Celebrating 42 Years! Issue 30 Volume 44
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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Chaos at the convention NBA pulls All-Star Game Ted Cruz and friends try from North Carolina to derail GOP gathering
Ted Cruz at Republican Convention – forward.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer “Are we crazy?” Rudy Giuliani shouted to the Republican National Convention
during his July 18 primetime speech. “Yeah!” the crowd responded enthusiastically. As if to prove the point, the GOP gathering periodically descended into chaos, as
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The NBA has decided to move its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina, to the New Orleans Smoothie King Center.
“The NBA has decided to relocate the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte with the hope of rescheduling for 2019,” the league said in a July 21 statement. “Since March, when North Carolina enacted [the anti-LGBT law] HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT com-
see CHAOS page 17
see NBA page 18
GOP platform turns back Meet Mike Pence the clock on LGBT rights He hates you Losers! Morons! Sad! say Log Cabin Republicans
MIke Pence – theconservativerepublic.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
RUETERS – Jonathan Ernst
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Republican National Convention will end up with its worst platform in history for the LGBT community, after dele-
gates trying to remove anti-LGBT language threw in the towel July 18, acknowledging they lack the votes to force a floor fight. Giovanni Cicione, a Rhode Island delegate circulating a petition to ditch the official platform and adopt a version without see GOP page 16
Donald Trump’s rollout of his vice presidential pick Mike Pence did not go well. After tweeting the announcement on July 15, Trump reportedly dithered all night, considering if he could take it back before he and Pence appeared on the weekend news shows.
The next day, however, Trump affirmed that Pence was “my first choice.” Chris Christie, another potential VP pick, was said to be “livid” that he was not selected. Then came the odd 60 Minutes interview with Leslie Stahl on July 17. While both Trump and Pence were present, Trump hardly let his running mate get a word in. That might have been just as well, because the two Republicans actually agree see PENCE page 16
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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Dangerous rhetoric at RNC toward Hillary Clinton should not be taken lightly by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Regardless of which side of the political fence you sit, Republican or Democrat, or even if you side with those who choose not to exercise their civic duty, the shameful and downright dangerous rhetoric that came out of the Republican National Convention (RNC) this week in Cleveland, Ohio, should not be taken lightly by the Secret Service. It was all aimed at one person: Hillary Clinton. The folks tasked with the tough job of protecting the former US secretary of state, former First Lady, and Democratic frontrunner for the nomination by her party for the office of President of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton, have their work cut out for them. Republican delegate Michael Folk made the comment this past week that Clinton should be “hung on the mall in Washington, DC” due to her use of a private email account while serving as secretary of state. I simply cannot fathom why anyone – in or out of the body politic – would resort to sentencing someone to death (literal or not) for having done something that disagrees with one’s own personal politics, breaking a rule, or making a mistake and so on. Where is the outrage? Nowhere to be found. We have become used to this madness, and that is what has me worried. I don’t worry much. In fact, I’m not the anxiety-afflicted type. But history shows us that whenever there are volatile times in our nation and that energy seeps over into political campaigns, rhetoric can quickly translate to death or at the very least, attempted murder. On the morning of January 8, 2011, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was hosting an event outside a Safeway in Tucson, Ariz. There was nothing particularly special about the event; in fact, it was very informal. Giffords had set
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up a table outside the Safeway and about 2030 people had gathered to talk to her. It was at that moment that then-22year-old Jared Loughner walked up and shot Giffords in the head point blank. The gunman then opened fire indiscriminately for a few seconds, firing 20-30 rounds and hitting a number of people, including a kid. Loughner eventually ran out of bullets and was tackled by an intern working on Giffords’ staff, openly Gay Daniel Hernandez Jr., who with the help of others, subdued the shooter and held him until authorities arrived some 15 minutes later. Giffords was lucky to survive; however, six others were killed and 12 wounded. Among the dead was a nine-year-old girl and federal judge John Roll. Later, when federal agents were piecing together clues to find answers as to why this tragedy occurred, it was realized that the Arizona congresswoman had been featured on Sarah Palin’s infamous “crosshairs” map, which targeted legislators who voted for Obama’s health care bill with, you guessed it, crosshairs. “Don’t retreat, instead RELOAD!” was how Palin introduced the map to her Twitter followers. The map was criticized as an incitement to violence the second it had been released. However, the damage was done. Days after its release, a vandal smashed the glass door of Giffords’ Tucson office. Giffords’ father told the New York Post that members of the Tea Party “always threatened” his daughter. What’s worse is that Giffords’ Tea Party opponent in the 2010 election, Jesse Kelly, went even further with the violent rhetoric than even Sarah Palin. Kelly’s campaign held an event called “Get on Target for Victory in November.” Description: “Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly.” So it isn’t too difficult to see how a person suffering from a range of issues but still
having access to guns, such as Loughner, reading into that message (Giffords having a target on her back and so on), would come to the conclusion that the map was not a mere play on words or political strategy during an election year. Instead, it literally meant that Giffords was a target that needed to be taken out. And so he set out to do just that. Well, in theory anyway. It was never fully proven that Loughner committed the murders and the attempt on Giffords’ life because of campaign rhetoric or a poster. Personally I don’t think these kinds of things are ever just as simple as a poster or access to a weapon. But at the end of the day, one can’t ignore that fact that it all did add to the sum total of why a disturbed person chose his target. Simply put, guns and politics don’t mix. Just like the ridiculous rhetoric of what Folk said about Clinton being hanged at the National Mall shouldn’t either. Folk was not a lone offender The crowd at the RNC was an angry lot. Angry people lining up behind their hot-headed leader, Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for president. By now you’ve heard all about how boring and misguided the speakers were, or how Palin wouldn’t show up, and even how Trump allegedly wanted to dump Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate less than 24 hours after announcing the ticket. If you are into politics, it has amounted to a bit more drama than usual, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Until the speakers, each and every one of them, turned their sights – and hate and vitriol – in Clinton’s direction. For days and days they piled it on. It went from bizarre to sad and back again. It was amateur hour. Actually, it would’ve been nice had it only lasted for just one hour. But instead, like a bad dream or Trump going off on a tirade about him-
Celebrating 41 Years!
self, it went on and on and painfully on. House Speaker Paul Ryan formally declared Trump and Pence the nominees only to be met with brief cheers from a nearly empty floor. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell got booed, twice. Trump’s wife Melania and his son both are accused of plagiarizing their speeches. Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump’s most formidable challenge throughout the primary campaigns, trolled the RNC by never actually endorsing Trump as the Republican nominee during his speech at the convention podium. It was one big hot mess. Somehow, amidst all of that, the GOP hate machine was ready to go. In fact, sadly, it never missed a beat. Constant hate, constantly. “The Clinton years are way over; 2016 is the year America moves on,” Ryan said. McConnell drew strong applause when he swore that the Senate would continue to block Obama’s attempt to fill Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court. “That honor will go to President Donald Trump next year,” he said. Ryan moved the crowd to its feet with his pseudo-endorsement of the nominee. “Whaddya say we unify this party?” he said. “Let’s win this thing.” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie drew some of the most ecstatic cheers as he actually got the audience to chant, “Lock her up!” and “Guilty!” as he presented what he said was “the prosecutor’s case against Hillary Rodham Clinton.” In case you are keeping count, Trump’s supporters so far have said that Clinton should be hanged or thrown in prison. From a Washington Post editorial following the second night of the RNC: “The theme of this year’s Republican National Convention was visible early, in the ‘Hillary for Prison’ T-shirts being hawked outside the arena. Republicans expanded on it during the first night of speakers, when a macabre parade of the grieving blamed the deaths of loved ones directly on Hillary Clinton. It descended to a new low Tuesday night when delegates assembled in Cleveland kept repeating their favorite chant: ‘Lock her up! Lock her up!’ ‘Make America Great Again!’ is emblazoned on the walls of the convention hall, but ‘lock her up’ captures the frenzied, angry mood.” The Washington Post continued, “Every convention spends some time rabble-rousing against the opposition, and this one is particularly focused on Ms. Clinton’s alleged wrongs because the Republican Party cannot agree on much else this year. But the Trump campaign’s descent from standard red-meat partisanship to unprecedented accusations of criminality displays contempt for the rule of law and a startling disinterest in fact and reason. Investigation after investigation into Benghazi, Libya, and Ms. Clinton’s emails have not uncovered the sort of rampant abuse Republican rhetoric suggests. Even if FBI Director James B. Comey had recommended she be charged – an action, he rightly said, no reasonable prosecutor would take – there is essentially no chance she would have seen conviction and jail time.” History’s grim lesson You could cut the tension in this country with a knife right now, it’s so thick. From Baton Rouge to Ferguson to Washington, DC to Cleveland, there is a powder keg of racial tension, political posturing, and social jockeying that is tearing this country apart. And so, with every hour until we elect a new president, the powder keg heats up. And when it gets too hot, like it did dur-
ing the summer of 1968, there’s just no telling what might happen. If history has anything to say about it however, it speaks of nothing good. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, a United States senator and brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, took place shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, during the presidential campaign season. After winning the California and South Dakota primary elections for the Democratic nomination, Kennedy was fatally shot as he walked through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian/Jordanian immigrant, was convicted of Kennedy’s murder and is serving a life sentence for the crime. The shooting was recorded on audiotape by a freelance newspaper reporter, and the aftermath was captured on film. His murder, and the murder of another person who preached peace in place of violence, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., happened just several months apart. The civil rights leader was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri state penitentiary, was arrested on June 8, in London’s Heathrow Airport; he was extradited to the United States and charged with the crime. On March 10, 1969, Ray entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee state penitentiary. Ray later made many attempts to withdraw his guilty plea and be tried by a jury but was unsuccessful; he died in prison on April 23, 1998, at the age of 70. King was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. He famously said, “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” Ironically, when King was assassinated, it was Bobby Kennedy who let the black community in Indiana know about the tragedy. Kennedy had been scheduled to give a campaign speech but instead, upon hearing the news about King, he ditched politics and delivered a speech that is, in my humble view, one of the greatest. However, borrowing from another great speech, “The Mindless Menace of Violence,” he said, “No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people.” We live in an increasingly violent world where guns are bought and sold in the United States at a rate that this is nothing short of asking for trouble. It’s almost as if our society is begging for active-shooter scenarios to play out right in front of them on a daily basis. Well, in fact, we do see such carnage in a 24-hour cycle. According to GunViolenceArchive.org, there have been more than 29,000 gun-related incidents in the US so far this year alone. There have been more than 199 mass shooting incidents resulting in hundreds of people being injured and an even greater number – more than 500 – killed. There are so many mass shootings in fact, they go completely unnoticed at times. Don’t believe me? When do you think that last mass shooting incident in Washington State was? Sadly, it took place a little over a week or so on July 15, when a madman shot dead three people in a Woodland home. Each of his victims was shot in the head. There were no survivors.
