Issue 29 Volume 38
Celebrating 37 Years!
FRIDAY July 16, 2010 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands
JOHANNESBURG p. 8 ALANO & ALEKSA p. 10 KIDS ARE ALl RIGHT p. 25
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Pentagon at odds Argentina legalizes with Gay rights groups over survey same-sex marriage
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer The Pentagon is at odds with Gay rights groups after sending out a survey asking troops what they would do if Gays were allowed to serve openly. The survey, which was created
and administered by the research firm Westat in conjunction with the Comprehensive Review Working Group, was sent out to 400,000 non-deployed and active duty troops last week. Troops have until August 15 to complete the survey, see survey page 20
Argentina legalized same-sex marriage July 15. The vote in the Senate at 4:05 a.m. was 33-27 with 3 abstentions. The lower house has already passed the bill and President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner strongly supports it. “The bill has passed. It is law. The executive power will be notified,” the Senate president said as the vote was displayed on an electronic board in the chamber. The debate lasted nearly 15 hours. “The result sparked euphoria among the [LGBT] activists who, despite the polar wave that grips the city, held a vigil in the Plaza of the Two Congresses,” said Buenos Aires’ Clarín newspaper. The website of Argentina’s main political Gay group, la Federación Argentina LGBT, was kicked off the internet and replaced with a “Bandwidth Limit Exceeded” no-
Natacha Pisarenko / AP
by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer
Demonstrators gathered outside the Plaza de los Dos Congresos in Buenos Aires, awaiting the decision from the Argentinian Congress.
tice. “Today’s historic vote shows how far Catholic Argentina has come, from dictatorship to true democratic values, and how far the freedom-to-marry movement
has come as 12 countries on four continents now embrace marriage equality,” said Evan Wolfson, head of the U.S. group Freedom to see argentina page 20
Charges dropped against White House announces Choi and Pietrangelo Joe Tresh
On July 14, prosecutors dropped all charges against Army Lieutenant Dan Choi and Captain James Pietrangelo, two openly Gay veterans who twice chained themselves to a White House fence to protest the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. The two Gay activists appeared in court on charges of failure to obey police orders during the March and April protests. Choi and his attorney had subpoenaed President Barack Obama to appear, but an attorney for the prosecution said the subpoena was never served. Prosecutor Christine Chang declined to comment on why the government dropped the case. Choi said he believes Obama administration officials didn’t want to draw attention to the policy, which is currently under review by top military brass. “Today, truth was the victor against a demeaning, discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” Choi said in a statement released to SGN. “We won’t stop pressing for repeal and pressuring those standing in the way
HIV/AIDS strategy white house photo
Lt. Dan Choi handcuffed to the White House fence on March 18, 2010
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer
President Barack Obama
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
The White House has announced a new national HIV/AIDS strategy. Released on June 13 in two documents – the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the NHAS Federal Implementation Plan – the new strategy is meant to achieve see choi page 19 President Obama’s stated goal of
making the U.S. “a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and dissee HIV/AIDS page 21
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Celebrating 37 Years!
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2010
Deadlines Classifieds - Thursday at noon Calendar - Tuesday 6pm Display Ads: Space Reservation - Monday 5pm Ad copy (non-camera ready) - Tues. 5pm Ad copy (camera ready) - Wed. 5pm Letters to the Editor - Tuesday 5pm Obituaries - Call the Sgn office All others - Tuesday 5pm
Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Tom Flint (retired) Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel Miryam Gordon, James Whitely, Tim Peter Contributing Writers Rev. Barbara Allen, Mike Andrew, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Nevin Jefferson, Keen News Service, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Romeo San Vicente, Rex Wockner Classifieds Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Photographers Nick Ardizzone, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel, James Whitely National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Website Designer Barry Thorsness/Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published weekly by JT&A, Inc. © 2010, JT&A, Inc., all rights reserved. Reprints by permission.
Publication of names, photographs or likenesses of any person, organization, event or business in this publication cannot be taken as any indication of the sexual orientation of the person, organization, event or business. Opinions expressed in bylined articles, columns, and letters are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management of this paper. Seattle Gay News welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or reject material. All rights revert to authors upon publication. We assume no liability for loss or damage of materials, solicited or not. We invite feedback, please write. And please play safe. It is our policy that no money shall be refunded if you choose to cancel your subscription or ad. However, credit towards any size ad will be given for the balance owed. No exceptions.
Jesus and the son of scam by Wayne Besen SGN Contributing Writer If one ever completely screws up his or her life and wants “redemption,” there are two courses of action. The first is a name change, with the hope that no one notices the sordid past – don’t laugh; the technique worked for Value Jet. The airline crashed into an alligator-infested swamp, changed its name to AirTran, and presto – it was like the disaster never happened. If this fails, just embrace option two: become a born-again Christian fundamentalist. Who cares how many people you have screwed? The flaky flock will love you! How about the innocent victims you’ve whacked? No problem – they’ll still want you back! Time and again, fundamentalists buy the fantasy that the world’s worst reprobates can fundamentally change. It never seems to occur to these incredulous Christians that perhaps they are being had by the unusually bad. Of course, I’m not saying that people are incapable of transforming their lives. Each day, individuals make choices to better themselves. However, the eagerness
Time and again, fundamentalists buy the fantasy that the world’s worst reprobates can fundamentally change. It never seems to occur to these incredulous Christians that perhaps they are being had by the unusually bad.
In Loving Memory Of Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold
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Seattle Gay News
and ease at which some Christians blindly accept total, comprehensive reinvention is disconcerting. They often seem so anxious to show that Jesus has special powers that they’d probably confuse a miracle with Miracle Whip if it fit their agenda. The latest lunacy involves the alleged conversion of David Berkowitz, who is better known as “The Son of Sam.” In 1977, Berkowitz was arrested for using a .44 caliber pistol to kill six people and wound seven more in New York City. The psychopath apparently took orders from a demonic black Labrador retriever owned by a neighbor. Even with a disturbing past worthy of a Stephen King novel, The New York Times reported last week that gullible evangelicals have lined up to declare the Son of Sam a new man. Just as Focus on the Family embraced convicted Watergate felon Chuck Colson after he found God, they are playing a leading role in rehabilitating the image of Berkowitz. According to the Times article, the Son of Sam’s extreme makeover started in 2003 after Focus on the Family interviewed him on its radio show. The sympathetic segment centered on his difficult childhood, the
July 16, 2010
shooting spree, and his conversion to Christianity. This interview was aired in 2,000 U.S. outlets and in more than 50 countries. In other words, the man who took so many lives now has a new lease on life, thanks to these wide-eyed saps. He’s even a miniceleb in some evangelical circles, and regularly corresponds with big-haired Christian television host RoxAnne Tauriello. Fortunately, not everyone is buying the fairytale of transformation. “It’s a total charade to promote himself,” Joseph Coffer, the police sergeant who took Berkowitz’s confession, told The New York Times. “I have had people who I sent to prison or put in the witness protection program find religion because it suits them by providing access to the outside world.” Bingo. Sure, reading the Bible might help some people give up booze or treat their neighbor a bit kinder. But, one has to be a total sucker to believe that religion can fix a man who ruthlessly murders people at the behest of a satanic canine. Psychological problems of this magnitude run much deeper – and unless Jesus Christ is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, he isn’t going to magically fix the Son of Sam. Thanks to the slick, if not sick, public relations efforts by Sam’s fundamentalist fans, the murderer now has his own little kingdom. His followers have set up a fancy website featuring an array of DVDs, CDs, and a book of his prison journals, Son of Hope. Who knew the whole “saved slasher” genre would be so popular? But seriously, it is not coincidental that the same naive crowd that believes that people can “pray away the Gay” also believes that the Son of Sam isn’t really the son of scam. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve witnessed evangelical rallies where the crowd appears to believe that the stereotypical homosexuals on stage have actually gone straight. It does not matter how ridiculous these “ex-Gays” look or how utterly non-credible these fantastical stories may be; the people at these over-heated, over-the top revivals buy the loony lines nearly every time. When questioned about their views, they usually offer canned answers, such as, “God could turn a Chevy into the space shuttle if he wanted, so why can’t he cure a homosexual?” Perhaps he can do all these neat little tricks. But, only fundamentalists swear that such superstitious magic actually happens on a regular basis. In their fascinating world, God is “healing” Gay people by the thousands and Jesus is busy transforming David Berkowitz into a model citizen. I do understand that such notions are driven by faith – but there is a point where blind faith becomes banal foolishness.
Celebrating 37 Years!
