Celebrating 42 Years! Issue 1 Volume 44
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Seattle Gay News
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SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Top LGBTQ news stories 2015 top local news in 2015 stories
Barronelle Stutzman – Alliance Defending Freedom Photo via blackchristiannews.com
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Kim Davis – Photo by Timothy D. Easley/AP Photo
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor This year the LGBTQ equality movement seemed to go into overdrive. With more Americans than ever admitting that they know a person who is LGBTQ it has become increasingly more difficult for people with bigoted views to scapegoat the commu-
nity, openly discriminate against LGBTQ people or treat us like second-class citizens. That’s not to say that it does not happen, but it should be pointed out that it is no longer business as usual. There is a lot of work left to do before we get fair and equal treatment under the law in all 50 states. But there isn’t any way to look at 2015 and not see signs of see Top LGBTQ news page 7
Catholic newspaper names Gay couple “Persons of the Year”
A lot can happen over the course of one year. In Seattle, and in particular Capitol Hill, that statement rings true. With the skyline changing at such a quick pace and the neighborhood bursting at the seams with new mostly non-LGBTQ residents, the Hill looks, sounds, and is different now. While different doesn’t always mean bad, change is not something that most people take well, so there have been some growing pains. Still, one can’t deny that Capitol Hill remains the
city’s hub for LGBTQ nightlife and culture and continues to be home to the nonprofit organizations and social service providers our community counts on. Relations between the LGBTQ community and The Seattle Police Department have improved greatly but remain strained overall. Openly LGBTQ candidates for political office are no longer seen as unusual, however we failed to elect an LGBTQ candidate to represent us on the City Council meaning that in 2016, for the first time in over a decade, there will not be an LGBTQ person at the table. Seattle see Top local news page 5
Utah judge recognizes same-sex common-law marriage
Utah 2nd District Judge Ernest Jones – www.joemygod.com Greg Bourke (l) and Michael DeLeon – Scott Utterback/The Courier Journal
by Mike Andrew “One Catholic couple who can — and SGN Staff Writer by Mike Andrew do — tell the story of the benefits of sameSGN Staff Writer sex marriage are Greg Bourke and Michael A Utah state judge has ruled that an A Catholic newspaper has broken with DeLeon of Louisville,” National Catholic Re- eight-year Lesbian relationship is a comChurch leadership and named a Gay couple porter said in an editorial. mon-law marriage. This is reportedly the “Persons of the Year” for their role as plain“In a committed relationship for 33 years first time a same-sex common-law marriage tiffs in the historic Obergefell case. has been recognized by Utah courts. see gay couple page 14
The ruling by Judge Ernest Jones came in a case involving Nicki Bidlack and her twoyear-old son. Bidlack wanted her late wife, Sara Clow, listed as one of the boy’s mothers on his birth certificate. Bidlack and Clow had been together for eight years and had adopted their child, see utah judge page 13
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Celebrating 41 Years!
Attorney General urges WA State Supreme Court to uphold antidiscrimination ruling in Arlene’s Flowers case Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a brief with the Washington State Supreme Court on December 23 urging the justices to uphold a Benton County Superior Court decision ordering a Richland florist to stop discriminating against Gay and Lesbian customers seeking flowers for their weddings. In a February 18, 2015 ruling, the Superior Court found that Arlene’s Flowers, and its owner, Barronelle Stutzman, violated the state Consumer Protection Act by refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex couple’s
wedding. “As the Superior Court recognized, it is illegal in Washington for a business to offer services to opposite-sex couples yet refuse those same services to same-sex partners,” Ferguson said. “My office will not stand for discrimination, and I am confident that the Supreme Court will agree.” On March 27, the Superior Court permanently enjoined the defendants from discriminating against any person because of his or her sexual orientation. The court also imposed a $1,000 penalty and ordered
the defendants to pay the Attorney General’s Office $1 in costs and attorney fees, the amount the Attorney General requested. Case background In April 2013, the Attorney General’s Office filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Arlene’s Flowers and Stutzman for refusing to provide flowers to customer Robert Ingersoll for his wedding to his husband, Curt Freed. Before filing the lawsuit, the Attorney General’s Office sent a letter to Stutzman asking her to comply with Washington law, which prohibits businesses from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. Had she agreed to no longer discriminate, the Attorney General’s Office would not have filed suit, and Stutzman would not have paid any costs, fees or penalties. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled whether it will hear the case or send the appeal to the intermediate Court of Appeals. That decision is expected in the next few months. Courtesy of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson – www.thenewstribune.com
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January 1, 2016
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Dr. Robert Spitzer dies at 83
Urged dropping homosexuality from list of mental disorders by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The psychiatrist whose campaign to drop homosexuality from the list of psychiatric disorders led to greater medical acceptance of Gay people died December 25. Dr. Robert Spitzer was 83. “The fact that gay marriage is allowed today is in part owed to Bob Spitzer,” Gay psychoanalyst Dr. Jack Drescher told The New York Times. According to Spitzer himself, he originally believed that gayness was, in fact, a mental illness. However, that view began to change in 1966 when he was asked to serve on a committee overseeing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the manual used by psychiatrists to diagnose and treat mental illness. After the 1969 Stonewall rebellion, Gay activists began to agitate for more rights, and in the early 1970s, they noisily invaded conferences of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to protest the classification of homosexuality as a mental illness. After a clash at a 1972 meeting of behavioral therapists in New York, Spitzer decided to hear the protesters out in spite of his own views on the subject, he told This American Life. He then organized a debate at the 1973 APA conference, at which both
sides were allowed to present their views. At that conference, a Gay activist brought Spitzer to a local Gay bar, where he encountered closeted Gay psychiatrists, many with very prestigious credentials. That encounter convinced Spitzer that gayness was not a mental aberration. “A medical disorder,” he explained to The Washington Post at the time, “either had to be associated with subjective distress – pain – or general impairment in social function. If gays were happy being gay, then where was the disorder?” Spitzer then led the campaign for the APA to stop classifying homosexuality as a “sociopathic personality disturbance” in the DSM. The group voted to make the change in 1973. Always thorough, Spitzer then took over editorship of the group’s DSM and completely revised it. Under him, the DSM tripled in size as he branded and defined scores of common mental illnesses, including PTSD and bipolar disorder, forever changing how they were treated. As he himself admitted, Spitzer was not always right, however. In 2003, he published a study supporting conversion therapy. Based on interviews with 200 conversion therapy patients, Spitzer concluded that “the majority of participants gave re-
Dr. Robert Spitzer – Alex di Suvero for The New York Times
ports of change from a predominantly or exclusively homosexual orientation before therapy to a predominantly or exclusively heterosexual orientation in the past year.” Spitzer’s study came under intense criticism from his psychiatric peers and from LGBT activists, who pointed out that it relied on distant memories and involved “exgay” activists who’d undergone a wide variety of therapies. In 2012, Spitzer recanted his views on conversion therapy and published an apol-
ogy to the LGBT community. “I believe I owe the gay community an apology for my study making unproven claims of the efficacy of reparative therapy,” Spitzer wrote. “I also apologize to any gay person who wasted time and energy undergoing some form of reparative therapy because they believed that I had proven that reparative therapy works with some ‘highly motivated’ individuals.”
Seattle Pride names 2016 L Corner Stage announcers
as an announcer, his expertise in performance and upstanding involvement in the community makes him perfect for the role.” Shelita Potroast is Seattle’s hungriest drag queen. After winning the first season of ArtHaus at Kremwerk nightclub as one of the founding members of The Haus of Keebler, Shelita has been spotted around town with her sisters either gorging on the gourmet offerings of the 7-11 hot case, or hosting and performing at a variety of the amazing nightclubs and bars that Seattle has to offer. She is thankful for all the support she has received from friends, family and the local community over the last few years. “We are honored that Shelita has accepted our offer to announce at the L Corner Stage. We believe she will help make the day a phenomenal success,” said Bennett. The Seattle Pride Parade takes place annually on the last Sunday in June. The 2016 Parade will be held on Sunday, June 26th. Visit SeattlePride.org to register your group or find out how you can participate in creating a successful day by becoming a valued volunteer.
