Issue 21 Volume 39
Celebrating 38 Years!
78% out p. 8
china AND aids p. 17
ask michael p. 18
Seattle Gay News
FRIDAY May 27, 2011 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & news stands
SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
DADT drama continues SGN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW House passes defense bill with anti-Gay amendments
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On May 26, the House of Representatives approved its version of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act with three antiGay amendments, one of which is aimed at delaying repeal implementation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t
see dadt page 20
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Courtesy Caleb Laieski
getty images
Tell.” The amendments, all opposed by the Obama administration, would require the four service branch chiefs to sign off on DADT repeal, affirm that the Defense of Marriage Act applies to Defense Department policies, and prohibit weddings for same-sex couples at military facilities, as well as bar military chaplains from performing such weddings in their official capacity. The House version of the defense authorization bill was approved by a 322 to 96 vote. “The passage of the defense authorization bill with these hostile amendments included comes as no surprise, and it should not become a cause for concern as long as our allies in the Senate and the presi-
Caleb Laieski is taking the fight to the nation’s Capitol Caleb Laieski, 16 years old, started his anti-bullying activism when he was forced to drop out of school in Surprise, Arizona, when teachers and administration wouldn’t protect him even after repeated incidents of bullying. The teen said he was being threatened with violence and death because he happened to be Gay. Caleb, who has since received his GED, brought the fight to his school district, starting with a legal notification that he would bring suit to protect himself and others in the same situation. After the school district agreed to change its policies, he sent a similar notice to every other school district in Arizona, and then went to the Arizona Legislature to fight for laws to protect all students. see laieski page 20
Caleb Laieski
State Representative Marko Bat N’ Rouge holds Liias looks at run for Congress 13th annual game shaun knittel
Washington State Representative Marko Liias
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
State Representative Marko Liias (D-21) announced May 17 that he was forming an exploratory committee to look at a run for Congress from the First District north of Seattle. At this point, Liias’s run depends on a chain of “ifs.” If Gov. Christine Gregoire decides to retire after two terms, and if the current First District incumbent, Congressman Jay Inslee, decides to run for governor to replace Gregoire, then the way will be clear for Liias to run for Inslee’s seat. “I’m waiting to see what Congressman Inslee is doing. And he’s waiting to see what the current governor is doing,” Liias told SGN by phone during a break in the legislature’s special session in Olympia. Liias added that he understood the need for patience. “The governor is focused – quite correctly – not on politics, but on leading the state through some very difficult times,” he said. Liias has made his reputation as a
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
The Capitol Hill Alano Club (CHAC) is holding its 13th annual Bat N’ Rouge softball game on June 18, at the Bobby Morris Playfield at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. All are welcome to attend the see liias page 21 event, the last ball game at the park
proud to Be Different
We are conveniently located on-site at Lifelong AIDS Alliance below the Thrift Store.
for the 2011 season. “The Bobby Morris ball fields are to be closed by Seattle Parks & Recreation for major work to replace the lights, beginning on June 20,” said David Coburn, CHAC board member and interim president. “As one of Seattle Pride’s kicksee bat n’ rouge page 21
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Celebrating 38 Years!
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Classifieds - Thursday at noon Calendar - Tuesday 6pm Display Ads: Space Reservation - Monday 5pm Ad copy (non-camera ready) - Tues. 5pm Ad copy (camera ready) - Wed. 5pm Letters to the Editor - Tuesday 5pm Obituaries - Call the SgN office All others - Tuesday 5pm
Editor In Chief George Bakan Associate Editor Shaun Knittel Editorial Assistant Nick Ardizzone Production William Creswell Calender Editors Mike Andrew and Rick McKinnon Travel Editor George Bakan Advertising Manager Marty Weisbrod Advertising Department Maggie Bloodstone Executive Assistant Mike Andrew Staff Writers George Bakan, Albert S. Rodriguez, Nick Ardizzone, Shaun Knittel, Miryam Gordon, Tim Peter Contributing Writers
Rev. Barbara Allen, Mike Andrew, Eric Andrews-Katz, Madelyn Arnold, Maggie Bloodstone, Beau Burriola, Jessica Davis, Ron Anders, Jessica Price, Milton W. Hamlin, Nevin Jefferson, Keen News Service, Jason A. Miller, Liz Meyer, Rod Parke, Don Paulson, Scott Rice, Leslie Robinson, Richard Kennedy, Romeo San Vicente, Rex Wockner
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Nick Ardizzone, Nate Gowdy, Joseph P. Herron, Shaun Knittel National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Website Designer Barry Thorsness/Digital Team Works Seattle Gay News is published weekly by Frogs and Ink, Inc. © 2011, Frogs and Ink, Inc., all rights reserved. Reprints by permission. Publication of names, photographs or likenesses of any person, organization, event or business in this publication cannot be taken as any indication of the sexual orientation of the person, organization, event or business. Opinions expressed in bylined articles, columns, and letters are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or management of this paper. Seattle Gay News welcomes unsolicited material, including letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or reject material. All rights revert to authors upon publication. We assume no liability for loss or damage of materials, solicited or not. We invite feedback, please write. And please play safe. It is our policy that no money shall be refunded if you choose to cancel your subscription or ad. However, credit towards any size ad will be given for the balance owed. No exceptions.
Squeeze play, sports by Leslie Robinson SGN Contributing Writer
shortstop. And told the freshmen to stop throwing like fairies. Said every ball thrown short in the dirt kicked up fairy dust. Be a man. Be a man. Doesn’t a man stand up for himself? No goddamn way. If I came out, told the whole world I’m Gay, I’d be screwed! Don’t think they could actually fire me, but I’d be sent down to Little League. My teammates would freak. Well, not Adam. Or Jake. They’re pretty cool. And Juan has a Gay brother. Len, with his “faggot this” and “faggot that,” would probably wanna fight. Others just flat wouldn’t talk to me. But others would ask me about being Gay, I bet. Could I handle that? Being the dugout homo expert? Here’s the thing. If I got honest, I could stop dating in the shadows. Maybe even snag me a handsome Hollywood type. Or a third baseman. The fans? Probably mixed. Mostly good. The away fans, that’s gonna be bad. They’ll boo me, yell all kinds of crap. “Hey Frazier, do you like fair balls or foul balls?” Ownership? Too busy screwing 20-yearolds to notice. Old Mac? He won’t get it. But he stands by all his players, so maybe…. So if I came out, it would be mega stress. Dealing with the reactions of everybody, from the ball boys to the media. On the other side, there’s the stress I have now. Living a lie – which is kinda getting to me. Damn those four! All my life I’ve had peer pressure to stay hidden. Now I’ve got peer pressure to come out! I suppose that’s cool in a way. Barriers are falling. Boom. OK, OK, I’ll make a deal with myself. I’ll definitely come out when I retire. And I’ll think about coming out sooner. Jesus, maybe I’ll join the next wave. It’ll be me, a hockey executive, a swimmer, and a play-by-play man. But one of them better go first.
What’s going through the minds of other Gay men in the sports world now? Perhaps In just a week, four male sports figures some of them are thinking along these lines: came out. From the basketball world, Rick Jesus H. Christ! Four of ‘em! It’s a damn Welts, the CEO of the Phoenix Suns, and Will Sheridan, a former player at Villanova, stampede. Stampede, hah, probably a rowent public. Pro bowler Scott Norton and deo star will be next. Brokeback Mountain ESPN sports reporter Jared Max decided it lives. I didn’t figure on coming out of the closet was time, too. till I was … who am I kidding, I never figured on it. I just knew I couldn’t. Automatic. Like throwing to first. Automatic. Except for that throw in the fifth yesterday. I threw it to the friggin’ cameraman. Two errors in a week. Not like me at all. Maybe this stuff is getting to me. Maybe if another guy comes out I’ll forget how to bat. I bet it really is easier if you don’t play a team sport. Too late for me to switch to polevaulting. That bowler. Bowling isn’t a team sport. Or is it? Do two guys ever bowl at the same time in the same lane? Yeah, if they’re named Fred and Barney. It’s stupid to say it’s easy for guys doing individual sports to admit they’re Gay. It’s never easy. Being a man is what it’s about. Masculinity. “Macho, macho man.” Oh, God. Baseball, baseball, baseball. It’s all I’ve ever been, all I’ve ever wanted to be. And I Leslie Robinson can hardly wait for the got here. The big leagues. Made everybody next wave. Email her at lesarobinson@ proud. Worked my ass off. Made me proud. gmail.com, and for more humor fixes, visit God, Coach Graham. Made me a great her blog at www.generalgayety.com.
In Loving Memory Of
Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold
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Seattle Gay News
May 27, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
nate gowdy
GLAMAZONIA and the contestants from the fourth annual Purr Cocktail Lounge Bartender Auction on May 25 raises $10,000 for Rise n’ Shine
ADMIRATION FOR RICHARD TSO I both admire and congratulate Seattle resident Richard L. Tso for his bravery and determination in pursuing justice against his Baltimore attacker. Having recently had my longtime roommate arrested for domestic violence, resulting in the issuance of a twoyear restraining order against him and his
impending prosecution, I know the personal aftermath and toll of violence. It’s my hope that Mr. Tso will be pursuing civil remedies against his assailant. The defendant should suffer economic consequences for his actions. Sic semper tyrannus!
