Celebrating 42 Years! Issue 11 Volume 44
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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
SGN exclusive interview Mayor Murray signs executive Danni Askini, candidate for order granting protections for Seattle Trans* Community 43rd District House seat
Danni Askini, the executive director of the Gender Justice League – Courtesy of Danielle Askini via kuow.org
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer If elected to the state House, Danni Askini will make history as the legislature’s first-ever openly Transgender member. The significance of the race is not lost on her. “Of course I think about the historic nature of this campaign,” she told SGN re-
cently. “I’ve been thinking about this for the last couple of years, but it took me months to decide to do it. “I talked to Brady [Walkinshaw] and I talked to [state Rep.] Laurie Jinkins, and they encouraged me. I feel it was the right decision. I’ve gotten messages of support from all over the world.”
Signing ceremony for Executive Order penned by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray on March 10, 2016, affirming rights of Transgender people – q13fox.com
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed an Executive Order on Thursday morning, March 10, instructing the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to develop uniform guidance and trainings for front-line City staff on how to best continue providing safe and inclusive see danni askini page 5 spaces for residents, including Transgender
and gender-diverse people. The order also instructs the City to continue work notifying businesses with places of public accommodation of Seattle’s all-gender restroom signage law. “City facilities must be safe and welcoming places for all residents, including Transgender and gender-diverse people,” said Mayor Murray before signing the Executive see mayor murray page 4
SPD releases first-ever SEATTLE RED DRESS PARTY officer training videos TO RETURN APRIL 2 featuring Seattle Transgender PrideFest to host; community members
Ultra Naté to headline
After retiring the Seattle Red Dress Party in 2014, the founders of the popular Northwest benefit event have handed the reigns for the party over to PrideFest, a 501(c)(3) The federal monitor overseeing changes to the Seattle Police Department issued a new non-profit, the organization responsible for report on how officers respond to people in crisis – KING PrideFest at the Seattle Center among othby Shaun Knittel training video footage that officers designed er events. The Seattle Red Dress Party will SGN Associate Editor to train the ranks on the appropriate treat- take place on Saturday, April 2 at Fremont Studios (155 N 35th St.). Key members of ment of Transgender residents. On Thursday, March 10, Seattle Police According to officials, SPD developed the original steering committee are playing a handoff role with PrideFest to ensure Department officials released to the public, see spd page 5
a smooth transition and to preserve the key elements of the event going forward. “We’re humbled that the founders of Seattle Red Dress would trust us with this honor,” said PrideFest Executive Director, Egan Orion. He and his organization supported the first Red Dress Party back in 2008, but this will be the first time that PrideFest is in charge of producing the event end-to-end. “Sam Galano and his team produced somesee red dress party page 8
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ASK LAMBDA LEGAL – It’s Tax Season by Susan Sommer Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Director of Constitutional Litigation After DOMA was struck down in 2013, the federal government recognized marriages of same-sex couples for tax purposes, although, in violation of the Constitution, many states did not. Following the Supreme Court’s watershed decision in Obergefell v. Hodges ending state-level marriage discrimination, we received questions from around the country about the income tax filing process and how Obergefell has affected same-sex couples. Filing taxes is serious business, and everyone’s circumstances are different. You should consult a qualified tax advisor to help navigate your personal filing. The following information was jointly developed by Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Freedom to Marry, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). View the full guide here: marriageequalityfacts.org. Q. How will the Supreme Court’s marriage ruling change how much I owe in my state income taxes? A. The Supreme Court’s ruling means that states cannot purport to require married same-sex couples to “pretend” they’re not married for state tax purposes. Same-sex spouses who were married at the relevant time for determining marital status for tax filings must file both their federal and state income tax returns as married (whether jointly or separately). Whether a couple who gets married or whose marriage is now recognized in their home state will owe more or less for any particular tax year depends on the couple’s specific situation, which may also change from year to year. A qualified tax advisor can help you calculate what makes most
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sense for you. For federal income tax returns and in some states that have graduated tax rates, joint filing tends to favor married spouses with very different incomes, such as where one spouse earns little or no income and the other earns income to support the family. Joint filers in this situation will generally, but not always, owe less income tax than if they filed as married filing separately or as single (unmarried) taxpayers. Where both spouses are high earners, being married may result in owing more income tax than had they remained unmarried. These differences tend to be less pronounced on
consult a tax advisor if you pay estimated income taxes on a quarterly basis about whether to change the amount of these payments. Q. I paid more in state taxes than I should have because my marriage wasn’t recognized. Should I file for a refund? A. Because already married couples have been filing their federal income tax returns as married persons, they may know that they have overpaid their state income taxes because the state did not respect their marital status. There are state-specific procedures for seeking a refund. We recommend consulting with a tax advisor to determine if it makes sense for you to pursue a refund claim, including assessing whether it’s cost-effective to do so. For additional IRS resources, go to http://www.irs.gov/uac/Answers-toFrequently-Asked-Questions-forSame-Sex-Married-Couples, and http://www.irs.gov/uac/Answers-toFrequently-Asked-Questions-forRegistered-Domestic-Partners-andIndividuals-in-Civil-Unions. If you have any questions, or feel you have been discriminated against because of your sexual orientation or gender identity, contact Lambda Legal’s Help Desk at 1-866-542-8336, or see www.lambdalegal.org/help.
