SGN Nov 15, 2019 - Part 1

Seattle Gay News

Jayapal statement on results of 2019 election

SEATTLE (November 9, 2019) – US Rep. Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on the results-to-date of the 2019 election:

“Big monied interests thought they could dump millions into our elections and drown out the voice of individuals, but the voters of Seattle proved them wrong. By returning a progressive supermajority to the City Council, we once again showed that our democracy belongs to all of us – not to corporations and

see JAYAPAL page 7

Michael Bloomberg: friend or foe?

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

What could the LGBT community expect from Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, if he finally decides to take the plunge and run for the Democratic presidential nomination in earnest?

While all the leading Democratic candidates have already released detailed plans designed to attract LGBT voters, Bloomberg hasn’t even decided if he’s in or out of the race. All he can be judged on is his record – and that is spotty.

see BLOOMBERG page 6

HRC responds to new FBI report showing spike in reported hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people

WASHINGTON, DC (November 12, 2019) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to troubling federal data showing unacceptably high levels of hate crimes – and an increase in those targeting LGBTQ people – as

reported by the FBI today.

“Bias-motivated crimes are a real, frightening problem in the United States, and LGBTQ people continue to be targeted because of who they are,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “In 2018, we know

see HATE CRIMES page 7

Ugandan authorities

amp up persecution of LGBTIQ people

NEW YORK (November 11, 2019) –LGBTIQ activists in Uganda confirm that on Sunday, November 10, an LGBTIQfriendly bar in Kampala was raided and 125 people were arrested and charged with drug possession, indicating an intentional and growing persecution of LGBTIQ people in the country.

The bar in question is an LGBTIQfriendly bar and has been used by local activists for community events for over seven years. It was the only bar raided on the evening in question, indicating a clear targeting of LGBTIQ people. According to

see UGANDA page 13

Seattle Gay News

by Mark Segal Philadelphia Gay News

You most likely think the headline is a mistake, but I assure you, it’s not. Let’s face some interesting facts. McConnell is a politician, and every politician likes power, some for good and some for their own interest. McConnell, or as he’s known in his home state of Kentucky, “Moscow Mitch,” likes power, and he’s about to be one of the most powerful men in America in just a few short weeks – all thanks to impeachment.

There is little doubt that President Trump will be impeached in the House of Representatives, and the Senate will then put him on trial for removal from office. Now here’s where it gets interesting. McConnell literally controls the majority of Republican senators, and Trump only gets removed from office if he gets the votes that McConnell has in his pocket. What I’m saying is that McConnell has a royal flush. So imagine, Trump has been dealing with Mueller and Nancy Pelosi; now he has to depend on McConnell to save him from removal. Do we not think that McConnell will want something in return. For that kind of favor, Trump would give his firstborn –wait, he’d do that for far less. Point is Moscow Mitch is in the driver’s seat once impeachment moves to the Senate, and I bet you’ll see a very big smile on ol’ Mitch’s face. The only real question is, what does he want. Whatever it was, this Tuesday’s election changed that. McConnell is now fighting for his political life since in his home state Tuesday, the governor’s race was nationalized. Impeachment was used to re-elect the

But the Republicans lost, therefore Trump lost, and the state elected a Democrat governor. That is seismic, and it gets worse for Moscow Mitch. His approval in Kentucky as he runs for re-election in 2020 is now at 18 percent. And now he knows not only that Trump cannot help him, but continued support for Trump might be his downfall. Everything changed with regards to

impeachment on Tuesday, and Republicans are now running scared. Moscow Mitch is now trying to save his own hide and so must all Republican senators up for re-election. And the others are in bluer states than Kentucky. A new day for McConnell and Trump has arrived. Expect a polite separation. The question is when, and who lands under the bus.

Word from Queer Foundation

I write to you to announce that, after fourteen years of service to the LGBTQA community, Queer Foundation will finally close its doors on December 31, 2019.

The authors of many of the essays submitted in The QF’s fourteen annual High School Seniors English Essay Contests have graciously allowed The QF to post their work on the Internet for the benefit of LGBTQA students around the world. Soon these essays will no longer be accessible via the Queer Foundation website (http://

queerfoundation.org). The entire website will be taken down in early 2020.

