Celebrating 41 Years! Issue 28 Volume 43
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Seattle Gay News
Seattle in solidarity with Charleston Nine
SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
All federal departments to recognize same-sex marriages in all 50 states, Attorney General says Marriage holdouts start to crumble
Citizens of Seattle march in solidarity for the victims of Charleston, SC – Alex Garland
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer More than 1,000 people marched through Seattle on July 7 in solidarity with the city of Charleston, South Carolina, and the nine people gunned down at Emmanuel AME Church. The march, organized by the Seattle NAACP chapter and the Washington
Church Leadership Coalition, began at First AME church at 14th Avenue and E. Pine Street (near E. Madison Street), and made its way to Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch – Seth Wenig/Associated Press Park at 2200 MLK Jr Way S. At First AME, hundreds packed into a by Mike Andrew ments would recognize same-sex marriages very hot church hall, including Macklemore, SGN Staff Writer in all 50 states, and grant Gay and Lesbian Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and City Council spouses all the benefits appropriate to marmembers Tim Burgess, Bruce Harrell, and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch ried couples. see solidarity page 5 announced on July 9 that all federal departsee federal page 7
Lifelong, PCAF, and the LGBT reps to attend Spokane AIDS Network join White House forces to launch the End AIDS Conference on Aging Walks across WA in September SAGE to present policy paper
Three Washington State HIV/AIDS service organizations have joined forces to realign their largest awareness and fundraising events previously known as the Seattle AIDS Walk, the South Sound AIDS Walk, and the Spokane AIDS Walk. With a combined history of 68 walks spanning over 30
years, this collaboration is a new and innovative approach that brings the Seattle, Spokane, and South Sound regions together around a common goal – to raise funds for by Mike Andrew HIV prevention and care services and to SGN Staff Writer build awareness that, by preventing new see aids walk page 5
The White House – en.wikipedia.org
LGBT representatives will attend the upcoming White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) on Monday, July 13, and SAGE see lgbt reps page 3
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continued from cover (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) will present a paper at the gathering. WHCOA is a once-a-decade conference, first held in 1961. According to SAGE executive director Michael Adams, LGBT seniors are four times less likely to be parents than straight people in their same age groups, but twice as likely to be single and living alone, while their straight counterparts’ children have become their primary caregivers. The rate of discrimination against LGBT older Americans is also very high, Adams said. According to a 2014 SAGE report, one in eight LGB adults and one in four Transgender adults say they were the victims of discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity when searching for housing. But Adams said other problems facing LGBT seniors stem from others in their own age group who lag behind the growing tide in support of LGBT rights. “I think the real challenge is that if you look at public opinion polls in this country, the older people are, the more likely they are to harbor bias against LGBT people,” Adams said. “So what we see for LGBT elders is that when they’re in senior centers, when they’re in nursing homes, when they’re in assisted
living, they are surrounded by other older people, and that is really in a sense a big part of that problem. It’s not even so much from staff of these institutions, it’s from other seniors, other elders.” SAGE’s policy paper, which will be presented to WHCOA, lays out specific requests for the federal government on LGBT elder issues. Among them is an executive order barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and any service or facility that serves older adults and receives federal funds. “The federal government’s the primary funder of those services and issues guidelines and mandates to local aging service providers across the country,” Adams said. “And so, fundamentally we’re asking the federal government to make clear that LGBT older adults should be a priority in federally funded aging services across the country. There’s a whole variety of things that we’re looking for, but at its core, that’s a lot of what it comes down to.” With its policy paper, SAGE hopes to increase cultural competency for State Units on Aging and Area Agencies on Aging on LGBT issues. For housing, SAGE recommends enhanced data collection, cultural competency training, and inclusive affordable housing for older adults through explicit guidance to grant recipients that anti-LGBT
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housing discrimination is unlawful under the Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Equal Access Rule. For HIV issues, the policy paper seeks treatment guidelines from the Department of Health & Human Services on the clinical care of older LGBT people, improved research from the National Institutes of Health on HIV and aging, and improved testing rates among older adults. Stacey Long Simmons, director of public policy and government affairs for the National LGBTQ Task Force, said the White House should address issues of concern for LGBT elders at the upcoming conference. “As LGBTQ Baby Boomers enter the age of retirement, we need to work to ensure that service providers are educated, trained, and culturally competent on LGBTQ issues,” Long Simmons said. “Senior care agencies and providers should be aware that LGBTQ Baby Boomers will not be shy in letting providers know who they are and what they expect them to know about LGBTQ people. At the upcoming White House Conference on Aging, we look forward to working with the administration on how to effectively address the unique needs of LGBTQ older adults.” Adams said SAGE has already engaged in ongoing talks with the White House, and that they have been productive. “The conversations have been very friendly in the sense that the Obama ad-
ministration is strong on recognizing the right of LGBT people to be treated equally, and the right to services and support,” Adams said. Jeff Tiller, a White House spokesperson, pointed to the administration’s previous work on issues facing LGBT elders when asked about requests from LGBT advocates. “This administration has a lengthy track record of advancing policies to better serve older Americans – including LGBT older Americans – such as creating a national resource center on LGBT aging, protecting hospital patients’ right to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, working to improve HIV reporting for older Americans, and ensuring that seniors with Medicare enjoy lower costs on prescription drugs and improved preventive benefits,” Tiller said. “The White House Conference on Aging represents a great opportunity for the president and his Cabinet to focus on issues that will shape the landscape for all older Americans, including those in the LGBT community, in the coming years.” Advocates are looking to the administration because earlier efforts to address issues facing LGBT elders have gone nowhere during Republican control of Congress.