Caeser Hart (l) and Shelita Potroast – Caeser photo by Nate Gowdy, Shelita photo courtesy of twitter.com
Shelita Potroast and Caeser Hart will lead announcing at the L Corner Stage during the 42nd Annual Seattle Pride Parade Seattle Pride has chosen Caesar Hart and Shelita Potroast to be the announcers at the L Corner Stage (4th and Denny) during the 2016 Seattle Pride Parade. Ceasar Hart is best known for his male persona and impersonations he brings to his shows. He was the Mr. Neighbours Se-
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attle 2011-2013, and is the only drag king to hold the title in the history of the pageant. He is also a cast member of the longest running drag show in Washington state, Marlayna Mcbride and The Jakettes Show, held at Jakes on 4th in Olympia the last Saturday of every month. He has traveled from Everett all the way down to Portland performing at benefits supporting Marriage Equality, Washington United for Marriage, Referendum 74, AIDS awareness, Planned Parenthood, Camp Ten Trees, and teen sui-
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cide and bullying prevention, among others. In addition to his own shows, Caesar also is known for being a guest performer at Morning Glory, HOTFLASH, Mimosas with Mama, INFERNO, Girl for Girl, BENT, Fuego at the Wild Rose, Bacon Strip, UNTUCKED, Doll House, Queens Brunch at the Royal Room, Pride Idol, FUZED and Julia’s on Broadway brunch and pride shows. Seattle Pride President Eric Bennett said, “We are thrilled to name Caesar Hart
About Seattle Pride Seattle Pride is a non-profit organization based in Seattle, WA, whose purpose is to create unity, honor diversity, and achieve equal human rights throughout our region and the world. Seattle Pride is focused on informing and educating the community on LGBT issues through community outreach and produced events, including the annual Seattle Pride Parade, Volunteer Park Festival, Pride Guide, and Pride Brunch! Courtesy of Seattle Pride
Celebrating 41 Years!
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Gay News looks back at the issues and stories that made 2015 a memorable year for Seattle’s LGBTQ community. RICHLAND FLORIST FINED $1,001 FOR DENYING FLOWERS TO SAMESEX COUPLE Barronnelle Stutzman, a Washington state florist who refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding was fined $1,000 – plus $1 for court costs and fees in March. Benton County Superior Judge Alexander Ekstrom’s ruling gave Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers and Gifts in Richland, Washington, 60 days to come up with the money. The shop refused to serve Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed when they sought to buy wedding flowers in 2013. The judge’s ruling also required that everything Arlene’s Flowers sells to oppositesex couples has to be available at the same price to same-sex couples. Ekstrom found in February 2015 that Stutzman’s refusal violated Washington’s anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws. Stutzman had told the couple their marriage went against her beliefs as a Southern Baptist when they asked to buy flowers from her store. Nationally, stories of businesses that cater to weddings, from flower shops to cake shops, and their owners denying service to same-sex couples surfaced throughout the year and in some cases, due to the absence of state nondiscrimination laws, the business owners got away with it. MURRAY, CONSTANTINE, CITY AND COUNTY COUNCILS DECLARE EMERGENCY, ANNOUNCE NEW INVESTMENTS TO RESPOND TO HOMELESSNESS The LGBTQ community is directly tied to ending homelessness in America because of the sheer fact that as much as 40% of all homeless youth in this country identify as being a member of the LGBTQ community. In Seattle, unlike the rest of the nation, where homelessness in on the decline, the number of people each night that are without permanent shelter or homeless is on the rise. The issue of homelessness in Seattle and King County is so bad that on November 2, Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine declared emergencies and outlined new investments to respond to the growing crisis. Mayor Murray signed a Proclamation of Civil Emergency and Executive Constantine signed a Local Proclamation of Emergency in response to the growing crisis, November 2. “Seattle is facing an emergency as a result of the growing crisis in homelessness,” said Mayor Murray. “The City is prepared to do more as the number of people in crisis continues to rise, but our federal and state partners must also do more. Cities cannot do this alone. Addressing homelessness must be a national priority with a federal response.” Murray and Seattle City Councilmembers outlined a $5.3 million package to respond to the growing demand for services. Constantine and King County Councilmembers proposed $2 million. “Emergency declarations are associated with natural disasters, but the persistent and growing phenomenon of homelessness – here and nationwide – is a human-made crisis just as devastating to thousands as a flood or fire,” said Executive Constantine. “We call on the federal and state governments to take action, including shouldering more responsibility for affordable housing, mental health treatment, and addiction services.”
Last winter’s One Night Count found 3,772 men, women, and children without shelter in King County, including more than 2,800 in Seattle – a 21 percent increase over 2014. In 2015, 66 homeless people have died in King County, including 47 on the streets and in unpermitted encampments in Seattle. The state now reports that 35,000 people in King County become newly homeless at some point during the year. Throughout 2015, new shelters were opened for homeless folks, more beds were added to temporary homeless shelters, and a tiny house village to house homeless people has been taking shape in Seattle’s Central District. BIAS CRIMES AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY ON THE RISE Bias crimes, or hate crimes, against members of the LGBTQ community in Seattle were on the rise in 2015 prompting Mayor Ed Murray to assign a task force to look at ways community policing could fix the problem. A neighborhood safety shuttle was started to get people from place to place safely on the Hill, and a number of community forums were held that were greatly attended at which residents expressed concern over the uptick in violence. Police reports show that the victims, mostly Gay men, reported being attacked on Capitol Hill, SODO and in other Seattle
nization Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) launched a neighborhood safety shuttle, a nine passenger rainbow-colored van, in June as a response to the public safety crisis on Capitol Hill. In addition, SOSea also began to offer once, monthly, self-defense classes open to all ages and sexual orientations and say they will continue into 2016. Recommendations from the Mayor’s LGBT Task Force included better lighting in areas of the neighborhood where criminals could hide, make funding available to some of the programs and projects that rely on community policing so that they can continue or grow, promote LGBTQ visibility and tolerance, and more. Several marches against hate crime and violent crime took place, including a candlelight vigil held in the parking lot on Melrose Avenue and East Pine Street where 23-year-old Ramon E. Mitchell was gunned down moments after leaving a Capitol Hill bar to condemn the murder. Although Mitchell was not Gay, the fact that gunfire can now be heard on Capitol Hill certainly is a concern of the local LGBTQ community. Seattle suffered from a wave of shootings and gunfire incidents in 2015. A drive-by shooting in November that injured five at Broadway and East Pike Street is another example of a city that has a crime problem with little being done to fix it. Mitchell’s murder and the drive-by shooting remain unsolved. In all, there were four shooting
SPD LAUNCHES SAFE PLACE PROGRAM AND ANNOUNCES TRANSGENDER POLICY The relationship between the LGBTQ community and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has improved over the years greatly. While there still exists some tensions between the department and the com-
munity, the overall sense is that things are a lot different now than from the days when police officials were shaking down LGBTQ bars for protection money. SPD Officer Jim Ritter, newly appointed liaison between the LGBTQ community and the SPD, launched the SAFE PLACE Program. The Seattle Police Department’s SAFE PLACE signage is being displayed by local supporting community members, businesses, schools and organizations that work closely with the Seattle Police Department in an effort to reduce anti-LGBTQ crimes, reduce LGBTQ student bullying and encourage the reporting of LGBTQ crimes. These are also locations that provide safe and secure places and support for victims of anti-LGBTQ related crimes and harassment. Calling 911 and waiting for police to respond is essential for holding suspects accountable and reducing hate crimes and harassment in general. In addition to the 911 police response to these incidents, the SPD has an LGBTQ liaison officer who promotes partnership efforts between the SPD and LGBTQ community and can be a resource for answering questions you may have. The SPDSAFEPLACE.com website also has resources for the LGBTQ community. While the program faced some scrutiny when it was first announced, the results of the program in terms of LGBTQ visibility and as an example of ways the community can work closely with the department as partners against crime in our city, are evident. More than 600 businesses across the city participate in the program and no major incident has occurred where the program did not work or someone was denied “safe place” if they needed it. In addition to the program showing signs of cooperation between local businesses and the police department, several police departments from around the country have asked for help and guidance to start their own version in their respective cities. Seattle Police Department officials also began work on a Transgender specific policy in late 2013 that would govern how officers deal with everything from traffic stops to body searches of Transgender people in Seattle. Earlier this year, SPD, in cooperation with several members of the local Transgender community, sent the policy to the feds for consideration after SPD Chief of Police Kathleen O’Toole and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed off on the policy and praised the work that had been done to finish the project. According to SPD officials, the Department of Justice gave the policy a thumbs up and SPD training officials began to plan out the best way for the policy to be implemented for patrol officers, detectives, and civilian employees alike. In November, SPD asked members of the local Seattle Transgender community to voluntarily be filmed for a training video that will be shown to patrol officers when the new policy becomes standard operating procedure. Each volunteer was filmed talking about their experiences with police, the things they want officers to know about the lives of Transgender people and more. Several out officers, including Sina Ebinger and Jim Ritter worked on the policy with many others on their own volition. The policy idea and production was supported by the Chief of Police and its contents agreed upon by members of the local Transgender community. Seattle joins the short list of major U.S. cities with such policies. As of 2015, only Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C. – and now Seattle – have Transgender policies for their police departments in place.