state income tax returns when compared with federal. A tax advisor can help you determine how getting married would impact your income tax as well as whether, if married, you would be better off filing jointly or separately. Q. What tax-related steps might a newly married or newly respected couple consider taking? A. If you earn wages as an employee, you may want to consult a tax advisor about whether to change your filing status and claimed allowances on Form W-4 and the state equivalent, which may affect your withholdings. It may also be important to
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This guidance is intended to provide general information. It should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Lambda cannot ensure the information is current or be responsible for any use to which it is put. No tax advice is intended, and nothing therein should be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code. Courtesy of Lambda Legal
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Labor leader in the race for 43rd District rep Marcus Courtney led fight to unionize Microsoft
ing vacated by Brady Walkinshaw. The 43rd District takes in Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Wallingford, and part of the University District. Walkinshaw is giving up his state legislative seat to run for Congress.
Saying he feels “honored” to be running in a district with a “tradition of strong progressive values, a district that leads the country on LGBT issues,” Courtney told SGN that his experience as a labor organizer helped him understand the needs of the LGBT community. “We need policies to raise the income of working people,” Courtney said. “Many LGBT people work in the service sector, for low wages and no benefits. Too many get left behind. Paychecks are not growing. “The district needs a legislator who is a bold progressive with leadership experience. I’ve challenged companies, I’ve challenged multinationals.” Courtney is currently Northwest regional field coordinator for the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest union group. But at the beginning of his working career, he was a Microsoft contract worker, fighting job insecurity, short hours, and a lack of benefits. Courtney and his fellow Microsoft contract workers formed WashTech, which he says was “the first union to organize tech workers in the U.S.” Courtney eventually became president of the union. In spite of their efforts, WashTech was never able to win a union contract at Microsoft or at Amazon, where the union tried to organize customer service workers in 2000. Courtney went on to work for international unions in Switzerland.
He returned to Seattle two years ago to represent the AFL-CIO in the Northwest. “I have 18 years experience championing the causes of working people,” he told SGN. “I have a passion for human rights. I have challenged and advocated against some of most powerful companies in state of Washington on behalf of workers. I think that’s a strength I bring to the campaign that differentiates me from some of the other candidates.” Courtney says housing affordability is one of the key issues he wants to address in Olympia. “My priority is to end state control of the rental market,” allowing municipalities to control rents, he said. “That would allow for greater diversity in our neighborhoods and allow people to remain in their homes.” Courtney also criticized the “lack of diversity on corporate boards – women, people of color, LGBT. That’s something that’s also holding back the economy.” To help combat climate change, Courtney plans to propose legislation requiring all new construction in Washington to be outfitted for electric vehicles. Courtney’s rivals in the crowded field include Transgender activist Danni Askini, Gay attorney Daniel Shih, Gay consultant and fundraiser Thomas Pitchford, affordable housing advocate Nicole Macri, and environmentalist Sameer Ranade.
its movement to achieve full equality under the law – in Washington state and around the nation – quicken in pace. Locally, several anti-Transgender bills were filed in the state legislature that would take away protections that Transgender Washingtonians currently enjoy (for more than a decade) in which the state says they have access to use whichever restroom facility that they identify with in terms of gender expression or identity. Local leaders like Danni Askini, executive director at Gender Justice League and current candidate for state House of Representatives, helped to form a strong coalition, Washington SAFE, and successfully defeated each piece of legislation. Now, due to the state’s initiative laws, the bigots have set out to put the issue before the voters this November. Mayor Ed Murray has condemned the actions of the Religious Right and took steps Thursday to further protect Seattle Transgender folks’ rights by signing the Executive Order. In August of 2015, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed Mayor Murray’s proposal requiring all City-controlled and privately operated places of public accommodation to designate existing and future single-stall restrooms as all-gender facilities. The legislation also clarifies existing law allowing individuals to use restrooms and facilities of their chosen gender identity
or expression. The legislation was a recommendation from the Mayor’s LGBTQ Task Force and the City of Seattle’s LGBTQ Commission. “The Mayor’s Executive Order affirms our City’s commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of all people,” said Patricia Lally, Director of the Office for Civil Rights. “My staff and I are eager to develop training for City staff on the rights of Transgender and gender-diverse people that can serve as a model for how to create an inclusive environment.” “As a Transgender man, I know that so few people personally know a transgender person, and it can be hard to understand what it means to be Transgender – even for those trying to make sense of this issue calmly and reasonably,” said Seth Kirby, Vice Chair of the Pride Foundation and Executive Director of Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma. “We are part of your workplaces, classrooms, neighborhoods, families, churches, and communities – and we need to be able to use the restroom, just like everyone else. Pride Foundation looks forward to working to ensure no one is excluded or unfairly discriminated against simply because of who they are, especially Transgender people.” The order also directs OCR and the Seattle Department of Human Resources (SDHR) to develop employment policies
that ensure that the City, in its role as an employer, is providing a safe and inclusive workplace for its Transgender and genderdiverse employees. “SDHR is fully committed to and inspired by the Mayor’s commitment to equity and inclusion for our City employees,” said Susan Coskey, director of SDHR. “The City as an employer must model the behaviors, policies and practices that we expect from other employers in the region. Developing and implementing the inclusive policies described in the Executive Order is not only the right thing to do for our Transgender and gender-diverse employees, it is also the right thing to do for all City employees.” Standing with longtime Transgender advocate and community icon Marsha Botzer, founder of the Ingersoll Gender Center, during the signing of the Executive Order, were Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) Transgender/Gender Non-Conforming Outreach Director Mac S. McGregor, Equal Rights Washington Executive Director Monisha Harrell, SPD LGBTQ Liaison Officer Jim Ritter, Gender Justice League Executive Director Danni Askini, and Greater Seattle Business Association Public Policy and Communications Manager Matt Landers, to name a few.
