SGN Mar 5, 2021

Seattle Gay News

LGBTQ EQUALITY ACT PASSES HOUSE

Equality Act passes House, 224 to 206

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The LGBTQ Equality Act passed the US House of Representatives on February 25, by a vote of 224 to 206.

Every single Democrat in the House signed on to the measure as a co-sponsor. The Democrats were joined by only three Repub-

House passes $1.9 trillion dollar relief bill, now faces scrutiny in the Senate

by Paige McGlauflin SGN Contributing Writer

The House passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act on Saturday, aimed at providing relief from the coronavirus pandemic’s impact.

and

and

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1,001 great films (part 1) How I lost it at the drive-in and fell in love with the movies

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN Staff Writer

The bill was passed by a vote of 219–212. All House Republicans and two Democrats,

The bill includes $1,400 stimulus checks for eligible Americans, $20 billion for vaccine distribution, and an extension of weekly federal unemployment benefits through August 29. Both houses of Congress are working to get the relief bill passed before current federal unemployment benefits expire on March 14. Those who didn’t qualify for past stimulus checks may now receive this one, as 2020 tax returns are filed, and dependents age 17 and up will now qualify.

Editor’s note: Sara Michelle Fetters first joined the SGN in 2006, so when she approached us about doing a feature on her 1,001 greatest films of all time, we said, “Great! Let’s make it a 10-part series.” So join us every first Friday of the month through December as we celebrate Sara’s love of film.

Influential film critic Pauline Kael published her first compendium of reviews, I Lost It at the Movies, in 1965. When asked in 1971 by journalist Hollis Alpert of the Saturday Review what exactly she might have “lost” during these trips to the theater that she described so eloquently in her essays, Kael’s answer was suitably nondescript: “There are so many kinds of innocence to be lost at the movies.”

Seattle Gay News

by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer

“You don’t look Latin,” people sometimes say to me when they learn about my background. “What does a Latin look like?,” I reply, knowing full well what their answer might be. The fact is, to many Americans, Latinx people are mestizos with dark skins and curly black hair; in short, we are Brown.

This is because, in this country, people are divided into racial categories defined by color: African Americans are Black. AsianAmericans are yellow; Indigenous people are red; Caucasians are white, and Latinx are Brown. This presumes that Latinx people are a race, a hybrid of Indigenous, European, and African ancestries once referred to as La Raza (the Race). But people of Spanish descent whose ancestors lived in Central or South America or the Caribbean represent all races of humanity. Some of us are even white.

Not being Brown, except in the political sense of the word, I use other terms to describe my ethnicity. As a person with Spanish ancestry, except for a German grandfather, I am Hispanic. I am also born in Cuba, a Caribbean island, which makes me a Latino or Latinx.

Both Hispanic and Latinx are ethnic terms that encompass a variety of races. The United States Census Bureau uses Hispanic or Latinx to refer to “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race” and states that Hispanics or Latinos can be of any race, any ancestry, any ethnicity. According to census reports, the largest number of Hispanics or Latinx people are “white,” followed by “Native Americans,” the indigenous people of the Americans. Others are Black, Asian, or even, thanks to Chile’s rule over Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Pacific Islanders.

There is more to the debate over “Hispanic” versus “Latinx” than semantics. Whether people describe themselves as Hispanic or Latinx depends to a large extent on their country of origin, where they live, their race, their class, or even their politics. Many Hispanics are light-skinned people who live in the Sun Belt Cubans in South Florida or Mexicans in the Rio Grande Valley many of whom voted Republican in the last elections. Many of them are also middle-class in aspiration if not reality and have marital or romantic relationships with “Anglos,” non-Hispanic whites. Self-described Latinx people, on the other hand, tend to be darker, poorer, and politically progressive: Chicanos in California or Puerto Ricans in New York. Of course, all this is gross generalization,

which is almost inevitable when discussing racial or ethnic divisions.

As a Cuban-American of European descent who lives in South Florida, enjoys white privilege and a middle-class lifestyle, and who is socially and romantically attracted to “Anglos” (actually, Ashkenazi Jews), I appear to be Hispanic in every sense of the word except politics. Hispanic is my ethnicity. But Latinx is also my ethnicity, and I claim the right to use either or both terms to describe myself depending on the situation.

But what is my race? While some might come to their own conclusions by looking at me, I won’t encourage them. I am a Cuban-American, a gay Jew, and part of the human race.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti dies at 101

Poet, publisher, LGBTQ ally

By Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, publisher, and LGBTQ ally, died on February 22. He was 101.

Born in New York City, Ferlinghetti served in the Navy during World War II and settled in San Francisco after the war. There, he co-founded City Lights Books with Peter Martin in 1953. Two years later, he bought out Martin’s share and became the sole owner of the shop.

The bookstore quickly became a community center welcoming Beats, Queers, and down-and-outers of all kinds. Ferlinghetti’s publishing house played a major role in popularizing Beat poetry.

Allen Ginsberg and Diane di Prima had early work published by City Lights. Other important writers, including Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Paulene Kael, and Sam Shepard, all had work published under the City Lights label.

City Lights also became one of the first booksellers in the US to openly sell LGBTQ-themed material in the 1950s.

The publication of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl a book-length poem that includes Gay themes —prompted San Francisco police to raid the store. Both Ferlinghetti and store manager Shigeyoshi Murao were charged with distribution of obscene material.

In the subsequent trial, the ACLU represented Ferlinghetti and eventually won the case. The landmark ruling paved the way for the publication and sale of other Queerthemed literature across the country.

“I knew the world had been waiting for this poem, for this apocalyptic message to be articulated,” Ferlinghetti said in 2006. “It was in the air, waiting to be captured in speech. The repressive, conformist, racist, homopho-

bic world of the 1950s cried out for it.”

The publicity attached to the trial helped affirm San Francisco as a Queer Mecca, attracting LGBTQ people from all over the world.

Speaking to the BBC, Elaine Katzenberger, executive director of the City Lights Trust, said the book’s publication and the subsequent case was the “defining moment” in Ferlinghetti’s life and career.

“Lawrence knew he was taking a risk publishing that poem,” she said. “He could have

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lost his business. He could have gone to jail. But he believed so much and in the quality of what Ginsberg was doing with that poem, it was definitely a groundbreaking work.

“For Lawrence, what inspired him the most was the way in which Ginsberg was breaking open doors within the poetic form, but also it was the indictment of the military-industrial complex and consumer culture and the stultifying atmosphere of the 1950s in the United States.”

Ferlinghetti’s death was announced by

Durkan Digest: one year since the first COVID-19 death

by Mayor Jenny Durkan Special to the SGN

This week, our region is reaching a sobering milestone. February 28, 2021, marks one year since Public Health – Seattle & King County confirmed the first COVID19-related death in King County.

Just over one year ago, our city was booming, vibrant, and focused on the future. Everything seemed possible. But 2020 changed everything, including the way we live and work in Seattle and how city government works. [The pandemic] also led to lost jobs and wages and the closure of so many of Seattle’s small businesses, so our City [government] has responded with new programs, like grocery vouchers, free testing and vaccines, and grants to small businesses and immigrants. During one of the most challenging moments in our city’s history, our 12,000 City of Seattle employees have focused on delivering essential services amidst a pandemic and advanced our shared priorities. Working together, we will get through this unimaginably challenging time for our city.

At the start of this public health crisis, COVID-19 cases quickly surged across the region and state. With the guidance of our world-renowned scientists and academics, state and local public health officials,

and local nurses, doctors, and health care officials, we were able to quickly implement critical public health measures to help flatten the curve while also addressing the significant impacts on our region’s workers and small businesses.

I am proud of the good work that the City has done to help Seattle residents and workers get through this impactful year. We have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of our region’s leading officials’ quick actions

his son, Lorenzo, who issued a statement on behalf of Ferlinghetti’s family.

“His curiosity was unbounded and his enthusiasm was infectious, and we will miss him greatly,” a statement said.

“For over 60 years, those of us who have worked with him at City Lights have been inspired by his knowledge and love of literature, his courage in defense of the right to freedom of expression, and his vital role as an American cultural ambassador.”

and the commitment of Seattle residents, Seattle has the lowest number of cases and hospitalizations of the top 30 major cities.

In addition to these measures to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the City has also created a number of programs to respond to the impacts of the virus many of which were the first of their kind in the country and served as a model for other cities.

As we look back at the past year, it is important to remember that while we are not out of the woods yet, hope is on the horizon. Our recovery starts with vaccines. This year, I announced that the City of Seattle was approved to serve as a vaccine distributor, and the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) quickly launched four mobile vaccination teams to vaccinate [residents of] long-termcare facilities and older adults in senior affordable housing. To date, the SFD has administered 8,000 vaccines (and counting) to vulnerable residents and workers, with approximately 70% to Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities.

Even with our limited access to vaccines, we were able to launch two smaller sites in disproportionately impacted areas of Rainier Beach and West Seattle.

For now, we all still need to follow public health guidance. This means masking up, physical distancing, and caring for our neighbors.

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Kurt Schrader (Ore.) and Jared Golden (Maine) voted against the bill.

Included in the House bill is a $15 federal minimum wage mandate that will not be included in Senate considerations because it did not meet budget standards, according to Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth McDonough. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has announced plans to include an amendment

The legislation would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes to existing US civil rights laws, and give LGBTQ persons protection in the areas of employment, housing, credit, education, and jury service.