We are confident these essays have greatly benefited those members of the LGBTQA community who have read them online. In hopes of their continuing to be available after the Queer Foundation website disappears, we have reached out to the authors to inform them of a generous offer made by Oregon State University Queer Archives (https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/osqa): OSQA will provide public

access to the essays whose authors wish to have them preserved in the archives. We expect a percentage of the authors will take advantage of this free service, though we are not able to estimate how high that percentage may turn out to be.

Queer Foundation humbly acknowledges that none of this would be possible without the hard work of these courageous young writers, and also their mentors –both teachers and counselors – and the supporters of Queer Foundation these last

fourteen years. Please allow me to express to you my sincere gratitude for your part in the creation of this legacy.

Lonnie Lusardo launches his long-awaited new book, The Anatomy of Organized Hate

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer

It was a great evening of old friends when a longtime diversity consultant, Lonnie Lusardo, hosted a book signing and reading of his long-awaited new book, The Anatomy of Organized Hate this past Tuesday, November 12 at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill. After 13 years of interviews, research, and data analysis the book is finally here.

The evening started and ended with Lonnie signing copies of the book as well as listening to comments from colleagues and friends, including Michael Auch (Seattle Counseling Services) and Lonnie’s “sister”, LueRachelle Brim-Atkins, to whom he dedicated his book.

With all best wishes, Joseph Dial, Ph.D. Executive Director Queer Foundation queerfoundation@gmail.com Celebrating 10 years of

by Taffy Maene-Johnson

UTOPIA Seattle Founder/Executive Director

When I came to Washington state in 2006, there was no Pacific Islander LGBTQI community to seek support or access resources from. Because I didn’t want other LGBTQI Pacific Islanders to face the same struggles and lack of resources and community that I faced, I reached out to a few of my Fa’afafine sisters about creating a space for us. From there, United Territories of Pacific Islanders’ Alliance (UTOPIA) Seattle was created in 2009 to provide a safe, welcoming, and supportive space for members of the Queer and Trans Pacific Islanders (QTPI, pronounced cutie-pie) community to address basic needs, build career and life pathways, foster a sense of common purpose, and advocate for social justice for QTPI community members.

My work to support members of the QTPI community arises directly out of the struggles I have faced as a member of that community. I am motivated and inspired by the people I work with in UTOPIA Seattle – from my fellow community members, who share their time and energy and ideas, to our clients, who are struggling with the

very same issues I faced. I am energized by the QTPIs who are like family to me. Helping them to find the resources they need to succeed gives me strength, and we are working together to fight against the discrimination we face because of our gender identity and as people of color.

This is my passion. My struggles, pain, and challenges keep me going and drive me to continue to do good for the community, for our youth, our future generations, and for a better tomorrow. I recognize the unique struggles and difficulties the QTPI community faces as well as its unique and

inspiring stories. The beliefs I hold and the work I do reflect the oppression, discrimination, rejection, and violence I have experienced in my life. My goal is to help grow and learn ways of creating a thriving environment for Pacific Islander LGTBQI individuals.

We started with a few but now we are growing. All the successes in all these years would not have been possible without the strong support of our community, and it’s impossible to look into the future with you. There are so many more who will depend on us – you and me and UTOPIA

– for help at the toughest of times in their lives. We know that our communities will need ongoing support to make it through the unpredictable and unsafe times that lie ahead.

Showing up and investing in our community is, ultimately, an act of hope and love. And that hope, and these leaders, is what will continue to inspire the change that will transform movements and transform lives.

To celebrate 10 Years of UTOPIA Seattle, I want to ask you to consider making an investment in this future that we are building together.

Whatever amount you decide is meaningful for you, or whether you donate $10 or $100 for every year since 2009, I want to thank you for your support – now, and over the past 10 years. Together, our courageous acts of hope and displays of resistance are what will ultimately reverberate out to create the future where we can all be who we are, where we are.

We not only believe a better world is possible – we believe that together, we can make it happen in our lifetimes. Thank you for all the love!