Marcus Courtney – seattle24x7.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Labor leader Marcus Courtney announced on March 7 that he is running for the 43rd Legislative District House seat be-
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Order. “Front-line City staff will have the training they need to understand our ordinances and state laws that protect the rights of Transgender people and protect them from harassment and violence. The law requires that we provide access to the facilities that correspond to a person’s gender identity, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect.” Under the Executive Order, OCR will develop culturally relevant trainings and guidelines for City staff in coordination with community based organizations. According to the mayor, the trainings will help staff that work directly with the public to follow existing City ordinances that ensure members of the Transgender community have fair and equal access to restrooms and other places of public accommodation. Currently in Washington, and in a number of state’s around the country, LGBTQ rights are under attack by the Religious Right who have found that by attacking Transgender rights in particular, they stand the chance to roll back many of the hard earned advances that the LGBTQ community has worked so hard to achieve over the past few decades. As recently as last year, the LGBTQ community has seen
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Walkinshaw currently holds the 43rd District House seat Askini wants, but he is leaving the state legislature to run for Congress. Laurie Jinkins is also a House member representing the 27th Legislative District in Tacoma. “As a community, we have to show that we have strong leaders,” Askini continued. “And people need hope. ‘Give them hope,’ Harvey Milk said. “I think the timing is right too. Maybe it wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago. The community is ready for new leadership.” Danni Askini is perhaps best known to SGN readers as a founder and current executive director of Gender Justice League and Trans Pride Seattle, but her experience as an advocate for the Trans community goes back several years. She was the former national program director for the GSA Network in San Francisco, the policy director for Basic Rights Or-
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continued from cover the training in partnership with the Transgender community and includes personal stories from Transgender individuals. Additionally, the video was prepared in accordance with SPD’s Transgender policy that was unveiled earlier this year. The policy applies to all SPD employees and establishes guidelines for the appropriate treatment of Transgender individuals who come into contact with the Seattle Police Department. According to the policy, “Officers shall consider a person to be Transgender if the person identifies themselves as Transgender or, if upon reasonable belief that a person may be Transgender, the officer asks and receives an affirmative response. Officers will use their own discretion whether
egon, and the first Transgender health program director at Seattle’s Verbena Health, where she ran the Transform Health Project. “I have experience with grassroots organizing,” Askini told SGN. “I know how to build movements. I just don’t feel like I can sit on the sidelines. People have to step up.” Askini forged an alliance with Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant and endorsed Sawant’s protégé Jess Spear against House Speaker Frank Chopp in 2014. Challenging Chopp – arguably the most powerful man in Olympia – is not the best way to begin a career in the state House, but Askini seemed unafraid. “I take decisive stands,” she shrugged. “That’s my job as an advocate for the community. But I think it will be fine. I plan to reach out to Frank and try to build bridges.” Like Sawant, Askini sees housing affordability as a key issue for the 43rd District, which takes in Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Wallingford, and part of the University District. Seattle housing activists have been sty-
mied by a state law that forbids municipalities from enacting rent control ordinances. Asked if she believed there were prospects for the state enacting legislation to benefit renters, Askini grinned. “It’s hard to see prospects if no one puts forward a bill,” she said. “But that’s only one plank. There are a lot of different approaches. “We also need to pay attention to affordability for small businesses. They drive the economy and employ a lot of people. I think there are smart ways for government to intervene. The state can do a lot to mitigate damage done by macroeconomic forces. “And I have the energy to push for it too. Sometimes fervor is needed. I know how to be relentless.” Askini also wants to tackle the state’s notoriously regressive tax system. “We need to end corporate tax breaks – like the $9.8 billion Boeing got – and make corporations pay their fair share of taxes so we can fund education and address our gender pay gap – the worst in the country,” she said.