GSBA Scholarship Awards Dinner a night to remember
Steven L. Kendall
18th Annual Dining Out for Life a huge success by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Nearly one month ago, Seattleites went to their favorite restaurants to “Dine Out For Life” in support of Lifelong AIDS Alliance on April 28. The event, says Lifelong officials, was a resounding success. “With your help, we were able to visibly demonstrate support and raise money for those living with HIV/AIDS in our community,” said officials. “Diner donations that day totaled almost $60,000! This combined with the restaurant donations will enable our clients to continue to receive the many services provided by Lifelong AIDS Alliance.” The organization says they look forward to dining with you next year on April 26, 2012. In addition, if you have a favorite restaurant you’d like to see participate next year, send Lifelong their name and the organization will ask them to join next year’s list of participating locations. Some of the money raised by the Dining Out For Life fundraiser will go to Lifelong’s Chicken Soup Brigade (CSB). Diane Carmel, the new executive chef for CSB, recently spoke with media about the impact the program has on those it serves. Diane spent three years as a cook for Lifelong’s Chicken Soup Brigade before becoming the meal program manager at Pike Market Senior Center. While at the Center, she was able to make a significant impact on
its ability to better serve seniors with nutritious and delicious food. Diane came back to Lifelong and says she is ready to build on the excellent, outcome-based nutrition program that is CSB’s hallmark. “I have always had a great love of the agency mission and their commitment to provide high quality, healthy meals to people who could not normally access them,” she said about her return to CSB. “The program has drastically increased the number of meals that we produce for clients each week yet the staff numbers haven’t changed. It’s a testament to how much you can accomplish when you are passionate about the people you serve.” Diane says she is interested in working more directly with local farms to increase the amount of new dishes that use seasonal produce. “It’s a great opportunity to get creative and support our community,” she said. “We are also sending a survey to all CSB clients to get their input on the recipes and their meal preferences. This allows us to continue to improve the quality of our food and service.” Lifelong AIDS Alliance is committed to preventing the spread of HIV, and to providing practical support services and advocating for those whose lives are affected by HIV and AIDS. LLAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information about the organization visit them online at www.LLAA.org.
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor A whopping $150,000 was given to 38 scholars at the annual Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) Scholarship Awards Dinner on May 20. In addition, over $100,000 was collected from the 400 attendees at the dinner to support the GSBA Scholarship Fund. “This year’s GSBA Scholarship Dinner will stay with those of us who attended it for years to come,” GSBA Executive Director Louise Chernin told Seattle Gay News. “The stories of our scholars were deeply moving and, in case we had any doubt, we heard firsthand what a harsh world it still is for our LGBTQ youth.” Perhaps the power of the evening was seeing firsthand the resiliency and determination of our students to succeed, to get
involved, and to work to create a more just world for others, she said. “Their struggles and triumphs were met with standing ovation after standing ovation and a generous outpouring of pride, encouragement, and over $100,000 in donations made to the fund that night,” said Louise. According to GSBA officials, the new Bright Horizons Scholarship was presented for the first time, endowed by President of Horizon Air Glenn Johnson and his partner, Michael Melancon of The Washington Firm, Ltd. Overall, the night was a wonderful success. “From 17 to 45 years old, from Yakima to Hoquiam, our students at the GSBA Scholarship Dinner on Friday night represented every geographic part of our state and all the multiplicity of identities within our community,” wrote Gail Benzler, a media representative for GSBA. “Each of our 38 students was welcomed on stage as we listened with rapt attention while they told their stories. The challenges we heard about were heartbreaking but the triumphs we were witness to were monumental. We laughed and we cried together.” “Even though we were a room of 400 people, we felt like a close-knit family beaming with pride as our students received our scholarships,” Benzler wrote. “What joy we felt to even to play a small role in supporting their dreams and aspirations.”
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Go 1605 12th Avenue at Pine, Seattle (In liquor store parking garage.) Seattle Storm!
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comingoutspb.ru/en
executive body. On May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, ILGAEurope hosted a reception in the commission’s central building, the Berlaymont, and launched its new video, “Legal Jungle: Same-Sex Families Trapped Between EU Countries.” According to the group, even European nations that legally recognize same-sex families and their children do not necessarily recognize similar families from other EU countries. “All EU countries automatically recognize each other’s different-sex marriages,” the group said. “ILGA-Europe considers this to be a case of direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and calls for the European Commission to remedy such discrimination by introducing legal measures to facilitate the mutual recognition of all civil documents across the EU.” ILGA-Europe Board Co-Chair Linda Freimane commented: “It is very symbolic that our exhibition ... is being hosted in the very heart of the EU lawmaking institution. The European Union is not only about the common market and economic growth. The European Union also holds its citizens and their welfare and well-being at the heart of its values and aims. Therefore it is paraWith city approval, some 150 LGBT activists staged a “Rainbow Flashmob” in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 17 mount that the very institution that has a in conjunction with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). power to initiate new legislation hears divice, and the Fundamental Rights Agency. rectly from people who are currently being The only holdout was the Council of the discriminated against and face unjust hardEuropean Union, currently chaired by Hun- ship.” gary. Worldwide Gay rights May 17 is the day the World Health Orby Rex Wockner report released ganization decided 21 years ago that homoSGN Contributing Writer ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, sexuality isn’t a mental illness. “Homophobia is deplorable because it Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, 15 people were arrested, then released, acMontenegro Gay concert aims to denigrate people and deprive them released its “State Sponsored Homophobia cording to reports. tear-gassed In the other action, several activists from of these rights on the basis of their sexual Report 2011” on May 17 in conjunction Assumedly anti-Gay hooligans teargassed an International Day Against Ho- IDAHO-Belarus marched in central Minsk orientation,” said European Parliament with IDAHO, the International Day Against mophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) con- for 10 minutes with rainbow flags and a President Jerzy Buzek. “But as we celebrate Homophobia and Transphobia. The document welcomes the legalization cert in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica, on mock coffin to symbolize the death of free- the International Day Against Homophobia, we must also remember, which may be of of same-sex marriage in Argentina and IceMay 17, according to the European Parlia- dom of assembly. Police arrived at the march’s endpoint and special importance, that some people are not land, the Brazilian court ruling that created ment’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights. The report said about half the audience confiscated the coffin and other items but only deprived of their basic rights, but may national civil unions, and the U.N. Human dispersed and some people sought medical didn’t arrest anyone. See tinyurl.com/min- be tortured and punished because of their Rights Council’s statement, signed by 85 skem for video and tinyurl.com/ukgaynews- sexual orientation. In some countries they nations, condemning persecution of LGBT attention. may even face the death penalty. We have a people. In response, pride organizers canceled m for photos and more details. The researchers found that 76 nations still duty to protect human rights wherever they the May 31 pride parade, which was to have ban Gay sex and seven of them have laws St. Petersburg OKs Gay demo, are and in whatever form they take.” been the nation’s first. Gay sex is illegal in 76 nations. Laws al- punishing Gay sex with the death penalty: Moscow bans Pride again “Today we saw firsthand the total lack of With city approval, some 150 LGBT ac- low for the death penalty in Iran, Maurita- Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yepolitical will from national authorities to protect LGBT people and their supporters,” tivists staged a “Rainbow Flashmob” in St. nia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, 12 Nige- men, 12 states in Nigeria, and southern parts of Somalia. said MEP Ulrike Lunacek, co-president of Petersburg, Russia, on May 17 in conjunc- rian states, and parts of Somalia. The report is “a tool for all activists, scholthe Intergroup. “As Montenegro further pro- tion with the International Day Against Hoars, and journalists to see ... where the world Gay families exhibit gresses as a candidate to join the European mophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). stands on laws related to sexual orientation at European Commission Organizers said it was the first time the Union, all its citizens must be protected and The European Region of the International and gender identity,” the group said. city had “officially sanctioned” the event. respected by authorities.” ILGA’s secretaries-general, Gloria CareaAnti-Gay activists staged a smaller rally Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and InterThe vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to South East Europe, nearby. Police prevented them from making sex Association staged an exhibition about ga and Renato Sabbadini, said, “The day is same-sex families in the main building of not far, when homophobia and Transphobia Jelko Kacin, added: “It is deeply regrettable contact with the LGBT event. Other IDAHO events were held in cities the European Commission in Brussels May will be considered everywhere ... with the that the first Gay pride parade in the country same abhorrence currently reserved to sex10-20. should be canceled due to authorities’ fail- across Russia and worldwide. The “Different Families, Same Love” ism and racism, and no amount of self-servIn Moscow, meanwhile, city officials have ure to unequivocally support the parade. ... Today, Montenegro failed to demonstrate rejected applications for the May 28 Gay exhibit highlighted “the issues of same-sex ing rhetoric will prevent the wall of statethat it wants to progress towards EU acces- pride march, citing security concerns and a families and the legal obstacles that they sponsored homophobia from crumbling.” The document can be downloaded at tiface due to the lack of legal recognition in sion equally fast in all areas. Respect, pro- desire to protect minors. nyurl.com/ilgassh11. Moscow Pride recently won a ruling from Europe,” ILGA-Europe said. tection and promotion, of minority rights European Commission Vice President are a quintessential part of our common Eu- the European Court of Human Rights that With assistance from Bill Kelley previous years’ bans by then-Mayor Yuri Viviane Reding served as the show’s patron. ropean values.” Luzhkov violated the European Convention The commission is the European Union’s on Human Rights in the areas of freedom of LGBTs stage festival assembly and association, right to an effecin Belarus, tive remedy, and prohibition of discriminamarchers arrested LGBT people in Belarus opened their first tion. Gays have marched or staged other public Equality Festival at Minsk’s Crowne Plaza hotel May 14. About 100 people attended, actions yearly since 2005 despite the bans. by Rex Wockner The small gatherings were attacked by antiincluding some foreign diplomats. “I commend and admire your courage,” Gay hooligans, picketed by religious proSGN Contributing Writer said Jean-Eric Holzapfel, head of the Euro- testers, and broken up by police. Minn. House sends marriage The vote came around 11:30 p.m. Propean Union’s delegation to Belarus. “The ban amendment to voters testers outside the chambers could be heard Euro institutions EU promotes human-rights dialogue for After nearly six hours of debate, Minne- chanting “Just vote no” as legislators pushed mark IDAHO tolerance and nondiscrimination vis-à-vis Major European Union institutions issued sota’s House of Representatives voted 70- the buttons. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Four Republicans voted against sending statements and took other actions to com- 62 on May 21 to send voters a referendum persons.” Organizers’ applications to stage a march memorate the International Day Against to amend the state constitution to ban same- the amendment to the ballot and two Democrats voted in favor of the move. Sixtywere rejected by city authorities but two Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on sex marriage. Gay couples already are prohibited from eight yes votes were needed to advance the groups of activists held marches anyway on May 17. They included the European Parliament, marrying, but supporters of the constitu- amendment. May 17, the International Day Against Ho“We basically lost by three votes,” said the European Commission, the European tional amendment said it would be stronger mophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). Dale Carpenter, an openly Gay professor at One march was terminated by police and Council, the European External Action Ser- than the current statutory ban.
