SGN Jun 8, 2018 - Part 1

Pride Calendar

Seattle Gay News

SCOTUS rules for anti-Gay baker

Decision is terrible or fine depending on what you read

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The US Supreme Court issued an equivocal ruling on June 4 in the case of Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in which a Colorado baker claimed a religious exemption from the state’s civil rights laws. The case arose when Charlie Craig and David Mullins visited Jack Phillips’ bakery to order a wedding cake. Phillips turned them away, claiming his religious beliefs would not permit him to endorse a samesex wedding – even to the minimal extent of providing a cake for the reception. see SCOTUS page 6

LGBTQ candidates make history in Democratic primaries across the US

Democratic voters across the nation spoke out [on June 5], craving more diverse leadership. From Alabama to Montana to California, LGBTQ candidates are poised to make history.

Here’s a snapshot of some of the new LGBTQ candidate successes so far this primary season:

June 5:

MONTANA

Amelia Marquez (HD-52): If elected in November, Amelia will not only flip another legislative from red to blue but also become Montana’s first openly transgender legislator, and dependent on other elections,

see LGBTQ DEMS page 17

NAACP statement on Supreme Court decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission

BALTIMORE – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation’s premier civil rights organization, released the following statement on the Masterpiece Cakeshop Supreme Court ruling:

“The US Supreme Court yesterday char-

acterized as ‘unexceptional’ the principle that state law ‘can protect gay persons, just as it can protect other classes of individuals, in acquiring whatever products and services they choose on the same terms and condi-

see NAACP page 7

HRC kicks off Pride Month by launching a “Summer of Action” to rally millions of equality voters coast to coast

Image courtesy of HRC

WASHINGTON – [On June 1], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, launched a nationwide “Summer of Action” anchored by more than 500 local events in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. [On June 1], HRC President Chad Griffin [kicked off]

a monthlong series of campaign events in half a dozen battleground states with events in Madison, Wisconsin.

HRC staff, members, and supporters are fanning out across the country to support voter registration efforts, phone banking, candidate events, [and] grassroots

see SUMMER OF ACTION page 17

Pride Calendar

Compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Copy Editor

HAPPY LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH

FROM SEATTLE GAY NEWS!

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

PrideFest Film Fest

12:30-9pm. Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave). Fourth annual event is entirely free of charge (advance tickets required for each individual screening). This year’s program: “Ageless Shorts” (12:30pm); “Conversations With Gay Elders” (2:30pm); “Edie Windsor: To a More Perfect Union” (4pm); and “Love, Simon” (7pm). Get your free tickets now at www.seattlepridefest.org/filmfest.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

Volunteer Park Pride Festival

12 noon-7pm. Volunteer Park at the amphitheater (14th Ave & E Prospect St). Experience Seattle Pride’s return to where it all started, on Capitol Hill, with a celebration of LGBTQ arts, performance, and culture! The Volunteer Park Pride Festival is a chance for family and friends to come together in one of Seattle’s iconic parks and celebrate our amazing community. The event will feature guest speakers from the community, live music, food trucks, and a beer garden. Performers include Desi Valentine, Donormaal, Little Bandit, Fruit Juice, Betsy Olson, DJ Toya B, and a special surprise guest! Free admission. More information at www.seattlepride.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

Spokane Pride Parade and Rainbow Festival

12 noon-10pm. This June marks the 27th year we’ve celebrated Pride in Spokane. Join us for a day to celebrate where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re headed. Please come and enjoy the day of festivities and Pride with us. Everyone is welcome. This year’s theme is “Pride, Now More Than Ever.” The Pride Parade starts downtown at noon, followed by the Rainbow Festival at Riverfront Park Lilac Meadows (507 N Howard St, east of the Clock Tower). Live entertainment, resource and business fair, family area, Teen Zone, and the nYne Pride Bar featuring beer, wine, and spirits.

This year will again feature an art show presented by Art Seed called Pride’s Palette. Many artists will have Priderelated artwork for sale with 30% of proceeds being donated to OutSpokane. Back by popular demand our celebration

will be going into the night with an All Ages Dance Party. A fireworks display will cap the celebration around 10pm. For this and other Pride related events in Spokane, visit https://outspokane.org. Sponsored by OutSpokane.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

Olympia Rainbow Bingo Fundraiser 6pm (doors open/dinner); 7pm (games begin). Olympia Senior Center (222 Columbia St NE, Olympia). Pride’s part-

nership with the Senior Center! Wear your best multi-color attire for our best-dressed contest. Game packs $15, special games $2, dinner $5. Full bar including our famous Jello shots! Proceeds support Senior Services for South Sound. 21 and over only. (360) 586-6181.

SUNDAY, JUNE 10

Capital City Pride – “Live. Love. Be.”

– Olympia Parade & Festival 11 am pre-Parade show at Sylvester

Park; 12 noon Parade to Heritage Park; 1-6pm Festival at Olympia’s Heritage Park (adjacent to the State Capitol campus) featuring regional entertainers, food, arts & crafts, booths, and more. Visit www.capitalcitypride.net for more info.

SUNDAY, JUNE 10

Kitsap Family Pride Picnic 1-4pm. Join us at Pilgrim Firs on beautiful Lake Flora (3318 SW Lake Flora Rd, Port Orchard) for a family-friendly picnic. This is an all-ages event and admission is by donation. Hosts will provide burgers (both meat and veggie) and side dishes. Bring your own beverages, lawn chairs, and umbrellas. Music, children’s crafts, lawn games, volleyball, and trails for walking. Donations benefit Kitsap Pride Network and Q Youth Resources. Visit www.kitsappride.org for more info.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13

GSBA Pride Luncheon – “LGBT Human Rights: A Global Perspective” 11am Mini Business Expo; 12 noon luncheon. Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square (255 S King St). This year’s speakers include Fabrice Houdart with the Office of the UN High Court Commissioner for Human Rights; Siri May, UN program coordinator for OutRight Action International; and Clara Ria A. Padilla, founder and executive director of EnGendeRights in the Philippines. Learn how your company can make a difference and change lives by supporting the struggles for LGBTQ rights globally. $60 GSBA members; $75 nonmembers. RSVP to www.thegsba.org or call (206) 363-9188.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan calls for unity at the 8th Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer

Last Friday, June 1, the Seattle LGBTQ Commission along with Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold joined Mayor Jenny Durkan as they raised the Pride flag and proclaimed June as Pride Month. This flag was a little different than the usual six color rainbow, with added colors of pink, white and light blue for Trans Pride and brown and black for Black Pride. In Durkan’s speech, she called for unity:

“We have to go forward and move together. And the only way we’re going to do it is to take that rainbow and make sure that everyone understands with unity we could be better. With unity we can move forward. And with unity we could show what the best city, in the best state, in what is the best country (can be). And I am so proud, when we raise that flag, and we’re going to raise it for it has the colors for our black and brown brothers and sisters and transgender. So our range of colors is even more beautiful than before! So it’s a flag that we fly and I have the great, great pleasure that I will be proclaiming this Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender month, in clear, bright colors. Enjoy Pride! And remember, celebrate!”

After the speech, we all followed the flag up the stairs to the flagpole and we each took turns pulling the flag up.

Photos by MK Scott

Happy Birthday, Sheldon Jacobs!

The Cuff to host celebration June 9

Sheldon Jacobs, longtime member of the Seattle Leather Community, Leather Granddad 1995, and longtime volunteer at the Museum of Flight, will be the guest of honor at a Birthday Celebration to be held on Saturday, June 9, 1-5pm, at The Cuff Complex, 1533 13th Ave. Jacobs turns 90 this Saturday. Come help celebrate Sheldon’s 90th birthday! -from your friends at the Seattle Gay News

SCOTUS

continued from cover

Craig and Mullins then filed a complaint with Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission charging Phillips with violating the state’s public accommodations laws by denying them service because of their sexual orientation.

The commission found that the bakery had, in fact, discriminated against the couple in violation of Colorado law, a decision the Colorado courts upheld. Phillips appealed to the US Supreme Court, alleging that his First Amendment free speech and freedom of religion rights had been violated.