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Optimism in the face of Doubt Robert Kenner on Climate Change, spin doctoring and finding truth within an avalanche of lies by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer
MERCHANTS OF DOUBT Blu-ray and DVD Robert Kenner’s (Food, Inc.) latest documentary Merchants of Doubt doesn’t tell the viewer anything that they probably already did not know. Not about the case against Big Tobacco. Not about Climate Change. And especially in regards to what this insightful, thought-provoking, resourceful and, most of all, entertaining doc is really about, and that’s the art of political spin doctoring. Verbal subterfuge and boisterous propaganda is an art worthy of a Las Vegas main stage magician, those working to gin up resentment, vitriol and political inaction doing it so well large swaths of people look at proven science as fallacy and outlandish fiction as cold, hard fact. Hitting Blu-ray and DVD this week, Merchants of Doubt is essential home viewing. Kenner assembles a variety of principals to talk about his chosen subject, mixing in those from Left, Right and the DeadCenter to explain how Spin is constructed and what it is used for. While his opinion on the matter is never in doubt, especially as it concerns the side topic of Climate Change and Global Warming, the director still does a fine job of allowing competing voices to speak for themselves without any side commentary from him. This has the effect of allowing the film to resonate on a far more personal level than it ever could have
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otherwise, giving the documentary added weight, making it all the more compelling in the process. Less than 24-hours before the film hit store shelves I had the chance to speak with Kenner about Merchants of Doubt. Here are some highlights from that conversation.
Sara Michelle Fetters: I honestly can’t believe it’s been five years since we talked about Food, Inc. Robert Kenner: I know? Right? This one took a little longer than expected. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait as long before we get the chance to talk about the next see kenner page 8
Celebrating 41 Years!
Macys workers up the ante in contract fight by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Workers at seven Macys stores in the Puget Sound area upped the ante in their months-long contract negotiation with the company, staging informational pickets at two locations, July 8 and 9. Bargaining on a new contract began in March, and the previous contract expired in May, but UFCW (United Food and Commercials Workers) Local 21, the union that represents Macys workers, reports little progress has been made. Some 200 workers and supporters rallied in front of the downtown Seattle Macys July 8. It was a colorful group, with UFCW members in their trademark yellow shirts, SEIU in purple, UNITE HERE in red, Working Washington in green, and other groups with their own signature T-shirts and banners. Supporters spoke brief words of solidarity – including Pride At Work, the LGBT labor organization; the Church Council of Greater Seattle; and Puget Sound Activists for Retirement Action. The crowd then picketed at the corner
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Kshama Sawant. The standing room only crowd was offered water by smiling church ladies as speakers expressed anger at the shootings in Charleston mixed with hope for the future of Seattle. “We have white people, we have black people, Hispanic people, just saying we’re all here. And even if we don’t say anything, just our presence is just letting you know that we care. Call on us,” said Pastor Lawrence Willis, president of the United Black Christian Clergy. “We want to stand and band together.” “I’m tired of arguing about what’s wrong with this country,” NAACP president Gerald Hankerson said in a fiery speech. “This is not about black versus white, it’s about humanity versus white supremacy.”
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continued from cover infections, an end to AIDS in Washington state is near. “After 28 years of walking, we wanted the name of the event to catch-up to the momentum and success around the advancements leading to HIV being a chronic, manageable condition for most,” stated Ed Wilhoite, Lifelong’s Executive Director. “Because we truly are so close to a finish line. The partnership with Pierce County AIDS Foundation (PCAF) and the Spokane AIDS Network (SAN) made sense to us. The message of ending AIDS becomes stronger and more visible as does our commitment to achieving this goal. Plus, only together can we reduce new infections and enter a new era where, absent a cure, AIDS is no longer a threat. This is a unique moment of both urgency and possibility.” The three organizations, which collectively serve nearly 6,000 people living with HIV, are all part of the End AIDS Washington campaign launched on World AIDS
of 4th and Pine for two hours, chanting and singing. Joel Fabiano, a member of the union’s contract bargaining team and a nine-year veteran at the downtown Macys, told SGN that the negotiations with the company were “a little challenging.” Workers at the downtown and Northgate stores – both within Seattle city limits – are now on track to get $15 an hour, Fabiano said, while workers at the other five stores in the region start at the state minimum wage of $9.75 an hour. “The company has been less agreeable to talk about wages,” Fabiano said, “and it’s been harder to try to get equity among all seven of our stores.” Equal pay for workers at all seven Macys stores in the Puget Sound area is one of the union’s key demands. Bargaining team member Patrick Keating, another downtown Seattle employee, said pay issues have been a problem at the bargaining table. “Macys has gotten away with not giving us adequate raises for a long time,” he said. “It seems normal to them. The raises we get are just not keeping up with the cost of rent, especially not in Seattle.”
His own rent just went up again, Keating added, and now “it’s more than half of what I make – 50 or 60% of my paycheck – and that’s a real problem.” Michael Rinzi, a Bellingham Macys employee and also a member of the bargaining team, agreed. “I’ve worked there for seven years and I’m at the top of the pay scale,” he told SGN, “but I’m doing this for the newer people, the people who are forced to work for minimum wage.” Rinzi also said that the company cut back work hours so that some employees no longer qualified for healthcare and raises. “I’m lucky,” Rinzi said. “I get 37 and a half hours per week, but some people are being cut to 12 to 20 hours.” Workers must put in at least 32 hours per week to qualify for healthcare coverage, and can expect a raise every six to nine months if they work fulltime. But if they are cut to 12 hours per week, they may have to wait two years for a raise. Keating added that the reductions in employee hours were causing problems for customers as well as employees. “It’s a problem,” he said. “Customers come up all the time and ask ‘Where’s the sales staff?’ It used to be that we could cover
for other departments, but now there’s just too few staff or they’re too far away.” UFCW 21, one of the largest unions in the state, is also one of the most pro-LGBT, for example hosting Washington United for Marriage in their Georgetown union hall during the R-74 campaign. “I am Gay,” Fabiano said, “and some of my peers on the bargaining team identify as Queer as well. I think we bring things to the table that other members can’t. “We talk a lot about wages and benefits – we [LGBT bargainers] can talk about fairness across the board, with no discrimination, for Gay, for Trans, we fight for all families.” While Fabiano complimented Macys for pro-LGBT policies – for example giving employees the day off to attend Pride and sponsoring a contingent in the Pride Parade – Rinzi was skeptical of the company’s commitment. “I find it odd,” he told SGN, “that they think LGBT rights is a thing, but they don’t care about our rights as workers.” The second picket took place on July 9 at the Northgate Macys.