INTERNATIONAL
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Seattle Gay News
May 27, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
the University of Minnesota Law School. an LGBT group that “led efforts in East Los “The atmosphere outside was moving, pow- Angeles to fight Proposition 8.” erful. Hundreds on our side, almost none Palencia told LGBTPOV.com on May 16 on theirs. ... A movement was born here to- that he “was not very involved in the menight.” chanics of the [Prop 8] campaign, so I did Gay people will fight the amendment via not know in an intimate way how the cama new coalition called Minnesotans United paign was run.” for All Families. Another big California Gay-rights group “Our campaign is hitting the ground run- that occasionally locked horns with EQCA ning and we plan on using every resource over Prop 8 issues, the Courage Campaign, available to defeat this anti-family constitu- expressed excitement over Palencia’s selectional amendment,” said spokesman Donald tion. McFarland. “Roland is a visionary and by appointing The proposal had passed the Senate 38-27 him, the board of EQCA demonstrates its on May 11. It will appear on the November awareness of the future of our movement,” 2012 ballot. said the Courage Campaign’s chair, Rick According to the Human Rights Cam- Jacobs. “With his considerable success in paign, 29 states ban same-sex marriage via a variety of nonprofit, public service and their constitutions and 18 of them also ban health care-related efforts, and just plain civil unions. Five states and Washington, smarts, Roland embodies the movement for D.C., let same-sex couples marry. equality as a part of the broader social justice movement – exactly where it belongs.” EQCA hires new ED In the LGBTPOV interview, Palencia Equality California announced its replace- suggested that California’s Gay community ment for former Executive Director Geoff shares blame with EQCA for the failure to Kors on May 16. Roland Palencia will lead stop Prop 8, via which voters amended the the LGBT movement in the nation’s most state constitution in 2008 to re-ban samepopulous state. sex marriage. Unknown to many California LGBT ac- “Look, it’s easy to find a single culprit and tivists outside of Los Angeles, Palencia will I think people were very disappointed, obleave his current job as community-benefits viously, that we lost,” he said. “I also think director for L.A. Care Health Plan. that we, the community as a whole, could “I am committed to creating a better future have been a lot more involved, could have for all LGBT Californians and to connecting done a lot more things. It was an issue that the LGBT movement to the broader move- was not getting us much traction for the ment for socio-economic justice,” he said. community. ... I think a lot of us were really In the ‘90s, Palencia was vice president of focused on the Obama election.” AIDS Healthcare Foundation. He later was The alternative newspaper LA Weekly executive director of Clínica Monseñor Os- called the remark “controversial.” car A. Romero. He also co-founded Gay and Palencia also seemed to suggest that his Lesbian Latinos Unidos, EQCA said. work with the Legislature may be somewhat EQCA said Palencia, a native of Guate- less aggressive than Kors’ was. mala, is a board member of HONOR PAC, “I think it’s important to acknowledge
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the kinds of gains we have made and also acknowledge the kinds of minds we have changed because of the efforts that have been made certainly by Geoff in the past,” he told LGBTPOV. “They are making political calculations and I think that kind of pressure needs [to be] there, especially with elected officials who don’t necessarily want to support us. So I think that kind of tactic [being aggressive] still needs to be used, even though we have a more sympathetic Legislature. [But] we want to try some more collaborative kinds of approaches.” Equality California has been responsible for 76 pro-LGBT measures passing the Legislature, a record for any state. Fortytwo of them were signed into law, 20 were resolutions that did not need the governor’s signature, and 14 were vetoed. Under Kors’ leadership of EQCA, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed more Gay rights measures into law than any governor in U.S. history. Recently, EQCA has been focused on a bill to mandate inclusion of LGBT people in social-sciences textbooks and on expanding anti-discrimination protections for transgender people, among other issues. Palencia said he wants to direct the organization toward more interconnectedness with other causes. “There’s been … whether it’s an implicit or explicit notion, that the Gay movement and the people-of-color movement or community are like separate communities,” he told LGBTPOV. “And I don’t think that we have as a whole related to our community in a very empowering way that we are, by nature, already connected to hundreds, if not thousands of communities. I’m talking about not only Latinos and African Americans and Asian Americans and Native Americans but people in the Middle East, people through-
May 27, 2011
out California, people at different social and economic levels, people with different gender identities, gender and so forth.” “I want to work on those intersections and to interconnect the movement for us to have a permanent majority that is irreversible so that our rights will never have to go back to the ballot,” Palencia said. It’s an approach that addresses one part of the strong criticism directed at EQCA over its leadership role in the costly 2008 campaign that failed to stop Prop 8 at the ballot box. Critics said the campaign failed to engage key voting blocs, including people of color, didn’t have enough door-to-door contact with voters, turned over too much power to outside consultants and big donors, and aired insipid TV ads. Palencia will start work in early July. The Bay Area Reporter said he will be paid $170,000. (LGBTPOV.com material courtesy of Karen Ocamb) With assistance from Bill Kelley.
Seattle Gay News
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Brian Stansberry
Tennessee governor signs bill promoting discrimination into law by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem
OutServe shows 78% of LGBT soldiers out to fellow troops by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
On May 23, OutServe, the network of LGBT actively serving military members, released results of one of the largest surveys of LGBT personnel in the U.S. military ever. According to the organization, OutServe members responded to questions on the quality of implementation training, the climate within their units, expectations of their peers post-repeal, and whether their units know they are Gay, among other things. The survey, conducted online and done anonymously by 224 LGBT uniformed DoD and Coast Guard personnel, was compiled between April 28 through May 16 of this year. Since survey respondents were self-selected, the survey is not authoritative, but it could be viewed as a likely indication of the current status of LGBT troops. An overwhelming 78% of the respondents indicated that they were “out” to at least some in their unit, and 28% responded they had “come out” since the DADT repeal bill was signed in December 2010. Of those who’ve gone through DADT repeal training, 85% indicated that training had been
conducted “very professionally” to neutral, with only 14.8% reporting that they thought the training was less than professional. “This confirms what we’ve been hearing from individual OutServe members, that troops are known to be Gay, with no negative impact, and that DADT repeal training has generally been conducted with professionalism,” said OutServe spokesperson Jonathan Hopkins, former Army Captain and veteran of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Politicians may still be kicking this around, but our military folks are getting on with it. The few issues we may have with training can track directly to the quality of leadership. Good leaders are executing this well.” According to OutServe officials, at the time of the survey, 30% of respondents still had not received the training. The Pentagon has reported plans to complete all training by August 15. OutServe says some reports indicate that fewer than 25% of personnel have finished DADT repeal training – primarily due to Army Reserve and Guard components, where fewer than 10% have been trained. This should improve dramatically once summer starts and many of these troops report to training. It is important to note that the Pentagon has not officially released any numbers, and there is some dispute over whether current statistics are outdated. More importantly, Pentagon officials have said repeatedly that certification is not necessarily dependent on fully completing the DADT training. Additionally, the OutServe survey provided insight into the comfort of LGBT troops with the climate in their units. A full two-thirds of respondents expect their postrepeal work environment to be at least “generally free” from discrimination, and another 28% expect their colleagues’ response to
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has ignored the business community and signed into law a bill that wipes out county and city anti-discrimination laws, despite the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry reversing their earlier support and for the bill on May 25. The measure, SB 632/HB 600, passed the legislature last week and was designed to remove protections for LGBT Tennesseans by prohibiting cities and counties from enacting discrimination bans. Since there are no state protections for sexual orientation or gender identity, the governor’s signature of this bill becomes a green light for antiLGBT discrimination across the state. “Discrimination should have no place in the Volunteer State and the Chamber’s opposition to this law sent a strong signal that corporations are on the leading edge of positive change,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “In contrast, Governor Haslam has put discrimination ahead of the state’s
values and even business interests by signing this horrible legislation.” Earlier today, the governor’s spokesman stated no decision had been made regarding a veto. It wasn’t until support for the bill apparently began to dwindle that he hastily signed it into law. The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, which originally lobbied for the bill, released a statement of opposition on May 25: “The Tennessee Chamber supports a standard regulatory environment at the state level as opposed to potentially conflicting local regulations covering employment practices. That principle was the only interest the Chamber had in this bill. Because HB600/ SB632 has turned into a debate on diversity and inclusiveness – principles which we support – we are now officially opposing this legislation in its present form.” Major corporations spoke out against the bill and in favor of workplaces that respect and welcome all individuals. Alcoa, FedEx, AT&T, KPMG, UnitedHealth Group, Whirlpool, Comcast, and other companies have publicly disavowed the bill.
be “mixed.” Fewer than 5% expect mostly OutServe is a network of actively serving negative response. Sixty percent even indi- members of the U.S. Armed Services who cated they were “likely” to feel comfortable identify as LGBT. For more information, go enough to take a partner to military events. to www.outserve.org.
