Celebrating 46 Years! Issue 27 Volume 48
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Matthew Todd’s Pride
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Seattle Gay News S E AT T L E ’ S L G B T Q N E W S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T W E E K LY
Mayor Durkan’s remarks on the shutdown of CHOP
Seattle Gay News has launched GoFundMe campaign
Photo courtesy of SGN Photo courtesy of the Seattle Office of the Mayor
Following are Mayor Durkan’s remarks delivered on July 1, 2020: Thank you to everyone for being here. Today, City departments and I will provide quick updates on Capitol Hill, but I’d like to largely focus on the continued work
we are doing and must continue to do to live up to this moment in our nation’s history, and to meet the demands of community to reimagine policing and to invest in our communities.
see DURKAN page 4
Police sweep CHOP out of existence Durkan’s executive order bans “unlawful assembly” for 10 days
Police swept the CHOP encampment around the East Precinct on July 1.
by Renee Raketty SGN Staff Writer After 24 days of occupation by Black Lives Matter protesters, the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) on Seattle’s Capitol Hill is no more. Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order on Wednes-
day to clear the CHOP and the homeless encampments at Cal Anderson Park. The Seattle Police Department, Bellevue Police Department and the Seattle office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation swept through the several block area with tactical
see CHOP page 5
Seattle Gay News recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover operating expenses impacted by COVID-19 and the subsequent loss of considerable advertising revenue. https://www.gofundme.com/f/seattlegay-news-needs-your-support-now. Seattle Gay News and Angela Cragin are organizing this fundraiser.
Seattle Gay News Needs Your Support Now! As the third oldest LGBTQ+ publication in the U.S, the SGN has been your independent advocate and voice of the LGBTQ+ community in Seattle and Washington state for 47 years.
see GOFUNDME page 7
37 Pride flags stolen overnight from Burien’s main street
Photo courtesy of The Seattle Lesbian
The following is an official statement from the City of Burien. On Tuesday, June 24, the City of Burien learned that 38 of the 40 Pride flags that had been installed in downtown Burien had been removed and stolen. The flags had been installed by Discover Burien in support
of Pride Month, a time when communities across the country celebrate the dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) people as well commemorating the Stonewall riots that began on June 28, 1969.
see BURIEN page 6
2 Seattle Gay News
July 3, 2020
Celebrating 46 Years!
Seattle Gay News FOUNDED 1974 MEMBER
2018
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In Loving Memory Of Steve Foiles • Scott Roger Alpert Cookie Andrews-Hunt James Leland Moore Randy Peters • Lee Richeson Shaun Shelton • Jim Tully James Arnold
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July 3, 2020
Seattle Gay News 3
RE: Bostock v. Clayton County To the editor: With the U.S. Supreme Court decision, in Bostock v. Clayton County, the issue of the class sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, in federal civil rights laws, is hardly over. Next up is the inevitable court challenge that sex, under the Fair Housing Act of 1968 (“sex” was added in 1974)
DURKAN
continued from cover [CAPITOL HILL] For weeks, we had peaceful demonstrations on Capitol Hill. While thousands have peacefully protested in the area over the last weeks, the public safety threat in recent weeks have been well documented. The multiple acts of gun violence have resulted in tragic deaths of two individuals, both teenagers. Multiple others were seriously wounded. For weeks I have been consulting with city Departments and particularly with Chief Best and Chief Scoggins, on the best ways to reduce the number of people in the area, provide services to homeless individuals, reduce impacts to neighbors and increase public safety. Despite our continued efforts to de-escalate and bring community messengers in, including personally having a conversation with demonstration organizers on Friday, the deteriorating conditions and repeated gun violence required us to immediately address public safety concerns. From conversations over the weekend, it was clear that many individuals would not leave and that impacts could not be reduced and public safety improved until they did. An operation of this scope and magnitude takes significant resources and planning, particularly by the Seattle Police Department. Over the last two weeks, city departments and SPD under Chief Best’s leadership have been devising a range of operational plans. I am very grateful for her leadership and SPD’s work. For days they have had to design and practice the operation that began this morning. So late last night, after consulting with Chief Best and other Departments, I issued an Executive Order asking City Departments to work together to address public health and public safety concerns as well as sustained damage to Cal Anderson Park and the East Precinct area. I am hoping to meet with the families of those gun victims, so I can directly express my condolences for the loved ones lost in those senseless acts of violence. I know they too have been on Capitol Hill. These acts of violence hurt our whole community and are also in direct contrast to the message ringing from the streets that Black Live Matter. I will continue to refocus our energy on the hard but critical work to answer the voices demonstrating and demanding change, to reimagine with Chief Best what policing looks like in our City and to invest in the true health and safety of our communities. No city, including Seattle, will dismantle centuries of systemic racism overnight. But we must act now. We must answer to history. I said from the onset that Capitol Hill has a rich history of being at the epicenter of protest and change. I marched and participated in many events on Capitol Hill, particularly for LGBTQ rights. Capitol Hill is the heart of the gay community.
includes sexual orientation and gender identity, based upon the reasoning used in the Bostock decision. Intellectual honesty and consistency would require it. Washington has an Equal Rights Amendment, in its Constitution, making sex a suspect class, and so do other states. Expect lawsuits to argue the reasoning in Bostock should be applied to state ERA’s.
That sexual orientation and gender identity should be protected under the class of sex. Finally, in 1976, in the Supreme Court decision, Craig v. Boren, it was declared that sex was a quasi-suspect class, requiring an intermediate level of scrutiny. The Supreme Court will inevitably be confronted with a case where plaintiffs argue the reasoning of Bostock should be applied
to Craig, which would make sexual orientation and gender identity also quasi-suspect classes.
Cal Anderson Park is named for the first openly gay state legislator and East Barbara Bailey Way that leads to the park is named for Barbara Bailey, a lifetime community leader and friend. But now that space has a new and shared history for civil rights. There is no question that we must find a way to memorialize the history that has transpired there over the last month. Our Parks and Arts departments are actively working with the individuals who were maintaining the community garden and with artists to preserve their work. But we also will engage community, residents and businesses on how we can memorialize the protests in the public realm, such as through a new garden, a speaker’s corner or new art. For the many arrests this morning, I believe charges should not be filed against individuals arrested only for misdemeanor obstruction, failure to disperse or trespassing. I fully support SPD’s operations this morning and the arrests and bookings were appropriate. But as we move forward in healing, alternatives to charging and criminal sanctions are important.
[REFOCUSING ON TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE] In order to move forward, we must recommit to the message that brought tens of thousands of residents from in and around the City to the streets demanding change. We must remember that it was the unjust murder of George Floyd that ignited a global movement, including here in Seattle, calling for changes to policing, a concerted effort to undo centuries of systemic racism, and broad investments in community. I am committed to this work, and its there where I will spend and focus my energy. After meeting with community leaders and organizations, demonstrators, businesses, and residents in the last three weeks and hearing their demands for change, my administration and I are focusing on key areas to address systemic inequities in Seattle:
Rethinking and Reimagining Policing, Including Culture and Budgets We will be rethinking and reimaging policing, including budgeting, and have been working very closing with Chief Best who is one of the best leaders in this country on policing and herself is committed to seeing that we can protect public safety and at the same time reimagine how her department does its work. This means deploying the right person with the right skills into a situation – and sometimes that’s a mental health specialist, domestic violence counselors, or addiction counselors. We’ve created programs like this in Seattle to reduce 9-1-1 calls for service including Seattle Fire Department’s Health One, which is a mobile medical clinic that addresses low acuity situations and added nurses and social workers can show up. We’ve also added nurses to our homelessness shelters. And we will continue to expand on programs like this. Creating, training and building these new health centered responses will not happen overnight. But we know what works, and more importantly community knows what works. As an immediate step, tens of millions of dollars have been cut from SPD’s budget – but Chief Best is conducting a deep review of the budget to assess what functions might be moved to other departments and what the core functions of the department are. She and I will never compromise public safety, but we believe we can reimagine policing and invest in community. Let’s lead the nation in Seattle and show how this work can be done. In addition to making the SPD budget [process more] transparent, I am committed to finding more ways to partner with the community, to ensure [residents have a voice in our budget process.] BIPOC communities have been left behind for far too long and it is imperative that our budget reflects a commitment to investing in communities that need it the most.
[EAST PRECINCT + CAPITOL HILL] In a moment I will speak more on how I am thinking our City priorities can answer community demands, but I want to speak briefly about the future of the East Precinct and Capitol Hill Community. Part of rethinking policing should also be the long-term failures of how police and community resources are present in our communities. We need to have true community spaces, with connections to communitybased organizations, health clinics and restorative justice programs. Capitol Hill also was the entrance to the Central District, where the black community and communities of color can no longer call home. When I grew up, the CD was 75% African American families. Today it is less than 14%. Their histories, shops, their homes, their gathering spots have largely been erased. But strong reminders of the work we have to do remain. One of our city’s oldest churches established in 1886, First AME sits just a block for the precinct. I have been working and talking with black leaders on a plan to create a space on Capitol Hill to support community voices in rethinking and reimagining policing and the greater investments that we need to make in black prosperity, health and brilliance. These conversations are ongoing and must be led by the community itself. We hope to have more to share on that soon. In addition, I want to thank again Rev. Harriett Walden for her leadership in reminding us of the importance of the East Precinct, whose history is rooted in Black-led organizing. In addition to resources in the budget, she will be leading outreach about the long-term future of the East Precinct. I truly believe we can reimagine this space [as] a shared space, including a community room in the East Precinct and things in and around Capitol Hill and East Precinct.
• First, Investing in Black Communities • Second, Investing in Young People • Third, Rethinking and Reimagining Policing, Including Culture and Budgets • Last, Accountability and Reform. Including Statewide Reforms of Police Unions Investing in Black Communities True public safety comes from a healthy and resilient community and that is only possible if we invest in them. For the last year, we have been working to return legacy properties to black ownership. These include Byrd Barr Place (formerly CAMP) and the Central Area Senior Center. We’ve been in close communication with Africatown about them acquiring Fire Station Six. Last week, their architect and the City had a walkthrough of the facility, and we look forward to continued discussions. Community leaders have stated that the long process is part of the problem, and I agree. We are going to expedite it [and examine other properties to de-gentrify the community]. I’ve also committed to investing $100 million in my 2021 budget directly into community organizations focused on improving the lives of BIPOC communities. Investing in Young People and Youth Opportunity We cannot achieve justice without educational justice. This truth is what has guided our City programs over the last two years of being Mayor, including making free college for Seattle high school students a reality and ensuring that we have free transit passes to get them to and from school or anywhere in the City. As an immediate action, as part of my budget rebalancing package, I committed $5 million for mentoring and summer learning for black youth. My office has been working with DEEL and community stakeholders on a proposal to allocate those funds, and they should be ready to announce soon. Black youth are not just the future of their community, they are the future of Seattle. We must invest in that future.
Sincerely, Steven L. Kendall University District
[CLOSING] Undoing centuries of system racism will not happen overnight, as I’ve said before, but I do believe Seattle can lead the country in addressing injustices and ensuring everyone, regardless of their race, can achieve their full potential. Racism is hard-wired into our institutions and permeates through our society. We can only begin to undo the trauma and injustice by centering the voices of the people who have been most impacted. What I am committed to doing is putting in the work and working with community to creating that true, lasting, generational change that this moment in history demands of all of us. I ask that the rest of the City join me in that [endeavor]. Courtesy of the Seattle Office of the Mayor
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July 3, 2020
Celebrating 46 Years!