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It’s clear to me that a great number of folks aren’t well. We’ve got rogue cops killing unarmed civilians at a record number, a majority of them black men shot to death, on a nearly daily basis. In turn, we are now seeing a chilling trend in which people are murdering police officers while they are on duty in cities across the nation (five killed and nine injured at a peaceful Black Lives Matters protest in Dallas, Texas, on July 7; three deliberately murdered and three injured in a Baton Rouge, La., ambush on July 17; and the latest, possibly another targeted shooting of a police officer who was still sitting in his squad car when shots rang out in Kansas City on July 17). Then there are the home grown terrorist plots, mass violence, and hate crimes to boot. All of this weighs heavy on my mind as we see the Democratic Party ready itself to announce Clinton as the first woman to be nominated to represent the party, a serious presidential candidate who has a real shot at eventually becoming to first female president in US history. This, aside from the dangerous rhetoric coming out of the RNC, is why we must do better as a nation to rid violence from politics, schools, and acceptable society. Politicians and guns: strange bedfellows It’s amazing sometimes. The irony of life. While so many politicians blindly support any National Rifle Association initiative or platform, because they believe that it not only guarantees them campaign funds but somehow earns them protection as well. Well… it don’t. When President Barrack Obama was elected in 2008, it’s safe to say that a good majority of Americans – from all ethnicities and racial lineage – thought he might go out the way of Lincoln and Kennedy. Well, thank goodness for his overwhelming popularity and the professionalism and skill of the Secret Service men and women who guard him and the First Family; tragedy has not befallen the nation in that sense of the word. But that’s not to say that a few angry people with access to weapons didn’t try. Cousins Tharin Gartrell and Shawn Adolf and their friend Nathan Johnson went to Denver allegedly planning to assassinate Obama during his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, but officials said there was no substantial threat and the three men were arrested. A plot in Tennessee involved two white supremacists, Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart, who planned to drive their car toward Obama and open fire with guns. They were arrested on October 22, 2008, before taking any action. Schlesselman and Cowart pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the threat in 2010 and were sentenced to 10 and 14 years in prison, respectively. Then, a plot was uncovered to assassinate Obama at the Alliance of Civilizations summit in Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2009 by a man of Syrian origins carrying forged Al-Jazeera TV press credentials. The man confessed to the Turkish security services details of his plan to kill Obama with a knife, with three alleged accomplices. Next, in November 2011, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, a man who believed he was Jesus and that Obama was the Antichrist, hit the White House with several rounds fired from a semi-automatic rifle. No one was injured. However, a window was broken. And the last known attempt occurred in April 2013, when a letter laced with ricin, a deadly poison, was sent to President Obama.
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Hillary Clinton knows of the dangers of accepting the job as the leader of the free world all too well. Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, had several close calls during his tenure. On January 21, 1994, Ronald Gene Barbour, a retired military officer and freelance writer, plotted to kill Clinton while the president was jogging. Barbour returned to Florida a week later without having fired the shots at the president, who was on a state visit to Russia. Barbour was sentenced to five years in prison and was released in 1998. Then, in September 12, 1994, Frank Eugene Corder flew a stolen single-engine Cessna onto the White House lawn and crashed into a tree. Corder, a truck driver from Maryland who reportedly had alcohol problems, allegedly tried to hit the White House. He was killed in the crash. The president and his family were not home at the time. Also, on October 29, 1994, Francisco Martin Duran fired at least 29 shots with a semi-automatic rifle at the White House from a fence overlooking the north lawn, thinking that Clinton was among the men in dark suits standing there (Clinton was inside). Three tourists, Harry Rakosky, Ken Davis, and Robert Haines, tackled Duran before he could injure anyone. Found with a suicide note in his pocket, Duran was later sentenced to 40 years in prison. Then in 1996, during his visit to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Manila, Clinton’s motorcade was rerouted before driving over a bridge. Service officers had intercepted a message suggesting that an attack was imminent, and Lewis Merletti, the director of the Secret Service, ordered the motorcade to be rerouted. An intelligence team later discovered a bomb under the bridge. Subsequent US investigation “revealed that [the plot] was masterminded by a Saudi terrorist living in Afghanistan named Osama bin Laden.” Our thirst for guns and ammo is not only dangerous for the general public but you can imagine the threat it poses on elected officials. To put it into perspective: All four US presidents that were killed while in office were murdered by a gun-wielding assassin. Abraham Lincoln was shot once in the back of his head with a .44 caliber Derringer pistol; James Garfield was shot once in his right arm and once in his back, with a .442 Webley British Bulldog revolver; William McKinley was shot twice in the abdomen at close range; and John F. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife Jacqueline in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas. When is a threat just a threat? Who really knows these days when somebody will make good on a threat of violence? We live in a country where people seem to forget that the freedom of speech does not necessarily mean the freedom to say whatever the hell you want to say, whenever the hell you want to say it. I did not write this editorial to predict any dire situation or to endorse in any way, shape, or form attacking politicians – or anyone for that matter – simply because they don’t share the same views. I just think it is important for us, as a society, to think a little more about holding elected officials and leaders accountable for dangerous rhetoric and condemning it when it happens. Otherwise, if left unchecked, or at the very least forgotten, it could help a tragedy occur that maybe never would have otherwise. Food for thought.
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Competing candidates and others break bread at the 2016 GSBA Candidate Reception by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer It was a Who’s Who event on Wednesday, July 13th at the Precept Wines Rooftop Deck in Eastlake with over 150 guests talking with dozens of candidates all vying for election in the Primary on August 2nd and the General Election in November. It was a sunny evening and the crowd had breathtaking views of East Lake Union with Mexican Feather Grass blowing in the breeze on the rooftop deck as we all drank and ate tiny appetizers and chatted with the candidates. Some of the candidates spotted were Justices (Mary) Yu, (Helen) Halpert, (Dave) Larson, (Barbara) Madsen and (Eric) Newman; Congressional candidates King County Councilmember (Joe) McDermott, State Rep. (Brady) Walkinshaw; Treasurer candidates State Senator (Marko) Liias and (John) Comerford; Secretary of State candidate (Tina) Podlodowski; Public Lands Commissioner candidate, King County Councilmember (Dave) Upthegrove; State Rep. candidates (Dan) Shih, (Thomas) Pitchford, (Marcus) Courtney and (John) Dickinson. The 2016 GSBA Candidate Forum is expected to take place in September.
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Celebrating 41 Years!