PRIDE EVENTS
CALENDAR
More Pride events in Washington state and British Columbia compiled by Rick McKinnon and Nick Ardizzone SGN Staff Writers
MID-COLUMBIA PRIDE 2010 On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 16-18, Mid-Columbia Pride 2010 will be held at Memorial Park (1520 W. Shoshone) in Pasco, WA. This year’s theme is “Cirque du Q.” The event expects 2,500+ visitors throughout weekend, with 55% coming from the Tri-Cities area and other attendees from Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Canada. On Saturday, July 17, from 9:30 p.m. until past midnight, the 12th Annual Gay Basin Pageant will be held at Out and About (327 W. Lewis, Pasco, WA). Join Out and About Nightclub along with Mr. Gay Columbia Basin XI, Scotty Mathers Marche, and Miss Gay Columbia Basin XI, Selina Kyle for the 12th Annual Gay Columbia Basin Pageant! This is always the busiest night of the year, so you’ll want to make sure you purchase your tickets early and reserve your tables now! Tickets are $10 pre-sale and $12 at the door. On Sunday, July 18, at noon, join the Mid-Colombia Pride March. For more information, visit www.midcolumbiapride.com. KITSAP PRIDE 2010 Planning is underway for the Kitsap Pride celebration, to be held on Saturday, July 17 in Bremerton’s Evergreen Park (1500 Park Ave.). This year’s theme is “One World, One Heart, One Pride,” and is the international theme adopted by Interpride. The main event at Kitsap Pride will be July 17th from noon to 5 p.m. at Evergreen Park. They have a great line up on the stage, a growing list of vendors, and a new layout for the stage and food area that will surely be a hit. Go check it out. Bring chairs, blankets and make it a day. The bouncy house and children’s crafts will return to “Kid Valley,” and the youth from the Q center have a “Cirque de la Queer” experience planned. Red Star
hosts the Pride Party at the Bremerton Eagles with DJ Dana Dub from Seattle dance spot Neighbours and the Seattle Eagle. Miss Tory Marchella and friends will be back with a great show! Recent crowds have been over 300, so this night should be crazy fun! Vendor applications are available and have been coming in steadily. Volunteers are being recruited to help plan and more will be needed the day of the event. For more information, visit www.kitsappride.org. • BRITISH COLUMBIA VANCOUVER, B.C. PRIDE 2010 On Sunday, August 1, Vancouver, BC celebrates Pride 2010. Spanning 20 blocks and attracting an audience of over 600,000 in 2009, the Pride Parade is Vancouver’s premier celebration of culture and diversity. The 2010 Pride Parade will start in the heart of downtown Vancouver at noon at Robson and Thurlow, then head west down the hill to Denman street, following Denman to Pacific and Beach Avenue before finishing at the Sunset Beach festival site. Celebrations continue after the Parade at the Sunset Beach festival site. There will be a crowd that reaches over 110,000 people in the park listening to live music by local performers and headliners on the Festival Stage. There are 125 booths with a diverse range of products and services with drinking and dancing at the beer garden. The Vancouver Pride Society adopted a three-year theme of “Educate, Liberate, Celebrate,” focusing on one of the three elements each year. In 2010, we focus on Liberate, and what it means to be free. In parts of the world and even in our own country, Pride is still a movement to liberate. Pride is a vehicle to educate, liberate and celebrate and every summer, that’s what we do here in Vancouver. For more information, visit www.vancouverpride.ca.
Gay City readies for ride to Portland by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer
The Gay City Seattle to Portland (STP) Team is ready to ride! The STP Bicycle Classic is an annual one- and two-day bicycle ride from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon. The STP is considered one of the 10 biggest recreational bicycle rides in the country and is the largest multi-day ride in the Pacific Northwest. This year the ride will take place on July 17 and 18. Most STP participants complete the ride in two days, however; many riders attempt to complete the trek in one day – usually about 15% do. The Gay City team will consist of 14 riders, according to Peter Jabin, the deputy director of Gay City Health Project. “I believe five team members will do it in one day with the rest of us doing two days,” Jabin told SGN. “Just over one-third of this year’s Team Gay City are doing the STP for their first time this year – myself included,” said Jabin. Team Gay City has been doing training rides every weekend in the greater Seattle
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence hold Quattuordecennial
area since early May. According to Jabin, the rides have ranged from 25 miles to 82.5 miles. The 31st annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic is expected to have a total of 10,000 riders. This year will mark the third year that Gay City Health Project has put together a team consisting of volunteers and supporters. Like previous years, Gay City is using the ride as an opportunity to fundraise. Team Gay City has raised more than $30,000 in pledges since their first ride in 2008. You can still support a rider for this year. “Folks can sponsor a member of Team Gay City right up to and even through the event,” Jabin told SGN. Gay City Health Project is a multicultural Gay men’s health organization and the leading provider of HIV and STD testing in Gay and Bisexual men in King County. Their mission is to promote Gay and Bisexual men’s health and prevent HIV transmission by building community, fostering communication, and nurturing self-esteem. Visit www.gaycity.org and click on Team Gay City to sponsor a rider or learn more about Gay City Health Project.
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by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s Quattuordecennial July 17 The Lobby Bar The local chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; The Abbey of St. Joan, are celebrating the 14th anniversary of their founding on Saturday, July 17, in a way only the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence can – by giving away over $20,000 to local LGBT non-profits. The Quattuordecennial anniversary party, colorfully called “Burnt Offerings,” will take place at The Lobby Bar (916 E. Pike St.) beginning at 8 p.m. “Fourteen years ago on July 14, 1996, our founding sisters, Eva Destruction, Maria Caffeina Mocha Latté, Carmina Piranha, Madonna Supermodel of the World, and Naga Baba Ganesh, baptized themselves ‘The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan’ at Madison Beach here in Seattle,” Sister Stella Standing told SGN. “We celebrate that sacred day today with our Anniversary Grants Party and this year we are awarding over $20K to local nonprofit organizations.” The event will be much more low key than last year’s anniversary. Last year, for their Tredecennial, the Abbey hosted the 2009
July 16, 2010
Conclave of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which brought sisters from all over the world together here in Seattle. This year’s event is intended to be a casual cocktail evening full of community, sisterly love, and most likely a few grateful tears. The $20,000 being given away has all been raised throughout the yearlong granting cycle which began after last year’s anniversary. “Yes, this year we are awarding the most money in grants in our history here in Seattle,” said Sister Stella. “For me, I know it makes me extremely proud to live and work with such an amazingly generous community without whom these grants would not be possible.” For the past several years, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan have been giving out grants annually to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Washington state. The organizations who have qualified for grants in the past have all been supportive of the LGBT community, providing services for every type of need from HIV/AIDS services, STD prevention, substance abuse prevention and treatment within the LGBT community, LGBT veterans, LGBT youth, LGBT rights, and many more. “Since our grant program was started, we’ve given away thousands and thousands of dollars to help support our community,” says Sister Dawnna Creation, grants chairnun. The Sisters have been diligently checking the spelling and punctuation of every grant application and are ready to dig into their habit pockets. With the help of the Lobby, the Sisters will also kick off the 2010 cycle of grants fundraising with a cocktail specially created for them, The Money Shot. Join them at The Lobby Bar from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an order of 21st-century nuns dedicated to the promulgation of universal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt. They work to raise money for AIDS charities, fight for Queer rights and visibility, do safer-sex outreach and strive diligently to never take themselves so seriously that they forget to have fun. The Sisters welcome all races, creeds, genders, and sexual orientations. For more information, visit www.theabbey.org.
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NEWS
Finland to legalize same-sex marriage Finland’s Justice Ministry has begun work on legalizing same-sex marriage as well as adoption by married same-sex couples. Justice Minister Tuija Brax said Finland’s constitution bans discrimination based on gender and that public opinion supports letting Gay couples marry. The law should be in place by 2012. That will leave Denmark as the only Nordic country without same-sex marriage. Ironically, in 1989, Denmark was the first nation in the world to enact a registeredpartnership law. It granted Gay couples 99 percent of the rights and obligations of marriage and became a model for numerous other nations. Full same-sex marriage is legal in Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Mexico City, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.
ScotsGay photo
INTERNATIONAL by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer custody and more suspects are being hunted down. Police said the attack appeared to have been carefully planned. At least 30 marchers were hit by the spray, including some children. Finnish President Tarja Halonen said the incident “delivered a harsh blow” to the nation’s “good reputation.”
One million at London Pride One million people turned out for Pride in London on July 3. While marching, London Mayor Boris Johnson told Gay leader Peter Tatchell that he supports legalizing same-sex marriage. “Why not?” Tatchell quoted Johnson as saying. “The ban should go. … If the Conservatives and Liberals can get together in a national coalition and settle their differences, I don’t see why you can’t have Gay marriage.” At present, Britain has a civil-partnership law under which same-sex couples get the same rights and obligations as married peoArrests in ple. Helsinki pride attack The London parade celebrated the 40th Three people who allegedly pepper- anniversary of the Gay Liberation Front, sprayed marchers in the July 3 Gay pride which veteran Lesbian activist Lisa Power parade in Helsinki, Finland, were taken into called “the mad granny in the attic to every major LGBT activist development since the 1970s in the UK.” “[T]he most important thing about GLF was that equality wasn’t enough,” Power said. “Their aim was not to imitate anyone else’s lifestyle, but to discover their own. In a 21st century of civil partnerships, Gays in the government and Equality as an industry, GLF still has relevant questions to ask. ‘Equal? Equal to what?’” There also were Gay parades in June and early July in Barcelona, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, Sofia, Toulouse, Vienna and elsewhere.
One million people turned out for Gay pride in London on July 3
EU plans to fight for LGBT rights worldwide The Council of the European Union on June 30 adopted a “Toolkit to Promote and Protect the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People.” The kit details what the EU should be doing to defend LGBT human rights in other nations. It calls on diplomats, the new European External Action Service, and EU member states to actively work for decriminalization of same-sex relations worldwide, to further denounce discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to support human rights defenders in repressive countries. “The Council’s Working Party on Human Rights is showing some leadership in the area of human rights for LGBT people, which I applaud,” said Ulrike Lunacek, copresident of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights. “This is a very welcome tool, and one that the Commission, Council, and the European External Action Service should start using as soon and as often as possible, for instance by supporting LGBT human rights defenders in Moscow and St. Petersburg.” Intergroup Co-President Michael Cashman added: “For the first time, the Council has taken an excellent and long-lasting initiative for LGBT people’s human rights abroad. We will be with them along the way to ensure that [the] European External Action Service and other relevant EU institutions follow these important guidelines – starting with their work with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.” Human Rights Watch apologizes to Peter Tatchell Human Rights Watch issued an unusual
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apology to British Gay leader Peter Tatchell on June 30. HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth said that HRW LGBT-program director Scott Long had made “a number of inappropriate and disparaging comments” about Tatchell in recent years. “[P]ersonal attacks have no place in the human rights movement,” Roth said. “Mr. Long and Mr. Tatchell undertake to work to ensure that any airing of disagreements on LGBT and other human rights issues takes place with honesty, civility and respect.” Long commented, “Although we have our different viewpoints, I respect Peter Tatchell’s contribution to human rights and apologize for any condemnatory and intemperate allegations made in haste and for any inaccurate statements made in my personal capacity.” Russian LGBT film festival turned away Private businesses in Arkhangelsk, Russia, canceled agreements to host a traveling version of St. Petersburg’s Side by Side LGBT International Film Festival in late June after news media reported on the planned events. According to Side by Side, contracts with a hotel, a café and a club vanished after the news reports apparently led to government pressure on the businesses. “The city authorities preferring to silence any discussion on such matters forces the question as to the real presence of ... values such as the freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association in Russian society,” Side by Side said. “The situation in Archangel is a litmus test for exposing a diseased pseudo democratic society.” Alternative venues were found for the July 7-11 screenings. With assistance from Bill Kelley
Celebrating 37 Years!