Cops chop CHOP
Mayor orders sweep of encampment, threatens Kshama Sawant by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Early in the morning of July 1, Seattle police swept into the CHOP encampment around the East Precinct at 11th and Pine, taking back the building they had vacated on June 8, and arresting protestors. According to multiple sources, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order for police to clear out CHOP at 5:00 a.m. on July 1. By 5:23 a.m., the operation was underway. “Due to ongoing violence and public safety issues in the East Precinct/Cal Anderson Park area, Mayor Jenny Durkan has issued an executive order to vacate the area,” the SPD said on its Twitter feed. “Seattle police will be in the area this morning enforcing the Mayor’s order.” Videos of the scene show police in riot gear blocking 12th Avenue north of Pine Street, and then moving south on 12th, securing the precinct building and the surrounding streets. “Disperse southbound on 12th or you will be arrested,” the police announced on loudspeakers. Several people were wrestled to the ground and arrested when they failed to move out of the way of advancing lines of police. Police also blocked Pine Street as far west as Broadway. More police swept through Cal Anderson Park, ordering occupants of the park’s tent city to get out. According to the SPD, 41 people were under arrest by the end of the day. There were no reported injuries. “It’s a fluid situation,” Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said at the scene. “We’re taking it one day at a time. The level of crime, violence, and brutal lawless nature was unacceptable.” There had been several shootings in the 23 days since protestors unexpectedly found themselves in possession of the East Precinct, but it remains unclear what the motives were and what, if anything, the shootings had to do with the original protests against police violence.
Photo by Renee Raketty
Two people, Lorenzo Anderson and Antonio Mays Jr., died from gunshot wounds sustained in the area. In later developments, protestors clashed with police at Broadway and Pine, with incidents lasting into the morning of July 2. Witnesses at the scene said police used pepper spray and at least one flash-bang grenade in unsuccessful attempts to disperse the crowd. Arrests were made, but as the SGN goes to press, it’s unclear how many were taken into custody at that location. Durkan: Remove Sawant In addition to removing the CHOP encampments, Durkan also demanded that the Seattle City Council remove their colleague, Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
The demand came in the form of a letter on the mayor’s official stationary, dated June 30. Sawant apparently drew Durkan’s ire because she spoke at a demonstration outside the mayor’s mansion on June 28. Sawant, who represents the 3rd City Council District, including the neighborhood surrounding the East Precinct, was a speaker at the rally but was not one of the organizers. Charging that Durkan “has utterly failed working people and communities of color in this city,” Sawant issued a fiery response on Twitter. “Durkan’s attack on my office is an attack on the grassroots campaigns we’ve participated in and helped lead alongside many others, and the progressive victories we have all won together,” she wrote.
“While her words are directed at me and my elected office, I don’t take it personally. In reality, this is an attack on working people’s movements, and everything we are fighting for, by a corporate politician desperately looking to distract from her failures of leadership and politically bankrupt administration. Our movement will respond accordingly: we will fight with even greater unity and determination.” While the City Council can remove a member, the Mayor has no legal authority to initiate proceedings against a councilmember, so the legal effect of Durkan’s letter is nil. Sawant has called for Durkan to resign over her handling of anti-racist demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd on May 25.
CHOP
continued from cover vehicles, batons and body armor, making 44 arrests by day’s end. “Our job is to protect and serve the community,” explained Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best during a Wednesday press briefing. “Our job is to support peaceful demonstrations, but what has happened here on these streets over the last two weeks is lawless, and it’s brutal, and bottom line, it is simply unacceptable.” Durkan’s executive order states “...the City’s obligations under the First Amendment do not require the City to provide limitless sanctuary to occupy City property, damage City and private property, obstruct the right of way, or foster dangerous conditions…” and goes on to list recent shootings and other crimes that threaten “public health, life, and safety…” The order will remain in effect for 10 days and declares that any gatherings in this area are considered “an unlawful assembly” requiring “immediate action” from city agencies. “If all we remember from the last few weeks is what happened in those few blocks on Capitol Hill, we’ve missed the point,” said Durkan. “The murder of Mr. Floyd ignited a movement across the globe, but that movement was because of years and centuries of systemic racism that resonated in the bones of so many people.” Capitol Hill has seen four shootings and various crimes in and around the CHOP in recent weeks. A 19-year-old, Lorenzo Anderson, and 16-year-old Antonio Mays, Jr. are among the dead. Last week, Best said “enough was enough,” while standing inside the CHOP on Monday. “Two African American men are dead, at a place where they claim to be working for Black Lives Matter,” added Best.
Photo by Renee Raketty
Durkan has sought to meet the demands of Black Lives Matter protesters but has come up short of meeting all their demands. The mayor had announced last week that she would submit a budget rebalancing plan that included another five million dollars for mentoring and summer learning programs for Black youth and includes $20 million in cuts to the SPD budget for the remainder of this year. She also committed to expediting the transfer of city property in the Central District neighborhood, the historical home of the city’s Black community,
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to Black organizations. Louise Chernin, President & CEO of the Greater Seattle Business Association, the state’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender chamber of commerce, stood alongside Durkan and Best at a City Hall press conference last week in the days leading up to Pride weekend. “It is hopeful to see tens of thousands of people in the street but it is very frightening when you realize… there is so much anguish and anger. It is rightfully there,” she said. “As part of the LGBT community, we know about police violence also.
We know police violence is real and that the police have a long way to go to become part of the community that is part of public safety and not only about arms and control.” During a City Council meeting Wednesday, Councilmember Kshama Sawant denounced Durkan’s actions, saying she was “aghast” but not surprised. “Occupation is a very effective tactic as part of movement building and we are facing major repression, so we need to come together as a movement to figure out what we’re going to do to move forward and win our demands,” she said.
July 3, 2020
Seattle Gay News 5
Proud Boys accused of Capitol Hill crimes Abduction, attempted homicide near CHOP linked to hate group by Renee Raketty SGN Staff Writer An alert on Twitter, a share to Facebook and a post to Instagram is how many in Seattle came to be aware of an alleged abduction by members of the Proud Boys, a far-right neo-fascist organization that has been labeled a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The social media posts stated that a six-foot transgender woman with a thick-build; blonde hair with loose shoulder length curls; and wearing a blue shirt and jeans had been abducted during the early morning hours on June 23rd outside the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP). However, Kozee Moe didn’t have to read about it because he was there. Moe, who describes himself as a woman who uses he/him pronouns, says he’s haunted by what he saw that day at approximately 3 a.m. He said he was riding his friend’s bike down Nagle Place, a short road that borders Cal Anderson Park, when he came across three “white looking” men attempting to get a woman into their van across the street from the basketball courts. Although she appeared to be intoxicated, he said she resisted. “The girl did not look like she knew any of them. She looked like she might have just met them,” recounted Moe. “She looked like she was not here [mentally] at that moment and didn’t realize what was happening. She definitely did not like them putting their hands on her.” Moe says he acted immediately. “I got off my bike and ran up and tried to grab for her because I knew this situation was not supposed to happen,” he explained. “The first time they shoved me back. I was yelling [for help] the whole time. “They tried to grab me and that is when I decided to grab my bike and run… I am really sad because I feel like there is something more I should have done… I could have thrown my bike in front of the van or something… I need that woman to be found because she is on my mind since this happened.” He added that he agreed with the description of the victim posted online but adds he was “pretty sure” she was a cis woman. He also stated that he recalled that she may be wearing white converse-type shoes. “I’ve never seen the woman before in my life until the situation happened,” he said. “People have been asking me if she is Trans or cis, I feel she is more ‘like’ cis but… she could be either or. Of course, she is not around for me to ask.” Moe said after watching the van drive south on Nagle Place toward E Pine St., he reported it to the security at CHOP. He explained that they had been unable to hear his pleas because they were “down by the playfield helping a woman and her son.” The Seattle Gay News spoke with a woman who was on-duty patrolling the CHOP that night. She asked the SGN to conceal her last name out of concern for her family’s safety. She described the area where the abduction may have occurred as “more isolated” and added that “many protesters have relocated away from it…” due to recent violence. Lauren says she took a CHOP report of the incident from Moe that day. She recalled Moe as having been traumatized by what he saw. “What I witnessed, in taking his account, was a person going through what I’d be feeling if I’d just tried to prevent an abduction and almost had been taken myself,” she said. “Fear, powerlessness, rage – in a rapid cycle… I believe him.” Lauren said that she convinced Moe to speak with police in the “off chance that they might try and save the woman.” However, they both describe an ordeal that resulted in a police report not being taken for more than 12 hours. “The dispatcher instructed us to meet the SPD at 12th Ave. and E Howell St.,”
6 Seattle Gay News
Kozee Moe, abduction witness – Photo by Renee Raketty
she said. “I waited two and a half hours and they never arrived to take the report.” Moe agreed, saying that he waited 40 minutes before going to his tent. He has been taking part in the Black Lives Matter protests for more than 17 days prior to that morning, going home only to shower and care for his cats. Lauren offered to call him back once police arrived. However, Moe grew increasingly concerned that the woman could be the victim of human trafficking and spoke to one of his friends who was an organizer at the CHOP. “He had a detective on his speed dial for some other things that were going on,” he said. “I spoke to the detective and gave him all the details that I could. I would like the police to look into more of this… I will testify in court against them.” Over a week after the alleged abduction, the SPD admits they are struggling to determine what happened. “The Seattle Police Department has received a secondhand report of an abduction or attempted abduction in the CHOP-area on June 23rd,” a spokesperson for the SPD told the SGN this week. “A detective has interviewed potential witnesses and is reviewing [the] information provided to police. At this time, SPD has been unable to confirm any abduction occurred…” Lauren stated that Moe’s description matched those of known members of the Proud Boys who had been seen in the CHOP. She said that when he was shown a video of a beating on June 15th, he positively identified at least one of the men. “We knew it was ‘Tiny’ because he was wearing the same distinct 49ers jacket; met the physical description of him; and the van [matched],” she said. “[Tusitala] ‘Tiny’ Toese has been captured on video assaulting someone who filmed him – in violation of his probation. He now has an active warrant.” The SGN has learned that Toese has since been picked up in Multnomah County, Oregon, on a parole violation as a result of the earlier Capitol Hill assault. In addition to the June 15th video, which was uploaded to Twitter, the victim had also described what happened to him in a second video. He stated that he had been following and filming the Proud Boys on
July 3, 2020
his cell phone as they left the CHOP. He stated that he took pictures of a white male and female who were driving a car with no plates and he continued to follow the other members of the Proud Boys further north. “Some of them stopped at a bus stop and… more kept walking. They had a white minivan, like a Ford Windstar, parked. It had its plates removed too,” the victim recounted. “The back seats were out and there was a lot of stuff in the back. When I started getting closer, that is when they got aggressive. Up until that point I could just follow a half block away. “I never struck a blow even after they started hitting me. There was the guy in the Mexican poncho. He struck first. There was the guy with the mustache and the gun in his holster. He was striking me. There were a couple people in the car. Some may have gotten out. “The guy with the Proud Boys jacket and with his face exposed; he pulled a police baton out on me, which may or may not have been the cause of this (pointing to a welt forming on his forehead). It might have been a fist, I’m not sure. Their [modus operandi] was to knock me around a bit, get my phone – steal the phone – so I couldn’t get any footage.” Moe says he thinks his identification of those in the video should be enough information to make an arrest. “Since we actually have positive identifications of the perpetrators, I would like them to be picked up immediately – if they are by themselves. If they are working with someone else, I would like both of those groups to be taken in,” he said.
A shooting victim also cited the Proud Boys as possibly being behind an attempted murder. DeJuan Young told KIRO 7 News’ Deborah Horne during an interview from his hospital bed last week that he was walking near 11th Ave. and E Pike St. when a group of men approached him. They allegedly uttered a racial slur before they fired upon him. “So basically I was shot by, I’m not sure if they’re Proud Boys or KKK,” said Young. “But the verbiage that they said was hold this ‘N*gg*r’ and shot me.” Young added that the blast from the first shot pushed him onto the hood of a nearby car before they took aim and shot him again. “And they stood over top of me and continued to fire,” he said. “I tried to protect myself and got shot in the arm. And they got away.” CHOP volunteer medics cared for Young and transported him in a private vehicle to Harborview Medical Center one mile away. The SGN could not reach Young for comment by press time. The SPD provided a written statement to the SGN about the shooting. They wrote that the SPD are “working diligently on this investigation.” They add that they have also brought in their Bias Crimes Coordinator to assist homicide detectives in looking for video; searching for witnesses; and following-up on tips to solve the crime. The SPD said they continue to investigate these incidents and asked the public to come forward with any new information. The SPD’s violent crimes tip line can be reached at 206-233-5000.