Remarks by President Obama at the memorial service for fallen Dallas police officers
President Barack Obama – Photos by Nate Gowdy
On Tuesday, July 12, President Obama delivered the following speech in Dallas, mourning the five police officers killed in the line of duty while protecting peaceful protests in the city. The remarks came days after the shootings, where police said a gunman was targeting whites, and the deaths of two black men shot by police – events that have left the nation on edge. THE PRESIDENT: Mr. President and Mrs. Bush; my friend, the Vice President, and Dr. Biden; Mayor Rawlings; Chief Spiller; clergy; members of Congress; Chief Brown – I’m so glad I met Michelle first, because she loves Stevie Wonder (laughter and applause) – but most of all, to the families and friends and colleagues and fellow officers: Scripture tells us that in our sufferings there is glory, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Sometimes the truths of these words are hard to see. Right now, those words test us. Because the people of Dallas, people across the country, are suffering. We’re here to honor the memory, and mourn the loss, of five fellow Americans – to grieve with their loved ones, to support this community, to pray for the wounded, and to try and find some meaning amidst our sorrow. For the men and women who protect and serve the people of Dallas, last Thursday began like any other day. Like most Americans each day, you get up, probably have too quick a breakfast, kiss your family goodbye, and you head to work. But your work, and the work of police officers across the country, is like no other. For the moment you put on that uniform, you have answered a call that at any moment, even in the briefest interaction, may put your life in harm’s way. Lorne Ahrens, he answered that call. So did his wife, Katrina – not only because she was the spouse of a police officer but because she’s a detective on the force. They have two kids. And Lorne took them fishing, and used to proudly go to their school in uniform. And the night before he died, he
bought dinner for a homeless man. And the next night, Katrina had to tell their children that their dad was gone. “They don’t get it yet,” their grandma said. “They don’t know what to do quite yet.” Michael Krol answered that call. His mother said, “He knew the dangers of the job, but he never shied away from his duty.” He came a thousand miles from his home state of Michigan to be a cop in Dallas, telling his family, “This is something I wanted to do.” Last year, he brought his girlfriend back to Detroit for Thanksgiving, and it was the last time he’d see his family. Michael Smith answered that call – in the Army, and over almost 30 years working for the Dallas Police Association, which gave him the appropriately named “Cops’ Cop” award. A man of deep faith, when he was off duty, he could be found at church or playing softball with his two girls. Today, his girls have lost their dad, for God has called Michael home. Patrick Zamarripa, he answered that call. Just 32, a former altar boy who served in the Navy and dreamed of being a cop. He liked to post videos of himself and his kids on social media. And on Thursday night, while Patrick went to work, his partner Kristy posted a photo of her and their daughter at a Texas Rangers game, and tagged her partner so that he could see it while on duty. Brent Thompson answered that call. He served his country as a Marine. And years later, as a contractor, he spent time in some of the most dangerous parts of Iraq and Afghanistan. And then a few years ago, he settled down here in Dallas for a new life of service as a transit cop. And just about two weeks ago, he married a fellow officer, their whole life together waiting before them. Like police officers across the country, these men and their families shared a commitment to something larger than themselves. They weren’t looking for their names to be up in lights. They’d tell you the pay was decent but wouldn’t make you rich. They could have told you about the stress and long shifts, and they’d probably agree with Chief Brown when he said that cops don’t expect to hear the words “thank you” very often, especially from those who need them the most.
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No, the reward comes in knowing that our entire way of life in America depends on the rule of law; that the maintenance of that law is a hard and daily labor; that in this country, we don’t have soldiers in the streets or militias setting the rules. Instead, we have public servants – police officers – like the men who were taken away from us. And that’s what these five were doing last Thursday when they were assigned to protect and keep orderly a peaceful protest in response to the killing of Alton Sterling of Baton Rouge and Philando Castile of Minnesota. They were upholding the constitutional rights of this country. For a while, the protest went on without incident. And despite the fact that police conduct was the subject of the protest, despite the fact that there must have been signs or slogans or chants with which they profoundly disagreed, these men and this department did their jobs like the professionals that they were. In fact, the police had been part of the protest’s planning. Dallas PD even posted photos on their Twitter feeds of their own officers standing among the protesters. Two officers, black and white, smiled next to a man with a sign that read, “No Justice, No Peace.” And then, around nine o’clock, the gunfire came. Another community torn apart. More hearts broken. More questions about what caused, and what might prevent, another such tragedy. I know that Americans are struggling right now with what we’ve witnessed over the past week. First, the shootings in Minnesota and Baton Rouge, and the protests, then the targeting of police by the shooter here – an act not just of demented violence but of racial hatred. All of it has left us wounded, and angry, and hurt. It’s as if the deepest fault lines of our democracy have suddenly been exposed, perhaps even widened. And although we know that such divisions are not new – though they have surely been worse in even the recent past – that offers us little comfort. Faced with this violence, we wonder if the divides of race in America can ever be bridged. We wonder if an African-American community that feels unfairly targeted by police, and police departments that feel
unfairly maligned for doing their jobs, can ever understand each other’s experience. We turn on the TV or surf the Internet, and we can watch positions harden and lines drawn, and people retreat to their respective corners, and politicians calculate how to grab attention or avoid the fallout. We see all this, and it’s hard not to think sometimes that the center won’t hold and that things might get worse. I understand. I understand how Americans are feeling. But Dallas, I’m here to say we must reject such despair. I’m here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America. I know how far we’ve come against impossible odds. (applause) I know we’ll make it because of what I’ve experienced in my own life, what I’ve seen of this country and its people – their goodness and decency – as President of the United States. And I know it because of what we’ve seen here in Dallas – how all of you, out of great suffering, have shown us the meaning of perseverance and character, and hope. When the bullets started flying, the men and women of the Dallas police, they did not flinch and they did not react recklessly. They showed incredible restraint. Helped in some cases by protesters, they evacuated the injured, isolated the shooter, and saved more lives than we will ever know. (applause) We mourn fewer people today because of your brave actions. (applause) “Everyone was helping each other,” one witness said. “It wasn’t about black or white. Everyone was picking each other up and moving them away.” See, that’s the America I know. The police helped Shetamia Taylor as she was shot trying to shield her four sons. She said she wanted her boys to join her to protest the incidents of black men being killed. She also said to the Dallas PD, “Thank you for being heroes.” And today, her 12-year old son wants to be a cop when he grows up. That’s the America I know. (applause) In the aftermath of the shooting, we’ve seen Mayor Rawlings and Chief Brown, a white man and a black man with different
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continued from cover backgrounds, working not just to restore order and support a shaken city, a shaken department, but working together to unify a city with strength and grace and wisdom. (applause) And in the process, we’ve been reminded that the Dallas Police Department has been at the forefront of improving relations between police and the community. (applause) The murder rate here has fallen. Complaints of excessive force have been cut by 64 percent. The Dallas Police Department has been doing it the right way. (applause) And so, Mayor Rawlings and Chief Brown, on behalf of the American people, thank you for your steady leadership, thank you for your powerful example. We could not be prouder of you. (applause) These men, this department – this is the America I know. And today, in this audience, I see people who have protested on behalf of criminal justice reform grieving alongside police officers. I see people who mourn for the five officers we lost but also weep for the families of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. In this audience, I see what’s possible (applause) – I see what’s possible when we recognize that we are one American family, all deserving of equal treatment, all deserving of equal respect, all children of God. That’s the America that I know. Now, I’m not naïve. I have spoken at too many memorials during the course of this presidency. I’ve hugged too many families who have lost a loved one to senseless violence. And I’ve seen how a spirit of unity, born of tragedy, can gradually dissipate, overtaken by the return to business as usual, by inertia and old habits and expediency. I see how easily we slip back into our old notions, because they’re comfortable, we’re used to them. I’ve seen how inadequate words can be in bringing about lasting change. I’ve seen how inadequate my own words have been. And so I’m reminded of a passage in [First John]: “Let us love not with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.” If we’re to sustain the unity we need to get through these difficult times, if we are to honor these five outstanding officers who we’ve lost, then we will need to act on the truths that we know. And that’s not easy. It makes us uncomfortable. But we’re going to have to be honest with each other and ourselves. We know that the overwhelming majority of police officers do an incredibly hard and dangerous job fairly and professionally. They are deserving of our respect and not our scorn. (applause) And when anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety. And as for those who use rhetoric suggesting harm to police, even if they don’t act on it themselves – well, they not only make the jobs of police officers even more dangerous but they do a disservice to the very cause of justice that they claim to promote. (applause) We also know that centuries of racial discrimination – of slavery, and subjugation, and Jim Crow – they didn’t simply vanish with the end of lawful segregation. They didn’t just stop when Dr. King made a speech, or the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act were signed. Race relations have improved dramatically in my lifetime. Those who deny it are dishonoring the struggles that helped us achieve that progress. (applause) But we know – but, America, we know that bias remains. We know it. Whether you are black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or of Middle Eastern descent, we have all seen this bigotry in our own lives at some point. We’ve heard it at times in our own homes. If we’re honest, perhaps we’ve heard prejudice in our
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own heads and felt it in our own hearts. We know that. And while some suffer far more under racism’s burden, some feel to a far greater extent discrimination’s sting. Although most of us do our best to guard against it and teach our children better, none of us is entirely innocent. No institution is entirely immune. And that includes our police departments. We know this. And so when African-Americans from