Courtesy of UTOPIA Seattle

Gay City launches arts season with apocalyptic fairytale

SEATTLE (November 12, 2019) – Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center launches season 7 with “DOE: An Exploration of the End” on November 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. at Gay City’s Calamus Auditorium (517 E. Pike St., Seattle).

The apocalyptic fairytale follows a person with deer-like traits who faces repeated attacks on her identity, freedom, and body but remains resilient in discovering and embodying her identity as a trans girl.

Scarlett D’Giacomo, an Olympia-based artist, created the production through her own dreams and therapeutic processing.

“It’s a heavily fictionalized/allegoric version of my own life experience relating to the formation of my gender identity and how it has guided my moving through the world,” said D’Giacomo. “I’m very inspired by Norse poetry and Norwegian ballads, and much of the way I write is influenced by those things.”

Gay City consistently supports queer artistry by galvanizing an audience for queer arts, fostering the development of LGBTQ artists and works, and facilitating accessible artistic excellence.

Tickets can be purchased at gaycity.org/

Gay City hosts event to help LGBTQ+

SEATTLE (November 7, 2019) – It’s no fantasy, Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center will host a Healthcare Enrollment Party on November 16, 2019, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. featuring the best music of the ’90s.

Our friendly, multilingual health care navigators will center clients, helping them step by step to identify the health care plan that works best for them: Apple Health or other qualified health plans.

“Gay City has been helping queer and trans folks sign up for health insurance through the Washington State Health Benefits Exchange for more than five years,” says Fred Swanson, Gay City’s executive director. “We know that LGBTQ individuals often delay or avoid health care for a variety of reasons, and want to make sure that being uninsured isn’t one of them.”

We will provide a juicy $40 incentive for the first 100 Apple Health subscribers to select their health care plan and take our special health care survey. A dance floor,

Tickets.

With more than 20 years of supporting and advocating for our LGBTQ communities, Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center is here to provide a place for you to be authentically you. Its mission is to cultivate access and connections to promote self-determination, liberation, and joy in our communities. It is an organization that centers all LGBTQ people and their needs. For more information, visit www.gaycity.org.

Scarlett D’Giacomo is a Black Trans woman from a multiracial background with art heavily informed by her sacred ways of being. Her work primarily uses nature to understand the emotional and spiritual self. She has performed as a spoken word poet throughout the Pacific Northwest, and as a musician, she plays solo under the name Doe Fields and with her band House of Bog as the Bog Witch. You can follow Scarlett on Instagram @ doe_fields.

Courtesy of Gay City

individuals

health insurance

food, and drinks will also be available for attendees to vogue to some popular hits.

Our diverse testing team will be avail-

able to address any questions and register attendees for other health services appointments at Gay City.

Gay City also provides LGBTQ training and technical support to health care providers and other professionals. We are also the leading provider of HIV and STI testing in the region, and connect people with and without insurance to PrEP through our PrEP Clinic.

For more information and facts, please visit gaycity.org/HealthcareParty.

With more than 20 years of supporting and advocating for our LGBTQ communities, Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center is here to provide a place for you to be authentically you. Its mission is to cultivate access and connections to promote self-determination, liberation, and joy in our communities. It is an organization that centers all LGBTQ people and their needs. For more information, visit www.gaycity.org.

Courtesy of Gay City

Veterans Day statement about President Trump’s Transgender military ban

SAN FRANCISCO (November 11, 2019) – The following statement can be attributed to Palm Center director Aaron Belkin: “Veterans Day is an occasion to salute all current and former members of the armed forces including the nation’s 134,300 transgender veterans and the 14,700 transgender troops currently serving despite President Trump’s ban.

“Just as ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ undermined military readiness while making it harder for gay, lesbian, and bisexual troops to do their jobs, Trump’s ban compromises readiness and wastes talent.

“At a moment when the military struggles to meet its recruiting goals, Trump’s

ban prohibits fully fit transgender recruits from serving, and sends a signal to young adults that military service does not reflect their values of equality.