The debate was not without drama. QAnon conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tried to derail the vote by moving for Congress to adjourn, but she was voted down.

“We have passed it in the House before the Equality Act, HR 5, to end discrimination against the LGBTQ community,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said just before the vote on the bill. “This time, it will be not only passed in the House but on a path to a signing at the White House. We’re very excited about that.”

The measure now moves to the US Senate, where Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is the prime sponsor. There the bill faces an uncertain future.

When the Equality Act was passed in the House in 2019, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell blocked it from even getting a hearing. Now, the Senate is controlled by Democrats, but only by the narrowest margin. Sixty votes would be required to bring the bill to the Senate floor for debate.

The single Republican senator who cosponsored the 2019 version Susan Collins of Maine has hinted she will not support the bill this year. Two of the Democrats who opposed the measure in 2019 are still serving in the Senate: Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Tester (D-MT).

to the Senate bill mandating the wage hike, though it is unlikely to receive support from Senate Democrats or the White House. If passed, the legislation will also direct funds to state and local governments, including over $437 million to King County. Of that, Seattle would receive $239 million.

The Senate is expected to debate the bill this week, heeding President Biden’s call for swift action. Pushback is expected from Senate Republicans, whose moderate members proposed a $618 billion package earlier in February. However support from Senate

Republicans is not needed, if all Democrats vote in favor, because passing budget legislation only requires a 51-vote majority.

“Local communities throughout Washington and across our country have been hit hard during this unprecedented public health and economic crisis that has left millions of families struggling to put food on the table, keep the heat on, pay the rent, and withstand this devastation,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal said in a statement Saturday. The legislation also includes Jayapal’s Feeding Homeless Youth During COVID-19

Act, aimed at expanding food assistance to young adults experiencing homelessness.

Additionally, Sen. Patty Murray announced plans to provide over $42 million in federal funds for Native tribes across Washington state last Friday.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened housing inequities that Tribal members were already facing,” Sen. Murray tweeted on Monday. “$42+ million in federal funds will help invest in programs that provide Tribes with flexible resources to combat Indian Country’s housing crisis.”

Log Cabin Republicans humiliate themselves (yet again)

While almost all LGBTQ political groups endorsed the Equality Act, the Log Cabin Republicans managed to find an excuse to oppose it.

“Gay, lesbian, and bisexual members of society would effectively become an ‘extinct species’ under this bill. That’s because it would enshrine the gender identity agenda that is counter to gay rights,” the Republican group said in a statement.

“For the gender-identity- and transobsessed crowd, how you were born can now be ‘changed,’ and everything regarding sex and gender is simply a ‘choice.’” For many observers, Log Cabin’s twists and turns are merely the latest episode in the group’s long history of accommodating their party’s sad record of homo- and transphobia.

New hate coalition

Meanwhile, openly anti-LGBTQ organizations formed a coalition to block the Equality Act and promote anti-LGBTQ laws at the state level.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, Family Policy Alliance, and Heritage Foundation are spearheading a new national hate group, the Promise to America’s Children coalition.

According to the new group’s website, it is fighting “a culture and sadly, a government around us seek to sexualize our children for the sake of a political agenda.”

LGBTQ rights groups say this new coalition is an attempt to roll back the rights of LGBTQ Americans, and particularly the Transgender community. Their opposition to the Equality Act parallels a push for state legislation to limit LGBTQ rights.

“The same few sources have been responsible for peddling anti-LGBTQ legislation for many years, and this legislation is simply the latest iteration of their losing political fight against equality,” Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel for the HRC said.

“While extremist groups push copycat bills down to states, these state legislators should understand that their constituents including a large majority of Republicans believe transgender people should be allowed to live freely and openly,” Oakley added.

“The only thing these bills do is harm kids who are simply trying to navigate their adolescence.”

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Victory Institute applauds appointment of Reggie Greer to be senior advisor on LGBTQ issues at the White House

WASHINGTON, DC (March 3, 2021) –Today, the LGBTQ Victory Institute praised the appointment of Reggie Greer to be President Joe Biden’s director of priority placement at [the Presidential Personnel Office] and senior advisor on LGBTQ issues at the White House.

Greer served as the director of constituent engagement at the Victory Institute until joining the Biden presidential campaign in March 2020. In his new role as the senior advisor on LGBTQ issues, Greer will be charged with executing on President Biden’s vision to create the most LGBTQ-inclusive administration in history and will act as a bridge between the LGBTQ community and the administration.

Greer will be joined by Hannah Bristol, who was appointed associate director of

public engagement, in advising on LGBTQ issues, along with youth and progressive issues.

Mayor Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Institute, released the following statement about

Greer’s appointment:

“Reggie is a ray of sunshine in the conflict-driven world of politics, and the respect and trust he’s earned from LGBTQ leaders will make him an extremely effective advisor. He exemplifies the America United ethos, with a rare ability to bring diverse communities and interests together and rally them behind a common cause and vision. He will be invaluable as a bridge between the administration and the millions of LGBTQ Americans relying on President Biden to bring needed change to our nation. I am thrilled about his appointment and am eager to continue working together on moving equality forward for our community.”

Greer served as the director of constituent engagement at the Victory Institute for more than three years, building and strengthening

LGBTQ heroes postage stamp letter-writing campaign launched

SAN DIEGO, CA The United States’ oldest LGBTQ organization, the International Imperial Court System (IICS) of the United States, Canada, and Mexico (founded in 1965), and the oldest LGBTQ civil rights organization, the National LGBTQ Task Force (founded in 1973), have launched a national campaign asking the US Post Office Department to issue stamps honoring LGBTQ icons and trailblazers Bayard Rustin, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and José Julio Sarria.

The IICS and The Task Force were also the sponsors of the successful campaign that resulted in the issuance of the Harvey Bernard Milk US postage stamp, unveiled in May of 2014, at the White House by President Barack Obama, on what would have been Milk’s 84th birthday. The two organizations were also responsible for the successful campaign [directed at] the Secretary of the Navy, which resulted in the naming of the USNS Harvey Milk, the second of the John Lewis class of underway replenishment oilers, commissioned by the United States military, currently under construction in San Diego, where Milk was stationed for duty in the 1950s as a commander in the US Navy.

We also recognize and thank our honorary chairs, the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, and the City of San Diego Human Rights Commission, the first government bodies to endorse the stamp campaign.

“As we just celebrated Black History Month and begin Women’s History Month, we want to celebrate our Black and trans LGBTQ icons, Bayard Rustin and Marsha P. Johnson, in the company of two extraordinary Latino icons, Sylvia Rivera and José Julia Sarria” said Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez, Queen Mother I of the Americas of the International Imperial Court System.

“The National LGBTQ Task Force is thrilled to continue supporting this effort,” said Kierra Johnson, executive director.

“This campaign recognizes the contributions that the trans and drag communities, particularly people of color, who have given so much to the larger LGBTQ community and still do not have the visibility or credit they deserve. We saw the tremendous success of the Harvey Milk stamp and encourage the US Post Office to create more and more diverse representations of LGBTQ icons,” concluded Johnson.

The US Post Office Department recently issued the Bugs Bunny Forever Stamps, a series of 10 postage stamps celebrating Bugs Bunny’s most iconic looks, several of which include Bugs Bunny in drag. The stamp caught the attention of Murray-Ramirez, who strongly felt that iconic real-life transgender heroes Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and José Julia Sarria should also be honored.

Walter Naegle, Rustin’s longtime partner, is serving as honorary chair of this campaign and has been an longtime advocate [for] Rustin, who was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Along with A. Phillip Randolph, he helped organize the 1941 March on Washington and was the leading architect of the 1964 March on Washington. He is most well known as an advisor to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. Rustin died in 1987 and is a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom [from] President Barack Obama. A documentary film of his life is currently being produced by former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and is written by Oscar winner and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were iconic drag queens/trans activists who were part of the 1969 Stonewall uprisings, becom-

ing leaders in the Gay liberation movement. Together they helped found the group STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), which offered housing to homeless and transgender youth, a particularly vulnerable population. Johnson and Rivera recognized that many transgender people turned to sex work after being rejected by their families, and they faced additional hardships and dangers through being unsheltered. Johnson and Rivera opened the first LGBTQ youth shelter in North America, and these trailblazers became the first trans women of color to lead an organization in the United States, all while navigating mental and financial instabilities of their own. Marsha P. Johnson was found dead of mysterious causes in 1992, and Sylvia Rivera died of liver cancer in 2002.

José Julia Sarria was a proud Latino World War II veteran who, while living in San Francisco in 1961, became the first openly LGBTQ candidate to run for public office. He is most well known as the founder of the International Imperial Court System, which now has 70 city chapters in the US, Canada, and Mexico. He is also a founder of two of the earliest homophile civil rights organizations in the United States, the League for Civil Education in 1961 and the Society for Individual Rights in 1963.

the organization’s LGBTQ elected officials network and training LGBTQ people to run in states with low levels of equality.

The Victory Institute’s Presidential Appointments Initiative will put forward hundreds of exemplary LGBTQ candidates for positions throughout the Biden administration and advocate for their consideration.

The LGBTQ Victory Institute works to achieve and sustain global equality through leadership development, training, and convening to increase the number, expand the diversity, and ensure the success of openly LGBTQ elected and appointed officials at all levels of government. More at victoryinstitute.org.