In a 7-2 decision written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission violated Phillips’ First Amendment rights, but it stopped short of saying that LGBT equality must take second place to religious freedom.

“The laws and the Constitution can, and in some instances must, protect gay persons and gay couples in the exercise of their civil rights,” Kennedy wrote in his decision, but he added, “religious and philosophical objections to gay marriage are protected views, and in some instances protected forms of expression…

“While it is unexceptional that Colorado law can protect gay persons in acquiring products and services on the same terms and

conditions as are offered to other member of the public, the law must be applied in a manner that is neutral toward religion.”

According to Kennedy, a single statement by a single Colorado Civil Rights Commissioner was evidence that the commission was hostile to Phillips’ religion, and that he was, therefore, entitled to legal relief.

“Freedom of religion, and religion, has been used to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery, whether it be the Holocaust,” the commissioner said. “And to me it is one of the most despicable pieces of rhetoric that people can use to use their religion to hurt others.”

Kennedy said such language was inappropriate for a commission charged with “fair and neutral enforcement of Colorado’s anti-discrimination law – a law that protects discrimination on the basis of religion as well as sexual orientation.”

What does the decision mean for LGBT rights?

Because Kennedy’s decision attempted to split the difference between religious liberty and LGBT rights, reactions from human rights groups were mixed.

The ACLU, which represented Craig and Mullins, noted that “the court reversed the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision based on concerns unique to the case but reaffirmed its long-standing rule that states can prevent the harms of discrimination in the market-

SCOTUS fallout begins:

place, including against LGBT people.”

On the whole, ACLU said, “the Supreme Court today reaffirmed the core principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all…The court did not accept arguments that would have turned back the clock on equality by making our basic civil rights protections unenforceable but reversed this case based on concerns specific to the facts here.”

Lambda Legal, on the other hand, criticized the ruling.

“The Court today has offered dangerous encouragement to those who would deny civil rights to LGBT people and people living with HIV,” Lambda Legal said in a statement.

“Religious freedom under our Constitution has always meant the right to believe whatever you wish but not to act on your beliefs in ways that harm others. The Court today alarmingly fails to heed that distinction.

“Lambda Legal will continue to fight the establishment of evangelical Christianity as the official government religion. We will fiercely resist the coming effort that will seek to turn this ruling into a broad license to discriminate.”

Pride at Work, a labor group affiliated with the AFL-CIO, saw both good and bad in Kennedy’s ruling.

“While I don’t agree with the entire ruling issued today by the Supreme Court,

I’m heartened that the Court upheld the basic rights of states to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination,” said Jerame Davis, executive director of Pride at Work. “LGBTQ people should not have to worry if they will face discrimination by businesses open to the public, and while this case may muddy the waters a bit, the fundamentals of state laws designed to protect LGBTQ people remain intact.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dissent

Only Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor voted to sustain the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

In her dissent, Justice Ginsburg wrote that she “strongly disagree[d]” with the Court’s decision.

“Phillips would not sell to Craig and Mullins, for no reason other than their sexual orientation, a cake of the kind he regularly sold to others,” she wrote.

“What matters is that Phillips would not provide a good or service to a same-sex couple that he would provide to a heterosexual couple.”

Justice Ginsburg added that she did not agree with the finding that the Commission acted unfairly, citing “several layers of independent decision-making of which the Colorado Civil Rights Commission was but one” in the original case.

Racists already using wedding cake decision to justify turning away people of color

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Mere hours after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to supply a wedding cake for a Gay couple, a South Dakota legislator added that businesses should be able to turn away customers based on race.

In a Facebook post, South Dakota State Representative Michael Clark, a Republican, called the high court’s decision in

Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission a “win for freedom of speech and freedom of religion.”

Clark went on to say that business owners should even be able to reject people of color.

“He should have the opportunity to run his business the way he wants,” Clark wrote. “If he wants to turn away people of color, then that[’s] his choice.”

In a subsequent interview with the Argus Leader newspaper, Clark said that

business owners with strongly held beliefs should be able to turn away customers.

“If it’s truly his strongly based belief, he should be able to turn them away,” Clark said. “People shouldn’t be able to use their minority status to bully a business.”

The next day, Clark had second thoughts. In another Facebook post made 24 hours later, he apologized for his previous “very racist” remarks.

“I made some comments here on Facebook, defending a Colorado Baker [sic]

decision not create a cake for a Homosexual [sic] wedding,” he wrote on Facebook.

“The comments I made were very racist. I would like to apologize for those comments. Businesses should not be able to discriminate solely based on race, sex, national origin, age, or handicap.”

Clark is running unopposed for reelection to the South Dakota House.

In response to this week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling

Dear GSBA members and friends,

This morning [Monday, June 4, 2018] the United States Supreme Court ruled with a 7-2 vote in favor of a Colorado baker, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd., who claimed religious objections to baking a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

While this decision is upsetting, we remain hopeful that this particular case was decided on narrow grounds based on the process in Colorado rather than on the major issues around discrimination. The Court’s decision did reaffirm the core principle that business open to the public must be open to all. To be clear, the Court did not accept arguments that would have rolled back equality.

ACLU, who argued the case, issued the following statement:

Supreme Court upholds basic principles of nondiscrimination, reverses Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court today reaffirmed the core principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The court did not accept arguments that would have turned back the clock on equality by making our basic civil rights protections unenforceable, but reversed this case based on concerns specific to the facts here. The American Civil Liberties Union argued the case on behalf of Charlie Craig and David Mullins, who were refused service at a Colorado bakery because they are a same-sex couple.

In 2012, Mullins and Craig visited the Masterpiece Cakeshop to order a cake for their wedding. After the bakery turned the would-be customers away because they were a same-sex couple, Mullins and Craig filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The commission found that the bakery had discriminated against the couple in violation of Colorado law, a decision the Colorado courts upheld. The Supreme Court today found that members of the Commission had made statements evidencing anti-religious bias, and thus had not given a fair consideration to the bakery’s claims.

“The court reversed the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision based on concerns unique to the case but reaffirmed its longstanding rule that states can prevent the harms of discrimination in the marketplace, including against LGBT people.” said Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the ACLU.

More information on Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission can be found here:

https://www.aclu.org/cases/masterpiece-cakeshop-v-colorado-civil-rightscommission

What this means

The Court decided that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had not given fair consideration to the bakery’s claims.

What this doesn’t mean

The court did NOT rule that the Constitution gives a right to discriminate.

Religious objections are not an excuse for discrimination – businesses open to the public must be open to all.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has reiterated that this case changes nothing in Washington state. “Same-sex couples in Washington state will continue to enjoy protections against discrimination, and I will continue to enforce our state’s law against discrimination.”

What you can do

• Attend the GSBA Public Policy Task Force to learn more about small business and LGBTQ advocacy issues, and how to engage with your government.

• Contact the Wing Luke Civil Rights Unit of the Office of the Attorney General if you experience any denial of service at a business.

More resources

• Supreme Court of the United States Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd., et al. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission et al. decision. – https://supreme.justia.com/cases/ federal/us/584/16-111/

• Washington State Attorney General press release re: SCOTUS ruling – http:// www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ ag-ferguson-response-us-supreme-courtruling-colorado-discrimination-case

• NGLCC press release re: SCOTUS ruling – http://nglcc.org/press-release/nglccdecries-scotus-masterpiece-cakeshopruling-will-continue-asserting-american

While we are certain that some people may try to use this ruling as a reason to discriminate, we want to repeat – discrimination is never legal in Washington State.

We share the comments of our national partner, NGLCC co-founder & President, Justin Nelson:

“The success of America’s society and economy depend on us upholding the social contract of mutual accountability and respect, yet the Supreme Court has now given a path toward state-sanctioned license to discriminate in this country. The LGBT community is a vital part of the American economy and deserves equal treatment under the law, and NGLCC will continue to advocate for our community’s right to live their lives free from discrimination in their places of business and in their local communities.”

