Celebrating 41 Years! Issue 19 Volume 43
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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
National faith leaders sign letter urging lawmakers to reject anti-LGBT discrimination bills cloaked falsely in “Religious Freedom” Also call for laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
WASHINGTON D.C. – On Wednes- to divide people into ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ – bills day, April 29, the Human Rights Campaign that can only lead to discrimination,” said (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm Jeff Krehely, Vice President and Chief Founof the nation’s dation Officer largest Lesbian, at HRC. “By Gay, Bisexual, speaking in a and Transgenunified voice, der (LGBT) these leaders civil rights orare setting an ganization, anexample of innounced that clusion, and 17 national resounding the ligious leaders, alarm on how from California these discrimito the nation’s natory bills are capital, added harmful to all their names to of society, not a historic statejust those of us ment calling for in the LGBT an end to “relicommunity.” gious refusal” In the bills that allow letter, the leadhrc.org discrimination ers note that reagainst LGBT people. ligious freedoms are already guaranteed “Today, leaders from different faith tra- and protected in the U.S. Constitution, and ditions – and from across the country – join assert that laws should forbid people from in condemning legislation that uses religion see hrc page 3
SCOTUS turns down challenge to New Jersey conversion therapy ban by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal challenging New Jersey’s ban on socalled “conversion therapy,” the justices said on April 4. This is the second time the Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal against a law banning the practice of trying to “convert” Lesbian and Gay patients to straight. Last year the court dismissed a similar appeal against Florida’s ban. Conversion therapy, also called reparative therapy, is rejected by all major American medical, psychiatric, psychological, and professional counseling organizations. It often involves practices described as “torture” or “brainwashing,” including isolation, sleep deprivation, electro-shock treatments, and corporal punishment. The New Jersey law prohibits use of such techniques on minors. It was passed and
The Supreme court turned down an appeal challenging the ban on “conversion therapy” – nigra.org.uk
signed by Governor Chris Christie in 2013. The Supreme Court decision not to hear an appeal in the New Jersey case leaves in place a September 2014 ruling by the Third Circuit Court that the ban is constitutional. see SCOTUS page 6
Seattle City Library teams up Habitat for Humanity’s PRIDE BUILD is this June – with Pride ASIA and others for Transgender visibility your help is needed by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
habitat.org
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor There are families in need and when we, as a society, tend to “give back” it is usually around the holiday season. There is something about overeating for Thanksgiving that reminds us, as a collective society, to donate food to a homeless shelter or volunteer at a soup kitchen at a mission or church. Likewise, the Christmas spirit sometimes
makes it seemingly impossible for people to receive gifts (often times things they did not need or maybe even want) without them also collecting canned food to pass out to a shelter or donating a toy for children whose parents don’t have any money for the holiday and so on. It’s a beautiful thing, really. Maybe people do stop and think though, when it isn’t a holiday, about those same families in need or about the veteran who see habitat page 4
On Sunday, May 3, nearly 100 people filed into the auditorium at the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library to watch a documentary film Kumu Hina, presented by Pride ASIA, Seattle U.T.O.P.I.A. (United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance), in collaboration with Three Dollar Bill Cinema (Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival & TRANSLATIONS), Gender Justice League and Seattle Public Library, for an afternoon of entertainment, culture competency, and Transgender visibility – free of charge. And the outcome from the event has been quite amazing. I think it is important to note that we live in a city where a film like Kumu Hina is supported by the public library. Kumu Hina is a powerful film by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. It is told through the lens of an extraordinary Native Hawaiian who is both a proud and confident māhū, or Transgender woman, and an honored and respected
kumu, or teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader. Imagine a world where a little boy can grow up to be the woman of his dreams, and a young girl can rise to become a leader among men. Welcome to Kumu Hina’s Hawai’i. During a momentous year in her life in modern Honolulu, Hina Wong-Kalu, a native Hawaiian māhū teacher uses traditional culture to inspire a student to claim her place as leader of the school’s all-male hula troupe. But despite her success as a teacher, Hina longs for love and a committed relationship. Will her marriage to a headstrong Tongan man fulfill her dreams? An incredible docu-drama that unfolds like a narrative film, Kumu Hina reveals a side of Hawai’i rarely seen on screen. The film was highly educational, but what was perhaps even more of a take away for the audience in attendance, was the knowledge shared by panelists representing Pride ASIA, Gender Justice League, and U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle. Panelists answered any number of questions from audience members and the conversation was moderated by Ro Yoon, a well-known LGBTQ A/PI advocate and HIV/AIDS prevention specialist.