Courtesy of the LGBTQ Victory Institute

“I have said for over half a century: a community and civil rights movement that does not know where it came from and whose shoulders it stands on does not know where it’s going,’” added Murray-Ramirez. Additional information is at www. LGBTqueenstamps.org.

In 1965 Jose Sarria proclaimed herself the empress of San Francisco and laid the foundation for the formation of the imperial court system of San Francisco. Today the International Imperial Court System (IICS), also known as the International Court System, is one of the oldest and largest LGBT organizations in the world. The Imperial Court System is a grassroots network of organizations that works to build community relationships for equality and raise monies for charitable causes through the production of annual Gala Coronation Balls, which invite an unlimited audience of attendees to be presented at Royal Court in their fanciest attire throughout North America, along with numerous other fundraisers each year, all for the benefit of their communities. The Imperial Court System is the second largest LGBT organization in the world. For more information go to www.internationalcourtsystem.org or contact Nicole Murray-Ramirez, Queen Mother I of the Americas, International Imperial Court System at 619-241-5672 or NicoleMRSD1@gmail.com.

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equality for LGBTQ people. It is building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That’s why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. For more information, go to www. thetaskforce.org or contact Cathy Renna, Interim Communications Director, National LGBTQ Task Force at 917-7576123 or CRenna@theTaskForce.org.

Courtesy of the National LGBTQ Task Force

Rachel Levine fends off anti-Trans questioning in historic confirmation hearing

by Chris Johnson Washington Blade

(Feb. 25, 2021) Rachel Levine’s testimony in the US Senate on Thursday marked the historic first time an openly transgender person had taken part in a confirmation hearing for a presidential appointment but also featured attacks against transgender youth and implicit animosity to her gender identity.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), drawing on rightwing animus toward Levine filling social media, made his views toward a transgender nominee clear by simply stating the phrase “genital mutilation” with an inflection at the start of his questioning.

“American culture is normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones to prevent their biological development and their secondary sexual characteristics,” Paul lamented.

Questioning Levine about youth undergoing gender transition, Paul condemned changing social norms and the idea minors should take hormones “to prevent their biological development and their secondary sexual characteristics.”

Levine, however, remained poised and politely informed Paul transgender medical issues are “complex,” and said she would look forward, if confirmed, to coming to his office to work with him and discuss the issues.

“Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field,” Levine said. “And if confirmed to be assistant Secretary of Health, I would certainly be pleased to come to your office and talk with you and your staff about the standards of care and the complexity of this field.”

But Paul wouldn’t let up, accusing Levine of having “evaded the question,” and criticized her for a previous statement in which she, according to Paul, said she’s “willing to accelerate the protocols for street kids.”

Conjuring tales of a teenager who transitioned, then detransitioned, and other youths “making decisions to amputate their breasts, or to amputate their genitalia,” [he] asked Levine if minors “should be involved” in making these decisions.

Levine, however, stood firm and repeated her previous response about transgender medical issues being complex.

Paul, a physician himself, called for entering into the record that Levine didn’t answer the question, then continued with an additional diatribe about transgender youth.

“We should be outraged that someone’s talking to a three-year-old about changing their sex,” Paul concluded.

Coming to Levine’s defense was Sen. Patty Murray, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, who admonished Paul to treat nominees before the committee with respect.

“It is really critical to me that our nominees be treated with respect and that our questions focus on their qualifications and the work ahead of us, rather than ideological and harmful misrepresentations like those heard from Sen. Paul earlier,” Levine said.

Ruben Gonzales, executive director of LGBTQ Victory Institute, also condemned Paul’s hostility to Levine on transgender youth in a statement, saying the questioning demonstrates he “does not deserve to hold public office.”

“His remarks echo the talking points of the same organizations who said gay men deserved AIDS and that LGBTQ people should be criminalized,” Gonzalez added. “He explicitly attacked vulnerable trans youth for his own perceived political gain and it was a disgrace. Dr. Levine is an extremely qualified nominee whose experience can help America effectively tackle this pandemic, but he took this opportunity to give voice to hate groups instead.”

Aside from Paul, the questioning from senators Democratic or Republican stayed away from transgender issues and

sought clarification on how her work as Pennsylvania secretary of state would translate to the role she’s seeking as assistant secretary for health.

Levine, in her opening statement, which was halted momentarily by microphone difficulties, sought to demonstrate her qualifications for the role with examples of her long medical pedigree, such as being a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine.

“Throughout my medical career, I’ve been particularly invested in health issues that are at the intersection of physical and behavioral health and I brought that expertise to public health and addressing substance use disorders,” Levine said.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, paid heed in her opening statement to the historic nature of Levine’s confirmation hearing.

“I’ve always said our government should represent the people it serves, and the nomination of Dr. Levine, who would make history as the highest ranking openly transgender official in the US government, brings bring us a step closer and making sure that that happens.”

Murray also praised Levine’s background as Pennsylvania secretary of health, saying she “established herself as a trusted voice to the people of Pennsylvania.” Among Levine’s accomplishments that Murray cited was establishing guidelines for opioid prescriptions, education for medical students, treatment for opioid overdoses, combatting eating disorders, [and] health equity for the LGBTQ community.

The assistant secretary of health oversees the department’s key public health offices, a number of presidential and secretarial advisory committees, 10 regional health offices across the nation, and the Office of the Surgeon General and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Joining Levine as a fellow nominee during the confirmation hearing was Vivek Mur-

phy, whom President Biden has nominated for US surgeon general after having served in the role during the Obama administration.

Raising LGBTQ issues in a positive way was Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first out lesbian elected to the US Senate, who asked Levine about improving LGBTQ health equity. In response, Levine said data collection is key, noting that under her watch Pennsylvania became the first state to collect data on whether coronavirus patients identify as LGBTQ.

“It is critically important that we include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in our data collection,” Levine said. “That would include many studies done by health and human services in the CDC. And I think that as we get more data [then] we understand more about these health disparities and then we can develop the appropriate policies in order to address them.”

Other Republicans during Levine’s confirmation hearing didn’t bring up anything about her being transgender, but one chose as a battleground her response to coronavirus as Pennsylvania secretary of health.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), top Republican on the committee, faulted Levine for testing strategy, vaccine rollout, and nursing home deaths he said occurred under her watch or shortly thereafter in Pennsylvania.

“Along with testing challenges last spring, your state failed to adequately protect nursing home residents from the virus, and is making unacceptable mistakes in the vaccine distribution process,” Burr said. “Pennsylvania ranks as one of the most dangerous states for long-term care residents battling COVID-19.”

Asked by Burr how Levine can give assurances she won’t repeat problems he cited in Pennsylvania, Levine stood firm and suggested those issues were the result of a lack of guidance from the Trump administration.

“We had challenges with testing, we had challenges with contact tracing, etc.,” Levine said. “We have a lack of personal protective equipment, and as most other states do that were impacted in the spring. I think that the

nation’s response has improved significantly and under President Biden’s leadership and his strategic plan and task force.”

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) took issue with her approach to the coronavirus in terms of treating rural and urban counties, saying treating them the same “didn’t quite make sense.” However, Levine defended her approach, highlighting the reopening of businesses with a red, yellow, and green coding system depending on the persistence of coronavirus in different counties.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), introducing Levine at the confirmation hearing, had a different take on her approach to the coronavirus, praising her for the response and pointing out she was confirmed three times by a Republican-controlled state Senate in Pennsylvania.

“When COVID-19 came to our state, Dr. Levine’s leadership was marked by clear, science-based communication, and her daily briefings, her early action or collaborative style, and her calm were recognized by the medical community, as well as leaders on both sides of the aisle,” Casey said.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was measured in questioning, asking Levine at first a pediatrics question to follow up on an earlier meeting between the two, then about evidence Pennsylvania may have kept hidden nursing home deaths to coronavirus. In a Senate with a 50-50 split, Collins’ vote may be key for Levine to win confirmation.

In response, Levine said she appreciated the meeting with Collins, answered the question about pediatrics, and stood by the handling of nursing homes. Levine added, “There is a lag time from the time that a tragic death would occur to the time that it hits our electronic death reporting system.”

Annise Parker, president of the LGBTQ Victory Institute, said in a statement that Levine deserves “swift confirmation” and that any opposition to her is not based on her qualifications.

Reprinted from the Washington Blade

OAS commission issues landmark ruling against Jamaica sodomy law

by Michael K. Lavers Washington Blade

(Feb. 23, 2021) The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said in a landmark decision that Jamaica must repeal its colonial-era sodomy law that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations.

Human Dignity Trust, a London-based human rights organization, filed the case with the commission in 2011 on behalf of Gareth Henry, a gay man, and Simone Carline Edwards, a lesbian. J-FLAG, a Jamaican LGBTQ advocacy group, was also named as a plaintiff.

The commission reached its decision on Sept. 28, 2019 but did not release it until Feb. 17.

“The criminalization of private sexual consensual activity between adults violates the principle of equality and nondiscrimination, the right to privacy, and the right to humane treatment,” reads the decision.

Henry, during a telephone interview from Toronto, told the Washington Blade that Jamaican police officers and others began to target him in 2004 after he “naively raised my hand to go speak to the media” about J-FLAG co-founder Brian

Williamson’s murder.

Henry said that on Feb. 14, 2007, four police officers beat him at a pharmacy in front of a mob that the commission’s decision notes “was chasing other gay men and chanting that gay people must be killed.”

The ruling further notes police officers on the same day “showed up at his home and threatened him.”