OutServe announces Armed Forces Leadership Summit by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor OutServe, the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel, announced May 25 that it will host the first annual OutServe Armed Forces Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, on October 13-16 at New YorkNew York Hotel and Casino. According to Sue Fulton, a media representative working for the organization, the OutServe Armed Forces Leadership Summit will provide an international forum on enhancing military readiness through encouraging an environment of respect with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, it will provide the LGBT military community a means of building professional networks, sharing best practices, and formulating strategies that help build a stronger military community. The summit will feature respected and well-known authorities speaking on a range of topics, intriguing and groundbreaking panels, and interactive workshops that address diversity as a strength. “We believe diversity is a force multiplier, and this conference will bring together veterans, active-duty military, and other experts to help us leverage LGBT inclusion for the benefit of military readiness,” said “JD Smith,” OutServe’s active-duty co-director, who is identified by a pseudonym while “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is still in effect. “Building an environment of mutual respect is ingrained in our military values, and as active-duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who happen to be Gay, that’s what we are working toward,” said JD.
Organizations and businesses are jumping quickly to sponsor the groundbreaking event. The Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Amazon.com, Courage Campaign, Log Cabin Republicans, and more have already signed on. Among the many topics to be featured: how allied military forces have welcomed LGBT personnel, the latest research on diversity inside the military and out, and resources for LGBT military partners and families. “As Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden have shown us through their ‘Joining Forces’ project, supporting military families is supporting the military,” added JD. “Providing resources to LGBT military partners and families is a priority for us since the military is currently prohibited from giving any spousal benefits to them.” The OutServe Armed Forces Leadership Summit will be open to actively serving military personnel, the veteran community, civil servants, and interested civilians. OutServe is also proud to welcome our foreign military allies to the summit. To register for the conference, go to www. outserve.org/summit. With over 3,000 members and 42 chapters worldwide, OutServe is the one of the largest LGBT employee resource groups in the world. OutServe works to support a professional network of LGBT military personnel and create an environment of respect in the military with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity.
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Seattle Gay News
May 27, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
NORTHWEST
NEWS
compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR SEATTLE PRIDE PARADE www.seattlepride.org
SEATTLE QUAKE RUGBY HOSTS MAGNITUDE 15.11 – THE NORTH AMERICAN GAY RUGBY TOURNAMENT From Friday, May 27, through Sunday, May 29, Seattle Quake Rugby hosts “Magnitude 15.11 - The North American Gay Rugby Tournament” with special guest international rugby superstar Ben Cohen in attendance. The games will be held at Magnuson Park, Field 5 (7400 Sandpoint Way NE) on Saturday 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Spectators are welcome! (See www.magnitude15.org for complete details.) For more information on the tournament, Ben Cohen’s visit to Seattle, and the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation, which supports organizations that advance equality and combat bullying against LGBT youth, visit www.quakerugby.org or www. magnitude15.org. UK RUGBY PLAYER BEN COHEN, PHOENIX SUNS PRESIDENT RICK WELTS ON KJR SPORTS RADIO SHOW On Saturday, May 28, at noon, on 950 KJR, join sports writers Art Thiel and Deidre Silva from SportspressNW.com along with Ben Cohen, founder of the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation, and Rick Welts, president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns, who recently came out publicly in the New York Times, for a conversation about bullying and homophobia in sports. This isn’t typical “jock talk” radio and both Art and Deidre are excited about promoting Ben’s foundation and the topic of Gays in sports. They are hoping for lots of call-ins to give both Ben and Rick lots to talk about. SEATTLE FETISH FESTIVAL MAY 28-30 A weekend of workshops and play parties from the producers of the Seattle Erotic Ball and New Horizons. www.seattlefetishfestival.com. DREAMS DEFERRED: THE SAKIA GUNN FILM PROJECT TO BENEFIT B-GLAD On Saturday, May 28, at 3 p.m., at Broadway Grill (314 Broadway E.), Sistah Sinema will screen Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project. This documentary tells the little known story of Sakia Gunn, a 15 year old student who identified as an Aggressive – a homosexual woman of color who dresses in masculine attired but does not necessarily identify as either Lesbian or female-to-male Transgender, according to GLAAD. Sakia was fatally stabbed in a Gay hate crime in Newark, New Jersey. The murder cut short Sakia’s potential as a promising basketball player and an “A” student. Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project depicts the homophobia that resulted in the murder of a Black Gay teenager and questions the lack of media coverage. The documentary follows the reaction of the Newark community where several rallies and vigils were held. The event galvanized the community and prompted several LGBT organizations to form, including the Newark Pride Alliance and Sakia Gunn Aggressives & Femmes, as well as a scholarship fund in her name. Tickets are $10 online at www.sistahsinema.webs.com and $15 at the door. $5 from each ticket sold will benefit Youth Eastside Services’s B-GLAD initiative that provides group counseling for Queer youth in the Greater Seattle area. www.youtheastsideservices.org. CIRQUE DU GAY AT NEIGHBOURS TO BENEFIT LAMBERT HOUSE
On Saturday, May 28, at 7 p.m., at Neighbours (1509 Broadway, entrance in alley between Broadway and Harvard off E. Pike St.) join your host Aleksa Manila and Bianca Starr for an evening under the “Big Top” for over the top entertainment. A benefit for Lambert House, with raffle drawings and prizes. No cover!
ALLYSHIP TO DISCUSS PLIGHT OF LGBTQ HOMELESS YOUTH On Wednesday, June 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Lifelong AIDS Alliance Annex Room (1002 E. Seneca St., off the lower parking lot), Allyship launches their 4th annual Queerly Classed discussion series. This first discussion is called “Voices Up, Voices Out: Queer Homeless Youth Tell Us How We Can Be Allies.” The Queer and Trans homeless youth population is growing nationally and in Washington state. By conservative estimates LGBTQ youth are about 20% of the homeless youth population. This is alarmingly disproportionate when considering that LGBTQ youth are about 4% to 10% of the U.S. population, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Locally, Peace for the Streets, by Kids from the Streets, a local homeless youth agency, found that 53% of their youth constitute LGBTQ individuals. www.psks.org. LGBTQ homeless youth are at a higher risk of suffering from mental health problems and disabilities than their heterosexual counterparts. LGBTQ homeless youth become more vulnerable when the state legislature chooses to cut both mental health and substance abuse programs. At this meeting you will hear from homeless and formerly homeless youth and youth advocates on how the LGBTQ community can help address the disparities and challenges unique to homeless young people. For more information, visit www.LGBTQAllyship.org or call 206-279-8169.
PRESENTATION AND RECEPTION WITH INTERNATIONAL RUGBY STAR AND OUTSPOKEN LGBT ALLY BEN COHEN On Saturday, May 28, from 7-9 p.m., at Renaissance Seattle Hotel (515 Madison St.) join Seattle Quake Rugby and GLSEN WA (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) in welcoming international rugby superstar Ben Cohen to Seattle. Ben is on a North American tour to discuss his new foundation, The Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation, which supports organizations that advance equality and combat bullying against LGBT youth. Ben, who is married with two daughters, is among the world’s great athletes, ranking second in all-time scoring for England. He is first, however, among straight professional athletes to focus his philanthropic efforts for the benefit of the LGBT community. Ben will talk about his foundation and his tour, followed THE NEXT WAVE: by a reception and photo line. There will be SEATTLE BUTOH FESTIVAL 2011 a silent auction of Ben Cohen memorabilia JUNE 3-18 during the event, benefiting GLSEN WA. A DAIPANbutoh Collective presents The no host bar and hors d’oeuvres will be provided. Tickets are $35 in advance at www. Next WAVE in conjunction with the Seattle quakerugby.org and a limited number of International Dance Festival with perfortickets will be available at the door for $50. mances, workshops, and forums on historical and current aspects of butoh. International butoh masters Koichi and Hiroko SEATTLE PRIDE IDOL On Sundays through June 19, doors at 6 Tamano, co-directors of San Francisco Bay p.m., competition at 7 p.m., at Neighbours Area based Harupin