“There are ways to do it, an income tax, a capital gains tax, but we have to stop relying on regressive taxes.” Askini says she has found campaigning to be both easy and hard. “The easy part is knowing that I have support. The hard part is that it will subject the community to public scrutiny. It’s scary to put yourself out for public scrutiny.” One thing Askini does not find difficult is asking for support. “I try to make it about the issues and not about me personally,” she said. “I’ve been asked to support candidates many times. It feels good to know your values are being represented, and you’re asked to help.” Askini is one of six candidates for the House seat. Her rivals include labor organizer Marcus Courtney, attorney Daniel Shih, political consultant Thomas Pitchford, affordable housing advocate Nicole Macri, and environmentalist Sameer Ranade.
or not to ask a person of their gender identity.” “The policy of the Seattle Police Department is to treat all individuals with dignity, respect, and professionalism,” the policy reads. “Officers shall at all times abide by the Seattle Police Department’s policy on respectful treatment, as well as the City of Seattle’s policies and/or guidelines that prevent gender identity discrimination when interacting with Transgender individuals.” One of the challenges for the department was making sure that the voices of the Transgender Community were highlighted throughout the policy, on the training video, and so on. By all accounts and purposes the department got it right. Transgender men and women, as well as gender nonconforming community members appear on the training videos, and it also includes Transgender people of color, members of
the community that are young and old, and other intersections. Most importantly, the video includes personal stories from Transgender individuals in the community. SPD asked them to tell the officers in training about their expectations whenever they deal with the police, too. “We live in a diverse city, and our policies must reflect the communities we serve,” said Chief Kathleen O’Toole. “This policy represents SPD’s commitment to ensuring all people are treated with respect, dignity, and professionalism, and that they feel comfortable and safe. I want to thank our friends in this video for collaborating with us to help educate our department on such an important matter.” The mayor, who also signed an Executive Order Thursday mandating Transgender training for all city departments, has
voiced support for the new SPD policy and training without hesitation since its inception. “I applaud the Seattle Police Department for taking this important step to create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “Trainings such as these help our officers better serve the communities they work in. I look forward to other departments developing trainings for their front-line staff, ensuring that their employees have the resources to accommodate the transgender and gender diverse community.” According to officials, a majority of SPD employees have completed Transgender interaction training. SPD joins several other jurisdictions, including Los Angeles PD, Chicago PD, Atlanta PD, and Boston PD who have enacted Transgender interaction policies.
California safety agency fines porn studio Cites violations of condom laws by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Cal/OSHA, the agency charged with enforcing workplace safety laws in California, has cited a porn studio for “multiple violations of state condom and other safety laws, which exposed performers to sexually transmitted infections and illnesses.” The agency set the fines for Third Rock Enterprises – also known as James Deen Productions – at $77,785. The charges stem from a complaint filed with Cal/OSHA on January 12. Following up on the complaint, the agency’s investigators visited a film shoot in Woodland Hills. There they found that “producers did not protect performers through the use of condoms, as required by California’s bloodborne pathogens standard.” “Additionally, producers did not provide a vaccine or follow-up medical examination to employees who were potentially exposed to hepatitis B,” Cal/OSHA said in a statement. Since 2012 porn studios operating in
Los Angeles County have been required to have actors use condoms during porn filming. “Cal/OSHA requires condom use in adult films to protect workers from exposure to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections,” said Cal/OSHA chief Juliann Sum. “Third Rock Enterprises failed to protect employees from illness and injury while on set.” Third Rock Enterprises is owned and operated by Bryan Sevilla, also known by his porn stage name, James Deen. According to Cal/OSHA, Sevilla and his attorney initially refused to provide the agency with workplace safety information or permission to investigate. The Los Angeles County Superior Court then issued a warrant that allowed Cal/ OSHA to visit the film site and conduct an inspection. Cal/OSHA cited Third Rock for failing to provide the requested safety records, in addition to the serious health-related violations. In total, Cal/OSHA cited the porn
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James Deen – Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images
studio for four “serious violations.” “A serious violation is cited when there is a realistic possibility that death or seri-
ous harm could result from the actual hazardous condition,” Cal/OSHA noted in its statement.
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thing really special with this event. We’re very mindful of their legacy and, for those who have been to Red Dress in the past, you’ll find a lot that’s familiar: the venue, the spirit of the event, and, of course, the signature of the event – everybody in red dresses raising money for local non-profits. Over time, PrideFest will put its own stamp on the event. The Pride Festival is known for a diverse lineup from across the country, and we’ll bring this and our ability to produce large-scale events to the Red Dress Party.” Proceeds from the event will benefit PrideFest and local HIV/AIDS charities. “A big part of ending HIV/AIDS is building a strong community,” says Orion. “We think that’s what PrideFest does best. We run the largest free Pride Festival in North America and have a fan community of over 60,000 on Facebook, a figure matched only – amongst Pride organizations – by NYC Pride. Nonprofits are the core of our community and they’re a central tenet of the work we do at PrideFest. When we have strong non-profits that are well-funded and connected to the community they serve, our entire community is stronger. Red Dress only expands upon this principle, having raised tens of thousands of dollars for HIV/AIDS charities. This work is key to ending AIDS.” Sam Galano, the founder of the Seattle Red Dress Party, explained how the transition happened. “The Steering Committee was a group of volunteers that every year rallied to put on Red Dress,” Galano said. “Over time, as we built the event, volunteers moved away, got full time jobs, and in the end it became more difficult to put on the event and do it well. In 2014, we decided to retire the party altogether. Over the last two years, many organizations have contacted us wanting to take over the party, but it wasn’t until we sat down with PrideFest to discuss the possibility that it seemed to fit. They helped support the first year of the event, and PrideFest has shown since they took over the Pride Festival in 2007 that in everything they do, they have the skills and the community mindedness that are essential to running the Red Dress Party. We can’t wait to see where they take the event!” Talent for the Red Dress Party will include Ultra Naté, DJ Bret Law, and DJ Tina T. Ultra Naté is best known for her #1 Billboard dance hit “Free” but has had countless hits over the last 20 years. We can’t wait to see her rock Red Dress! A staple of Red Dress, DJ Bret Law is from Seattle but can be found on stages throughout North America, including the PrideFest Dance Stage. Born and raised in Seattle, DJ Tina T has taken the world by storm. She’s one of Vegas’s hottest DJs and was a finalist on VH1’s 3rd Season of “Masters of the Mix.” Get your red dress and prepare for a party
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like you’ve never seen! General admission tickets are now available at www.seattlereddress.org. GA tickets are $35 in advance (through April 1). Day of event (April 2), GA tickets will be $45, if tickets are still available. PLEASE NOTE: VIP tickets have sold out, but some ULTRA-VIP passes may open up before the event. For more information, visit www.seattlereddress.org.