NORTHWEST
NEWS
compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer
SEE PAGE 5 of this week’s edition for a (Tectonic Theater Project) with inhabitants list of upcoming PRIDE EVENTS around of the town, company members’ own jourWashington state and British Columbia. nal entries, and published news reports. Performances will run through August UNDER U 4 MEN 7 at 8:30 p.m. at the Erickson Theatre OffHOSTS UNDERWEAR/ART Broadway (1524 Harvard Ave., between E. MASHUP Pine and E. Pike Sts.) Tickets: $30-general; Local artist Chris Collins will have an ex- $100-group of 4; $15 half-price Thursdays hibit of work done in his signature bubble- – in advance through www.brownpapertickgum/baroque style at Under U 4 Men (400 ets.com; 1-800-838-3006; www.strawshop. Broadway E.) through July 23. “Gods and org. Athletes” introduces the characters of classical mythology – with a twist. Collins, who THREE DOLLAR BILL is known about town for his stylish commisOUTDOOR CINEMA PRESENTS sioned portraits, recruited ripped personal “BLONDE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN” trainers and muscular college athletes to SUMMER OUTDOOR MOVIES pose for such subjects as Mars, Poseidon, On Friday, July 16, Three Dollar Bill Cinand Apollo. Collins is a New York native, ema presents Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where he honed his style as a freelance (featuring Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Ruspaparazzo and painter of tiny watercolor sell) – the first of four fun and FREE movies and gold leaf portraits of society children. shown at Cal Anderson Park, 11th Ave. & E. A portion of any proceeds will be donated Olive St., this summer, under the stars! to the artist’s favorite local non-profit, the The Legend of Billie Jean will be shown of Lifelong AIDS Alliance, which is commit- Friday, July 30, Desperately Seeking Susan ted to preventing the spread of HIV and to will be shown on Friday, August 13, Candleproviding practical support services and ad- shoe will be shown on Friday, August 27. vocating for those whose lives are affected All screenings start at dusk – around 8:30 by HIV and AIDS. p.m. To make your movie going experience Preview the artist’s work at www.the- complete, concessions will be sold at the NEWportrait.com. screenings. For more information and to see trailers SEAFAIR INDIAN DAYS for the “Blonde But Not Forgotten” movie POW WOW series, visit www.threedollarbillcinema.org. Starting at noon from Friday, July 16 to Three Dollar Bill Cinema sponsors the anSunday, July 18, the Seafair Indian days nual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival in Pow Wow will be held at the Daybreak Star October. Indian Cultural Center in Discovery Park (3801 W. Government Way). This year SEATTLE ARCHITECTURE marks both the 40th anniversary of the takeFOUNDATION over at Ft. Lawton by Native activists that HOLDS OPEN MODEL EXHIBIT led to the foundation’s founding, and the The Seattle Architecture Foundation 25th anniversary of the annual Pow Wow (1121 First Ave.) presents their annual open itself. The three-day cultural celebration model exhibit, Monday to Saturday, 10:30 featuring contest dancing and drumming, a.m. to 3 p.m., through July 31. Admission Native crafts and traditional foods, and is free. other intertribal exhibitions is one of the “The design profession has suffered greatlargest Native American Pow Wows in the ly this past year with layoffs, budget cuts Pacific Northwest. Event schedule: Friday, and projects put on hold indefinitely. We July 16, 2010: Family Night free admis- believe these achieved ideas, projects and sion, salmon bake dinner booth opens for dreams deserve to see the light of day. weekend, Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow “This year’s model exhibit, ‘HOPE,’ is princess crowned, exhibition dancing in all dedicated to all the un-built work waiting categories. Saturday, July 17: Contest danc- for its debut. We may not be able to fix the ing in all categories, honoring of original Ft. economy, but we can collectively celebrate Lawton invaders, coastal tribes exhibition what will someday become a part of our dancing. Sunday, July 18: Bernie Whitebear built world.” Men’s Traditional Special Contest, Dance For more info, seattlearchitecture.org. contest winners announced. Admission is $5 and Pow Wow grounds DAY OF ACTION open daily at noon. This is a drug and alcoVOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE hol free event. For more info or to make a On Saturday, July 17, from 10 a.m. to noon donation, visit www.unitedindians.org. at the Green Lake Bathhouse Theater (7312 W. Green Lake Dr. N.), join members of the SHINE: A BURLESQUE MUSICAL community for a voter registration drive. Through July 18 at Theatre Off Jackson Please bring a clipboard and black ballpoint (409 7th Ave. S.), SHINE: A Burlesque pens if you can. Simple instructions will be Musical will be performed in collabora- given before you are sent out to register vottion with the Seattle Erotic Art Festival. ers. Wear red, white and blue! Internationally acclaimed comedy cabaret duo The Wet Spots (John Woods and Cass Q-SQUARED BOOK GROUP King) will present 12 performances of the On Saturday, July 17, at 1 p.m. at the Caprecent winner of a Vancouver Ovation itol Hill Branch Library (425 Harvard Ave. Award for Outstanding New Work. SHINE E.), the Q-Squared Book Group will discuss is a tassel-twirling original, full-book mu- the book My Queer War by James Lord. Larsical about an infamous burlesque theatre ry Kramer stated, “My Queer War is magand the family of talented misfits who try nificent. It is beautifully written, it is very to save it from demolition … or worse, re- wise, and it’s a great read. There has never spectability. Performances run through July been anything quite like it and it deserves to 18, Thursdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m. be come a classic.” Q-Squared Book Group and Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and is open to men who are interested in Gay lit10:30 p.m. Tickets are available now at erature and always welcomes new members Brown Paper Tickets, 18+ only, $25 or $45 For more information, visit www. VIP (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/ qsquared.org. event/111305). SOUNDS OUTSIDE: STRAWBERRY THEATRE A CELEBRATION WORKSHOP PRESENTS OF ADVENTUROUS MUSIC THE LARAMIE PROJECT On Saturday, July 17, at Cal Anderson The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman Park (1635 11th Ave.), Monktail Creative explores the reaction to the murder of Mat- Music Concern presents Sounds Outside: thew Shepard – a Gay student who was tor- A Celebration of Adventurous Music & tured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming Community, a FREE to the public jazz and in 1998. The play draws on hundreds of in- creative music festival. This year’s line-up: terviews conducted by the theatre company 1 p.m. Non Grata; 2:30 p.m. Seattle Jazz
Visit us online www.sgn.org
FREEDOM SOCIALIST Composers Ensemble; 4 p.m. Zubatto SynDISCUSSION SERIES: dicate; 5:30 p.m. Wayne Horvitz / Sonny “THE LOGIC OF MARXISM” Clark Memorial Sextet; 7 p.m. Father FigOn Wednesday, July 21, from 7-9 p.m. and ures (NYC). For more information, visit www.sound- continuing every Wednesday until September 15 at the Old Firehouse (402 15th Ave. soutside.com. E.), “The Logic of Marxism,” by socialist scholar George Novack, will be discussed. FUNDRAISER FOR This book provides an accessible introducQUEER TEEN ENSEMBLE tion to Marx’s dialectical materialism and THEATRE FEATURES contrasts it with other political philosoSCREENING OF WAXIE MOON On Saturday, July 17, from 6-10 p.m., the phies. Free. Drop-ins welcome. Sponsored Washington Ensemble Theatre, sponsors of by Freedom Socialist Discussion Series. For information, call 206-722-2453 or the Queer Teen Ensemble Theatre (QTET), will host a fundraiser at the Broadway Per- visit www.socialism.com/seattle. formance Hall (1625 Broadway at E. Pine “BENEATH OUR SKIN: St.) to benefit the growth of Washington A CONVERSATION ON COLORISM Ensemble Theatre’s QTET program. The AND MIXED-RACE IDENTITIES” evening will feature a reception with the On Thursday, July 22, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Washington Theatre Ensemble, the QTET team, and the producers of the hit documen- the Seattle Young People’s Project (2820 E. tary Waxie Moon, along with a silent auction Cherry St.), take part in “Beneath Our Skin: and a screening of Waxie Moon. Tickets are A Conversation on Colorism and Mixed$15 and can be purchased in advance at 800- Race Identities.” How do mixed-race folks 838-3006, at www.brownpapertickets.com, talk about their experiences of privilege and or at the door. All auction sales and dona- oppression? How do we support relationtions are tax deductible. www.washington- ships of solidarity between light-skinned and dark-skinned people of color? As a