Henry fled Jamaica in November 2017. He received asylum in Canada the following year.

The decision notes the Netherlands granted Edwards asylum after “a homophobic attack” in her home on Aug. 29, 2008,

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“almost killed her.” Henry told the Blade that a friend who was attacked by a mob in Montego Bay in 2005 was later found dead.

“The next morning, I woke up to the headlines in the local newspaper that said ‘alleged homosexual beaten and killed,’” he said.

In its press release, Human Rights Trust notes that the ruling is the first time the commission has ruled a law that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual conduct violates the rights of LGBTQ people. It adds that the decision creates an important legal precedent that can be used to challenge sodomy laws in other Caribbean countries.

“This is a major legal victory for Gareth, Simone, and the entire LGBT community in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, where nine countries continue to criminalize consensual same-sex intimacy,” said Human Rights Trust Director Téa Braun in the press release. “It is a highly significant step forward that must now accelerate the repeal of these stigmatizing and discriminatory laws.”

The Jamaican government has not responded to the Blade’s request for comment, but Justice Minister Delroy Chuck told a Jamaican newspaper the ruling is “not binding on a sovereign state.”

It’s time: A message from Andy Towle

by Andy Towle Towleroad

(Feb. 28, 2021) Longtime readers and friends, we’ve come a great distance together. But after nearly 18 years scouring the web for LGBTQ news and bringing it to you on a daily basis, this has been my last week at Towleroad.

It’s been a thrilling experience, and a lot of hard, rewarding work. Towleroad is one of the few independently published LGBTQ news sites left. We’ve survived in a very tough environment by running a tight ship and sticking to our voice and our mission, which has been to bring you a variety of different types of news, both serious and completely silly, with a commitment to truth and honesty. I hope that it has informed you over the years, helped create some positive change in the world, and maybe given someone a laugh or a smile and inspired them to be themselves.

In 2003, after a gig as the editor-in-chief of the late gay magazine Genre, I created Towleroad. Though it started as a personal exploration, the weblog format allowed for the first time the delivery of news to a niche audience in a rapid manner, with interaction between readers and writers that had not existed before, and I realized I could take what I had been doing at Genre to the internet.

Michael Goff joined Towleroad in 2005 as my business partner. Together we grew the site, created a gay ad network of related sites, and also published Ptown Hacks, a travel guide to Provincetown. He’ll continue running Towleroad. There will be new writers, there may be a new voice, there could be a new direction. But I hope you’ll continue to give Towleroad your support, for which we are so grateful. I’m so personally grateful for Michael’s inspiration, dedication, and friendship through it all.

Back in those very early days there were a few independent gay voices doing blogs (notably Andrew Sullivan) but no online clearinghouses for LGBTQ information,

and it was thrilling to be able to interact with an audience in an exciting and fresh format, and I’m grateful to have been in the right place at the right time to do so.

It was a collaborative time in “new media” and I soon found myself among a sea of exciting voices [that] shared links, inspiration, common cause, and creative ideas, like Pam Spaulding’s Pam’s House Blend, Joe Jervis’s JoeMyGod, Michael K’s Dlisted, OMGblog, Bil Browning’s The Bilerico Project, Michelangelo Signorile’s The Signorile Report, Keith Boykin, Jeremy Hooper’s Good As You, Rex Wockner, John Aravosis’ AmericaBlog, Chris Johnson and Michael Lavers at the Washington Blade, Jim Burroway and Timothy Kincaid’s Box Turtle Bulletin, Paul Schindler at Gay City News, Rod 2.0, Shakesville, The New Civil Rights Movement, Andres Duques’ Blabbeando, Trent Vanegas’s Pink is the New Blog, Just Jared, Mike Rogers’ BlogActive, Kenneth Walsh’s Kenneth in the 212, Matt Rettenmund’s Boy Culture, Queerty, Alvin McEwen’s Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, Greg Hernandez’s Greg in Hollywood, Wayne Besen’s Truth Wins Out, Dan Savage’s Slog, the late Monica Roberts’ TransGriot, Juliano Corbetta’s Made in Brazil, Back2Stonewall, Perez Hilton, Socialite Life, NewNowNext, AfterEllen, AfterElton, Autostraddle, and many

others. I apologize if I’ve forgotten anyone. By virtue of our formats and audiences, at many times we were able to manifestly affect justice together in so many ways. I would like to thank them all for their support and kindness over the years.

I’ve been gratified to see the tide of public opinion and acceptance of LGBTQ people shift in vast ways. When I launched this experiment, George W. Bush was president, and nobody knew what a “blog” was. There were no hate crime protections for LGBTQ people, the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was still in place, and gay and lesbian people couldn’t get married anywhere in the United States. There was no YouTube, no Twitter, no Facebook, no Instagram, and no iPhone!

There’s no one reason I’ve decided it’s time for a change. When you do something for nearly two decades, you start to wonder if there’s anything else for you out there. And when there’s a global pandemic and you’re stuck in isolation for a year obsessively absorbing the actions of a fascist in charge of the country, you start pondering those “life” questions even more.

So what do I plan to do? I don’t know right now, but I do have a few ideas. I want to get back to creating things. I want to see what else is out there for me. I want to take a deep breath and finally maybe have a weekend off.

The DC-based Organization of American States created the commission in 1959 as a way to promote human rights throughout the Western Hemisphere. It works closely with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to enforce the American Convention on Human Rights.

Jamaica is among the OAS member states that have ratified the American Convention on Human Rights.

Henry told the Blade he is “very happy, overwhelmed with joy” over the ruling but conceded it is also bittersweet.

“It’s also kind of a bit of mixed emotions and reactions to why I had to do this, why these recommendations are needed and as a citizen, not in my own country that I could not be my authentic self,” he said. “I have also been reflecting on the many lives that have been lost and the many lives that have been destroyed and the people who have been displaced over the last nine years since I filed this petition.”

“This is also about them, the sacrifices that they have been made,” added Henry.

Reprinted from the Washington Blade

I also want to explore my interest in the visual arts I’ve been doing a lot of painting, and I’d love for those of you who are art fans to follow my art Instagram account [at www.instagram.com/andytowle_Art/].

You can also continue to follow me on Facebook, my main Instagram account, and Twitter. Not on TikTok yet (not sure if I’ll ever be) but who knows what the days will bring but stay connected and we’ll see what happens. I’m excited about what the future holds.

In addition to Michael Goff, I’d like to thank Towleroad’s sales chief John Finco for sustaining our business through thick and thin in what continues to be an ever-more challenging world for independent publishers.

So many readers and commenters have offered their words of support over the years, and I’m grateful for your lasting readership, and also the criticism. I have tried to learn from it.

I’d also like to thank the many writers and contributors I’ve worked with closely, including Bobby Hankinson, Sean Mandell, Kyler Geoffrey, David Mixner, Corey Johnson, Ari Ezra Waldman, Naveen Kumar, Randy Rainbow, Nathaniel Rogers, Kevin Sessums, Craig Karpel, Ari Karpel, Adam Rhodes, Andrew Belonsky, Lisa Keen, Ed Salvato, Billy Kolber, Anthony Costello, Brandon Thorp and Penn Bullock, Jon Barrett, Josh Helmin, Josh Koll, Brian Sloan, Charles Pulliam-Moore, Christian Walters, Daniel Villareal, Susie Bright, Jon Bailiff, Garth Greenwell, Jake Folsom, John Wright, Josh Trujillo, Julian Ward, Kenneth Walsh, Lewis Payton, Luis Damian Veron, Leo Herrera, Matthew Rettenmund, Muri Assuncao, Nathan Manske, Occupy the Disco’s Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum and Tadeu Maghales, RJ Aguiar, Sam Greisman, Savas Abadsidis, and Steve Pepdjonovic. Again, apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone.

Keep in touch.

Reprinted from Towleroad

Niecy Nash to host the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards

NEW YORK (March 3, 2021)

GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, announced today that out actress and producer Niecy Nash will host the virtual ceremony for the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

GLAAD also announced the awards ceremony will stream on GLAAD’s YouTube on Thursday, April 8, at 8pm ET/5pm PT. The virtual ceremony will also stream on Hulu on April 8 starting at 10pm ET. The awards will be available to stream on demand on Hulu until the end of June.

“I am so thrilled to be hosting this year’s GLAAD Media Awards, honoring the LGBTQ stories and images that change the world by growing acceptance and understanding,” said Nash. “My wife Jessica and I are still thriving in newlywed bliss, and I’m looking forward to bringing that love and joy to GLAAD’s biggest night. Be ready for a surprise or two!”

The 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. Since its inception in 1990, the GLAAD Media Awards have grown to be the most visible annual LGBTQ awards show in the world, sending powerful messages of acceptance to audiences globally.

GLAAD is also working with TikTok on a special recognition titled “TikTok Queer Advocate of the Year,” which highlights the TikTok creators who have taken LGBTQ visibility to new heights. Today, GLAAD & TikTok announced the creators nominated for the recognition: Denise & Ebony (@team2moms), Kyne (@ onlinekyne), Crissa Jackson (@crissa_ace), Chris Olsen (@olsennchris), Ian Paget (@ ianpaget_), Josh Helfgott (@joshhelfgott), Ve’ondre Mitchell (@veondre), Austin Chi-

ang, MD MPH (@austinchiangmd), and Christine Marshall (@chrissycanthearyou).

