, said the lawsuit and ruling make a statement that Kentucky is their home and gay and lesbian couples are welcome. “It was important for us to say we love Kentucky, but we wanted this for all Kentuckians. This is our state,” Franklin said. Shannon Fauver, the attorney for the couples seeking recognition, said the ruling applies the constitutional principle that religion cannot be imposed on citizens. “In theory, same-sex and opposite sex couples should have the same rights,” Fauver said. “We’re so excited. Legally, I don’t think he had a choice. He had to rule in our favor.” “A lot of couples have been suffering in silence for a long time” in conservative states, said James Esseks, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Now they’re looking around and saying, ‘This is a problem for me, too,’ and taking those problems to federal court looking for some justice.” Even judges in conservative parts of the country are recognizing the significance of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Windsor case, Esseks added. “It shows that this is no longer a movement that is focused on the coasts. It’s a movement that’s embracing all of America,” he said.
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NCAA goes on record opposing Gay marriage ban islature, and then to be put on the ballot for a popular vote. One version of the measure passed in the previous legislative session, but the Indiana House modified it this year. A Senate committee voted on February 10 to send the House version to the full Senate for consideration. If the Senate approves the House version, the amendment process returns to step one, and the new wording must be approved by the next legislative session. If that is the case, no amendment will appear on the Indiana ballot before 2016 at the earliest. by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The NCAA, the governing body of college sports, has announced its opposition to a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages now pending in the Indiana legislature. The measure, known as HJR-3, would expand Indiana’s laws against same-sex marriages by amending the state constitution to define marriage as a relationship only between a man and a woman. “The NCAA national office leadership strongly supports an environment of inclusion where all of our employees are treated fairly and enjoy equal protection under the law,” NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said. “We urge Indiana lawmakers to legislate in the same spirit.” Based in Indianapolis, the NCAA has for a long time offered benefits to same-sex partners of its 450 employees, Williams added. Historically, the NCAA has blocked college sports events in venues it considers discriminatory. For example, it has banned championship games in South Carolina since 2001, because the Confederate flag flies on statehouse grounds. Speaking about the Confederate flag, the chair of NCAA’s executive committee said:
“… to a significant number of our constituents, the flag is a symbol of oppression.” In 2005, the NCAA ruled that 19 member schools had mascots that were “hostile or abusive” and banned those schools from playing host to NCAA championships or using the mascot imagery in NCAA championships. Opponents of HJR-3 say they are not seeking similar action by the NCAA, at least not for now. “These events are set up years and years in advance,” said Rick Sutton, President of Indiana Equality. “If you start to pull the yarn, how long does it take for the sweater to get undone? “I don’t know how you unravel that, even if you want to. Now, does it impact the awarding of future events? That’s a conversation worth having.” Sutton noted that several Indiana schools that are NCAA members, including Indiana University, Butler, Ball State, Evansville, Wabash, Hanover and DePauw, have spoken out publicly against HJR-3. “They [the NCAA] are excellent corporate citizens … that pay very close attention to their constituencies,” he said. Indiana law requires a potential constitutional amendment to pass in identical form through two sessions of the state leg-
Roman Catholics, Mormons, Southern Baptists, and Missouri Synod Lutherans may not agree on much else, but they are all united on preventing Gay and Lesbian couples from marrying. The denominations joined in a 42-page brief filed with the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals as it considers the constitutionality of bans on same-sex marriage in Utah and Oklahoma. Written by Catholic and Mormon officials, the brief got the approval of the most conservative branches of the Baptist and Lutheran churches. The American Baptist Church – represented in Seattle by Seattle First Baptist, University Baptist, and Mt. Zion Baptist, among others – supports marriage equality. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the country’s largest Lutheran group, accepts LGBT clergy and same-sex relationships, but has not definitively authorized pastors to perform marriages. “Our respective religious doctrines hold
that marriage between a man and a woman is sanctioned by God as the right and best setting for bearing and raising children,” the conservative church coalition says in its brief. “We believe that children, families, society, and our nation thrive best when husbandwife marriage is upheld and strengthened as a cherished, primary social institution.” Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), said on February 10 that religions should always be free to choose which marriages they perform. But, Minter added in a statement, “the state cannot exclude any group of people from a fundamental right based on religious views held by some. Our society is strengthened when the law both supports all families and protects the freedoms of conscience and belief.” NCLR is teaming up with a pair of Salt Lake City attorneys to represent the proequality case before the Tenth Circuit. The religious groups were also joined by 11 states who also submitted briefs opposing Gay and Lesbian marriages. The states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado,
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RICK Satterfield
Catholics join Mormons, Southern Baptists, conservative Lutherans to oppose marriage equality The Salt Lake Mormon Temple
Indiana, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, and South Carolina. By way of comparison, there were 16 states that signed on to the pro-DOMA and pro-Prop 8 briefs before the Supreme Court. Those weighing in on marriage bans before the Supreme Court included Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin; but Colorado and Nebraska did not do so at that time. Human Rights Campaign Legal Director Brian Moulton said in a statement that he was disappointed in the state officials who submitted anti-equality briefs. “As the country moves toward allowing all loving lesbian and gay couples the ability to make lifelong commitments through marriage, it’s disappointing that these states would plant themselves so firmly on the wrong side of history,” he said. “As Virginia Attorney General Mark
Herring so eloquently stated recently in refusing to defend his commonwealth’s ban in court, future generations will judge us by how we proceed with this issue.” Attorneys for three Gay and Lesbian couples in Utah who brought the lawsuit against their state must file their response by February 25. Organizations who want to send in arguments in support of the couples have until March 4. Oral arguments in the Utah case have been set for April 10 in Denver. The court will then decide if it agrees with a federal district judge who overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriages saying it violates Gay and Lesbian couples’ rights to due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The appeals court also is reviewing a similar decision about Oklahoma’s ban, and a hearing on that case has been set for April 17.