ensemble.org. multi-racial, majority youth of color organization, questions of skin color, colorism, VOTER REGISTRATION and multi-racial identities are always a hot DEADLINE King County residents must be regis- topic at Seattle Young People’s Project. Join tered to vote by Monday, July 19 in or- us as we explore these complex and salient der to vote in the August 17 Primary Elec- issues and their personal and political undertion. Residents can register online, through pinnings with a group of community guests. the mail or by visiting the elections office. Community guests include DeAnn AlcanThose not already registered in Washington tara, Jenn Bowman, and Yecelica Valdivia. can do so after July 19 in person at the elecSOLIDARITY WITH tions office through August 9. Details and SEX WORKERS registration forms are available on the King PANEL DISCUSSION County Elections website (www.kingcounOn Thursday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at Lifety.gov/elections). Voters already registered in King County can update their information long AIDS Alliance in the Annex (Adminonline in order to ensure their vote is pro- istrative Building, 1161 11th Ave.), join a cessed efficiently. Voters who have moved panel discussion expressing solidarity with or changed names should update their infor- sex workers. In this economic recession, mation by July 19. Voters who have already women and other marginalized communiregistered in King County but miss the July ties find work in the sex industry to support 19 deadline to update their address can still themselves and their families. There are a vote by contacting the elections office at million reasons why women and other com206-296-VOTE (8683) or by email at elec- munities work in the sex industry. Historically femmes have worked in the sex industions@kingcounty.gov. try, some for economic survival others chose the profession as an avenue to explore sexTHE ELITE HOSTS ual empowerment. Currently, there is a disFREE ASL LESSONS proportionate percentage of Trans women FOR BEGINNERS Have you ever wanted to learn basic represented in the sex industry due to TransAmerican Sign Language? If so, you can phobia in other workforces. The discussion get some beginning ASL instruction at the will include a former erotic dancer from the Elite (1520 E. Olive Way). The FREE les- Lusty Lady, Tamara Dover, who got fired sons will be held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in for organizing as a worker at the Lusty Lady and won her job back. We’ll hear from the the loft. National Asian American Women’s Forum (Seattle Chapter) on human trafficking in GSBA BUSINESS LUNCHEON On Wednesday, July 21, from 11:30 a.m. the Pacific Northwest, as well as a report to 1:30 p.m. at Columbia Tower Club (7600 back from Debbie Carlsen, Allyship, on sex Columbia Center, 701 5th Ave.), join the worker organizing from other parts of the GSBA for their Business Luncheon. At the country and, lastly, we’ll hear some amazJuly Business Tool Kit Luncheon, Wash- ing spoken word from a recent Lusty Lady ington state insurance commissioner Mike erotic dancer. Kreidler will address the impact that the fedGAY CITY LGBT LIBRARY eral insurance legislation will have on small MEMBERSHIP DRIVE businesses. Come prepared to ask questions Through July 31, the Gay City LGBT Lion this complicated legislation. Silas Potter, founder/CEO of the regional small business brary (511 E. Pike St.) is having a memberdevelopment program, will talk about busi- ship drive. ID required to sign up for memness development and workshop offered bership to check out up to five books for a by RSBDP to ensure small businesses meet month. The library has over 2,000 books in with success. Event cost is $32 members, all topics and genres. The Gay City LGBT Library is a member-generated organization $37 non-members, and $32 students. For information, contact (206) 363-9188 and needs you to become a member in order to grow and become a success and staple in or visit www.thegsba.org. the LGBT community. For more information, call (206) 860SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN BOOK CLUB AT DUNSHEE HOUSE 6969 or visit www.gaycity.org. TO DISCUSS OUTRATE ONLINE THE POETRY OF WALT WHITMAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club Through July 31, Outrate Online is acmeets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Dunshee House (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas cepting entries for its fourth Short Film St.). In July, the club will discuss the po- Festival. Entry is free. The festival is a great etry of Walt Whitman. All GLBTQ folks in opportunity for up-and-coming Queer filmthe community are welcome to participate makers to get their work out there. Films sein this FREE book club. The reading list lected as finalists screen for the entire two is chosen and the discussion facilitated by months of the festival. All previous Outrate Nick DiMartino, published novelist and Online Short Film Festivals have welcomed playwright, currently a book reviewer for at least a quarter of a million unique visitors ShelfAwareness.com, and a 30-year em- during the run – this is great exposure to a ployee of University Book Store. For more worldwide public. The films are viewed and information, email nickdimartin@earthlink. appraised by a judging panel made up of innet or contact Dunshee House at 206-322- dustry professionals. For more information, http://outrate.net. 2437.
July 16, 2010
Seattle Gay News
7
by Barry Thorsness SGN African Correspondent As we got into week two in Johannesburg, we realized how trapped we felt by not having public transportation or a car. Even on our daily walks from where we lived, we were sometimes uncertain if we should be walking a particular neighborhood or not. The Apartheid Museum We spent a good portion of Saturday afternoon at the Apartheid Museum. It is a very large museum and covers the history of South Africa from the early 1900s with a special section devoted to the life and political struggles of Nelson Mandela. The museum is quite exceptional – by that I mean very honest and open about the portrayal of brutality towards the black Africans and other prisoners, from the first settlement in Cape Town, the finding of gold in Johannesburg, the colonial governments, the Boer War, and Apartheid. President de Klerk created the way for Nelson Mandela and the new constitution and the ANC government headed by Mandela. (Both de Klerk and Mandela received the Nobel Prize for their work in the transfer from “white” government to “black” government.) This museum is very well done, though very emotionally draining.
busy, so I went off in search of the coat check girl, who was very friendly and most willing to chat with me about the bar clientele. She told me that black Gay men sometimes came into the bar, but usually didn’t stay long. You must understand that most of the city is not very racially mixed. Upscale areas, such as Centurian and Sandton, have a tendency to be very white. Other areas of the city, such as Yeoville and townships such as Soweto, are almost 100% black. Add to that that there is no real public
Saturday night at Babylon Off we went on Saturday night to Centurian, which is a suburb of Pre-
transportation (except the taxi-mini vans, which are almost 100% black and most white people are afraid to ride them), and those without cars don’t go too far, especially to go out at night.
toria (the capitol of S.A.) and these days almost completely connected to Johannesburg, and a 30-minute drive. Babylon is a Gay nightclub on Saturday and very popular, with a packed dance floor and great sound and lights – and, surprising to us, so very, very white. After a couple of drinks, and after not seeing one black Gay man in the crowd, I thought I would have a conversation with some of the patrons to learn how the crowds work in Johannesburg. There was a table next to us with three great looking, probably 24-year-old “Afrikaner” men. After a little small talk, I asked why there were no black Gay men at Babylon, and mentioned that going out in Seattle looked far more “African.” I was greeted by what I perceived as a coldness and some responses such as, “They don’t like the music,” “Pretoria is very white,” and then, “We are very racist.” We briefly chatted and I returned to our table wondering if what I had experienced was sarcasm or the reality of life in the Gay bars of Johannesburg. All the staff of the bar was black and very 8
Seattle Gay News
Not cool to be Gay and black OK, remember how hard it was for most of us to tell our parents and friends we were Gay or Lesbian? Well, as a black South African, as a rule, you don’t come out. You make every effort to “look straight.” Being an out black Gay or Lesbian in South Africa is almost sure cause to be dumped by your community, family, and friends. We are planning to visit a Gay black bar in Soweto on the weekend, so I will give you an update next week.