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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continued from cover using their religious beliefs to discriminate against or deny service to anyone. The full text of the letter and list of leaders who have signed on is reflected below: National Faith Letter of Concern As religious leaders from bountiful and diverse faith communities, we are concerned with the recent flood of state-level religious refusal bills that have potentially harmful and unintended consequences for the people we serve. As people of faith who have embraced God’s free will as a gift to us all, we have great respect for the religious freedom of all Americans. As faith leaders, we hold sacred the longestablished First Amendment right of persons to worship based on their own beliefs and convictions. This intentional means of living in community with others is how we best demonstrate that we are all God’s children. It is part of what makes this country great, and it is this core tenet of our faiths that resists any action that seeks to limit the freedom of others. We know that there is a difference between worship space and public space. When providing services to the public, our religious freedom does not allow us to pick and choose whom we will serve. Our hands and our hearts must be open to all. We do not believe it necessary for the state to pass religious refusal bills for the following reasons: Our freedom of religion is already guaranteed and protected by the United States Constitution. Legislation that purports to protect people of faith could unleash a wave of costly lawsuits that will add undue burdens on the courts, businesses, and taxpayers who are members of our communities of faith. State-level religious refusals could cause harm in unintended but practical ways: a.) a paramedic could refuse to provide life-saving services to a person who
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self-identifies as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT). b.) a police officer could refuse to protect synagogues and mosques. c.) a school counselor could refuse to offer guidance to a teenager who is LGBT, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim or Sikh. d.) a public servant – like a probate judge – could refuse services to interracial, interfaith, divorced and same gender loving couples. We are a pluralistic nation by choice, one of the most religiously diverse and devout in the world. Every day, we take intentional steps forward on our journey towards “a more perfect union.” We are called to respect the fundamental dignity and worth of all God’s children. While we may have different views on a variety of social
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and political issues, we unite ourselves in the condemnation of discrimination and in firm support of equal protections as guaranteed by the Constitution. We the undersigned strongly encourage our elected officials not to support these unnecessary bills that cast wide the net for exclusion and division. Furthermore, we call on all legislatures to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes to their civil rights laws and to explicitly forbid discrimination or denial of services to anyone. Elected officials have a duty and responsibility to us as citizens to preserve the freedom of religion already afforded to us through the United States Constitution. To do otherwise is, in our view, wrong. Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II – Senior Pastor, Greenleaf Christian Church Greensboro, NC
May 8, 2015
Rabbi Denise Eger – President, Central Conference of American Rabbis, New York, NY The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson – Bishop of New Hampshire, Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C. Rev. Ann Pittman – Teaching Elder, Transylvania Presbytery, Lexington, KY Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III – Senior Pastor, Friendship West Baptist Church, Dallas, TX Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman – Senior Pastor, St. Phillip AME Zion Church, Greensboro, NC Rev. Dr. Brad Braxton – Founding Pastor, The Open Church, Baltimore, MD Rev. Al Sharpton – President, National Action Network, New York, NY Dr. Iva Carruthers – General Secretary, Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference, Chicago, IL Rev. Lynn Ellsworth – Ruling Elder, East Iowa Presbytery, Mount Pleasant, IA Rev. Dr. Delman Coates – Senior Pastor, Mt. Ennon Baptist Church, Clinton, MD Imam Daayiee Abdullah – Imam, Light of Reform Mosque, Washington, DC Bishop Yvette Flunder – Presiding Bishop, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, Oakland, CA Bishop Tonyia Rawls – Bishop, Sacred Souls Community Church, Charlotte, NC Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins – Senior Pastor, The Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, Washington, DC Rev. Chloe Breyer – Executive Director, The Interfaith, Center of New York, New York, NY Rev. Dr. Wendell Griffin – Pastor, New Millennium Baptist Church, Little Rock, AR The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. www.hrc.org
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The Space Needle is at it again: New unfair labor practice charge filed by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A labor union activist has filed a new unfair labor practice complaint against her employer, the Space Needle. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency charged with enforcing federal labor laws, found the Space Needle guilty on five separate ULP charges in January. Jessica Severance, an elevator operator at the iconic Seattle landmark, charges her employer with retaliating against her for her union activities. Severance was extensively quoted in a February 27 SGN article on the ongoing labor dispute at the Needle. The retaliation “stemmed from the [SGN] article, possibly, and from my union activities,” she told SGN. “I was targeted for my union affiliation.” UNITE HERE Local 8, the union that represents Space Needle workers, has been fighting the Space Needle for three years to sign a new contract. Workers say they haven’t gotten a raise since their last con-
tract expired. Only a week after being quoted in SGN’s February 27 article, Severance was called down to the company office for what her bosses called a “coaching session.” It turned out to be a nightmare, she recalls. “Since it was a ‘coaching session,’ I sat down with them without asking for my union rep to be present,” which would have been her right, she explained. Her immediate manager and the company’s operations director took her to task for putting her hands in her pockets, not smiling at guests, and failing to “transform their experience” at the landmark. “The ‘coaching session’ turned out to be them berating me,” Severance continued. “I tried to defend myself, but I couldn’t form articulate thoughts.” Severance had a written warning placed in her personnel file. The following week, the union led a delegation to the Space Needle’s corporate office to protest the write-up. “Our operations director said that HR looked at the file and decided the ‘coaching session’ was non-disciplinary, so they re-
Representatives of UNITE HERE Local 8 protest The Space Needle on March 19, 2015 – www.the stand.org
fused to remove it from my file,” Severance says. The Space Needle is owned by the Wright Family, descendants of the founders of both the Howard S. Wright Construction Company and PACCAR Inc. Ironically, coowner Howard S. Wright III served as the co-chair of Mayor Ed Murray’s Economic
Inequality Advisory Committee which recommended the city’s $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance. UNITE HERE Local 8 represents some 5,000 workers in hospitality, restaurant, and related industries in the Pacific Northwest.