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Rainbow Crosswalks – Photo by Nate Gowdy
neighborhoods, because the alleged attackers had a problem with them being Gay. Most of the attacks (some involved weapons while others did not) resulted in the victims being beaten and verbally assaulted by being called homophobic slurs while the attack was in progress. A number of cases were prosecuted under the city’s bias crimes statute, which calls for stiffer punishment whenever a criminal is charged with a hate crime. In addition to a number of bias crimes, the number of LGBTQ people that claim to have been mugged or robbed in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood also became more frequent during certain months of the year. Many attribute the fact they were walking alone after dark or because they were not paying attention to their surroundings as a reason why they may have been singled out more so than the fact that they were targeted for being LGBTQ. Several arrests were made with several of the perpetrators were reported as being under the age of 18, brandishing a gun and working in teams of two or more. As a result of the bias crimes and muggings, SPD began emphasis patrols of the neighborhood that would have police, on foot, walking through the neighborhood as a deterrent to crime. However, when the emphasis patrols would subside, the attacks would return. The neighborhood social justice orga-
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deaths across the East Precinct in 2015 but across Seattle as a whole, gunfire incidents were 27% higher in 2015 vs. 2014. RAINBOW CROSSWALKS In June, just before the Seattle Pride celebrations began, 11 rainbow colored crosswalks were installed at six intersections on East Pine and East Pike Streets from Broadway to 11th Ave. They cost around $72,600 total, with the maintenance work paid for by developer fees, city officials said. “I think the message is we are everywhere,” Murray said. “We have a historic place in this neighborhood and we’re happy to represent it here.” Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea), a Capitol Hill based social justice organization for LGBTQ and Allied people, advocated for the creation of the rainbow colored crosswalks for three years. After the crosswalks were unveiled, they quickly became a popular addition to the vibrant neighborhood known for its LGBTQ roots, history, and nightlife.
Workshop scheduled for January 2016 to introduce city employees to Seattle’s All Gender Bathroom Ordinance by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor SEqual, the official LGBTQ and Allied group for City of Seattle employees will host the upcoming “Building Bridges” training event, entitled “Toward Gender Justice; Introducing the All Gender Bathroom Ordinance” with host Aleksa Manilla, January 27, 2016 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at City Hall in the Bertha Knight Landes Room. “Building Bridges” is an annual training that focuses on dismantling institutional
oppression at the intersection of race, gender and sexual orientation and is co-sponsored by SEqual, SDHR’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program and the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. City of Seattle employees will be able to sign up for this training in Employee Self Service (ESS). According to SEqual, this workshop will discuss efforts underway to create gender justice for Transgender and gender nonconforming communities in Seattle and beyond.
The workshop will feature a keynote address by local Drag icon and gender Queer entertainer Aleksa Manila. Attendees will discuss the reasons for an All-Gender Bathroom Ordinance and strategies for implementation. In August, Seattle City Council voted that all single-occupant public bathrooms in Seattle would be designated for all-gender use, not just for men and women, under legislation proposed by Mayor Ed Murray. While existing laws protect a person’s right to use a restroom matching their gen-
der, bathrooms are assigned for male and female use, excluding Transgender and gender non-conforming people, Murray said in a statement. “The transgender community deserves the dignity and respect that most people take for granted,” Murray said. The legislation would affect bathrooms in such public places as restaurants, parks, stores, and City Hall, though it would only affect bathrooms that are designed for use by one person at a time.
Pride ASIA’s Dim Sum Dialogues a success at Seattle Asian Art Museum by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On December 19, Pride ASIA with The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Art Museum presented DIM SUM DIALOGUES at Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) that saw more than 100 people attend a night of music, art, dancing, and community building among Queer People of Color and Allies through an API (Asian & Pacific Islander) lens. Attendees were able to listen and share stories to celebrate and convene Queer Communities of Color. The event was free and open to all ages and sexual orientations. Held from 7-10 p.m., the event also allowed for people to look at the wonderful art exhibits inside the SAAM, which is located in Seattle’s Volunteer Park. Several performances took place to evoke conversation around the experiences of LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islanders. After each performance, the artist would hold a Q&A with the audience so a better understanding of why they chose the piece that they performed or displayed could be achieved. Dim Sum Dialogues was hosted by Aleksa Manila, founder of Pride ASIA. Performers included Kince de Vera, Shanghai Pearl, Alessandra Hunt, Amaya Matro, Atasha Manila, Nic Masangkay, Erika Hatanaka, Jacque Larrainzar and Jade Vogelsang. Music was provided by DJ Bish (Reese Umbaugh), DJ Reverend Dollars (Renee Jarreau Greene), DJ Moist Towelette (Lu Ying) and DJ Legaspi. Community partners included HEYO at Lifelong, HIV Seattle HIV Vaccine Trials Unit, Gay City Health Project, Neighborcare Health, Seattle Counseling Service, API Chaya, Social Outreach Seattle (SO-
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Photo courtesy of Pride ASIA
Sea) and more. Dim Sum was provided by Root Table (2213 NW Market St), an Asian fusion restaurant in Ballard, owned by Tanya Rachinee, who has worked with Pride ASIA in the past and other LGBTQ A/PI organizations. Some of the more memorable performances were thought provoking and vulnerable. They certainly made a connection with the audience and inspired conversation after the performance was over. Kince de Vera, who will join the board of directors at Pride ASIA in 2016 performed twice during the evening. The first perfor-
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mance of the evening was choreographed by de Vera, who also starred in it as a dancer along with Levi Ryan. The dance piece, “Coalesce,” was new, said de Vera, and he told the audience that it was a look at same-sex relationship dynamics between Gay Asian males and Gay white males. Both de Vera and Ryan are good dancers and the chemistry that the two had as dance partners sold the idea behind the piece to the audience. There was first attraction, love, power struggle, and in the end a breakup. Local burlesque legend The Shanghai Pearl performed a piece in which she en-
tered wearing antlers and a gown. During her captivating performance she shed the antlers and stripped down to the sounds of relaxing music that conjured up images of nature. The Shanghai Pearl is a skilled entertainer who always leaves audiences satisfied and her Dim Sum Dialogues performance was no exception. She did a fantastic job. Nic Masangkay and Erika Hatanaka presented spoken word pieces at the event. For me, the standout performance in their set came when Masangkay talked about gender and racial struggles from a Filipino and Queer point of view. A master storyteller, Masangkay held the audience’s attention so much so that every word and syllable were received exactly the way they were intended. Powerful, yet vulnerable and heartwarming at the same time, Masangkay’s performance was, for many, the standout of the evening. Local drag queen Alessandra Hunt, the current reigning Miss Gay Washington, performed as Beyoncé and brought the house down with her dance moves and lipsync abilities. Full of energy and demanding of the audience’s applause, she worked for every cheer she deservedly got. The event was a total success with many people asking when the next one will be. While there hasn’t been another Dim Sum Dialogue planned yet, Aleksa Manilla says that there will be information about future events coming very soon so in the meantime connect with Pride ASIA via social media @prideasiaorg or visit the official website www.PrideAsia.org for updates. Video footage from the event, filmed and edited by Social Outreach Seattle, can be found at https://youtu.be/rFbGK9Zt95M. The event was co-sponsored by the Seattle Public Library and the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
Celebrating 41 Years!