GSBA will remain vigilant in ensuring that LGBTQ equality is not rolled back, diminished, or otherwise threatened. That is, and always will be our commitment to you.

For Equality,

Louise Chernin President & CEO

Greater Seattle Business Association

Courtesy of the NAACP NAACP continued from cover

“Herstory”

comes to Gay City’s Calamus Auditorium Friday, June 22

“Herstory,” live readings and videos presenting the lives of old Lesbians, comes to Gay City’s Calamus Auditorium on Friday, June 22 at 2pm.

This special presentation is the result of a collaboration between the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP), Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), and Pride at Work AFL-CIO.

OLOHP has been collecting these stories – most of them from women born in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s – for many years. The group now has more than 650 completed interviews from women in the United States and several other countries.

Some of the readings are funny, some are harrowing, but all are charged with emotion. The experiences shared by the women who took part in the interviews portray the resilience of the LGBTQ community in the face of generations of discrimination and oppression.

The stories also demonstrate that old people – and the women intentionally describe themselves as “old” – have valuable life lessons to share with people of all generations.

PSARA is a multigenerational organization advocating for retirement security for everyone. Its Race/Gender Equity Committee has sponsored several “Herstory” presentations in the greater Puget Sound area. Pride at Work is a labor organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

What: “Herstory”:

Oral

tions as are offered to other members of the public.’ While perhaps unexceptional as a statement of law, it is also true that gays and lesbians remain subject to discrimination in public accommodations in communities large and small across this country. The fact that Masterpiece Cakeshop was permitted in this instance to refuse service to a same-sex couple simply because they are a same-sex couple demonstrates how far we have yet to go. The NAACP will not rest until each person is treated equally under the law,

regardless of race, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation. That is our charge, and we are committed to the fight.”

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas at http://www.naacp. org/about-us/game-changers.

from the Old

When: Friday, June 22, 2:00 p.m. Where: Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 521 E. Pike Street, Seattle For more information contact Mike Andrew, organizer@psara.org, 206-261-8110.

Celebrating Pride Month with action

Council

approves legislation aimed at eliminating barriers to full inclusion of LGBTQ community

Inclusion can take shape in many forms, with one step including the recognition that all residents do not conform to a specific gender identity or sexual orientation. The Metropolitan King County Council adopted legislation [on June 4] calling for the creation of a task force to develop recommendations related to administrative processes and gender identity and sexual orientation.

“Gender identity is complex and often misunderstood; however, this doesn’t mean we can’t affirm there is diversity in how gender is defined,” said Councilmember Rod Dembowski, prime sponsor of the motion. “Serious discrimination and mistreatment has impacted these communities, due in part to ignorance and misinformation. Today’s motion addresses inequities we must eliminate to make King County a more welcoming and inclusive government for all our constituents.”

“By establishing this task force we will be able to more effectively serve individuals who for far too long have faced discrimination and enormous barriers to civic participation,” said motion co-sponsor Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles.

“This task force will provide our county an opportunity to look back on how some of our past policies may not have best served people who have not been comfortable or able to conform to a specific gender identity or sexual orientation while at the same time develop new ways to carry us toward a more inclusive future.”

This year, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) adopted a rule change that established requirements for individuals to request a change to the sex designation on their birth certificates from male or female to a third option. DOH

made the change to provide individuals with an option to have a birth certificate that better reflects their gender identity.

“We must recognize that gender identity and sexual orientation has many forms, and individuals who do not conform to the traditional definitions have faced discrimination for far too long,” said Council Chair and co-sponsor Joe McDermott. “The creation of this task force will give the County the opportunity to look at how we might change policies to ensure that those individuals are better supported.”

“Government should represent all people, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation,” said Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, motion co-sponsor. “By approving this task force, we are saying that all people matter to King County. I look forward to seeing the proposed plan.”

The adopted motion calls for the formation of a task force that will develop a recommended countywide gender identity and sexual orientation inclusion strategy and work plan. It will focus on developing a proposed plan to implement the use of an

additional gender designation or designations in all appropriate administrative processes, such as forms, questionnaires, and interviews conducted by County personnel.

The objectives of the task force will include:

consulting with county departments and community groups to assess existing King County administrative processes regarding gender identity and sexual orientation, identifying processes suitable for modification and consider potential complications if a process gathers information used by other government agencies, developing a recommended statement of intent to address gender identity and sexual orientation inclusion in identified King County administrative processes, and making training recommendations for county employees to achieve excellent customer service and address concerns of task force members.

“As one of the nation’s oldest trans-run organizations, we know all too well the disparate impacts of not being counted,” said Karter Booher, executive director of

GoFundMe: Trans Pride Seattle 2018!

https://www.gofundme.com/TransPrideSeattle2018

Each year Gender Justice League produces Trans Pride Seattle, the Northwest’s largest trans-specific event, serving nearly 10,000 people each year. Trans Pride Seattle has been featured on the front page of the Seattle Times and heavily covered in all other local media. It is our community’s opportunity to join together to learn, celebrate, connect, and resist.

This year we will be featuring both national and local performers, including Shea Diamond, Laith Ashley, Jade Dynasty, Randy Ford, and many, many more! We have chosen to shift our focus to include more musical, dance, burlesque, and spoken-word performances this year, highlighting and paying more attention to local artists and talents, with only two national headliners.

Gender Justice League is dedicated to creating an event that is accessible, community (and not corporate) funded, and focused squarely on highlighting the leaders, talents, and performances of those most impacted by racism, ableism, transphobia, and xenophobia. This year will include our popular accessibility tent for a low-sensory/ chill-out space, a QTPOC-specific chill-out hospitality tent, and continued commitment to ASL and Spanish-language translation. Like many organizations, Trans Pride Seattle and Gender Justice League have been financially impacted by the change in federal administrations. Significant streams of revenue for our services and work have been cut off, such as communitydirect HIV-prevention funding and housing discrimination education funding. These sources made up nearly 25% of Trans Pride Seattle’s funding. Other “mainstream” funding continues to be extremely hard for

Ingersoll Gender Center. “We are excited to work in collaboration with King County and our community partners to provide ways for our communities to be counted, because we know that being counted is the first of many steps in better identifying problems and supporting communitydriven solutions.”

“This is a wonderful next step in an ongoing project of understanding around transgender, gender identity, and sexual orientation issues,” said longtime LGBTQ activist Marsha Botzer. “I am most grateful to Councilmember Dembowski for bringing this forward to the full attention of the public.”

The members of the task force will analyze and present recommendations not only on the contents of paper and electronic forms but also on the personal experience of gender-nonconforming, gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals when accessing County administrative services.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system at https://kingcounty.gov/council/ legislation.aspx and type in “2018-0165”. Follow the Council’s deliberations through Facebook and Twitter by signing up through the King County Council Web site at www.kingcounty.gov/council. Watch all Council proceedings held in chambers LIVE on King County TV on Comcast channel 22 (HD channel 322) and Wave Cable channel 22 (HD channel 722), or online at www.kingcounty.gov/KCTV.

Courtesy of the King County Council

us to access – we receive no city or county funds, have no TPS-specific grants, and do not accept major corporation sponsorships.

We have chosen to accept funds only from employee resource groups, labor unions, local nonprofits, small businesses, and individual donors so that we can maintain a community-controlled event focused on political and cultural resistance – free from the influence of outside entities.

Rewards for this campaign will be available the day of Trans Pride Seattle, June 22; please see the Gender Justice League vendor table!

Reward Levels (all rewards can be picked up at the GJL SWAG table at Trans Pride Seattle; if you need it mailed, please email us at swag@genderjusticeleague.org):

Star $1,000

A Star will obtain VIP access during Trans Pride, a special dinner (on us!) with our executive director, and a tour of our new office space.

Valkyrie $500

Becoming a Valkyrie means getting VIP access on the festival grounds, a framed and signed Trans Pride Seattle poster, a rally kit, and an opportunity to tour our new office space!

Champion $250

For coming in at the Champion level, you will receive a T-shirt, a tote bag, and a framed and signed Trans Pride Seattle poster!