context. These things we know to be true. And if we cannot even talk about these things – if we cannot talk honestly and openly not just in the comfort of our own circles, but with those who look different than us or bring a different perspective, then we will never break this dangerous cycle. In the end, it’s not about finding policies that work; it’s about forging consensus, and
President Barack Obama in Dallas – Photo courtesy of Getty / Tom Pennington
all walks of life, from different communities across the country, voice a growing despair over what they perceive to be unequal treatment; when study after study shows that whites and people of color experience the criminal justice system differently, so that if you’re black you’re more likely to be pulled over or searched or arrested, more likely to get longer sentences, more likely to get the death penalty for the same crime; when mothers and fathers raise their kids right and have “the talk” about how to respond if stopped by a police officer – “yes, sir,” “no, sir” – but still fear that something terrible may happen when their child walks out the door, still fear that kids being stupid and not quite doing things right might end in tragedy – when all this takes place more than 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, we cannot simply turn away and dismiss those in peaceful protest as troublemakers or paranoid. (applause) We can’t simply dismiss it as a symptom of political correctness or reverse racism. To have your experience denied like that, dismissed by those in authority, dismissed perhaps even by your white friends and coworkers and fellow church members again and again and again – it hurts. Surely we can see that, all of us. We also know what Chief Brown has said is true: that so much of the tensions between police departments and minority communities that they serve is because we ask the police to do too much and we ask too little of ourselves. (applause) As a society, we choose to underinvest in decent schools. We allow poverty to fester so that entire neighborhoods offer no prospect for gainful employment. (applause) We refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs. (applause) We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book (applause) – and then we tell the police “you’re a social worker, you’re the parent, you’re the teacher, you’re the drug counselor.” We tell them to keep those neighborhoods in check at all costs, and do so without causing any political blowback or inconvenience. Don’t make a mistake that might disturb our own peace of mind. And then we feign surprise when, periodically, the tensions boil over. We know these things to be true. They’ve been true for a long time. We know it. Police, you know it. Protestors, you know it. You know how dangerous some of the communities where these police officers serve are, and you pretend as if there’s no
July 22, 2016
fighting cynicism, and finding the will to make change. Can we do this? Can we find the character, as Americans, to open our hearts to each other? Can we see in each other a common humanity and a shared dignity, and recognize how our different experiences have shaped us? And it doesn’t make anybody perfectly good or perfectly bad, it just makes us human. I don’t know. I confess that sometimes I, too, experience doubt. I’ve been to too many of these things. I’ve seen too many families go through this. But then I am reminded of what the Lord tells Ezekiel: “I will give you a new heart,” the Lord says, “and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” That’s what we must pray for, each of us: a new heart. Not a heart of stone, but a heart open to the fears and hopes and challenges of our fellow citizens. That’s what we’ve seen in Dallas these past few days. That’s what we must sustain. Because with an open heart, we can learn to stand in each other’s shoes and look at the world through each other’s eyes, so that maybe the police officer sees his own son in that teenager with a hoodie who’s kind of goofing off but not dangerous (applause) – and the teenager – maybe the teenager will see in the police officer the same words and values and authority of his parents. (applause) With an open heart, we can abandon the overheated rhetoric and the oversimplification that reduces whole categories of our fellow Americans not just to opponents, but to enemies. With an open heart, those protesting for change will guard against reckless language going forward, look at the model set by the five officers we mourn today, acknowledge the progress brought about by the sincere efforts of police departments like this one in Dallas, and embark on the hard but necessary work of negotiation, the pursuit of reconciliation. With an open heart, police departments will acknowledge that, just like the rest of us, they are not perfect; that insisting we do better to root out racial bias is not an attack on cops, but an effort to live up to our highest ideals. (applause) And I understand these protests – I see them, they can be messy. Sometimes they can be hijacked by an irresponsible few. Police can get hurt. Protestors can get hurt. They can be frustrating.
But even those who dislike the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” surely we should be able to hear the pain of Alton Sterling’s family. (applause) We should – when we hear a friend describe him by saying that “Whatever he cooked, he cooked enough for everybody,” that should sound familiar to us, that maybe he wasn’t so different than us, so that we can, yes, insist that his life matters. Just as we should hear the students and co-workers describe their affection for Philando Castile as a gentle soul – “Mr. Rogers with dreadlocks,” they called him – and know that his life mattered to a whole lot of people of all races, of all ages, and that we have to do what we can, without putting officers’ lives at risk, but do better to prevent another life like his from being lost. With an open heart, we can worry less about which side has been wronged, and worry more about joining sides to do right. (applause) Because the vicious killer of these police officers, they won’t be the last person who tries to make us turn on one other. The killer in Orlando wasn’t, nor was the killer in Charleston. We know there is evil in this world. That’s why we need police departments. (applause) But as Americans, we can decide that people like this killer will ultimately fail. They will not drive us apart. We can decide to come together and make our country reflect the good inside us, the hopes and simple dreams we share. “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” For all of us, life presents challenges and suffering – accidents, illnesses, the loss of loved ones. There are times when we are overwhelmed by sudden calamity, natural or manmade. All of us, we make mistakes. And at times we are lost. And as we get older, we learn we don’t always have control of things – not even a president does. But we do have control over how we respond to the world. We do have control over how we treat one another. America does not ask us to be perfect. Precisely because of our individual imperfections, our founders gave us institutions to guard against tyranny and ensure no one is above the law; a democracy that gives us the space to work through our differences and debate them peacefully, to make things better, even if it doesn’t always happen as fast as we’d like. America gives us the capacity to change. But as the men we mourn today – these five heroes – knew better than most, we cannot take the blessings of this nation for granted. Only by working together can we preserve those institutions of family and community, rights and responsibilities, law and self-government that is the hallmark of this nation. For, it turns out, we do not persevere alone. Our character is not found in isolation. Hope does not arise by putting our fellow man down; it is found by lifting others up. (applause) And that’s what I take away from the lives of these outstanding men. The pain we feel may not soon pass, but my faith tells me that they did not die in vain. I believe our sorrow can make us a better country. I believe our righteous anger can be transformed into more justice and more peace. Weeping may endure for a night, but I’m convinced joy comes in the morning. (applause) We cannot match the sacrifices made by Officers Zamarripa and Ahrens, Krol, Smith, and Thompson, but surely we can try to match their sense of service. We cannot match their courage, but we can strive to match their devotion. May God bless their memory. May God bless this country that we love. (applause) SOURCE: ABC News
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Execute Hillary, Trump advisor says by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer New Hampshire State Rep. Al Baldasaro has called for Hillary Clinton to be shot “for treason.” Baldasaro is a self-appointed spokesperson for US veterans and an advisor to the Trump campaign on vets’ issues. Baldasaro repeatedly called for Clinton to be shot on June 19 and 20, starting with a radio interview on the Jeff Kuhner Report. Kuhner is a right-wing talk radio anchor who also writes for the Washington Examiner. Talking with Kuhner about the raid on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which four US citizens were killed, Baldasaro said Clinton “is a disgrace. The lies she told those mothers about their children that got killed over there in Benghazi… She dropped the ball on over 400 emails requesting backup, security. Something’s wrong there.”
GOP
continued from cover inflammatory anti-LGBT language, said that several delegates who had signed on to his alternative platform have withdrawn their support under pressure from party officials. “There was a lot of pressure,” Mr. Cicione said in a July 18 interview. “The RNC is not interested in having floor debates on anything this year. It’s particularly tough given the fights over the rules and the nominee. This is not the year they want to be doing this.” The next day, Log Cabin Republicans – the small remnant of LGBT folks who have not fled the GOP in disgust – placed an ad in USA Today proclaiming their party’s convention “Losers! Morons! Sad!” “No, these aren’t tweets from Donald Trump,” the ad continued. “This is what common-sense conservatives are saying about the most anti-LGBT platform the Republican Party has ever had. GOP Platform Committee: Out of touch, out of line, and out of step with 61% of young Republicans who favor same-sex marriage.”
PENCE
continued from cover on very little. Pence is a classical neo-con Republican and an evangelical Christian, while Trump is politically and religiously eccentric, to say the least. In one exchange, Stahl pointed out that as a congressman, Pence had voted for the invasion of Iraq. “I don’t care,” Trump replied. “What do you mean? You don’t care that he voted for…?” Stahl sputtered. “It’s a long time ago,” Trump shrugged. “And he voted that way, and they were also misled. A lot of information was given to people.” “But you’ve harped on this,” Stahl pressed, pointing out that Trump had used Hillary Clinton’s vote for the invasion as evidence of her “bad judgment.” “He’s entitled to make a mistake every once in a while,” Trump said, jovially elbowing Pence like a frat boy sharing a joke with his bro. “But she’s not? OK, come on…” Stahl asked, referring back to Clinton. “No. She’s not,” Trump said flatly. Later on, Stahl pointed out that Pence supported the NAFTA free trade treaty, something Trump has denounced.
16 Seattle Gay News
“This whole thing disgusts me,” Baldasaro added. “Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.” Called for a comment on the radio interview by The Daily Beast, Baldasaro doubled down on his statement. “Anyone that commits treason should be shot,” Baldasaro said. “I believe Hillary Clinton committed treason. She put people in danger. When people take confidential material off a server, you’re sharing information with the enemy. That’s treason.” Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, he argued, a conviction for treason could result in execution. “I’m a military man. Any person who gives up information on an unclassified server, you’re putting Americans at risk,” he told The Daily Beast. “If you’re the commanderin-chief or you’re the secretary of state, you’re dealing with the military. What makes her any better than people in the military? What makes her above the law?”