Farewell Fuiten: Anti-Gay bigot retires
ure among anti-Gay evangelicals, but came to be an even bigger thorn in the side of his fellow Christians than he was for the LGBT community. In 2006, Fuiten was one of the brains behind Referendum 65, an attempt to repeal the state’s newly-passed LGBT civil rights law.
He soon fell afoul of the measure’s other sponsor, Tim Eyman. While Eyman grabbed the media spotlight, Fuiten directed the grass roots signature gathering. The result was that the measure failed even to get on the ballot. Fuiten blamed Eyman for the failure, saying “Tim Eyman has a knack for messing stuff up.” Eyman reciprocated the hostility. When asked whether he would participate in the 2012 Referendum 74 campaign to repeal the marriage equality law, which Fuiten also backed, Eyman exclaimed, “Gawwwd no! …Given my experience in 2006, I have nothing to gain from talking about this issue.” In 2009, Fuiten refused to support Referendum 71, the effort to repeal the state’s “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law because of his personal grievances against R-71 leaders Ken Hutcherson, Joseph Backholm, and Gary Randall. When R-71 went down to defeat, Fuiten again blamed his Christian colleagues, just as he had three years earlier. “Because of the lack of strategic planning on our side of the R-71 campaign, I
called our side a ‘leaderless army,’” Fuiten wrote in an email to his supporters. “Gary Randall objected to that. Maybe he was right. When you consider how little money was put into this effort by Randall’s organization, maybe it should have been an armyless leader.” In 2012, Fuiten and Backholm tried to file competing versions of what would become Referendum 74, to repeal the state’s marriage equality law. Backholm’s version eventually made it to the ballot, but Fuiten backed it in spite of their previous friction. In the unsuccessful R-74 campaign, Fuiten served as a conduit channeling NOM funds into the anti-equality coffers. Fuiten was not only anti-Gay, but also dabbled in broadly right-wing politics. In 2008, he chaired the Washington campaign for former Arkansas Governor and Southern Baptist minister Mike Huckabee. In 2012 he endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and chaired the Gingrich Faith Leaders Coalition. His church was also a way station on the right-wing lecture circuit, hosting speakers like Michelle Malkin and Dinesh D’Souza.
lost everything to addiction or about the LGBTQ kid whose parents discarded them when they came out. The need out there can be depressing to think about. In fact, in its totality it can be downright daunting and maybe even makes a person feel like their efforts to help really aren’t helping at all. “I will donate again when it is Christmas,” one might say. But the truth is there is no magic time of year to donate and the need for assistance is real 365 days out of the year. For many organizations that work on the issue of homeless advocacy or the people who do the very critical work of working with families that are on the brink of homelessness will tell you that housing is the only real way to help people who suffer from mental health disparities, PTSD and drug or alcohol addiction – or just plain down on their luck (not all homeless people are inflicted with mental health issues or addiction). The key is to help people before
they end up in the streets; especially families. Habitat for Humanity Seattle/King County is doing just that. And for the first time in its history, Habitat for Humanity is reaching out directly to the LGBTQ community for help. Habitat for Humanity Seattle/King County is hosting Pride Build on June 20 by bringing together members and friends of the LGBTQ community to sponsor a day of building at La Fortuna, a development of 41 townhomes in the Benson Heights neighborhood in Renton. “King County is facing a housing crisis as 1 in 4 citizens pay over 30% of their income on housing,” say officials. “Take part in lending a hand to significantly change the lives of nine hardworking partner families, while working towards a common goal to strengthen communities and support homeownership. We encourage you to join Habitat as we work together to build a better King County.” Habitat for Humanity partners with families who are in need of safe, decent, af-
fordable homes. Named “Partner families,” these folks are asked to invest 500 hours of “sweat equity” to help with the building of their home. Once completed, the home is sold to them at no profit with a 0% interest mortgage. Habitat for Humanity has set a $2,500 goal for the kick-off event and are asking individual participants to set a minimum goal to raise $100 through a combination of donations, crowdfunding, or sponsorships. For each $100 fundraised, Habitat for Humanity will guarantee a spot on the construction site! Fundraising is easy – text H4HPride to 71777 to get started. Housing inequality directly impacts the LGBTQ community, with up to 40% of homeless youth identifying as LGBTQ despite only 13% of the general population identifying as such. “We are trying to change that story, and the stories of so many in our community who experience the need for safe, decent, affordable housing,” say Habitat for Humanity officials.