Super Hero $100

The rally kit includes your choice of tote or shirt, a Trans Pride patch, a Trans Pride key chain, a poster, and a trans flag.

Hero $50

Receive a Trans Pride shirt and mini rally kit (with a trans flag and a patch, a poster, five stickers, or a key chain) to rep your Pride!

Activist $20

Become an Activist and receive our super popular Trans Pride tote bag or mini rally kit (with a trans flag and a patch, a poster, five stickers, or a key chain)!

Sidekick $10

Become a Sidekick and receive a mini rally kit with two of the following: a small Trans Pride button, a sticker, a small Trans Pride flag, or a Trans Pride sash.

Courtesy of Trans Pride/GoFundMe

Pride Calendar

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13

POZSeattle 2018

Annual Seattle Pride Summer BBQ

6-8:30pm. Cuff Complex, 1533 13th Ave. Meet on the Cuff’s back patio to socialize, catch up with old friends, and make new ones! POZSeattle will serve up burgers, chicken breasts, beef hot dogs, Boca Burgers, chips, and all the fixins. Bring a salad and/ or dessert to share and $3 (suggested donation - no one turned away for lack of funds). Beverages are provided by the Cuff at regular prices. Wear your most colorful Pride shirts, shorts, socks, boas, hats, etc. All HIV-positive men are welcome along with their friends, family, and support networks. POZSeattle is a social organization run for and by Seattlearea HIV-positive guys committed to planning and promoting fun social activities. Our primary social event is always held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. For more information, email contactpozseattle@gmail.com or visit pozseattle.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14

OutRight International – “Where Love Is Illegal” – Reception & Panel

5:30-7:30pm. Seattle Foundation Gallery, 1601 5th Ave, Ste 1900. Join us for the opening of photographer Robin Hammond’s compelling “Where Love is Illegal” exhibit in the Seattle Foundation gallery as we celebrate Pride month, learn about the state of LGBTIQ human rights around the world, and discuss connections between the global and local movements for equality and freedom.

Seattle Foundation, in partnership with Pride Foundation and OutRight Action International, is curating a panel discussion that considers this topic, featuring the following speakers: Siri May, UN Programs Coordinator – OutRight Action International; Taffy Maene, Executive Director – UTOPIA Seattle; Clara Rita “Claire” A. Padilla, Founder and Executive Director, EnGendeRights, the Philippines; Kris Hermanns, moderator –Pride Foundation.

For more information and to register for this free event, visit OutRightInternational. org/Events.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15

2018 Out & Equal

NW Regional Summit

8am-5pm. Renaissance Hotel (515 Madison St). Join us for a day of programming including plenary sessions, workshops,

breakfast, lunch and an evening reception. The 2018 Out & Equal NW Regional Summit will feature 8+ workshops and 3 plenary sessions. For details and to register, visit www.outandequalseattle.org

Out & Equal is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to working for workplace equality by helping companies create welcoming and supportive work environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of Employee Resource Groups making a difference within local companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, and Xerox.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15

Pride Shabbat 2018

6:30-9:30pm at Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue at Seattle First Baptist Church (1111 Harvard Ave.). Join the Seattle Jewish community for Pride Shabbat 2018. Pride Shabbat is open to the community and is a celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Jews, families, friends and allies. Guests will be welcomed at 6:30pm with pre-oneg appetizers followed by a 7:30pm service and concluding with a dessert oneg to celebrate the evening. For more information and to RSVP, visit www.jewishinseattle.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 15

OutDancing

(a fundraiser for the Dyke March)

8:30-11:30pm. Century Ballroom (915 E Pine St, 2nd floor). Ages 21 and over. See seattledykemarch.com or Facebook (@ SeattleDykeMarch) for updates.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16

Seattle Women’s Pride

6-10pm at Sole Repair Shop (1001 E Pike St). Fifth annual Seattle Women’s Pride is THE Pride party with comedy, music, and dancing for Lesbians (and their friends) in Seattle! Headlining this year’s event is BRAVO’s comedian Julie Goldman. Honorees for 2018 include Alexa Manila (Community Champion Award), Lifelong (Business Excellence Award), and Tina Podlodowski (Luminary Award).

A raffle of a dream vacation in Puerto Vallarta will be held to benefit a community organization (TBA). Produced by The Seattle Lesbian. Advance tickets required (no door sales): $35 general, $55 VIP. Visit www.seattlewomenspride.com for tickets and more information.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16

Portland Dyke March

6pm. Steps off from Portland Pride Waterfront Festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park (SW Naito Parkway & SW Pine St). Visit their Facebook page @PortlandDykeMarch.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16

Portland Pride Waterfront Festival (with Parade on Sunday, June 17) 12 noon-8pm at Tom McCall Waterfront Park (SW Naito Parkway & SW Pine St). $7 suggested donation; no one turned away. www.pridenw.org. (Continues on Sunday following parade.)

SATURDAY, JUNE 16

Portland Trans Pride March 2-4:30pm. North Park Blocks (NW 8th Ave & NW Davis St). The Portland Trans Pride March welcomes the Trans, gendervariant, gender-queer, gender-fabulous, and allied communities to celebrate the gains we’ve made, mourn the losses we’ve faced, and stand in solidarity with each other. Information at https://pridenw.org/event/ the-official-portland-trans-pride-march.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16

Queer Pride on Whidbey (QPOW) 2pm. Downtown Langley. QPOW’s fifth annual event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community of Whidbey Island. All LGBTQ+ community members and allies as well as supportive businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate in the parade (register beginning at 12 noon at the former LMS Bus parking lot, 565 Camano Ave, Langley). Parade travels up Sixth St, right on Anthes Ave, right on First St and forward onto Cascade. Volunteers are still needed to help with parade logistics. A meeting for prospective volunteers will be held Sunday, June 10, 4-5pm, at the old Bayview School Building (5611 Bayview Rd, Langley). Visit www.qpowhidbey.com for more information.

Portland Pride Waterfront Festival & Parade (Festival also on Saturday, June 16)

Parade steps off from NW Park Ave & W Burnside Ave at 11am and proceeds via NW Davis to SW Naito Parkway and Tom McCall Waterfront Park (SW Naito Parkway & SW Pine St). Sunday festival runs 11:30am-6pm. $7 suggested donation at the festival; no one turned away for inability to pay. www.pridenw.org.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17

PBS presents “Man in an Orange Shirt” on Masterpiece 9-11pm on KCTS-9. Two love stories 60 years apart chart the changes and challenges of Gay lives in England – from the era of jail terms to the onset of dating apps. Written by best-selling novelist Patrick Gale, this heartrending drama stars Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, James McArdle, Joanna Vanderham, Laura Carmichael, Julian Morris, Julian Sands, and David Gyasi. For more Pride-related programming, visit http://kcts9.org.

Pride

Burien celebrates Pride!

by Rob Johnson Special to the SGN

A weekend full of excitement in Burien!

A beautiful Saturday welcomed a great group of people to Burien Town Square and the 2nd Annual Burien Pride celebration. It was a day full of dancers, bands and a few drag queens that made the event so special. Also, some great vendors (nearly 100 of them!) and food trucks were there. A raucous 21+ beer garden sponsored by Elliott Bay Brewing Company completed the day.

After Friday night’s 70’s Drag Queen Bingo, people needed to feel loved, and Burien Pride accomplished that. Great bands played all day until 6pm, when the stage was taken over by “The Dames of Drag,” a local drag queen group designed to entertain the mass of people.

All in all, it was a wonderful day full of love, acceptance and good times for all!