BURIEN
several years. In past years, the Burien City Council has issued proclamations supporting Pride as well as proclamations denouncing hate speech. The City of Burien is an inclusive and welcoming city and we want to strongly declare that acts of hate or intimidation based on someone’s identity have no place in our community. The outpouring of support that Discover Burien has received to replace the flags is proof that Burien is a welcoming place for all.
continued from cover The Burien Police Department has opened an investigation into the incident. They encourage anyone who may have seen something to call (206) 296-3311. The City of Burien supports the values that Pride represents: equality, fairness, visibility, and empowerment for LGTBQ+ people. The City’s leadership sanctioned the installation of the flags on publicly owned light poles as they have done for
Courtesy of The Seattle Lesbian
Celebrating 46 Years!
The multiplicity of oppressions by Astro Pittman Seattle Collegian This month has stirred up some very mixed emotions within me, and I have found myself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to sift through and make sense of them. I am a Queer Person of Color who is also an essential worker, so I have been feeling some type of way about all the prominent events and circumstances that this month has offered up. We are in the midst of a global pandemic that has put essential workers like me on the front lines of the areas most impacted (I’ve seen some things, y’all), it is PRIDE month, sexual orientation and gender identity are finally federally protected against discrimination and termination in the workplace (woot!), kids are graduating from high schools, colleges, and universities they haven’t even stepped foot in for months, George Floyd’s sickening murder has rocked and polarized our nation, and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and its affiliated worldwide protests have taken up much of my attention and emotional and tangible labor. Oh, and everything is cancelled. Like, everything. Wow. I guess cancel culture had the right idea all along, go figure. Add Juneteenth to the equation, and we have a unique convergence of historic events that make this one hell of a month to be alive. For those of you that don’t know (and how could you, no one talks about it), this Juneteenth marks the 155th anniversary of the end of slavery, at least the conventional kind. There are, of course, other types of slavery, like the industrial prison complex that enslaves so many people of color, especially Black men. Juneteenth is not a nationally recognized holiday, although it should be (is it weird that Texas is the only state to make it an official holiday? I think it’s weird. Come on, Washington!) Pivotal moments in White history are the only ones we seem to celebrate as a nation. We had no problem celebrating Columbus Day up until recently, even though Columbus was a total prick and slaughtered entire tribes of Natives. Giving the same space to Black people to celebrate their history and heritage would just be asking for it. I mean, they gave us a whole month for Black history, we should be thankful, right? God forbid if we got radical ideas about equality in our heads, organized ourselves, and started an uprising? Oh, wait, we did anyway, surprise! Congratulations America, you’re finally coming around to the realization that Black people might have some validity and worth in our society, and it only took you 500 years to do it. It’s what I like to call moving at the speed of White. But hey, part of
Photo courtesy of MK Scott
the nature of privilege is that it doesn’t need to move as fast as the non-dominant groups who are used to being marginalized, simply because it knows less threats and has less problems of survival to worry about. I have written before about what I have dubbed the multiplicity of oppression, and this month has brought it all home for me. The intersectionality of what it means to be Queer, Native, a Black descendant of slaves, an activist, a social worker, a journalist, and poor, have all come together – and come to a head – this month. Do any of you remember Sept. 2, 2005, when, during a nationally televised telethon benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina, hip-hop artist Kanye West went off-script to directly criticize the media and the White House’s handling of the storm? “I hate the way they portray us in the media,” he said. “If you see a black family, it says they’re looting. If you see a white family, it says they’re searching for food.” West went on to say, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.” He may have been calling out only one man and the media, but really, he was speaking to an entire system of premeditated oppression and poisonous portrayal that wants Blacks (and Queers) to go away. Fifteen years later, that shit has not changed, and if you’re both Black and Queer, like me, the weight of the system kneeling on your neck only feels twice as heavy. What this month has harshly reminded me of is that the fight is not over. The Queer community has gotten used to its parades and its tea dances, but we must remember that there are other marginalized communities still fighting for not only acceptance like the LGBTQ+ community, but also the right to simply be free to pursue
Have a union Fourth of July Special to SGN from Pride At Work This Fourth of July, while you celebrate the country’s independence, you can also celebrate the hard-working men, women, and nonbinary folks who work hard to make the country run. Buy union products for your Fourth of July festivities, and you’ll be sure you’re buying from companies that treat their workers with respect. Here are some unionmade items you might want: • Coolers – Rubbermaid • Sunscreen – Bain de Soleil, Coppertone • Grills – Weber (Genesis, Summit, Q Series) • Hot dogs – Ball Park, Butterball, Hebrew National, Hormel, Oscar Mayer • Ice cream – Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Good Humor, Prairie Farms
• Snacks – Cheez-It, Fritos, Lays, Mission, Ritz , Ruffles, Sun Chips, Triscuit, Wheat Thins • Beer – Budweiser, Coors, Miller Genuine Draft, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Sam Adams • Personal protective equipment – Face Masks by Ethix Merch Of course, it wouldn’t do to buy unionmade products at a non-union grocery store. Fortunately, our major grocery chains – Safeway, Albertson’s, and Kroger, including QFC and Fred Meyer – are union stores. So are PCC and the Central Co-Op, Uwajimaya, Red Apple, Metropolitan Market, Payless Foods, and many other stores. For the complete list, go to UFCW21.org. Have a happy, safe, and worker-friendly Fourth! Pride at Work is an LGBTQ labor organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO. More at Prideatwork.org.
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their life with the same basic rights and freedoms granted to Whites. The Black struggle has so very much in common with the LGBTQ+ struggle, and it’s time we did more than just acknowledge it. We should stand with them and join their fight, too. We may not be able to celebrate PRIDE month in our usual fashion, but we can take it back to our roots, back to the streets, and march for another wildly worthy cause. Whether you are able to join the Juneteenth and BLM marches, volunteer at the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (formerly known as CHAZ), or something else, get up off your ass and celebrate Black and Brown folx. Because Black and Brown Lives do Matter, and they have been especially important in the Queer community. The first Pride was basically a Queer BLM riot. Without the fighting spirits and voices
of Black and Brown folx like Marsha P. Johnson, Bayard Rustin, Sylvia Rivera, Barbara Smith, and others, we would not be free to have our parades in the first place. If you aren’t already familiar with them, you should be. FYI, the founding members of the Black Lives Matter movement are Queer Black women. Google it. Marsha P. Johnson once said, “As long as gay people don’t have their rights all across America, there’s no reason for celebration.” I think the same has to be, must be, true for Black and Brown people. We are not free until we are ALL free. So strap on your marching stilettos and get out there with the rest of us. Let’s get our brothers and sisters the support they deserve. They showed up for us when we needed them, now it’s time to return the favor.
George Bakan – Photo by Nate Gowdy
GO FUND ME continued from cover
From gay marriage, child adoption, AIDS, domestic rights, and every other issue affecting the community, the SGN has been and is a central force of change – for you! Who is the Seattle Gay News? You! Every member of the LGBTQA+ community, and everyone who is concerned with social justice. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King Since its founding, social justice has been and is the central purpose of the SGN. Our late Publisher, R. George Bakan was daily committed to that purpose. His passion and work ethic, seven days a week for decades, set the bar high for our staff and volunteers. That dedication continued to his last minute on earth. Sadly, on Sunday, June 7th, 2020, George passed while working at his desk. Those of us who knew and loved George may take comfort in knowing he was in a good place when he passed – he was proud and inspired to see social activism alive and well in Seattle as an example for the world.
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Independent journalism is now more important than ever. In this critical transition, your support will allow one of the most resilient independent publications in the United States to cover our day-to-day expenses, expand our distribution, as well as update and enhance our internet presence. With your help, we will be able to maintain George’s legacy and the continue to be your voice for the community! Will your goal cover your costs? Yes! Funds raised will go toward operating costs, including rent, utilities, printing costs, and staff. Thank you for your support! Please see our June 12, 2020 edition [http://www.sgn. org/sgnnews48_24/index.cfm] and June 27, 2020 Pride edition [http://www.sgn.org/ sgnnews48_26/index.cfm] commemorating the life and legacy of our beloved Editor-inChief/Publisher and friend, George Bakan along with Pride-related content, news, and community advertising. Launched by SGN Staff and Contributors Maggie, MK, Renee, Nate, Mike, Mike, Barry, Rick, Miryam, and Sara Michelle. https://www.gofundme.com/f/seattlegay-news-needs-your-support-now Courtesy of SGN and GoFundMe
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HRC: Mississippi Gov. Reeves must sign legislation to remove Confederate battle emblem from state flag WASHINGTON, DC (June 28, 2020) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, called on Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves to sign the bill passed by Mississippi lawmakers to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. The Mississippi House voted 91 in favor and 23 opposed. The vote in the Senate was 37-14. “The Confederate emblem is divisive,
rooted in prejudice, and it’s time that this long-standing symbol of white supremacy and racial violence is removed from Mississippi’s flag, the last state to feature the Confederate battle emblem as part of its state flag,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “For 126 years, Mississippi had a symbol that promoted white supremacy and openly oppressed Black Mississippians, who make up nearly 40% of the population. We applaud the Mississippi House and Senate for their long overdue actions today, which
is a first step of many that must be taken to rectify the state’s long history of antiBlack racism. We call on Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves to sign the bill and remove the Confederate symbol from the flag now. The entire nation is watching.” In May, the HRC released a letter, joined by prominent LGBTQ and civil rights organizations, condemning racism, racial violence, and police brutality while calling for action to combat these scourges. The letter is signed by 500+ leaders of the nation’s
most prominent LGBTQ and civil rights organizations The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. The HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community. Courtesy of the HRC
Sens. Murray, Harris lead colleagues in demanding Attorney General Barr follow the law, protect Transgender workers from discrimination WASHINGTON, DC (July 1, 2020) – Following the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., which held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination, US Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee, and Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Tuesday wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) reverse its anti-LGBTQIA+ position that federal law does not shield transgender workers. The senators called on Barr to immediately rescind a 2017 memorandum issued
by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions articulating the Justice Department’s current anti-transgender stance. In 2017, Sens. Murray and Harris led their colleagues in a letter condemning then Attorney General Sessions’s discriminatory memorandum. “We strongly urge you to rescind a 2017 US Department of Justice memorandum in which former Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered DOJ to take the position that transgender workers are not protected from workplace discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” the senators wrote, including that the Supreme Court’s decision, “compels DOJ to rescind the Sessions memo-
randum,” which “misstates the law, poses an ongoing threat to the well-being of transgender workers, and invites liability for employers that misguidedly rely upon it.” The senators continued, “In light of the landmark Bostock decision, there can remain no justification for leaving in place an enforcement policy that flatly contradicts Supreme Court precedent. Accordingly, we call on you to rescind the Sessions memorandum immediately.” Sen. Murray has been a staunch advocate for transgender women and men and has consistently fought back against the Trump administration’s numerous assaults on trans-
gender rights. Earlier this week, Sen. Murray cosponsored an amendment that would effectively end President Trump’s hateful transgender military service ban, which she has ardently opposed. Sen. Murray has also called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring the Equality Act to the Senate floor for a vote, and has previously pressed the administration on its treatment of transgender detainees and discriminatory housing policies. A full copy of the letter can be found at https://bit.ly/2NLT215. Courtesy of Sen. Patty Murray
Bound together: Black & queer liberations strength, and leadership to the fight for allencompassing equality. They have the greatest motivation and drive for change. Fight for all with a multiracial united front What oppressed people have to rely on is our united power, not the Democrats or Republicans or Supreme Court. The need is urgent for a radical, multiracial, feminist, working-class united front to fight for both Black and queer liberation. This could save many lives, including the lives of Brown and Native people who also disproportionately suffer violence at the hands of the cops.