The organization that I am founder and president of, Social Outreach Seattle has partnered with Habitat for Humanity and agreed to sponsor video production of the event to inspire others to join the cause. Send any questions you may have to Lauren Petersen-Green at lauren.petersengreen@habitatskc.org or call at (206) 8553997.
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Anti-Gay pastor Joe Fuiten – www.seattletimes.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Notorious anti-Gay pastor Joe Fuiten announced May 4 that he will retire from his Cedar Park Assembly of God church. Fuiten, now 65, was once a leading fig-
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Celebrating 41 Years!
Paul J. Everett – In Memoriam Paul J. Everett, 69, passed away from a sudden illness December 25, 2014 in Seattle, WA. He was born in Miami, FL. He worked in restaurant management until his retirement. He is survived by his sisters Nancy Prigg Rawls, Pensacola Beach, FL, Mary Jeffery of Corona, CA, Jane Ellington of Springfield, OR and a brother Thomas Adams in Greensboro, GA. Private services for the family will be held at a later date. We in Seattle mourn his loss. We first met him at the Inside Passage, a bar and restaurant owned by Tom Rantz, Nathan Benedict, and Steve Nyman. He was then managing a Chuck-E-Cheese restaurant. When Steve and Nathan opened another
restaurant, Thumper’s, he briefly worked for us. Then he met the love of his life, Corey, and moved to Florida. He managed restaurants there as well as the food service operations for assisted living communities. He continued this career upon his return to Seattle, and when the opportunity arose, he rejoined us at Thumpers as manager until it closed in 2006. He continued his work in restaurants for many years after that. A party in his honor will be held at Diesel May 9, 4-6 p.m. All are welcome. We will miss him terribly. He was always a good man.
Patty Murray to HHS: Women must have access to contraceptives by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Washington’s senior Senator Patty Murray authored a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell insisting that women have access to all FDAapproved methods of contraception. Murray was joined by Washington’s junior Senator, Maria Cantwell, and 37 other Senators from the Democratic caucus. The May 5 letter urged Secretary Burwell to help states develop plans of action to ensure health plans comply with the Affordable Care Act, provide full access to all FDA-approved forms of contraception, and take appropriate enforcement action when necessary. “In the 21st century, women should have access to affordable, comprehensive healthcare services, like birth control, that empower them to make their own healthcare decisions and provide economic security for their families,” the Senators wrote. By helping women get contraceptive coverage and other essential health benefits without cost-sharing, the Affordable Care Act took a critical step toward this goal. Unfortunately, we write with serious concerns that some insurers are failing to uphold the standards set in the Affordable Care Act and as a result leaving women without the health care services they are entitled to under the law.”
Murray was responding to reports that insurers are failing to cover FDA-approved forms of contraception as they are required to do under the Affordable Care Act, and failing to provide women with accurate information about the range of essential health care services that are now available without cost-sharing. The Affordable Care Act provided access to important preventive services, including birth control, at no cost to consumers. In a May 5 press release, Senator Murray’s office noted reports by the National Women’s Law Center, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Northwest Health Law Advocates, and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington showing that some insurance plans are not in compliance with the law, and have been denying women coverage, charging them incorrectly, or providing inaccurate information. Last week, Murray sent a letter to eight Washington state insurers calling out their failure to provide accurate information to consumers. She urged them to be proactive in offering information about contraceptive options, and to increase transparency. Already two of those insurers, Coordinated Care and Bridgespan, have responded in writing, and committed to improving and addressing issues reported. In addition to Murray and Cantwell, the following Senators signed the letter: Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Harry
U.S. Senator Patty Murray – newsbusters.org
Reid (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Al Franken (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (DNY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Coons
(D-DE), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (IVT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Cory Booker (DNJ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jeff Merkley (DOR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jon Tester (DMT), and Mark Warner (D-VA).