Carl Livingston, a pastor and an instructor at Seattle Central College, challenged the crowd to think about concrete strategies for change. “Love without purpose is insufficient,” he warned. In his speech, Murray recalled his recent trip to Israel where “I walked near the Sea of Galilee and saw the stone where the cross stood in Jerusalem.” Acknowledging problems in race relations, Murray said that he believes “people want to overcome the challenges.” After the speeches the group sang “Lift Every Heart and Sing,” a song widely known as “the black national anthem.” As the crowd filed out of the church and into the street, all kinds of banners went up, reflecting the diversity of the groups who joined in the march – Black Lives Matter,
Christian churches, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and several labor unions. A number of same-sex couples, marching hand-in-hand, were notable in the crowd. On the march people chanted “Who stands with Charleston? Seattle stands with Charleston!” Along the way, neighborhood people waved, and many fell in with the marchers. One man told me, “I’m retired now, but I saw my old union banner going by and I felt like I should join in.” The march stopped briefly at Mt. Calvary COGIC at 23rd Avenue and E. Union Street, a church which has been vandalized several times, its pastor said. “Jim Crow is not dead,” Pastor Reggie Witherspoon told the crowd. Paul Benz, a white minister represent-
ing the Faith Action Network, noted that Charleston shooter Dylann Roof attended a mainly white church, like the one at which he is a pastor. “We have to acknowledge that white churches have work to do,” Benz said, “to hold our communities accountable for the evil they do and the evil done on their behalf.” At Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, the end point of the march, Rev. Harriett Walden called on white people to take a stand against racism. “We need the good white people to stand up,” she said. “This is not our burden. We were stolen. Black people have been fighting racism for 500 years.”
Day, December 1, 2014 by Governor Jay Inslee. End AIDS Washington is a partnership of community stakeholders working together to reduce new HIV infections by 50% over the next five years. When the goal is reached in Washington, the HIV transmission rate will be one of the lowest in the United States. Current rates of HIV infection in Washington have decreased slightly in recent years; however, there are about 500 new cases each year and around 14,000 people estimated to be living with HIV. People living with the disease may encounter challenges accessing and adhering to treatment or struggle to be accepted by their community. That’s where organizations like Lifelong, PCAF, and SAN come in, providing resources and support for years to come. The launch of the End AIDS Walks is a testament to a continued, unified effort to support those living with HIV/AIDS, reduce new infections, and end AIDS once and for all. The End AIDS Walks will be operated independently of each other and benefit their local community. The Seattle and Spo-
kane walks will be held on September 26. The South Sound walk will be held on September 12. For more information or to register, visit the End AIDS Walk website.
ties. We’re dedicated to assisting persons living with HIV/AIDS to meet their needs for food, housing, healthcare, and personal support. We also provide extensive outreach, education and prevention programs including free HIV testing to help stop the spread of HIV and work to combat HIV related stigma.
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About Lifelong Lifelong is the leading community health organization that serves people with chronic illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, in Western Washington. We believe all people have a right to a roof over their head, healthy food to eat, and access to affordable healthcare. Lifelong delivers food, housing, and health services; collaborates with community organizations on the prevention and care of chronic disease; and advocates for effective HIV/AIDS policy. Simply put – we make health work. About PCAF Through education and service, PCAF prevents HIV infection, assists persons affected by HIV/AIDS, addresses related health problems, and combats discrimination in Pierce, Thurston and Lewis Coun-
About Spokane AIDS Network The Spokane AIDS Network (SAN) is a community based, non-profit organization dedicated to minimizing the impact of and maximizing awareness about AIDS and other consequences of HIV infection on communities and individuals in the Inland Northwest. We provide emotional support to people living with HIV and their loved ones, encourage the existing support systems of persons living with HIV, and provide appropriate information and referrals with regard to services and resources. Additionally, SAN educates and provides outreach services to people involved in high-risk behaviors and the general public regarding HIV preventative measures.
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Oklahoma group posts and removes Facebook picture with guns and rainbow Pride flag by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Organizers of an Oklahoma race are under fire this week for a picture they posted on their Facebook page. The Oklahoma Run ‘n Gun is a biathalon combining running and shooting. The picture shows two men with rifles standing beside a rainbow flag and the caption reads “new high visibility targets on the 500 yard range.” It appears they’re using the LGBT rainbow flag as a shooting target. The race is scheduled in Pawnee, Oklahoma, July 18.