Seattle Red Dress Party’s original steering committee includes Sam Galano (founder), John Fulton (designer), and Jason Brotman (local business owner and event producer), in addition to countless volunteers who helped produce the event from 2008-2014. PrideFest is the producer of many key Pride events every June. With partners Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, they produce Clean Sweep (Sunday, June 5, 2016), a
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neighborhood clean-up that launches Pride month on Capitol Hill. PrideFest produces the Queer Art Walk (Thursday, June 9, 2016), an unofficial part of the Capitol Hill Art Walk. In partnership with Three Dollar Bill Cinema, PrideFest also produces the PrideFest Film Festival, also in June. Pride weekend, they produce two events: PrideFest Capitol Hill on Saturday and PrideFest Seattle Center on Sunday, the biggest free Pride festival in North America. Find
more information on PrideFest at www.seattlepridefest.org. ************ WHY DO WE WEAR A RED DRESS? The color red is commonly accepted as the international symbol of AIDS awareness, the Seattle Red Dress Party builds on that idea that all guests, despite age, gender or sexual orientation, attend the event
wearing a red dress. The visual of all attendees donning red dresses whether male, female, Gay, straight, old or young, serves as a powerful symbol of solidarity of people living with HIV/AIDS and also reminds us that we are all here to make a difference and support a common cause. A NORTHWEST TRADITION The Seattle Red Dress Party is a Pacific Northwest community tradition, one that draws crowds as diverse as Seattle itself. It’s a special evening, one during which people of all backgrounds come together for a celebration full of dancing and music, spirits and laughter. This light-hearted fun provides the background for the real purpose of Red Dress, the opportunity for supporters from all walks of life to unify behind the common goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic and building a stronger community. As an annual symbol of hope and solidarity, with every last attendee donning the signature-colored dress, the Seattle Red Dress Party is a true testament to the power of our community coming together to affect positive change. HISTORY & FUTURE From 2008-2014, Seattle’s Red Dress Party was produced by a Steering Committee of devoted volunteers, including founder Sam Galano, designer John Fulton, and small business owner Jason Brotman. In 2014, they announced that they were retiring the party, and in 2015 there was no Red Dress Party in Seattle. In 2016, the Steering Committee decided to hand the event off to a new generation of producers, not a decision the group took lightly. They hand-picked a new organization that was capable of respecting the history of the event, maintaining the mission of Red Dress, and capable of putting on such a big event. Seattle Red Dress Party is now being produced by the nation’s largest free Pride festival producers, local 501(c)(3) nonprofit PrideFest. The Seattle Red Dress Party remains dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the HIV/AIDS movement and to building a strong, unified LGBT and allied community. With the color red as an international symbol of HIV/AIDS awareness, we require all attendees regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation to attend the event adorned in a red dress. While the exact origins of The Red Dress Party are unknown Seattle’s event is fashioned after our sister city to the south, Portland. The Portland event started out as a small band of committed supporters and has grown to a grand scale that today welcomes more than 2,000 attendees each year. Now in its fifth year in Seattle, Red Dress continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The red dress network of parties now includes Chicago and Sacramento. Courtesy of PrideFest
Celebrating 41 Years!
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Democratic primaries: Bernie takes Michigan Can he repeat in Ohio? by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Bernie Sanders scored an upset win in Michigan on March 8, overcoming a 20-point polling deficit to beat Hillary Clinton by two points, 50% to 48%. As expected, Clinton swept the Mississippi primary the same day, giving her a net gain in convention delegates for the day, but the loss of Michigan – a major industrial state that Democrats must win to win the presidency – was a setback to her campaign. While Clinton won in black-majority Detroit and Flint, she failed to carry African-American voters in the same proportions that she gets in Southern states. In Michigan, she beat Sanders 3-to-2 among African-American voters, as opposed to the 4-1 margin she got in Mississippi. In downtown Detroit, Clinton won by 20 points, but in the Detroit suburbs she beat Sanders by less than one percentage point. Sanders carried the industrial city of Grand Rapids by 15 points, as well as the college towns of Ann Arbor (also by 15 points) and Kalamazoo (by more than 20 points).