“Presidential candidates who have not yet pledged to reverse Trump’s transgender ban on their first day in office should explain their positions at the next debate.”

This Veterans Day weekend, the Palm Center asked the Democratic National Committee to pose the following question during the fifth presidential primary debate, which will be held Wednesday, November 20 in Atlanta, and will be hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post:

“Some of the candidates are pledging to

signed a 2002 Transgender civil rights bill into law.

reverse Trump’s transgender military ban on day one of their presidency. What is your position, and if you are not making a dayone pledge, why?”

The Palm Center has released a candidate guide identifying each candidate’s stance on the transgender military ban [https://www.palmcenter.org/ publication/2020-democratic-presidentialcandidate-positions-on-transgender-military-service/].

The Palm Center is an independent, nonpartisan research institute that conducts scholarly analysis of U.S. military personnel policy, with an emphasis on LGBT pop -

ers on birth certificates. That happened under his successor, Bill de Blasio.

ulations. Its research has been published in leading scholarly journals and our expert analysis is regularly covered in all forms of media worldwide. In providing clear explanations of key data and developments in its reports, memos, statements, op-eds, blog, and social media, it serves as a trusted resource for journalists, policymakers, service members, scholars, students, and the public. For more information, visit www.palmcenter.org.

Courtesy of the Palm Center

the rule of law, and reverence for our democratic institutions and the Constitution.”

“Like so many things in life, where you stand on Bloomberg’s contribution to the LGBT movement depends on where you sit,” reporter Kerry Eleveld wrote in The Advocate in 2013.

“Those who championed the 2011 marriage equality push consider him a hero for helping persuade state Senate Republicans to listen to their better angels. Those who work on issues of poverty and homelessness, which disproportionately affect LGBT youth, dismiss him as an impervious economic elitist who has largely turned a blind eye to New York’s record homeless population and an inadequate shelter system.”

When Bloomberg was mayor of New York, in one of his first acts as mayor, he

On the other hand, Bloomberg challenged a 2005 court ruling that the city could not deny marriage licenses to samesex couples while offering them to opposite-sex partners. His appeal was successful, delaying marriage equality until the state took action in 2011.

Nevertheless, Bloomberg actively lobbied New York State lawmakers – especially Republicans – to legalize same-sex marriage in 2011.

He also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to successful marriage equality campaigns in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington State.

However, Trans activists criticized Bloomberg for failing to follow through on many issues critical to Trans people, such as making it easier to change gender mak-

Other activists said that the transformation of Times Square from an urban, queerfriendly space into a sanitized, touristfriendly showcase drove Trans sex workers to more dangerous areas.

Bloomberg also seems to have a particular blind spot when it comes to LGBT people of color. Many activists have criticized the Bloomberg administration’s messaging on HIV, saying it failed to connect with the people most at risk, young Gay and Bi men of color.

In a Washington Post column published November 11, Gay African-American journalist Jonathan Capehart said Bloomberg has “all the qualities that President Trump lacks: a moral core, deeply held convictions, a belief in the power of government to address if not fix problems, respect for

But he added that Bloomberg has no hope of being the Democratic nominee due to his backing of “stop and frisk,” in which police officers were allowed to stop people they deemed suspicious and then subjected them to invasive searches.

“Stop and frisk,” Capehart wrote, disproportionately targeted Black and Hispanic men, and in 2013 a federal judge “ruled that while the procedure was constitutional, the stops conducted by the NYPD were not.”

“If African-Americans are the foundation of the Democratic Party and no candidate will win the nomination without their support,” Bloomberg’s defense of “stop and frisk” when he was mayor “will make his candidacy a nonstarter for them,” Capehart observed.

HRC to Trump and Pence: Stop attacking LGBTQ youth and families

WASHINGTON, DC (November 12, 2019) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to Vice President Mike Pence’s address commemorating National Adoption Month with a reminder of the Trump-Pence White House’s track record of attacking LGBTQ children and adults in the adoption and foster care systems.