Neighborhood Matching Fund announces 2016 funding opportunities for community-initiated projects Free workshops start in January for community groups Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ popular Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) has announced its funding opportunities for 2016. All three of its funds – Small Sparks, Small and Simple Projects Fund, and the Large Projects Fund – support the efforts of community members as they work on projects to build stronger neighborhoods and communities. More than 5000 projects have occurred across the city since this program began 28 years ago. The Small Sparks Fund, which provides awards of up to $1,000 per project, accepts applications year-round. This is great funding opportunity for implementing small community projects as well as supporting activities such as Neighbor Appreciation Day, Night Out, Earth Day, and others. The Small and Simple Projects Fund, which provides awards of up to $25,000, has three opportunities to apply in 2016. Deadlines for applications are February 1, June 6, and September 12 by 5 p.m. For those interested in applying in February, NMF staff is hosting workshops about the guidelines and application process. The dates are as follows: • Monday, January 11; 6-8 p.m. at El Centro de la Raza, 2524 16th Ave S in Room 310
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success in terms of where we used to be as a community, and where we are headed as a global LGBTQ community. While some of the people who wish to cause harm to LGBTQ rights across the country are still trying to fight tooth and nail for every inch lost each time we win, the bigots are, for the most part, on the run. Now the community mostly has a new set of problems to deal with. Issues that need answering like how do we accept equality without assimilation, owning the actions of people from within our ranks – however good or bad those actions are, aiding the millions of homeless LGBTQ youth, veterans and adults who need help to get off of the streets. We are finally starting to take a look at making sure our aging community is taken care of when they can no longer take care of themselves. The Transgender community is trying to find their way in this world while at the same time having very public debate on the use of words, public restroom and locker-room facilities and more. While not all of these problems are new, and many have already been discussed by earlier generations, the big difference is that we are no longer having the discussion amongst ourselves; there are a whole lot of people out there willing to help us on this journey towards true freedom and equality in America and beyond. Sadly, what was noticeable this year are the many reported cases of Gay bashings and murder; Transgender women of color in particular had a pretty scary year as more than one Transgender woman was murdered each month in the U.S. More reports came out of Russia and the Middle
The Large Projects Fund (LPF), which awards up to $100,000 per project, is open to applications once a year. The 2016 deadline is May 2 by 5:00 p.m. For those interested in applying, mandatory workshops will be offered beginning early next year. The NMF program has staff to advise community groups on ways to develop successful applications and projects. Community members are strongly encouraged to contact a Neighborhood Matching Fund Project Manager before applying at 206233-0093 or NMFund@seattle.gov. To learn more about the Neighborhood Matching Fund and its support to community-initiated projects, visit seattle.gov/ neighborhoods/neighborhood-matchingfund. The website provides details on the criteria and requirements for each fund, along with instructions for the online application process.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
• Thursday, January 14; 6-8 p.m. at Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N in Room 6 To RSVP call 206-733-9916 or go online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/
NMFWorkshop2016. Additional workshops will be offered prior to each Small and Simple Projects Fund application deadline.
East about the abuse, torture, and murder of LGBTQ people with no end in sight. And although some promising words came from the United Nations about protecting human rights of LGBTQ people around the world, the statements and calls for dignified treatment, unfortunately, seem to be just that – words. As we say goodbye to 2015 and look to the year ahead, Seattle Gay News has compiled a list of the top stories that made the news in 2015 for the LGBTQ community. There might be some things on our list that you may have forgotten or a news report that makes you think about just how far we’ve come, but the fact remains (the good and the bad, the happy and the sad) that this year of 2015 will go down in the history books as a year of newfound acceptance of LGBTQ people and our continued struggle to secure freedom for all.
sued Davis with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. The Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based law firm with a history of suing public entities over religious freedom issues, rushed to Davis’ defense. Eventually, U.S. District Judge David Bunning threw Davis in jail for refusing to obey his order that she issue marriage licenses. She spent five days behind bars, only to be dramatically released on the same day two Republican presidential candidates visited her. She walked out the front door and appeared on the back of a flatbed truck with candidate Mike Huckabee in front of thousands of screaming supporters, backed by a 150-voice church choir. Davis’ office is now issuing marriage licenses to all eligible couples, but her lawsuit is still pending in federal court. Her case was voted as the top news story of the year by subscribers and staff for The Associated Press. The reason, says Kentucky WSPD Local 6 news producer Kelly Kim, explaining why she voted for Davis as the state’s top story of 2015, is “Kim Davis’ legal fight over samesex marriages challenged the court’s judgment not just in Kentucky but the entire world. It prompted a political debate among lawmakers, presidential candidates and forced a global review on same-sex rights. It’s a strong example of how one person managed to affect the world.”
KENTUCKY CLERK KIM DAVIS REFUSES TO ISSUE MARRIAGE LICENSES Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, who spent five days in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples earlier in the year, has been voted the state’s top news story of 2015. For whatever reason, the story of Davis and her feelings about religious exemption, took the nation by storm. Davis, a Democrat in Morehead, Kentucky, said her religious faith made it impossible for her to comply. “What I believe, I cannot be separated from,” Davis said. ‘If you believe it, if you believe the word of God and you believe it and you live it and you breathe it and it is your heart, mind, body and soul, you can’t be separated from that.” Four couples, two Gay and two straight,
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MARRIAGE EQUALITY The June 26 SCOTUS ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which ruled that states are required to issue marriage licenses to samesex couples, was received with almost universal jubilation and acceptance. The issue of whether or not it was a violation of the Constitutional rights of LGBTQ citizens
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to be denied the right to legal marriage seemed over by the time the Supremes ruled in its favor. Poll after poll leading up to the historic victory came to the same conclusion again and again: Americans accept same-sex marriage. Millions of dollars in campaign money and legal fees had been spent in state-by-state fights to secure the right for same-sex couples to get married and many LGBTQ leaders felt that the time had come for the federal judiciary to step in and stop the discrimination from happening by making it legal throughout the land. While history will show that America was slow to address the issue, it will also show that by telling our stories of love and the pursuit of the legal right to get married anywhere we choose, millions of hearts and minds were changed. Love was, and always will be, the answer. Now, more than six months after samesex marriage became the law of the land, reports have come out about the cost of discrimination, the positive change that marriage equality has brought to cities, towns and neighborhoods around the country, and ever-growing acceptance that the love shared between two men or two women is in fact the #SameLove that is shared between a man and a woman. While it is true that marriage equality is the not the be all and end all of the modern LGBTQ equality movement, it is also true that to date it is our biggest win. TRANSGENDER MILITARY POLICY CHANGE In January 2015, on the eve of the State of the Union speech, Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center, called on President Barack Obama to address the military’s ban see top lgbtq news page 8
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Kevin Wang
by Kevin Wang, MD, Faculty Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency Program Special to the SGN Hello there! I am thrilled and excited to introduce a new collaboration between Seattle Gay News and Swedish Medical Center featuring a monthly column discussing important primary care topics with an LGBTQ twist. Our topics will range from important immunizations to high blood pressure to PrEP (preexposure prophylaxis) to
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on Transgender service: “I urge President Obama to address the military’s ban on Transgender service during his upcoming State of the Union address, and to clarify whether he supports this discriminatory policy,” said Belkin. “While I applaud the President and his administration for the historic openness to reviewing the ban, now is the time for the President to lead by outlining his plans and goals for the policies that govern the estimated 15,500 Transgender personnel serving currently in the armed forces,” he said. In June the U.S. Air Force announced Trans airmen and airwomen would not face “separation” – i.e., release from active duty – simply for openly identifying as Transgender or receiving a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The announcement sent shockwaves across the nation that would lead to a much bigger victory just 30 days later when the Pentagon announced it had set in motion a plan to lift the longstanding prohibition on allowing Transgender men and women to serve openly in the military. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the individual services will have six months to prepare for the historic policy change. “The Defense Department’s current regulations regarding Transgender service members are outdated and are causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions,” Carter said in a state-
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pregnancy (and newborn care). Please feel free to send in questions and suggestions for topics! Before I begin to tell you why we’re doing this, I’d like to give you a bit of background about myself and the team of great providers I work with at the Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency Program. I obtained my medical degree from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, MI and completed my Family Medicine Residency training at Oakwood Annapolis in Wayne, MI. I also completed an additional year of subspecialty training in obstetrics to learn how to perform C-sections for my pregnant patients. What was missing in my medical education, however, was any clear instruction on what we, as a medical profession, can do to provide comprehensive and culturally competent care for the LGBTQ community. Once I was hired by Swedish Family Medicine – First Hill, I made it my mission to have LGBTQ training included in our curriculum. We’ve partnered with some of our local experts including the Ingersoll Gender Center, Gay City, the Capitol Hill Medical Group, Simon Ellis from Cedar River Clinics and Dr. Kevin Hatfield from the Polyclinic to help train our residents to provide medically and culturally competent care to our LGBTQ community. As a Gay man and patient, it thrills me to see the level of interest we have from our residents and medical students. In case you’re wondering, family medicine physicians see a wide range of patient