No surgery for Transgender inmate, SCOTUS rules
Massachusetts state prison inmate Michelle Kosilek – article.wn.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from a Transgender inmate seeking gender reassignment surgery in a
brief May 4 order. The high court did not comment on its reasons for rejecting the appeal of Michelle Kosilek, who is currently an inmate in a Massachusetts state prison. She had been fighting for 15 years to get medically neces-
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sary treatment for her gender transition. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican who took office in January, said he was pleased with the high court’s decision. “In this particular case I was not in favor of using taxpayer money to pay for this surgery,” Baker said. “This is a terrible and inhumane result for Michelle,” countered Jennifer Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project for GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders), who represented Kosilek. Levi said even though Kosilek has exhausted all the legal avenues available to her, the fight for other inmates will continue. “But it is just a matter of time before some prison somewhere is required to provide essential surgery, meeting the minimal Constitutional obligations of adequate medical care for transgender people in prison,” she said. Kosilek first sued the Massachusetts prison system in 2000, charging that the state’s failure to provide transition care
amounted to a violation of the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. She won that suit in 2002, and was given hormone therapy and counseling. She then filed eight other lawsuits asking for additional treatments, including electrolysis and surgery. In 2012, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled that she was entitled to surgery, and his decision was initially upheld by a panel of the First Circuit Court. An en banc hearing of the appellate court reversed Wolf ’s decision, however, leading to Kosilek’s appeal to the Supreme Court. In April, a federal judge in California ruled that California state prisons must provide surgery for another inmate, Michelle-Lael Norsworthy. Norsworthy was represented by the Transgender Law Center. She has been fighting for surgery since 2012. The California prison system has not yet indicated if it will appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in hopes of overruling Tigar’s decision.
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Seattle Gay News 5
You can’t be God’s spokesperson, federal judge tells Nebraska woman by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
“I’m sixty six years old,” she continued, “and I never thought that I would see the day in which Our Great Nation or Our Great State of Nebraska would become so compliant to the complicity of some peoples lewd behavior.” In a strongly worded opinion, the judge said his court lacked subject matter jurisdiction because federal courts cannot decide what is sinful. Driskell did not set forth a factual or legal basis for a federal claim, he continued. “The United States Federal Courts were created to resolve actual cases and controversies arising under the Constitution and the laws of the United States,” Judge Gerrard wrote. “A federal court is not a forum for debate or discourse on theological mat-
ters.” Gerrard also declined to allow Driskell an opportunity to amend her complaint.
Consumer fraud In a related case in February, a New Jersey judge ruled that representing homosexuality as a disorder in order to market conversion therapies constituted consumer fraud. Hudson County Superior Court Judge Peter Bariso, Jr. ruled on February 10 that
such claims violated the New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act. It is fraudulent to offer “success statistics,” the judge said, because “there is no factual basis for calculating such statistics.” Bariso’s ruling came in a consumer fraud lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) against a group calling itself Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH). The suit claims the group used deceptive practices to lure plaintiffs into their Gay-to-straight therapy, charging pa-
tients more $10,000 per year. According to court documents, JONAH’s abusive practices included counselors forcing young men to undress and stand naked in a circle with a counselor. They organized group activities in which clients were directed to re-enact past abuse. These violent role-play exercises alienated some clients from their families and taught them to blame family members or themselves for being Gay, the suit charged. “This ruling is monumental and devas-
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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Nebraska woman who wanted to be named the legal spokesperson for God and Jesus Christ. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard dismissed the suit May 6. Sylvia Driskell asked the court to name her God’s legal representative so that she could sue all LGBT people on his behalf. In a hand-written document, Driskell lamented that “Never before has Our great Nation the United State of America and Our great State of Nebraska been besiege by sin,” (capitalization and grammatical errors in the original).
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State of Nebraska – commons.wikimedia.org
tating to the conversion therapy industry,” said David Dinielli, SPLC Deputy Legal Director, in a statement. “For the first time, a court has ruled that it is fraudulent as a matter of law for conversion therapists to tell clients that they have a mental disorder that can be cured. This is the principal lie the conversion therapy industry uses throughout the country to peddle its quackery to vulnerable clients. “Gay people don’t need to be cured, and we are thrilled that the court has recognized this.”
Celebrating 41 Years!
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May 8, 2015
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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Celebrating 41 Years!