Ha, will be the featured (1509 Broadway. entrance in alley off E. performers along with New York butoh artist Pike St. between Broadway and Harvard), Tanya Calamoneri, Los Angeles based Mijoin Seattle Out and Proud (SO&P) for Se- chael Sakamoto and members of DAIPAN attle’s Pride Idol talent competition to see (Sheri Brown, Diana Garcia-Snyder, Joan who will represent Seattle Out & Proud on Laage, Douglas Ridings, Alan Sutherland the Pride Idol Float in the Seattle Pride Pa- and Danse Perdue). Butoh founder Hijikata rade on Sunday, June 26. For complete de- called Koichi “the bow-legged Nijinsky.” This may be the last chance to see the Tatails, visit www.seattlepride.com. mano’s work as they plan to retire later this year and return to Japan. The emperor of JaSEATTLE TENNIS ALLIANCE pan has declared Koichi Tamano a national SOCIAL DOUBLES On Tuesday, May 31, and Thursday, June treasure. Performances will be held on Friday and 2, join Seattle Tennis Alliance for an evening of social doubles from 6-8 p.m. at the Saturday, June 3 and 4, at 7:30 p.m., at Lower Woodland Park courts (located along Velocity Dance Center (1621 12th Ave.). N. 50th St. west of Stoneway Ave N). www. Tickets: $15 in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/176268 or $20 at the seattletennisalliance.org. door. The Tamanos, Tanya, and Michael will be SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN teaching workshops in Seattle and particiBOOK CLUB – pants will have an opportunity to perform in ALLEN GINSBERG’S HOWL a “joy of life” processional at Seattle InterAND ANDRE GIDE’S national Dance Festival’s “Art on the Fly” THE COUNTERFEITERS The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club on June 11. Workshops with Koichi and Hiroko Tamameets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Dunshee House (303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas no on Saturday, June 4, 2-5 p.m., and SunSt.). All GLBTQ folks in the community are day, June 5, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., will be held at welcome to participate in this FREE book the Velocity Dance Center (1621 12th Ave.). Taking both workshops with the Tamanos club. On June 1, the book club will be showing is recommended. Workshops with Tanya the movie “Howl” about the obscenity trial Calamoneri on Monday, June 6, 6:30-9:30 of the history-making poem by Gay poet Al- p.m., and with Michael Sakamoto on Tuesday, June 7, 6:30-9:30 p.m., will be held at len Ginsberg. The book for June (discussion starts June Teatro de la Psychomachia (1534 1st Ave. 8) is Andre Gide’s The Counterfeiters, one S.). Cost is $40 per workshop or $120 for of the all-time masterpieces by a Gay au- all four workshops. Tickets at www.brownthor. The novel won Gide the Nobel Prize in papertickets.com/event/176268. Space is 1924 and mixes Gay and straight characters limited. In addition to the performances, DAIPAN in the same way as Iris Murdoch’s A Fairly Honourable Defeat and Alan Hollinghurst’s is hosting three forums: “Historical Context of Butoh” with films on Friday, June 3, at The Line of Beauty. The Counterfeiters has nothing to do with 11 a.m.., at the Frye Art Museum (704 Terry fake money. It’s about people who are fake Ave.); “Philosophy/Zen/Spirituality in Buand deceive, and it’s an unforgettable read- toh” on Sunday, June 5, at 5 p.m., at Seattle ing experience. There are a zillion things to University (901 12th Ave.), Wycoff Audidiscuss and it’s so rich we may well contin- torium, Engineering Building, Room 200; and “Cultural Cross-Currents” focusing on ue with our discussions into July. For more information, email nickdimar- the contemporary butoh scene on Thursday, tin@earthlink.net or contact Dunshee House June 9, 7-9 p.m., at Cornish College, Raisbeck Hall (2015 Boren Ave. ). $5 suggested at 206-322-2437. donation. For complete information on the festi-
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May 27, 2011
val and to register for the workshops, visit www.daipanbutoh.com. DAIPANbutoh is a performance collective formed to bring butoh to Seattle audiences. Our purpose is to devote our energy and talents to promote this deeply moving and evocative international performance movement that has been steadily growing in Seattle since the 1980s. Butoh is a creative force that arose out of the turmoil and confusion of post-World War II Japan. SEATTLE MUFFIN TOPS AND SEATTLE FATCATS EXHIBITION SOFTBALL GAME TO BENEFIT LAMBERT HOUSE On Saturday, June 4, at 2 p.m. (the field opens at 1 p.m.) at the Bobby Morris Playfield at Cal Anderson Park (1635 11th Ave. at E. Olive St.), the Seattle Muffin Tops and Seattle FatCats present their third annual exhibition game against the youth, volunteers and staff of Lambert House to benefit Lambert House, Seattle’s GLBTQ youth community resource center. The goal of the game is to have fun, introduce youth to Gay sports, and raise money for Lambert House through donations at the game. SISTAH SINEMA PRESENTS TRAINING RULES On Saturday, June 4, at 3 p.m., at Hula Hula (106 1st Ave. N.), in celebration of the start of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s season, Sistah Sinema will screen Training Rules which documents the discrimination experienced by Lesbian basketball players at Penn State University for nearly three decades under Coach Renee Portland. The lead protagonist is Jen Harris, an African American star basketball player. Watch trailer at www.trainingrules. com/trailer.html. Tickets are $5 in advance at www.sistahsinema.webs.com and $10 at the door. There will be ticket giveaways to upcoming WNBA games. A moderated discussion will follow. (For more about Sistah Sinema, see May 28 listing above.) DIVERSE HARMONY IN CONCERT – “DOUBLE SHOTS AND FORGET-ME-NOTS” On Saturday, June 4, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, June 5, at 2 p.m., at Broadway Performance Hall (1625 Broadway at E. Pine St.), Diverse Harmony presents “Double Shots and Forget-Me-Nots,” an original musical written by Diverse Harmony members Kat Miller and Adam Quillian. Welcome to the Double Shot Cafe, where more is brewing than just the coffee. Jake, the shop’s junior manager, wants to start a Queer community center in his town. But Jake is a dreamer, not a doer, so he pushes all the work onto others, especially his gal pal, Rebecca, who buries herself in the project as a means of escaping her problems. As the grand opening for the center draws near, the group faces a rise in anti-Gay sentiment in their community that challenges them personally and threatens their efforts to create a safe and accepting environment. Set against the backdrop of a fantastical coffee shop, the show explores themes of acceptance and self-worth while dealing with the contemporary issues of homophobia, transphobia, bullying and youth suicide. So pull up a chair and grab a drink. You’re always welcome here! Tickets: $15 at the door (22 and under admitted FREE). Diverse Harmony is a Gay/straight alliance youth chorus for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and straight youth (ages 13-22). “We use our passion and the power of music to inspire the celebration of differences in our homes, community and world.” www.diverseharmony.org. C2 CONCERT AT THE COLUMNS SEEKS PERFORMERS FOR OUTDOOR STREET CONCERTS Performers are being sought for an outdoor mini-series of concerts to be held at The Columns Park at Boren Ave. & Pike St. on Friday afternoons and evenings from July 1 through August 26. If you would be interested in performing (in a volunteer capacity), contact Patrick Jones at pj123r@ yahoo.com for more information. Deadline for applications is Friday, June 10.
Seattle Gay News
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May 27, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
Broadway
Farmers Market Visit us online www.sgn.org
NEW LOCATION! B'way & E. Pine, at Seattle Central Community College Sundays, 11am - 3pm, May 8 - Dec 18. May 27, 2011
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12 Seattle Gay News
May 27, 2011
Celebrating 38 Years!
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May 27, 2011
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xiii 14 Seattle Gay News
May 27, 2011
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Celebrating 38 Years!
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Seattle Gay News 15
Al Franken speaks out for marriage equality in Minnesota Jeff McEvoy
same right to marry as anyone else – period,” Franken said in a statement. “This amendment would do nothing more than write discrimination into our state’s constitution and add to the barriers same-sex couples already face to the full recognition of their families. I’m hopeful that common sense and compassion will prevail and that this amendment will be defeated.” Franken is also one of the co-sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation pending before the Senate that would repeal DOMA. On May 21, the Minnesota House gave final approval to the proposed state constitutional amendment by a vote of 70-62. The state Senate had already passed the measure on May 11, by a vote of 38 to 27. The vote split mostly along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed. Four Republicans crossed over to vote No, and two Democrats voted Yes. The legislature’s approval sends the measure to the voters. If a majority approves the marriage ban in 2012, it will become part of the state constitution. Same-sex marriage is already banned in Minnesota by statute, but passage of the amendment would prohibit the legislature from legalizing same-sex marriage in the future, and prevent state courts from finding a right to same-sex marriage in the state constitution.