populations ranging from newborns to children to adolescents to adults and to our elder populations. We see people of all gender and gender identities and help manage chronic conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, and perform yearly health exams providing preventative services including cervical cancer screening. We also take care of pregnant patients offering outpatient prenatal care, hospital delivery and C-sections if indicated. In fact, our clinic has two family medicine physicians, Dr. Camille Fleming and myself, who are trained in C-sections. Our residency program isn’t the only one with this goal of providing better care for our LGBTQ community. Swedish Medical Center and Swedish’s primary care clinics see the process of providing compassionate and competent care to the LGBTQ community as one of their priorities. Our clinic, as part of a pilot project to make our clinics a more welcoming space for the LGBTQ community, had its first Trans* cultural competency workshop where we invited Alison Davison to educate our staff and nurses. The training was most well received and the feedback we received from our Trans* patients was fantastic. One person even told us that she has never felt this safe and embraced in a clinic before. To me, that’s a huge success and win for our Trans* patients! So why are we doing this? We’re doing this so that we can continue to support your journey towards emotional and physical
well-being in a collaborative and culturally competent way. I know that we can do a better job of reaching out to my LGBTQ family and ask all of you to tell us what we can do to be better healthcare providers for you. We’re hoping that, by working with Seattle Gay News, we can give you important health updates and to let you know what Swedish Medical Center is doing to become a better provider of healthcare to you and me. If you have any questions or would like to respond to any issues raised in this column, I can be reached in care of the Seattle Gay News at sgn2@sgn.org - with ATTN: DR. KEVIN in the subject line. Thank you for this great opportunity and we look forward to hearing from you! If you’re looking for a family medicine provider, please feel free to meet us at any of our residency clinics: 1. Swedish Family Medicine – First Hill, 1401 Madison St., Seattle, WA 98104. (206) 386-6111. 2. Swedish Family Medicine – Ballard (Swedish Community Health), 1801 NW Market St., Suite 403, Seattle, WA 98107. (206) 297-5100. 3. King County Public Health – Downtown Family Medicine, 2124 4th Ave., Seattle, WA 98121. (206) 477-8222. Swedish Medical Group has a number of other primary care clinics in the Greater Seattle area as well. Please visit www.swedish.org for additional details and locations.
ment. The official date for the policy change has not been released to the public, but Pentagon officials maintain that it will happen in the early months of 2016.
cause they thought their personal behavior was sinful. Following the defeat of Houston’s proLGBT nondiscrimination ordinance earlier this fall, the ACLU said it is expecting “a tremendous wave” of bills aimed at curtailing Transgender rights, particularly in the area of restroom access for Transgender students at schools. Several school districts throughout the country, particularly in the South or rural areas, have attempted to preempt what they fear will be future rulings by the U.S. Department of Education or the courts that would allow Transgender students to use the restroom or locker room consistent with their gender identity. Eunice Rho, advocacy and policy counsel for the ACLU, said that in 2015, more than 90 pieces of legislation – many of them in the form of Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) – were introduced in various legislatures, attempting to use religion as an excuse to discriminate against LGBT people. Yet LGBT advocates were successful defeating almost all RFRA-type legislation in all but three states: Arkansas, Michigan and Indiana, where state lawmakers and Indiana Governor Mike Pence were eventually forced to offer a “fix” after receiving a backlash of negative publicity and criticism from individuals and particularly the nation’s business community following passage of the RFRA.
Two major victories for the Transgender community happened in January when Saks Fifth Avenue admitted that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act does protect Trans workers and the U.S. Department of Justice filed court documents stating definitively that Title VII applies to Trans people. During a lawsuit brought against Saks Fifth Avenue by a former employee that claimed they were fired for being Transgender, the department store filed a motion to dismiss the suit on the grounds that Transgender workers are not, in fact, protected under Title VII. Saks’ attorneys also claimed that the company is not legally bound by its own nondiscrimination policy, which includes gender identity. Contrary to Saks’ claims, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Labor Department, and then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder all found that Title VII does indeed protect Trans workers. In fact, the Justice Department filed papers in the case stating explicitly that “Discrimination against an individual based on gender identity is discrimination because of sex,” and therefore barred by Title VII. On January 26, Saks finally admitted its legal theory was wrong and withdrew its motion to dismiss the suit. What’s more the Department of Justice announced it will no longer assert that “Title VII’s prohibition against discrimination based on sex does not encompass gender
BIGOTS FIGHT BACK WITH ANTIGAY RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION BILLS Some people just want the right to discriminate. There is no getting past the fact that, based on so-called religious freedom, they want the government to give them the right to deny services, goods, and rights to people that are LGBTQ simply because they believe that that is what their religions requires them to do. Early in the year, with the 2015 legislative session in swing, the ACLU began to track a number of “religious freedom” bills that started to pop up in states around the U.S. If enacted, these anti-Gay bills would allow religion to be used to discriminate and are either intentionally aimed at LGBTQ people or are spurred in backlash to marriage equality becoming a nationwide reality. In addition, these bills include state versions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), marriage license ban bills, broad religious exemption bills and more. People seeking religious exemptions has been part of the nation’s history following passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, as well as after the passage of measures aimed at women’s equality in the 1970s and 1980s, and even related to people with disabilities, with some people even seeking to deny medical treatment to people with HIV be-
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TITLE VII OF THE 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT PROTECTS TRANS WORKERS
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Celebrating 41 Years!
Visit us online www.sgn.org
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January 1, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!
Visit us online www.sgn.org
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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when Clow was killed in an auto accident on September 13, 2014. Although Clow was the biological mother of the boy, she was not listed on his birth certificate because she died shortly after his birth. The judge’s ruling now allows Clow to be listed on the birth certificate as well. “This is what she would have wanted,” said Bidlack told the Salt Lake Tribune. “She wanted him from before he was born. To have her name on it… to have him see
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identity per se (including Transgender discrimination.).” POPE GRANTS PRIVATE AUDIENCES TO TRANS MAN AND HIS FIANCÉ AT VATICAN AND TO GAY MAN AND HIS BOYFRIEND AT U.S. VATICAN EMBASSY Pope Francis met privately with a Trans man on January 24, the first time a Pope has met with an out Trans person. Diego Neria Lejarraga had gone through gender reassignment surgery and planned to be married soon. He wrote to Pope Francis after his priest called him “the devil’s daughter.” Francis called Neria on Christmas Eve and invited him and his fiancé to a private audience at the Vatican. Then, in September, while on tour in the U.S., Francis met with a Gay man and his boyfriend at the Vatican Embassy. Yayo Grassi brought his boyfriend of 19 years, Iwan, and four friends to the Vatican Embassy for a private audience. Grassi met the future pope while he was in high school in his native Argentine city, Santa Fe. In 1964 and 1965, Pope Francis, then known as Jorge Bergoglio, taught Argentine literature and psychology at Inmaculada Concepción. PREP IS “GAME CHANGER” IN FIGHT TO END HIV/AIDS For more than three decades the world has battled HIV/AIDS. In its wake, AIDS has claimed the lives of millions of people; a majority of them Gay men in the United States. As the years passed by, new medications or studies would be released, and hope was given to those who are infected with the terrible plague of our time. Then came PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), a blue pill, that if taken once daily by anyone who engages in sex with a person who is HIV positive, decreases the chance of transmission of HIV into their bloodstream by 99%, according to a number of studies that came out in 2015. In February, a British study reported that Truvada (PrEP) could be 86% effective in preventing new HIV infections when taken daily. A French study, released at the same time as the British research, also shows that PrEP is equally effective when taken daily. In this study, too, Truvada was shown to be 86% effective in preventing HIV infections. Then, in September, a U.S. study showed that after two and a half years of trials, no new HIV infections occurred among a group of people on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). For 32 months, researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco tracked the health of over 600 people as they used Truvada daily to prevent the virus
her name, even though she’s not here… she would be so happy.” Jones’ ruling will also allow Bidlack to access spousal benefits for the couple’s son. Because Bidlack and Clow were legally prevented from marrying in Utah when Clow died, her estate and death benefits were out of reach, even for the couple’s son. “I feel like he’s been denied things that any other child would have had,” Bidlack said. Christopher Wharton, a family law attorney who has been a longtime advocate for LGBT rights, represented Bidlack. He filed a suit seeking legal recognition of Bid-
lack and Clow’s common-law marriage in February 2015. “I was convinced that there was enough legal precedent out there that this was a 14th Amendment right being denied,” he said. Utah is one of eight states that recognize common-law marriage, or unions between two people who have not obtained a marriage license or solemnized their relationship through some other ceremony. When written, the Utah common-law statute was like all other state laws related to marriage. In other words, it applied specifically to relationships between men and women.