Pride Calendar

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

Pride in the Park 2018 –Port Townsend

11am-5pm. Pope Marine Park, 1000 Madison St., Port Townsend. LGBTQ and allies community celebration with food, non-profit and for-profit vendors. Variety show with local and reknown talent. There will be activities for youth. Please come and celebrate diversity.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21

Radical Women –

LGBTQ Pride Annual Event

6:30pm dinner; 7:30pm program. New Freeway Hall (5018 Rainier Ave S). Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Call in advance for childcare. Dinner served at 6:30pm for $8.50 donation. Door donation $3-$5. Advance tickets at www.eventbrite. com/e/lgbtq-pride-annual-event-tickets-46536121793. Watch their Facebook page (@RWSeattle) for more information.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21

(& Friday-Saturday, June 22-23)

Marching in Gucci:

Memoirs of a Well-Dressed AIDS Activist

7:30pm. Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave S. Set in NYC during the height of the AIDS crisis, Marching in Gucci: Memoirs of a Well-Dressed Black AIDS Activist is a multimedia solo performance by Seattle artist Chad GollerSojourner that explores the AIDS crisis through the lens of a Gay, Black activist. Tickets ($15 students, $20 general, $30 patron) at www.brownpapertickets.com. More information at www.langstonseattle.org.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22 –

SUNDAY, JUNE 24

Seattle Tennis Alliance –2018 Seattle Classic Tournament www.seattletennisalliance.org (See details under EVENTS menu)

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

Trans Pride Seattle

5pm (lineup at Seattle Central College Plaza), 6pm (march), 7pm (rally/celebration at Cal Anderson Park). Annual event organized by Gender Justice League in associa-

tion with local groups who support the Seattle-area Trans and gender nonconforming community. Open to everyone who believes Trans and gender-diverse people deserve to live lives free of violence, discrimination, stigmatization, poverty, hatred, rejection, and medical mistreatment. March route is south on Broadway, east on Pike St, and north on 11th Ave to the park. More info at www.transprideseattle.org.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

Pride Weekend at W Seattle –

“Living Room Live with Butt Dial” 6-8pm. Hotel W Seattle, 1112 4th Ave. A vibrant set of originals and covers by garage rock trio Butt Dial. No cover charge (happy hour drink prices 3-8pm). W Seattle is the official hotel sponsor of Seattle PrideFest. (206) 264-6000.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

Seattle Storm Pride Night

7pm. KeyArena (305 Harrison St). See the WNBA Seattle Storm take on the Indiana Fever! Purchase tickets through a special link found at www.thegsba.org/ events/2018pridesports and $5 of your purchase price benefits the GSBA Scholarship Fund.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

Marching in Gucci: Memoirs of a Well-Dressed AIDS Activist

7:30 pm. Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave S.

(See June 21 listing.)

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

(& Saturday, June 23)

Seattle Men’s Chorus – “God Save the Queens – 50 Years of British Rock” 8pm. McCaw Hall (321 Mercer St). Featuring pop singer, performance artist & finalist from “America’s Got Talent” PRINCE POPPYCOCK. The British are coming! SMC ascends the throne to present 50 years of rock and pop royalty, from the swinging ‘60s to today’s biggest hits from across the pond. Get ready for an invasion that’s so lush, so flashy, it edges on revolutionary. Featuring music from The Beatles, Queen, Elton John, Sting, Coldplay, Adele and so much more. Tickets: $25-$75 at http://www.seattlechoruses.org and (206) 388-1400. (6/22 concert includes certified ASL interpretation.)

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

AzuQar! Pride Kick-Off Party with #GetWoke: Queer & Trans POC 10pm-3am (doors open 9pm). Re-bar Seattle (1114 Howell St). Queer Latinx interactive dance party experience with the Wonder Twinz, Monica Beverly Hillz, Candice Marie, and DJ Stunt Queen. Sliding scale admission ($10-20, cash only). Visit www.facebook.com/ events/379986689188613/ for info.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Dignity/Seattle – 30th Annual Pride Pancake Breakfast

From 9am-noon. Dignity/Seattle hosts their annual Pride Pancake Breakfast at Central Lutheran Church Social Hall

(1710 11th Ave @ E Olive St across from Cal Anderson Park). Proceeds will benefit CareTeams (a program of Samaritan Center), Food Lifeline and Dignity/Seattle. Dignity/Seattle has been a faith community of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Catholics and their families and friends in Seattle since 1973. www.dignityseattle.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

PrideFest Capitol Hill –“Rain to Rainbows” – including Family Pride and Queer Youth Pride 12 noon-9pm. Broadway E between E John and E Roy Sts and nearby Cal Anderson Park. An event in Seattle’s traditional LGBTQ neighborhood. Now in its 5th year, PrideFest Capitol Hill is now expanded to encompass the annual LGBTQ Pride Festival on Broadway E as well as Family Pride (1-4pm) and Queer Youth Pride (4-7pm) in nearby Cal Anderson Park. All ages. Free for all. Presented by Delta with support from the Broadway BIA. Watch for updates at www.seattlepridefest.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Seattle Reign Pride Day 1pm. Memorial Stadium (401 5th Ave N). Join us as the Seattle Reign FC of the National Women’s Soccer League hosts the North Carolina Courage! Purchase tickets through a special link found at www. thegsba.org/events/2018pridesports and $5 of your purchase benefits the GSBA Scholarship Fund.

SUMMER OF ACTION

continued from cover

advocacy trainings, and step up visibility and outreach at LGBTQ Pride parades, festivals, and other events. The Summer of Action will also intensify the HRC’s already-unprecedented grassroots effort to engage equality-minded voters in key states and congressional districts ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Last year, the HRC launched a major new political and organizing initiative called HRC Rising, the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

“Donald Trump and Mike Pence have awakened a sleeping giant. Never before have Americans been more eager to participate, advocate, and fight back against this administration’s hateful policies and rhetoric,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The HRC’s grassroots army of more than three million members and supporters are already organizing and mobilizing to support pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot who will help us pull the emergency brake on the Trump-Pence agenda in November.”

Over the coming weeks, Griffin will join HRC-led campaign events in key battleground states and congressional districts, with stops in Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. He [kicked] off the tour in Madison, Wisconsin.

This historic summer campaign comes as the HRC is ramping up efforts to resist the Trump-Pence administration’s onslaught of attacks against the LGBTQ community and to fight back against anti-LGBTQ state legislators attempting to undermine the fundamental civil rights of LGBTQ people across America. So far this year, the HRC and major state partners have battled more than 110 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in 29 states; to date, only two of those bills have been signed into law.

In the lead-up to the midterm elections, HRC has identified more than 52 million “Equality Voters” – voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies, including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in six key states in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground. Supporters in any state can text “VOTER” to 30644 to verify their voter registration, find their polling place, and receive election reminders.

LGBTQ DEMS

continued from cover

the nation’s second openly transgender state legislator.

ALABAMA

Felicia Stewart (HD-46): If elected, Stewart will become Alabama’s second openly LGBTQ legislator.

CALIFORNIA

Ricardo Lara (CA Insurance Commissioner): If elected, Lara will become California’s first LGBTQ statewide elected official and the only LGBTQ person of color elected to statewide office in the nation.

Katie Hill (CA-25): If Hill prevails over Republican Steve Knight, she will become California’s first openly LGBTQ congresswoman.

Numerous LGBTQ candidates are poised to make the California state legislature even more diverse, including: Joy Silver (SD-28), Sonia Aery (AD-3), Jackie Smith (AD-6), and Sunday Gover (AD-77).

Previous primaries:

ARKANSAS

Tippi McCullough (HD-33): Facing no Republican opposition in November, McCullough will become the only openly LGBTQ person in the Arkansas state legislature. McCullough’s win comes five years after she was forced to resign her teaching job because she was LGBTQ.

GEORGIA

Matthew Wilson (HD-58): If elected, Wilson will join numerous openly LGBTQ

officials pushing back on Georgia Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ legislative agenda. Georgia’s LGBTQ caucus is among the most diverse LGBTQ caucuses in the nation, including

Park Cannon (HD-58), the first openly queer woman of color elected in Georgia

Sam Park (HD-101): the first openly gay Asian-American elected in Georgia and the first openly gay man elected to the state legislature

Renitta Shannon (HD-84): the first openly bisexual woman of color to serve in Georgia

Karla Drennan (HD-85): the first openly lesbian member of the Georgia House of Representatives

INDIANA

J.D. Ford (SD-29): If elected, Ford will become the first out member of the Indiana state Senate.