We won’t fire Gay or divorced employees, German Catholic Church says
Germany’s Catholic bishops have adopted some new rules – AP
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Germany’s Catholic bishops have adopted new rules for lay employees of churchrelated organizations that will no longer
require them to adhere to Catholic teaching in their private lives. The new rules mean that LGBT employees or those who have been divorced will no longer be automatically fired. Previously, employees could be terminated if their pri-
vate lives did not match church doctrine. According to a statement by the Catholic Church in Germany, “up to now, one expected from employees of the Church that there would be in their private lives a coherence with the Church’s Faith and Morals. “A violation against these duties of loyalty – for example to leave the Church, to enter a second marriage after a divorce, or to enter a homosexual union – led at times to legal consequences even up to a termination of the contract.” Under the new rules, only the most serious breeches will lead to termination, the bishops said. “The civil marriage after a civil divorce is in the future, then, only a serious violation of loyalty if this conduct in concrete circumstances could lead to a disturbance within the community of employees or in the larger professional environment and to a weakening of the credibility of the Church,” the church statement says. “The same applies to [Gay] civil unions. These actions therefore are only open to a termination of contract in cases of special
circumstances and therewith only in rare cases.” Germany’s bishops adopted the new rules by a two-thirds vote on April 27 at a meeting in Würzburg. To placate more conservative bishops, the new employment rules will only apply in those dioceses which choose to adopt them, so not all of the 27 Catholic dioceses in the country must follow the changed rules. The revised rules apply only to lay employees of Catholic organizations. Priests will continue to be expected to conform to Catholic teachings. In the United States Catholic organizations commonly require employees to sign documents pledging to abide by the church’s doctrine as a condition of their employment, and several Gay and Lesbian employees have been fired when their marriages came to light. Because LGBT employees lack federal civil rights protections, such terminations are likely to be legal.
Pornography is good for you We hear lots about the downsides of porn. What about the benefits? by Peter Tatchell Special to the SGN Porn gets a bum rap. Nearly every discussion focuses on the negatives, not the positives. In my view, it’s time for a more balanced, nuanced response to pornography. The issue is back as a hot topic after the controversial and disputed anti-porn researcher, Gary Wilson, author of Your Brain On Porn, recently claimed that pornography is re-wiring users brains to view sexual gratification as a passive, solitary and often addictive consumer experience that undermines relationships. However, the impact of porn on our brains is far from clear and certainly not universal. Different people use and respond to porn in different ways. Wilson’s thesis, although it may have some merit and be true in some cases, echoes the anti-porn agenda of uptight religious fundamentalists, conservative politicians and right-wing feminists. They want to crackdown on pornography; arguing that it is immoral, dehumanising and exploitative. In their view, all porn actors are victims. Many definitely are. But not all. Some are consenting adults who have freely chosen to be part of the sex industry. To them, it’s a job like any other; only much better paid and with flexible hours. It is hard to view these porno performers as being more exploited than people working in mind-numbing, routine, deadend, low-paid employment. They do more interesting work and earn a damn sight more than the hapless exploited staff doing demeaning, boring, repetitive tasks in call centres, supermarkets and fast food outlets. To justify their anti-porn crusade, the new puritans point to snuff movies, kiddie porn, rape videos, trafficked or coerced actors and degrading, humiliating images of
women. Sure, this stuff is vile and wrong – and some of it should be criminalised to protect the vulnerable. But in a bid to win support for more legal restrictions, these moralists go one step further. They often denounce all explicit sexual imagery as violent and abusive. Not so. Some is and some isn’t. For consumers, porn can be educative, liberating, empowering, fulfilling and socially beneficial. It all depends on how it is made, who makes it, what it depicts and why it is being used. To begin with, there is nothing wrong with the naked human body. Consensual adult sex acts are entirely natural, healthy and lawful. So why should images of these acts be disparaged or banned? Censoring and demonising this pornography is neither necessary nor justified. Porn magazines are condemned by self-appointed moral guardians as “jerk off mags.” But what’s wrong with jerking off? It’s natural and healthy. Indeed, masturbation, with the aid of porn, has positive virtues. It is totally safe sex, with no risk of giving or receiving HIV or other sexuallytransmitted infections (STIs). Staying at home and wanking over a porn video is much safer than a random one-night stand, dogging or sex in a club or sauna. If porn makes hand jobs an attractive alternative to casual sex, it can reduce a person’s number of sexual partners and help cut the spread of HIV and other STI’s. In which case, surely the government should promote pornography and masturbation as part of its HIV prevention strategy? Already, pornography has been used successfully in HIV prevention campaigns to popularise safer sex; encouraging many Gay and Bisexual men to switch to less risky behaviour. By promoting safer sex as exciting and fun, socially-aware porn has helped glamorise and eroticise responsible sexual
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behaviour – debunking the idea that sex without risk is boring, dull and second best. My own raunchy explicit book, Safer Sexy (1994), is a good example. It won plaudits for making no-risk sexual behaviour appealing and exciting. Regular good sex is an aid to well being. Studies show that people who are sexually fulfilled tend to have enhanced levels of mental and emotional health. If porn can help ensure sexual satisfaction and better psychological health then surely that’s a positive benefit? Medical researchers in Australia and the U.S. have found that men who ejaculate five or more times a week have a one-third lower incidence of prostate cancer. So a man who doesn’t cum regularly has a significantly higher chance of getting this often-deadly disease. This means that if you’re a man and you haven’t got a regular partner, or if your partner has a low libido, jerking off is good for your health. Porno magazines and films that aid frequent masturbation are therefore indirectly helping save thousands of lives. Sex mags and vids are also great sex education. Unlike the coy, euphemistic nonsense that passes for sex education in schools, porn shows young people about sex – the techniques and variations involved, and how to satisfy yourself and your partner. This gives porn users better knowledge and expertise in the art of sex. The result? Often better quality sex lives and couples who are more sexually and emotionally fulfilled. Porn has another big social benefit. As an aid to masturbation, it may be the only means of regular erotic satisfaction for many single people and for people in sexually-dysfunctional relationships. In some cases, where the relationship may have fallen apart because of sexual incompatibility, porn might help keep it going.