“Trump and Pence relentlessly marginalize LGBTQ people and attempt to erase our existence,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Their disturbing worldview extends into the adoption and foster care systems, where they support giving federally funded foster and adoption agencies a license to discriminate against LGBTQ children and prospective parents, religious minorities, and other vulnerable groups. LGBTQ youth are tragically overrepresented in foster care, and this White House continues to exacerbate the marginalization, harassment, and discrimination that LGBTQ youth in foster care and families face.”

This month, Trump and Pence proposed a federal regulation that would strip away nondiscrimination requirements and permit all HHS grant recipients, notably adoption and foster care agencies, to discriminate against LGBTQ people, and in many circumstances religious minorities and women, and still receive federal funding.

In April, HHS announced a proposed federal rule that would abandon data collection on the sexual orientation of youth in foster care and foster and adoptive parents and guardians in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).

In January of this year, Trump-Pence’s HHS granted a waiver from federal nondiscrimination requirements to South Carolina’s Foster Care Program, which has contracted with a child welfare provider who seeks permission to refuse to serve prospective parents who do not share their religious beliefs but who want to continue to receive federal funding to provide those services. South Carolina requested the waiver to allow federal funds to go to a child welfare agency that refused to work with Jewish and Catholic people who were otherwise eligible to support children in need.

In May of 2017, the Trump-Pence White House put out an executive order mandating the Department of Justice to work agency by agency to regulatorily create broad exemptions allowing faith-based organizations to discriminate against those who do not agree with their personal beliefs.

HATE CRIMES

continued from cover

that at least 28 transgender people were violently killed. So far in 2019, 22 transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals have been killed. These numbers represent real people – people with friends, families, and lives. The epidemic of violence against LGBTQ people and specifically against transgender women of color is staggering, and it is something we must address head on. For that to happen, we need mandatory hate crimes reporting across the country, better training for law enforcement officers to recognize bias-motivated crime, and greater inclusion and equity in our communities. This data is harrowing, but it is also helpful in understanding just how much work we all have to do, together.”

In 2018, which is the most recent FBI data released, 7,120 hate crime incidents were reported – slightly less than in 2017, when 7,175 hate crime incidents were reported. Hate crimes directed at LGBTQ individuals, however, increased by almost 6%, including a significant 42% increase in crimes directed against transgender individuals – up from 119 in 2017 to 168 in 2018.

It’s not only LGBTQ people who are

In 2017, the HRC released a report, titled “Disregarding the Best Interest of the Child: License to Discriminate in Child Welfare Services,” detailing the harms of efforts to write anti-LGBTQ discrimination by child welfare agencies into law. Statistics suggest that an estimated two million LGBTQ adults in the US are interested in adoption, but the LGBTQ community often remains an untapped resource when it comes to finding families for children and youth in foster care. The report debunks the myth that having more providers is the key to higher rates of placement in homes;

affected by this epidemic of violence. Biasmotivated crimes based on race, religion, disability, and gender remain at troublingly high levels. Racially motivated crime remains the most common hate crime, with nearly half of race-based hate crimes targeting Black people. For the third year in a row, there was a significant uptick in hate crimes targeting the Latinx community, increasing 14% from last year. While overall numbers of crimes involving religionbased bias decreased, nearly 60% of such crimes targeted Jewish people and Jewish institutions – including the tragic murders of 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue building in Pittsburgh. Because reporting hate crimes to the FBI is not mandatory, these alarming statistics likely represent only a fraction of such violence. The number of law enforcement agencies reporting hate crimes data decreased by 110 from 2017 to 2018, and at least 85 cities with populations exceeding 100,000 either did not report data to the FBI, or reported zero hate crimes. The lack of mandatory reporting means that the FBI data, while helpful, paints an incomplete picture of hate crimes against the LGBTQ and other communities. In addition, this report reveals that Alabama and Wyoming – which had a combined population of

the bottleneck is not the number of providers but the number of prospective parents. Where providers have ceased to provide services rather than comply with nondiscrimination laws, placement rates did not decrease significantly as a result.

Further, research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, as many have been rejected by their families of origin because of their LGBTQ status and are especially vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment while in foster care. This regulation would only exacerbate these challenges

nearly 5.5 million in 2018 – were the only states reporting zero hate crimes for 2018.