federal
continued from cover The Attorney General’s announcement ends the anomalous post-Windsor situation in which some federal departments recognized Gay and Lesbian marriages if they were legal where they were performed, but others only recognized those that were legal in the states where the couples lived. “Following the Supreme Court’s historic decision in Obergefell that every couple has the same right to participate in the institution of marriage, whether the partners are of the same-sex or opposite sexes, I directed Justice Department staff to work with the agencies to ensure that the ruling be given full effect across the federal government,” Lynch said in a statement. “Thanks to their leadership and the quick work of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs, today I am proud to announce that the critical programs for veterans and elderly and disabled Americans, which previously could not give effect to the marriages of couples living in states that did not recognize those marriages, will now provide federal recognition for all marriages nationwide. The agencies are currently working towards providing guidance to implement this change in law. “Just over a year ago, Attorney General Holder announced that agencies across the federal government had implemented the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision by treating married same-sex couples the same as married opposite-sex couples to the greatest extent possible under the law as it then stood. With the Supreme Court’s new ruling that the Constitution requires marriage equality, we have now taken the further step of ensuring that all federal benefits will be available equally to married couples in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories. The department will continue to work across the administration to fulfill our commitment to equal treatment for all Americans, including equal access to the benefits of marriage that the Obergefell decision guarantees.” Meanwhile, resistance to implementing the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell has started to crumble, as marriage licenses are issued even in the Deep South. Alabama In spite of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who told state officials not to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court order in Obergefell, marriages are taking place throughout the state. Nevertheless, as SGN goes to press it seems that 13 Alabama counties have stopped issuing marriage licenses to samesex couples. According to the Campaign for South-
Event organizers say they did not expect the response they got – which was mostly negative – and that it was all meant as a joke. The post angered many people. Some saw this post as a direct threat to the LGBT community. “People got really offended and really upset and people were really feeling threatened,” said Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Troy Stevenson. “People took it as a threat, people felt very threatened,” said Stevenson. “Since it said our new target and it had
guns that I took it as a threat,” said human rights activist, Mahkesha Hogg. “I think for many Gay men and women in the state of Oklahoma, we feel as if we walk around as targets,” said Scott J. Hamilton, an advocate for the LGBT community. Stevenson says he reached out to event organizers after seeing the picture. “He assured us that it wasn’t meant as a threat. It was a situation where I don’t think the people doing it understood social media or how bad their joke was,” said Stevenson. The race organizer told a local news station that some people had been complain-
ing about not being able to see the targets, so this was their response – a brightly colored rainbow. He says it was meant to be funny. “You could definitely tell by reading the comments that they were trying to make a joke out of this. But once again, it was going way too far and offending a lot of people and it was very threatening language,” said Stevenson. Either way, the post has been removed from the Oklahoma Run ‘n Gun Facebook page, which describe themselves as a fitness and liberty minded group, not a hate group.
ern Equality, those 13 counties are home to an estimated 464 same-sex couples, 20% of which are raising children. A total of 441,437 people live within the impacted counties and a majority of these counties have poverty rates exceeding the state average of 18.6%. “These closures are causing unnecessary complications and burdens for any couple – gay or straight – who seeks to marry in their home county,” Campaign for Southern Equality spokesperson Rev. Jasmine BeachFerrara said. “Why should a couple have to drive for over an hour to get a marriage license? What if a couple can’t marry because they have an unreliable car, or they can’t get the time off work? We urge all counties in Alabama to immediately begin issuing licenses to same-sex and opposite-sex couples.” Meanwhile, two conservative advocacy groups have advised the Alabama Supreme Court that it has the constitutional power to refuse to accept decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. The thirty-three-page brief was filed on Monday by the Alabama Policy Institution, a think tank, and by the Alabama Citizens Action Program, an interdenominational church support group.
ed outside and against the authority granted to them by the very Constitution that we have sworn to uphold.” Crimer is getting pro bono legal advice from Liberty Counsel. Irion County has a population of 1600 and there have, as yet, been no requests for same-sex marriage licenses. Meanwhile Texas state legislator Rep. Cecil Bell issued a scheme for Texas officials and residents to obstruct marriage equality. “Our governors should join together in rejecting the striking down of state sovereignty,” Bell said in the announcement, “and should form a coalition standing between an overreaching federal government and the citizens of the separate states.”
they were turned away. “While we were waiting, the bailiff came out and asked to speak to us in the hallway. We were told at that time that Judge McConnell didn’t do this type of wedding and we would have to go somewhere else,” said Wilson. “She said he doesn’t perform these type of marriages and that was left to interpretation. We didn’t follow up; we made assumptions that it was based on same-sex.” Another municipal judge stepped in to perform the ceremony, but McConnell appears to have been in clear violation of the law, according to one expert. Rob Salem, Clinical Law Professor at the University of Toledo, says that legally, judges do not have discretion to discriminate against performing marriages like religious clergy do. Salem says Judge McConnell is violating the oath of office he made to apply the law fairly to all people. The Supreme Court of Ohio issued a statement saying that when “a judge has violated an ethical obligation, a complaint must be filed and the matter reviewed by the Board of Professional Conduct. If merit has been found the matter is then sent to the Supreme Court for final determination.”
Kansas In Kansas, where Governor Sam Brownback told state agencies not to recognize same-sex marriages, the Wichita Eagle newspaper reports that the state DMV is accepting applications for surname changes for married same-sex couples. Both the Wichita Eagle and the Topeka Citizen-Journal report that same-sex spouses of state employees are now being signed up for the state employee healthcare plan, as they would be if they were opposite-sex spouses. Equality Kansas is also reporting that adoption by married same-sex couples is now permitted. The Brownback administration continues to deny that any of these developments are true. In January 2015, Brownback rescinded the previous state administration’s 2007 executive order which protected LGBT state workers from employment discrimination. Texas In Texas, most counties are reportedly issuing licenses to same-sex couples, but the county clerk for Irion County has promised to turn away any Gay or Lesbian couple who ask for a license from her. County clerk Molly Crimer said she felt compelled to uphold “the rule of law.” “To keep my oath to uphold the Constitution, I must reject this ruling that I believe is lawless,” she said. “I have to stand for the Constitution and the rule of law. “The Justices of the Supreme Court act-
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Kentucky Within 48 hours of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear issued an executive order to all county clerks to issue marriage licenses to Gay and Lesbian couples. Nevertheless, the county clerk of Rowan County continues to defy both the high court and the governor. On July 3 the ACLU filed suit against Kim Davis for refusing to do her legal duty to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On July 6, a Gay couple filmed Davis turning them away when they applied for a license in her office, and the clip went viral later that night. Missouri Missouri’s Democratic Governor Jay Nixon said that all state agencies must comply with Obergefell in an executive order issued July 6. Nixon also said that municipal governments must comply as well. Only one Missouri county, Schuyler, is still not issuing marriage licenses to samesex couples. At the same time, Nixon again called on the Missouri legislature to pass the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, which would bar discrimination against LGBT Missourians in employment, housing, and public accommodations. “Same-sex couples now have the right to get married, but here in Missouri, individuals can still be fired for being gay. That’s wrong, it’s not who we are, and it must change,” Nixon said. Ohio A Toledo, Ohio, Municipal Court Judge refused to marry a lesbian couple on Monday in an apparent violation of the city’s rules governing judges and marriage ceremonies. Carolyn Wilson and her wife successfully applied for and received a marriage license from the county’s probate court. However, when the pair went to be married at the Municipal Court by the duty judge,
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Puerto Rico In the wake of Obergefell, the First Circuit Court of Appeals finally ruled in a Puerto Rico marriage suit, establishing equality in the self-governing commonwealth as well. A lower court ruled against same-sex marriage, and the circuit court got the appeal in January, but declined to rule in the case, saying it would wait till the U.S. Supreme Court had adjudicated Obergefell. Lambda Legal, which represented the plaintiffs in the case, hailed the decision. “Today’s decision provides further recognition of the dignity and equality of LGBT people in Puerto Rico,” the group said. “We applaud the First Circuit for recognizing that Puerto Rico’s marriage ban is unconstitutional, and reversing the lower court ruling. We also commend the Puerto Rico government for joining in the call to end the marriage ban… “The Governor of Puerto Rico already signed an executive order on June 26 that marriages will begin 15 days after the Supreme Court ruling, but now that the First Circuit has agreed that the marriage ban is unconstitutional, same-sex couples should be able to marry now. To do otherwise is to put form over substance.”