Minnesota Senator Al Franken
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) announced May 23 that he supports marriage equality and opposes his state’s proposed constitutional amendment banning samesex marriage. “Every Minnesotan deserves dignity and equal treatment under the law, and our state’s same-sex couples should have the
Gay advocacy orgs demand Minnesota school district repeal gag order by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor On May 24, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) sent a letter to Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin School District demanding immediate repeal of the gag policy that prevents teachers from discussing issues related to LGBT people. The two groups also demanded that the district take immediate action to address the bullying and harassment that LGBT students in the district regularly face. According to the letter, “the gag policy serves no legitimate education-related purpose. Rather, as made abundantly clear in the district’s own guidance about the policy, the gag policy singles out a vulnerable and disfavored minority – LGBT students – and prevents teachers and other district employees from supporting, or even protecting, those students within the classroom. The mandatory silence imposed by the policy leaves teachers without tools to handle LGBT bullying, and creates an atmosphere in which LGBT students are isolated and feel unprotected.” The letter also states that the gag policy violates the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution. “This fundamental constitutional guarantee prohibits school district officials from singling out any group of students for disfavored treatment based solely on their membership in an unpopular minority,”
the letter states. “The gag policy singles out LGBT students by denying them and them alone any affirmation of their identity and by categorically precluding any meaningful classroom discussion about history, literature, current events, or any other relevant lessons involving LGBT people. The policy imposes a stigma on LGBT students as pariahs, not fit to be mentioned within the school community, a message that comes across loud and clear both to LGBT students and their peers, and which has grave repercussions for the psychological and emotional development of LGBT students.” According to a joint press release by NCLR and SPLC officials, the letter was prompted after a number of present and past district students requested that SPLC and NCLR investigate the pervasive harassment they have experienced based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender expression at district schools. “The ongoing investigation has found that the gag policy contributes significantly to the lack of safety of LGBT students and students perceived as LGBT within the district,” read the press release. “The investigation revealed that numerous students throughout the district have faced severe bullying based on their sexual orientation or gender expression, which school officials either ignored or responded to ineffectively.” Just a few examples include: • One student faced daily verbal and physical harassment at school because of the per-
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May 27, 2011
The measure’s supporters say the proposed constitutional amendment leaves open the possibility of enacting same-sex civil unions in Minnesota. In a symbolic move, Democratic Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the amendment, although he acknowledged that his veto would not keep the measure off the ballot. Dayton was joined at a May 25 press conference by two openly Gay lawmakers – Representative Karen Clark and Senator Scott Dibble – at a Wednesday news conference at the Minnesota capitol. Minnesotans should “reject this meanspirited, divisive, un-Minnesotan, and unAmerican amendment,” Dayton said. “The civil or legal realm of marriage is the province of government and it must conform to the protections and guarantees afforded every American citizen under our Constitution. “All American citizens are entitled to equal rights and protections under the law. That would clearly include the right of a citizen to marry legally the person he or she loves. “The path of social progress in this country has been to include everyone fully and equally. This path of social progress, of human compassion and understanding, would be tragically reversed by this amendment. Minnesota is better than this. Minnesotans are better than this. I urge Minnesotans to reject this amendment,” Dayton said. Dibble said the legislation “sends a signal to young people who’ve been so disheartened by the actions of our legislature, who’ve been sent such a negative message, a message of being marginalized, a message that our constitution is not for them.” “Our governor is saying, ‘That’s not the case,’” he added. Clark had given an impassioned speech on the House floor, imploring her colleagues to allow her to marry her partner. “Until this last election, I thought my partner and I might be able to be one of the
early couples to enjoy the rights of marriage by a law getting passed and signed in Minnesota. But that possibility has changed, at least for now,” Clark said. “But I beg you, colleagues, please don’t make me go off to Iowa. I was raised in Minnesota. I’m a child of Minnesota,” she added. Two Republican legislators also gave notable speeches against the amendment. Rep. John Kriesel, a freshman Republican and an Iraq war veteran who lost both his legs in combat, delivered an impassioned address. “Happiness is so hard to find for people, so they find someone who makes them happy and we want to take that away?” Kriesel said. “We say you can be together but you can’t marry them? That’s wrong and I don’t agree with it.” Rep. Rod Hamilton said he had supported the amendment until his teenage daughter talked him out of voting for it. “She said, ‘Dad, I think a person should be able to marry whomever they love whether it’s the opposite sex or not,’” Hamilton said. Both sides were already planning their respective campaigns even as the House voted to send the amendment to Minnesota voters. Supporters of the anti-equality amendment are calling themselves “Minnesota for Marriage” while opponents have formed a group called “Minnesotans United for All Families.” LGBT activists said they believe public opinion is shifting in their favor, and that the next 18 months would give them time to reach voters with a message that same-sex relationships do not threaten other families. “This isn’t necessarily a case you can make to people in a sound bite,” said Monica Meyer, executive director of the LGBT rights group OutFront Minnesota. “But if you have the chance to sit down with someone and explain to them that this hurts real families and doesn’t help anyone, that’s how you win people over.”
ception that she is a Lesbian. She reported the harassment to teachers and administrators numerous times, including the vice principal and the principal, but the only response was an occasional verbal reprimand with no consequences for the harassers. The district took no action, and she eventually dropped out of school and attempted suicide after the constant harassment became too much to bear. • Another student reported chronic antiLGBT harassment to authorities for two years, only to be advised by administrators to leave the school because they could not protect him. • One teenager endured years of verbal and physical harassment based on his sexual orientation and perceived gender nonconformity before dropping out of school. In one incident, he was violently assaulted and called “faggot” as a teacher and students stood by. “In every one of these incidents, and many others, district authorities failed to properly respond to repeated reports of verbal and physical harassment, in violation of their legal obligations,” the letter states. “These incidents and others like them appear to be part of a pervasive pattern of hostility against LGBT students within district schools, which has had dire consequences. Many LGBT students have been pushed out of the district altogether; many have experienced emotional and psychological scars as a result of constant bullying.” Most tragically, the letter reports that since November 2009, at least four LGBT students in the district have died by suicide. “The district is in flagrant violation of its legal and constitutional responsibilities to its students,” said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter. “The unchecked hostility that LGBT students face every day in Anoka-Hennepin’s schools has gone on long enough. The discriminatory gag policy must be repealed, and the district must take serious steps to address and prevent anti-
LGBT bullying before one more student is pushed out of school or pushed to the brink of despair.” “The gag policy is anything but neutral,” said Sam Wolfe, lead attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center. “It is rooted in homophobia and sustains a hostile environment harmful to all students. The district must repeal this dangerous policy.” The letter calls for the prompt repeal of the gag policy and immediate action to address and prevent the bullying of LGBT students and those perceived as LGBT. The letter warns the Anoka-Hennepin School District that without meaningful action to remedy the current hostile environment, the organizations intend to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of their clients against the district. In January 2011, NCLR and SPLC, along with the Minneapolis law firm of Faegre & Benson LLP, brought a lawsuit in federal court for an emergency injunction against the Anoka-Hennepin School District when the District threatened to cancel the traditional royalty court procession for the Snow Days winter formal dance at Champlin Park High School in order to prevent two Lesbian students, Dez Shelton and Sarah Lindstrom, from walking together. That lawsuit was successfully resolved in mediation and the district agreed to allow the girls to walk together. The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. www. NCLRrights.org The Southern Poverty Law Center, with offices in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama, is a nonprofit civil rights organization that combats bigotry and discrimination through litigation, education, and advocacy. For more information, see www.SPLCenter.org.
Celebrating 38 Years!
Good news and bad news from China AIDS mortality cut by two thirds, anti-AIDS bias continues by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
getty images
China has slashed AIDS mortality by nearly two thirds since it began distributing free antiretroviral drugs in 2002, Chinese government scientists said May 18. But a joint study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the same day says that anti-AIDS bias often prevents HIV-positive Chinese from finding or keeping jobs. The study on AIDS mortality was published online by The Lancet, a weekly medical journal with offices in London, New York, and Beijing, According to the Lancet article, 63% of all Chinese who need anti-AIDS drugs are now getting them, up from virtually zero in 2002. That has caused a 64% drop in mortality in “person-years,” as China measures disease mortality. The measurement is an estimate of how long someone would have lived without the disease. According to the report, AIDS mortality dropped to 14.2 per 100 person-years in 2009, down from 39.3 in 2002. The study attributed this stunning improvement to distribution of free antiretroviral medications to all eligible HIVpositive Chinese, as part of the country’s national heath care system. China’s success “is a testimony to the young midlevel scientists who convinced the leadership that this was the right thing to do,” said Dr. Myron Cohen, an AIDS specialist from the University of North Carolina who has lived in China and helped it battle the epidemic. China currently begins treatment when a patient’s CD4 cell count, a measure of immune system strength, drops below 350 per cubic millimeter. Chinese officials are now debating whether to start treatment as soon as a patient tests positive for HIV, Dr. Cohen said. A previous study showed that this strategy, known as “treatment as prevention,” could reduce new HIV infections by up to 96% by reducing the risk to an infected person’s sexual partners. At the same time, the Lancet report was critical of China’s health care providers, saying that bias against HIV/AIDS patients resulted in a lower standard of care. Based on interviews with patients, health care workers, and hospital managers, the report says that HIV/AIDS patients are fre-
quently turned away by hospitals. AIDS patients are regularly sent by general hospitals to infectious-disease hospitals, but the specialty hospitals often refuse to provide a full range of treatments for AIDS patients. Hospitals often refuse to perform surgery on HIV/AIDS patients, the report charges, for fear that paying patients will avoid the hospital if word spreads that it operates on AIDS patients. In its report, the ILO also referred to antiAIDS bias, saying that HIV-positive Chinese are targeted for discrimination in employment. In their report titled HIV and AIDS Related Employment Discrimination in China, the ILO and China’s CDC noted a wide range of national laws and regulations that prevent HIV-positive people from getting jobs. National policy for recruiting civil servants, for example, specifies that “those who suffer gonorrhea, syphilis, chanchroid, venereal lymphogranuloma, HPV, genital herpes or HIV will be disqualified.” A similarly worded guideline applies to police employment. Sanitation guidelines forbid those with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections from working in public places such as bars, hotels, restaurants, beauty salons, and hairdressers. The ILO report also cites mandatory HIV testing of Chinese workers, and cases in which HIV-positive individuals have been denied employment, been forced to resign from their jobs, or been demoted. All of these practices are contrary to the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS, adopted in 2001, of which China is a signatory. The number of HIV-positive people in China is estimated by UNAIDS to be around 740,000. While large in comparison with most countries, the number is relatively small in a total population of 1.3 billion. Of those believed to be HIV-positive, 323,252 have been tested and 82,540 are being treated. If the total caseload estimate is correct, China has tested somewhat less than half its infected people. By comparison, the United States estimates that some 80% of its 1.1 million infected people have been tested. In spite of its shortcomings, China has made significant progress in dealing with HIV/AIDS in the past 20 years. As late as 1990, China’s education min-
Migrant workers in China line up for an AIDS test.
istry promoted “sexual morality and selfdiscipline” as the main method of AIDS prevention. Imports of blood products were also banned and foreigners were required to take blood tests. Police barred foreigners from dance halls and took other steps to prevent sex between Chinese and outsiders. In 1999, China’s first condom ad was banned as offensive a mere two days after it was released. In 2001, however, the government launched a major policy shift. Chinese officials publicly admitted that 500,000 to one million people were infected and asked for outside help. Condoms were reclassified as “safety devices.” At the same time, China said that if Western drug companies did not lower their prices, it would make antiretroviral drugs itself. In 2002, China applied for $90 million from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to begin its free drugs program. In return, it was forced to free an AIDS activist who had been imprisoned after posting details of unsanitary sales of blood in Henan Province. In December 2003, Premier Wen Jiabao publicly shook hands with AIDS patients, in a symbolic repudiation of anti-AIDS prejudice. “You must have the confidence to overcome the disease, for you will have love and care from the entire society,” Wen promised at the time. China’s biggest treatment success has been among former plasma sellers. In the 1990s, tens of thousands of poor farmers sold plasma to commercial opera-
tions as a way to get cash. The reinfusion process, which is standard in plasma donation, allowed HIV to spread rapidly among donors. Soon, in some rural villages, half the adults were infected. Many of the early victims died before 2002, but among the survivors, 80% are now getting antiretroviral drugs. By contrast, the figure for those infected through sex is about 60%. For those infected by injecting drugs, it is about 40%. Infection through sex is most common among Gay men and customers of prostitutes. In 2010, China estimated that 85% of female prostitutes used condoms. Other studies suggest that fewer than 1% are infected, but high-risk sex is common enough for infections to continue. Figures on Gay men are more difficult to obtain, since many still keep their sexual orientation secret in deference to social and family expectations. China offers free needles and methadone to addicts, drawing many in to be tested for AIDS.