Until March 12, fans can vote for their favorite by visiting www.glaad.org/tiktok. The winner will be announced the night of the GLAAD Media Awards ceremony.

Niecy Nash is a multitalented Emmywinning producer and three-time-nominated actress. Her multifaceted career includes roles in HBO’s Getting On, which earned her two Emmy nominations; Netflix’s limited Ava DuVernay series When They See Us (which earned her a third Emmy nomination and an NAACP Image Award), based on the exonerated Central Park Five; FOX’s Scream Queens; Showtime’s Masters of Sex; and TV Land’s The Soul Man Nash currently headlines TNT’s drama Claws She has also expanded her repertoire to include directing.

Additionally, Nash is developing various television and film projects through her own production company, Chocolate Chick, Inc. In her rare spare time, she is devoted to church and participating at charitable functions in support of causes that are close to her heart, including the prevention and awareness of HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, school violence, and domestic abuse, among others. In July 2018, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored Nash with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to celebrate her career.

GLAAD announced 198 nominees in 28 categories. This year, several categories increased from five to ten worthy nominees to recognize expanding levels of diverse LGBTQ representation across several media genres. For a full list of nominees, visit www. glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees.

Each year, GLAAD presents non-competitive Special Recognition Awards to media projects that do not fit into one of the existing GLAAD Media Awards categories. For the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards, GLAAD is presenting Special Recognition honors to eight media projects that spotlighted diverse segments of the LGBTQ community in innovative ways. The eight media projects are: After Forever (Amazon), Deadline’s new Hollywood podcast, Happiest Season Soundtrack (Facet/Warner Records), Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles (Patrik Ian-Polk Entertainment), Out (Pixar/Disney+), Razor Tongue (YouTube), “The Son” (Little America) (Apple TV+), and Jesse & Joy’s “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma).”

The 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented by Gilead, Hyundai, and Ketel One Family-Made Vodka. GLAAD is also grateful to: Official Sponsor TikTok; Titanium Sponsors Bud Light and Starz; Platinum Sponsors Amazon Studios, Hallmark Channel, MGM/Orion Pictures, Netflix, Sheppard Mullin, and Sony Pictures Entertainment; and Gold Sponsor Nickelodeon.

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad. org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

Courtesy of GLAAD

1,001 GREAT FILMS

continued from cover

I can emphatically state I “lost it” at my local drive-in theater. Growing up in Spokane, it was my family’s weekly ritual to pile into the car and head out to one of the many venues (typically the Starlite DriveIn) and see whatever double feature might happen to be playing. Genre? Actors? Rating? None of that mattered. It was the experience that counted, and my parents were certain that within the confines of our blue Chevy Nova we could watch anything, no matter what the subject matter, all because we were doing it together.

One of the few positives about the pandemic has been the resurgence of drive-in theaters. The few remaining venues are doing bang-up business, families piling into their vehicles and experiencing cinema in the great outdoors, many for the first time.

Unfortunately, all of the sites my family and I frequented in Spokane are closed. If my parents or my siblings want to pile into a car and re-create those experiences we had back in the 1980s, they have to head out to the Auto-Vue Drive-In Theatre in Colville.

Why the nostalgia? Back in April of 2020, before we knew how long we’d be isolated and that lockdowns would become regular occurrences, I’d wax poetic on the status of the film industry, Hollywood history, and whatever else might be the topic of the hour with fellow critics over Twitter, Zoom, and other modes of social media. It was a fun way to talk about when we all lost our movie-going innocence. Each story was different, each inherently personal, all of them coming straight from the heart, showcasing a love of cinema that could not be denied.

During one of these chats, the question invariably turned to “what are your favorite movies of all time?” This is a query every critic and film historian has been asked multiple times, and one all of us have a small handful of stock answers for. I like to revert to a response borrowed from my good friend Moira Macdonald of the Seattle Times and say my favorite film is hopefully whichever one I watch next. It’s

a snappy comeback that usually produces a chuckle or two. It also allows me to avoid providing a definitive answer.

But what does make a great film? What makes them timeless? How do we know they’re essential? To me, those questions are close to unanswerable. Where one person finds Citizen Kane to be the greatest motion picture ever made, someone else could just as easily claim it’s Happy Gilmore Greatness is personal to each viewer, and while history has constructed a fairly extensive list of so-called “classics,” that does not mean there’s universal agreement as to which titles deserve such a designation.

This discussion brings me back to the drive-in. And the public library. And my local multiplex. And the video stores I worked at in high school and college. It

brings me back to watching Universal monster movies with my grandmother and John Wayne westerns with my grandfather. It reminds me of heading out to see the latest war flick with my father or an animated treasure from the Disney vault with my mother. This was my film school, and all these decades later, I still recall individual moments from these years as if they happened yesterday.

Throughout the remainder of 2021, I’m going to debut my list of 1,001 great films I think viewers owe it to themselves to see.

I was challenged to come up with this list while we were in our first lockdown, and during that time I diligently dug into my past and came up with what I feel is a rather solid assemblage of favorites.

The oldest title is renowned turn-of-the-

century filmmaker and pioneering illusionist Georges Méliès’s A Trip to the Moon from 1902. I saw this one on PBS with my grandmother as a child. I remember precious little about that moment other than the look of euphoria on her face as she talked about why this 14-minute short was so important. Grandma spoke about her childhood and what it was like to be told about this film (and others like it) from her grandmother, never thinking she’d be able to tell these stories to her own grandchild decades later courtesy of a public television documentary. The most recent title is Chloé Zhao’s remarkable Nomadland, a poetic marvel of introspective empathetic grace. If any other motion picture has captured this moment in our history better than this one has, I have not seen it. Zhao paints a picture of the

American Dream that is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful, delivering a poetic soliloquy on individuality and personal freedom I found hauntingly irresistible.

In between those two is a collection of several usual suspects and quite a few idiosyncratic peculiarities that mean a great deal to me personally. Titles from all over the world and screened for curious audiences over the past century are represented, and while I wish there were more international offerings and not so many pictures directed by white men, overall I’m fairly happy with the rich diversity of my selections.

Here’s the core thing to remember: this is my list. I look at this as a starting point, an introduction into the larger conversation about cinema’s rich history. My experiences and biases are also reflected here. The eras I came of age in (most notably the 1980s and 1990s) are substantially emphasized, while the silent era and the films of the 21st century are given slightly shorter shrift than other decades are.

This list is presented in alphabetical order 100 titles at a time. The oldest films from this section are Battleship Potemkin and The Big Parade, both from 1925. The most recent is Amour from 2012. Each month I’ll reveal more of my selections, culminating in a final disclosure of all 1,001 motion pictures this coming December.

For right now, I’ll leave you with this question: What’s your favorite movie?

3 Bad Men (John Ford) (1926)

3 Women (Robert Altman) (1977)

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu) (2007)

8½ (Federico Fellini) (1963)

12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet) (1957) 25th Hour (Spike Lee) (2002)

28 Days Later (Danny Boyle) (2002) 42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon) (1933)

The 400 Blows (François Truffaut) (1959)

1900 (Bernardo Bertolucci) (1976)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick) (1968)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Richard Fleischer) (1954)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Charles Barton) (1948)

The Abyss (James Cameron) (1989)

Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder) (1951)

Adaptation (Spike Jonze) (2002)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Michael Curtiz) (1938)

The African Queen (John Huston) (1951) After Hours (Martin Scorsese) (1985)

The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese) (1993)

The Agony and the Ecstasy (Carol Reed) (1965)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg) (2001)

Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker) (1980)

Akira (Katsuhiro Ôtomo) (1988)

Alien (Ridley Scott) (1979)

Aliens (James Cameron) (1986)

All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz) (1950)

All About My Mother (Pedro Almodóvar) (1999)

All of Me (Carl Reiner) (1984)

All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone) (1930)

All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Sirk) (1955)

All That Jazz (Bob Fosse) (1979)

All the King’s Men (Robert Rossen) (1949)

All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula) (1976)

Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe) (2000)

Alphaville (Jean-Luc Godard) (1965)

Amadeus (Milos Forman) (1984)

Amarcord (Federico Fellini) (1973)

American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini) (2003)

An American Werewolf in London (John Landis) (1981)

The Americanization of Emily (Arthur Hiller) (1963)

Amour (Michael Haneke) (2012)

Anatomy of a Murder (Otto Preminger) (1959)

Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky) (1966)

Angel Heart (Alan Parker) (1987)

Animal Crackers (Victor Heerman) (1930)

Annie Hall (Woody Allen) (1977)

Aparajito (Satyajit Ray) (1956)

The Apartment (Billy Wilder) (1960)

Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville) (1969)

Arsenic and Old Lace (Frank Capra) (1944)

The Asphalt Jungle (John Huston) (1950)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik) (2007)

Assault on Precinct 13 (John Carpenter) (1976)

Atlantic City (Louis Malle) (1980)

Atonement (Joe Wright) (2007)

Attack the Block (Joe Cornish) (2011)

Au Revoir les Enfants (Louis Malle) (1987)

Audition (Takashi Miike) (1999)

Avalon (Barry Levinson) (1990)

Away from Her (Sarah Polley) (2006)

The Awful Truth (Leo McCarey) (1937)

Babe (Chris Noonan) (1995)

Babe: Pig in the City (George Miller) (1998)

Babette’s Feast (Gabriel Axel) (1987)

Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis) (1985)

Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges) (1955)

Bad Education (Pedro Almodóvar) (2004)