That is why since the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) in 2009, the HRC has worked with the FBI to update the agency’s crime reporting, from providing training materials to sharing details on hate crimes when they occur. The HRC continues to press for improved reporting, passage of state laws that protect LGBTQ individuals from hate crimes and expanded education and training initiatives.

JAYAPAL

continued from cover

not to the wealthy few.

“Congratulations to all the progressives who ran fantastic campaigns in spite of millions of dollars put in at the last minute by Amazon to tilt the scales of democracy. In the end, it is appropriate that this deluge of corporate cash backfired on those who thought they could buy the election: Seattle voters dealt a much-needed take-down of this corporate money in our politics.

“This election is a victory for we, the people. As I’ve repeatedly said: This is not

faced by LGBTQ young people.

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

Courtesy of the HRC

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

Courtesy of the HRC

about any single corporation – it is about the fundamental problem with a system that is rigged for those with money. Our democracy is at stake, and I will continue fighting to get money out of politics, pushing for government financing of our elections, and protecting voting rights for ordinary people.

“I am so proud to represent our diverse, inclusive and progressive city in Congress, and I look forward to working with the City Council on moving more bold progressive ideas that lift up equity and justice for all.”

Courtesy of Sen. Pramila Jayapal

LGBTQ Virginia state legislators critical to Democratic takeover;

Danica Roem & Dawn Adams win key races

WASHINGTON, DC (November 5, 2019) – All five openly LGBTQ Virginia state legislators won reelection Tuesday night, including Delegates Danica Roem and Dawn Adams, who both held seats considered critical to Democratic efforts to retake the state House. With all 100 seats in the House of Delegates on the ballot and Republicans holding a slim 51-48 majority, Roem and Adams were heavily targeted by Republicans eager to keep control of the lower chamber. Openly LGBTQ Delegates

Mark Levine and Mark Sickles were also victorious in districts considered relatively safe. Openly LGBTQ state Sen. Adam Ebbin also won reelection.

While the LGBTQ Victory Fund is a nonpartisan political organization, the Republican majority in the state legislature has blocked attempts to move forward equality legislation.

“Virginia lags much of the nation in protections for LGBTQ people. But with the help of LGBTQ state legislators winning

key races in swing districts, Democrats are poised to take back the House and equality legislation would be soon to follow. While LGBTQ people remain severely underrepresented in governments throughout Virginia, victories for both Danica and Dawn make clear LGBTQ candidates can win in and keep more conservative districts. These big wins will inspire more LGBTQ to run for office and make change in communities throughout the state.”

Before tonight, only 11 openly LGBTQ

Human Rights Campaign responds to Senate confirmation of dangerous Trump-Pence nominee

Steven Menashi has built his career on

anti-LGBTQ

rhetoric and actions

WASHINGTON (Thursday, November 14, 2019) – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to the Senate’s confirmation of Steven Menashi to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

“This is yet another extremist antiLGBTQ nominee put on the federal bench by the Trump-Pence White House with the approval of Senate Republicans,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Steven Menashi has made a career of promoting anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, and has used whatever platform he’s handed – from his college newspaper, to legal publications, to a seat at the table at the White House –to undermine our community’s fight for equality. As a federal judge, Menashi will have the opportunity to rule on numerous cases addressing some of the most critical questions regarding equality, fundamental rights and access to justice. This confirmation is the latest attack on the rights of LGBTQ people, and it shows why 2020 is more important than ever. Equality Voters will hold this administration accountable next November.”

Menashi’s troubling writings beginning in college include a piece promoting a gross

elected officials were serving in all of Virginia.

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

Courtesy of the LGBTQ Victory Fund

mischaracterization of advocacy efforts in support of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. In other writings, he has mocked and dismissed efforts at sexual health awareness, abortion rights and reproductive health care, compared affirmative action policies to laws implemented by Nazi Germany, defended campus parties in which white students mocked those of other races and ethnicities and described efforts to promote cultural awareness on college campuses as “leftist multiculturalism.”