Photo courtesy of Radical Women
SEATTLE (June 29, 2020) – It is no accident that long-standing police brutality was the spark for the modern gay liberation movement, ushered in by the 1969 Stonewall Inn rebellion in New York City. And it is also no accident that queer and trans folks of color were the angry, fabulous warriors who, risking everything, played the leading roles. That uprising helped to galvanize LGBTQ+ people into action internationally. Now, 50 years later – on the anniversary of the first Gay Pride marches – the US is in the middle of a mass uprising for Black lives ignited by the police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others. This revolt is inspiring the world with its uncompromising passion for justice. And it is the reason why many Pride events around the country are dedicated to the cause of Black liberation. A profound connection The 1970s-era chant “Gay/straight, Black/ white, same struggle, same fight” expressed
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the organic connection between racism and homophobia. The profit system we live under survives by oppressing and superexploiting special groups of people, who together make up the majority. And how do they maintain that dehumanizing class rule? That is the essential function of the police. Tony McDade embodied Black/queer commonality in his own person. McDade is a Black transgender man who was shot and killed by a cop in Tallahassee, FL, on May 27, two days after Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. The city police department and the police association are hiding the identity of the officer who killed McDade behind a law designed to protect the victims of crimes. Amid what the American Medical Association calls an epidemic of murders of transgender people, the overwhelming majority of those who die are trans women of color. But Black trans people who are the targets of this violence are much more than victims. Along with Black women – cisgender and trans, queer and straight – they bring militancy,
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Ultimately, full liberation can only be won through socialist revolution, by removing the capitalist incentive for bigotry and clearing the way for a flowering of human potential. The importance of what US champions of liberty and justice do cannot be overstated, not only for this country but for the rest of the world. We have the power if only we will take it! Together, we can change history. Courtesy of Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party
Rep. Smith statement honoring Pride month WASHINGTON, DC (June 30, 2020) – Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), a member of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, released the following statement in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month: “Pride Month is a time to celebrate progress toward LGBTQ+ equality and honor the contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans to our society. Though we are unable to join together in our celebrations this year, I am proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community in the continued struggle for equality and to recommit to doing all I can to achieve that true equality. “A rich history of activism underpins Pride Month. What we now associate with authenticity and pride originated from a stark history of LGBTQ+ people fighting for their lives at Stonewall Inn more than 50 years ago. It is this legacy of activism that reminds us what can be achieved when we come together in the fight against injustices of all kinds.
“Pride Month allows people to bravely embrace their identities that have for so long been marginalized and attacked. However, it’s clear that the LGBTQ+ community – especially LBGTQ+ people of color – continue to face staggering levels of violence and discrimination. Everyone has the right to live freely without fear of discrimination or harassment, we must come together to ensure that any future legislation includes these guarantees. “As Pride Month comes to a close, I want to thank all of you who spoke up, pushed back, and fought for equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We will all march on together during this fight for equal rights for all.” Courtesy of Rep. Adam Smith
Celebrating 46 Years!
Stonewall 2020: this time, cops riot
1969 – Photo courtesy of NYC Pride
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer On the very anniversary of the Stonewall riots that kick-started the modern LGBTQ rights movement, New York City police assaulted peaceful marchers near Washington Square Park, only two blocks from the historic Stonewall Inn. The marchers were attending the Queer Liberation March for Black Lives and Against Police Brutality. According to Marlyn Suarez, a march organizer, “Everyone had been super chill. It was relaxed, people were having dance parties. Then all of a sudden, everyone sees that cops are trying to arrest this one person. In a second, there was a whole bunch of cops surrounding all of us. They came rushing on the street. And then they just started pepper-spraying everywhere, all over in the crowd. It all happened fast. I
didn’t know what had happened.” According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), officers were attempting to arrest two people for graffiti. Marchers then surrounded the scene, chanting “Let them go! Let them go!” At that point, witnesses said, police attacked the crowd with pepper spray and batons. Others tried to ram their motorcycles into the crowd. “The man who was arrested was crying and saying he was hurting, and the cops were dragging him by his hands so his weight was against his shoulders pulling [on] the sockets,” march volunteer Pippa Bianco told The Gothamist, saying chaos erupted when two officers in white shirts “sprinted into the crowd and started shoving us.” Another group of police on motorcycles started pushing their vehicles through the crowd, striking protesters, Bianco added. “Using pepper spray against the Black
and queer community, beating LGBTQIA+ protestors with batons and bicycles, and intimidating our right to peacefully assemble reflects the wanton disregard that the mayor, along with the NYPD, have for the lives and safety all Black and queer New Yorkers,” march organizers told BuzzFeed News. “It was very peaceful, very chill. I didn’t see much police presence. Then I saw 20 cops on bikes and a few cop cars speed up right away, so I walked a little quicker,” march attendee Eliel Cruz told BuzzFeed. “I walked by five or six people on the ground who were pepper-sprayed and were washing their eyes.” “I wish that I could say what I saw today was shocking, but how could I reasonably expect anything else from the NYPD?” Jake Tolan, one of the march organizers, told LGBTQ Nation in an emailed statement. “Fifty-one years after the Stonewall Rebellion, the NYPD is still responding
to peaceful, powerful, righteous queer joy with pepper spray, batons, and handcuffs. Thank you, Commissioner Shea and the entire NYPD, for continuing to show us why you should be abolished.” New York drag star Marti Gould Cummings was also at the march. She later took to her Twitter account to share her eyewitness account, and to condemn New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermott Shea. “Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Shea, you want to tell us why, on the anniversary of Stonewall, we are, on this day, continuing to protest police brutality?” Cummings tweeted. “Stonewall was an act of resistance against the police, and now your cops are f*cking beating and arresting them at a demonstration in Washington Square Park? F*cking resign.”
2020 – Photo courtesy of EPA
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Celebrating 46 Years!
Marsha P. Johnson and Capitol Hill resident to be featured in mural by Franklin students “It’s an amazing honor,” said Re-bar legend Ade A. Connere
International District "Beautify and Protect" project murals – Photo by Renee Raketty
by Renee Raketty SGN Staff Writer A mural project funded by Home Depot in the International District of Seattle, also referred to as Chinatown, has resulted in dozens of murals being painted on boarded-up storefronts. The boards had gone up as many businesses were forced to shutter in response to COVID-19. The colorful displays portray a variety of Black Lives Matter themes, while some advertise the business within. Students at Franklin High School are among the many artists participating in the “Beautify and Protect” project. The student club, which began as a pilot project after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, is now an official student club calling itself “Art of Resistance Resilience.” This social justice art activism group had three murals cancelled due to COVID-19 before students learned of this effort in the ID. “The last week of school – during finals – we had Zoom meetings and chats on Instagram and it all kind of coalesced,” explained Lauren Holloway, the club’s advisor and art instructor. “For our social justice club, we were looking for a platform to let the students speak on the times we are living in currently.” Myla, who will be a senior this fall, added that a lot of the youth in the club wanted to participate in the Black Lives Matter protests around the city but their parents objected. She said that this mural project has become an important outlet for her peers. “I’m not able to be on the front lines but I want to share my voice and show my solidarity in some other way,” she said. “Young people using their voice – going out and speaking about what is important right now
– really solidifies my stance and helps contribute to my activism.” The club is working with a property owner at 7th Ave. and S Jackson St. to paint the boards over two windows of an abandoned business. However, unlike other murals nearby, this one will honor the lives of Black gender non-conforming women. In addition to a quote from Angela Davis about history and generations, the students are painting portraits and biographies of two women in particular for all to see. “This mural is honoring legends from the past and the present,” said Holloway. “We want to honor the people that we lost but we also want to celebrate the living.” The mural will recognize Marsha P. Johnson, who was known as the “Mayor of Christopher Street” in New York and a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. The second woman to be recognized is a Capitol Hill resident and popular local theatre and cabaret performer who often performed at Re-bar. Ade A. Connere also describes themselves in many ways: singer, actor, violinist, dancer and activist. “I am extremely honored and humbled by this beautiful experience,” said Connere. “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think this would ever happen. It’s an amazing honor and I’m truly touched.” The students added that they spent a lot of time researching individuals they wanted to feature before realizing the “scale of importance” of the work they were undertaking. “I really like the theme that was chosen because it is not something you often see talked about,” said Kai, who will be a sophomore in the fall, as he painted flowers. “Even if we don’t have [Black] people in this club, we stand with you and we want you to know that we care about you.”
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Kai and Myla, Franklin High students – Photo by Renee Raketty
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International District "Beautify and Protect" project murals – Photos by Renee Raketty
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Under fire
Director Rod Lurie on bringing the story of The Outpost to life by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer THE OUTPOST Video On Demand Based on the best-selling book by journalist Jake Tapper, The Outpost chronicles the 2009 assault on Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan. Located at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains just 14 miles from the Pakistani border, 53 soldiers fought to defend themselves against an overwhelming force of more than 400 Taliban fighters. It is still considered to be one of the deadliest fights of the Afghan War. More importantly, it’s a fight that never should have taken place. Veteran director Rod Lurie’s adaptation goes into great detail as it analyzes the men stationed at Combat Outpost Keating and the building dread most of them felt knowing that an assault on their indefensible position could happen at any time. Seen entirely through their eyes, the film is a visceral powder keg that explodes with devastating emotional ferocity once the attack on the outpost ultimately begins. Featuring several unforgettable moments and showcasing a performance from actor Caleb Landry Jones that is arguably the best of his career, The Outpost moved me in a number of unexpectedly intimate ways. I had the pleasure to sit down and chat with Lurie over the phone about his film and his career for a good half-hour. Here are some slightly edited excerpts from our wide-ranging conversation: Sara Michelle Fetters: I guess I should start with the basic question of, at what point did you get Jake Tapper’s book? When did you know that this was a film that you wanted to make? Rod Lurie: They came to me. This movie was originally going to be directed by Sam Raimi. He had the rights to the book and he had the rights to a screenplay that had been written by Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. But for his own reasons, Sam decided to drop out of directing the film. I was approached but couldn’t make it at the time. But a couple years later it circled back to me. I’d heard that this company called Millennium, who mostly had done these shoot ‘em ups, like Rambo and The Expendables, was interested in making this film. They wanted to take the company into the directions of more artful films and they were ready to go with The Outpost. From that point, we started making offers to actors, and by the fall of 2018 we were shooting. Sara Michelle Fetters: It’s interesting for me to look at this film and compare it to the majority of your filmography. With most of your films, you have written most of them yourself and by and large they are far more intimate as far as how many characters they are dealing with. When you look at this project, I mean, you’ve got 50-plus soldiers that you have to keep track of. Rod Lurie: My other film this size probably was The Last Castle, which also had a military bent to it. When I write films, I tend to write films that can get made. I don’t write $100-million films because it’s typically difficult to get those made. It’s also difficult to get small ones made, but you’ve got maybe a better shot. I’ve been interested all my life in intimate topics. Most of them political and most of them dealing with feminist issues. But this story was really important to me because I was in the military and I love my fellow soldiers. I love them more than I love the military. One of the things about this story is that most of the Afghanistan war films deal with Navy Seals or they deal with Rangers
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Actor Caleb Landry Jones (l) and director Rod Lurie (r) on the set of The Outpost – Photo courtesy of Screen Media
or they deal with Special Forces. This story was about regular dudes. Guys who are not necessarily career military. The military was a stopgap for these men as they continued on with their lives, and they were caught in this terrible situation. I thought that was very interesting. I’m making a movie about people you don’t make movies about. That’s exciting. Sara Michelle Fetters: One of the more fascinating aspects of the film for me was that I truly felt like I’d went to school with these guys. You look at the soldier Caleb Landry Jones is playing, Ty Carter, I swear I went to high school with that kid. I could see him there. Remember everything about him. This made his reaction to Combat Outpost Keating hit home for me in a very personal way. I knew what his reaction would be. I feel like mine would have been very similar. How was this even possible? How did the U.S. Military think putting Keating where they did was ever a good idea? Rod Lurie: That’s absolutely true. It was a tactically disastrous decision. They had their reasons, but the reasons were not good enough to justify having done this. In fact, the guy who decided to create these outposts was a colonel, his name was Mick Nicholson. Nicholson was my squad leader when I was at West Point. He was the guy who hazed me relentlessly, even though he was a complete stud at West Point. Now he’s a four-star general. So, he’s a great, great soldier. No question. But this was unquestionably a bad decision. It’s interesting when you’re talking about the guys that you went to school with. The nature of the war is that you have all these various personalities coming from all over the country with different political beliefs, different religious beliefs, different sports beliefs, different everything, and they all have to work together. They’re all different human beings with very different upbringings. I think it the most successful war-based films, these differences are an essential aspect of the storytelling. I looked at a movie like Platoon which very successfully shows the variations of these characters and we tried to do something similar. These guys should have felt like people you knew in