But in the wake of the 2013 federal court ruling that found Utah’s law ban on samesex marriage unconstitutional, Wharton believed the finding would apply equally in the case of a common-law union. “If the state is going to expand on who qualifies for marriage, then they have to open that door here as well,” he said. Bidlack’s case was also strengthened by a 2014 Utah Supreme Court decision that said that common-law status could be conferred posthumously if the claim was raised within one year.
in a real-world setting. The average age of the study participants was 37, and 99 percent were men who have sex with men. The average length of individual usage was 7.2 months. Members of this group also reported a higher likelihood of having multiple sex partners than those not using PrEP. No one in the study contracted HIV. The success rate of people using PrEP as prescribed, is a game changer for stopping the transmission of HIV/AIDS from one person to another. However, 30 percent of participants did contract at least one sexually transmitted infection within six months of the study’s commencement. This number jumped to 50 percent after one year. In addition, 41 percent of participants reported a decrease in condom use, in contrast to the 56 percent who said their use of condoms remained unchanged throughout the study. PrEP has generated controversy in the LGBT community since the Food and Drug Administration approved use of Truvada, also an HIV treatment, for HIV prevention in 2012. Michael Weinstein, head of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, has continued to be a vocal opponent, calling Truvada a “party drug” that will discourage use of condoms. However, dozens of prominent organizations and public figures have supported PrEP for its lifesaving potential, particularly when it is used as part of a safe-sex toolkit that includes condoms.
color made up a disproportionate number of the victims. The number of Trans women murdered in 2015 exceeded the number of victims killed in all of last year. In many cases, news outlets and law enforcement officials have misreported the genders of the victims. The spike in the murders of Trans women of color sparked popular interest in hashtags like #BlackTransLivesMatter and further pushed the conversation of society’s treatment of Trans people including other Trans issues: misgendering, unemployment, homelessness, the stigma of sex work and health disparities.
instantly broke the Internet. Everyone was looking and talking and speculating. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, Jenner said, “If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life. You never dealt with yourself,’ and I don’t want that to happen.” At first, many people praised Jenner for having the courage to live authentically under the glaring eye of the public. Her children said they were supportive and things seemed to be going well for Jenner; the Transgender community, however, began to make noise about the privilege that money and race has afforded Jenner saying that her experience is not necessarily the same as theirs. Since her coming out Jenner has rubbed many people the wrong way by often making statements in the media that just don’t add up or are damaging to the LGBTQ community at best. Considering that she is a Republican, and says she does not believe in same-sex marriage, and more, you could see how things have started to go south for her and her relationship with the community. Still, Jenner was named as a runner up for TIME magazine’s Person of the Year. During an interview with TIME Jenner said, “And I am not a spokesperson for the Trans community, I am not. The media kind of projects me as being the spokesperson, but from my standpoint, I am not. I am a spokesperson for my story and that’s all I can tell. And hopefully by telling my story, I can make people think.” She then dropped this bombshell, “One thing that has always been important for me, and it may seem very self-absorbed or whatever, is first of all your presentation of who you are. I think it’s much easier for a Trans woman or a Trans man who authentically kind of looks and plays the role. So what I call my presentation. I try to take that seriously. I think it puts people at ease. If you’re out there and, to be honest with you, if you look like a man in a dress, it makes people uncomfortable. So the first thing I can do is try to present myself well. I want to dress well. I want to look good.” J. Bryan Lowder at Slate.com said, “Being Gay or Trans obviously does not oblige one to take any particular position on policy or humor – we Queer folks are a diverse group, and that diversity extends to ideology. Of course, our marginalization means that certain positions – say, supporting a Republican Party that continues to rail against the best interests of queer people – will seem odd or troubling when adopted by a Queer person and [they will] likely come under criticism from fellow Queers. That arguably the most well-known Trans woman of the moment was producing a parade of that kind of dissonance seemed worthy of note.”
IRELAND’S LANDSLIDE VOTE FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY In May, marriage equality came to Ireland in a landslide vote that rocked church leaders in what was once the most Catholic country in Europe, and the shock waves reached as far as the Vatican. Sixty-two percent of Irish voters agreed to amend the country’s constitution to provide for same-sex marriage, with Yes votes leading in all but one voting district. Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said his church had been shaken by nothing less than “social revolution.” “We [the Church] have to stop and have a reality check, not move into denial of the realities,” he told RTE broadcasting. “We won’t begin again with a sense of renewal, with a sense of denial.” “I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day. That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution.” DEADLY YEAR FOR TRANSGENDER WOMEN OF COLOR IN U.S. The list of slain Transgender women, particularly Transgender women of color, in 2015 grew at a troubling rate. More than 20 women were murdered simply for being Transgender and a majority of the cases remain unsolved. According to GLAAD, Trans women of
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ISIS MURDER GAY MEN BY THROWING THEM OFF BUILDINGS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA The terrorist group Islamic State, or ISIS, began targeting those accused of being Gay in 2015 by condemning them to death and then taking them to the tops of buildings in Iraq and Syria and throwing them to their death while throngs of people watched. Photos and video of these executions began to pop up on social media sites in early 2015. The executions have taken place monthly, with at least two men killed each month, sometimes as many as six victims were reported as having been murdered by ISIS. Two Gay men who fled Syria after living under ISIS spoke at the U.N. to tell of being Gay under the regime. Subhi Nahas and Adnan spoke at a historic meeting of the U.N. Security Council, which was the first of its kind to address LGBT issues. ISIS, which operates predominantly across Syria and Iraq, is notorious for filming videos in which captives – usually Westerners or opposing fighters – are brutally slaughtered, and are responsible for the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, France last month. CAITLYN JENNER COMES OUT TO CHEERS AND JEERS Vanity Fair’s July cover featured Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, the Olympic Gold Medalist and star of the reality TV show about the Kardashians, and the world took notice. Regardless of how people feel about Jenner, the fact remains that when she came out as Transgender and revealed her name on the cover of Vanity Fair, the discussions around Transgender rights and the issues that Trans people are trying to overcome were being had everywhere. Jenner postponed requesting female pronouns or announcing a new chosen name, instead indicating that those shifts in reference would come later with the introduction of a female identity. So many people were waiting with anticipation, that when the photo of Caitlyn Jenner, by famous photographer to the stars Annie Leibovitz, appeared on the Vanity Fair cover it
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If I’m elected I will enforce DOMA, Santorum says by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum promised to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) if he is elected president, in spite of the U.S. Supreme Court. In a December 27 interview on the Catholic News Network, Santorum said he was ready to confront the high court. “I would confront the court on everything from... for example, on the issue of same-sex marriage, we have a federal law that’s in place right now, which is the Defense of Marriage Act, which was found unconstitutional, I believe wholly wrongly decided unconstitutionally, and of course the DOMA decision was the basis of the next case, which actually granted same-sex marriage to everybody,” he told the host, Matthew Franck. “That’s where I would start. I would start
Rick Santorum – www.churchmilitant.com
saying this was a decision that was extraconstitutional, that that law is good, valid
law, and I will enforce that law.” Although the Supreme Court decision
in USA v. Windsor rendered DOMA unenforceable, the law remains on the books. According to a popular right-wing talking point, the law could be enforced if a president had the political will to do so. However, Santorum also told the Catholic News Network that he is less eager to take on the court’s ruling in Obergefell because he’s a “states’ rights guy.” “Now, it’s much more difficult in the same-sex marriage case, to have the federal government come in and say we’re going to re-institutionalize marriage as just between a man and a woman,” he said. Santorum failed to point out that with DOMA the federal government did exactly that, intervening to define marriage as an opposite-sex union. In any case, the question of what Santorum would do if he is elected president is more than a little academic. He currently stands at less than 1% support in the Real Clear Politics average of national polls.