Indiana Democrats have also nominated three candidates for the Indiana state House who would all make history together as the first openly LGBTQ members of the body:

Thomasina Marsili (HD-46)

Joe Lannan (HD-63)

Sarah Stivers (HD-70)

ILLINOIS

Lamont Robinson (HD-05): If elected, Robinson will become the first openly gay African-American state legislator in Illinois history.

Maggie Trevor (HD-54): If elected, Trevor will become the second openly LGBTQ woman in the Illinois General Assembly, joining Kelly Cassidy.

For more information on how to get involved, sign up to volunteer, and join an advocacy training, take action at HRC’s Equality Voter Action Center.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envi-

OHIO

Rick Neal (OH-15): If elected, Neal will become the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Ohio. Neal will be challenging NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers.

Nickie Antonio (SD-23): Antonio became the first openly LGBTQ candidate elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2010. If elected, she will also become the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the Ohio state Senate.

PENNSYLVANIA

Malcolm Kenyatta (HD-181): Kenyatta overcame an overtly bigoted smear campaign and if elected, will become the Pennsylvania House’s first openly LGBTQ person of color. Kenyatta also served a delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention hosted by the DNC.

Kristen Seale (HD-168): Seale is the first openly queer Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania. If elected, she will be the first openly LGBTQ woman in the Pennsylvania state House.

Daniel Smith Jr. (HD-12): Smith is challenging Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, one of the most anti-LGBTQ state legislators in Pennsylvania, who sued to prevent a gay couple from marrying, introduced legislation banning same-sex marriage, and said openly gay Rep. Brian Sims was a “lying homosexual” and “in open rebellion against God’s law.”

OREGON

Jamie McLeod-Skinner (OR-02): McLeod-Skinner was the first out lesbian elected to the Santa Clara City Council

and will be taking on Rep. Greg Walden, former chair of the NRCC. If elected, McLeod Skinner would become the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Oregon.

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina Democrats have nominated a candidate in every single legislative district this year, including more LGBTQ people than ever, including:

Brandon Anderson (SD-45)

Cecil Brockman (HD-60)

Deb Butler (HD-18)

Linda Bennett (HD-26)

Allison Dahle (HD-11)

Marcia Morgan (HD-19)

Dan Whitten (HD-15)

TEXAS

Lupe Valdez: Valdez became the first openly lesbian gubernatorial nominee of any major party. If elected, she would also be the first openly LGBTQ person of color to serve as governor and the first Latinx to serve as governor of Texas.

Gina Ortiz Jones (TX-23): If elected, Ortiz Jones would be Congress’ first openly LGBTQ woman of color and first openly LGBTQ Asian-American woman.

Eric Holguin (TX-27): If elected, Holguin would become Congress’ first openly LGBTQ Latinx congressman and the first openly gay Latinx man in Congress.

Lorie Burch (TX-03): If elected, Burch would be among the first LGBTQ congresswomen from Texas.

Courtesy of the Democratic National Committee

Human Rights Campaign endorses Rick Neal for Congress

Columbus, OH – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, announced its endorsement of Rick Neal for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District.

“Rick Neal’s commitment to equality and long career serving others prove he will be a champion of fairness, justice and equality in Congress,” said HRC Ohio State Manager Shawn Copeland. “HRC is proud to endorse his candidacy for Ohio’s 15th District, and we look forward to electing another pro-equality champion to the U.S. House of Representatives come November.”

“I am honored to have earned the trust and endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign,” said Rick Neal. “I’m ready to work hard every day to champion fairness, justice, and equality for everyone in Ohio’s 15th District – it’s time folks there had a representative working for them.”

Neal lives in Columbus, OH with his husband Tom and their two daughters. A longtime international aid worker, Neal has dedicated his life to advocating for the rights of marginalized communities both in Ohio and around the globe. He is a strong champion for equality having fought against anti-LGBTQ initiatives in his state, including a now defunct constitutional amendment limiting marriage to oppositesex couples. Neal is also a supporter of the Equality Act, landmark federal legislation that would provide the same basic nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ people

as other protected groups under federal law. He is facing incumbent Rep. Steve Stivers (R) in the general election. Since joining Congress, Stivers has consistently received a zero on HRC’s congressional scorecard, which measures members’ of Congress support for LGBTQ equality.

In Ohio, HRC has identified more than 1,550,000 “Equality Voters” – voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Ohio in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground in the state. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC (www.hrc.org) and authorized by Rick Neal for Congress

Courtesy of Human Rights Campaign

Katie Hill advances to general election in congressional race

Out Bisexual candidate will face anti-LGBTQ incumbent; 15 Victory Fund-endorsed

candidates advanced or won in Tuesday’s primaries

WASHINGTON, DC – Openly bisexual congressional candidate Katie Hill (CA-25) won enough votes to secure a spot on the November ballot and will face anti-LGBTQ incumbent Steve Knight in the general election. With a win in November, Hill [would] become the first openly LGBTQ congresswoman from California and just the second openly bisexual person elected to the US Congress.

“Katie’s victory sets up a general election battle between her positive, solutionsoriented vision for the district and the politics of hate and destruction her opponent thrives on,” said Mayor Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund. “Steve Knight and his family made careers out of attacking LGBTQ people and working to roll back equal rights. Now, voters have an opportunity to defeat him with an openly bisexual woman who has pledged to represent all her constituents. Katie will make history in becoming the first openly LGBTQ congresswoman from California if elected in November, but more importantly, she will head to Capitol Hill determined to reduce the divisiveness and produce actual results for all Americans.”

In addition to Hill’s victory, Ricardo Lara won enough votes in his race for California Insurance Commissioner to carry on into the general election. Lara would be the first openly LGBTQ person elected statewide in California. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia also easily won reelection.

At least 15 Victory Fund–endorsed candidates won their races or will head to primary runoffs or general elections in Alabama, California, Iowa, and New

Jersey. Results are still coming in for some races. The current list of winners includes the following:

Alabama:

Felicia Stewart, Alabama House of Representatives, District 46 (heads to general)

Neil Rafferty, Alabama House of Representatives, District 54 (heads to primary runoff)

California

Kevin Beiser, San Diego Unified School Board President (heads to general)

Jennifer Campbell, San Diego City Council (heads to general)

Sabrina Cervantes, California Assembly,

District 60 (heads to general)

Jimmy Dutra, Santa Cruz County Supervisor, District 4 (heads to general)

Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach (reelected)

Katie Hill, US House of Representatives, CA-25 (heads to general)

Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner (heads to general)

Jeffrey Prang, Los Angeles County Assessor (heads to general)

Joaquin Rivera, Alameda County Board of Education (elected)

Joy Silver, California State Senate, District 28 (heads to general)

Mark Takano, US House of Representa-

tives, CA-41 (heads to general)

Iowa

Liz Bennett, Iowa House of Representatives, District 65 (heads to general)

New Jersey

Julia Fahl, Mayor of Lambertville (elected)

The LGBTQ Victory Fund works to change the face and voice of America’s politics and achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government. victoryfund.org

Courtesy of the LGBTQ Victory Fund

Don’t separate families at the border, Pramila Jayapal tells congressional committee

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Seattle-area Rep. Pramila Jayapal is one of three House members authoring a letter to the Subcommittee on Homeland Security to restrict the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to separate families at the border.

The other authors are Reps. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi and Zoe Lofgren of California.

Joining them are 108 other representatives, including all the Democrats in the Washington State delegation – Suzan

DelBene, Denny Heck, Derek Kilmer, Rick Larsen, and Adam Smith.

As part of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, the Subcommittee on Homeland Security could defund DHS family separation efforts.

The letter comes in response to the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the US-Mexico border, an act Jayapal characterizes as “cruel and inhumane.”

“Many parents arrive at our borders with their children to seek protection – a lawful act. In the last several years, the

numbers of such families apprehended at our southern border has increased. Overwhelming evidence shows this is driven by rising levels of violence and persecution in their home countries,” wrote the members.

“We believe that in a misguided attempt to reduce these numbers, DHS has been separating families with the hope that cruel treatment at our borders will send a message to and deter future migrants.”