He also played a role in Trump’s White House Immigration Strategic Working Group, which has been responsible for developing the administration’s most draconian approaches to immigration, including the family separation policy.

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

Courtesy of HRC

Most US Christians “pro-choice,” new survey says Even evangelicals don’t want total abortion ban

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The majority of US Christians say they are “pro-choice,” according to a new survey by the research firm Magid.

The survey, based on online interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide aged 18 to 69, was commissioned by Save the Storks, a self-proclaimed “pro-life” organization.

According to the survey, 25% of all respondents identify themselves as “prolife,” in other words opposed to legal abortion. In contrast, 40% identified as “prochoice.”

Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they were “neither or a mix of both,” while 7% said they “don’t know.”

When broken down by religious background, 47% of self-identified evangelicals,

33% of mainline Protestants, and 27% of Catholics identified themselves as “prolife.”

Thirty percent of evangelicals, 33% of Catholics, and 26% of mainline Protestants said they were “neither or a mix of both.”

Only 18% of evangelical respondents identified themselves as “pro-choice,” while 34% of Catholics and 36% of mainline Protestants said the same thing.

As for respondents who identified themselves as “non-religious,” only 14% identified as “pro-life” and 53% identified as “pro-choice.”

Although the plurality of respondents that participated in the survey identified as “pro-choice,” only 27% said they think abortion should be legal in all cases, while 14% of all respondents said that abortion should be illegal in all cases.

Thirty-four percent of self-identified

pro-life respondents said they think abortion should be illegal in all cases, while 52% said it should illegal in most cases. Ten percent of pro-life respondents said abortion should be legal in most cases and 4% said abortion should be legal in all cases.

Of the 40% of respondents who said they were pro-choice, 52% believe that abortion should be legal in all cases, while 36% said it should be legal in most cases. Seven percent of pro-choice respondents said abortion should be illegal in all cases and 5% said it should be illegal in most cases.

For respondents who said they were “neither or a mix” of pro-choice and prolife, 30% believe that abortion should be illegal in most cases, while 51% believe that abortion should be legal in most cases.

Only 25% of evangelicals believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases, while

33% said that abortion should be illegal in most cases. Fifteen percent of evangelicals believe that abortion should be legal in all cases, and 27% of evangelicals believe it should be legal in most cases.

Strikingly, given the vocal opposition of the Catholic hierarchy to abortion, only 16% of Catholics believe that abortion should be illegal in most cases. Eighteen percent of mainline Protestants agree.

Thirty-eight percent of Catholics said abortion should be legal in most cases, while 28% of mainline Protestants said the same thing.

Nearly one-quarter of all respondents (23%) said that “yes,” they would consider abortion to be an option if they or their partners became pregnant. Meanwhile, 21% of respondents said “maybe” and 50% said “no.”

HRC Foundation launches leadership program for Black and Latinx Trans women and nonbinary people

WASHINGTON, DC (November 5, 2019) – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation over the weekend welcomed the first cohort of Elevate: A Fellowship Advancing Public Health Leadership for Transgender Women of Color. Ten Black and Latinx transgender women and nonbinary people participated in the pilot program that focuses on developing transgender women and nonbinary leaders of color in the South to increase their career opportunities and ability to work on improving public health systems.

“Black and Latinx transgender women and nonbinary people are often overlooked within the workforce, specifically in public health,” said HRC Foundation’s Director of HIV & Health Equity J. Maurice McCants-

Pearsall. “In many ways they are relegated to solely working in community outreach and HIV testing roles. As we seek to give voice to those who have been pushed to the margins, it is important that we develop and expand access to equitable professional development opportunities.”

The first group of leaders to take part in the groundbreaking Elevate fellowship program include Atlantis Narcisse of Houston; Desiree Pittman of Montgomery, Ala.; Donte Oxun of Houston; Jholett Hernandez of Montevallo, Miss.; Laneyana Henderson of Jackson, Miss.; Mahogany Toney of Birmingham, Ala.; Samantha Rose Montemayor-Morales of McAllen, Texas; Jayla Sylvester of Houston; Bee Kelley of Little Rock, Ark.; and Nakia Green of Little Rock, Ark..