Pornography is also a boon to people who are not young, beautiful, able-bodied and self-confident. Are these people supposed to forego sexual joy and fulfillment? Not everyone measures up to the fitness and good looks that popular culture promotes as sexually desirable. It is cruel and inhuman to deny isolated, disabled, overweight, ugly and elderly people the erotic fulfillment that porn can provide. We all grow old and lose our pulling power. But our sexual desire may remain strong. It needs and deserves an outlet. That’s when sexy pictures and films can come to our rescue, helping people maintain pleasure and satisfaction during old age. Far from being evil, pornography can be a cornerstone of sexual democracy. It gives everyone equal access to carnal pleasure and happiness, regardless of our age, looks, abilities or background. Bravo!
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For more information about the Peter Tatchell Foundation’s human rights work, to receive their email bulletins or to make a donation: www.PeterTatchellFoundation.org Courtesy of the Peter Tatchell Foundation
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Oxford English Dictionary considers genderneutral title “Mx” by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
The Oxford English Dictionary – the repository of standard English since 1884 – is considering adding a gender-neutral title, Mx., to Mr., Mrs., and Ms. “This is an example of how the English language adapts to people’s needs, with people using language in ways that suit them rather than letting language dictate identity to them,” OED Assistant Editor Jonathan Dent told the Sunday Times. “When you look at the usual drop-down options for titles, they tend to be quite formal and embrace traditional status such as the relationship between a man and wife, such as Mr. and Mrs., or a profession such as Dr. or even Lord. This is something new.” Other gender-neutral forms of address have been in use for many years, for example Dr. or Rev., but this would be the first intended for general use instead of being
specific to a profession. According to the Sunday Times, Mx. was first used in 1977, in the American magazine Single Parent, as an alternative to titles that were perceived as sexist and discriminatory, like Mr. and Mrs., but did not really become commonplace until recently, when it came to be used for intersex and non-binary people. Brighton and Hove was the first town in the United Kingdom to introduce Mx. on all official forms in 2013. Barclays Bank, one of the UK’s largest, is one of the first companies to officially use the title. The Royal Bank of Scotland, another of the UK’s biggest banks, is also considering adding Mx. to its recognized forms of address. The bank says it will probably also stop asking customers to provide their mother’s maiden names, since many now say they have two fathers. Earlier this year, the Law Society of Scotland adopted new rules that allow attorneys to register without specifying a gender.
“Mx” may soon be a part of The Oxford English Dictionary – www. corporateconscienceproject.com
Several U.S. states have also adopted gender-neutral language for public documents, with “spouse 1” and “spouse 2” replacing “husband” and “wife,” and “parent
1” and “parent 2” instead of “mother” and “father.”
OUTSpoken welcomes song writing game changer Steve Grand to the show!
