Issue 29 Volume 41
FRIDAY July 19, 2013 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & newsstands
Celebrating 40 Years!
Candidate Ratings Sec 1, Page 5
Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
House Republicans surrender on marriage AP Photo / Alex Brandon
BLAG withdraws from bias suit in wake of DOMA decision
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Lawyers for the House Republican leadership have said their clients will no longer defend laws that define marriage in exclusively opposite-sex terms.
that two sections in Title 38 dealing with veterans’ benefits violate their equal protection and due process rights because they define “spouse” as “a person of the opposite sex.” The case was originally filed by Servicemembers Legal Defense
“The House has determined, in light of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Windsor, that it no longer will defend that statute.” In a July 18 court filing, lawyers for BLAG – the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group set up by Republicans to defend DOMA in court – asked permission to withdraw as a defendant from a suit challenging DOMA and Title 38 of the U.S. Code. The plaintiffs, Army National Guard Maj. Shannon McLaughlin and her wife, Casey, argued
House Speaker John Boehner
Network (now known as OutServe-SLDN). In a July 17 filing, the plaintiffs argue that Windsor – the case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a similar provision of DOMA unconstitutional – “is plainly dispositive,” meaning it invalidates the Title 38 language as see blag page 9
Her Majesty approves Being killed because Queen Elizabeth OKs marriage bill, which now becomes law by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Why Trayvon Martin matters to the LGBT community file photo
Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Proponents of same-sex marriage outside the Houses of Parliament
Britain’s House of Commons Speaker John Bercow announced on July 17 that Queen Elizabeth II had given her “royal assent” to the country’s Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. Royal assent is the last step necessary for the bill to become law, and same-sex marriages are expected to begin in the summer of 2014. Unlike bill-signings by the U.S. president, the queen’s assent does not take place in a public ceremony. The House of Commons finished its work on the bill, adopting some amendments proposed by the House of Lords, on July 16. Lords passed the measure on July 15 after weeks of debate. Lords who supported the measure wore pink carnations for the final vote. The House of Commons passed the bill on May 21. Although the bill was proposed by the Conservative–Liberal Democratic coalition government, the opposition Labour Party leadership also backed the proposal.
of what you are
Trayvon Martin
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
The shooting of Trayvon Martin is a national tragedy that has left many Americans stunned and saddened. George Zimmerman, CONSERVATIVES DIVIDED a volunteer neighborhood watchPrime Minister and Conserva- man of a Florida community, was acquitted of all charges in the see uk marriage page 21 death of 16-year-old Martin, who
was confronted by Zimmerman as he walked to his father’s home in a gated community. Zimmerman, who admitted to fatally shooting the unarmed Black teenager, was not initially arrested or charged. After nearly six weeks of public outcry, prosecutors charged Zimmerman with see martin page 8
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Celebrating 40 Years!
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Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1973
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op-ed
Buried LGBT treasure
reports on police departments and elected officials, and my work with then-Pennsylvania Gov. Milton Shapp, I was on almost every TV talk show at the time. But one show stands out, and that’s The Phil Donahue Show. Not just any episode of Donahue, since I did do three of them. No, this is the one that was taped in February 1973 and not only was I the guest, but my whole family appeared as well. That made us one of the first families of an out Gay person on TV, preceded only by An American Family on PBS a year and a half earlier. Phil wanted to show a typical Gay family and have his audience dialogue with them. So there was my father, mother, and Phillip, my partner at the time, along with me for an hour of fun. Yes, fun. Every other time I did the Donahue show it was work, and involved lots of heated Bible thumpers, but this time with my family I actually enjoyed it, and it brings back fond memories – from what I can remember. I don’t have a copy of the tape.
My search for an historic episode of Phil Donahue
Rev. Barbara Allen, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Scott Wittet, Nevin Jefferson, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Rex Wockner
Classifieds Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Photographers
Nate Gowdy, 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 Frogs and Ink, Inc. © 2013, Frogs and Ink, Inc., all rights reserved. Reprints by permission.
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
nate gowdy / seattle gay news
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.
NO EASY FEAT See, at that time there were no home video recorders – let alone Internet or YouTube – and to get a copy of a TV show, you had to buy it from the production company. The price was $100, and since Gay activists did not earn any sort of living in those days, I couldn’t afford it. So I never got that tape, and now with my family all gone, it’s the one item that is the golden grail of treasures for me. When I ran across Phil Donahue a while back, he told me that many of his tapes from that time were lost in a fire. I’ve searched television museums and private collections, but it remains elusive. I was telling this story to a few of my friends at the last Comcast Joint Diversity Council meeting, when some of the Comcast staff agreed to see if, through their connections, they could see if it still exists. For weeks, I dug through boxes of memorabilia and finally found the official letters from Donahue, and even the TV release forms signed by my mother and father. The search continues, but I have a sinking feeling that the tape is one of those items that will live only in my memory. But to see my friends at Comcast so taken by the story and Phil Donahue the adventure of the search has added a delightful ending to my quest, regardless of its by Mark Segal an object, but, you might be surprised to outcome. Philadelphia Gay News know, I’ve never seen it. From 1973 to 1975, yours truly was most Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the naFor all of us, there is a precious item that likely the nation’s most well-known Gay tion’s most-award-winning commentator in brings back pleasant memories. Just the rights activist. Coming off of my disrup- LGBT media. He can be reached at mark@ thought of it brings joy. For me there is such tions of countless live TV shows, a series of epgn.com.
July 19, 2013
Celebrating 40 Years!
Local news
Police unions honor Ed Murray
Mayoral candidate recognized for fairness and ‘open-door policy’ by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Council of Metropolitan Police and Sheriffs (COMPAS) – an umbrella organization for police unions in Seattle and King County – has named State Senator and Seattle mayoral candidate Ed Murray their 2013 Legislator of the Year. In a statement released by the Murray campaign on July 16, COMPAS praised Murray for being open and honest in his dealings with them. “Your open-door policy and willingness to understand our concerns speaks highly of your ability to work with many different groups,” COMPAS officials wrote. “We have always found you to be fair and honest in your approach and we appreciate the respect you have shown to law enforcement. Many of our members directly benefit from legislation you’ve passed, including legislation guaranteeing marriage equality.”
police reform, which the city is obligated to take up under the terms of a consent decree negotiated between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice. “Ed has been saying since he first announced [his candidacy for Mayor] that public safety and police reform will be a top priority for him, and that we need a mayor who, rather than fighting reform every step of the way, will take a more collaborative approach so we implement needed reforms faster and more effectively,” Murray’s campaign consultant Sandeep Kaushik told SGN in an e-mail. “This honor from an organization representing Seattle police officers, combined with the enthusiastic endorsement of City Attorney Pete Holmes, who has long been an advocate for reform, is the latest indication that Ed has the skill to bring all of the stakeholders together to make the changes necessary cultural changes at SPD to restore trust between the police and the public.”
the Murray campaign, Kaushik cautioned that SPOG has yet to make an endorsement in the mayoral race. “To be clear, the Seattle Police Officers Guild, while a member of COMPAS, has not weighed in on the Seattle mayoral race, and my understanding is that they will not make an endorsement before the primary,” he said. COMPAS describes itself as “a nonpar-
KUDOS TO SHAUN Editor’s note: The following was addressed to SGN Associate Editor Shaun Knittel regarding his commentary, “We Are a Nonviolent Movement,” published in last week’s edition.