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continued from page 4 one. Sara Michelle Fetters: When you read Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway’s book [Merchants of Doubt], how did that inspire you? What did that get you thinking about? How did you make the leap from the source material to a documentary using its themes and ideas, but one that was still entirely its own original animal? Robert Kenner: Even before that happened, before I had read Naomi and Erik’s book, I went to a summit on whether or not to label genetically modified meat. When I went to that hearing, someone from the meat industry stood up and said they didn’t think it was in the interest of the consumer to give them the information of what they are eating because it might be too confusing for them. And I thought, wow, that is really tricky. Then I looked into it a little more, found an organization calling itself the “Center for Consumer Freedom,” and they were the ones doing this work for the meat industry stopping you from being able to know what was in your food, doing it under the mask of being this pro-consumer nonprofit that had the public’s best interests at heart. It was like this Orwellian thing, a group saying it was created to fight for consumer freedom but in reality was financed and working for the very industry it was supposed to be keeping watch over. I was wondering, who are these people that are doing this? It was my entry into the world of obfuscation and thus being led to Naomi and Erik’s book and realizing it’s the same small group of people doing this for a variety of corporate interests. [The book] was more a framework of a story, but it wasn’t the story I was wanting to explore. It was the inspiration for the film, without question, the two creating a major piece of work. It’s vitally important. But it wasn’t a movie, at least, not necessarily; and for me the trick to making it one was to talk with the voices responsible for all of this spin and propaganda we are constantly sifting through. Sara Michelle Fetters: That’s what kind of kills me. Watching Marc Morano [founder of ClimateDepot.com, part of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, financed by Exxon, Chevron and the Scaife Foundations (amongst many other fossil fuel giants)], listening to him talk, he’s practically joyous about what it is that he does. More than that, he doesn’t hide who he is and what it is that he’s doing one little bit. Robert Kenner: I have to say, there were times during our interviews where I almost wished I had him working for me. He enjoys his job. He’s very funny. Very smart. On some levels he’s incredibly honest. He’s not really hiding anything. [Marc] saw the film and said he enjoyed being portrayed as such a magician. He liked that I saw the real craftsmanship behind what it is that he does. But they all sort of felt that way. Fred Singer [physicist, distinguished research professor at George Mason University, director of the Science and Environmental Policy Project, and critic of the climate change consensus among scientists] was going to sue me and then, after watching the movie, he wrote me to say just how well done he thought it was. He now wants me to make a movie about him. Go figure. I guess, there’s just some sort of disconnect. It just gets really strange about what it is they are doing.
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Sara Michelle Fetters: And then you close the film with a story about how Exxon is actually able to make money off of Climate Change, even though they’re funding organizations charged with denying it exists, by making deals with Russia to drill for oil in the Arctic. Robert Kenner: Exactly. I just got off the phone with the head of Citibank, and there are businesses interested in doing the right thing [in regards to Climate Change]. But then there are those who are interested in protecting their bottom lines right now at this moment than they are in protecting the planet for future generations, doing all they can to make people believe Climate Change isn’t really taking place. More, they’re making deals allowing them to make even more money thanks to what’s happening in regards to the global climate. The irony is so thick it’s practically comical.