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high school. I’m glad you felt that way. Sara Michelle Fetters: There’s a moment in the movie that I don’t want to talk too much about because I think it’s a bit of a spoiler, but there’s a montage of a number of the soldiers on a SAT phone speaking to their families, saying what they can but not being able to tell them what they truly want them to know. Rod Lurie: What they’re trying to express is their sense of love for their families. They want to get that across because that’s the moment in the film where they think that they’re going to close down the base. But they also know that by closing down the base that might incite the Taliban to attack them. They don’t know what’s in their immediate future. Your instinct, I think, is to reach out to people that you love. If you were on a plane and the plane is going down, and you still had your phone, no doubt you’re going to call your husband or your wife or your children or your parents and tell them that you love them. That’s human nature. That sort of was the sense that we had for that sequence. They all react differently. They all behave differently. Some can’t help but continue to fight with their loved ones. Some just say, “I love you.” One person just wants to make clear he’s going to quit smoking. I’m glad you pointed out that sequence. I’m very proud of it. Sara Michelle Fetters: As you should be. I was curious what instruction you gave the actors. As you say, each of them reacts differently on these calls. All of their conversations are different. It almost feels like you just let them go off script, but I have trouble believing you actually let them improvise. Rod Lurie: No. You are correct. Every one of those conversations was improv. All those actors, they were in communication with the families of the people that they were playing. They got to know who each of these men was on a very personal level. This was extremely helpful. You’re hearing these stories about each man from the point of view of a family member who knew them best. So, for example, the guy playing Kevin Thomson [Bobby Lockwood], a private, knew that he never did speak to his mom. So he gets on the phone and decides he
can’t speak. The guy playing Sergeant Gallegos [Jacob Scipio], he always fought with his wife, they always fought, no matter what, so he knew that they would fight and that would be the way that they would say that they loved each other. All these actors got to know their families, and so that concentrated itself into that one sequence. I think it did so rather well. Sara Michelle Fetters: One of the reasons I think this moment worked so well for me is that, for the first half of the film, I was admittedly worried I wasn’t going to be able to keep track of who all of these men were. There is so much exposition that is required to flesh out, not only who these characters are, but the geography of Keating itself, and it didn’t occur to me until that moment that you’d done a terrific job setting all of that up. Rod Lurie: Right. Thank you. One of the curses of the military film is that most people have got very short hair. Nobody has facial hair. They’re often wearing helmets. They’re often wearing enough gear that you can’t even make out their body shape. When you look at a film like Black Hawk Down, as much of a masterpiece as I think it is, the most common complaint about the film was you couldn’t tell anybody from anybody else. If you think about it, Orlando Bloom looks a little bit like Josh Hartnett, who looks a little bit like Eric Bana. One of the things we sought to do was, through behavior more than anything else, differentiate the characters. One guy is a wise-ass. Another guy is an asshole. And another guy is so unathletic. So on. So forth. We wanted to ensure that these behaviors were true to who these men really were. We wanted to honor them by being authentic. Additionally, we also tried to give all the characters one big moment where they stood out and were the center of the scene. I think that was helpful as well. Sara Michelle Fetters: Going back to that geography, it’s pivotal that we understand the layout and where everything is at Keating, otherwise that last hour is going to make no sense from a visual perspective. What were the difficulties involved in ensuring that the audience could learn that geography?
Celebrating 46 Years!
Rod Lurie: You’d make a good director because you identify the problems that we needed to solve ahead of time. [laughs] That was an issue that had to be really crystallized. These were 54 men, 53 in the battle, who were trapped in a base at the bottom of the Hindu Kush Mountains. It was inevitable that they were going to be overrun because they didn’t have the high ground. They were just literally, to use a cliché, sitting ducks. One of the things we had to do in the first hour of the film is to reinforce over and over and over again was how they are at the base of these mountains. There are many shots of the men looking up into the mountains, and even ones where they are making a point of where they are geographically and why it is they are there. I also made a point of taking a squad up into the mountains and looking down at the base so that we could see from that point of view, visualize what the enemy would see. I needed the audience to know how easy it would be to attack the base. Most importantly, there are three times in the movie where sort of tours of the base are taken. Here’s where the command building is. Here’s where the mess hall is. Here is where the mortar pit is. By the time we get to that second hour, you should know the outpost as well as the soldiers do. Sara Michelle Fetters: You have mentioned in the past in other interviews how your films attempt to be apolitical in how they attack their subject matter but that it always seems like your harshest critics always seem to come from the Right. Rod Lurie: Right. Correct. Sara Michelle Fetters: Why do you think that is? Rod Lurie: Well, okay. Let’s be fair for one second. I am not apolitical. If I ever said that my films come from an apolitical point of view than I wasn’t telling the whole truth because I do think they come from a political point of view. I’ll work my way up to The Outpost, which is apolitical, but The Contender, a small movie I made in 2000, was absolutely coming from a pro-Left, pro-liberal, point of view, and the Right absolutely eviscerated me. I remember a review from Michael Medved that was much more a political screed than it was an artistic screed against me. Another movie of mine, Straw Dogs, that was made in response to the rightwing nature of Sam Peckinpah’s film. I wanted to see if I could make a film that told exactly the same story but from a leftwing perspective. Now, you come to a movie like The Outpost, and one of the things that I’m proudest of is the fact that when we did our research screening and one of the questions we asked the audience members was, does this movie have a political point of view, the answer was unanimous. And by unanimous, I mean that unambiguously and without equivocation 100% of the people said it wasn’t a political film. They did not find a political message one way or another. This is purely a story about these guys and what they had to go through, and it tells the story objectively. There might be a criticism of the military in there, but remember that this base existed through both the Bush and Obama administrations. So, going back to your original question: Why did they come after me in the past from the Right? Because I was on the Left, and that was perfectly fine with me. I’ll tell you a quick anecdote. The Contender is a political film about a female Senator who comes under a scandal played by Joan Allen. There’s a point in the film where she gives a speech before Congress. I shot it dry without music. Steven Spielberg buys the movie for DreamWorks and we sit in the editing room, and he says, “This would be a great scene to have music in.” And I said, “But Steven, if I put music there it’s as if I’m endorsing what she is saying politically.” And he responds, “Right. It is your movie. You’re allowed to have a point of view. This is not a news show. You can endorse what she’s saying if you want to endorse what she’s saying.” We put music in that scene, and it worked magnificently. So, my past films, they definitely presented a point of view, and I will do more of those films in the future. But that’s not the point of The Outpost.
Caleb Landry Jones (l) and Scott Eastwood (r) in The Outpost – Photo courtesy of Screen Media
Sara Michelle Fetters: Off topic, but I’m going to say that as much as I love Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, I would have given the Oscar that year to Joan. I thought that was easily my favorite performance out of the five nominees that year. Rod Lurie: Thank you! I couldn’t agree with you more. We had really hoped that Joan had a shot and, of course, I don’t know where she placed. But I know it’s a beloved role for her, so that means a lot. But, yeah, I thought Julia was great and all, but to me it was Joan all the way. She’s a great actor. A really great actor. Sara Michelle Fetters: Speaking of great actors . . . do we get to finally retire this notion that Caleb Landry Jones is a one-note actor? I’d thought after the trifecta of Get Out, The Florida Project and Three Billboards we were finished with that, but apparently there are those who for whatever reason feel the need to keep that going. He’s extraordinary here. Rod Lurie: I think that we can retire that conversation, and I’ll tell you that the role that he plays here as Ty Carter, I’m really hoping that the Academy remembers him at year’s end. It’s going to be tough, I admit that, but he’s just wonderful in the film. When I first met Caleb, I met him at Mel’s Drive-In in Hollywood. He had long, stringy hair and he was really skinny. He reminded me of Brad Pitt in True Romance. [laughs] When you’re speaking to him, you’re not inspired with confidence because he sort of rambles on. But he’s such a great actor, and when he tells you, “No man, I can do this. I can pull this off. I can be a Marine,” you believe him. I sent him to go visit the real Ty Carter and Ty calls me and he says, “Rod, is Caleb going to go to the gym?” And you know what? Caleb went to the gym. Caleb did the training. Caleb was so invested in this part. He was the stud of basic training. I’ll tell you something that’s not well known, and that is that Caleb’s brother is a Marine who lost both his legs in Iraq. He read the script and told Caleb, “You’re going to make this movie.” He had no choice in the matter. Caleb’s brother came to Bulgaria and made sure that he was holding his weapon right, even though that was the job of our technical experts. That was something to behold. It gave me chills. Sara Michelle Fetters: Speaking of those technical experts, we had a little back-and-forth on Twitter where you mentioned you had soldiers from Combat Outpost Keating on-set with you. What was that like for them? Rod Lurie: It was brutal for them, no lie, but it was also beautiful. There was a catharsis, I think, but everybody, all of those soldiers, all of the crew, we were all in tears at some point on that set. We had Dr.
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Cordova on the set, and he was there on the day that we shot the operation scene, which was probably one of the most profound moments of the doctor’s life, and he just had to walk away. He helped us get everything ready and then he had to walk away. He couldn’t be there. Daniel Rodriguez plays himself, and he had to replicate the death of his best friend. That was an incredibly emotional moment, let me tell you. And Carter, who suffers from PTSD, one day during prep he stepped on a garden hose and it made a loud bang sound. He went immediately down to the ground. They were all in some ways reliving their personal experiences because Eric Carlson, our production designer, had done such a brilliant job of recreating Keating. Sara Michelle Fetters: With the world we live in right now, it’s sadly no surprise for me to admit I watched your film via a screening link. When they sent that over, they also included a letter from you. It basically said, in no uncertain terms, to play the film loud and on the biggest screen possible. I only bring this up because I think, looking at your filmography, no matter how intimate your films are, they are shot, constructed and sound designed so that the audience has that big screen, intimately immersive experience. Of all of them, this one maybe most of all. We are unfortunately living in a world right now where that’s not entirely possible. What is that like for you as a filmmaker? It has to be frustrating. Rod Lurie: It absolutely sucks. No question. It sucks. I designed this movie for the big screen. I shot it in scope for the big screen. The sound design is so intricate. It’s designed to be in not just theaters, but in theaters with the Atmos system. When you learn that 99% of people are going to see this movie at home, it’s a little disappointing. However, the reports I’ve been getting is that it plays extremely well at home. If you’ve got a good system, you’ll be in really, really good shape. But, yes, play it loud. Very loud. I will tell you, Sara, from now on whenever somebody makes a film that’s not James Bond or not a superhero film, you kind of have to assume that it’s going to be a VOD movie. That people are going to be watching it at home. That’s the way it’s going to go from now on. I think people are becoming accustomed to seeing these movies at home, and I think it’s going to stay that way. I’ve got several projects I’m getting ready, and I don’t know which will go next, but I’m assuming that they’re not going to be in theaters. You have to make that assumption, and so I think you have to take that into account when you make a film now. That’s really too bad. But it’s also reality. Sara Michelle Fetters: You were a film critic before you became a filmmaker, and
I’m sure you would agree with me that our second home is the movie theater. We all adore, at least I hope we adore, the theatrical experience. And yet, we just got notified by the local publicity company that they are in the process of maybe restarting some press screenings, and they asked what we would think about that. I admit there is some hesitation at the moment on my part, and I know I’m not the only one feeling that way. What do you say about that? Is that understandable? Rod Lurie: Unfortunately, it is understandable. It’s something everyone has to think about. With this film, we did try and set some press screening. There were some cities where we were able to have screening rooms, including LA, but there were just no takers, and I get it. Definitely. Hopefully the theaters that are showing The Outpost, I think they’re going to be in the safer areas of the country. But I only want people to go if they feel comfortable and if their healthcare specialists are giving them the go-ahead. Otherwise, stay home. Watch it at home. But you are right. The theatrical experience is not just wonderful from the point of view of how you see a movie, but also the community of emotion that surrounds you while you’re watching it. What’s more fun than going to a great comedy? We all laugh at the same time. It’s just amazing. Or we all leap at the same time because the head comes out of the boat in Jaws or when Glenn Close comes alive at the end of Fatal Attraction. These are just these fantastic moments, and it’s a shame that a lot of that is going to literally just disappear. It’s really too bad. Sara Michelle Fetters: Do you think The Outpost is saying anything in regards to what is currently going on in Afghanistan? Rod Lurie: As I said earlier, I don’t think the movie has any sort of political point of view. It really does center on this one event. I will tell you that I think this movie says a lot about the American soldier. About the gut-level instincts that exist within the American men and women that serve in the military. Yes, I’m a liberal, but I’m also very much military, and there are a lot of people in the military that are liberal or will vote Democrat. But in the end, when you’re in the field, you don’t give two shits about how somebody voted when they’re carrying you across an outpost after your leg has been blown off. You don’t care. You just want to know that they’re there to carry you. If you see one of your guys under fire, you’re not going to say f-you, you voted for Trump, I’m not going to protect you. No. You save their asses. That’s what it boils down to. That is the spirit of the American soldier.