I have been reading and marveling at your articles in the SGN for many years. Today, I read your article condemning any and all violence in our community. Bravo. I am now retired but used to manage corporate communications at a very large company. I put myself through college as a newspaper reporter. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to hire and work with RESTORING TRUST SPOG: NO ENDORSEMENT Murray has been critical of the Seattle The Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), a number of good writers. I think of you as Police Department leadership and of incum- which has resisted many reform proposals, being not just a good writer but a great one. You have a wonderful strength of conbent Mayor Mike McGinn’s approach to is affiliated with COMPAS. Speaking for
Visit us online www.sgn.org
July 19, 2013
tisan advocacy organization representing over 2,000 currently commissioned law enforcement officers in Seattle and King County. We represent the largest law enforcement labor unions in Washington State. Our goal is to provide our members with a voice in Olympia, to protect their rights and to strengthen laws that keep our officers, families, and communities safe.”
viction in your words – never more so than in your piece today. You also have a great instinct for storytelling. I find your articles compelling and am in awe of the way you structure and arrange your facts and paragraphs. I am also a former national president of Dignity/USA and have read with interest many of your articles on the intersection of religion and politics in our struggle for equality. I, like many people, never fail to complain when people, companies, and institutions get things wrong. So, I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to give you thanks and praise for the many gifts and talents you bring to our community. We’re lucky to have you. Pat Roche Kirkland
Seattle Gay News
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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Sen. Ed Murray and Mayor Mike McGinn are virtually tied for the lead in the contest for mayor of Seattle, a new poll by KINGTV 5 shows. The poll, released July 18, shows Murray with 22% and McGinn with 21%. The poll’s stated margin of error is 4.5%. Former City Council member Peter Steinbrueck is in third place with 14%, and current City Council member Bruce Harrell comes in fourth with 11%. The other five candidates trail far behind, none getting more than 3% of the respondents, but there is still plenty of room for movement, with 25% saying they are still undecided. Less than three weeks remain before the August 6 primary. Murray is up seven points over his showing in KING’s May poll, while the other candidates’ support has remained more or less constant.
VARIED CONSTITUENCIES According to the poll results, the four leading candidates appeal to different segments of voters. Murray has strong support among women, middle-aged voters, and affluent voters, while McGinn leads among the youngest voters, Latinos, and voters with incomes below $40,000. Steinbrueck leads among self-identified independents and moderates, and among older voters. Harrell, however, leads in the oldest age bracket, and with Asian Americans. On the same day that KING released its latest poll, the two frontrunners also announced major new endorsements. Murray was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest, a political arm of Planned Parenthood, and McGinn was endorsed by UFCW 21, the state’s largest private-sector labor union.
Wade Schwartz: Sister Abba Cadabra running for Kent City Council
Seattle Mayoral Candidate Ed Murray (l) and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn
courtesy wade schwartz
About five years ago, Schwartz started “X-Rated Bingo” at a now-defunct bar called Swank. For three and a half years, the event raised $400 to $500 each night – sometimes much more – for a variety of nonprofits, until the bar closed. “We’ve lost every Gay bar in Kent, and we’re the sixth-largest city in the state,” Schwartz told SGN. As we go to print on Friday, July 19, Schwartz is bringing the event back at Nashville’s Sports Bar (114 Railroad Ave. N.). All funds raised will be donated to the Kent food bank. “We [Schwartz and Nashville’s owner, Kent Morrill] ordered two Pride flags to hang outside the bar,” Schwartz told SGN. “And his business has never been better.”
SEEKING UNITY Dedicated Gay bar or no, Kent has an LGBT community that wants to be united. This is precisely why Schwartz began to feel a strong connection to the city of Kent even before he relocated there. For his Sister novice project, Schwartz staged a fundraising event in Kent that raised $4,500, an impressive amount for any Sister function, let alone one staged by a novice. He credits the success partly to his Abbey mother, Sister Castrata Stigmata Banana Fana Fo Fata. “I love my mom,” said Schwartz. “She was fabulous, she really cared about me.” “[The fundraiser] told me that there’s a community down here that needs nurturing and love and wants to know that it’s OK to come out and be loved,” said Schwartz. “You’re dealing with a town that’s grown very rapidly and a lot of people still have that small-town mindset.” For her part, Sister Castrata thinks he’d make a fine councilman. Wade Schwartz, a.k.a. Sister Abba Cadabra “He’s obviously very concerned with not just the Gay community, but his own comby James Whitely particularly around the growing problem munity at large. That’s want you want out SGN Staff Writer of homelessness in Kent’s downtown core. of any local politician,” said Sister Castrata. Schwartz asked the council to form a task The name Wade Schwartz might not ring force on homelessness in the community SCHWARTZ VS. BERRIOS a bell to most readers – he may be more and he’s also gotten involved in a more perIf that sounds like a boxing match you recognizable as Sister Abba Cadabra, of sonal way, by volunteering to do laundry for might see on pay-per-view, it’s because the the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey those in need. He also offers free haircuts at race for Position 2 may very well be an inof St. Joan. The reverse may soon be true, his salon on Sundays. teresting fight to watch. Schwartz will be however, if Schwartz, who’s been a busiTwo years ago, he and his partner, Billy running against Jim Berrios. Both are Kent ness owner in downtown Kent for the last Walters, founded Kent’s Pride celebration. business owners who have been serving four years, is successful in his campaign for Through his experience working with the their community for the past few years, both Kent City Council Position 2. national nonprofit Services and Advocacy are fairly well known, and both appear to for GLBT Elders (SAGE), he’s helped to have a real shot at winning. FAR FROM HER ABBEY initiate programs for assisting and reaching Berrios is the president of the Kent ChamSchwartz has been very active in Kent out to LGBT elderly citizens of Kent. Now, ber of Commerce and served on the Kent since he relocated there from Seattle’s the city is looking into how it can extend School Board from 2007 to 2011. He ran Crown Hill neighborhood four years ago, such programs to LGBT youth. an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of the
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file photo
Murray and McGinn neck-and-neck, new poll says
nate gowdy / seattle gay news
Mayor’s race tightens
city in 2009, taking roughly one-third of the vote. His mayoral campaign is memorable partly because of the aggressive nature of some of his tactics. While much of Schwartz’s experience seems a bit more “grassroots” than Berrios’ service record, Schwartz has some professional accolades under his belt as well. In 2011, Kent’s mayor asked Schwartz to be on the Human Services Commission, which he now chairs. He’s also been invited to the boards of the Greater Kent Historical Society, the Kent Downtown Partnership (a business association), and the local Rotary. When asked why Kent voters should choose him over Berrios, Schwartz said, “I have an understanding of what’s going on in downtown Kent,” said Schwartz, pointing out that Berrios’ business is outside of the downtown core. Schwartz said that the city is looking to rezone the downtown core, which would enable new construction and new businesses (likely corporate ones) to eventually come in. In his campaign for council, Schwartz is calling for a plan to help the businesses that are already there to grow. It’s an idea that’s fairly nonpartisan, which is why Schwartz’s campaign is finding support from across the political spectrum. He’s been endorsed by the 47th District and Washington State Democrats, but has also found support among Republicans. “I don’t want to say anything bad because I want the people of Kent to vote for the person that’s going to do the best job, based on facts and not emotion,” Schwartz told SGN. Referring to his opponent, he continued, “He wouldn’t be a good fit for understanding how the culture of downtown could be revived.” NO PRIMARY CAMPAIGN Schwartz and Berrios are the only candidates running for Council Position 2, to replace incumbent Jamie Perry, who is not seeking re-election. Since it’s just the two of them, they will skip the August 6 primary and proceed straight to the November 5 election. Schwartz said most of the downtown business owners he’s spoken to seem to support him, and that his campaign is going “really good.” It must be, as he’s still coordinating fundraisers for various charities in addition to his own campaign fundraising. “I just care a lot about the city of Kent. I love where I live and I’ve never been happier in my life. I just want to help this city grow in the right direction,” Schwartz told SGN.
Celebrating 40 Years!
Transgender Student Rights joins GLSEN’s programs by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Eliza Byard, Ph.D., executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN), announced July 18 that GLSEN is strengthening its longstanding support for Transgender and gender-nonconforming students with the addition of the student-created grassroots organization Transgender Student Rights (TSR) to the family of GLSEN programs. Founded in 2009, TSR is an online community that provides support and resources to Transgender and gender-nonconforming students. The TSR student leaders have produced resources and grown a large community of Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth, along with those seeking to
support them. As a part of GLSEN, TSR will become a vehicle for resources, actions, events, and support at GLSEN.org while continuing to provide a community of engagement on Facebook and Twitter, supported by Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth. Visit GLSEN’s Transgender Student Rights page to learn more about TSR and download GLSEN resources designed to support and empower Transgender and gender-nonconforming students. These include “Know Your Rights: A Guide for Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students,” “Where Is the ‘T’ in GSA? Making Your School Trans-Inclusive,” and “Model District Policy on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.”