Sanders ran up big margins among younger voters and split white workingclass voters – the core of Clinton’s support in her 2008 run against then-Sen. Barack Obama – pretty evenly with Clinton. While Clinton is still far ahead in pledged delegates, and even further ahead in unelected “superdelegates,” the primaries in Southern states where she has done well are almost complete. Sanders may do well in the remaining state primaries, in the socalled Rust Belt and on the “Left Coast.” In Ohio, which votes on March 15, Clinton is up by 20 points in the polls, just as she was in Michigan, and that is not the only similarity between the two states. Ohio shares Michigan’s industrial history and has a similar demographic mix. Ohio also exhibits the same sort of electoral conditions as Michigan, and those could prove just as receptive to Sanders’ criticism of free trade deals and corporate welfare. Michigan’s Democratic stronghold is in the eastern part of the state, running from Detroit north to Flint. In Ohio, Democratic territory is based in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and, to a lesser extent, Toledo. Like Michiganders, Ohio’s Democratic voters are largely blue-collar workers
Bernie Sanders – fortune.com
who feel threatened by globalization and a changing economy. Labor unions, while smaller than in the past, remain politically powerful in both states. Trade deals like NAFTA – which Bill Clinton signed and Hillary supported – are not popular with working-class voters in either state. In fact, Sanders’ longtime opposition to free trade may explain why he was able to make greater inroads with Af-
rican-American voters in Michigan than in Southern states. Also like Michigan, Ohio’s Democratic primary is open, meaning that independents – who may not have the same nostalgia for the Clintons as rank-and-file Democrats do – will be able to vote. That might also increase Sanders’ chances of pulling out a victory.
Lesbian widow wins Social Security benefits SSA agrees to comply with Obergefell decision by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A Lesbian widow has finally won Social Security survivor benefits after the Social Security Administration (SSA) settled a lawsuit brought by Lambda Legal. Texas residents Kathy Murphy and Sara Barker were a committed couple for more than 30 years, eventually marrying in Massachusetts in 2010. In March 2012, however, Barker died of cancer, leaving Murphy a widow. Because the couple lived in Texas, which did not recognize their marriage at the time of Barker’s death, the SSA also refused to recognize their marriage. The SSA ruling meant that Murphy was denied Social Security spousal survivor benefits earned by Barker over a lifetime of work, benefits that would have been hers had the couple lived in a state that recognized same-sex marriage. Lambda Legal sued the SSA on Murphy’s behalf and also on behalf of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, a national advocacy organization.
In a March 8 press release, Lambda Legal announced that they had settled with the SSA, winning Murphy the benefits she sought. “The Social Security Administration has finally adjusted Kathy’s monthly SSA benefit to recognize the reality that she was married to her wife Sara and is a widow entitled to the same treatment as other survivors,” Lambda Legal Director of Constitutional Litigation Susan Sommer said in a statement. “We are also pleased to announce that the SSA has finally updated its instructions to its staff in accordance with the historic Obergefell v. Hodges ruling last June. “The SSA has also issued other guidance to staff to manage claims from the LGBT community. With this good news, including the SSA’s long-awaited changes to its policies to conform to Obergefell, we are hopeful that LGBT widows, widowers, and retirees, wherever they live, will be able to receive the Social Security spousal benefits to which they are entitled. “LGBT people, who earned benefits through years of hard work, deserve to receive them without further delay and at
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Kathy Murphy – www.projectq.us
long last to have their relationships treated with dignity by the federal government. Although the SSA still needs to update some of its instructions and practices to fully recognize LGBT families and their rights to benefits, these recent developments come
as a very welcome step. We call on the SSA to prioritize awarding benefits to the many LGBT people who were unfairly denied them in the past.”