all photos barry Thorsness
Our second week in Johannesburg
the white people we met told us we were crazy; they would never ride the taxis. Others told us that we really wouldn’t have much problem, but we might get lost. So we hired Elton to show us the taxis and guide us around Yeoville. Elton is a great-looking and very fun 24-year-old from Zimbabwe. He has been living in S.A. for about five years, trying to make money to support himself while sending some money back to Zimbabwe so his family can survive in the political and economical turmoil of their country. Well, we felt great riding the taxis knowing we couldn’t get lost, and the people riding them were very friendly. We spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon walking around in a neighborhood that 30 years ago was predominately white and is now 100% black. Parts of Yeoville felt just like they were “third world,” and then others were very similar to the slums or “favellas” in a city such as Rio de Janeiro. We chatted with people on the streets and even walked into a city Health Clinic to learn about the health system and how people are treated. The head doctor of the health clinic invited us into her office, and we spent some time learning about health care in S.A. If you are sick, cut your hand, are pregnant, have an STD or are being tested or
treated for HIV/AIDS, it seems the government will treat you without cost. To receive antiretrovirals for the treatment of AIDS, you must first be tested and documented to have a CD4 count of 200 or less – not a very good situation for many with HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that approximately 13% of the population is HIV-positive, and in men and woman between 30 and 34 years old, the numbers range from 25-29% HIV-positive. Wherever you go, almost without exception, everyone is so friendly. You must watch, though, never to become complacent, flash your camera or cell phone, and remember to watch for anyone who may want to separate you from your belongings. You must be aware that not only has the black population of South Africa had an extremely hard time with finding employment, but South Africa is now home to many who have left the unbelievably hard lives of Zimbabwe, Nigeria, the wars in Ethiopia, and other countries of Africa, and some of these people are desperate. The official rate of unemployment is 25.1%. Never seen so many BMWs South Africa is always an extreme, and often not what one has often believed. In the areas where Louis and I go for quick lunch or go shopping for groceries, the mode of transportation is a Mercedes, BMW, or often a Range Rover. Most often, the driver of the Mercedes or BMW is black. The houses are huge, with high walls topped with electrical fences. The streets are blocked off with gates and the entrances to many residential areas are through manned security entrances. These neighborhoods seem to be very well off. What’s next We are off to explore more of the LGBT lifestyle and nightlife. This weekend we hope to experience a Gay bar in Soweto and find some other places where black Gay men go to dance and have fun. We are also going out to visit some activist LGBT organizations. It was the LGBT activist organizations who, before Nelson Mandela became president, worked with the S.A. government on the constitution so that S.A. is one of the few countries in the world where people, regardless of the sexual orientation, has the same rights. Visit Barry’s blog: http://bthorsness.wordpress.com/
Maine man wins $1 million discrimination suit by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
ment. “This guy was completely qualified to do Edward Russell of Buxton, Maine, was the job,” Loranger said. “The jury said it awarded more than $1 million in a discrimi- didn’t matter his color, his race, his nationnation suit. al origin or his sexual preference – he was Russell’s attorney argued that he had re- qualified to do the job and you should have peatedly been passed over for promotion allowed him to do it.” solely because he is Gay, and a jury agreed Russell worked for Express Jet from 1998 after six hours of deliberation. until 2007. The jury found that Russell’s former emAccording to court documents, the comEven less cool – ployer, Express Jet Airlines, had violated pany’s general manager lost his job in 2003. possibly life-threatening – Maine’s Human Rights Act, which bars The position became open four times in the to be Lesbian discrimination based on sexual orientation. next four years. Joburg is a city with about 8 million peo- Jurors awarded Russell $500,000 for emoRussell filled in as acting-manager several ple, a large and exciting Gay Pride, and not tional distress, $500,000 for punitive dam- times, and wanted the job, but was told by one Lesbian bar. South Africa is a country of ages and $47,000 in lost wages. regional managers not to waste his time apextremes, and to be an out Lesbian in Joburg Russell’s attorney, Guy Loranger, told plying for it, the documents said. – especially if you are black – could mean Portland Press Herald reporters on July 13 “Our theory was they decided they did not being raped and beaten, just to prove to the that the judge will determine what award want another Gay man out there,” Loranger woman she really is straight. The threat to caps apply. He speculated the overall award said, because of a previous discrimination Lesbians is so real that a Lesbian bar would will be capped at $547,000, plus attorney’s charge brought by three women employees. likely be firebombed. The Lesbian commu- fees and other costs. At one point, the company hired a general nity has events called “First Fridays,” and Attorneys for the company are arguing for manager described by a regional manager as these happen once a month at different loca- a lower cap, Loranger said, and have said a “real man.” That general manager made tions. they would appeal. disparaging comments about Gay people at According to the Press Herald, Express work, according to the complaint. Riding the taxis Jet’s Vermont-based attorney could not be Russell left the job in 2007 “because of with a great guide reached for comment, and the company’s the discriminatory treatment,” court docuLouis and I decided that if we were to see media relations office did not return a call ments said. many of the areas of Joburg, we were going for comment. Express Jet Airlines operates regional jets to have to learn to ride the “taxis” (miniLoranger said this is the largest sexual for other airlines. At the time Russell worked vans, usually crowded with people, almost orientation discrimination award in Maine. there, it was the regional operator for Conti100% black, and without any signage so you Maine Human Rights Commission counsel nental Airlines at the Portland, Maine, Interdon’t know where they are going). Many of John Gause confirmed Loranger’s state- national Jetport.
July 16, 2010
Celebrating 37 Years!
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Washington D.C. Court of Appeals has rejected a bid to put the district’s marriage equality law up for a public vote. The appeals court justices unanimously agreed that a proposed initiative on marriage rights would violate D.C.’s Human Rights Act by authorizing discrimination against Gay and Lesbian residents. The justices split 5-4 on whether the socalled “Human Rights Act limitation” – which prohibits discriminatory initiatives from being put on the ballot – was a valid restriction on the right of initiative. The suit was filed by Bishop Harry Jackson and other local religious leaders who opposed passage of D.C.’s marriage equality law last December. The marriage law took effect on March 3 this year. Jackson claimed that the D.C. Charter Amendment Act (CAA) of 1977 gives him the right to get the marriage equality law put on the ballot for a vote. On the other hand, marriage equality advocates pointed to a provision added to the city’s Initiative Procedures Act (IPA) that bans such ballot measures if they would result in discrimination prohibited by the Human Rights Act.
D.C.’s Human Rights Act bans discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation, among other characteristics. D.C.’s Elections Board previously ruled that Jackson’s proposed initiative was unlawful because of the anti-discrimination provisions of the IPA, and a D.C. Superior Court agreed. In the appeal, the majority of the Appeals Court also agreed that Jackson’s proposed initiative had been properly disallowed. “The [D.C. City] Council acted within its authority under the CAA and the Home Rule Act in enacting the Human Rights safeguard of the IPA and in directing the Board not to accept initiatives that contravene that safeguard. Because appellants’ proposed initiative would authorize, or have the effect of authorizing, discrimination on a basis prohibited by the Human Rights Act, it was not a proper subject of initiative,” the court majority wrote. “Therefore, the Board acted lawfully in refusing to accept the initiative on that basis. Accordingly, the judgment of the Superior Court upholding the Board’s determination is Affirmed.” Four justices, including Chief Judge Eric T. Washington, held that the IPA’s anti-discrimination language was not a valid reason to deny Jackson an opportunity to file an initiative – even though they agreed with their
Privacy – Federal Trade Commission acts to protect Gay teens
filed a personal bankruptcy petition in February 2010. Listing his assets, he claimed only a vehicle worth $1,500 and zero income, saying he is now a graduate student “living mostly on student loans and small loans from friends and family.” Cummings said he has “lived with friends,” has had “no fixed abode for the last three years,” and has even lived in his car. The only significant asset Cummings listed is the “customer list, personal data, and editorial and back issue files of XY mag and XY.com.” According to the FTC, the magazine had 100,000 subscribers plus photographs and articles submitted by about 3,000 former read-
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Federal Trade Commission has intervened in a New Jersey bankruptcy case to prevent the sale of names, addresses, emails, and other personal data of subscribers to a magazine catering to Gay teens. XY magazine, with its companion website XY.com, billed itself as a young Gay men’s publication. It ceased publishing in 2007. XY owner and editor Peter Cummings
Kristina Hernandez
D.C. Appeals Court rejects referendum on marriage equality
properly refused to accept the proposed initiative. In light of the majority’s holding, however, and in light of recent legislation recognizing and authorizing same-sex marriages in the District of Columbia, we agree with the majority’s conclusion that the proposed initiative would authorize, or have the effect of authorizing, discrimination prohibited by the Human Rights Act, as amended in 2002.” President George W. Bush appointed Chief Judge Washington and four other justices. Pres. Clinton appointed the remaining four. Jackson told reporters he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but many legal observers believe they would be unlikely to take the case. “This is a very precedent-setting decision for District citizens because of the issue of whether an initiative can be blocked by District laws,” Jackson said. “The people have a right to vote on this issue.” “The court’s ruling today is a significant victory for justice, the rule of law and the protection of all D.C. residents against discrimination,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “It’s time for the National Organization for Marriage to realize equality is here to stay no matter how much money they want to throw at turning back the clock.”
Bishop Harry Jackson
colleagues that the initiative he was proposing would be discriminatory under D.C.’s Human Rights Act. “This court must decide, as a matter of first impression, whether the IPA’s ‘Human Rights Act limitation’ is a valid restriction on the right of initiative. For the reasons which follow, we would hold that it is not,” the minority said. “Had our view prevailed, we would not have reached the question whether the Board ruptcy petition is property of the bankruptcy estate and my client intends to administer those assets for the benefit of creditors.” However XY.com’s privacy policy assured subscribers that “We never give your info to anybody.” XY subscribers – many of whom were believed to be minors living with their parents – were protected by receiving their magazines in plain black shrink-wrapped plastic. Cummings says he believes that giving their personal information to his creditors violates California privacy laws, and the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits deceptive business practices. In another complication, Cummings former business partners, Martin Shmagin and Peter Larson, filed a claim with the bankruptcy court saying they own XY’s remaining assets, and threatening to sue Cummings for fraud if he does not turn over the personal data. “The ownership dispute has not been resolved,” they wrote. “Until resolved, the prospect of litigation as to the ownership of the assets remains outstanding.” The possibility that the personal data of minors might be sold off to satisfy Cummings’ debts caused the FTC to intervene. David Vladeck, the head of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, wrote to the bankruptcy court and the attorneys representing all parties in the case, that any personal data should be “destroyed” rather than sold. “The XY privacy policy is simple, explicit, and clear,” he wrote. “Subscribers and members were told that their personal information would not be sold, shared, or given away to ‘anybody.’ Therefore, any sale or transfer of the data to a new company, new owner, or other third party would directly contravene the privacy representations and could constitute a deceptive practice by the
original company or its principals.” “Due to the nature of the information, the passage of time, and the closure of the magazine and website in 2007 and 2009, respectively, the continued use of the data may pose privacy risks not reasonably contemplated by subscribers when they provided the data, and not consistent with their course of dealing with the company,” Vladeck’s letter continued. The FTC also said that releasing street addresses might unintentionally out former subscribers, even if they no longer resided there. “With regard to the street addresses collected by XY, many of these were provided by minors living with their parents or others who may have been unaware of their sexual orientation. With the passage of time since the magazine and website’s demise, many of these minors may have moved. At the time the website and magazine were operational, minors who moved, especially those concerned about the confidentiality of their subscriptions, were able to go online to update promptly any change of address. Former subscriber expectations, however, have likely changed over the past several years. They do not expect to receive any future communications from XY. The magazine has ceased publication and has been dormant for three years. The website no longer functions, making it impossible to update any changes of address, even if there were an expectation that future communications might occur. Accordingly, any effort to contact former subscribers via mail now carries the risk of unintentionally revealing their sexual orientation to individuals residing at the former subscribers’ addresses.” “Data could be sold and re-sold for decades. Customers would have no adequate remedy at law and no way to regain their security,” the FTC concluded.