Rici Berrong
Fashion, art, and more at Kris Owens fundraiser Celebrated nightlife host faces $65k/year prescription costs by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On Friday, July 26, at 9 p.m., fashion event coordinator/stylist/designer Abraham Isaac, in partnership with Recess After Dark, will present the Kris Owens Fundraiser Benefit Fashion + Art Showcase at 1Hundred Bistro Seattle. The lakeside, sunset fashion and art showcase will highlight several Seattle fashion
to keep his head above water. He is dependent upon a $65,000-per-year prescription regimen that has bankrupted his family due to his inability to work. Kris has been part of the Seattle nightlife and hospitality food and beverage industry for over 20 years. He has mentored many of the best of the best in this city, and now it is time to give back. From the DJs he booked and gave their first residence, to the servers, bar staff, and others who called him “boss,”
Kris has been part of the Seattle nightlife and hospitality food and beverage industry for over 20 years. He has mentored many of the best of the best in this city, and now it is time to give back. designers whose talent and artistry are unparalleled. Featured are internationally acclaimed watercolorist and designer Devon Yan-Berrong (www.devonyanberrong. com); Jersey Virago Designs; Kimmi Designs; Vogue Bellevue Collection designer Patricia Askin’s Anne Sylvain (www.AnneSylvain.com) designer handbag line; Metropolitan Fashion Week’s Julius Leano; and Boring Sidney Hats and Headdresses. This is one fashion event that you do not want to miss this summer! The art showcase will feature celebrated photographer McCade Dolan’s work, featured in the pages of such renowned publications as Vogue Italia, and the lovely paintings of Anya Zaytseva. OVERCOMING CANCER Following a great run at the former Pnk UltraLounge/Wasabi Bistro, Kris Owens took on an exciting new opportunity at Cucina! Cucina! before contracting what he thought was pneumonia. Having won a fight for his life against what doctors discovered to be stage-four cancer, Kris continues to battle every day not only to keep going, but
to the countless thousands and thousands of guests he hosted and entertained, the Emerald City owes a lot to this gem of a man. TOP TALENT After the fashion show, guests will enjoy a live performance by R&B singing sensation Rocky Sandoval, a nationally touring artist (Ocean Grooves/OnFire Entertainment) who has graced the stage with and toured with Jodeci, Ginuwine, Boyz II Men, and many others. There will also be a raffle where guests can win VIP bottle service and table packages at some of Seattle and Bellevue’s hottest nightclubs (Suite Lounge, Last Supper Club), a canvas print from showcased photographer McCade Dolan of Cadeography, a professional wine-tasting class with a sommelier, a Jersey Virago Designs swimsuit, movie tickets, salon sessions, and much more. Tickets are $10 pre-sale, $15 at door (suggested donation). Again, the benefit is scheduled for July 26, 9 p.m., at 1001 Fairview Ave. N., Suite 2000, Seattle.
Artist and designer Devon Yan-Berrong
LIKE, YOU KNOW, RECESS Sponsoring the event are We The People (www.facebook.com/WeThePeopleSalon), Krav Hair Studio, Par 7 Vodka, Last Supper Club, Suite Lounge, Spectrum House Salon, and Recess After Dark (RAD). Organizers have partnered with RAD for an evening full of entertainment bringing the nightlife industry together in support of
the community, giving back one family at a time. Think of going to recess as a child and all of the things you could do on the playground. We have incorporated the same in to the nightlife setting. Whether you enjoy live music, dancing, fine art, comedians, fashion, or DJs, you will find them all in the same place on the same night.
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Battle over benefits in Montana ACLU sues for equal rights for state’s same-sex couples by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The ACLU of Montana filed suit July 15 on behalf of seven same-sex couples seeking the same benefits married opposite-sex couples receive. Plaintiffs said they were not seeking the right to marry, which is denied them by an amendment to the Montana state constitution passed in 2004. However, they charge that denying same-sex couples the same benefits that committed opposite-sex couples get is a violation of their equal-protection rights. A similar suit by the same plaintiffs was dismissed by the Montana Supreme Court last December, on grounds that it did not specify which state laws were alleged to be discriminatory. In the amended July 15 filing, plaintiffs name several statutes, including laws they say prevent same-sex couples from receiving financial benefits for police officers and their spouses, and from designating their partners as beneficiaries for workers’ compensation. Other laws cited in the suit exclude samesex couples from financial protections for surviving spouses, authority over end-oflife decisions, financial protections due to illness or disability, and protections from the dissolution of their relationships.
Montana Supreme Court
martin
continued from cover second-degree murder in the case, which became a flashpoint in the conversations about racial profiling and gun laws in America. Martin was perceived to be a suspect by Zimmerman because he was wearing a hoodie and walking in a gated community. Despite being advised by a 911 operator not to leave his vehicle and engage the so-called suspect, Zimmerman got out of his car, a fight ensued, and an unarmed teen is dead. Due to the overwhelming evidence that was introduced during the trial, it seemed to many a no-brainer. I thought, “Zimmerman is guilty because he got out of his vehicle and confronted someone, at night, aggressively, and because he was getting his ass handed to him during the fight he panicked and shot the boy.” In all reality, any rational person can deduce that this trial comes down to one fact: Martin was unarmed, and Zimmerman was not. Simply put, Zimmerman shot an unarmed teen. And yet, for some God-awful reason Zimmerman is a free man – kind of. Let’s face it: more people despise him than anyone else on the planet at the moment. He is a marked man, public enemy number one. And it’s all because he couldn’t keep his dumb ass in his vehicle and follow the 911 operator’s directions. And it is also because Zimmerman is a bigot.
or female – serving on the jury the nation sadly, once again, has shown to be neither colorblind with an all-white jury nor postracial with one,” points out the Rev. Irene Monroe, a columnist for The Huffington Post, in a July 17 opinion piece for the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News. “And the notion that an all-white-female jury would render a fairer outcome than an all-white-male jury assumes racial bias is gender-specific. “Just as racial bias isn’t gender-specific, it is also not race-specific. Zimmerman is of a mixed-ethnic descent (his mother’s Peru-
Seattle Gay News
mean you don’t buy into stereotypes and racial and cultural attitudes,” said Monroe. “These themes inform our judgments and actions toward others as well as your own group (case in point: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas). “As a matter of fact, the bombardment of stereotypes has proven to have both subtle and unintended consequences toward people of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientation, classes, and religions, to name just a few,” she continued. “It’s not just regular people who succumb. Geraldo Rivera, a re-
“For the better part of the last hundred years, killing people because they are Gay has been an acceptable practice in many parts of the country and the world.”
vian, and his father’s Jewish) who identifies as Hispanic,” she said. Monroe, who is African-American, puts forth that it is her belief that from Matthew Shepard to Trayvon Martin, bigotry knows no boundaries. Monroe maintains that the question many are still asking is whether Zimmerman was motivated by racism because he, too, is a person of color; therefore, was Zimmerman racially profiling Trayvon? FREE-FLOATING HATE Racial, gender, gender-expression, and Racism and how it related to the death the all the other biases float freely through of Trayvon Martin is as plain as black and society – landing on all. white. Or is it? “Just because you’re a person of color or “With no one of African descent – male a member of an oppressed group it doesn’t
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‘EGREGIOUS’ INEQUITIES “We’re challenging statutes that offer
July 19, 2013
nowned Latino, stated that Trayvon wearing a hoodie was “as much responsible” for his death as Zimmerman’s pistol. Of course, Rivera later recanted.” ‘GAY PANIC’ PARALLELS A young man has become the symbol of the horrific result of such stereotyping, and is fast becoming the symbol for a movement. Just as Matthew Shepard’s death galvanized a nation, Trayvon Martin’s is doing the same. Gabe Zichermann, a successful entrepreneur turned author, agrees. “For students of Gay rights in the United States, the emerg-
some of the most egregious examples of how state laws do not give equal protection to same-sex couples and violate the Montana Constitution,” said ACLU of Montana Legal Director Jon Ellingson. “Two of our plaintiffs, Peggy Ash and Kelly Hurston of Belgrade, are prime examples of how statutory discrimination in Montana can cost same-sex couples financially and in terms of peace of mind.” Ash, a Bozeman police officer, contributes monthly payments to her retirement pension account, but should she die before her partner, Hurston will not be entitled to collect survivor benefits, as she would if she and Ash were married. “Every other married officer that’s in this position and has worked for this time and paid into the system doesn’t have to worry about money evaporating if they retire and something happens to them,” Ash said. “I go out and risk my health and my life every day. I’m not asking for anything special or different. I’m just asking for the same thing – to be able to take care of Kelly.” State prosecutors have argued spousal benefits are limited by definition to married couples. The U.S. Supreme Court decision last month striking down Section 3 of DOMA was not cited in the new filing, although ACLU officials previously said much of the reasoning used in that case could be applied in the Montana suit.