Ball of Fire (Howard Hawks) (1941)

Bambi (multiple directors) (1942)

Bamboozled (Spike Lee) (2000)

The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli) (1953)

Batman Returns (Tim Burton) (1992)

The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo) (1966)

Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku) (2000)

Battleground (William A. Wellman) (1949)

Battleship Potemkin (Sergei M. Eisenstein) (1925)

Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau) (1946)

Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise) (1991)

Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater) (1995)

Before Sunset (Richard Linklater) (2004)

The Beguiled (Don Siegel) (1971)

Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze) (1999)

Bell, Book and Candle (Richard Quine) (1958)

Belle de Jour (Luis Buñuel) (1967)

Ben-Hur (William Wyler) (1959)

Best in Show (Christopher Guest) (2000)

The Best Intentions (Bille August) (1992)

The Best of Youth (Marco Tullio Giordana) (2003)

The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler) (1946)

Beverly Hills Cop (Martin Brest) (1984)

The Beyond (Lucio Fulci) (1981)

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Russ Meyer) (1970)

Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica) (1948)

Big (Penny Marshall) (1988)

The Big Heat (Fritz Lang) (1953)

The Big Parade (King Vidor) (1925)

The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks) (1946)

Bird (Clint Eastwood) (1988)

Black Christmas (Bob Clark) (1974)

Sara Michelle Fetters has been writing about film since she was 16, working for the Spokesman-Review as a film critic for the paper’s “teen section” before heading off to college at the University of Washington. She became the lead film critic for Moviefreak.com in 2001 and began contributing to the Seattle Gay News in 2006. In 2020, Sara Michelle was elevated to “Top Critic” status at Rotten Tomatoes by a distinguished panel of her peers. She is a former Imperial Princess of the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle and has been competing for championships on various teams of the Emerald City Softball Association since 2001, for which she was named to the Seattle Hall of Fame in 2014.

Film

Seattle Jewish Film Festival preview: A brief conversation with SJFF Director of Arts + Ideas Pamela Lavitt

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN Staff Writer

The 26th annual Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) kicked off virtually last night with a presentation of the documentary Howie Mandel: But, Enough About Me The festival runs through March 18 and features 19 features and documentaries from around the world, including one US premiere, Schocken There will also be nine filmmaker Zooms, while Trophy Cupcakes, Zylberschtein’s Delicatessen & Bakery, Wolf & Spice Gourmet Kosher Catering, and Rubinstein Bagels will all be virtually catering this year’s event as SJFF’s culinary partners.

I reached out to longtime SJFF Director of Arts + Ideas Pamela Lavitt to chat about this year’s event. Over email, here’s some of what she had to say:

Sara Michelle Fetters: And we’re back! Virtually again this year, but back all the same. What lessons did you take from last year’s festival as you went into programming this one? What can attendees expect?

Pamela Lavitt: The takeaways were mission-critical, meaningful, encouraging, and energizing. One of the first lessons was how arts uplifts the human spirit and can bring light, levity, learning, and laughter in challenging, dark times.

If you recall, we were one week away from celebrating our 25th anniversary in March 2020 when we made the prescient decision before Gov. Inslee’s mandatory lockdown to postpone the festival. Then in June/July, despite furloughed and reduced staffing, no solid platform for delivering virtual ticketing, and the chasm of COVID taking its toll not to mention the swirling political climate and cultural crisis and the onset of Zoom fatigue and Netflix boredom we were one of the first festivals in the US to majority launch virtually.

The arts-loving community flocked to our June/July virtual, rebooted festival. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Our donors and purchasers stuck by us, and one week into relaunching ticket sales, with almost no marketing budget, we saw hundreds of first-time [attendees] flock to the festival from all over the US and as far away as South Africa.

We also reached entire households! One family said they bought a six-pack for the first time, ate dinner, and watched and discussed the films every night with their teens. Couples bought tickets and passes and watched together apart. We received notes of gratitude from immunocompromised and elderly fans, and from new and returning patrons from outside region who have been unwilling to schlep to a downtown physical festival for many years. They all thanked us for and celebrated the virtual opportunity. As a great rabbi once said, we did it “on one foot,” and the community helped us stand and understand that we did the right thing.

Now, here we are: “Virtually Together Again” and Re-Zooming March 4 thru 18, with 19 films, including one US premiere and nine filmmaker Zooms. I think people will experience a more seamless festival with a professional virtual delivery platform.

Whereas during our last virtual edition we focused on more engagement Zooms, like a Brooklyn mixologist on closing night, this year patrons can expect a more traditional festival, filled with filmmaker conversations as this is where the magic of

a festival really happens. We are thrilled that our Opening Night Zoom features the inimitable Howie Mandel and distinguished documentary director Barry Avrich. We just confirmed that Sublet director Eytan Fox (The Bubble), one of Israel’s most lauded and prolific filmmakers, will Zoom with us on opening weekend.

We are also proud to announce culinary partners to make some films special culinary cinema events, such as Trophy’s SJFFthemed cinema cupcakes, Zylberschtein kits for our brunch film, Rubinstein Bagels Sunday bagel sandwiches (lox or pastrami!), and kosher Mediterranean from Wolf & Spice!

SMF: It’s a full slate this year, with 19 feature films and documentaries. Did you have any unexpected difficulties as far as programming went this year?

PL: Last year, the biggest challenge was convincing filmmakers and distributors to approve virtual screenings. Many were reluctant, and some refused. This year, many came around, but the budget was honestly an issue, as both nonprofit festivals and artists are financially challenged.

In a physical theatre, we expect 200 to 500 people paying for single film ticket or a pass during the festival. But in the virtual world, we have a commitment to [keep] household viewing tickets at the same price as individual tickets. Some festivals are charging more, but it was mission-critical for us to keep prices low and welcoming to everyone during these difficult times.

With household tickets, this meant our income potential is a fraction of what it once was per film not to mention, there are now filmmaker/distributor-imposed viewing caps and “geoblocking,” with some films limited to Washington state, the Pacific Northwest, or the West Coast. So, the Wild West of the virtual expanse last year is now fenced off more.

The upshot is that films are now available for 72-hour streaming windows, [but] filmmakers continue to be very available from all over the world on Zoom. No flights, no hotels. Most are eager, flexible, and accommodating [regarding] Zoom interviews.

SMF: You have culinary partners! I find that both awesome and extremely exciting. Why was it important to partner up with these amazing restaurants and bakeries for this year’s festival?

PL: That’s a funny story. During COVID, many of us in the arts entered what I call the “streaming scramble,” scrambling to provide cultural engagement, remain relevant as the heartbeat of our communities, and serve the most isolated among us the elderly and infirm, people living alone during this time.

Warren Etheredge and I launched a free SJCCtv web series called “Bagel Bites,” interviewing bagel makers in the greater Seattle region in order to feature their unique stories, support them in hard times during closures, and answer the perennial question: “Where can I get a decent bagel in Seattle?”

Zylberschtein’s and Rubinstein Bagels were two we featured available on our SJCCtv Arts+Ideas YouTube channel [http://bit.ly/2MJlS55] and it was a natural connection with both businesses. Trophy Cupcakes has been doing some special Jewish holiday–themed cupcakes, apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah designs, and delicious flavors, so we approached them about doing an SJFF cinema cupcake, also a natural extension of that partnership. Wolf & Spice is a new kosher food truck, and it is important to also serve members of our community who observe kashrut [Jewish dietary] laws. Pairing a kosher Middle Eastern local restaurant with our Culinary Cinema film Breaking Bread about the first Palestinian to win MasterChef Israel and her efforts to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to cook makes it a richer and more flavorful experience and journey.

SMF: You also have some incredible Zoom festival guests and Q&A sessions planned. Some are prerecorded. Others from what I can tell are going be live at a set time. Can you speak a little more about these? Were they difficult to coordinate and get set up?

PL: Generally speaking, Zooms are fairly easy to set up with filmmakers, especially documentary filmmakers, who long to attend festivals and now can from the comfort of their own home. We can offer them a few days’ options rather than a single time slot like at a physical festival.

(Because of Howie Mandel’s busy schedule, we prerecorded his interview, and everyone with a ticket/pass will be able to watch it on our virtual platform.)

Also, engagement is deeper to some

extent on Zoom. People hang on longer than the 15 or 20 minutes you might get in a theater. Last year, we had hourlong conversations, and the level of depth, curiosity, and engagement, even on the Zoom webinar, surprised us. People’s patience and desire for deep conversation and content right now cannot be underestimated.

Many of our Zooms will be recorded for posterity, so if you didn’t buy a ticket or missed it, you can watch it later on our YouTube channel. Overall, recording interviews and packaging them for on-demand later is so much easier than in a physical festival, which would have required videographers and movie theater lighting challenges. It’s honestly a lowbrow pleasure to have all these guests show up and no one, even a big celebrity, is hung up on the imperfect nature of it.

Programming in the virtual world means we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If anything, guest appearances have been much easier and less expensive to coordinate, and even more rewarding though we do miss the human connection and the VIP hobnobbing, and the filmmakers miss hearing audience responses in a theater and having their celebratory moment when the lights go up.

SMF: How do ticketing and the purchasing of a full series pass work this year?