July 3, 2020
Seattle Gay News 19
BOOKS
Matthew Todd’s Pride
Photo courtesy of NYPL
by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer PRIDE: THE STORY OF THE LGBTQ EQUALITY MOVEMENT BY MATTHEW TODD WELDON OWEN
Matthew Todd – Photo courtesy of the author
20 Seattle Gay News
July 3, 2020
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the first Pride parade, writer, journalist, and former editor of Attitude magazine Matthew Todd brings us Pride: The Story of the LGBTQ Equality Movement, a beautiful, exhaustively researched history of milestones in the community’s fight for equality. But this is a new kind of Pride month, one defined by pandemic-related concern and nationwide protest of systemic racism and police brutality. Todd is explicit in linking the fight for LGBTQ+ equality with any struggle to secure fairness and justice. As he says in his introduction to the book: “If we really want to honor the people who fought at the Stonewall Inn on that unusually hot June night in 1969, then we need to defend those hard-won rights and confront anything that threatens the free and stable societies protecting them. Those who wish to control others or have an interest in the status quo will tell you that protest never achieves anything. I hope this book assures you that protest can achieve a great deal, and that when people act together they have true power – and that sometimes using that power is absolutely necessary.” Pride is a unique and comprehensive account of the challenges facing the LGBTQ community, and a celebration of the rights that have been won for so many as a result of the sacrifices and passion of this mass movement. The book includes a wealth of rare images and documents, accompanied by moving essays from key players in and witnesses to the moments that pushed the movement forward, such as personal testimonies from Judy Shepard, activist and mother of Matthew Shepard; Jake Shears; David Furnish [Elton John’s husband] and many others. I had a chance to chat with Todd via Skype from his home in London.
Image courtesy of Weldon Owen
MK Scott: You have compiled a great collection of photos and stories in the your new book. How did this come about? Matthew Todd: So, I wrote a book that was quite successful [in the UK] called Straight Jacket, about LGBT mental health, and at the end of that book, there are some things which I think would be helpful. And one of them is, you know, that we need to see ourselves reflected in culture more, in terms of films and TV and all that kind of stuff, which in books is happening more and more… So with it being the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, I just thought it was an ideal time to write something about that, and there was a publishing company in the UK that had been thinking along the same lines. So that’s what we did… When I came to write it, I thought I knew everything [and that it] would be quite fast and quite easy to write. Actually, there was just so much stuff that I knew nothing about. So it’s been an amazing experience, a learning experience for me as much as I would hope for the reader. MKS: How has Pride changed over the last 50 years? MT: Well, again, you know, it was an amazing thing that it’s exploded and gone across the world. I mean, I find it incredible to think that the commemoration of [Stonewall
Celebrating 46 Years!
in] the years afterwards has now been represented across the planet, even in some places in Africa, in India… When you see the rainbow flag, I think that’s an incredible thing. Certainly in America and in the UK, there’s a lot of criticism now that it’s lost its political roots and political edge, and that maybe it’s kind of dominated by corporations. And I think that’s certainly true, certainly in London… It kind of feels like a parade of, you know, corporate PR. And I think there’s a growing resistance to that, that people feel that there’s got to be more than that, because otherwise what does it mean? You know, for me, when I was a kid going to Pride… – which was political in itself – the partying was powerful for me to a degree, because, you know, life had been pretty difficult growing up in the closet.
[It was great] to just be able to step outside with other LGBT people in the daylight. Because any place we would meet [was until then] in bars and clubs. So just to be out with all these different types of people, this very diverse group of people who were all LGBTQ, was an incredible thing. So I think, you know, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating and having a great time. But if it doesn’t connect to its political roots, I think that’s a fundamental problem. MKS: You had a chance to speak to get the stories of several people, a couple of whom I have chatted with before, including Jake Shears and also Judy Shepard. MT: Yeah, that was amazing, I sat next to Mr. and Mrs. Shepard at the Astrid Awards a couple of years ago, which we do in London every year. And it was just a
real honor and a very humbling and moving experience. They were just completely lovely. They were there to receive an award for all the campaigning work that they had done since their son’s murder. So, yeah, I was telling Judy about the book. And I asked if she might consider contributing. Yeah, it was an incredible honor that she wrote something for it. [Not to mention] all these testimonies from people that have been really important in the movement over the years, and from different worlds... There is this amazing writer called Paris Lees, who is a trans activist here [in the UK]. There’s Maureen Duffy, who was one of the first British women to come out in public life, in the ’60s. It’s just incredible. And actually I’m really ashamed to say that I didn’t even
know who Duffy was until about…seven years ago, when I was running these awards and we were looking for people to give awards to. And we just found these incredible stories that I guess aren’t told. You know, history is told by the mainstream, essentially, straight white men. So there’s just so much history [to be discovered]. And even this book, which spans 50 years or more, in some ways only scrapes the surface. There are so many more stories to be told out there. MKS: Out of all the people you spoke to, who were you the most excited about? MT: Oh, you know, I [can’t really] pick anybody out, but it was just an incredible kind of cathartic and moving experience for me. I mean just to meet Judy Shepard,
see MATTHEW TODD page 23
Lambda Literary – Black Lives Matter Black lives matter. Black queer and Trans lives matter. We mourn the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless black people who have been unjustly murdered by police and white supremacist violence. We condemn the murder of Nina Pop who was a victim of transphobic violence. We stand in solidarity with everyone demanding justice for their wrongful deaths. We also grieve for those lost in the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dispro-
portionately impacted Black communities. From state sanctioned violence to COVID19, the world is once again bearing witness to how Black people are fighting to survive biased systems in health care, justice, education, and media. Lambda Literary commits to expanding our Board of Directors by at least four board members who are queer / Trans people of color, at least two of whom are Black. We commit to enacting anti-racist principles in our hiring practices, including mandating that at least half of our Retreat faculty,
other paid teaching artists, and performers involved in our programs are people of color. We commit to work with POC-led organizations to create paid publishing and performance opportunities for Black queer and Trans writers, staging one event a season to that end. We commit to using our platforms to amplify Black LGBTQ voices and decenter cis and white narratives. We recognize that while social justice has always been core to Lambda Literary’s programs, we must do more to build and share a
space of true care, advocacy, and equity. We recognize the role silence plays in upholding systems of oppression, and the power of language in advancing justice. As an LGBTQ literary arts organization, Lambda Literary has a responsibility to speak out against the violence that is continuously being enacted upon Black communities, especially our Black queer and Trans siblings. Courtesy of Lambda Literary
People of the Pride Parade
An extraordinary visual essay on love, courage, and finding oneself
Photo courtesy of Apollo Publishers
Image courtesy of Apollo Publishers
PEOPLE OF THE PRIDE PARADE ALYSSA BLUMSTEIN APOLLO PUBLISHERS For the 50th anniversary of the Pride March comes a visual celebration of the diverse, vibrant, and exuberant attendees of New York City’s Pride. This gorgeous bright book honors the colorful celebrants of the New York City Pride March and Dyke March, capturing the faces that bring the rainbows and liveliness Pride shines with today. Through joyful portraits of two hundred LGBTQ+ community members and allies from New York City’s WorldPride, this is a resplendent
Photo courtesy of Apollo Publishers
Alyssa Blumstein – Photo courtesy of Apollo Publishers
one-of-a-kind volume, a portal to the spirit, sequins, and sexual liberty of the weekend, a keepsake tribute to the power of love over hate, and a meaningful touchstone, immortalizing the effervescence, excitement, and positive energy of those who attend. To make this incredible volume, renowned Northeastern photographer, Alyssa Blumstein, who was featured on Vice’s Motherboard, photographed Pride attendees of all ages and races, sexual orientations, and genders – native New Yorkers and those who’d come in from around the world to attend the parade. The result is an extraordinary keepsake package that
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Photo courtesy of Apollo Publishers
channels the essence and person-on-thestreet nature of Humans of New York to showcase poignant and joyful portraits of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Alyssa Blumstein is a renowned photographer who previously worked as a food photographer and the director of social media for Dale Talde’s Three Kings Restau-
July 3, 2020
rant Group. Her collections such as Weakest Link, where she documented hundreds of abandoned printers from around the world, have been featured by media outlets such as Vice’s Motherhood. Her vibrant work celebrates people and events. Blumstein works in Boston and New York City. Courtesy of Apollo Publishers
Seattle Gay News 21
BOOKS
Announcing the 32nd Annual Lambda Literary Award Winners
Photo courtesy of Liveright
Photo courtesy of Riverhead Books
Photo courtesy of Soft Skull Press
Photo courtesy of Metonymy Press
Lambda Literary is proud to announce the winners of the 32nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards (a.k.a. the “Lammys”). With twenty-six winning books across in twenty-four categories, the Lammys continue their storied tradition of celebrating not only the best in LGBTQ literature, but in honoring work that represents the depth and breadth of the queer experience. The winners below were selected by a panel of over 60 literary professionals from more than 1,000 book submissions from over 300 publishers. While the Lammys are indeed something to celebrate, this is also a time of outrage and grief caused by the pandemic and state-sanctioned violence against Black people. At Lambda Literary, we believe that LGBTQ literature inspires the radical imagination needed to dismantle white supremacy and build a more equitable world. We are grateful to this year’s winners, whose work reflects a vast range of queer creativity, and we hope you can draw strength and insight from the writers honored today. Please join us in celebrating all the winners and their outstanding achievements.
observing the trends around her. But after years of looking for answers in books and astrological charts and working as a celebrity journalist to make rent, Fiona discovers another way of existing: in the Real, a phenomenological state few humans live in.
LGBTQ Nonfiction In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press) From the publisher: In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/11/in-the-dream-house/
of property and sex and written under the shadow of urban development, these poems take up the question of passing and everything that gets lost in narrow definitions of family and romantic love. Pet Sounds pulses with the pleasures and grief of what it means to make a home inside structures that don’t fit. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/05/pet-sounds/
Lesbian Fiction Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn (Liveright Publishing) From the publisher: A beautifully layered portrait of motherhood, immigration, and the sacrifices we make in the name of love from award-winning novelist Nicole Dennis-Benn. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/06/patsy-by-nicole-dennis-benn/
Bisexual Nonfiction Socialist Realism by Trisha Low (Coffee House Press) From the publisher: When Trisha Low moves West, her journey is motivated by the need to arrive “somewhere better” – someplace utopian, like revolution; or safe, like home; or even clarifying, like identity. Instead, she faces the end of her relationships, a family whose values she has difficulty sharing, and America’s casual racism, sexism, and homophobia.