David H. Koch, the two brothers running Koch Industries and affiliated with the Koch family foundations]. I was like, wow, I really don’t want to over-represent myself. I mean, if the film has villains, they’re it. But even after they funded his opponent during the last election, Bob really, truly believed he could change the Koch’s minds if they’d only take the time to speak with him. But, I think what’s important here is that there are Conservatives out there like Bob. Men and women who are out there trying to figure out how we stop this [Climate Change] from being an ideological issue and return it to being one based upon the science and upon the facts. Bob is as conservative as they come but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe in science. How this became an ideological issue and not a scientific one is the genius of what these spin masters and all of their propaganda has
Exxon, other companies, they could change. They really could. They just don’t know how to walk away from the oil that’s in the ground. It’s a lot of money. Thing is, there are other ways to make money besides killing the planet for your grandchildren. Sara Michelle Fetters: As part of that, much like with Marc Morano and Fred Singer, I like the way you go out of your way to speak with voices as a viewer I wouldn’t necessarily initially think I’d want to hear from. I would imagine Bob Inglis [former Republican congressman from South Carolina’s 4th District] would disagree on 98% of just about everything, yet at the same time I can’t imagine this film being nearly as impactful as it was had I not taken the time to listen to what it is he has to say. Robert Kenner: It’s interesting. When we started interviewing him he asked us if there was any way we could get him to see the Koch Brothers [Charles G. Koch and
done to the conversation. It’s become a political argument and not a scientific one. Sara Michelle Fetters: And that’s the crux of the film, right? It’s politics, not science. You could have made this movie about a multitude of issues, not just Climate Change, and the outcome would have been the same. Robert Kenner: Exactly. It could have been anything. It’s just that Climate Change is the ultimate issue. We’re destroying the planet and yet that’s not the conversation we’re having thanks to all of this spin. Sara Michelle Fetters: It’s like Elmer Gantry, preaching to his flock but doing so for personal gain, but on a much larger, and far less fictional, scale. Robert Kenner: Yes. Without question. That’s a good analogy. I really want people to understand, you cannot call these people stupid who are muddying these debates. They’re not stupid. They’re very, very smart,
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and that’s why they can get away with telling all of these falsehoods and outright lies. They’re very good at what they do. Why do they do it? There’s a multitude of reasons, profit being the most obvious, but there are many others that go beyond that. But I truly believe we do ourselves a disservice if we even allow ourselves for even a second to believe any of these people are stupid. That’s a big mistake. I think that’s one of the reasons the Pope has started to make this a morality issue. When Climate Change is made a morality issue, and it’s made by the Pope, I think people are going to have to start listening. Sara Michelle Fetters: Why do you say that? Robert Kenner: Well, all the attackers that are in our film, they’re starting to go after the Pope, and I’m not sure your arguments can stick against someone like that. The idea that people like Jeb Bush are telling the Pope to leave the science to the scientists when he is a scientist, a chemical technician who worked in the food industry, it makes it kind of hard to attack him using that sort of thinking. Also, just by being the Pope, I think he is going to win over a portion of the public that otherwise might not have been sympathetic to the issue. Sara Michelle Fetters: Can you take this subterfuge and propaganda out of the political process? Can it be done? Or have we just gone too far down that particular rabbit hole? Robert Kenner: I think it will turn. It just takes time. Problem is, we just don’t have a lot of time as it pertains to the issue of Climate Change. But, look at Gay Marriage. In 2008 Obama was against it, Republicans were certainly against the issue but so was the President. But these things turn. People can reevaluate their positions and admit they were wrong. Now thanks to the landmark Supreme Court ruling Gay Marriage is the law of the land; it was just time for that to finally happen. With Climate Change, we’re talking a massive change of lifestyle for everyone everywhere. That’s a massive inconvenience. It’s hard to do. I mean, the person who changed me was George Shultz [former Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan]. He’s installed solar panels in his house and drives an electric car. How is that not an inspiration to us all? So, I do believe it can turn around. It will be difficult, but I do think it can be done. Sara Michelle Fetters: Don’t we have to be optimistic, though? Optimistic for our own kids? Our grandchildren? Our nieces? Our nephews? If we fall to pessimism, if we choose to give up, aren’t we then just more or less throwing in the towel on them? Robert Kenner: Right. You can’t do that. You have to remain optimistic. It used to be the Earth is “Man’s domain.” It was “Man’s dominion.” As I was stating earlier, now the Pope is out there saying it is Man’s responsibility to preserve the planet. That’s a major change, if you think about. Colossal. With George Shultz as an inspiration, I put solar panels up in my own house. Now I’m 100-percent carbon neutral as it pertains to my home. It was a lot of work, yes, but as far as the bigger picture is concerned it also wasn’t that hard and the benefit to doing it was immediately apparent. So, I am optimistic. You have to be optimistic. The peril of not being optimistic is just too massive to comprehend.
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JAC’S KITCHEN Three recipes with Tajin seasoning by Jac Granche Special to the SGN Tajin (pronounced tah-heen) is a seasoning that is commonly found on tables and in pantries all over Mexico. Produced by a company of the same name, it’s made primarily of chili peppers, salt, and dehydrated lime. Tajin is used on everything from fruit and veggie slices, to grilled meats, and even as an accompaniment to tequila or mezcal. I’m going to introduce you to Tajin the same way my roommate Eduardo introduced it to me. Fruit with Tajin 1 orange or apple 1/8 lime Tajin If using an orange, peel and section. If using an apple, cut into pieces. Squeeze lime over fruit. Sprinkle liberally with Tajin. (Optional: Wash it down with a shot of smoky mezcal!) Enjoy! ********** As June heats up, we enter the season of salads and Pride. The rainbow of Pride is meant to celebrate diversity, and a salad is the culinary embodiment of bringing diverse ingredients together to make something fabulous! This salad is a perfect fit for your pride picnic since it can be made a day ahead of time and it won’t wilt from a few
hours in the heat. Tajin Cilantro Jicama Salad (Serves 4) Ingredients: 1/4 jicama, peeled and grated 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds discarded, finely minced 2 cups fresh cilantro, washed and chopped 1 avocado, diced 1 cup diced tomato 2 green onions, diced 1 clove garlic, finely minced 1/2 cup queso fresco, diced 1/2 lime 4 tsp olive oil 2 tsp Tajin Directions: Make the dressing: Juice the lime half into a large bowl. Add minced garlic, olive oil, minced jalapeno and Tajin. Stir. Add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss thoroughly. Enjoy! ********** Picnic season means it’s time to fire up the grill! Our third recipe is a Tajin-spiced turkey burger topped with grilled veggies and avocado. When selecting your burger rolls, stay away from the bread aisle! Do
your tongue a favor and get fresh rolls from the bakery. Burger rolls should be light and fluffy, slightly crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside. If your buns resemble a sponge over a bakery item, they’re best used for cleaning supplies or science projects. Lastly, we use avocado in place of mayo on our burgers. Avocados are both better tasting and better for you, plus they’re less likely to spoil on your picnic.