“The solution to the cruel inhumanity of family separation cannot be the alternative – and costly – cruelty of family detention. Instead, DHS must act with humanity and

fiscal responsibility by prioritizing a spectrum of alternatives to detention, beginning by restoring the Family Case Management Program (FCMP),” the members continued.

“We respectfully request that the DHS FY 2019 Appropriations bill make it clear that no funds may be used to support the ongoing and increasing use of family separation as a means of deterring future migration. We also strongly urge you to include funding for the FCMP as a cost-efficient and effective alternative to detention.”

ACLU, immigrants’ rights groups sue Trump administration over census citizenship question

NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union, New York Civil Liberties Union, and Arnold & Porter filed a federal lawsuit [on June 6] on behalf of immigrants’ rights groups challenging the Trump administration’s plan to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census.

The groups charge that Trump’s order intentionally discriminates against immigrants and thwarts the constitutional mandate to accurately count the US population. Plaintiffs are Casa de Maryland, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the ADC Research Institute, the New York Immigration Coalition, and Make the Road New York.

There has not been a citizenship question on the US decennial census in nearly 70 years. The addition of that question – essentially a door-to-door government inquiry into the citizenship status of every member of every household in the nation – would sow more fear among immigrant communities, ultimately suppressing census participation.

It is the reason the Trump administration sought to add the question, rejecting the advice of the Census Bureau’s professional staff, its scientific advisory committee, and five previous census directors from both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Lower response rates would hurt states with large immigrant communities, causing them to lose seats in Congress and see reductions in crucial federal funding streams tied to census data.

Depressing census response rates in already underrepresented communities will allow politicians to draw even more skewed legislative districts and further dilute the economic and political power of immigrant communities.

The lawsuit, New York Immigration Coalition v. United States Department of Commerce, cites constitutional and statutory violations. It was filed in US District Court in the Southern District of New York. The defendants are the US Department of Commerce, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and the US Census Bureau.

Below are statements from [the following]:

Sarah Brannon, managing attorney, ACLU’s Voting Rights Project: “President Trump is adding the citizenship question into his toxic stew of racist rants and draconian policies in order to stoke fear, undercount, and strip political power from immigrant communities.”

Steven Choi, executive director, New York Immigration Coalition: “A citizenship question on the US census is toxic to New York’s four million immigrants and all New Yorkers, who stand to lose millions of dollars in federal aid and representation in Congress. We will use every tool at our disposal to fight for a fair and accurate count. This is our New York and we’re not going to lose a dime, or our voices, to the Trump administration in Washington DC.”

Javier H. Valdés, co-executive director,

Make the Road New York: “The Trump administration is systematically trying to undercount immigrants to silence our voices and strip our communities of vital resources that benefit immigrants and non-immigrants alike. Our members will resist this latest attack on our communities and fight for a full, fair 2020 census – in the courts, in the streets, and in the halls of Congress.”

Gustavo Torres, executive director, CASA: “The addition of this question to the census is clearly a systematic and racist attempt on behalf of the Trump administration to literally have immigrants erased from the records, to have their contributions ignored and discounted. CASA, along with our allies representing immigrants across the country, call upon the court to defend the fundamental principles of equal justice enshrined in the Constitution and reject this attempt to silence our community.”

Samer Khalaf, president, ADC: “The inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 census will have a discriminatory impact on minority communities, especially Arab-Americans, across the country. This is an obvious attempt by the administration to drastically diminish the political voice of people of color. The inclusion of the citizenship question will lead to a decline in the census response rate. The resulting impact will have a negative effect on the redistricting process, and the access of minority communities to desperately needed government services and funding. It is our hope the

courts will do the right thing and strike the question from the census.”

Donna Lieberman, executive director, New York Civil Liberties Union: “The Trump administration is shamelessly weaponizing the census to wage its war on communities of color, immigrants, and the poor. New Yorkers refuse to be undercounted, discriminated against, or driven into the shadows. We are fighting back against this thinly veiled effort to cut back our representation in Congress and to deny New Yorkers their fair share of government resources.”

John A. Freedman, partner, Arnold & Porter: “The decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 US census needs to be understood as part of a string of government actions to promote fear of the government among immigrants and minority communities. The question is intended to and will reduce participation of these communities in the census. We are proud to stand with our clients and co-counsel to stop these communities from being deprived of fair representation and critical funds.”

The complaint is at https://www.aclu.org/ legal-document/nyic-v-dept-commercecomplaint.

More information is at https://www.aclu. org/cases/new-york-immigration-coalitionv-united-states-department-commerce.

Courtesy of the ACLU of Washington

Lambda Legal sues State of Alaska for denying health care coverage to Transgender employee

JUNEAU, Alaska – Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit [on June 5] against the State of Alaska on behalf of Jennifer Fletcher, a state legislative librarian who was forced to pay out of pocket for medically necessary surgical treatment because the state health insurance plan prohibits such coverage only for transgender state employees.

“Jennifer Fletcher was denied coverage for medically necessary treatment specifically because she is transgender. This is unlawful and stigmatizing discrimination that jeopardizes the health of hardworking state employees,” said Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Peter Renn. “The state employee health care program – AlaskaCare – covers medically necessary treatment for all state employees except transgender employees. That’s textbook discrimination by any standard.”

“All that I am asking is that the State of Alaska stop discriminating against people like myself,” Fletcher said. “My coworkers are able to receive coverage for their care, but coverage for transition-related care is denied. This sends a clear message that the state does not value me, and does not consider me equal

to its other employees, by forcing me to pay out of pocket for my medically necessary care. How is this not discriminatory, when equivalent care is routinely provided to other state employees?”

Jennifer Fletcher is a 36-year-old resident of Juneau, Alaska, who works as a legislative librarian for the State of Alaska. She has been working for Alaska since 2012 and was promoted to legislative librarian in 2014. Assigned male sex at birth, she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2014. In consultation with health care professionals, Fletcher started hormone therapy and transitioned to living openly as the woman that she is.

The AlaskaCare plan contains a blanket exclusion of transition-related surgical treatment, which has existed in the plan since at least 1979. Because of the exclusion, Fletcher had to pay out of her own pocket for surgical treatment in 2017. Beginning in 2018, the AlaskaCare plan began covering transition-related hormone therapy, recognizing that such treatment is medically necessary, but continues to categorically prohibit coverage for transition-

related surgical treatment, even though it can also be medically necessary.

In its lawsuit, Lambda Legal argues that the State of Alaska is violating the sex discrimination prohibition of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. In March 2018, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) determined that there was reasonable cause to believe that the State of Alaska had violated Title VII.

“Whether your insurance will cover medically necessary treatment should not depend on who you are,” added Lambda Legal Counsel Tara Borelli. “The state itself recognizes that transition-related care is medically necessary, which is why it covers hormone therapy. The only reason for this lingering blanket exclusion against surgical treatment is irrational discrimination.”

All mainstream medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association, recognize that transition-related surgical treatment can be medically necessary for an individual. The AMA and other medical organizations have called for an end to discriminatory exclusions of medi-

cal care in public and private health insurance policies.

Read more about the case, Fletcher v. State of Alaska at https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/fletcher_ ak_20180605_complaint.

For more information about transgender rights, visit https://www.lambdalegal.org/ issues/transgender-rights.

Peter Renn and Tara Borelli are handling this case for Lambda Legal with assistance from Tyron Garner Law Fellow Taylor Brown, joined by local counsel Eric Croft of the Croft Law Office, based in Anchorage, Alaska.

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.

Courtesy of Lambda Legal

Pride Calendar

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Seattle Pride 2018 Interfaith Celebration Service

2pm. All Pilgrims Christian Church (500 Broadway E). Every year during LGBTQ Pride, people of many different faiths come together to celebrate diversity. The theme this year is “Sacred Social Action: Beyond Thoughts and Prayers.” Many faith traditions will be represented. All are welcome! More info, 206-325-2421.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

(and Sunday, June 24)

The Cuff Pride Street Party

Doors at 3pm. The Cuff Complex (1533 13th Ave). 21+ ID required. $15 cover by 8pm; $20 after. www.cuffcomplex.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Marching in Gucci: Memoirs of a Well-Dressed AIDS Activist

3:30 pm & 7:30pm. Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave S. (See June 21 listing.)