Gay Fiction Lot by Bryan Washington (Riverhead Books) From the publisher: In the city of Houston – a sprawling, diverse microcosm of America – the son of a black mother and a Latino father is coming of age. He’s working at his family’s restaurant, weathering his brother’s blows, resenting his older sister’s absence. And discovering he likes boys. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/04/lot-by-bryan-washington/ Read our Interview – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/05/bryan-washington/ Bisexual Fiction Exquisite Mariposa by Fiona Alison Duncan (Soft Skull Press) From the publisher: Given the initials F.A.D. at birth, Fiona Alison Duncan has always had an eye for
22 Seattle Gay News
Transgender Fiction Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante (Metonymy Press) From the publisher: The playful and poignant novel Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) sifts through a queer trans woman’s unrequited love for her straight trans friend who died. A queer love letter steeped in desire, grief, and delight, the story is interspersed with encyclopedia entries about a fictional TV show set on an isolated island. The experimental form functions at once as a manual for how pop culture can help soothe and mend us and as an exploration of oft-overlooked sources of pleasure, including karaoke, birding, and butt toys. Read our interview – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2020/04/hazel-jane-planteon-writing-a-weird-queer-book/
Transgender Nonfiction We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma (Nightboat Books) From the publisher: We Both Laughed In Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan narrates the inner life of a gay trans man moving through the shifting social, political, and medical mores of the second half of the 20th century. Sullivan kept comprehensive journals from age eleven until his AIDSrelated death at thirty-nine. Sensual, lascivious, challenging, quotidian and poetic, the diaries complicate and disrupt normative trans narratives. Entries from twenty-four diaries reveal Sullivan’s self-articulation and the complexity of a fascinating and courageous figure.
July 3, 2020
Lesbian Poetry & more black by t’ai freedom ford (Augury Books) From the publisher: t’ai freedom ford’s second collection of poems, & more black, is direct, ingenious, vibrant, alive, queer, & BLACK. By turns tough and sexy, wrapped up in the evolving language and sonics of life, these poems take their cue from Wanda Coleman’s American Sonnets as they rhapsodize and dialogue with artists such as Carrie Mae Weems, Glenn Ligon, and Wangechi Mutu, along with many other musicians, artists, and writers. The kinetic energy of ford’s words leap off the page in rebellious, stunning, and revelatory fashion – poems that mesmerize with sheer velocity and telling pauses. Gay Poetry SLINGSHOT by Cyrée Jarelle Johnson (Nightboat Books) From the publisher: SLINGSHOT begins with the author ensconced in the menacing isolation of the pastoral, but once the work migrates to the City, monstrum grows form and fangs. In these messy, horny, desperate poems spun from dream logic, Cyrée Jarelle Johnson considers the consequences of black sexual and gender deviance, as well as the emotional burden of being forced to the rim of society, then punished for what keeps you alive. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/10/slingshot-by-cyreejarelle-johnson/ Bisexual Poetry Pet Sounds by Stephanie Young (Nightboat Books) From the publisher: Pet Sounds is at once a book of confessional economics, music criticism disguised as poetry, and a complicated coming out story. Working from the sticky interface
Transgender Poetry HULL by Xandria Phillips (Nightboat Books) From the publisher: In this debut collection by African American poet Xandria Phillips, HULL explores emotional impacts of colonialism and racism on the Black queer body and the present-day emotional impacts of enslavement in urban, rural, and international settings. HULL is lyrical, layered, historyridden, experimental, textured, adorned, ecstatic, and emotionally investigative. Read our interview – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2020/05/five-questions-xandria-phillips/ Lesbian Mystery Galileo by Ann McMan (Bywater Books) From the publisher: Two years have passed since the unsavory events in Dust. Evan Reed is still cranky, but she’s also dealing with the nagging effects of a gunshot wound. Her teenage daughter, Stevie has a new discovery to share, and Stevie’s father, Dan, has married a woman half his age. Evan’s childhood pal, Father Tim, has started questioning his faith, and Evan’s relationship with publishing magnate, Julia Donne has all the earmarks of heading somewhere special. Gay Mystery Carved in Bone: A Henry Rios Novel by Michael Nava (Persigo Press) From the publisher: November, 1984. Criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios, fresh out of rehab and picking up the pieces of his life, reluctantly accepts work as an insurance claims investigator and is immediately is assigned to investigate the apparently accidental death of Bill Ryan. Ryan, part of the great gay migration into San Francisco in the 1970s, has died in his flat of carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty gas line, his young lover barely surviving. Rios’s investigation into Ryan’s death-which Rios becomes convinced was no accident-tracks Ryan’s life from his arrival in San Francisco as a ter-
see LAMBDA LITERARY page 25
Celebrating 46 Years!
Trans New York
An extraordinary visual essay on love, courage and finding oneself TRANS NEW YORK PETER BUSSIAN APOLLO PUBLISHERS A growing portion of our communities identify as transgender; they are family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues, and yet they are all-too-often stigmatized and misunderstood. This visual tour de force meets that challenge head on by presenting exquisite portraits of more than fifty New Yorkers who identify as trans, genderqueer, or gender nonbinary, and interviews with them, in which they reveal in their own words who they are and what their transitions were like and combat common misconceptions and stereotypes. To make this landmark volume, internationally renowned documentary photographer Peter Bussian returned home to New York City and met with people who identify as trans, genderqueer, or gender nonbinary. His vibrant, honest photographs were taken on the streets of New York or in iconic places like Grand Central Station, and together the photos and interviews provoke questions on gender identity, the gender spectrum, and gender expectations. In total, this is an unparalleled articulation of what defines gender and sexuality, as well as a vibrant celebration of the power of finding oneself and a compelling call for respect and acceptance. In addition to enlightening text from more than fifty members of the trans community and author award-winning documentary photographer Peter Bussian, there are inspiring longer essays by people featured in the book and a foreword by the celebrated trans activist Abby Chava Stein, who was raised male in a Hasidic community, received a rabbinical degree in 2011, and in 2015, came out as a woman of trans experience. Peter Bussian is an award-winning documentary photographer, filmmaker, and creative consultant who has spent more than twenty years working in developing countries for organizations such
MATTHEW TODD continued from page 21
that was incredible… Maureen Duffy was absolutely amazing. And also Reverend Troy Perry, who founded the Metropolitan Community Church. I was in tears doing that interview. We transcribed it for the book. Just to have a conversation with him, was really, really important. You know, it can still be difficult for people to come out now, of course. It’s very difficult, and it’s an individual journey that we all go on. And I absolutely think…it’s still a brave thing to do. But to think about people like [Perry] – who came out and was setting up this church, and helping people, you know, decades ago – it’s just, it’s, I mean… even now talking about it, the hairs on the back of my head are standing up. It’s overwhelming, really, the bravery… In the past, there’s been this narrative that gay men in particular are weak. And if people could just hear these stories, like Reverend Perry’s, [they’ll see that it] couldn’t be further from the truth. The bravery that these people [demonstrated] is just incredible. It’s really incredible. MKS: Was there a story from someone that actually surprised you? MT: Yeah, actually it was really interesting to hear from Jake [Shears] about his experience of music and David Bowie and Dee-Lite, because… I think we have a very specific relationship with pop culture. Certainly in my experience: I saw Madonna when I was 16 in 1990, and it was absolutely one of the most life-changing moments in my life... She was the first person
Image courtesy of Apollo Publishers
Peter Bussian – Photo courtesy of Apollo Publishers
Photo courtesy of Apollo Publishers
as the United Nations, the United States Agency for International Development, the Department for International Development (UK), and nongovernmental organizations. Since 2001, he has spent the equivalent of nearly five years in Afghanistan, traveling there over a fifteen-year period, and has also worked in other post-conflict countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, often collaborating with local artists and media creators.
His photographs have been published in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Paris Match, Conde Nast Traveller, O, The Oprah Magazine, El Palacio, and elsewhere, and exhibited in Gallery 169 and Sharq Gallery, both in Los Angeles, as well as the Council on Foreign Relations and Sunnen Gallery in New York City, and the New Mexico Museum of Art in Sante Fe. Recently, images from the book were shown in a gallery in Pakistan and Bus-
sian was praised for them by the president of Pakistan. Bussian has also created documentary films and written narrative screenplays. His prior book, A Passage to Afghanistan, was published 2016. Bussian spent most of his childhood in Colorado, but has been based in New York City for the past twenty-five years.
at that time, at the end of the ’80s – which had been this terrible decade where AIDS had exploded into the world and was killing people ... and the homophobia that came with that, and the prejudice and the hatred. I was a teenager, and I did not hear anything positive about any gay people at all from anyone. And then suddenly to see Madonna sticking her finger up to, you know, mainstream culture and prejudice and hatred, and saying, you know, it’s to be who you are, it’s OK to be gay. That was just a thunderbolt for me. And it really, really, really changed my entire life, actually. So I was really, really touched to hear about Jake and his experience with music and what meant something to him. And I think it’s a very touching thing, the way that we connect so much to popular culture growing up. I think it’s lifesaving for us, actually. MKS: On a different subject, in light of the current Black Lives Matter marches, do you think that there’ll be a time when we can go back to what Pride was originally was, which was a march, with less commercialism? MT: I really hope so. I mean I wasn’t in New York last year for the anniversary of Stonewall, but I noted with interest that the alternative march, the less corporate march that happened. And I noticed the huge numbers of people that went to that, and I think that’s really exciting and heartening. Anyone who follows me on social media knows that I’m really obsessed with what’s happening with the environment and climate change. And [there’s something] I really learned from the book. For me, the [Stonewall] narrative was that Judy Gar-
land died, all the people at Stonewall were very upset, and they were regularly raided, and that night, they were so upset that they fought back. And actually, yes, I’m sure some people were upset, and Judy was a huge, huge icon. But [one has] to understand the context of all the changes that were happening in the ’60s, you know, the mass protests against the Vietnam War, the feminist protests, civil rights for black people. I think it was a real moment where people were realizing that change had to happen. And that just asking for it [politely] doesn’t always work; you have to protest, you have to go out there. And I think that Black Lives Matter is a really inspiring moment where we realize that, you know, there are terrible things happening and they’re not being fixed, and they need to be fixed, and we need to be part of a movement that makes that change happen. And I think that’s very true with the environment. You know, I’ve been a gay writer, a journalist, and something of an activist for most of my life. But if we don’t sort out the environment, then, we’re all going to go down with the ship. There’s no point being able to get married if there’s not…clean water and air. Climate change and what is happening to the planet keeps me up at night. You know, it really causes me to worry a huge, huge amount. So I think I really hope that this movement of Black Lives Matter inspires people to understand that, you know, actually you do have the power to change things. And if we come together, we can stand up against people that are in charge of the world who are basically screwing the whole thing up. And I think that’s a really urgent message.
MKS: It’s interesting that, on the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march, circumstances have caused a huge change in what was planned for this year. There were going to be virtual Prides and so forth, but now all of a sudden you hear from LA, OK, we’re going to combine Pride with Black Lives Matter. And they’re going to march just like they did back in 1970. MT: That’s incredible. The whole history of Pride in London has always been one of problems funding it. And they always go round and round and round about how much corporate funding there should or shouldn’t be. But I remember there was one time nine or ten years ago when funding collapsed at the last minute, and they said, OK, so we’re just going to have a march. And everyone was upset and acting like it was this devastating blow. And actually, to me, that was one of the best ones, because it was literally the entire community just coming together and marching, and being political in the sense that people were just there. And now it feels like, well, you have to have a license, you have to be qualified, and there’s a limit to the numbers of people that can [be in] the march. And when it was just literally everybody just marching; that felt so much more powerful to me. So, yeah, I think people do need to reconnect. I think Western culture has been acting like everything’s taken over nicely, and clearly that’s not the case. So I think that’s the change that’s needed. I think, yes, if this coronavirus can reset some of that, then maybe that’s a positive that can come out of such a terrible disaster.