Directions: NOTE: You’ll want to mix the burgers and chop the veggies at home before head-
ing to the picnic. Letting the mixture sit allows the breadcrumbs to soak up some of the liquids from the egg and salsa. Combine the turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, and salsa until your meat is of a uniform consistency. Keep cool until ready to grill. Slice the onion and peppers into thin strips. Cut the zucchini into 2 inch pieces, cut the pieces in half lengthwise, and then cut the halves into 1/8-inch strips. Coat with oil and season generously with Tajin. Divide between two foil packets. Using heavy duty foil or two layers of a thinner foil, fold the foil over the veggies, sealing up all sides. Preheat the grill. Cook the veggies for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, flipping the foil packets once. In a large, nonstick pan, heat the oil over high heat. While the veggies are cooking, form the burgers into 4 patties. Grill for 5-7 minutes until they are fully cooked, flipping halfway through. Season liberally with Tajin as they cook. Meanwhile, cut each avocado into 4 pieces, set aside. During the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, divide the cheese between the turkey patties. Toast the cut side of the burger rolls on the grill. Watch them closely. Once they start to brown, they’ll brown quickly. Assemble the burgers. Use a fork to chop and mash a piece of avocado onto each roll top and bottom, top with cilantro. Add the turkey burger, and top with grilled veggies. Enjoy!
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Salsa Tajin Turkey Burgers (Serves 4) Ingredients: 1 lb ground turkey 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 1 cup salsa (pureed chili makes a delicious substitute) 2 tsp olive oil 1 small yellow onion 2 cloves garlic 1 green pepper 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds discarded 1 small zucchini (6 inches) Tajin 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend 4 burger rolls, cut in half 2 small avocados 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
EDMONDS DRIFTWOOD PLAYERS PRESENTS THE 6TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF SHORTS – JULY 10-12 Edmonds Driftwood Players is pleased to present the popular Festival of Shorts, for the sixth year in a row, July 10-12. A fantastic line-up of seven short plays were chosen out of 137 submissions. The selected playwrights will exhibit their most innovative, hilarious, or profound 15 minutes of stage-time, with actors and directors chosen through Driftwood, and the audience gets to choose the winner. The theme of this year’s festival is “Perspective.” Festival producer, Carissa MeisnerSmit explains how plays are selected and what it’s like working on the festival: “We have two teams of readers who read all of our entries (blind) and choose their top 20. Then a smaller committee selects the final 7-8 from that pool. It’s always a surprise to find out who the final playwrights are and where they are from! I love being able to involve large numbers of people in producing this event. Generally, we have more than 30 actors participating in the Festival, five directors, a large team of designers for all of the costumes and props, etc. It really is a festival atmosphere. I also enjoy the way the audience becomes involved with voting for the “Audience Favorite.” They take their vote very seriously. It’s not uncommon that they stay late after the performance is done debating the merits of this show or that one before they cast their ballots. Heated discussions about theater? I love it!”
This year’s play submissions were from 22 states, three Canadian cities and even Australia. Edmonds Driftwood Players is thrilled to announce that the following plays and playwrights were chosen for the 2015 6th Annual Festival of Shorts: Damn Cat – by Iona Sun (Georgia) The Italian Prisoner – Paul Lewis (Washington) The Late Summer – Liz Amberly (New York) A Poodle More Beautiful – Stacey Lane (Ohio) Recovery – Judd Lear Silverman (New York) The Seat Filler – Steven Korbar (California) To the Roof – Cynthia Faith Arsenault (Massachusetts)
Three judges will choose “Best Play” of the festival, which will be announced at a ceremony after the final performance. Additionally, the audience will get to vote for “Audience Favorite” after each performance. Performances are Friday-Saturday, July 10-11 at 8 p.m., Sunday, July 12 at 2:00 p.m., at the Wade James Theatre, 950 Main St, Edmonds, WA. To purchase tickets: www.edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org or (425) 7749600 option 3. All seats $15.
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Gay-themed pedestrian signals in Munich by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The LGBTQ community has put the rainbow on, well – everything. And that is okay. After all, visibility is worth fighting for. Rainbow crosswalks are all the rage at the moment. However, in Munich, Germany they’ve done something different. Pridegoers enjoying the festivities this weekend will get a glimpse of equality blinking back from their traffic and crosswalk signals. That’s right. Dozens of red and green pedestrian signals depicting same-sex and opposite-sex couples holding hands as they stand or cross the street together installed earlier this week in preparation for the city’s Christopher Street Day (Gay Pride Day) on July 11 now adorn the city’s intersections, reports German newspaper The Local. Many of the stick figures have hearts floating above their heads or outlined on their chests; one pair of male stick figures hold their arms around each other’s shoulders. Munich’s signal lights will continue celebrating love throughout the weekend, after which the panes will be removed and re-
placed with the traditional single male stick figure. But it’s likely they’ll appear again in Germany, notes The Local. Hamburg announced intentions to host the signal lights
in May 2016. The initiative originated in Vienna in May, said officials, to welcome several LGBT-friendly events, including the Lifeball
and Eurovision. A physical symbol of the city’s “open mind” according to the Vienna signal lighting department, the loving couples were also said to improve traffic safety by catching the attention of drivers and pedestrians. While reactions to the signals in both Vienna and Munich appear largely neutral or positive – with Vienna councilwoman Maria Vassilakou even declaring that they’d reached “cult status” – not everyone is pleased. Members of Munich’s right-wing Christian Social Union tried to squash the project when Green Party politicians introduced it originally at a city council meeting. In May, Vienna’s Freedom Party launched an unsuccessful criminal complaint against Vassilakou, who was in charge of the city’s traffic signal lights. The opposition claimed that Vassilakou was wasting state funds on the $70,000 dollar project, but the signals remained standing, according to the Associated Press. Parts of this report appeared on Advocate. com
Russia creates a “Flag for Straights” to fight “Gay Fever” by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Russia has created a flag for straight people to fight something they call “Gay fever.” The flag depicts a man and a woman holding hands with three children, and under the image is the hashtag #realfamily in Russian. Russia’s ruling party is calling it a “flag for straights.” The flag was made by the United Russia party and was unveiled in Moscow,
Wednesday. Aleksey Lisovenko, deputy head of United Russia’s Moscow organization, said the flag was created to counter the popular LGBTQ rainbow flag. “This is our answer to same sex marriages, this mockery of the very concept of family,” he said to Russian newspaper Izvestia, according to Russia Today. “We must prevent Gay fever in our country and support traditional values.”