March 11, 2016
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SCOTUS affirms same-sex adoption, reverses Alabama court
U.S. Supreme Court House – Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously reversed the Alabama state Supreme Court and ordered Alabama to recognize an adoption by a Lesbian couple. The couple, identified only as “E.L.” and V.L.” in court documents, were unmarried but committed partners who planned to
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raise children together. E.L. conceived three children through donor insemination and gave birth to them between 2002 and 2004. V.L. adopted all three children in the state of Georgia with E.L.’s written consent. The couple subsequently split up, and the children’s biological mother E.L. tried to prevent V.L. from seeing them. V.L. sued for parental visitation rights,
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citing her adoption of the children. E.L. argued that the Georgia adoption was invalid in Alabama, where all the parties lived, because Alabama state law does not allow unmarried same-sex couples to adopt. Although a trial judge sided with V.L., the case eventually came to the Alabama Supreme Court, which ruled that V.L. did not have rights to see her children. The constitutional issue at stake was the “full faith and credit” clause, which requires U.S. states to respect the legal actions of other states. V.L. argued that regardless of Alabama law, she had valid parental rights under Georgia law and that Alabama was constitutionally obligated to respect those rights. The Alabama Supreme Court, however, said that Georgia had erred in granting V.L. joint custody of the children, and therefore Alabama was not required to give full faith
and credit to the adoption. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed, giving V.L. full visitation rights. “I am overjoyed that the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Alabama court decision,” V.L. said in a statement. “I have been my children’s mother in every way for their whole lives. I thought that adopting them meant that we would be able to be together always. When the Alabama court said my adoption was invalid and I wasn’t their mother, I didn’t think I could go on. The Supreme Court has done what’s right for my family.” “The Supreme Court’s reversal of Alabama’s unprecedented decision to void an adoption from another state is a victory not only for our client but for thousands of adopted families,” said National Center for Lesbian Rights Family Law Director Cathy Sakimura, who is representing V.L. “No adoptive parent or child should have to face the uncertainty and loss of being separated years after their adoption just because another state’s court disagrees with the law that was applied in their adoption.” The March 7 Supreme Court order was an unsigned summary disposition of the case and does not necessarily create a precedent that can be applied to future cases.
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Hungary vetoes European agreement on LGBT rights – also blocks deal on immigrants
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Hungary has blocked a European Union (EU) agreement on LGBT rights.
The draft measure would have empowered the European Commission to ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, promote LGBT equality, and collect data on EU countries’
treatment of LGBT residents. The measure was submitted by the Dutch government, which currently holds the EU presidency. Under EU rules, however, all member countries must agree to new rules. Even one objection is enough to block a proposal. Hungary vetoed both the LGBT rights measure and a proposed deal with Turkey on the refugee crisis. “Hungary is not in the position to agree with the list of actions to advance LGBTI equality,” the Hungarian government said in a terse statement. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been described as “Europe’s Donald Trump” for his right-wing nationalist political program, incorporating anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-LGBT sentiments. In 2012, while other European countries were enacting new legal protections for their LGBT residents, Orbán’s government passed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Since the parliamentary election of 2014, Orbán has also been making concessions to even-further-right elements. The neo-Fascist Jobbik Party – which in the past has attacked Budapest pride marches – is now the third largest in Hungary’s parliament. “The EU has played a vital role in advancing LGBTI rights across the continent in recent years, including by making it illegal to refuse someone a job on the grounds of sexual orientation,” said Catherine Bearder, a British member of the European Parliament, in a statement to PinkNews. “But the reality is that in some European countries, LBGTI people still face daily persecution and discrimination. “It is a disgrace that governments like Viktor Orbán’s in Hungary are blocking progress in this area. “The UK should use our influence in the EU to ensure that LGBT rights are respected across our neighborhood.”
No marriage equality in Puerto Rico, rogue judge rules Governor says he will continue to follow SCOTUS ruling by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A federal district judge in Puerto Rico ruled on March 8 that the commonwealth’s ban on same-sex marriage must remain in effect despite the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. U.S. District Judge Juan Pérez-Giménez said in a 10-page ruling that Obergefell does not apply to what he termed “unincorporated territories” like Puerto Rico. “One might be tempted to assume that the constant reference made to the ‘States’ in Obergefell includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,” Pérez-Giménez wrote in his decision. “Yet, it is not the role of this court to venture into such an interpretation.” The judge said that an “unincorporated territory” like Puerto Rico “is not treated as the functional equivalent of a State for purposes of the Fourteenth Amendment.” “Under this doctrine,” he continued, “the Constitution applies in full in incorporated Territories surely destined for statehood but only in part in unincorporated Territories.” Pérez-Giménez previously ruled in October 2014 that Puerto Rico’s ban on Gay and Lesbian marriages was constitutional, and the plaintiffs appealed to the 1st Circuit Court. Before the 1st Circuit ruled, however, Puerto Rico’s Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla announced that he could no longer defend the ban, and he joined the appeal to the 1st Circuit. After Obergefell, the 1st Circuit had no choice but to agree that the ban on samesex marriage must go. “We agree with the parties’ joint position that the ban is unconstitutional,” the 1st Circuit said.
U.S. District Judge Juan Pérez-Giménez – virginislandsdailynews.com
The governor having joined the plaintiffs, both parties then filed a motion with Pérez-Giménez saying “in light of Obergefell v. Hodges and the judgment of the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the parties hereby jointly move this Court to enter the enclosed proposed judgment in favor of Plaintiffs.” Pérez-Giménez’s March 8 ruling was a response to that motion. Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, staff attorney for Lambda Legal, which is representing the plaintiffs, called the ruling “aberrant and fundamentally flawed” and “incongruent with the constitutional principles applicable to all persons in the United States, whether
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they live in a state or territory and whether they are straight or gay.” ACLU attorney Joshua Block said that while there is some legal ambiguity about applying the U.S. Constitution to territories like Puerto Rico, “the protections accorded by either the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment or the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment apply to residents of Puerto Rico.” Gov. Garcia said on March 9 that he would continue to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell and treat same-sex marriages as fully legal. The plaintiffs in the original case are
expected to once again appeal Pérez-Giménez’s decision to the 1st Circuit. “We look forward to once again vindicating the rights of LGBT people on the Island and ensuring that loving couples in Puerto Rico have the dignity, fairness, and security under the law that they deserve,” Lambda Legal said in a statement. “We will not stop fighting until all LGBT people and their families in the United States, including in Puerto Rico, have equal access to the protections of legal marriage. The constitutional mandates are clear: marriages licensed by the Commonwealth between LGBT couples are not in limbo; they are valid.”