Baldasaro repeated his remarks yet again in a July 20 interview with WMUR. com. “I’m a military man first, and anyone who takes information about our CIA or Secret Service and people at our embassy and puts it out on a server where anyone can grab it, putting Americans in danger to be killed, should be held accountable,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it is treason and the penalty for treason is the firing squad – or maybe it’s the electric chair now.” New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley called on New Hampshire GOP Chair Jennifer Horn to ask that Baldasaro resign from the State House. “Al Baldasaro’s comments that Secretary Clinton should be ‘put in the firing line and shot’ are disgusting, offensive, and frighteningly commonplace in the party of Trump,” Buckley said.
“By repeatedly praising someone like Al Baldasaro in the past, Donald Trump has lifted up the worst of the New Hampshire Republican Party and shown exactly what kind of company he intends to keep as president. “Baldasaro has embarrassed the Granite State long enough.” According to Buzzfeed, Baldasaro is not the only Trump delegate to the Republican convention that wants to execute Clinton. West Virginia lawmaker Michael Folk said that Hillary Clinton should be “hung on the mall in Washington, DC” for treason.
In a July 13 meeting the RNC Platform Committee systematically voted down every proposal that included the acronym LGBT and every one that made reference to “gender,” “race,” or “religion” as a protected class. At the same time, it passed statements supporting only opposite-sex marriage and conversion therapy. The committee also voted to bar Transgender people using gender-appropriate restrooms. “Children have a natural right to be raised in an intact biological family,” the new GOP platform reads. The Platform Committee alleged – on no discernable evidence – that children raised by same-sex couples are at risk for drug abuse. Younger delegates fought to strip antiLGBT language from the platform, but they were consistently outvoted. They appealed to presumptive nominee Donald Trump to intervene, but to no effect. New York delegate Annie Dickerson, who has been an advocate for LGBT rights since a Gay friend died decades ago, spearheaded the fight to amend the platform, proposing a number of pro-LGBT planks that were rejected. Dickerson worried that anti-LGBT
planks in the final platform, along with Trump’s natural divisiveness, would drive away younger voters. “It’s a risk,” she told Dallas News reporters. “But it’s a risk this [platform] committee decided to take.” Among those fighting the anti-LGBT language was Rachel Hoff, the first and only openly Lesbian member of the GOP Platform Committee. “If you do support me and people like me, can you not at the very least stand up for our right to not be killed?” she asked during the debate. Hoff had proposed a statement opposing the targeted killing of Gay people both at home and in places like Bangladesh and Iraq, where Gay men have been hacked to death, hanged in town squares, and thrown off buildings. Her proposal was voted down. Also voted down was another proposal by Hoff that the party acknowledge that LGBT individuals, along with Christians, Jews and women “in particular,” have been targeted by violence and oppression abroad. “This is a deal-breaker issue for a lot of millennials,” Hoff said of the final anti-
LGBT platform. “This is a litmus test for young Republicans.” Gregory Angelo, head of Log Cabin Republicans, later added, “To say I’m disappointed is an understatement.” “The platform committee is run by social conservatives with an agenda,” Angelo said, describing them as a “peculiar breed” of people who can afford to take days off work and fly across the country to debate whether the party should use the word “restroom” or “bathroom.” Tony Perkins, boss of the Family Research Council and a GOP delegate from Louisiana, said the Platform Committee represents the views of the majority of Republicans. “These are people who have been involved in the party and have the confidence of their state parties, and they’re sent here for this purpose,” Perkins said.
“I support free trade, and so does Donald Trump,” Pence said weakly. “Not really,” Stahl replied. “I do,” Trump interrupted. “I’m free trade, but I wanna make good deals. No, no, I’m all for free trade.” Pence later offered the explanation that “what I hear Donald Trump saying is let’s – let’s look at these trade agreements and reconsider them, and renegotiate them.” To SGN readers, Pence is probably best known not for his foreign policy views but as the governor who signed the country’s first bill permitting discrimination on the basis of religious freedom, Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or SB 101. The measure allows individuals and companies to justify discrimination against LGBT people by asserting that their religious scruples would be compromised if they treated them fairly. It could be used to deny LGBT people equal treatment in employment, housing, and public accommodations, including restroom use. But SB 101 was not Pence’s first run-in with the LGBT community. In fact, if there is any consistent theme to his political career, it is opposition to LGBT rights. In 2010, for example, Pence voted against the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” stating, “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service because the pres-
ence of homosexuals in the ranks weakens unit cohesion.” In 2009, he voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded the definition of hate crimes to include gender identity and sexual orientation. In 2007, Pence voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would have banned workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In 2000, he advocated defunding HIV/ AIDS organizations, because they “celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus,” and giving the money to conversion therapy outfits instead. In fact, Pence is a big fan of defunding. In 2007 he introduced a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and one to defund the Environmental Protection Agency’s monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions. As a congressman, Pence also promoted various loony-tunes economic schemes, including readopting the gold standard, substituting a flat tax for the progressive income tax, and abolishing the federal minimum wage. Strangely, Pence is not anti-Gay enough for a couple of prominent GOP right-wingers, who haven’t forgiven him for waffling
on SB 101 in the face of a national boycott of Indiana by Fortune 500 businesses. In an all-caps Facebook post, right-wing siren Anne Coulter called Trump’s selection of Pence “TRUMP’S FIRST MISTAKE.” “Pence is the combo-platter of disaster,” Coulter explained. “He…somehow managed to tick off both sides in the gay marriage debate. After his state passed a law passed protecting Christians from having to participate in gay marriages, all hell broke loose. Pence thought to himself: ‘I have a semi heading for me. Should I just stand here? Yes, I think I’ll just stand here!’ First, he allowed himself to be portrayed as a right-wing homophobic nut and then – just days later – he sold out to the left-wing activists anyway.” Family Research Council boss Tony Perkins also found fault with Pence, saying he created a “domino effect” when he seemed to back away from the worst consequences of SB 101.
July 22, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!
Ghostwriter sorry he wrote The Art of the Deal Trump is a sociopath, he says by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The man who wrote The Art of the Deal for Donald Trump is sorry he did it. “I put lipstick on a pig,” writer Tony Schwartz told The New Yorker. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is. “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes, there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.” If he were writing The Art of the Deal today, Schwartz said, it would be a different book with a different title. Asked what he would call it, he answered, “The Sociopath.” Celebrities often hire ghostwriters like Schwartz to write books that are billed as
“autobiographies” or “memoirs.” Unlike many ghostwriters, Schwartz got a cover byline, half the advance, and half the royalties. In short, The Art of the Deal made him rich, even as it made Trump famous. The book has sold more than a million copies and generated several million dollars in royalties. According to New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer, Schwartz has decided to pledge all the royalties he earns from The Art of the Deal this year to strategically chosen charities, including the National Immigration Law Center, Human Rights Watch, the Center for the Victims of Torture, the National Immigration Forum, and the Tahirih Justice Center. Nevertheless, he says he still feels guilty about contributing to the Trump myth. “I’ll carry this until the end of my life,” Schwartz says. “There’s no righting it. But
I like the idea that the more copies that The Art of the Deal sells, the more money I can donate to the people whose rights Trump seeks to abridge.” Mayer says she called Trump for comment on Schwartz’s story. “He’s probably just doing it for the publicity,” Trump responded. “Wow. That’s great disloyalty, because I made Tony rich,” Trump added. “He owes a lot to me. I helped him when he didn’t have two cents in his pocket. It’s great disloyalty. I guess he thinks it’s good for him – but he’ll find out it’s not good for him.” Only minutes after Trump got off the phone with Mayer, he called Schwartz. “I hear you’re not voting for me,” Trump said. “I just talked to The New Yorker – which, by the way, is a failing magazine that no one reads – and I heard you were critical of me.”
“You’re running for president,” Schwartz replied. “I disagree with a lot of what you’re saying.” “That’s your right, but then you should have just remained silent,” Trump said. “I just want to tell you that I think you’re very disloyal. Without me, you wouldn’t be where you are now. I had a lot of choice of who to have write the book, and I chose you, and I was very generous with you. I know that you gave a lot of speeches and lectures using The Art of the Deal. I could have sued you, but I didn’t.” “My business has nothing to do with The Art of the Deal,” Schwartz said. “That’s not what I’ve been told.” “You’re running for President of the United States. The stakes here are high.” “Yeah, they are,” Trump said. “Have a nice life.” Then he hung up.
Bar Republican pols from restrooms, Caitlyn Jenner says by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Speaking at a Republican “Big Tent Brunch” event on July 20, Caitlyn Jenner suggested barring Republican officeholders from public restrooms as a safety measure. “Over the last few years, we have three Republican state representatives who were all arrested for lewd behavior in a men’s bathroom,” she said, mentioning former Mississippi Rep. John Hinson, former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, and former Florida State Rep. Bob Allen.