Opponents of the flag have already begun altering it on social media, coloring the
figures with rainbow colors or changing the parents to same sex couples.
No recognition for same-sex couples, Israeli Knesset says
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset – en.wikipedia.org
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, rejected
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two bills that would have recognized samesex relationships. Both measures went down to defeat by a vote of 39 to 50. The first bill, proposed by Aliza Lavie of the Yesh Atid party, would have established
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civil unions as an alternative for couples who could not have their weddings officiated by the rabbinate or other religious authorities. Under existing Israeli law, only religious officials may perform marriages, and those couples that are subject to religious prohibitions – same-sex couples, couples of different religions, a cohen, or decedent of ancient Jewish priests, and a divorcee – may not marry. Such couples who are married outside Israel may register as married couples only “for statistical purposes” and their marriages are not recognized in Israeli law. “We have to allow a civil alternative for all of the couples who do not want to go through the rabbinate,” Lavie said when she submitted her bill in June. “I believe that the path of civil unions will do civil justice and will lead more people to want to get married through the religious system, because it will have to make itself more efficient and be managed properly.”
Yesh Atid (in English, “there is a future”) was founded in 2012 as a secular and middle class party. In the 2013 election it emerged as the second-largest party in Israeli, but in the 2015 election it fell to fourth place. The second bill, written by Meretz party leader Zehava Gal-On would have authorized civil marriages and divorces. “The Knesset turned their backs on the value of equality in order to please the religious parties that want to continue to dictate to the Israeli public how to marry and divorce,” Gal-On said after her bill was voted down. She added that “two-thirds of Israelis support allowing civil marriage, it is inconceivable that Israel’s citizens cannot have a family recognized by the state.” Meretz is a socialist and secularist party, opposed to the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party depends on the support of several small traditionalist religious parties to stay in power.
Celebrating 41 Years!
1.5 million celebrate Madrid Pride, 10 years of marriage equality
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Some 1.5 million people celebrated Madrid Pride on June 30. In a happy irony, the day coincided with the tenth anniversary of Spain’s same-sex marriage law. For the first time, the rainbow flag flew from Madrid’s City Hall during Pride. The
Madrid Pride Rally 2015 – www.madridorgullo.com
symbolic tribute to LGBT rights came at the initiative of the city’s new leftist coalition government, led by Manuela Carmena, who ended 24 years of rule by the rightwing Popular Party (PP). Spain became the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage on June 30, 2005, with marriages beginning on July 11. The law was put forward by So-
cialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, over the opposition of the PP and their Catholic Church allies. When the PP defeated the Socialists in the 2011 elections, new conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tried to get the marriage law declared unconstitutional, but Spain’s Constitutional Court upheld the measure on an 8-3 vote.
Rajoy’s government said it would abide by the ruling and did not try to repeal the law, although they had the votes in parliament to do so. Despite Spain’s reputation as a traditionalist Catholic country, 66% of Spaniards supported marriage equality at the time, even though Catholic officials claimed that it would “devalue marriage.” The first couple to be married under the new law, Emilio Menéndez and Carlos Baturín, had been together for 30 years. According to Spain’s Institute of National Statistics, there have been 31,610 samesex marriages in the country between 2005 and 2015. In that time, there were 12,200 Lesbian couples married, and 19,410 Gay couples. The largest number of same-sex marriages took place in 2006. According to the Spanish daily El País, couples were unsure if the newly passed legislation would remain on the books or be repealed, and adopted a “now or never” attitude. At the time Spain legalized same-sex marriage, only the Netherlands and Belgium had done so previously. Seventeen days after Spain, Canada also passed a marriage equality bill. While two-thirds of Spaniards continue to identify as Roman Catholics, 27% now say they have no religion. Of those that still consider themselves Catholic, 61% rarely attend mass. Spain is now considered one of the most Gay-friendly countries in the world.
Threats against Turkish LGBT community: Posters say “Kill on Sight” by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Posters calling for LGBT to be killed have appeared in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, and Ankara, the country’s capital. According to the British Gay Star News, the posters began appearing only a week after Istanbul Pride was attacked and dispersed by Turkish police. “May you see the doers of the dirty works of Lot, kill the perpetrator and the receiver on sight,” the posters are said to read. They are signed by a group calling itself “Young Islamic Defense.” The reference to Lot comes from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which is common to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious tradition. Some Muslim religious scholars say that both the Quran and an oral tradition attributed to the Muslim prophet Mohammed prescribe the death penalty for Gay sex. Under Turkey’s civil law, however, Gay sex has been legal since the time of the Ottoman Empire. On the Young Islamic Defense website, the group claims it organized the poster campaign in retaliation because this year’s Pride coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. The Ramadan observance was also the excuse given by Turkish authorities for breaking up the Istanbul Pride march. 2014 Pride also coincided with Ramadan, but last year the Pride festivities went off without incident. The Turkish government is controlled
Turkish riot police officers clash with protestors on June 28, 2015 near the Taksim Square in Istanbul. Riot police used tear gas and water cannon to dispurse thousands of participants of the Gay Pride parade in the Turkish city – Ozan Kose/AFP
by the authoritarian Justice and Development Party (AKP). Secular Turks have accused AKP of trying to impose Islam on the whole country, contrary to the principles of the Turkish constitution and the legacy of modern Turkey’s founder Kemal Ataturk.
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Even Muslim groups have spoken out against the posters, however, with local media quoting one Muslim scholar as telling people to ignore the call to massacre Gays. “Islam is a religion of peace,” he reportedly said. “It is not a command to murder.”
Ninety-eight percent of Turks say they are Muslims, but only 16% say they are “very religious.” Thirty-two percent say they are Muslims, but “not religious.”
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