ers. The website, meanwhile, had some 1 million users who had submitted names, street addresses, e-mail addresses, personal photos, and online personal profiles. XY’s creditors have hired a lawyer to obtain the personal information held by the magazine and website so it can be sold, with the proceeds going to the creditors. Shoshana Schiff, a partner with the Trenk law firm representing the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee, told CNET reporters that “Any property listed on the debtor’s bank-
Visit us online www.sgn.org
July 16, 2010
Seattle Gay News
9
An open letter to the Seattle LGBT community from Aleksa Manila shaun knittel
“Learning how to live in the greatest peace, partnership, and brotherhood with all men and women, of whatever description, is a moving and fascinating adventure.” Bill Wilson, Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
A week ago, advocate and friend, Tony R. pulled out his Rolodex and shared the sad news that the Capitol Hill Alano Club (CHAC) is facing a financial crisis. For many years, CHAC has continued to provide clean and sober space for people in recovery. Every day of the week – literally from Monday to Sunday, CHAC provides safe space for the LGBTQ and Ally communities for meetings and social events. Safe and sober space is an integral component of recovery, especially for the LGBTQA communities. Faced not only with the stigma of addiction and recovery, LGBTQ members are often hit with issues of discrimination, transphobia, and homophobia, to name a few. CHAC ensures this safe and sober space exists for our communities. However, due to extraordinary expenses for maintenance and repairs on the rented space last year alone, and along with diminished meetings and membership income, CHAC is seeking emergency help. A crucial and decisive point is upon us; a turning point in community challenge. An unstable condition is impacting our community members directly and indirectly – personal and professional; economic and socio-political. This situation must change. If we want positive change that supports all members of our communities, we must effect and affect change. Surely, each of us, as individuals and communities are constantly faced with crises. Sadly, this situation is a crisis. CHAC is faced with a $10,000 deficit. Its current goal is to raise $15,000 by the end of July 2010 in order to survive. If, by August 1, 2010, this goal is not met, CHAC will close its doors. A safe and sober space for LGBTQ and Allies in recovery could be lost. But it doesn’t have to be. We have the answer. We can respond. Whether it’s prescription medication, illicit drugs, and/or alcohol, addiction impacts our lives as a community. Prevention and intervention is our response. In addition to harm reduction counseling and/or traditional abstinence treatment, ongoing peer and community support that CHAC provides is a recovery tool that is in our hands. Professionally, I have seen the wonderful gift of recovery support provides many who are faced with addiction. Personally, I understand the amazing gift it provides not only for the individual in recovery, but for the people around them – the lovers, partners, parents, siblings, family, and friends. This is my personal challenge to my brothers and sisters in the community – my fellow drag queens, health care providers, entertainers, politicians, burlesque performers, activists, title holders, advocates, educators, business owners, bar and club managers, designers, photographers, fashionistas, celebrities and FRIENDS – please consider a generous donation in any shape or form – direct monetary donation, monies from a fundraiser or whatever feels right and good. Philanthropist and local business owner Quyen Luu of Café Metropolitain (1701 East Olive Way at Boylston, Seattle, WA), the Seattle Gay News, and I are hosting a variety show to raise funds on Sunday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m. All performers are welcome! Auction and raffle items are welcome! Please contact me directly at aleksa@ alekasamanila.com if interested. The “Red Room” will be the designated “sober space” to honor and respect people in recovery. To make a donation NOW or to learn more about “Staying Alive 2010,” CHAC’s fundraising effort, please go to www.capitolhillalanoclub.org. XO, Aleksa Manila aleksa@aleksamanila.com www.ALEKSAMANILA.com
www.capitolhillalanoclub.org 10 Seattle Gay News
July 16, 2010
Celebrating 37 Years!
Visit us online www.sgn.org
July 16, 2010
Seattle Gay News 11
A unique weekend for Gay, Bi and Trans men to play in the wilderness and meet new people. 12 Seattle Gay News
July 16, 2010
Labor Day Weekend, Sept 3 - 6
www.QCamp.org Celebrating 37 Years!
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206.323.LGBT / www.gaycity.org Whether you are looking for resources for yourself or your friends and family, Gay City is here to help get you connected with LGBT organizations and services! Check out our website or give us a call, and we’ll do our best to get you the information you need. Phone hours are Mon-Fri, 2-8pm and Sat, 2-5pm. A Program of Gay City Health Project 511 E Pike St / Seattle, WA / 98122
Visit us online www.sgn.org
July 16, 2010
Seattle Gay News 13
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July 16, 2010
Seattle Gay News 15
New HUD policies to protect LGBT community by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced new policies designed to address housing discrimination against the LGBT community. In its latest policy guidance, HUD announced that gender identity and expression will be protected under the gender discrimination provisions of the Fair Housing Act. One of the Johnson administration’s landmark civil rights bills, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. Congress amended the law in 1974 to include protections based on gender. In 1988, it added protections based on disability and family status. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not included in the law, but the new HUD rules will allow federal authorities to use existing provisions to protect Transgender people. “Our job to prevent and combat housing discrimination is not complete without addressing 21st-century issues,” Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity John Trasviña said in a statement July 1. “Our fair housing staff will work with state and local civil rights agencies to investigate and refer discrimination cases and work to combat all aspects of gender discrimination.” HUD also stated that LGBT individuals who face discrimination because of real or perceived HIV status will be protected
under the disability provisions of the Fair Housing Act. In addition, the new policy requires HUD staff to inform people who file discrimination complaints of state and local antidiscrimination laws that include LGBT protections. Some 20 states, the District of Columbia, and over 60 municipalities across the country have additional protections that specifically prohibit such discrimination against LGBT individuals. Under the latest rules, HUD will retain jurisdiction over complaints filed by LGBT individuals or families but will also investigate complaints jointly with state and municipal governments with other legal protections, or refer complaints to them. The new policy also mandates that applicants seeking HUD funding must comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect members of the LGBT community. Previously, they only had to comply with federal law. The new policies follow changes announced by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan last October. Those changes • Defined “family” to include LGBT individuals, couples, and their dependents, so that they are protected under the family status provisions of the Fair Housing Act. • Required FHA-insured mortgages be based solely on the credit-worthiness of the borrower, and not on any unrelated factors like sexual orientation or gender identity. • Commissioned the first-ever national study of discrimination against the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing. In a White House LGBT media briefing
Our fair housing staff will work with state and local civil rights agencies to investigate and refer discrimination cases and work to combat all aspects of gender discrimination.
earlier this month, President Obama’s Domestic Policy Adviser Melody Barnes said that because the president believes that DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) is discriminatory, he wanted all executive departments to go as far as possible in equalizing benefits for same-sex couples. “We try and make sure that couples – same-sex couples – have access to the full range of benefits,” Barnes said, “which is why he has called for activity on the federal level in the federal government and asked his cabinet heads and agency heads to scrub their authorities to see how far they can go and to go as far as they can.”
Full protection for LGBT families requires federal legislation, however. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, introduced legislation to that effect on March 11 this year. The Fair and Inclusive Housing Act of 2010 would amend the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to prohibit housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Nadler’s subcommittee has held one hearing on the measure. As yet, there is no companion bill in the Senate.
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Both conservative Democrats and Republicans are skeptical of that strategy, however. Some observers warn that introducing a controversial issue so close to the midterm elections could exacerbate the immigration debate and erode support from lawmakers in swing districts. “It adds another dimension to the issue that will be the subject of significant debate,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (DMiss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “For sure, it will enhance the debate.” Nadler told reporters “we should reach out to everybody” to pass immigration reform, but he hoped “evangelicals and others can see they should support [UAFA] too. Because it has nothing to do with the issue of marriage. … The immigration laws of the United States should not work to keep couples separated. It’s cruelty.” But Joanna Burgos, a National Republican Campaign Committee spokeswoman, noted that UAFA was opposed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals, and would scare away some potential supporters. “If they’re trying to appeal to the Hispanic vote, Gay marriage is not the right issue for their socially conservative values,” Burgos said. “I think it puts Democrats in Hispanic districts in an awkward position because they are very socially conservative.” On the Senate side, UAFA was introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and has 24 co-sponsors, including Washington’s Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the prime sponsor of the immigration reform package in the Senate, has reached out to evangelical groups who have said they will support immigration reform, but not Gay-rights legislation. Schumer did not attend the Thursday press conference.
House Dems say “include Gays in immigration reform” In a July 15 press conference, key House Democrats called for comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would include the Uniting American Families Act. The UAFA would give LGBT citizens the ability to bring their foreign-born partners legally to the U.S. The featured speakers – Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.), and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) – said they were confident that immigration reform legislation including the UAFA would pass this year. They were joined by members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, LGBT Equality Caucus, and Progressive Caucus. In addition, 37 immigrant rights, LGBT, and faith groups attended. Nadler is the prime sponsor of UAFA in the U.S. House. The bill has 124 co-sponsors, including Washington Democrats Brian Baird, Jay Inslee, Rick Larson, Jim McDermott, and Adam Smith. Gutierrez introduced the immigration reform bill last December, and – until now – had been reluctant to add the UAFA provisions. He told C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on July 14 that he has 200 votes for his immigration package. That leaves him 17 votes short of a majority. Gutierrez and other Democrats hope to “sweeten” the legislation and attract more votes by adding provisions to benefit a broader constituency. “It’s the right thing to do. Families should be included, and as we move forward, that should be our guiding principle for comprehensive immigration reform,” he told Politico reporters the day before Thursday’s press conference. “To use the old adage, the tent is big enough.”
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Celebrating 37 Years!