Courtesy of Apollo Publishers
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July 3, 2020
Seattle Gay News 23
Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, (206) 279-8169. American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org. Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org Capitol Hill Alano Club - www.chacseattle.org Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount Vernon) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook. Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994. Channel Q 103.3 FM - LGBTQ+ Talk Radio Network News and information, pop culture and music. radio.com COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities - www.colage.org DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). (206) 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest. org DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, (206) 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Network support & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, (206) 568-7777 (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce County Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence Unit, (206) 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911. Report domestic violence and sexual assault. Equal Rights Washington - (206) 324-2570; www. equalrightswashington.org Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.org Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, (206) 860-6969. www.gaycity.org Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country. Generations Aging With Pride empowers elder LGBTQ adults to live with pride and dignity by promoting, connecting, and developing innovative programs and services that enhance belonging and support, eliminate discrimination, and honor the lives of older members of our community - (206) 393-3400; info@gapseattle.org; gapseattle.org GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - (206) 363-9188; www.thegsba.org HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979. Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse. org LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge. LGBT MS Connection - (425) 785-8593; lgbtmsconnections@comcast.net. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org Lion’s Main Art Collective - www.lionsmain.org MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.com; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples.org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www. seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.) MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org. Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com
24 Seattle Gay News
community resources Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly. org Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) making a difference within local companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Xerox. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State Council: www.pflagwsc.org. Peer Seattle (formerly Seattle Area Support Groups) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle, www.utopiaseattlewa.org; VietQ Greater Seattle, vietqorganization@gmail.com Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Pride Lives - www.facebook.com/PrideLives/ Pride Radio 93.3 HD2 Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - (206) 682-6711; www.q-law.org Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - (206) 235-7235. Queer Geek! - queergeekseattle.org Rainbow Center - Resource Center for Tacoma/Pierce County LGBTIQA community. Through education, advocacy and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources, and safe space for the LGBTQIA community.
July 3, 2020
Sponsors Tacoma Pride Festival. (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www.voteseamec.org Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) i- SEE LISTING for Peer Seattle. Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network - BiSeattle.wixsite. com/SBWN and on Facebook. Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. (206) 323-1768. Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503. www/ seattle.gov/lgbtq Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org Sex Workers Outreach Project - https://seattle. swopusa.org Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - (206) 860-3666; www.theabbey.org Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays. (425) 339-5298. South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.SouthSoundQCal.com Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club: www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flag Football: www.cascadeflagfootball.org; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby.com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball. org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www.puddletownsquares.org; Rain City Soccer: www.raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance.org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefrontrunners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www. seattlegaybasketballassociation.com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam.org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www. seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@aol.com, www. teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www.theprideleague. com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, (206) 367-4064, www.teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@ camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org, 1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934. Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org Three Dollar Bill Cinema - TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival; Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival; Outdoor Cinema at Cal Anderson Park. www. threedollarbillcinema.org TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www. SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity: www. genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born
Support Group: (206) 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: (206) 329-6651, www.ingersollcenter.org; Lion’s Main Art Collective: www.lionsmain.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/ Olympia-Trans-Discussion-Group/262449878114; [trans] ACTION: Trans* & Gender Non-Conforming Sex Workers’ Support Group - a safe, peer-led space. mail@utopiaseattle.org; TRANSform Washington: transformwashington.com; Trans Resource & Referral Guide: kctransguide.org; Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network: Funding the collective liberation of Trans women of color – https://m.facebook.com/ TWOCSolidarityNW/; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www.washington genderalliance.com WOMEN: Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.): We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS) - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Coming Out Women Support Group of Tacoma: www. comingoutwomen.org; Festival of the Babes: www. festivalofthebabes.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Puget Sound Old Lesbian Organizing for Change: http:// psoloc.org, (253) 777-3357; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol. com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle. wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www. sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.) YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way, with additional support groups organized in smaller towns throughout King County, (206) 322-2515, www. lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www.llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace. com; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www.mockingbirdsociety.org; New Horizons: social services and shelter for homeless youth, 2708 3rd Ave (in Belltown), (206) 374-0866, http://namin.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter. org; OKAY! LGBTQ+ Outreach for Kent Area Youth: (253) 859-0699 ext 3034. OKAY! is an open support group for youth ages 13-19 who identify as LGBTQ+. A program of Kent Youth & Family Services; OUT There Adventures: www.outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/ Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724, www.seattle-pflag.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www.pizzaklatch. org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www.facebook. com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; The Vera Project: fuels personal & community transformation through collaborative youthdriven engagement in music and art. (206) 956-8372; theveraproject.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org
Celebrating 46 Years!
BOOKS
Photo courtesy of Viking Canada
Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Photo courtesy of Bluefire Books
Photo courtesy of Joseph Chapman
LAMBDA LITERARY
A broken-winged angel trying to get home. Her escort a nocturnal huntress with a bloody past. It will be a dangerous journey – monsters are everywhere and the truly dangerous ones hide in plain sight.
a dozen languages, Noam Sienna’s new book, A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts From the First Century to 1969, collects for the first time more than a hundred sources on the intersection of Jewish and queer identities.
Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/05/kelsey-wroten-cannonball/
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rified 18-year-old to his transformation into a successful businessman. What begins for Rios as the search for the truth about Bill Ryan’s death becomes the search for the meaning of Ryan’s life as the tsunami of AIDS bears down on the gay community. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/12/carved-in-bone-ahenry-rios/ Lesbian Memoir/Biography We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib (Viking Canada) From the publisher: Samra Habib has spent most of her life searching for the safety to be herself. As an Ahmadi Muslim growing up in Pakistan, she faced regular threats from Islamic extremists who believed the small, dynamic sect to be blasphemous. From her parents, she internalized the lesson that revealing her identity could put her in grave danger. When her family came to Canada as refugees, Samra encountered a whole new host of challenges: bullies, racism, the threat of poverty, and an arranged marriage. Backed into a corner, her need for a safe space in which to grow and nurture her creative, feminist spirit became dire. The men in her life wanted to police her, the women in her life had only shown her the example of pious obedience, and her body was a problem to be solved. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/09/we-have-always-beenhere/ Gay Memoir/Biography How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones (Simon & Schuster) From the publisher: Haunted and haunting, How We Fight for Our Lives is a stunning coming-of-age memoir. Jones tells the story of a young, black, gay man from the South as he fights to carve out a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires, and fears. Through a series of vignettes that chart a course across the American landscape, Jones draws readers into his boyhood and adolescence—into tumultuous relationships with his family, into passing flings with lovers, friends, and strangers. Each piece builds into a larger examination of race and queerness, power and vulnerability, love and grief: a portrait of what we all do for one another—and to one another—as we fight to become ourselves. Read our review – https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/09/how-we-fight-for-ourlives/ Lesbian Romance Aurora’s Angel: A Dark Fantasy Romance by Emily Noon (Bluefire Books) From the publisher:
Gay Romance Joseph Chapman: My Molly Life by James Lovejoy (Self-published) From the publisher: Joseph Chapman is a young denizen of late 18th century London, who must contend not only with being orphaned and consigned to an execrable charity school, but also with the sense he is different in important ways from other boys. At the Little Eastcheap Free School for Unfortunate Boys, Joe encounters the predatory headmaster, Mr. Peevers, and a boy, Chowder, who becomes the one person he can trust. When they are separated for their apprenticeships, Joe does well. He becomes apprenticed to a prominent progressive bookseller, but Chowder must contend with the drunken greengrocer Tobias Cudworth and his wife, Dulcibella. With some help from his bookseller, Joe reconnects with Chowder, intending to resume their relationship. Chowder is eager to do the same, but due to treachery, Joe and Chowder soon find themselves in Newgate Prison, facing trial for the capital offense of sodomy. LGBTQ Anthology (Tie) Love WITH Accountability: Digging up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse by Aishah Shahidah Simmons (AK Press) From the publisher: Despite the current survivor-affirming awareness around sexual violence, child sexual abuse, most notably when it’s a family member or friend, is still a very taboo topic. There are approximately 42 million child sexual abuse survivors in the U.S. and millions of bystanders who look the other way as the abuse occurs and cover for the harm-doers with no accountability. Documentary filmmaker and survivor of child sexual abuse and adult rape, Aishah Shahidah Simmons invites diasporic Black people to join her in transformative storytelling that envisions a world that ends child sexual abuse without relying on the criminal justice system. Love WITH Accountability features compelling writings by child sexual abuse survivors, advocates, and Simmons’s mother, who underscores the detrimental impact of parents/caregivers not believing their children when they disclose their sexual abuse. This collection explores disrupting the inhumane epidemic of child sexual abuse, humanely. A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969 by Noam Sienna (Print-OCraft) From the publisher: Spanning almost two millennia and containing translations from more than
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LGBTQ Children’s/Middle Grade/ Young Adult Children’s/Middle Grade: Hazel’s Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow (HarperCollins) From the publisher: Hazel knows a lot about the world. That’s because when she’s not hanging with her best friend, taking care of her dog, or helping care for the goats on her family’s farm, she loves reading through dusty encyclopedias. But even Hazel doesn’t have answers for the questions awaiting her as she enters eighth grade. What if no one at her new school gets her, and she doesn’t make any friends? What’s going to happen to one of her moms, who’s pregnant again after having two miscarriages? Why does everything have to change when life was already perfectly fine? Young Adult: The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers) From the publisher: Seventeen-year-old Marisol has always dreamed of being American, learning what Americans and the US are like from television and Mrs. Rosen, an elderly expat who had employed Marisol’s mother as a maid. When she pictured an American life for herself, she dreamed of a life like Aimee and Amber’s, the title characters of her favorite American TV show. She never pictured fleeing her home in El Salvador under threat of death and stealing across the US border as “an illegal”, but after her brother is murdered and her younger sister, Gabi’s, life is also placed in equal jeopardy, she has no choice, especially because she knows everything is her fault. If she had never fallen for the charms of a beautiful girl named Liliana, Pablo might still be alive, her mother wouldn’t be in hiding and she and Gabi wouldn’t have been caught crossing the border. LGBTQ Comics Cannonball by Kelsey Wroten (Uncivilized Books) From the publisher: Kelsey Wroten’s Cannonball fires the reader straight into the messy life of Caroline Bertram: aspiring writer, queer, art school graduate, near alcoholic, and self proclaimed tortured genius. Wroten tells the story of an artist struggling with the arrival of adulthood and the Sisyphean task of artistic fulfillment. Stunningly drawn in a classic style, with big truths and biting wit, Wroten’s debut graphic novel is Art School Confidential for the Tumblr generation.
July 3, 2020
LGBTQ Drama A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson (Produced by Playwrights Horizons and Page 73) From the producer: Usher is a black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical: a piece about a black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical. Michael R. Jackson’s blistering, momentous new musical follows a young artist at war with a host of demons—not least of which, the punishing thoughts in his own head—in an attempt to capture and understand his own strange loop. Read about the play – https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/strangeloop/ LGBTQ Erotica Whore Foods by LA Warman (Inpatient Press) From the publisher: Collecting and expanding pieces from her seminal newsletter detailing the inner and outer sexual life of a grocery store cashier, LA Warman’s Whore Foods is a guaranteed feast for sore thighs. Now available in raw pulp paperback form for the first time. Cleanup in Aisle 4. LGBTQ Science Fiction/ Fantasy/Horror The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes (Gallery/Saga Press) From the publisher: The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society— and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the Hugo Award-nominated song “The Deep” from Daveed Diggs’s rap group clipping. LGBTQ Studies All Our Trials: Prisons, Policing, and the Feminist Fight to End Violence by Emily L. Thuma (University of Illinois Press) From the publisher: During the 1970s, grassroots women activists in and outside of prisons forged a radical politics against gender violence and incarceration. Emily L. Thuma traces the making of this anticarceral feminism at the intersections of struggles for racial and economic justice, prisoners’ and psychiatric patients’ rights, and gender and sexual liberation. ©2020 Lambda Literary. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of Lambda Literary
Seattle Gay News 25
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Celebrating 46 Years!
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