CHAOS
continued from cover supporters of failed candidate Ted Cruz of Texas clashed with party officials committed to nominating Donald Trump. It all came to a head on July 20, the third night of the convention. Cruz had been invited to speak to the convention by Trump’s campaign staff even though, they said later, they knew he was not going to endorse the GOP nominee. In fact, Cruz mentioned Trump exactly once, in a perfunctory congratulation for winning the nomination. Then the Texas senator went on to pointedly non-endorse his party’s presidential candidate. “To those listening, please, don’t stay home in November. If you love our country, and love your children as much as I know you do, stand, and speak, and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution,” Cruz said. As it dawned on the delegates that Cruz was not endorsing Trump, the hall erupted in boos, led by the solidly pro-Trump New York delegation seated just below the stage. Pro-Trump delegates began to chant “We want Trump! We want Trump!” while Cruz partisans replied with “2020! 2020!” implying that their guy would pick up the pieces of a broken GOP and win the next go-around.
“Maybe what we should do is ban Republican representatives at a state level” from entering public restrooms, Jenner joked. “We want to protect people.” While several states have passed legislation to force Transgender residents to use restrooms that correspond to the gender they were assigned at birth, Jenner cited studies showing there is no statistical evidence that Transgender individuals have committed illegal acts in restrooms. The event where Jenner spoke – an outdoor brunch held in a tent outside Cleve-
land’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – was organized by American Unity Fund and the Log Cabin Republicans, two GOP groups that advocate for LGBT equality. American Unity Fund President Margaret Hoover called Jenner the “most famous Republican in the world.” Jenner replied that it was harder to come out as a Republican than as Transgender. She added that the Democratic Party has done a better job of supporting the LGBT community and praised President Obama for allowing Trans individuals to
openly serve in the military. “I’ve been very disappointed over the last five, ten years [by the Republican Party], but I won’t give up on it,” she said. “The Republican Party needs to understand,” Jenner continued. “They need to know people that are Trans.” When asked if she saw herself as a potential Republican candidate for public office, Jenner begged off. “They already nominated Donald [Trump] last night [for president]. I can’t get into running, but I can make a difference,” Jenner responded.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm of the New York delegation,” Cruz said with a characteristic smirk. He then went on to lecture the delegates on standing for principles before departing the stage and leaving the hall in disorder. As Cruz made for the exit, Washington state GOP chair Susan Hutchison confronted him outside an elevator. His speech was “inexcusable,” she told him, and he is a “traitor to the party.” Cruz’s wife, Heidi, fled the convention floor, escorted by former Virginia attorney general, failed gubernatorial candidate, and Cruz ally Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli later told told ABC News that he escorted her out because “it was volatile, and the Trump folks were physically approaching and confrontationally yelling.” “People behind her were getting very ugly, and physically approaching her and [Cruz’s father] Raphael, and it was not a pretty situation,” Cuccinelli told ABC. “The decision was instantly made to not talk to media and get immediately out of the arena. “People from my own delegation were physically approaching her while yelling at her. So, I physically moved media out of her way, and got in the way of my own delegation so she could clear by and get out of the arena,” he said.
derail the convention. On day one of the event, pro-Cruz delegates from Colorado led a so-called “Free the Delegates” movement, attempting to change the rules of the convention to allow delegates to vote their conscience rather than being bound to the candidates who won their state primaries. On a voice vote, temporary convention chair Rep. Steve Womack ruled that the delegates had voted to uphold the established rules, making it inevitable that Trump would win the nomination. Anti-Trump forces then demanded a roll call vote, which was their right, but which everyone acknowledged they would probably lose. Womack and senior party officials then disappeared from the stage, only to return 20 minutes later and announce that a roll call was not required because some delegations that initially supported the move to unbind delegates had withdrawn their support. Cruz delegates began to chant “Roll call! Roll call!” while Trump delegates tried to drown them out with chants of “USA! USA!” Cuccinelli ripped off his delegate’s credentials and tossed them to the floor in anger. Cruz supporters later charged that party leaders had used the 20-minute break to pressure delegations into changing their votes. Some Cruz supporters reportedly left the convention in disgust. “We have witnessed an abomination and the implosion of the Republican Party as we have known it,” Texas delegate Ivette
C. Lozano told TheBlaze. “Many are leaving the convention.” The next day, Cruz delegates from Alaska again tried to derail proceedings with a parliamentary maneuver. As delegations announced their votes for the presidential nominee, the Alaska delegation objected that its vote count had been erroneously reported. At issue was a difference between the state GOP rules – which allowed Cruz to keep the delegates he won in the state primary – and the convention rules, which required all the state’s votes to go to Trump, since Cruz had suspended his campaign. Again officials disappeared from the podium, again they returned with a proTrump decision, and again Cruz supporters broke out in boos. “The RNC interpreted our state party rules incorrectly,” state GOP chair Tuckerman Babcock told reporters later. “Our vote on the floor went forward the way Alaskans wanted them to. We honored the voters of Alaska: 12 for Cruz, 11 for Trump, and 5 for Rubio. We regret that the RNC did not discuss this with the Alaska delegation.” As SGN goes to press, it remains to be seen whether Cruz supporters will attempt to upstage nominee Trump when he takes the stage June 21.
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Parliamentary maneuvers Cruz’s speech was the third time in as many days that he or his supporters tried to
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North Carolina restores right to sue for workplace discrimination Most of anti-LGBT HB 2 still on the books by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill giving Gay and Lesbian employees back their right to sue employers for workplace discrimination. The bill only applies to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, not gender identity, and it does not add any additional protections for LGBT workers. The right to sue for discrimination was removed by North Carolina’s notorious HB 2, which McCrory originally supported and signed into law on March 23, only hours after it was passed by the state legislature. In addition to preventing North Carolina workers from suing employers over discrimination, HB 2 also repealed Charlotte’s
NBA
continued from cover munity in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change. We have been guided in these discussions by the long-standing core values of our league. These include not only diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view.” According to Adrian Wojnarowski, reporter for The Vertical, the NBA had discussed moving the All-Star Game to the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but they ran into scheduling conflicts at the facility. New Orleans hosted the All-Star Game in 2008 and 2014.
anti-discrimination ordinance, forbade other municipal governments from passing similar legislation, and required Transgender people to use restrooms appropriate for the gender they were assigned at birth. On top of all that, the measure prohibited North Carolina from raising the minimum wage beyond the $7.25 federal level. Apart from restoring the right to sue – which very likely could not have survived a court challenge – the new bill signed by the governor changes nothing in HB 2. After signing the new bill, McCrory said in a statement that the ban on Trans people using restrooms corresponding to their gender identity is a national issue that will be decided in the courts. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has already notified McCrory that the law
violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Violence Against Women Act of 2011. North Carolina and 21 other states have sued the federal government for overreach, and the DOJ has responded with a suit against North Carolina. A US District Court judge said he expects the issue to come to trial in October or November this year. “Gov. McCrory bizarrely patted himself on the back this afternoon for repealing a measure that he was forced to admit on national television was ‘very poorly thought out,’” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs. “No one is applauding Gov. McCrory for undoing a small part of his massive error in judgment – especially not so long as
the most vile anti-LGBTQ law in the country remains on the books. The fact remains: because Gov. McCrory and the state legislature have done nothing to fix the profound damage they have inflicted on North Carolina, LGBTQ people across the state continue to suffer harm and hostility in their own homes, schools, and communities.” HB 2 sparked a nationwide wave of boycotts, and estimates cited by HRC show that the measure has already cost North Carolina more than 1,700 jobs and more than $500 million in lost economic activity.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver had threatened to move All-Star Weekend out of Charlotte unless a discriminatory North Carolina law aimed at the state’s LGBT community was changed. The time to do so ran out, Wojnarowski reported, because of the logistics and planning the NBA needs to run its marquee midseason event. Charlotte Hornet owner Michael Jordan and the city government of Charlotte also opposed the HB2, a fact noted by the NBA in its July 21 statement. “We are particularly mindful of the impact of this decision on our fans in North Carolina, who are among the most passionate in our league,” the league said. “It is also important to stress that the City of Charlotte and the Hornets organization have sought to provide an inclusive environment and that the Hornets will continue to ensure that all patrons – including members of the LGBT community – feel
welcome while attending games and events in their arena.” “The withdraw of the 2017 NBA AllStar Game in Charlotte came as the NBA took a principled stand against the discriminatory HB2 and the failure to repeal HB2 by Senate Leader Berger, Speaker Moore and Governor McCrory,” Equality North Carolina said in a statement. “When the City of Charlotte passed vital LGBT protections from discrimination last year, they made themselves a more competitive city for events like the All-Star Game. McCrory, Berger, and Moore have continued to put North Carolina in economic harm’s way with the worst anti-LGBT bill in the nation, despite the best efforts of Charlotte city leaders to keep the game. We applaud the NBA for its commitment to all fans, and hope that North Carolina’s leadership will heed this wakeup call and repeal HB2 before we suffer even more as a
state.” “Today the NBA and Commissioner Silver sent a clear message that they won’t stand for discrimination against LGBTQ employees, players or fans,” HRC said. “The NBA repeatedly warned state lawmakers that their hateful HB2 law created an inhospitable environment for their 2017 All-Star Game and other events. Nevertheless, Governor McCrory, Senator Berger and Speaker Moore doubled down on HB2 and refused to undo their discriminatory and costly error in judgment. Every day that HB2 remains on the books, people across North Carolina are at risk of real harm. We appreciate the leadership of the NBA in standing up for equality and call once again on lawmakers to repeal this vile HB2 law.” North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed a measure revising HB2 on July 17, but it left most of the anti-LGBT provisions intact.