ing facts of the case, and particularly how police appear to have handled it, are eerily familiar.” “For the better part of the last hundred years, killing people because they are Gay has been an acceptable practice in many parts of the country and the world,” he wrote in a Huffington Post article dated May 10, 2012, long before the trial had begun. “All too often, perpetrators get away with anti-Gay violence because the police have failed to investigate, lawyers have failed to prosecute, or juries have pardoned the perpetrators. From high-profile cases like Harvey Milk’s to hundreds of lesser-known incidents, a pattern of violence against sexual minorities met with official disinterest and inertia is all too common.” The most common tactic to avoid conviction for anti-Gay violence is known as the “Gay panic” defense. “In this strategy, killers assert that they were hit on by a Gay person, felt threatened, and retaliated with violence,” said Zichermann. “Often, the legal system’s response to such incidents is to simply assert that the dead ‘had it coming’ or shouldn’t have incited the violence in the first place, by keeping their interest to themselves.” Like Monroe, Zichermann references Shepard as an example of how bigotry spills over into more than just race. “Sometimes, it’s the prosecutors who support Gay panic, as in the case of Matthew Shepard, where prosecutors asserted for some time that Matthew’s drug use was the reason he was brutally beaten, tied to a fence, and left for dead, despite evidence to the contrary. In that case, the killers directly used a Gay panic defense in court, subtly aided by the prosecution’s ennui. “In this regard, Florida’s self-defense
Celebrating 40 Years!
Joe Burbank / Getty Images
Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the parents of Trayvon Martin
FEAR-MONGERING When the not-guilty verdict was handed down on July 13, police departments across the country braced for a violent reaction. Of course, this was just racial fear-mongering because, aside from a few brushes with police, the crowds that gathered held peaceful SHEPARD, BYRD LINKED protests against what they perceived as an In 1998, the same year that Shepard was injustice. murdered, James Byrd Jr. was the victim of “The prediction of violence was not sima bias-motivated crime. Byrd, an African ply wrong. It was wrong for all the wrong American, was killed by three white su- reasons, in an echo of the way responsibility premacists who chained him to the back of in the case was shifted onto Martin’s shoultheir pickup truck at his ankles and dragged ders,” wrote Jelani Cobb in a July 15 article him three miles along an asphalt road until in The New Yorker. “There’s a sly inversion he was dismembered. at work in the references to lynch mobs and Monroe points out that Byrd was targeted riots, one that takes Zimmerman’s acquittal and murdered because he was Black, just as and expands it to all of American history.” Shepard was tortured, tethered to a fence, “At some point in the saga of George and left to die because he was Gay. Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, it became The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd a truism in certain quarters that a not-guilty Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed verdict in the Zimmerman trial would be in the wake of these murders. The measure greeted by fire, chaos, and mob violence,” expanded the federal hate-crimes law to in- she continued. “This idea has apparently clude crimes motivated by a victim’s actual survived the almost completely peaceful or perceived race, gender, gender identity, protests over the verdict that took place this and sexual orientation, to name a few. weekend.” “With Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ Marc W. Polite at Time magazine writes, [law] permitting Zimmerman to walk with- “The last major racial riot occurred in Los out charges, the Shepard-Byrd statute not Angeles after four police officers were aconly reminds us of how bias-motivated quitted in the brutal beating of Rodney crimes links Gays and Blacks together but King. That was 21 years ago. Since then, that it’s the best hope for Trayvon Martin there have been several other racially and his family seeking justice,” said Mon- charged cases that might have provoked an roe. outpouring of protest, but did not.” act merely codifies for racial minorities something that sexual minorities have long believed: that if you get assaulted, Gaybashed, or even murdered, the authorities are unlikely to make an effort to seek justice on your behalf,” he added.
Polite points out even after the police officers who killed Sean Bell in a hail of 50 bullets were acquitted in 2008, no riots ensued. Likewise, there were none when the indictment of the officer who shot and killed Bronx teenager Ramarley Graham was tossed out earlier this year, despite footage of the police following him into his Bronx home. “His mother didn’t call for riots,” said Polite. “She made T-shirts to protest.” ‘A TERRIBLE MESSAGE’ Martin’s parents spoke out Thursday for the first time since Zimmerman was acquitted in the death of their son. In interviews on three network TV morning news programs, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin attacked the verdict and the Zimmerman defense team’s argument that the killing was in self-defense during an attack by the unarmed teenager. Fulton told CBS This Morning she was “in a bit of shock” after the verdict. “I thought surely that he would be found guilty of second-degree murder,” she said. Fulton said the case is “sending a terrible message to other little Black and brown boys – that you can’t walk fast, you can’t walk slow. So what do they do? I mean, how do you get home without people knowing or either assuming that you’re doing something wrong? Trayvon wasn’t doing anything wrong.” Tracy Martin told CBS he wants America to know that Trayvon “was a fun-loving child.” Speaking to ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Martin added that he and Fulton did not find the verdict fair, “and of course it’s devastating.” The parents have not said whether they intend to file a civil lawsuit. They are, however, urging the federal government – which is considering whether to file criminal civilrights charges against Zimmerman – to examine the case closely.
blag
continued from cover well. “[T]he same logic that required DOMA to be invalidated applies with equal force to the definitional provisions for the term ‘spouse’ and phrase ‘surviving spouse,’ as used in [Title 38],” plaintiffs argued. BOEHNER: NO REACTION Judge Richard Stearns then asked the partied to the lawsuit to give “any reasons why judgment should not enter for plaintiffs in this case,” following the Supreme Court’s June 26 decision striking down section 3 of DOMA. The next day, BLAG meekly replied, “[T] he House now seeks leave to withdraw as a party defendant.” As BLAG’s lawyers explained in their filing, “The Supreme Court recently resolved the issue of DOMA Section 3’s constitutionality. See United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. __ (2013), 2013 WL 3196928 (U.S. June 26, 2013). “The Windsor decision necessarily resolves the issue of DOMA Section 3’s constitutionality in this case. While the question of whether 38 U.S.C. § 101(3), (31) is constitutional remains open, the House has determined, in light of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Windsor, that it no longer will defend that statute.” While House Speaker John Boehner once trumpeted his decision to defend DOMA after President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder declined to do so, his office made only a cursory comment on BLAG’s filing. “The document from the legal team speaks for itself,” Boehner’s spokesman, Michael Steel, told the blog BuzzFeed in response to a request for comment.