Steve Grand – www.stevegrand.com
OUTSpoken, a Pacific Northwest LGBT radio talk show hailing from Spokane, WA features two dynamic hosts, Jonathan Shuffield and Sergey Grankin, who talk about issues and people affecting the LGBT community both locally and globally. OUTSpoken is proud to welcome singer/songwriter Steve Grand to May 10th’s show! Tune in Sundays 12:00 to 2:00 PST 88.1/92.3 FM or stream live from www.hotmesssunday.com. Songwriter Steve Grand remembers the first time he realized how powerful music could be. At a young age, riding in the car with his dad, listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys, he saw how a song could transport someone through time and space to a moment in the past. “He could tell you what shirt he was wearing, the name of the girl he was dating, and what the weather was like,” he says of his dad’s musical reminiscences. “That’s what first sparked my interest in songwriting. It was the first time I encountered music’s unique ability to provide a temporary escape from reality.” It’s a feeling he’s now given countless people himself with 2013’s release of “All American Boy,” his debut single. The song became a smash, viral hit, thanks in part to the self-produced and self-financed video, which went from zero to a million views on YouTube in a matter of days, all without the help of a label, a manager, or an agent. The imagery was pure Americana – campfires, American flags, country roads, whiskey,
and hunky, shirtless men. But there was a twist. The song and video (now with close to 4 million views and counting) both depict a situation familiar to many people – an unrequited crush of someone out of reach, that burning desire for someone you can never have. It’s a universal truth, but Steve’s story was even more affecting, because he was telling that story from the perspective of a Gay man who had a crush on a straight man. It’s not something that has ever been depicted in music quite so overtly. While he knew that “All American Boy” would gain a lot of attention, Steve says, “I didn’t realize how deep the emotional impact was going to be, until I started getting emails from people really saying ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone like you.’” Nearly a year and a half later, he says, “that’s never stopped. People are still watching the video every day and being moved by it.” Steve grew up in Lemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in a Catholic family. When he was four or five, he saw Schroeder, Charlie Brown’s piano playing friend tickling the ivories, and became obsessed. He wanted a piano so badly, that he made them, dozens of models of them, out of campaign posters, crayon, tape and glue, most of them bigger than the tiny, future musician. “I thought it was so cool to be able to make sounds and play a song just using your fingers,” says Steve.
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His parents got the hint and bought him an old, beat-up, upright piano. After a lifetime of piano lessons, Steve became an accomplished singer and songwriter, playing in school bands, and later, performing in churches and jamming at jazz venues around town. He penned heartfelt tales of heartache and romance, longing and love, living out his childhood dream and making music with his fingers. While he loved his family and his musical upbringing, as a young man who figured out that he was Gay after a stint at summer camp when he was in eighth grade, Steve says he felt like many Gay teenagers do: alone and confused. Looking around for public role models in music, he found few. Though his parents now accept his sexuality and support him, his religious upbringing didn’t offer any solace, either. “I was 18 or 19 and I realized, hey, there’s really a deficiency here. The world is rapidly becoming a more accepting place. If we really are all the same and we really are all equal, there ought to be more artists who are open about who they are and even sing about it,” he says. While it’s become more common for celebrities to come out casually, without the fanfare or announcements on covers of magazines, Steve says it’s just as important as ever. “While people say this is no big deal anymore, who cares? You know who cares? The kids who are still really struggling with this. The kids who feel like they would still rather be dead than live life as a Gay person,” he said. “I’m thinking about them all the time when I’m doing these things because deep down we all just want to be loved, we want to experience love, we want to give love, we want to take in love, and we want to feel valued and understood.” He knew that gambit for “All American Boy” would work: no one had ever seen or heard anything quite like it before. “What made the story impactful was the apparent dichotomy of a same-sex love story set against a very Americana backdrop – old cars, whiskey, American flags, and friends by a campfire,” he says. Pegged as a “Gay country artist” by the media – something of a misnomer – with-
in a week, the video had made all the Gay blogs, Buzzfeed ran a post about the video, and he’d appeared on “Good Morning America.” Later, he was interviewed by the revered Larry King for his online show. On February 26, 2014, he launched a successful Kickstarter campaign raising $326,000, the third highest funded music project on the site. He’s set to release his debut full-length album, All American Boy this spring. With his full-length album, recorded with producer Aaron Johnson (who produced The Fray) in Los Angeles in the spring of 2014, co-writing a few songs with Itaal Shur, (who also helped to pen the Grammy winning song, “Smooth” by Rob Thomas and Santana), coming in March, fans will have even more to be inspired by. “It’s going to take them to many more places. The album follows an arc – each song is a plot point on that arc, and I think a lot of things in life follow an arc.” The journey is told through Steve’s clear, soaring voice, and his emotionally uplifting, hook-filled songs including “Stay,” “AllAmerican Boy,” “Whiskey Crime,” and “Say You Love Me.” The piano and guitar-driven tracks are instantly timeless and familiar; their sound is a tip of the hat to other American singer-songwriters like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. “There is nothing all that different about my music just because I’m Gay,” he says. “My music explores dimensions of the human experience: Love, loss, hope, regret, triumph – themes that have been explored by artists since the beginning of time. None of these experiences are unique to any group – they are universal themes because we all feel them, regardless of what our sexual orientation or gender identity may be.” Visit us at www.hotmesssunday.com for more details, events, and past recordings. Courtesy of OUTSpoken
Celebrating 41 Years!
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