The Libertarians: Don’t like Clinton or Trump? Wait till you see the other option… by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Maybe you’re one of the 52% of voters who don’t trust Hillary Clinton. You might also be one of the 57% who are afraid of Donald Trump. What do you do? Some people would tell you to vote for the Libertarian Party ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. On the surface, the ex-Republicans turned Libertarians are attractive. They’re for marriage equality and against neo-con military interventionism. They’re for pot and contraceptives, against torture and bank bailouts. On the other hand, they’re also against Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, gun control, anti-discrimination laws, hate crime laws, income taxes, the Federal Reserve – in short, they reject the last 100 years of progressive social legislation. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson endorsed same-sex marriage in 2011 and advocated for a federal constitutional amendment protecting equal marriage rights. Weld came on board even earlier – in 1996 – when, as governor of Massachusetts, he said his state should recognize
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same-sex marriages performed in Hawaii, if that state legalized them. While Libertarians support formal legal equality when it comes to marriage, they reject other legal protections for the LGBT community – laws against discrimination or hate crimes, for example – on the grounds that people have a “natural right” to have and express any ideas, no matter how bigoted or destructive. Therefore, Libertarians would say, it’s perfectly OK for businesses to refuse to serve LGBT people. LGBT “individuals are free to respond with ostracism, boycotts, and other free-market solutions,” their platform says, but not to ask for government protection. Even worse, “the Libertarian Party favors a free-market health care system, without government oversight, approval, regulation, and licensing…They support the repeal of all social insurance policies, such as Medicare and Medicaid.” In other words, federal subsidies that help low-income Americans get insurance or pay for expensive medications like Truvada are out. Health care for seniors is also out, except for the few who are rich enough to pay for their own private insurance. Johnson advocates immediate cuts to
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Medicare and Medicaid of 43%, and turning over the balance of funds to the states in the form of so-called “block grants.” According to Johnson, this idea would create “fifty laboratories of innovation,” but his block grant program would put all health care funds in the hands of right-wing governors like Mike Pence, Pat McCrory, and Sam Brownback. The inevitable result would be defunding of Planned Parenthood and HIV/AIDS resources. While more people might get sick and more might die from untreated diseases or botched back-alley abortions, cutting off federal money for health care would help Johnson achieve his number one goal – a balanced budget. Libertarians oppose income taxes, and they don’t want the federal government to sell bonds or other financial instruments, so the only way to balance the budget would be to drastically cut spending. Not military spending, because national defense is a “legitimate” function of government, they say, but other budget items are all on the chopping block. That includes whole federal departments, like the Department of Education. It would be best if that department is abolished, the Libertarians say, but if it isn’t,
they should just hand out money to the states and not make funding contingent on following federal guidelines. Remember Title IX, the law the Obama administration used to defend the rights of Transgender students to gender-appropriate restrooms? Well, the legal mechanism that protects Trans students depends on the Department of Education threatening reluctant schools districts with loss of funding if they don’t comply with civil rights guidelines. In the same way, anti-discrimination guidelines for contractors depend on federal agencies using the power of money to make businesses comply with civil rights laws. Give up the enforcement mechanism and you might as well give up the civil rights laws. That’s the fatal flaw in the Libertarian argument. A really free-market country only favors people with the wealth to buy what they want in the market. Most people depend on social arrangements like health care programs, government pensions, and civil rights laws to get at least a part of what rich people can buy.
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New UK Prime Minister has mixed record on LGBT rights by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Theresa May, who succeeded David Cameron as Prime Minister of the UK on July 13, has a mixed record on LGBT rights. Cameron, who resigned after voters rejected his leadership by choosing to leave the European Union, passed his country’s marriage equality law in 2013. In Cameron’s last day as prime minister, he was praised on the floor of Parliament as someone who transformed the lives of Gay and Lesbian Britons. “There are 30,000 gay people in our country who in the last few years have been able to get married,” Deputy Conservative Party Leader William Hague said in a speech. Cameron himself reminisced about the marriage bill in a statement to reporters: “I think that is real progress. I’ll never forget the day at Number 10 [the prime minister’s residence and office] when someone who works very close to the front
door said to me ‘I’m not that interested in politics, Mr. Cameron, but because of something your lot have done, I’m able to marry the person I love this week.’ “There are many amazing moments in this job, but that was one of my favorites.” Speaking outside her new residence, 10 Downing Street, after officially taking up the position of prime minister, May also praised Cameron’s legacy on issues including same-sex marriage. “In David Cameron I follow in the footsteps of a great modern prime minister,” May said. “Under David’s leadership the government stabilized the economy, reduced the budget deficit, and helped more people into work than ever before. But David’s true legacy is not about the economy, but about social justice. “From the introduction of same-sex marriage to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether, David Cameron has led a one-nation government, and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead.” May supported marriage equality, and
as Cameron’s Home Secretary, she worked closely with Liberal Democrat Baroness Lynne Featherstone to draft the law. Featherstone has affirmed that May’s support was instrumental in convincing the Conservative leadership and the cabinet to agree to move forward with the proposal, which resulted in the 2013 Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act. In her book Equal Ever After, Featherstone called May an “unsung hero” of the push for marriage. May was also said to be the key player in ensuring that proposals allowed for religious same-sex weddings as well as civil weddings, as the legislation was drafted. May has faced strong criticism on other LGBT issues, however. As a newly elected member of Parliament in the post-Thatcher period, May was an opponent of LGBT equality in line with her party’s stance. May obeyed Conservative Party instructions to vote against the early reforms introduced by Tony Blair’s Labour government, including an equal age of consent and same-sex adoptions.
However, by 2004, May voted in favor of same-sex civil partnerships, the first time she openly backed an LGBT rights measure. While she was Home Secretary, she was criticized by activists seeking asylum for LGBT refugees, who charged that the situation for LGBT immigrants to the UK got worse under her supervision. May also floated a plan for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, the multilateral treaty that – among other provisions – guarantees LGBT rights in many areas. She dropped the plan after she decided to run for prime minister. May’s final challenger, Andrea Leadsom, has an even more objectionable record. Leadsom defied David Cameron to vote against marriage equality.
Australian HIV/AIDS groups declare “end of AIDS” by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The AIDS epidemic is over in Australia, according to a coalition of the country’s leading HIV/AIDS organizations. The Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations (AFAO) said in a July 10 press release that the number of HIV infections that advance to AIDS is now so small that public health officials no longer even monitor it. At the peak of the epidemic in the 1990s, around 1,000 Australians were dying each year from AIDS. Now, however, new medications have revolutionized treatment.
“These days we don’t even monitor it, it’s a transitory thing for most people; people have AIDS, then they go on treatment and they don’t have AIDS anymore,” Professor Andrew Grulich, head of the HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program at the Kirby Institute, one of Australia’s leading HIV research institutes, told the Australian Broadcasting Channel (ABC). AFAO CEO Darryl O’Donnell said AIDS cases have dropped to such small numbers that they are no longer routinely recorded. “AIDS is over in the way we knew it,” he said. “We’ve got access to treatment that has had extraordinary effect, and community activism since the very early years of AIDS in the ‘80s and ‘90s has helped the
efforts to fight it.” Professor Sharon Lewin, director of the Peter Doherty Institute, told ABC that antiretroviral medications had been crucial to the epidemic’s decline, allowing people diagnosed with HIV to live healthy, long lives. “I’ve actually seen a dramatic transformation of HIV from a universal death sentence to now a chronic, manageable disease,” Professor Lewin said. However, O’Donnell said Australia still has a major challenge in addressing HIV. “We still have a huge task in dealing with the 1,100 to 1,200 cases of HIV per year,” he said. “These are avoidable infections.” O’Donnell stressed the importance of
regular testing, since early diagnosis offers the best chance of treating HIV. He added that the PrEP drug Truvada would likely be a game-changer, comparable to the impact of the contraceptive pill. “We need urgent action from the Australian government to subsidize this pill,” he said, adding that Truvada would see HIV cases halved in a year. AIDS bodies have also advocated for more focus on the regional impact of the syndrome. “We’re incredibly fortunate here in Australia that we have an excellent health care system. In the Asia-Pacific, 180,000 people die from AIDS each year and of the 5 million living with HIV, only 2 million have access to treatment,” O’Donnell said.
“Minimal” HIV transmission when on ARTs, European study finds by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The risk of an HIV-positive person on successful antiretroviral treatment (ART) infecting a sexual partner is “minimal,” according to a new study by European researchers. Called the PARTNER study, the research was carried out by scientists at the University of Liverpool, University College London, and the Royal Free NHS Foundation in Britain, and the Danish hospital Rigshospitalet. Results were published July 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In what is reportedly the largest study of its kind, researchers studied 888 couples from 14 European countries in which one partner was HIV positive and the other
HIV negative. Of the couples, 548 were heterosexual and 340 were Gay men. Researchers monitored them over the course of several years, with the average length of study being 1.3 years. All the participants were recruited between 2010 and 2014. All the HIV-positive volunteers in the study were successfully responding to antiretroviral treatment, and all had suppressed HIV levels for more than six months when they began participating in the study. In total, over 40,000 incidents of condomless sex were reported by the couples, but none are known to have led to any HIV transmission. “The results clearly show that early diagnosis of HIV and access to effective treatment are crucial for reducing the number of new HIV cases,” Professor Jens Lundgren from Rigshospitalet said in a statement.