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LGBT Visitors Center opens on Capitol Hill
and services including brochures, visitor guides, maps, and a 60-inch TV screen with scrolling information and access to www. travelgayseattle.com, the GSBA web travel portal.” Travel and tourism industry presenting partners include 1st Security Bank and Visit Seattle, which has maintained an LGBT tourism marketing partnership with the GSBA since 2009. Travel and tourism sponsors include the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Sound Transit, Amtrak, and OutCity magazine.
nate gowdy / seattle gay news
The Seattle LGBT Visitors Center on Broadway
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On July 18, the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) unveiled its new Seattle LGBT Visitors Center on Capitol Hill to a select group of tourism industry professionals. According to GSBA officials, the LGBT visitor center is Seattle’s first, and one of just two such visitor centers in the U.S. The
center will open to the public on Friday, July 19. “The Visitors Center is hosted by 1st Security Bank [of Washington] and is a project of the GSBA,” said GSBA Deputy Director Rachael Brister in a July 15 media release. “The 200-square-foot Visitors Center features a street-side space located at the bank’s 614 Broadway East branch. The center is staffed part-time and offers a wide array of Seattle visitor information
WARM WELCOME ASSURED “Seattle’s vibrant, progressive, and welcoming community is the perfect home for this unique resource for the LGBT traveler,” said Louise Chernin, the GSBA’s executive director. “Open to all, the Seattle LGBT Visitors Center will be a great destination for all travelers to find hotels, exciting nightlife spots, fabulous food, entertainment, shopping, and attractions – and the LGBT traveler will know that each business found inside the Visitors Center is friendly, supportive, and gladly welcomes the LGBT traveler.” “As a local bank, we are deeply committed to the communities we serve. What better way to support Capitol Hill’s vibrant neighborhood than to host GSBA’s Seattle LGBT Visitors Center. We thank Louise and the GSBA for this amazing opportunity,” said Joe Adams, CEO of 1st Security Bank. According to GSBA officials, LGBT travelers comprise approximately 10 percent of the consumer travel market share in the U.S. and, on average, have higher disposable incomes than members of other niche travel markets. The estimated annual economic impact of LGBT travelers is $70 billion, according to Community Marketing, Inc.
continue to work together to position Seattle as a top destination for these travelers, and to help create new sources of revenue for Seattle and the region, said Brister. “The LGBT community already plays a vital role in the economy and vitality of the Puget Sound region,” said Chernin, “and now with marriage equality, we now have an even greater opportunity to harness the economic impact of the LGBT traveler.” In the first four months that legal samesex marriages were performed in Washington, 14% were for out-of-state couples. “We’re proud to support the GSBA with this new venture during an important time for LGBT civil liberties,” said Tom Norwalk, president and CEO of Visit Seattle. “Our city has always been known as a progressive, welcoming destination that promotes LGBT civil rights and equality for all, and now Washington state has joined in extending marriage equality. Extending a warm welcome is the right thing to do, but we also hope it encourages more LGBT tourism dollars, which, in turn, strengthen our local and state economies.”
ABOUT THE GSBA The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) is the largest LGBT and allied chamber of commerce in the United States and was honored as 2008 Gay and Lesbian Chamber of the Year by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). GSBA supports the next generation of leaders through its Scholarship Program and has awarded nearly $1 million to Washington state undergraduates. GSBA’s mission is to combine business development, social action, advocacy, and leadership to expand economic opportunities for the LGBT community and those who support equality for all. For more information about GSBA and/or MARRIAGE DESTINATION the Visitors Center, go to www.thegsba.org The GSBA and its travel industry partners or www.travelgayseattle.com.
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GAY CITY ARTS – “IDOL TIME” JULY 11-AUGUST 5 From July 11-August 5, Gay City Arts (517 E. Pike St.) presents “Idol Time,” an exhibition of work by Flynn Bickley. Flynn Bickley started making dolls in childhood, as a girl who looked and acted like a boy. Today, as a grown-up Transman, “Idol Time” is a collection of handcrafted dolls Bickley made over the last four years that embody stories about gender identity, fantasy, human folly and hunting. Also on display will be paintings from his series “Plots,” a series of architectural mixed media paintings on tar paper inspired by homeownership and dreams. Flynn Bickley earned a BFA in sculture from Central Washington University in 2001 and currently resides in South Park. He is a 2012 Artist Trust EDGE program graduate and has recently exhibited around Seattle, including CoCA Ballard, as well as Simon Mace Gallery in Port Townsend. Bickley is a co-founder of the Art Lending Library, a Seattle program that checks out original artwork to the public for free. “Idol Time” is presented in conjunction with Gay City Arts, through which Gay City collaborates with local LGBT artists to galvanize an audience for Queer arts, foster the development of LGBT artists, and facilitate artistic excellence across a wide range of disciplines, including theater, music, dance, film, spoken word, literary and visual arts. www.gaycity.org; www.flynnbickleyart.com BORDER RIDERS MOTORCYCLE CLUB – BEAR HOLLOW PARK WEEKEND RUN This weekend, Friday, July 19-Sunday, July 21, Border Riders Motorcycle Club hosts their July weekend run to Bear Hollow Park in Fossil, OR. Additional weekend runs this year will be held August 16-18, September 20-22 and October 18-20 . The next Seattle Day run will be held on Sunday, August 4; and the next Meet & Greet will be held on Wednesday, August 14, at 7 p.m., at The Cuff Complex (13th Ave. & E. Pine St.). For more information on these and future events, visit www.borderriders.com. GROUPON BITE OF SEATTLE JULY 19-21 This year’s Groupon Bite of Seattle takes place July 19-21 at Seattle Center (Fri/Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.) at the Fisher Pavilion and surrounding areas and features more than 60 restaurants, six entertainment stages, live cooking demonstrations, a craft beer tasting, a Washington wine tasting and much more. Admission is free. www.biteofseattle.com SEQUIM LAVENDER FESTIVAL JULY 19-21 www.lavenderfestival.com THREE DOLLAR BILL CINEMA – “I NEED A HERO” SUMMER MOVIE SERIES On Friday, July 19, at Cal Anderson Park (11th Ave. & E. Olive St.), join Three Dollar Bill Cinema for the kick-off of their outdoor summer movie series. On Friday, July 19, Three Dollar Bill presents Hairspray (1988); on Friday, August 2, it’s Galaxy Quest (1999); on Friday, August 9; it’s Batman: The Movie (1966); and on Friday, August 16, it’s Conan: The Destroyer (1984). All screenings are FREE and start at dusk. www.threedollarbillcinema.org. RED DRESS PARTY – RED DRESS REQUIRED, ATTITUDE OPTIONAL
On Saturday, July 20, doors open at 9 p.m., at Fremont Studios (155 N 35th St.), join your hostess Ne Ne Leakes, headline performer Alexis Jordan, headlining DJ Superstar DJ Chi Chi Larue, red carpet by Morgan McMichaels, Absolut VIP Hostess Gaysha Starr with local showcase stage featuring DJ Bret Law, L.A. Kendall, DJ Lightray, Richard J. Dalton, Robbie Turner, Jamie Von Stratton, Kitten LaRue, Lou Henry Hoover, Aleksa Manila and Kitty Kitty Bang Bang!! for a fundraising dance party. The color red is commonly accepted as the international symbol of AIDS awareness. The Seattle Red Dress Party builds on that idea and all guests, despite age, gender or sexual orientation attend the event wearing a red dress. The visual of all attendees donning red dresses whether male, female, Gay, straight, old or young, serves as a powerful symbol of solidarity of people living with HIV/AIDS and also reminds us that we are all here to make a difference and support a common cause. The Seattle Red Dress Party is the second largest event of its type in Seattle and the largest single event that is focused on HIV/ AIDS research and related care fundraising in the region. The event was started 4 years ago (this is the 5th annual event) as a sister event to the Red Dress Party in Portland. Both parties raise significant money each year for research, education and testing, for our friends and neighbors who are living with HIV and AIDS, and for children who were affected by AIDS. We raise this money exclusively through sponsorships, ticket sales and bar profits. This year we are adding a silent auction component to the event to raise additional money. With a cure hopefully on the horizon, the money raised now can have an impact like never before. The event is held at Fremont Studios; a huge production facility that this year will be opened up completely to allow for three rooms (one main room, one side room with stage, another side room for pictures/photo booth and an outdoor area for food trucks, plus more rest rooms). Plus an after-party at Q Capitol Hill included with your ticket purchase. Tickets: $50 general admission, $120 Floor VIP (limited), Absolut VIP $350 donation (all inclusive) (very limited). (Most of the ticket price is tax-deductible. You will receive a letter following the event for you to use with your 2013 taxes.) Proceeds benefit Gay City Health Project, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, BABES Network, YWCA, Inspire Youth Project, and Rosehedge/Multifaith Works. www.seattlereddressparty.org
VICTORY FUND – CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH FUNDRAISER On Sunday, July 21, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Hyatt at Olive 8 (1635 8th Ave.), the Victory Fund hosts their first Seattle Champagne Brunch fundraiser, raising money to assist LGBT candidates across the country on both strategic and financial fronts at the local, state and federal levels of government. The keynote speaker at the upcoming brunch will be Joel Burns, the well-known city councilman from Fort Worth, TX, who became an internationally recognized name in October 2010 after speaking out at a council meeting on the issues of bullying and suicide among LGBT youth, as part of the “It Gets Better Campaign.” Also at the brunch will be Washington State Senator and Seattle mayoral candidate Ed Murray. Registration and more information on the Victory Fund can be found at www.victoryfund.org/seattlebrunch. Tickets start at $125 per person.
compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer
KITSAP PRIDE – PRIDE 365 On Sunday, July 21, from noon-5pm, Kitsap Pride hosts “Pride 365: at Evergreen Park in downtown Bremerton. Info at http:// kitsappride.org
monious balance of Northwest and Japanese plants and Japanese garden design. Tickets for this evening’s event are $75 and may be purchased online at www. brownpapertickets.com/event/379633
YAKIMA PRIDE – PRIDE FEST 2013 On Saturday, July 27, from 10 a.m.6 p.m., at Franklin Park (2301 Fruitvale Boulevard, Yakima), 1st Friday/Gayakima presents Pride in the Park, featuring entertainment, retail vendors, non-profit booths, information and statement from Yakima Health District, with fun and games for all. On Saturday, July 27, from 9:30 p.m.1:30 a.m., at Unitarian Universalist Church (225 N. 2nd St., Yakima) (please use alley entrance), 1st Friday/Gayakima presents their all-ages Pride Dance and “You Make the Difference Awards.” $8 at the door (prizes of all who pay). Music by local DJs, LA FEMME MAGNIFIQUE & drag show featuring Dragular Glamour, AlLA FEMME MAGNIFIQUE PLUS exandria Ruiz, Fribola Benebolla, plus othWASHINGTON PAGEANT – ers. “PIRATES OF THE SEVEN SEAS” For more information, call 209-576-0276 On Sunday, July 21, doors 6 p.m., pag- ir email 1st-Friday@gayakima.com eant 7 p.m., Neighbours Nightclub (1509 Broadway) hosts the 2013 La Femme SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES Magnifique Washington/Washington Plus & CLAN GATHERING Pageant, “Pirates of the Seven Seas.” PreJULY 27 & 28 sented by Darcelle XV and Gaysha Starr, www.sshga.org; 206-522-2541. five glamourous contestants will compete for the title in four categories: Formal Wear, SEATTLE PEACE CONCERTS Theme Wear, Talent and Las Vegas ShowOn Sunday, July 28, from noon-6 p.m., at girl. Tickets: $18 at the door with partial Volunteer Park (14th Ave & E. Prospect St.) proceeds to the Seattle Quake Rugby Team. enjoy the music of Jade Alexis, Thornton Creek, Steve Kelly’s Little Big Band, TwoSEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN Sided Trio, and Rivertalk at this FREE cityBOOK CLUB – TOAST wide outdoor concert. The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club Seattle Peace Concerts will be held from meets every Wednesday from 6-7:15 p.m., June through September at Woodland Park, at Seattle Area Support Groups Community Gas Works Park, Magnuson Park Beach Center (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St.) Area and Volunteer Park. All ages welcome. In July, the club will be reading Toast by Cash and non-perishable food bank donaNigel Slater, the memoir of a young Gay tions welcome. For a complete schedule, boy growing up with a mortally-ill mother visit www.seapeace.org. who can barely cook toast, a father who rejects him, and a rival stepmother who is a SEATTLE SHAKESPEARE CO. killer cook, until he leaves home to become & WOODEN O PRODUCTIONS – one of Britain’s most famous chefs. (It’s HENRY V & THE TEMPEST been made into a charming little film (by AT SEATTLE CENTER the director of Billy Elliot) in which Helena On Sunday, July 28, Seattle Shakespeare Bonham-Carter gives one of her finest per- and Wooden O Productions present Shakeformances. speare’s The Tempest at 2 p.m. and Henry V All GLBTQ folks are welcome to par- at 6 p.m., at Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion ticipate in this FREE book club. For more lawn. FREE, donations accepted. www.seinformation, visit http://faculty.washington. attleshakespeare.org. edu/swittet/SGLBookClub/. SEATTLE EROTIC ART FESTIVAL AUGUST 2-4 SEATTLE JAPANESE GARDEN www.seattleerotic.org ADVISORY COUNCIL – 4TH ANNUAL SUMMER PAINT OUT – JAPANESE GARDEN PARTY PAINT OUT GRAFFITI On Friday, July 26, from 5:30-8 p.m., IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD at the Washington Park Arboretum’s JapaSummer is here and Seattleites are gearnese Garden located near the south entrance to the Washington Park Arboretum (Lake ing up to tackle graffiti in their neighborWashington Blvd E. & E. Madison St.), the hoods with Summer Paint Out. Summer Paint Out, now in its third year, Seattle Japanese Garden Advisory Council hosts their 4th Annual Japanese Garden runs from July through August. Whether you are a group or an individual, Party. Enjoy drinks and a light dinner catered by you can fight graffiti in your neighborhood. Hiroshi’s. Enjoy traditional Japanese musi- The City of Seattle supports volunteers with cal performances, including a vocal perfor- FREE paint (white-brown-gray), rollers, mance and a short concert by a master biwa brushes, and gloves. Get signed up today. Go to www.seattle. player; a kimono presentation by a specialist from Kobe, Japan; sake tasting; Dick gov./util/SummerPaintOut. You can also Foley as MC and auctioneer for the evening; email daniel.sims@seattle.gov or call 206684-7790. and a live and silent auction. Learn more about Seattle Public Utilities The Seattle Japanese Garden is a cherished cultural treasure in Seattle and one of at www.seattle.gov/util. In addition to prothe most highly regarded gardens of its style viding a reliable water supply to more than outside of Japan. With the completion of the 1.3 million customers in the Seattle metroentry gatehouse four year ago, the garden politan area, SPU provides essential sewer, has experienced an increase in the number drainage, solid waste and engineering serof visitors each year. The garden is three and vices that safeguard public health, maintain a half acres of artfully placed trees, shrubs, the City’s infrastructure and protect, conflowers, moss, stones, lanterns, streams, serve and enhance the region’s environmenponds, paths and bridges that create a har- tal resources. BINET SEATTLE PICNIC On Sunday, July 21, from 3-7 p.m., at Matthews Beach Park, Tables 1-3 (9300 51st Ave. NE), BiNet Seattle invites you to join the Bisexual community for their 14th Annual Picnic. They’ll provide burgers, sausages, vegetarian burgers, and plates. You bring a non-alcoholic beverage and something to share, such as a salad or dessert. This is a family-friendly event. Bring your kids and your partners and enjoy the sun and the shade. RSVP to: http://socializr. punchbowl.com/parties/5804309-binetseattle-2013-summer-picnic?noflash=true
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Greece re-imposes forced HIV testing Health minister’s action comes amid rising infection rates by Mike Andrew SGN A&E Writer A controversial law that allows Greek police to arrest people and force them to be tested for HIV has been reinstated by the country’s new health minister, Adonis Georgiadis. In one of his first decisions in office, Georgiadis re-imposed Public Health Decree 39A, which allows mandatory testing for HIV, hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted infections and communicable diseases, according to the Greek news network ENET. The measure was first introduced in April 2012 and was abolished in April of this year, after a public outcry when hundreds of women were arrested and tested by police. Seventeen were found to be HIV-positive and had their names, personal details, and photographs published in the media, on the grounds of protecting public health. The women were publicly identified as “prostitutes,” although there was no evidence that they were involved in sex work. Sensational media accounts described them as “health bombs.” The women were detained for months until they were finally acquitted of “intended bodily injury.” The last five were released in March, and the regulation was repealed shortly afterward. DOCTORS CRITICIZE MOVE The Greek government’s decision to reimpose the measure was greeted with almost universal condemnation. The respected British medical journal The
Lancet published an editorial on July 13 criticizing the regulation. “Regulations that stigmatize vulnerable and already marginalized groups are counterproductive since they are likely to deter people at risk of HIV from seeking testing and services,” said the publication, adding that “the measures ... seem more about political posturing rather than constructively engaging with public health.” The Lancet warned, “Rather than tackling HIV ethically and effectively, Greece is storing up health problems for itself in the near future.” The humanitarian group Doctors of the World agreed, saying that instead of tackling the underlying reasons for illness, poverty, and addiction, the health minister is violating basic human rights and human dignity under the guise of “protecting the community from contagious diseases.” “Doctors of the World asks the Greek government to focus on the bigger public health problems, such as children’s universal right to immunization and the need for this right to be implemented, something the government is no longer able to guarantee. We also call on all health professionals to refuse to conduct mandatory testing,” the group said in a statement. The London-based Greece Solidarity Campaign said the decision by the health ministry was a shocking development. “Clearly, this decision is based on targeting many of those already marginalized and suffering from the results of the disastrous austerity policies, championed by the Greek government,” the group said.
Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis
THE PRICE OF AUSTERITY Meanwhile, Greece seems caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. The entire public health system in Greece is under enormous pressure due to austerity measures mandated by the European Central Bank. At the same time, groups that were already at greatest risk of adverse health outcomes such as undocumented migrants, asylum-seekers, drug users, sex workers, destitute European citizens, and homeless people, have seen a reduction in social protections. Today, unemployment is above 26%, and as high as 67% for workers under 25, and
many Greeks are facing the threat of extreme poverty for the first time in their lives. The homeless have multiplied and gathered en masse in central squares around the country. Rates of HIV infection in Greece have risen by more than 200% since 2011, fuelled by increasing substance abuse amid spiraling youth unemployment, while at the same time cuts have been made to HIV-prevention budgets. The budget to the Okana drug treatment centers, for example, was cut to €20 million (about $26 million U.S.) in 2012, from €35 million ($46 million) in 2010.
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Reykjavík cuts ties with Russia over anti-Gay law July 15 said.
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Jon Gnarr, mayor of Reykjavík, Iceland, said on July 15 that he wants to break off his city’s cultural and political relations with the Russian capital city, Moscow. In 2007 the two capitals drew up a contract, pledging to cooperate on “family is-
100-YEAR PRIDE BAN The European Union has condemned the Russian law, but so far no E.U. member has proposed to cut diplomatic ties with Russia. In June, Gnarr sent a message asking Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin not to ban ths year’s Pride, after Moscow authorities in
The European Union has condemned the Russian law, but so far no E.U. member has proposed to cut diplomatic ties with Russia.
Mayor of Reykjavík, Iceland Jón Gnarr
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sues,” but Russia’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, banning any public statements supporting LGBT rights, was too much for Gnarr to take. “In light of the developments concerning the affairs of Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual people that have taken place in Russia over the last few months, the district attorney, Human Rights Office, Office of the Mayor of Reykjavík, and City of Reykjavík chief administrative officer propose amendments or the termination of the collaboration agreement between Reykjavík and Moscow, in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,” a formal statement issued
2012 banned the celebration for 100 years. Moscow authorities did not back down, but the city’s LGBT activists participated in a “virtual” Pride, featuring Twitter statements of support from all over the world. A colorful politician who was a popular TV comedian before running for mayor of Reykjavík in 2010, Gnarr has been an outspoken supporter of human rights. He has also shocked staid Icelanders with his flamboyant sense of humor. Shortly after his election, he turned up at the 2010 Pride parade in drag. The same year he sent out a video Christmas message wearing a Darth Vader mask and Santa hat.
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Cameroon Gay activist found murdered U.S. officials condemn torture and killing of Eric Lembembe by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The U.S. State Department has condemned the murder of Cameroon Gay rights activist and journalist Eric Lembembe, who was found dead on July 15. According to friends, he had been missing for two days. Human Rights Watch reported that Lembembe had been tortured. His neck and bones in his feet were broken, the group said, and his feet had been burned with an iron. The State Department issued its statement on the murder on July 16. “We deplore the brutal murder of Eric Ohena Lembembe, who was found tortured to death in his home in Yaoundé yesterday,” the statement said. “We condemn this terrible act in the strongest terms and urge the Cameroonian authorities to thoroughly and promptly investigate and prosecute those responsible for his death. OUTSPOKEN ADVOCATE “Eric Ohena Lembembe was the executive director of Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), an organization dedicated to the fight against AIDS and for the human rights of LGBT people in Cameroon. Just two weeks ago, Mr. Lembembe spoke out against the recent break-ins at the offices of groups advocating for Gay rights. The local office of one organization, AlternativesCameroun, was set on fire on June 26th. “The United States actively promotes respect for the human rights of all people, including LGBT individuals, in Cameroon and around the world. We will continue to support activists like Mr. Lembembe who stand up for the human rights of all people, regardless of who they are or who they love.”
Human Rights Watch demanded that the Cameroon government protect its LGBT citizens. “The police should not rest until the perpetrators of this horrific crime are brought to justice. President [Paul] Biya should break his silence on the wave of homophobic violence in Cameroon and publicly condemn this brutal attack,” Human Rights Watch researcher Neela Ghoshal said in a statement. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Cameroon, with penalties of up to five years in prison. A PATTERN OF VIOLENCE According to Human Rights Watch, the murder of Lembembe is just the most recent attack on the country’s LGBT population. The group said that other incidents include: • The headquarters of Alternatives-Cameroun, a nongovernmental organization which provides HIV services, was burned down on 26 June in the commercial capital, Douala. • The Yaoundé office of human rights lawyer Michel Togue, who represents clients charged with same-sex conduct, was burgled and his legal files and laptop stolen. • Togue and Alice Nkom, another lawyer who represents Gay and Lesbian people, have received repeated death threats by email and text, including threats to kill their children. Cameroonian police have not apprehended a single suspect, although activists have reported all the incidents, HRW said. • In December, a Cameroon appeals court upheld the sentencing to 36 months in prison of Roger Jean-Claude Mbede under antiEric Lembembe Gay legislation. His lawyer said he was senBoth the U.S. and the European Union that fail to repeal anti-LGBT laws. tenced simply for sending a text to someone have threatened to cut off aid to countries to say he loved him.
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health and medicine
Ban the blood ban!
Gay men nationwide try to give blood to protest FDA policy 2ndclasscampaign.com
Filmmaker Ryan James Yezak
by James Whitely SGN Staff Writer Friday, July 12, marked the first-ever nationwide Gay blood drive demonstration to promote visibility of what’s commonly called the “Gay blood ban,” which prohibits men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating their blood to organizations such as the Red Cross. The National Gay Blood Drive was part of a campaign by filmmaker Ryan James Yezak to increase pressure on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift the ban, and it made local news across the country. Seattleites participated in the event at the Puget Sound Blood Center. The event was staged as a part of Yezak’s feature-length documentary project, Second Class Citizens, which he says covers all as-
pects of discrimination based on sexual orientation. “The ban is outdated. As a result, countless otherwise eligible Gay and Bisexual men are unable to contribute to the nation’s blood supply and save lives. Not only that, but the ban perpetuates negative stereotypes and stigma,” said Yezak. “Whether intentional or not, it is discrimination based on sexual orientation.”