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

The Wildrose Block Party

The Wildrose (1021 E Pike St). 21+ ID required. www.thewildrosebar.com/ (more details to come)

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Seattle Dyke March

5pm (rally); 7pm (march). Gather at Seattle Central College Plaza (1701 Broadway), march around Capitol Hill and back to Plaza. Visit their Facebook page (@SeattleDykeMarch) for more information.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Rainier Beach Pride Swim

6-7:30pm. Rainier Beach Community Center and Pool (8825 Rainier Ave S). For more information, call 206-386-1925. All are welcome! www.facebook.com/thebeachatrb/

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Seattle Sounders Pride Night

7pm. CenturyLink Field (800 Occidental Ave S). Join us for Major League Soccer

action as the Seattle Sounders FC takes on the Chicago Fire! Purchase tickets through www.SoundersFC.com/PrideOffer and receive a Pride T-shirt to be a part of the human rainbow in the Xbox GreenZone! $5 of your purchase through this link benefits the GSBA Scholarship Fund.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

(& Friday, June 22)

Seattle Men’s Chorus – “God Save the Queens – 50 Years of British Rock” 8pm. McCaw Hall (321 Mercer St). Featuring pop singer, performance artist & finalist from “America’s Got Talent” PRINCE POPPYCOCK. The British are coming! SMC ascends the throne to present 50 years of rock and pop royalty, from the swinging ‘60s to today’s biggest hits from across the pond. Get ready for an invasion that’s so lush, so flashy, it edges on revolutionary. Featuring music from The Beatles, Queen, Elton John, Sting, Coldplay, Adele and so much more. Tickets: $25-$75 at http://www.seattlechoruses.org and (206) 388-1400. (6/22 concert includes certified ASL interpretation.)

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Pride Weekend at W Seattle –“Ruby Mimosa x Friends” 9:30-11:30pm. Hotel W Seattle, 1112 4th Ave. Go glam with burlesque go-go dancers Ruby Mimosa, J Von Stratton, and Mae Zing while enjoying special Pride cock-

tails. No cover charge (happy hour prices 3-8pm). W Seattle is the official hotel sponsor of Seattle PrideFest. (206) 264-6000.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24

Pride Weekend at W Seattle –“Mimosas With Mama” 8am-2pm. Hotel W Seattle, 1112 4th Ave. Seattle’s Skyscraper Hostess Mama Tits hosts a special Pride Weekend Drag Brunch just steps from the parade. Retox with crafted Pride cocktails and a fab brunch buffet while you enjoy Mama’s live Cabaret style performance (9-11am). DJ Pryme keeps the beat going until 2pm. Reservations: www.opentable.com/restaurant/profile/0328/reserve.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24

Seattle Pride Parade

Starting at 11 a.m., the parade kicks off at 4th Ave. & Union St., and will proceed north down 4th Ave. to Denny Way and Seattle Center. It will last approximately two and a half hours and will be held rain or shine. www.seattlepride.org/pride-parade/

SUNDAY, JUNE 24

(and Saturday, June 23)

The Cuff Pride Street Party –With Special Guest CeCe Peniston Doors at 12 noon. The Cuff Complex (1533 13th Ave). Doors at noon. 21+ ID required. $30 cover. www.cuffcomplex.com

Pride Calendar

SUNDAY, JUNE 24

Seattle PrideFest –

“Rain to Rainbows”

12 noon-8pm. The legendary Seattle PrideFest rally and party at Seattle Center, now in its 12th year. A celebration of LGBTQ arts, culture, and Pride, on four stages. Free for all. Watch for updates at www.seattlepridefest.org.

MONDAY, JUNE 25

Everett AquaSox Pride Night

7:05pm. Everett Memorial Stadium (3802 Broadway, Everett). The AquaSox of the Northwest League meet the Tri-City Dust Devils! Purchase tickets through a special link found at www.thegsba.org/ events/2018pridesports with code PRIDE and receive an Upper Box ticket and Pride Night Hat (while supplies last).

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Let’s Talk About It! –

The Black Community & PrEP

11am-2pm. The 2100 Building, 2100 24th Ave S. A roundtable discussion in The Art Room, 3rd Floor. Facilitated by Russell D. Campbell of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Lunch provided. RSVP to Vanessa Grandberry at (206) 461-6910 ext 12.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Diverse Harmony in Concert

7:30pm. Seattle First Baptist Church (1111 Harvard Ave.) Diverse Harmony is the nation’s first Queer-straight alliance youth chorus. Our 58-member chorus presents music that opens the hearts and minds of communities and provides a safe environment for youth of diverse backgrounds to share their love of music and be accepted for who they are. www.diverseharmony.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7 -

SUNDAY, JULY 8

Emerald City Softball Association –2018 Emerald City Classic www.emeraldcitysoftball.org

(See details under TOURNAMENT menu)

SATURDAY, JULY 7

Rainbow Health Fair

12-4pm. Gay City Health Project, 517 E Pike St. Services will include Gender Affirming Hormone Care, Massage, Acupuncture, Mammograms, and more. Anticipating there will be more demand for hormone care than they can meet, there will be an online form for requesting an appointment.

SUNDAY, JULY 16

Gay Day at Wild Waves 11am-7pm. Wild Waves Theme Park, 36201 Enchanted Parkway S, Federal Way. The Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle and the Olympic & Rainier Empire presents the 4th Annual Gay Day at Wild Waves! This is a family friendly event that takes place in the picnic area at Wild Waves and Enchanted Village, but you get access to the entire park! For more information, visit. https://m.facebook.com/ISCSORE

SUNDAY, JULY 29

Emerald City Black Pride BBQ

1-6pm. Jimi Hendrix Park (2400 S Massachusetts St, behind Northwest African American Museum). Free food and entertainment. Visit their Facebook page (@ECBlackPride) for updates. Sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Health.

OUT-OF-TOWN (July & August)

SUNDAY, JULY 1SUNDAY, JULY 8

Victoria, BC Pride

A week of events and activities culminating in the annual Pride Parade and Festival on Sunday, July 10. www.victoriapridesociety.org

FRIDAY, JULY 13SUNDAY, JULY 22

Tacoma Pride Festival

The Tacoma Pride Festival honors the LGBTQA community by fostering pride in who we are as valuable, creative members of a diverse population in the South Puget Sound region by curating cultural events, establishing partnerships, and hosting Tacoma Pride, formerly Out in the Park, an outdoor street festival (see details below) in downtown Tacoma. For a complete schedule of events, visit http://tacomapride.org/

SUNDAY, JULY 15

Bellingham Pride Parade & Festival

Pride Parade starts at noon at the corner of Halleck St & Ohio St, travels along Cornwall Ave and ends at Depot Market Square (1100 Railroad Ave) which runs until 4pm. Featuring vendors, children’s activities and appearances by local and state dignitaries. Come join the fun! http://www.bellinghampride.org

SUNDAY, JULY 15

Tacoma Pride 2018 –Rainbow Center’s Annual LGBTQA Pride Event Noon-5pm at S 9th St & Pacific Avenue. Formerly known as “Out in the Park,” Tacoma Pride is a family-friendly event that features over 100 street vendors, live performances by musicians, cirque performers, vaudeville and drag acts, as well as guest speakers and dignitaries. www.rainbowcntr.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 21

Kitsap Pride 2018

The Kitsap Pride Network invites you to participate in Kitsap Pride 2018 at the Evergreen Rotary Park (1500 Park Ave) in Bremerton, 11am-5p,m. This regional Pride event brings upwards of 2,000 people from the Bremerton and Kitsap Peninsula area and beyond for an afternoon celebration. Includes entertainment stage, activities for children, and food and non-profit and forprofit vendors and community information tables participating in the celebration. http://kitsappride.org/

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5

Vancouver, BC Pride http://www.vancouverpride.ca