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Kiki with D Little white lies Dear Kiki with D, I am occasionally dating this guy. He is well-rounded, intelligent, ambitious, and caring. We are both in our early 30s. He is family-oriented and takes care of the people around him. He has been patiently pursuing me for quite a long time. He lives in a different city, but he makes a point to come here to see me. Nothing hot and heavy yet, which is fine because I wanted to take it slow to understand if I really liked him just as a friend or as something more. We haven’t progressed to a relationship partly because we live in different cities, but mostly because of my lingering doubts about a few issues. Now don’t get me wrong. He is a great guy, but has the tendency to push the boundaries as far as he can. He is fairly materialistic and success-oriented. He has told me a few anecdotes where he has told “white lies’’ or has omitted information in order to achieve a better status or situation. He does not do so in any way that would hurt another person, but to “work the system.’’ As he says, it is a dog-eat-dog world sometimes and to get ahead you can’t comply with every bureaucratic rule. And this approach is probably what makes him successful by a traditional definition professionally, but as a person, I have some reservations. He is willing to take those small “harmless’’ risks. After 30 years, I have come to realize that it is not my place to judge him, but rather to understand what I’m comfortable surrounding myself with. I am very risk averse. Not that I always follow every rule or never tell a white lie, but I tend to minimize the potential that something could go wrong, particularly for important things like my job or my house. I’ll lie and tell you that your outfit is cute or dinner was great, but don’t like to fib on a signed document. I’d rather be conservative and live moderately than live the high life and wonder if a negative consequence could pop up. I realize this trait makes me less funloving at times and I miss out on some opportunities in life. This is the one issue with him that I’m trying to reconcile. Do you think I am making way too much out of the issue? My more adventurous friends find his white lies “funny’’ and my more strait-laced friends see it as a red flag. You know how the “typical” Gay life can be – cool with things one minute,
then you are public enemy #1 the next. He once jokingly told me that one of the reasons he likes me is because I am so grounded and that I am like his conscience. Shouldn’t he have his own conscience? –Little White Lies in Seattle Dear Little White Lies in Seattle, This is a big yellow flag. You have to trust your gut, and your gut doesn’t like how this guy makes important decisions. We all tell tiny lies and “work the system’’ to some point, and what’s OK for one person seems like a crime to someone else. I once saw a friend of mine ring up avocados as less-expensive oranges on the self-checkout line at a grocery store. In my mind, it was full-on shoplifting. I was convinced that we were going to be locked up for a massive fruit heist. But on Saturday, at the airport, I told the people at customs that I didn’t buy anything in the Bahamas even though my suitcase contained some chocolate and souvenirs for my friends. I just didn’t want to wait in a long line. It wasn’t a big deal to me, but I’m sure it would have been to someone else. My point is that in any relationship we wind up watching a partner do something that makes us uncomfortable. That’s normal. But (and this is a big but) it shouldn’t happen frequently. It sounds like you’re questioning his decisions all of the time and that you’re uncomfortable with the way he makes choices that would affect your life if you lived with him. It doesn’t help matters that he’s far away. If you lived in the same city you’d have a better understanding of his boundaries and whether you can make peace with them. Unless he’s going to live closer to you and show you what he’s really made of, you have to trust what your gut knows now. You can’t spend your life being uneasy and hoping that your partner doesn’t do something that makes you want to hide under your bed. You’re right – it’s not your job to judge. It is your job to be honest about what you can put up with. And you can’t keep stringing him (or yourself) along if you can’t deal with his ethics. Hope this helps. Remember be true to you, love yourself, encourage yourself and others. –D
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