PL: Simple! After you buy a pass, your Elevent login is the same whether you watch on your computer or device on the SJFF Watch Portal (virtual.goelevent.com) or on your smart TV using the Elevent TV app, available only on Roku or AppleTV. Once you log in as a passholder, you access the SJFF Virtual Watch Page, where all film and prerecorded Zoom content is preloaded. Then you simply click play to watch when a film becomes “available.” It’s a little like flashing your pass at the door and just walking in to what’s playing. Ticketholders get emailed reminders.

It’s not much different than logging into Netflix online or on your smart TV app, only films are released on a festival schedule, each for 72-hour streaming windows. You can watch anytime during that window, but you must finish before that period expires. There is no grace period.

SMF: What LGBTQ options do you have for attendees this year?

PL: We are thrilled to feature two “Gay Gezunt!” Yiddish for “be well, go in health,” which has a different resonance in 2021 Spotlight narrative feature films this year: the gay dramedy Sublet and a lesbian comedy, Kiss Me Kosher

Sublet is the latest from renowned Israeli director Eytan Fox, whose films have premiered mostly at our festival, and also at the Seattle Queer Film Festival and SIFF over the years. Starring Jonathan Benjamin Hickey and breakout hottie Niv Nissim, the film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and locally at the Seattle Queer Film Festival, picking up a number of awards. Our committee felt it was so strong we should encore it.

Kiss Me Kosher is the first film by Shirel Peleg, who said of her romantic comedy (a parallel love story between an Israeli woman and her German girlfriend and also between her grandma and her Palestinian friend), “I wanted to see if it would be possible for a young couple to build a future without ignoring the past.”

SMF: Any other hidden gems or personal favorites you want to give a shout out to?

PL: Absolutely. Documentaries are always my hidden gems: (1) They Ain’t Ready for Me [about a Black rabbinical student fighting gun violence in Chicago]; (2) Soros, including a Zoom with director Jesse Dylan, Bob Dylan’s son; (3) On Broadway, which is a tour de force of celebrities from Baldwin to Jackman to Miranda and Mirren to satisfy those longing for live theater wows; and (4) our Local Connections film and US premiere of Schocken, as in Schocken Books and publishers of Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, with the Seattle Schockens and filmmaker Noemi Schory from Israel joining us.

Also, a shout-out to Sounders fans, soccer fans [in general], and those wanting to see how Israel negotiates its own diversity: Common Goal and Breaking Bread Both films feature the stories of Muslim Arabs, Palestinian leaders, and public figures navigating those challenges.

There’s also Winter Journey, starring the sublime Bruno Ganz in his final role and featuring a Zoom with Martin Goldsmith, who wrote the book and the screenplay and also appears in the film, [which is] about his father, whom Ganz plays.

SMF: How have you been? Considering all the challenges this past year has presented, what does seeing this festival come to life in 2021 mean to you?

PL: As Howie Mandel said in the opening night film, “but enough about me.”

I’ll keep it simple. It’s very rewarding to see the 2021 festival come to fruition thanks to the incredible support of the artists, the donors and sponsors, the Stroum Jewish Community Center’s leadership, my colleagues and staff, and an incredible group of volunteers who stepped up when I was part-time and had no staff and of course the community. All of this in a time of uncertainty for nonprofit and arts orga-

nizations, which are shuttered; for our theaters that are empty; and for fundraising and ticket sales, [not to mention] the constant uncertainty of the times and the future of our togetherness during the pandemic.

Your phrase “come to life” kind of sums it up. We are all buoyed and resuscitated by the arts feeding the soul, building community connections, and bringing us purposefully albeit virtually together again, while apart. It makes me and all of us feel like we are not broken by this past year. That we can be whole again.

SMF: What’s next? Where do we go from here?

PL: We are hopeful that next fiscal year we will have a partial or full season of SJCC Arts+Ideas programming kicking off in either September or possibly December 2021 with our SeaJAM: Seattle’s Jewish Arts + Music Festival. There will be SJFF in March/April 2022, and we’d like to pro -

Jodie Foster kisses her wife in Golden Globe acceptance speech Film & Television

by Alex Bollinger LGBTQ Nation

(March 1, 2021) Out actor Jodie Foster kissed her wife during her Golden Globe acceptance speech last night.

[She appeared] on the prestigious awards show in bed, in her pajamas, with her wife Alexandra Hedison and their dog Ziggy.

She was one of five nominees for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her work in The Mauritanian When she won the award, she leaned over and kissed her wife.

“I’m a little speechless,” she said. “I just never expected to ever be here again.”

“I love my wife, thank you Alex and Ziggy and [Green Bay Packers quarterback] Aaron Rodgers and the whole foreign press. This is awesome. What a night.”

Foster came out publicly in 2013 when she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes that year, and she has been married to Hedison since 2014.

This is the third Golden Globe that she has won: she won Best Actress in a Motion Picture in 1989 for The Accused and in 1992 for The Silence of the Lambs

Other LGBTQ winners at the 2021 Golden Globes include the hit Canadian series Schitt’s Creek, which won Best Musical/Comedy Series; and Catherine O’Hara [for] Best Television Actress in a Musical/ Comedy Series for her work on that show.

Chadwick Boseman won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion

gram a full slate of (probably spring) concerts, comedians, authors, and chefs.

In the virtual world, we will continue our Book Fest in Your Living Room author series, where amazing guests, from Bill Gates to Judy Gold, appear for interviews on Zoom to discuss their books.

As Sandra Bernhard, one of our last live shows in Nov. 2019, said, “Without you, I’m nothing.” So, we need the “you,” the audience, the fans, and we will find a way virtually, in hybrid 25% theater models, or drive-ins and dining locales to bring us together to be inspired by those who live to express and delight us with uplifting art.

For more information on this year’s Seattle Jewish Film Festival, schedule and ticketing information, please head to https://seattlejewishfilmfestival.org/.

Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, (206) 279-8169. American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us

Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html

BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org.

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org Capitol Hill Alano Club - www.chacseattle.org

Cascade Rainbow Community Center (Mount Vernon) - (360) 840-8499 and on Facebook. Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994.

Channel Q 103.3 FM - LGBTQ+ Talk Radio NetworkNews and information, pop culture and music. radio.com COLAGE unites people with LGBTQ parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities - www.colage.org

DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). (206) 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest. org

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, (206) 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Networksupport & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, (206) 568-7777 (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce County Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence Unit, (206) 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911 Report domestic violence and sexual assault. Equal Rights Washington - (206) 324-2570; www. equalrightswashington.org

Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org

Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.org

Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, (206) 860-6969. www.gaycity.org

Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country.

Generations Aging With Pride empowers elder LGBTQ adults to live with pride and dignity by promoting, connecting, and developing innovative programs and services that enhance belonging and support, eliminate discrimination, and honor the lives of older members of our community - (206) 393-3400; info@gapseattle.org; gapseattle.org

GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org

Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - (206) 363-9188; www.thegsba.org

HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. (206) 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, (206) 328-8979.

Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com

Lambert House - (206) 322-2515; www.lamberthouse. org

LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - (425) 785-8593; lgbtmsconnections@comcast.net. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lifelong AIDS Alliance - (206) 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org Lion’s Main Art Collective - www.lionsmain.org

MEN: Gay City: (206) 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: (206) 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www. nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians. net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.com; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples.org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www. seattle primetimers.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band. com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: (206) 388-1408, (206) 323-0750. www.seattlechoruses.org.

Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com

community resources

Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org

Olympia/Thurston County - www.RainbowCenterOly. org

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

Out & Proud Grays Harbor Coalition - http://outandproudgh.org

PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: (206) 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: (206) 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: (206) 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: (206) 325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: (425) 483-6642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community. pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington State Council: www.pflagwsc.org.

Peer Seattle (formerly Seattle Area Support Groups) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences. (206) 322-2437; www.peerseattle.org

PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), (206) 850-2070, www.aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network Program at API Chaya, (206) 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, (206) 461-6910, www.multiculturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, (206) 322-7700, www.entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, (206) 781-3565, iya@ilelailai.org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), (206) 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo.com, www.macctsea.org; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/nw2spiritsociety/, Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, (206) 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; QBASS - Queer Black Alliance of the South Sound, (253) 256-1846, weareqbass@gmail. com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, (206) 322-7061, (206) 255-8951; Somos Seattle, somosseattle.org; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle, www.utopiaseattlewa.org; VietQ Greater Seattle, vietqorganization@gmail.com

Pierce County AIDS Foundation - (253) 383-2565; www.piercecountyaids.org

Pride Foundation - (206) 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org

Pride Lives - www.facebook.com/PrideLives/ Pride Radio 93.3 HD2

Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. (206) 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org

Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx

Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - (206) 682-6711; www.q-law.org

Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - (206) 235-7235. Queer Geek! - queergeekseattle.org

Rainbow Center - Resource Center for Tacoma/Pierce County LGBTIQA community. Through education, advocacy and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources, and safe space for the LGBTQIA community.

Sponsors Tacoma Pride Festival. (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org

SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. www.voteseamec.org

Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) i- SEE LISTING for Peer Seattle. Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network - BiSeattle.wixsite. com/SBWN and on Facebook.

Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. (206) 323-1768.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - (206) 684-4503. www/ seattle.gov/lgbtq

Seattle Out & Proud - (206) 322-9561; www.seattlepride.org

Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov

Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org

Sex Workers Outreach Project - https://seattle. swopusa.org

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - (206) 860-3666; www.theabbey.org Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays. (425) 339-5298.