Who’s the biggest bigot? Huckabee challenges Cruz for title
cus on the Family founder James Dobson, Family Research Council head Tony Perkins, and a host of lesser bigots, reportedly slipped up at a meeting with rich donors. According to secret tapes made at a New York City fundraiser where Cruz spoke with a group of Republican donors, the Texas senator said that fighting marriage equality was not one of his top three priorities.
While Republican activists may be virulently anti-Gay, some of the party’s biggest donors are not. Paul Singer and David Koch, for example, have supported samesex marriage with both statements and money. Although Cruz tried to hedge his bets by telling his rich friends that “defending the Constitution” against activist judges was his first priority, Huckabee refused to give him a pass. Once a taped version of Cruz’s remarks became public early in December, Huckabee tweeted, “If marriage & sanctity of life are truly issues of principle – not politics – there shouldn’t be geographical boundaries to what’s right & wrong.” Shortly afterward, a Huckabee super PAC aired an ad denouncing Cruz for changing his tune. Cruz was pandering to “liberals who don’t share our conservative Iowa values,” the ad charged. Meanwhile, Cruz supporters said that Huckabee’s people selectively edited tapes of the New York City meeting to make the senator’s remarks sound worse than they were. Huckabee denied the charge on a December 27 Fox News interview.
“There was nothing selective, there was nothing deceptive,” the former Arkansas governor said. “The point is that in Iowa he’s made a major point, and he’s pitched to evangelicals as a person who is utterly authentic, he’s going to fight for religious liberty, he’s going to protect the right of people to disagree with decisions on same-sex marriage, but that’s not what you heard in that Manhattan fundraiser. And that’s the only thing I’ve pointed out. It’s just a matter of listening to the transcript and recognizing it’s not a big issue when he’s in Manhattan, but it is a big issue when he’s in Iowa.” Huckabee is trailing badly in Iowa, the first state that will choose delegates to the Republican National Convention. According to the Real Clear Politics website’s poll average, Huckabee gets the support of only 2.3% of Iowa Republicans, while Cruz now leads the pack at 30.3%. Iowa is said to be a state where evangelical Christian voters are particularly strong, and opposition to marriage equality is thought to be a key issue for that section of Republican voters.
almost four years ago when Bourke lost his position as a Boy Scout troop leader because of his sexual orientation,” the paper noted. “Bourke had volunteered with the troop sponsored by his parish for eight years, six as a registered leader. His ouster was widely reported in the local media, which brought the couple to the attention of the Louisville legal team looking for plaintiffs to challenge Kentucky’s marriage equality ban. “Bourke and DeLeon agreed, and, well, history was made.” The newspaper also alluded to the many LGBT employees of Catholic institutions who have been fired because of their sexual orientation. “Bourke and DeLeon are lucky in that they are only parishioners and volunteers,” the editorial reads. “Their livelihoods do not depend on the institutional church. “In 2015, at least 10 church employees in
the United States lost their jobs because of sexual orientation. In nearly all cases, these were long-standing employees who were deeply respected by their school and parish communities. In most cases, their orientation and even their partners were known by the community. They experienced no difficulties until they entered civil marriages.” How to connect with its LGBT parishioners is still a major challenge for the Catholic Church, the newspaper said. “Bourke and DeLeon are emblematic of this major challenge facing the church today, because they force us to ask not how will we live out a hypothetical situation but how will we live with Greg and Michael. They give flesh to an abstraction,” the paper wrote. “The answers the church is giving now are confused, uneven and often cruel. Greg and Michael – and countless gay, lesbian and transgender Catholics – deserve better.
“For their historic roles as plaintiffs in Obergefell v. Hodges and for their faithful public witness as gay Catholics, we name Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon NCR’s persons of the year for 2015.” National Catholic Reporter is also notable for its longstanding feud with Robert Finn, formerly bishop of the newspaper’s homebase, Kansas City. In 2012, the paper called on Finn to resign over charges that he had concealed child abuse by priests under his jurisdiction. Less than a year later, the bishop suggested that the paper drop the word “Catholic” from its title, since its editorial policy did not conform to Church doctrine. Finn resigned in April 2015, after being charged with misdemeanor failure to report a case of child abuse. He was subsequently convicted, the first U.S. bishop to face criminal penalties in the Church’s child abuse scandal.
Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee – www.wikipedia.org, www.timstownhalls.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Rival Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz are now competing to see who is the biggest antiGay bigot. Cruz, whose anti-Gay credentials have been endorsed by NOM’s Brian Brown, Fo-
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(and married in Canada in 2004), Bourke and DeLeon are lifelong practicing Catholics and active members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish for 28 years. Together, they are raising two children. By all accounts, they have become vital to their community.” National Catholic Reporter was founded in 1964 as an independent newspaper covering Catholic issues in the United States. It is not under the authority of the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops and has been critical of its conservative stand on LGBT issues. The couple found themselves on the cutting edge of two Gay rights issues, the newspaper said, the fight over anti-Gay discrimination by the Boy Scouts and the fight for equal marriage rights. “Bourke and DeLeon had their marriage involuntarily thrust into the spotlight
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Misgendering now illegal in New York City by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Deliberately misgendering someone is now illegal in New York City. The New York City Commission on Human Rights issued new guidelines on the city’s 1945 Human Rights Law on December 21, including the willful misuse of gender pronouns as a civil rights violation. “Harassment motivated by gender is a form of discrimination,” the agency warned in a statement. “Gender-based harassment can be a single or isolated incident of dis-
parate treatment or repeated acts or behavior… “Gender-based harassment can include unwanted sexual advances or requests for sexual favors; however, the harassment does not have to be sexual in nature. For example, refusal to use a transgender employee’s preferred name, pronoun, or title may constitute unlawful gender-based harassment.” Employers, landlords, and service providers will now be liable for up to $250,000 in fines for deliberately addressing individuals by the wrong name or gender pronouns.
New York City defines “gender” as one’s “actual or perceived sex and shall also include a person’s gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression, whether or not that gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the legal sex assigned to that person at birth.” The new guidance says that courts can impose a civil penalty fine “up to $125,000 for violations, and up to $250,000 for violations that are the result of willful, wanton, or malicious conduct.” The penalty amount will be determined
based on the severity of the violation, a history of previous violations, knowledge of the city’s Human Rights Law, and the violating company’s size. An estimated 25,000 Trans people live in New York City, but they are not protected against discrimination under state law. New York state protects sexual orientation only, not gender identity or expression. The state’s Assembly has passed the Gender Expressions Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) every year since 2007, but it remains stalled in the New York Senate.