turned away, organizers compiled test results and will deliver them to the FDA to demonstrate the volume of healthy, useable blood that is being denied for donation because of the existing policy. “We spent so much time and hard work leading up to it, it almost became this thing that was never actually going to happen,” said Yezak afterward. “And it has happened, thanks to all of you who participated and
few countries with no such policies. France, Israel, Germany, and many other Western countries have complete bans on MSM blood much like the United States, while the United Kingdom allows it only for those who haven’t had sex with another man in the last year. To learn more about the effort to end the Gay blood ban in the United States, visit www.gayblooddrive.com. You can find the
“The ban is outdated. As a result, countless otherwise eligible Gay and Bisexual men are unable to contribute to the nation’s blood supply and save lives. Not only that, but the ban perpetuates negative stereotypes and stigma.” took action.” The FDA initiated the ban in 1985, preventing any MSM who has been sexually active with another man since 1977 – even once – from donating blood for fear of drawing HIV-contaminated blood. The FDA also cited syphilis as a concern when it initiated the ban. Many see the policy as archaic, arguing that much has changed since the ban was initiated at the peak of the American AIDS crisis. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently came out against the ban, calling it “discriminatory” and “not based on sound science,” but the FDA has remained mostly quiet on the subject and refuses to change its stance.
campaign on most popular social media platforms as well, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube. To learn more about Yezak’s film, visit www.youtube.com/ryanjamesyezak. “This is not a protest,” said Yezak of the demonstation. “This is not meant to be political. This is a demonstration of peace, of love, of being a human being.”
U.S. NOT ALONE Such bans are still an international hot topic. Currently, Spain, Poland, Mexico, Italy, Uruguay, and Chile are among the
HOW IT WORKED In cities across the nation, men showed up to their local donation centers, first taking mobile rapid HIV tests to confirm their virus-free status. Participants who tested negative then took their result inside to donation centers where they were each summarily rejected. For each openly Gay or Bisexual man
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Seattle Gay News 19
Tour de Life: Tour de France Fever by Beau Burriola SGN Contributing Writer
A lot of people say that cycling is not a spectator sport. I completely disagree; at least, if you have the right vantage point. My favorite place to be is right on the jutting part of a curve that the peleton will traverse, gusting me with wind in one slow motion burst of adrenaline. Living in the southern part of Belgium has a very beautiful bonus: I am close enough to get to see the Tour de France. It was my love of cycling that brought me to this country for the first time when I rode my bicycle from Amsterdam to Paris over six unforgettable days. Now, years later, when the spring finally thaws enough for bike shorts, the peletons go riding out into the countryside, all color and speed and beauty. Most of us are just casual weekend groups of cyclists playing at being big in our minds, imaging ourselves riding in the real Tour.
“Cycling is boring,” Phillip at work says flatly. “Of course, I don’t watch the Tour.” Like most folks I speak to at work, he just hasn’t got any interest in watching people ride bikes. “Not watch it, not like on television,” I say, “that is boring. You have to go stand in a field or along the street to watch it, to really see it.” “What, and wait hours and hours for the one second they speed by?” “More space for me,” I finally say, failing again to convince anyone to come along for the event. Tour fever isn’t big in Belgium, but last year when the tour came to my little town of Tournai in Belgium proper. I scouted my watching spot two four hours before anyone else. I days before hand and I made marked my spot with a chair and a sure I showed up early enough bicycle so that people could not move in – not having anything to drink front of me. that would cause me to need to pee – a full Before the Tour even arrived, I heard the cheering kilometers away. I stood right in my prepared spot and took in everything – the gradual crescendo of the cheers, the feel of the sun on my skin, the first of the support cars, and then eventually, the cyclists themselves, tilting dangerously toward me before the eddy of the wind they set off caught me in the face and held me completely breathless. I can look back in my memory at a frame-by-frame picture of that moment, broken only by the exhaust from the endless train of support cars riding along after. As a Gay man, as an HIV+ man, my connection to cycling is more than a casual sport connection. It has been a tool in my arsenal to remain healthy, an escape when the world feels like too much, a way to see beautiful men with great legs in the tightest shorts they ever wear. Most of them are my size. This is my sport. Sure, there’s the scandals with doping and the politics of winning as a team, but none
of that matters to me. To me, the Tour represents the love of cycling itself – the simplest and purest form of pleasure and happiness you feel when you clip into your pedals and ride your bike through the country smells of a beautiful, ancient countryside, the camaraderie of riding in perfect synch with other guys – like a school of fish – speeding over the smooth paved road toward another old village a few kilometers away. This year marks twelve years since my first trip to Europe with my bicycle in a hard case at 22 years old. Since then, circumstance was kind enough to allow me to live here, and now, at 34, I am even closer to that exhilaration I first felt all those years ago. Some Great Loves in our lives come and go; we recognize them and appreciate them and sometimes lose them and even forget them - but those loves in our lives we never lose are very often not people, but rather the things that enhance and deepen our experience of life and make it all worth living. They help us to overcome our sadness, our heartache, our illness, our habits and ourselves. They become so much a part of us that they live in our hearts. They keep us alive. For me, that love is what starts rising at the end of May, and won’t stop until the first snows and fear of pneumonia stop me from getting on my bike for another year. It’s the love that has always shared this column’s name. “It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, meant that we were meant to be together... and I knew it.” – Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle Beau Burriola is an amateur gay sport cyclist who has spent some of the best years of his life on the padded seat of a bike buffered with butt balm. beaubrent@gmail.com
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July 19, 2013
Celebrating 40 Years!
uk marriage continued from cover
thought that in less than three years the legalisation would have passed through Parliament,” Miliband wrote. “This shows how far we have come as a country in recent years – and is also a tribute to the fantastic campaigning by PinkNews and other groups.” Equal rights activists hailed the final victory for the bill. “We are delighted that after five years of editorial campaigning and just three years after we received the support of the three main party leaders, Parliament has finally approved same-sex marriage,” Out4Marriage founder Benjamin Cohen said. “Giving Gay couples the right to marry will make Britain a more tolerant, open and welcoming place to live in and significantly increase the life prospects of so many people. It is absolutely fantastic that this change in the law, almost uniquely, was proposed by a Conservative prime minister and his Liberal Democrat deputy with the support of the Labour party leader. Sometimes politicians can work together for the common good and this is a stunning example of this.”
tive Party leader David Cameron had to fight strong opposition to marriage equality within his own party, and in the end relied on votes from his Labour opponents to pass the measure. In its July 17 story on the bill, Business Insider gave Cameron credit for pushing the measure through. “Gay marriage becomes legal in the U.K. because David Cameron had the guts to stand up to his own party,” its headline read. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, whose Liberal Democratic party supported the measure, told PinkNews blog that he was pleased with the results. “I first talked about this issue on PinkNews over 3 years ago,” Clegg wrote. “Back then, I know many of you feared that equal marriage might never happen. The obstacles to us achieving reform seemed insurmountable. “But we consulted. We debated. And whatever has been said in Parliament since this process began, we know the majority of ‘NOT QUITE’ EQUALITY people in Britain support equal marriage. “This vote is a defeat for discrimination They see it is right. They say it is fair.” and a victory for love and marriage,” veteran activist Peter Tatchell said. “After a FASTER THAN EXPECTED 21-year-long campaign, we are now on the Labor party leader Ed Miliband said he cusp of same-sex marriage but not quite was surprised by the momentum of the cam- marriage equality. paign for equal marriage rights. “Ending discrimination against same“When I first pledged my support for sex couples in marriage law will overturn equal marriage – in an article for PinkNews the last major legal discrimination against during the Labour Party leadership cam- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender paign in 2010 – few people would have people in Britain. It is of huge symbolic im-
portance, signaling that same-sex love has social recognition, acceptance, and parity.” “I am proud that we have made same-sex marriage happen,” said Cameron. “I am delighted that the love two people have for each other – and the commitment they want to make – can now be recognized as equal. I have backed this reform because I believe in commitment, responsibility, and family. I don’t want to see people’s love divided by law. I also want to acknowledge those who worked to bring about this moment: the campaigners, groups such as Out4Marriage and Freedom to Marry, and the team in the Civil Service and Parliament who worked to deliver it.”
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Seattle Gay News 21
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Seattle Gay News 23