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“As soon as a patient with HIV is on treatment with a suppressed viral load, the risk of transmission becomes minimal. “This is one of the biggest developments in our knowledge of HIV.” Eleven individuals did become infected with HIV during the course of the study, but not from sex with their partner. By studying the DNA of the virus, researchers concluded that these individuals had been infected by someone other than their partners – all of whom were on successful ART – possibly by having condomless sex with people not being treated for HIV infections. “The HIV virus can be divided into several subgroups, each with its own genetic characteristics, and this makes it possible to see whether the virus is genetically similar to a partner’s,” Liverpool University Professor Anna Maria Geretti explained. “In
all cases the results showed that the virus came from someone other than the partner under treatment.” JAMA warned its readers that while the risk of HIV infection by an individual on ART may be minimal, “the risk is not zero, and the actual number is not known, especially for higher-risk groups such as MSM [men who have sex with men].” Researchers admitted that couples who agreed to take part in the study may not be representative of the wider HIV-positive community, and that the HIV-positive people studied may have been more motivated to strictly adhere to their HIV treatment.
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Anal Cancer: Awareness, surveillance key to early detection, better prognosis by David Aboulafia, MD Special to the SGN Anal cancer is a subject most people would rather not talk about because of its anatomical location, along with an unfortunate stigma attached to the malignancy. Although the situation was tragic, actress Farrah Fawcett’s openness about her anal cancer diagnosis in 2006 helped create much-needed public awareness about the malady during her 11-year battle with the disease, which, unfortunately, she lost in 2009 at the age of 62. Closer to home, a 51-year-old White Center resident by the name of Ed was impressed with Fawcett’s openness and advocacy. He now feels very fortunate that he listened to his physician and decided to have an anal cytology smear (similar to a cervical Pap smear) following many years of HIV treatment and participation in a surveillance program. Despite having put off the screening for a few months, Ed knew that since he had HIV – and, as a result, a compromised immune system – he was at higher risk for human papillomavirus (HPV), lesions, and anal cancer. The anal cytology test showed cells that were concerning for cancer, and a subsequent biopsy of a suspicious-looking lesion proved to be cancerous. After additional studies, Ed was diagnosed with early-stage anal cancer. The fortuitous discovery in October 2015 allowed him to forgo surgery and instead receive six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation. Although his treatment was challenging, the holidays and the month of January allowed Ed to rest and recover. In February 2016, he felt good enough to return to work and subsequently began following a vegan diet, exercising regularly, and better managing his diabetes and stress. Due to the clarity that accompanied his hardship, Ed said he almost feels lucky to have gone through this experience because of everything it taught him – especially the importance of educating yourself, finding a good care team, and learning to be your own best health advocate. Anal cancer and HPV Anal cancer occurs when skin cells grow out of control in the anus. The causes and location of anal cancer should not be
confused with colon or rectal cancer, which are different. According to the American Cancer Society, about 90% of anal cancers are caused by HPV. It is important to know that there are many strains or types of HPV and not all of them cause cancer. Most cancers of the cervix and anus are caused by HPV strains 16 and 18, while other HPV strains cause genital warts. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease, and most people are exposed to HPV numerous times over their lifetime. Thankfully, HPV infection usually becomes undetectable using currently available tests. However, when the immune system is damaged by HIV and other causes, including autoimmune diseases, HPV infection can last longer and cause changes to the skin inside the anus, which is called “dysplasia.” Over time, some of these HPV-damaged cells – called “highgrade squamous intraepithelial lesions,” or HSILs – can develop into cancer. Although HSILs are not the same as cancer, it is an indication that cancer may develop in that spot at a later date. Unfortunately, researchers do not currently know why some HSILs go away on their own while others worsen and become cancerous. Who is at risk for anal cancer? Anyone can get anal cancer, even people who have never had anal sex. However, it is much more common in people who are HIV positive. For perspective, in HIV-negative people the chance of developing anal cancer is one to two people per 100,000. In HIV-positive people, it is between 30 and 131 per 100,000. (The rate in HIV-positive women is lower than in men.) In fact, even HIV-positive people on successful antiretroviral therapy have a higher risk of anal cancer than HIV-negative people. Risk factors The most common risk factors for anal cancer include the following: • infection with certain HPV types • age, as risk increases with age • having a low CD4+ T-cell lymphocyte count (CD4+, also called T-helper cells, are a type of white blood cell that fight infection) • smoking • a history of genital warts • for women: a history of HPV-related
cervical and vulvar dysplasia and/or cancers Symptoms Early stages of anal cancer are often not accompanied by symptoms, which means most people are unaware when they begin to develop it. In later stages, the most common symptom reported is pain, which can be felt constantly or only when having a bowel movement or anal sex. Other symptoms can include a lump or bleeding from the anus. Unfortunately, anal cancer is often misdiagnosed as a hemorrhoid. If you are having any of these symptoms, it’s important to tell your doctor. Treatments Like most types of malignancies, the earlier anal cancer is found and treated, the fewer side effects people face from treatment. When caught early, anal cancer usually responds well to treatment. Some small cancers can be removed surgically. However, once the cancer spreads, treatment may require a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Removing the affected areas can “cure” anal cancer, but there are often long-term side effects from surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, like needing to go to the bathroom more often. Research: Virginia Mason, Harborview, and the Polyclinic in national screening study Thankfully, deaths from AIDS are way down. However, anal cancer among people living with HIV is on the rise. Although it may be possible to prevent anal cancer through routine screening and removal of precancerous cells, researchers do not yet know if this is true. In an attempt to increase our knowledge about this question, researchers at Virginia Mason, Harborview, and the Polyclinic are participating in a national clinical trial called the ANCHOR Study (ANCHOR stands for “Anal Cancer HSIL Outcomes Research”). This strategy has reduced cervical cancer rates by 80%. But to get health insurance companies to cover routine anal cancer screening and preventive treatment, researchers need to prove that this strategy prevents cancer. The best way to show that is to recruit people with HSILs into a study and assign them randomly to a treatment
Norovirus adds to GOP shitshow by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer At least a dozen staffers from California’s delegation to the Republican National Convention have been quarantined, and the entire 550-member delegation has been warned not to shake hands, share food, or use delegation buses to the convention hall after an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea. “It looks like norovirus,” Erie County Health Commissioner Pete Schade told the Los Angeles Times. “As soon as we know a little bit more about what we’re dealing with for sure, we’ll have a better way of dealing with future precautions.” Schade’s department collected fecal samples from afflicted staffers on July 19 and took them to a state lab for testing. Norovirus, also known as “cruise ship
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arm or a monitoring arm. Researchers will then follow everyone for five years or more to compare the rates of cancer in both study arms. At the end of the study, researchers will know whether screening and treatment of HSILs are effective strategies in preventing anal cancer. Researchers will also learn a lot about HPV and other risk factors and why these sometimes cause cancer. If you have any questions about whether this study might be right for you, talk with your doctor and have your provider call a local study site with any questions. For more information about the ANCHOR Study, including the list of study sites and contact information, visit ANCHORStudy. org. Words of wisdom Although Ed is not a candidate for participation in the ANCHOR Study, he now understands the importance of screening for anal cancer, especially among people living with HIV. Despite needing to come to Virginia Mason twice a year to be checked to make sure the cancer doesn’t grow back, Ed feels very thankful, and he encourages male and female friends who may be at risk to speak with their physicians about anal cytology. After all, knowledge is power. For more information, visit: • Cancer.gov/Types/Anal • Cancer.org/Cancer/AnalCancer • AnalCancerFoundation.org • AnalCancerInfo.UCSF.edu • VirginiaMason.org/AnalDysplasia David M. Aboulafia, MD, is board certified in internal medicine. His subspecialties include medical oncology, hematology, and HIV clinical care. Dr. Aboulafia is principal investigator of the ANCHOR Study at Virginia Mason and medical codirector of Bailey-Boushay House. He practices at Virginia Mason Hospital and the Floyd & Delores Jones Cancer Institute (1100 Ninth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101; 206-223-6193). Courtesy of Virginia Mason Hospital and Medical Center
virus,” is highly contagious and manifests itself in bouts of diarrhea and what is described as “explosive vomiting.” Fortunately for those infected, symptoms only last one to three days. Older adults and children may require additional treatment for dehydration resulting from the diarrhea. The California delegation is staying at the Kalahari Resort, an African-themed hotel in Sandusky, Ohio, about 60 miles from the convention in Cleveland. Officials with the hotel alerted the county health department about the outbreak, but they did not respond to reporters’ requests for comment. California delegation chair Jim Brulte told STAT News reporters that the norovirus mini-epidemic started when one of the delegation’s staff members came down with the virus and infected her husband.
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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