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they get more depressed because they beat themselves up. Don’t engage in that. That is a useless activity and it just makes things harder. Here is some information that may help you from SO&P. Please read it and contact them and get as much help and support as you can to continue your search: “Seattle Out & Proud, in partnership with our sponsor BECU, is proud to provide Seattle’s metropolitan area with a new career transitioning program. This program will give the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Allied (LGBTQA) community the skills needed to effectively market themselves for job/career transitions. This two-day workshop is geared to get you the skills you need to better market yourself to perspective employers. This program will focus on the different stages of transitioning into new jobs or career moves by learning skills, tricks, and tips on the following areas: 1) Effective résumé writing for today’s tough job market, the dos and don’ts of what to put on a résumé. 2) How to write an effective cover letter that is not a standard template, and really incorporates why you’re looking for the tran-
Staying confident in your job search by Michael Raitt SGN Contributing Writer A good number in our community are still struggling to get back into the job market. Many are finding moderate to little success. I’ve heard of job searches ranging from a month to over a year. All ages are affected. I have a couple thoughts to share, then some important information that came to me from SO&P (Seattle Out and Proud) that I think is a valuable opportunity to people who are still looking for work. Regardless of whether you have been out of work for a few months or over a year, there are some important factors to keep in mind. First, what kind of attitude and confidence do you have? Working to keep your attitude and confidence up keeps you engaged and sets an important impression with prospective employers. I know it is hard if you’ve faced rejection after rejection, but it is necessary to get that back. One way to do that is through networking. Get out and meet people and attend networking events. Find the energy and confidence somewhere and get re-engaged
in the search for work. Attitude and positive energy are important. One way to regain some confidence is through support from others. This can come from networking and it can come from finding friends who will share the task of reinforcing your strengths and skills. Resist the urge to isolate yourself. Find some people you can be accountable to and share your experiences with them. Set goals every day and share with others how you have reached those goals. It is essential to refine your skills in order to navigate the electronic screening process that many companies now use. Some people are resistant to this and don’t like it, or say they are better in in-person interviews, but there isn’t much choice. If that is the way companies are doing it, then you have to figure out how to be successful at this. Don’t forget that this is a circumstance you’ve found yourself in. Try not to turn your situation in on yourself and start get- by Shaun Knittel ting down on yourself. People often think SGN Associate Editor that because jobs are still hard to find, there is something wrong with them. Then Brad Forkner and Christopher Rosevear were walking east across the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon, on the evening of May 22, vaguely aware of a group of young men behind them, reported Helen Jung of The Oregonian. The two were out for a stroll, said Forkner, 23, of southeast Portland. It was about 8:30 p.m. and the couple headed for the Eastbank Esplanade for a view of the city. The two men, who are Gay, were holding hands, said Jung. As they neared the pathway down to the Esplanade, Forkner felt someone push him, knocking him against a railing. “Then,” he said, “fists.” He pulled out a cell phone and called 911 as the attackers hit Rosevear a few more times, Forkner said. They then ran off. According to Jung, Forkner said he couldn’t tell what the attackers were saying. He didn’t hear clearly anti-Gay epithets. “They were yelling, I don’t know what,” he said, adding that they may have been speaking another language. “So much was happening and I couldn’t catch onto what was happening.” Police have asked anyone with information about the attack to contact Det. Kevin
sition, and don’t duplicate what’s already on the résumé. 3) Tricks and tips on how to effectively search for jobs on the internet. 4) Techniques on interviewing, and how to successfully answer tough interview questions with a meaningful answer that gives the employer what they need to make an informed hiring decision. 5) Learn the basic skills in the art of networking by understanding its value and how new social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook can be your new best friends (or enemies) when you’re looking to transition to a new job. To get more details on the Career Transitioning Skills Workshop, please go to www. seattlepride.org/programs.html. Two-thirds of those actively seeking employment who have taken the Career Transitioning Skills Workshop have found a job within two months. Michael Raitt, M.A. LMHC, is a therapist and a contributing writer to the SGN. He writes a bi-monthly column in the SGN. If you would like to comment on this column or ask a question you’d like him to write about, please contact him at askingmichael@comcast.net.
Portland assault investigated as a bias crime Warren at 503-823–3761. They are investigating the case as a bias crime, said Jung, noting the lack of provocation by the two men. The suspects are in their 20s and all about 5’ 11”, police said. One was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, another was wearing a white or cream hooded sweatshirt, and the third was wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt. After the attack, Forkner said he and Rosevear went to the emergency room, where Rosevear received stitches. He said he is bothered that there were people on the bridge and others biking by who witnessed the attack, which lasted for about a minute. “I don’t expect them to put themselves in danger,” Forkner told The Oregonian. But he was surprised that no one yelled “Stop” or called the police on their behalf. “I think it says something about a culture when people see something like that and don’t say anything.” Even afterwards, he said, as they walked away, bloodied and beaten up, they passed people walking their dogs. “They could clearly see something had happened and no one stopped and said, ‘Hey, are you OK?’” The Q Center, a nonprofit that supports the LGBT community, condemned the attack, noting a similar assault a year earlier.
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Focus on the Family head: “We’ve lost on marriage” Gallup poll shows he’s right by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer In a stunning admission, Focus on the Family head Jim Daly told an interviewer that he believed the Christian right has lost the battle against marriage equality. The interview appeared May 22 on WORLDmag.com, an online publication advertising “Today’s news/Christian views.” Daly has been president of Focus on the Family since 2005, when the organization’s founder, James Dobson, retired. Interviewer Marvin Olasky asked him, “We’re winning the younger generation on abortion, at least in theory. What about same-sex marriage?” “We’re losing on that one, especially among the 20- and 30-somethings; 65% to 70% of them favor same-sex marriage,” Daly replied. “I don’t know if that’s going to change with a little more age – demographers would say probably not. We’ve probably lost that.
I don’t want to be extremist here, but I think we need to start calculating where we are in the culture.” A loss on the marriage issue would be a serious blow to Focus on the Family, which has made opposite-sex marriage one of its organizational cornerstones. “Our budget has always been roughly 90% toward the bread and butter – marriage and parenting issues – and 10 percent toward policy,” Daly told Olasky. A new Gallup poll released May 20 confirmed Daly’s fears. For the first time since Gallup started polling on the issue in 1996, results showed that a clear majority of Americans favor legalizing same-sex marriage. In response to the question, “Do you think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages?” 53% said Yes. When Gallup first polled on this issue in 1996, only 27% of the respondents were in favor.
Since May of last year, the number of supporters has jumped 9%. Gallup found that 69% of Democrats and 70% of self-identified liberals support samesex marriage. In contrast, only 28% of Republicans and conservatives agree. In the 18 to 34 age group, a whopping 70% believe same-sex marriage should be legalized. This is an increase of 16% in the last year. Only 39% of those 55 and older favored legalization of same-sex marriages, although even this number is higher than in past years. Women also favored the proposition at higher rates than men. The Gallup poll is the fourth in a threemonth period to find a majority of Americans favoring marriage equality. PRRI released a poll May 19 showing that 51% favor legalizing same-sex marriage. According to the PRRI survey, a majority of Catholics and Protestants support allowing same-sex couples to marry. In March, an ABC News/Washington Post poll found 53% of Americans believed it should be legal “for Gay and Lesbian couples to get married.” In April, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll concluded that 51% were in favor. The Gallup organization appreciates the political implications of all this polling data just as much as Daly apparently does.
“At the moment, those advocating changes in constitutions and laws to allow samesex marriage in additional states can take heart in the apparent shift in national sentiment in their direction,” Gallup wrote in a statement. Other analysts agreed. In a Huffington Post article published May 20, Robert P. Jones, CEO of PRRI, said the new polling data may signal “the beginning of the end of the same-sex marriage debate.” Jones pointed out that “the debate is no longer between secular Americans who support same-sex marriage on one side and religious Americans who oppose it on the other.” According to Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, “With six national polls now confirming that a majority of Americans support the freedom to marry, it’s time for Focus on the Family and other anti-Gay industry activists to move on and, ideally, redirect their resources toward tackling the real problems Gay and non-Gay Americans could be confronting together in these tough economic times.” Daly, however, pledged that his organization would continue to fight for a traditional Christian view of marriage. “We’d say, ‘The piece of paper that you get at the state to recognize your marriage is worthless. It’s like registering your car,’” he told Olasky.