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We are not amused! Queen Elizabeth may not approve of same-sex marriage
Queen Elizabeth – www.nbcnews.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Queen Elizabeth does not approve of same-sex marriage, according to a report
published in the British newspaper The Daily Mail. However, Buckingham Palace sources have referred journalists to a PinkNews story saying she thought it was “wonderful.”
The Daily Mail quoted a source it identified as “a close friend” of the Queen. “I said to her, couldn’t she do something about it,” the source told The Mail, “And she replied ‘I can’t. I can only advise and warn.’” The Queen gave royal assent to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in July 2013, allowing it to become law. It took effect in March 2014. According to British legal precedent, the Queen must maintain political neutrality and “assent” to laws legally passed by Parliament. If she disagrees with a law, she is not allowed to veto it, as a U.S. president is, but she may “warn” her prime minister about a law’s negative consequences or “advise” him to amend it. “It was the ‘marriage’ thing that she thought was wrong,” The Mail’s source claimed, “because marriage ought to be sacrosanct between a man and a woman.” The Queen is also the head of the Church of England, which does not sanction same-sex marriages. Nevertheless, there have been reports that she privately supported the bill legal-
izing same-sex marriage. In February 2015, Gay TV celebrity Stephen Fry quoted the Queen as saying it was “absolutely wonderful” that Gay and Lesbian couples could marry. “When the Queen signed the royal assent for the equal marriages act, allowing gay people to marry for the first time, she put it down and said, ‘Well, who’d have thought 62 years ago, when I came to the throne, I’d be signing something like this? Isn’t it wonderful?’” Fry said on British TV’s Jonathan Ross Show. “I don’t know whether this is true,” Fry added, “but there’s an Italian saying, ‘If it’s not true, it’s well founded.’” In the wake of controversy generated by the Daily Mail report, Buckingham Palace spokespeople cited Fry’s remarks reprinted by PinkNews, a British LGBT publication. Beyond that, Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the reports. “We do not comment on private conversations,” a palace spokesperson said.
Ugandans charge rigged elections, picket country’s London embassy by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer “Not free. Not fair,” the picket sign said. Others read “Recount now,” “Sanction Museveni regime,” “Britain: Don’t recognise Museveni presidency,” “UN: Speak out against Museveni’s crimes in Uganda,” and “Museveni! Stop suppressing peaceful protests.” One hundred demonstrators – most of them Ugandan nationals – picketed their country’s London embassy on March 9 to protest what they called “February’s fraudulent Ugandan presidential elections” and the subsequent “violent repression of opposition leaders and civil society protests.” The protest was supported by the African LGBTI Out and Proud Diamond Group, Ugandan opposition movements the Forum for Democratic Change (UK) and the P10 (UK) Coalition, and the Peter Tatchell Foundation. Protestors charged that Yoweri Museveni, president of Uganda since 1986, had been re-elected to a fifth presidential term by intimidating the opposition and stuffing the ballot boxes. Throughout the 2016 election campaign, the demonstrators said, tanks and armed commandos were deployed by the Ugandan government, and water cannons,
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tear gas, and live bullets were fired at unarmed opposition supporters and sympathizers. Many opposition polling agents, volunteers, and supporters were reportedly rounded up by Museveni’s agents and thrown into detention centers euphemistically known as “safe houses.” Many were tortured, others have disappeared, and some have been murdered. “On 18 February, Ugandans held presidential elections,” protest organizer Edwin Sesange, director of Out and Proud, said. “There is strong evidence that these elections were not free and fair but manipulated to return to power the incumbent antidemocratic leader, Yoweri Museveni. The provisional results that were cited to declare Museveni as the winner do not match the results that were read out at many polling centers immediately after the election. “These elections have been strongly criticized by the United Nations, European Union observers, the Commonwealth monitor team, Ugandan church leaders, the United States and Botswana governments, local election observers, and NGOs, as well as by Ugandan opposition candidates. “We are very concerned that Museveni’s return to power will lead to further state repression against civil society, including the LGBTI community.”
March 11, 2016
Ugandans picket the London embassy on March 9 claiming the elections were rigged – Courtesy of Peter Tatchell Foundation
Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell called Museveni “the new Mugabe – a democrat turned tyrant who has clung on to power for 30 years using terror and fraud to sustain his misrule.” “Uganda is a member of the Commonwealth, yet its government is systematically violating Commonwealth principles by rig-
ging elections, shutting down social media, arresting opposition leaders and supporters, and beating peaceful protesters and journalists,” Tatchell charged. “We stand in solidarity with the people of Uganda who defend democracy, human rights, and social justice.”
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