Reading between the lines q syndicate
clear family narratives.” A second study included major Division I conferences, including the Big Ten, Pac10, Big 12, SEC, ACC and Big East, as well as regionally representative Division III leagues. That study looked at over 1,900 biographies. The first study found no mention of any Gay or Lesbian partners. The second showed only two: a male head coach of the female softball team at Oregon State University and the female field hockey coach at Wake Forest. Though one hypothesis – that D-III schools, with less rigorous athletic demands and tamer recruiting battles, would be a more hospitable environment for openly Gay coaches – was shattered, Calhoun looks at the glass as half full. “I think it’s fantastic that there are at least two college coaches who are openly Gay in their bios,” she says. “At least we’re talking about it.” Calhoun also found something that wasn’t there. Over 35 percent of the coaches’ bios contained no information at all about spouses or partners. “It’s improbable to think that only 0.1 percent of coaches are Gay or Lesbian,” she says. “There are people who are out in many facets of their lives. They’re just not out in their online coaching bios.” Of the 690 coaches with no mention of a significant other, 57 percent were male, 43 percent female. They fell into two categories. Some bios included “some level of personal information,” such as interests or community work. Others did not. “When a bio stops at high school or college, that’s indicative of something,” Calhoun says. “Over 1,200 coaches have some personal text. So the absence of that becomes visible. It’s almost like not including personal information is a way of implicitly outing someone. People reading the biography may say, ‘Why isn’t there any information about this person’s personal life?’”
Coaching is a high-stress profession, Calhoun notes. “There are plenty of barriers for women. In some cases, there is no time for a female coach to have a family. But lots of coaches say ‘our team is a family.’ If there’s no traditional family involved, that’s an interesting dichotomy.” LaVoi passes along an interesting saying: “The best qualification for a female coach is to be divorced, with no kids.” Calhoun interprets that to mean: “You’re ‘safe’ in terms of sexual orientation, but you’re not distracted by children.” The feedback to the studies has been “fantastic,” she says. The pilot research was presented last year at the Sport, Sexuality and Culture Conference at Ithaca College, and published by the Women’s Sports Foundation. The national study was presented at the Tucker Center, and is being submitted to a professional journal. Calhoun recently finished her coursework, and is embarking on her Ph.D. dissertation. The topic is “Gatekeeping Mechanisms of NCAA Media Professionals.” She’ll examine how sports information directors’ staffs prepare coaches’ biographies, with an eye toward how and why information on personal lives is included (or not). “I want to see whether it’s the result of institutionalized homophobia” – meaning it comes from the culture of sports and individual institutions – “or if it’s internalized” (resulting from the coaches’ own desire to maintain privacy). “This all started as a little idea of mine,” Calhoun says. “Now it may be the research of my career.” Years from now, her own biography should make for very interesting reading. Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, Gay activist, and author of the “Jocks” series of books on Gay male athletes. Visit his website at www.danwoog. com. He can be reached care of this publication or at OutField@qsyndicate.com.
Austin Stair Calhoun
by Dan Woog SGN Contributing Writer They’re buried deep inside glossy media guides or in the middle of websites that take several clicks to reach. They’re usually succinct: “Coach So-and-So is married to (spouse’s name). They live with their (x number of) children in (insert town here).” Those brief lines say a lot. Their absence says even more. Most people who read coaches’ bios – sportswriters, avid fans, potential recruits and their parents – don’t give them much thought. But Austin Stair Calhoun has. A doctoral student at the University of Minnesota, she developed two research studies examining the biographies of college head coaches. She wanted to see whether coaching bios reinforced heterosexism in
athletics – and how coaches who did not fit “heteronormative” patterns were portrayed. Calhoun did not just wander into her project. A media-relations professional, she had written coaches’ bios at Washington and Lee University and the University of Delaware. There was a pattern: Male coaches were often described as “single and living in (town name).” Women were not. She wanted to explore those differences. Working with Dr. Nicole LaVoi, associate director of the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Calhoun looked first at the biographies of Big Ten varsity coaches. She coded 10 items, ranging from gender of the coach and sport to personal information, such as hobbies, spouses, children and pets. All, she said, are “markers of traditional nu-
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Gay sex among the animals by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer A few years ago, the Zurich Zoo in Switzerland conducted guided tours that centered around homosexual behavior among the zoo animals. Unfortunately, the onehour tours were held in the early evenings, at a time when most animals were asleep. But this did not stop the Gay zoo tours from being a success. Though there was no samesex activity in evidence, tour guide Myriam Schärz assured her tourists that same-sex behavior is a common part of animal life: “I don’t know of any species that is exclusively heterosexual,” Schärz told “swissinfo,” Switzerland’s news and information platform. “Right here in Zurich we once had a Gay flamingo couple who remained partners for life. In Cologne Zoo, they have a pair of Lesbian penguins who each year steal an egg from one of their neighbors and treat it as their own.” The last time I wrote about same-sex behavior among the so-called “lesser” species
was in 1999. Later that year the standard work on the topic, Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity by Bruce Bagemihl, was published. “On every continent, animals of the same sex seek each other out and have probably been doing it for millions of years,” Bagemihl wrote. “They court each other, using intricate and beautiful mating dances that are the result of eons of evolution. Males caress and kiss each other, showing tenderness and affection toward one another rather than just hostility and aggression. Females form long-lasting pair-bonds – or maybe just meet briefly for sex, rolling in passionate embraces or mounting one another. Animals of the same sex build nests and homes together, and many homosexual pairs raise young without members of the opposite sex. Other animals regularly have partners of both sexes, and some even live in communal groups where sexual activity is common among all members, male and female. Many creatures are Transgendered, crossing or combining characteristics of both males and females in
moths, octopuses, orcas, porcupines, raccoons, rats and wasps. “In 1994,” according to the Almanac, “two male flamingos in the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands got the nesting urge and set up a same-sex co-habitation. After the two repeatedly sought to steal eggs from female flamingos to hatch them as their own, the zookeepers decided to provide them with a fertilized egg. The proud parents successfully hatched their own little chick, and remained faithfully by the side of the baby flamingo for a while.” The whole world knows about Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York who lovingly hatched and raised an adopted chick, Tango. (The story of Tango and her two daddies appears in 2005’s oftencensored children’s book, And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.) Gay animal behavior seems to alarm religious conservatives almost as much as the human variety, and they have tried their best to deny it. Those who do admit that same-sex behavior exists in the animal kingdom try to explain it away as being playful antics or dominance behavior to assert hierarchy. “Some conservatives and religious groups now admit that homosexuality is common in the animal kingdom, but many of them have also put forward theories to explain the phenomenon,” said Myriam Schärz of the Zurich Zoo. “Some argue that homosexuality only occurs when animal populations become too large, or that animals only turn to homosexuality when they have no other alternative. … But there is no evidence to back up the population theory, and there is plenty of proof against the harem argument. Dominant silver-back gorillas, for instance, have frequently been seen engaging in homosexual activity and deliberately shunning available females.” “Humans seem to be the only species where homosexuals are not readily accepted in society,” Schärz said. “Animal societies tend to stay together and accept each other. Of course, animals do get excluded occasionally but that tends to happen if they get injured or if they are not liked, rather than because of their sexuality.” Here is another instance where we humans could learn from the animals.
their appearance or behavior.” According to Bagemihl, “Homosexual behavior occurs in more than 450 different kinds of animals worldwide, and is found in every major geographic region and every major animal group.” But we don’t need Bagemihl for anecdotal evidence. Hardly a week goes by that we don’t hear stories about same-sex-oriented otters or rabbits. You don’t have to go to the Zurich Zoo to learn about “the indiscriminate and almost insatiable sexuality of bonobo apes” or “how Gay male dolphins use their lovers’ blowholes for sexual gratification.” Just last year, a review paper by Nathan Bailey and Marlene Zuk of the Department of Biology at the University of California in Riverside concluded that “same-sex behavior is a nearly universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom, common across species, from worms to frogs to birds.” “Female western gulls sometimes pair off for several years and mount each other while incubating eggs,” Steve Hogan and Lee Hudson wrote in Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia. “Similar behaviors have been documented among female sage grouse, male mallard ducks, and female and male greylag geese and turkeys.” According to the authors of Out in All Directions: The Almanac of Gay and Lesbian America, same-sex behavior has been documented in all kinds of animal species, Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer including antelope, bugs, butterflies, cats, cattle, cockroaches, crickets, dogs, donkeys, and animal lover who lives in South Florielephants, flies, geckos, guinea pigs, ham- da. Send all Gay animal tales to him at jessters, horses, hyenas, lions, martens, mice, semonteagudo@aol.com.
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Celebrating 37 Years!
Seattle writer details Elvis’ late renaissance in Return of the King
career, but that’s exactly what it did. What followed can only be described as a brief artistic renaissance fueled by another accident of fate, the Memphis sessions of 1969. Elvis and the talented session band known as The Memphis Boys would make some of the best music of his career resulting in hits like “Suspicious Minds” and “In the Ghetto.” Return of the King is a fascinating read that includes interviews with Elvis’ loyal inner circle, television production staff, musicians, and even fans. It reads like a history book – a rock ‘n’ roll history book – with an eye for detail that makes the jam sessions and rehearsals spring to life. Even if you’re not an Elvis fan, you’ll love the story behind the music. Gaar has been a fixture in Capitol Hill’s music/Queer scene since the ‘80s. She was a senior editor and columnist for The Rocket, Seattle’s ill-fated bi-weekly music newspaper from the mid-‘80s until 1997. Gaar witnessed the rise of grunge, the WTO riots, the disillusioned fallout after Kurt Cobain’s suicide, and much, much more. She not only witnessed history in the making, she wrote a lot of it down. Return of the King is her fifth book.
and that non-violent civil disobedience has been proven again to be effective in combating prejudice. We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them and other LGBT active-duty servicemembers who are taking action to end this discriminatory policy.” “We were ready to put ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ on trial today, but it was clear the government was embarrassed to defend an indefensible policy,” said Mark Goldstone, lawyer for Choi and Pietrangelo. “Did the White House make a last-minute call to prevent this embarrassment from continuing? Clearly, someone did.” Goldstone said that all fair-minded people should continue to agitate for actual and immediate repeal of the unjust, unfair policy. “This is a big win for nonviolent resistance to unjust policies and proves if you speak truth to power, good things can happen,” he said. Ann Wilcox, another lawyer on Choi and Pietrangelo’s defense teams, said, “They declined to prosecute because the case would embarrass the government. The president said it was important to pressure leaders like himself, and that is exactly what Choi and Pietrangelo did before and intended to do again today.”