South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.SouthSoundQCal.com Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net

SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club: www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flag Football: www.cascadeflagfootball.org; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby.com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball. org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www.puddletownsquares.org; Rain City Soccer: www.raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance.org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefrontrunners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www. seattlegaybasketballassociation.com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam.org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www. seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@aol.com, www. teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www.theprideleague. com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, (206) 367-4064, www.teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@ camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org, 1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934. Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org

Three Dollar Bill Cinema - TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival; Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival; Outdoor Cinema at Cal Anderson Park. www. threedollarbillcinema.org

TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www. SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity: www. genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www.genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & Foreign-Born

Support Group: (206) 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: (206) 329-6651, www.ingersollcenter.org; Lion’s Main Art Collective: www.lionsmain.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/ Olympia-Trans-Discussion-Group/262449878114; [trans] ACTION: Trans* & Gender Non-Conforming Sex Workers’ Support Group - a safe, peer-led space. mail@utopiaseattle.org; TRANSform Washington: transformwashington.com; Trans Resource & Referral Guide: kctransguide.org; Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network: Funding the collective liberation of Trans women of color – https://m.facebook.com/ TWOCSolidarityNW/; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www.washington genderalliance.com

WOMEN: Aging Ballard Lesbian Exchange (A.B.L.E.): We are Lesbians 60 years (generally) and up, living (mostly) in the north half of Seattle. The purpose of the group is to connect, socialize and support each other. ruthemilyvogel@gmail.com; Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS) - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, (206) 722-0317; www.sessc.org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. (206) 720-5566, 1-888-292-1912; Coming Out Women Support Group of Tacoma: www. comingoutwomen.org; Festival of the Babes: www. festivalofthebabes.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Puget Sound Old Lesbian Organizing for Change: http:// psoloc.org, (253) 777-3357; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc.org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www.pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol. com; Seattle Bisexual Women’s Network: BiSeattle. wixsite.com/SBWN; Seattle Girls of Leather: www. sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www.tacomalesbianconcern.org; Tacoma Older LGBT: www. tacomaolderlgbt.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks. org, (206) 461-4493. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Coyote Central: www.coyotecentral.org; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. (206) 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa.org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www. globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way, with additional support groups organized in smaller towns throughout King County, (206) 322-2515, www. lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: (206) 957-1665; www.llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace. com ; The Mockingbird Society: (206) 323-KIDS (5437), www.mockingbirdsociety.org; New Horizons: social services and shelter for homeless youth, 2708 3rd Ave (in Belltown), (206) 374-0866, http://namin.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter. org; OKAY! LGBTQ+ Outreach for Kent Area Youth: (253) 859-0699 ext 3034. OKAY! is an open support group for youth ages 13-19 who identify as LGBTQ+. A program of Kent Youth & Family Services; OUT There Adventures: www.outthereadventures.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/ Puget Sound: (206) 325-7724, www.seattle-pflag.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www.pizzaklatch. org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in PuyallupCherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www.facebook. com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, (206) 326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - (360) 698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., (206) 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; (206) 451-SAFE, (206) 451-7233 (non-emergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): (206) 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): (206) 524-7301 ext 111; www. streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: (206) 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, (206) 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; The Vera Project: fuels personal & community transformation through collaborative youthdriven engagement in music and art. (206) 956-8372; theveraproject.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, (509) 396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): (206) 522-8412; YouthCare/ Orion Center Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. (206) 622-5555; Youth in Focus: (206) 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): (206) 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

Thrilling Raya a hopeful adventure in forgiveness and faith Film

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN Staff Writer

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

Theaters / Disney+

It has been 500 years since the land of Kumandra split into five separate nations: Heart, Tail, Talon, Spine, and Fang. In that time, humanity has become increasingly fractured, the result of a recent calamity during what was supposed to be a meeting to promote peace and prosperity, leading to a dystopian nightmare that literally transformed thousands of souls into lifeless statues.

Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) is the daughter of Benja (Daniel Dae Kim), the beloved former chief of Heart. He once invited all of the lands of Kumandra to sit at his table in amity. But the unexpected discord from this one event has brought back the devilish Druun, a demonic force that turns all it touches to ash and stone. Ever since, Raya has been on a quest to find the fabled last dragon, Sisudatu (Awkwafina), who once saved the world from this very menace five centuries prior and whom she prays can do so again now.

Spectacularly animated and building to a heartfelt conclusion rooted in community and togetherness, Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is a stupendously entertaining adventure the entire family is almost certain to enjoy. While the narrative structure is a bit all over the place and not quite as focused as I would have liked, the emotional currents running through this raging whirlpool of friendship and family are all genuine. My heart was touched, and all I wanted to do when this picture came to an end was watch it again from the beginning.

It honestly doesn’t take Raya long to find Sisudatu and to fill her in on all that’s hap-

pened over the centuries she was asleep. The wisecracking dragon immediately agrees to join the young woman on her quest to save Kumandra, even though they disagree on the best course of action. Raya does not trust anyone; she is certain they will betray her. Sisudatu believes the opposite, choosing instead to have faith that humanity will do the right thing if given the chance.

This is the core argument at the center of this visually resplendent, Southeast Asian–inspired fantasy from directors Don Hall (Big Hero 6 ) and Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting). Will Raya redis-

cover her compassion? Can she confide in those she encounters the truth of her expedition? If so, will they be able to reunite Kumandra’s perpetually wary kingdoms? Or will their land remain fractured and torn apart, leaving the Druun free to destroy all it touches?

There are definite Mulan -meets-The Emperor’s New Groove vibes happening throughout, especially early on, with Awkwafina’s uninhibited performance apparently inspired by Eddie Murphy’s memorable work in the former and David Spade’s hilarious turn in the latter. These

Virtual Irish Festival features Gaelic dance, music, and culture

SEATTLE (March 1, 2021) Seattle Center Festál: Irish Festival Seattle, presented virtually in 2021, continues a tradition of bringing together Irish culture carriers to share their arts, ideas, and stories about what it means to be Irish. Created in partnership with the Irish Heritage Club, Irish Festival Seattle posts digitally March 13 and 17 at www.seattlecenter.com/festal.

The 2021 festival features traditional Irish music performed by Carrigaline Celtic Band; several Irish step-dancing groups, including the nationally acclaimed Tony Comerford School of Irish Dancers; and Irish fiddle music by the “shining jewel of Northwest fiddle players,” Dale Russ. The festival also presents Gaelic games, genealogy, and language, as well as Irish cooking demonstrations.

Learn more at: https://irishclub.org/irishweek<https://irishclub.org/irish-week/.

Seattle Center Festál highlights the culturally rich communities who help shape the character and course of our region. The series provides a virtual stage in 2021 for immigrant and ethnic groups of the Pacific Northwest to share their history, traditions, stories, and dynamism with the broader community and world at large. The online festivals connect people in ways that build understanding, dispel stereotypes, and gen-

erate pride among those who participate in these shared experiences. The series began in 1997 to offer a central place for festivals to invite the public to join in their unique cultural expressions.

Seattle Center presents Festál: Irish Festal Seattle in partnership with Irish Heritage Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Irish cultural activities in Western Washington and cultural exchanges with Seattle’s Sister City of Galway, Ireland. Virtual admission is free of charge. For more information, visit www.

seattlecenter.com/festal<http://www.seattlecenter.com/festal or call 206-684-7200.

Seattle Center Festál, Where the World Gathers, presents 24 ethnic cultural festivals on weekends throughout the year, virtually in 2021. Seattle Center Festál is produced with the generous support of T-Mobile, 4Culture, the City of Seattle, and the Seattle Center Foundation.

Courtesy of Seattle.gov

freewheeling comedic antics initially felt slightly out of place, and it took me a bit to get a handle on what the filmmakers were asking her to do.

But there is a scene about 30 minutes in where Sisudatu’s goofily friendly demeanor changes on a dime, and the raw power of Awkwafina’s line delivery during this moment is startling in its stark, unvarnished candor.

From this point forward, the film comes electrifyingly alive. Sure, it had been fun. Sure, it had been colorful. Sure, it had had energy. But now it tapped into something exciting, something so universally relatable and inherently personal that I sat a little straighter in my seat as my interest in all that was happening grew. The connections between characters intensified, and while nothing is shocking about the climax, I nonetheless still had to reach for the tissue box to hold back a waterfall of joyful tears.

While the story is hardly original, I loved how it pits its protagonist Raya and its antagonist Namaari (Gemma Chan), daughter of the Fang chief Virana (Sandra Oh), against one another. They are mirror images, each the child of a single parent and raised to be leaders of their respective clans. The fire fueling their animosity burns through the screen, making Sisudatu’s efforts to ease their pain and quell their hatred all the more effective.

Raya and Sisudatu are eventually joined on their quest to save the world by members from Tail, Talon, and Spine. As for the pieces of a magical blue bauble that brings them all together, it’s nothing more than a sparkly MacGuffin allowing each an opportunity to explore their grief over having lost loved ones to the Druun. I won’t go into any detail about these elements, as I’d rather audiences experience these interactions and mini-adventures without my spoiling them, especially the band’s playfully dizzying stop in the nation of Tail. Raya and the Last Dragon made me feel good. It brought a smile to my face. Having watched it twice now, I can say without hesitation that its message regarding kindness, empathy, and trust is a strong one. The film’s concluding moments spoke to me on a level I was not anticipating, and the story’s message that the best hope for a better tomorrow is working together selflessly as one is beautifully delivered and even easier to embrace.