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FDA approves new HIV med by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug to treat HIV infection, the agency announced on May 20. The drug, rilpivirine, will be marketed un-
der the name Edurant. It is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. It was approved based on the results of clinical trials that involved 1,368 adults with HIV. Two clinical tests ran for 48 weeks, and one ran for 96 weeks with an extension, to a total of 192 weeks. In the trials, patients were given either Edurant or Sustiva – an older FDA-approved drug – in combination with other antiretroviral drugs, a treatment approach known as “highly active antiretroviral therapy,” or HAART. The results of the trials show that Edurant was just as effective as Sustiva at reducing patients’ viral load, the FDA said. After 48 weeks of study, 83% of patients who took Edurant had undetectable levels of HIV in their blood, compared with 80% of patients who received Sustiva. The FDA said that patients who had a higher viral load at the start of treatment were less likely to respond to Edurant than patients with a lower viral load. In high viral-load patients, Sustiva worked better. Patients who failed therapy on Edurant also developed more drug resistance than patients taking Sustiva.
However, patients were more likely to drop out of trials because of side effects if they were taking Sustiva than the new drug. The most common side effects of Edurant reported by patients included depression, insomnia, headache, and rash. “Patients may respond differently to various HIV drugs or experience varied side effects,” said Edward Cox, FDA’s director of antimicrobial products, in a statement. “FDA’s approval of Edurant provides an additional treatment option for patients who are starting HIV therapy.” Endurant is designed to be used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs in HIV-positive adults who have not received any prior treatment or therapy. To be taken once a day, with food, Edurant is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, which blocks replication of HIV and lowers the level of the virus in patients’ blood. Edurant prices are $21 per 25 mg pill, or around $7,700 per year. Sustiva currently costs around $7,200 per year, and is sold in adult doses of 600 mg per daily dose. Bloomberg News reported that the FDA’s approval of the new drug “clears a hurdle for a planned combination pill with Gilead Science Inc.’s Truvada that may generate more than $1 billion in annual sales.” Because antiretroviral drugs like Edurant do not cure HIV, they are meant to be taken every day for the lifetime of the patient.
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continued from cover dent all stand strong and refuse to support a defense bill containing these amendments,” said Servicemembers United Executive Director Alexander Nicholson. “These amendments were nothing short of a waste of time by lawmakers who were sent to Washington to do serious business, and a waste of taxpayer money. The Pentagon, the president, and the American people have made it abundantly clear – we are moving forward and building a stronger military free of unnecessary discrimination.” Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said via the organization’s website that the
amendment offered by Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) to prohibit on-base weddings for same-sex couples is “a dangerous proposition” that would restrict “the religious liberties of chaplains and service members.” “We must look to repeal supporters in the Senate, where the defense bill will be taken up next and where we are better positioned than in the House,” Sarvis said. “We need to beat back this harmful language and make sure it does not survive in conference committee.” In a Tuesday statement of policy, the White House objected to any legislative attempt to delay repeal of DADT, which it said would “create uncertainty for service members and their families.” The Senate is expected to begin debate on its version of the defense spending bill in June, Stars and Stripes reports.
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Recently, Caleb was invited to the White House’s inaugural Conference on Bullying Prevention and is now advocating for the Student Non-Discrimination Act in Congress, and is currently in D.C. “for those who are afraid to speak up.” When Seattle Gay News caught up with Caleb on May 26, the young activist had exceeded his own expectations by meeting with nearly 100 members of Congress, Senators, and their staffs. “This experience has been incredible, to say the least,” an almost out-of-breath Caleb told SGN during a phone interview. The teen had just come out of one meeting and was headed into another one. “I feel more accomplished than I thought I would. I’ve left some offices with guarantees of a cosponsorship for the bill.” For Caleb, seeing this bill pass is personal. He knows all too well about the dangers of school bullying and the effects it can have on students who are, or are even perceived to be, LGBT. The teen was repeatedly threatened before he dropped out of school. Caleb says the bill would “include sexual orientation and gender identity into the current federal law under education, guaranteeing all students a safe place.” Caleb also pointed out “when some have opposition to these categories being protected, we must get past that and realize that it’s about giving every student the right to his/her education in a safe place to learn.” Caleb successfully met with over 30 Congressional Representatives in his first week in D.C., and plans to keep the pace for the remainder of his time in the capital. He says he’s been working both the House and the Senate, but his main focus for now has been mostly with members of Congress. “I’ve met with several staff members,” he continued, “but more often than not I’ve actually been able to meet with the Congress-
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Celebrating 38 Years!
man or woman in person.” In all honesty, Caleb says he didn’t think the reaction to his lobbying this bill would be so positive. “The feedback has been great,” he said. “It’s all about educating them on the topic of bullying.” Still, he admits that it will be “tough getting it out of committee.” But how could that be? With all the recent hubbub surrounding anti-LGBT bullying and the horrified reaction of a nation trying to heal from a rash of teen suicides, one would think that passing such legislation would be a no-brainer. “It should be pretty basic,” said Caleb, “but it’s not. A lot of people seem to think this should be a state issue, not a federal issue. Also, a lot of people have a problem with sexual orientation and gender identity being a part of the bill.” But Caleb isn’t deterred. “For me, it really comes down to the fact that over 50% of LGBT students are protected in one way or another at school. But some states are not progressive and are far behind on this issue. Those are the youth that need this. Those are the youth that I am doing this for.” Caleb says he has a message of hope for LGBT teens who feel they are at their wits’ end: “Stay strong and continue to fight,” he said. “Never give up, and continue to speak out. Eventually, your message will get across.”
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off events, Bat N’ Rouge this year features Seattle’s own Gaysha Starr, who will host the event as mistress of ceremonies,” he said. “Traditionally, Bat N’ Rouge draws thousands of spectators, fans, and neighbors to watch this unique kind of softball and take part in a community event, designed for all ages. Besides softball, there will be music,
entertainment, food, prizes, and more.” As in years prior, Bat N’ Rouge XIII pits the fashion sense of Seattle’s drag queens against the athletic prowess of the dykes to see who can score the most runs and win the coveted trophy. “Traditional softball innings are echoed by ‘fun’ innings, where spectators can purchase stunts or bribes to impact the game in favor of their team,” said Coburn. Bat N’ Rouge is an annual fundraiser to benefit the Capitol Hill Alano Club, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, which supports 12-step recovery groups (in the LGBTQ community in particular) by providing a safe, permanent, and welcoming meeting space. This year, CHAC needs your help more than ever. A break-in and fire on March 22 seriously damaged the club’s building at 19th and East Madison, making this year’s Bat N’ Rouge fundraiser especially critical in getting that meeting space back in operation. Most of the club’s 60 12-step recovery groups have found temporary space elsewhere in the city. The fire-damaged building is undergoing reconstruction, and the club hopes to be back in operation there in late June or early July. Since its founding in 1982, CHAC has provided an important service by offering a safe space for the LBGTQ community and others, often in crisis, as they deal with and recover from many kinds of addiction. For more information about Bat N’ Rouge XIII and the Capitol Hill Alano Club, visit their website at www.chacseattle.org.
He persuaded a number of Republicans to join Democrats in passing two anti-bullying bills in as many years. Asked if he felt any reluctance to go to a Congress far more bitterly divided along party lines than the state’s legislature is, Liias said he thought he would be able to apply the lessons he learned in this Washington to the problems of the other Washington. “The legislature can be pretty bitterly divided, too, “ he said. “The truth is that our politics in the country is very bitterly divided. I’ve shown my ability to work with both sides.” “I think we need representatives who are progressive and have good values,” he added, “but who can also get stuff done. I think I can bring that ability to the table.” While Liias is popular in his legislative district – winning 54% of the vote in a tough re-election campaign against Tea Party challenger Elizabeth Scott – there is another potential challenger looming on the horizon. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is likely to get re-apportioned out of his own Congressional district when Ohio loses one seat as a result of the 2010 census. Kucinich has made no secret of the fact that he wants to remain in Congress, and he is openly shopping for a seat to run for. Washington’s First District is one of the seats Kucinich is reportedly interested in. “Kucinich has done a good job in Congress. I respect that,” Liias tells SGN. “If he finds a place that’s not adequately represented, of course he should run there.” While a Kucinich candidacy might be welcomed by some progressive Democrats, local Democratic Party heavyweights bluntly told Kucinich to butt out. State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz, Congressman Rick Larson (D-2), and continued from cover former King County Executive Ron Sims all issued independent statements telling Kucinich they preferred a home-grown candidate. successful legislator with an ability to work Liias said, “It’s important for them to with colleagues from both sides of the aisle. weigh in,” but added, “I’ve never been
liias
afraid of competition.” Liias seems to be exactly the kind of home-grown candidate local Democratic leaders want. “I was born and raised here [in the First District],” Liias says. “I went to school here. I started a business here. There are all these little organic communities – communities I’ve grown up in. I’ve served on the [Mukilteo] city council, and two full terms in the legislature.” Asked if he has spoken with Inslee, Liias answered, “No, I haven’t talked to him. I’ve kept a respectful distance.” “I want his advice,” Liias added. “If I run – and especially if I win – he’s definitely someone I would turn to for advice.” While Liias insists that he will represent all the voters in his district, he adds that he can’t help but have a special interest in LGBT issues. “We really don’t have enough LGBT representation in Congress,” he said. “We need proud, progressive LGBT representatives. LGBT families face unique kinds of discrimination that other families don’t. “I want to do a good job for all the people in my district, but I think LGBT families need representation.” Liias says he is using his Facebook page as a forum to gauge public response. So far, he says, voters have been overwhelmingly encouraging. “Other than people who know how grueling the campaign will be – who say ‘Oh, are you sure you’re ready for that?’ – no one has said ‘You’re incompetent, you’re dumb,’ anything negative.” Asked if he believes he can win the seat even if Kucinich runs as well, Liias says he is confident. “I’ve never set out to do something I didn’t really think I could do. You can’t guarantee you’ll win. My first campaign – I was running for the school board – and I lost.” Liias said. “But I wouldn’t put my family through the wringer if I didn’t think I could win.”
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