choi
continued from cover until the day comes when not one more Gay or Lesbian servicemember is fired. And, as of today, the president refuses to tell us when that day will actually come.” “It is clear that the government was embarrassed and we were prepared to make them defend this antiquated and homophobic law. The government is afraid of having to defend this issues,” Pietrangelo said. “The subpoena was an embarrassment for them, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is an embarrassment for them, and, after three months of discovery and preparation, the government dropped the case because they know it’s an embarrassment.” “Civil disobedience won today,” said Robin McGehee, co-founder and co-director of GetEQUAL, an LGBT advocacy organization fighting for full equality for the community. “We’re thrilled today that Choi and Pietrangelo’s actions have been validated
by Scott Rice SGN Contributing Writer Gillian G. Gaar writes in her new book Return of the King, “For most of the general public, there are two Elvises – the slim Hillbilly Cat of the ‘50s and the paunchier, jumpsuit-clad superhero of the ‘70s.” Gaar’s right; we do tend to think of one or the other. What we don’t think much about are the intervening years, the short period of time between the 1968 comeback special on NBC and his last chart-topping album Alo-
ha from Hawaii in 1973. Gaar’s book aims to fix that. Return of the King opens with a brief recounting of the dismal years after Elvis returned from the Army through 1968. These years were marked by a string of kitschy Elvis flicks and releases of the trite songs from them. Then, with his career nearly ruined, Elvis connected with a dynamic group of creative young minds led by Steve Binder in a perfect example of Hollywood serendipity. The resulting network special, Elvis, was never intended to jumpstart Elvis’
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survey
continued from cover which asks some 100 questions, and cost taxpayers $4.4 million. A second confidential survey assessing how 150,000 family members feel about the prospective repeal is slated for next month. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) law, passed in 1993 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994, has resulted in the abrupt firing of more than 14,000 men and women because of their sexual orientation, and has led tens of thousands more to voluntarily terminate their careers because of the burden of serving under this outdated law. There are an estimated 66,000 Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals currently serving in the U.S. military, and an estimated 1 million Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual veterans of the U.S. armed forces. Earlier this year, top Pentagon brass established a team to conduct the survey after President Barack Obama called upon Congress and the military to end DADT. Thus far, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen publicly back a repeal of DADT. “DEROGATORY AND INSULTING WORDING” However, some Gay rights groups say the survey is biased and derogatory and – al-
though there are 103 questions – falls short of asking troops if they think the current ban is harmful. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell called such criticism “nonsense.” “While it remains safe for Gay and Lesbian troops to participate in this survey, it is simply impossible to imagine a survey with such derogatory and insulting wording, assumptions, and insinuations going out about any other minority group in the military,” said Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, the nation’s largest organization of Gay and Lesbian troops and veterans. “Unfortunately, this expensive survey stokes the fires of homophobia by its very design and will only make the Pentagon’s responsibility to subdue homophobia as part of this inevitable policy change even harder. The Defense Department just shot itself in the foot by releasing such a flawed survey to 400,000 servicemembers, and it did so at an outrageous cost to taxpayers.” Nicholson says that flawed aspects of the survey include the unnecessary use of terms that are known to be inflammatory and biasinducing in social science research, such as the clinical term “homosexual”; an overwhelming focus on the potential negative aspects of repeal and little or no inclusion of the potential positive aspects of repeal or the negative aspects of the current policy; the repeated and unusual suggestion that a co-worker or leader might need to “discuss” appropriate behavior and conduct with Gay and Lesbian troops; and more. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
(SLDN) recommended that Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual servicemembers not participate in any survey. SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis released the following statement to SGN: “As a legal services group, our focus is on ensuring adequate legal protections for those Gay and Lesbian servicemembers that participate in the surveys. We continue to have discussions with the Department of Defense and are working to make sure Gay and Lesbian servicemembers are protected. At this time, our warning stands that Gay and Lesbian servicemembers should not take the survey unless adequate legal protections are put in place.” Sarvis said that SLDN has made clear from the beginning that no survey of the troops should be done. “Surveying the troops is unprecedented; it did not happen in 1948 when President Truman ended segregation and it did not happen in 1976 when the service academies opened to women. Even when the military placed women on ships at sea, the Pentagon did not turn to a survey on how to bring about that cultural change,” Sarvis told SGN. “Now in the field, the survey is fait accompli,” Sarvis continued. “The question today is what will the Pentagon Working Group do with the results? The Working Group was tasked to provide the Secretary of Defense with a set of recommendations to implement open service. We will soon learn to what extent this survey will identify potential issues with open service. No one should be surprised if a number of prejudices come to light.” Late last week, SLDN asked the Department of Defense and the Pentagon Working Group for the text of the survey, more information on possible certificates of confidentiality, and whether the Department of Defense or the working group guarantee immunity from DADT and other armed services rules and regulations for servicemembers
who are inadvertently “outed” by the survey. The Department of Defense was unable to satisfy that request. “The law is still in effect, and if someone were to out themselves, we would have to begin the discharge process,” said Pentagon spokesperson Cynthia Smith. For some, the issue isn’t the questions themselves, but that the Pentagon has turned to surveying troops in the first place. “This is a very dangerous precedent,” says Lawrence Korb, who ran the Pentagon’s personnel office during the Reagan administration. “It gives the troops the feeling that they have veto over what the top people want.” Even some top officers acknowledge some unease. “We’ve never done this,” said Admiral Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations. “We’ve never assessed the force because it is not our practice to go within our military and poll our force to determine if they like the laws of the land or not. I mean, that gets you into a very difficult regime.”
argentina continued from cover
Marry. “Key to Argentina’s human rights achievement was strong leadership from legislators and the president. It is time we see more of our own elected officials standing up for the Constitution and all families here in the United States,” Wolfson said. “America should lead, not lag, when it comes to treating everyone equally under the law.” Same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Mexico City, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.
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July 16, 2010
Celebrating 37 Years!
HIV/AIDS
continued from cover
crimination.” Some 1.1 million residents of the U.S. are now living with HIV, and approximately 56,000 become infected every year. NHAS calls for reducing the number of new infections by 25% within five years, and reducing the rate of transmission by 30%. “We’ve been keeping pace when we should be gaining ground,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at the press conference where the new plans were announced. In addition to reducing the infection rate, NHAS calls for improving HIV patients’ access to treatment, so that 85% of those infected will receive medical care within the first three months of being diagnosed. Now only 65% of newly diagnosed patients will receive treatment within three months of their diagnosis. NHAS also sets new HIV testing goals. It calls for 90% of people with HIV/AIDS to know that they are infected. Currently, an estimated 79% know. “The public’s sense of urgency associated with combating the epidemic appears to be declining” since the first days of the epidemic, the report says. It calls for the
federal government to reduce disparities in access to treatment by directing resources at targeted populations. “We must reorient our efforts by giving much more attention and resources” to the “populations at highest risk,” NHAS says – African Americans, Gay and Bi men of all races, Latinos, and substance abusers. The new plan calls for increasing diagnoses in each of these target groups by 20% within five years. In addition, NHAS calls for modest increases in the number of Ryan White HIV/ AIDS Program clients who receive continuous care and permanent housing benefits. Secretary Sebelius announced that $30 million of the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention Fund will be dedicated to the implementation of NHAS. The funding would support the development of “combination prevention interventions,” improved surveillance, expanded and targeted testing, and other activities. Other funds might be available from state and municipal governments and from nongovernment agencies. “We can’t afford complacency – not when in the 10 minutes I’ve been talking to you, another American has just contracted HIV,” Sebelius said. “That’s why our strategy calls for aggressive efforts to educate Americans about how dangerous this disease still is and the steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones.” The new strategy was designed by the
White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), a part of the Domestic Policy Council. According to the Implementation Plan, “ONAP has taken steps to engage as many Americans as possible to hear their ideas for making progress in the fight against HIV.” ONAP’s outreach included hosting 14 HIV/AIDS Community Discussions, reviewing suggestions from the public via the White House website, conducting a series of expert meetings on HIV-specific topics, and working with government and community partners who organized meetings towards development of a comprehensive national HIV strategy. Reactions The new HIV/AIDS strategy debuted to mixed reviews. HRC President Joe Solmonese called it a “bold and historic framework for addressing HIV and AIDS in the United States.” “But,” he added, “the goals and timetables laid out in this document cannot and will not be achieved without strong leadership and robust resources.” The NGLTF said in a statement that “The administration has taken a historic step today in the fight against HIV/AIDS.” The Task Force warned, however, that “the plan doesn’t yet go far enough in ending new infections and helping those already coping with the disease to manage it.” The NGLTF statement worried that the
federal government was not committing adequate resources to achieving the goals of NHAS. “The government must make available the necessary resources and life-saving medicines for those in need. Adequate attention to and funding for implementation as well as aggressive timetables are essential to the success of this plan. This ongoing national tragedy requires an immediate, potent and cohesive federal response that is appropriately funded,” the NGLTF statement said. Perhaps the most negative reaction came from Housing Works President and CEO Charles King. “The president’s plan is so flawed that it might actually represent a step backwards in combating HIV and AIDS in the United States,” King said. “Since his days on the campaign trail, President Obama has repeatedly said that he wants to lead the fight against AIDS. Unless he commits significant new resources intended to make major inroads against the spread of HIV, he will be regarded as a leader who did next to nothing about the most devastating epidemic of our time.”
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Celebrating 37 Years!
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