Texas strips HIV funding from Planned Parenthood by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The state of Texas continued its feud with Planned Parenthood, stripping $600,000 from the organization’s HIV screening and prevention programs. The money comes from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but is administered by the state government. It has been used to operate HIV services in the greater Houston area for nearly 30 years. The funds cover HIV testing and counseling, condom distribution, and referral services to connect anyone who has the virus with specialized care. Texas officials did not say if that money is simply lost or if the state plans on shifting it to other health care providers in the area Planned Parenthood was notified of the defunding on December 28, in a short letter that said simply, “There will be no further renewals of this contract,” without further
for Texas Medicexplanation. The aid patients. group’s contract In his with the state exOctober letter pires on Decemto Planned Parber 31. enthood, Texas In October, Health DepartTexas health offiment Inspector cials announced General Stuart they will block Bowen pointed $3.1 million in to a recent string Medicaid reof videos shot imburs ements by undercover Planned Parenta nt i - a b o r t i o n hood receives activists as unevery year for Texas – cliparts.com some 13,500 patients. That money funds disputed evidence that Planned Parenthood cancer screenings, HIV tests, contracep- is “no longer capable of performing medical services in a professionally competent, safe, tives, and other preventive health services. Federal authorities say Texas cannot legal, and ethical manner.” Planned Parenthood says that the videos legally block Medicaid funds. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood has filed a lawsuit in were edited to incriminate its employees hopes of remaining a health care provider and “do not represent a complete or accu-
rate record of the events they purport to depict.” In a prepared statement, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast (PPGC) President and CEO Melaney A. Linton said, “All these years, our HIV team has done amazing and admirable work, and it is devastating that PPGC will no longer be able to do this work out in the community.” “We are the largest grantee of this type of grant in Houston, so not renewing our grant will leave a big void for people getting tested and treated in our community,” said PPGC spokeswoman Alejandra Diaz in an email to the press. According to Texas Human Services Commission spokesperson Bryan Black, “We see a clear legislative directive of shifting state resources away from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.”
Michigan group one step closer to LGBT rights ballot measure But can it win? by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A Michigan LGBT rights group called Fair Michigan has been cleared to begin collecting signatures for a state constitutional amendment banning discrimination against LGBT residents. If the group can get 315,000 valid signatures by July 11, 2016, the measure would go on the November ballot. Fair Michigan spokesperson Sara Wurfel said her group would begin gathering signatures in January. The Michigan state constitution bars discrimination because of religion, race, color, or national origin. The amendment would add gender, gender identity, sex, and sexual orientation protections. The petition campaign does not have the backing of Equality Michigan, the state’s largest LGBT rights group, or of the ACLU. Those groups prefer to continue lobbying the state legislature for statutory protections. Stephanie White, executive director of Equality Michigan, said she has looked at polling data and believes “there isn’t a path
Michigan LGBT rights group is cleared to collect signatures – www.ibtimes.com
to win in 2016 at the ballot box.” Wurfel said all activists agree that “discrimination should be ended and everybody should be treated fairly.” Discussions to reach consensus on tactics will continue, she said. On the other hand, Fair Michigan sup-
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porter and blogger Susan Demas was openly dismissive of Equality Michigan’s strategy in a November blog post on MLive.com. “Same-sex marriage polls at 55 percent in Michigan, which is amazing progress. But an even more impressive 77 percent support protecting LGBTs from jobs and
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housing discrimination – including 71 percent of strong Republicans. “And the amendment would be up during a presidential election, which typically attracts younger and more liberal voters. “But I’ve been saddened to see that not all LGBT activists are on board. New Equality Michigan head Stephanie White wants to double down on lobbying a hostile legislature. “That’s a losing strategy. The soonest you could see real progress is 2019, when a new Senate will be in place. And then it’s still unlikely.” Michigan’s legislature is currently dominated by Republicans, who enjoy a 27-to-11 majority in the Senate and a 61-to-46 majority in the House. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder could also veto LGBT rights legislation even if a bipartisan majority passed it. Fair Michigan also has claims to bipartisan support. The group is co-chaired by Detroit civil rights attorney Dana Nessel, who represented plaintiffs in what became the Obergefell same-sex marriage case, and Republican attorney Richard McLellan.
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Brits warn about “super-gonorrhea” by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Health officials in Britain say gonorrhea could become “untreatable” because the bacteria that cause it are rapidly developing resistance to common antibiotics. Dame Sally Davies, the country’s chief medical officer, has written to all physicians and pharmacies to ensure that they are prescribing the correct drugs, after the detection of what is described as a “supergonorrhea” strain in Leeds. “Gonorrhea is at risk of becoming an untreatable disease due to the continuing emergence of antimicrobial resistance,” she wrote. The highly drug-resistant bacteria were discovered in March 2015. The strain causing concern is able to resist the antibiotic azithromycin, which is normally used alongside another drug, ceftriaxone. Davies warned that some patients were not getting both of the antibiotics needed to clear the infection. Davies’ letter, which is also signed by chief pharmaceutical officer Dr. Keith Ridge, stated that “gonorrhea has rapidly acquired resistance to new antibiotics, leav-
Gonorrhea Bacteria – www.cdc.gov
ing few alternatives to the current recommendations. “It is therefore extremely important that suboptimal treatment does not occur.” Dr. Jan Clarke, the president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), told BBC News that correct use of drugs was essential.
“We’re really pleased that the chief medical officer has stressed that gonorrhea needs this approach to treatment due to the rapid development of resistance,” Clarke said. “We need to protect what we’ve got, and we need to encourage pharmacists and general practitioners to follow first-line treat-
ment.” Gonorrhea is the second most common sexually transmitted infection in England, and case numbers are soaring. The number of infections increased by 19%, from 29,419 in 2013 to 34,958 in 2014. The disease is caused by the bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Dr. Andrew Lee, from Public Health England, added that “investigations are ongoing into a number of cases of antimicrobial-resistant gonorrhea. “Public Health England will continue to monitor, and act on, the spread of antimicrobial resistance and potential gonorrhea treatment failures, to make sure they are identified and managed promptly.” A 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that drug-resistant gonorrhea had not yet appeared in the United States, but warned that “drug-resistant gonorrhea may soon be a major public health threat.” The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes drug-resistant gonorrhea as “an emergency,” with several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, experiencing increasing infections.
New study of midlife and older Gay men links “internalized Gay ageism” with depressive symptoms by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor “Internalized Gay ageism,” or the sense that one may feel denigrated or depreciated because of aging in the context of a Gay male identity, is associated with negative mental outcomes according to a new study published in Social Science & Medicine. Prior research has shown that youth, vigor, and physical attractiveness are disproportionately valued in the Gay male community, leaving many to experience a sense of “accelerated aging.” This study explores how ageism and homophobia are jointly internalized by Gay men, whether these feelings affect their mental health, and whether a sense of “mattering” (the degree to which they feel they are important to others and a significant part of the world around them) offsets any mental health deficits associated with internalized Gay ageism. The study is based on data recently collected from 312 Gay-identified men who have been participating in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study since 1984. The men ranged in age from 48 to 78 years (the average age was 61 years) and 61 percent were HIV-negative. Three decades of depressive symptoms data were included in the analy-
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sis to help strengthen the direction of the observed findings. Key findings from the study include: • Internalized Gay ageism can reliably be measured among these men with a new scale that includes agreement/disagreement with statements such as, “Aging is especially hard for me because I am a Gay man,” “As I get older, I feel more invisible when I am with other Gay men,” and “As I get older I feel pressured to look younger than my age.” • Internalized Gay ageism is differentiated from both perceived ageism and inter-
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nalized homophobia, meaning it is a standalone minority stress construct uniquely informative of the lived experiences of these men. • Internalized Gay ageism is positively associated with current depressive symptoms independent of an array of other factors that also may influence depressive symptoms, including depressive symptom history. • One’s sense of “mattering” partially explains the association between internalized Gay ageism and depressive symptoms.
Aging within the context of a Gay male identity merits greater consideration in the development of clinical- and communitybased efforts designed to support midlife and older Gay men, whose numbers are increasing substantially as part of the aging baby boomer generation. Public health interventions that boost these men’s sense of mattering may offset the damaging effects of internalized Gay ageism. Future research with large populationbased samples is needed that expands how internalized Gay ageism is measured and how it may be associated with other stress processes and health outcomes. The lead author of the report is Richard G. Wight, Ph.D., a former Williams Institute Visiting Scholar and Researcher in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. In addition to Wight, co-authors of the report are Allen J. LeBlanc, Ph.D., Professor at the Health Equity Institute at San Francisco State University; Ilan H. Meyer, Ph.D., Williams Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute; and Frederick A. Harig, doctoral student in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
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