During this inaugural year, Elevate will focus on skill-building as well as professional and leadership development, including intensive in-person training and a series of interactive webinars. This past week’s initial gathering – led by Advocates for Better Care executive director Atlanta Tori Cooper, Casa Ruby Founder Ruby Corado, Southern Black Policy and Advocacy Network CEO Venton Hill-Jones, and HRC Project One America Director Meghan Kissell – focused on policy and advocacy, navigating social stigma, organizational leadership, community building and mobilization, public health systems, and self-care.

Elevate is designed to help participants develop skills and access tools to advance their work on improving health outcomes

in the Black and Latinx transgender community in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, all part of HRC’s Project One America program. For more details please visit: https://hrc.im/elevatefellowship.

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

Courtesy of the HRC

NQAPIA urges U.S. Supreme Court to defend DACA and protect LGBTQ dreamers

[On November 12, 2019] the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Trumps’ proposed cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in DHS v. Regents of the University of California. The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) led the LGBT community in urging the Court to uphold DACA through an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief that highlights the special concerns of LGBTQ Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander (API) DACA recipients.

DACA has helped thousands of LGBT API young people trying to work, study, and improve their lives in the United States. Trump announced a cancellation of the DACA program but has been block by federal court. The cancellation of DACA will hurt 36,000 LGBT and 16,000 API DACA recipients mostly from South Korea, the Philippines, India, and Pakistan. An estimated 75,000 LGBT and 169,000 APIs are eligible for DACA.

More is at stake for LGBT DACA recipients because many come from countries where homosexuality is a crime. Trump’s cancellation of DACA could result in more than just a deportation, but imprisonment or a death sentence.

NQAPIA’s brief was joined by 35 groups – 19 LGBTQ Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (APIs) groups and 16 LGBTQ organization. They are:

API Equality - Northern California (APIENC)

API PFLAG San Gabriel Valley Chapter

API Rainbow Parents of PFLAG NYC

Asian and Pacific Islander Queers United for Action (AQUA DC)

Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community, San Francisco

ATL Q+A, Atlanta

Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), San Francisco

GAPIMNY (Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York)

Invisible to Invincible (i2i): API Pride of Chicago

KhushATX, Austin, TX

Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP) – Washington DC

Korean Queer and Transgender Organization of Washington D.C. (KQT DC) Philadelphia Asian Queers

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UGANDA

continued from cover

Kuchu Times, the people arrested are due to appear in court within the next couple of days.

Kasha Jacquelin, a Ugandan LGBT activist, told OutRight, “The past has shown that it is difficult to prosecute anyone for being LGBT. Using trumped-up drug charges is a new and frightening tactic;, one which is really hard to tackle and will make our battle even tougher.”

Persecution of LGBTIQ people has increased in Uganda in recent months, as rumors of the so-called “Anti-Homosexuality Act,” which would impose the death penalty for same-sex relations, have resurfaced. At least four people have been killed in suspected hate-motivated attacks. Arrests of LGBTIQ people have also increased. Prior to the raid carried out on November 10, 16 people were arrested and charged with “trafficking in persons” and “carnal knowledge against the order of nature” at the end of October.

Jessica Stern, executive director of OutRight Action International, commented: “The resurfacing of the anti-homosexuality bill in a country that already prescribes life imprisonment for same-sex relations could only have had one intention: to increase hate and stigma against LGBTIQ people, putting them at heightened risk of arbitrary detention and attack. That is exactly what is happening. The growing intensity of arrests [and] the clear targeting of an LGBTIQfriendly bar make it painfully clear that a witch hunt is being mounted against LGBTIQ Ugandans.”

Same-sex relations have been criminalized in Uganda since British colonial times. Articles on “unnatural offenses” and “indecent practices” have been retained in

Queer South Asian Collective Community, Boston

Q-WAVE, New York City

SALGA NYC, New York City

Satrang, Los Angeles

Trikone, San Francisco

UTOPIA Seattle

APICHA Community Health Center, New York City

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO

Equality Federation

GLBT Fund of America, Philadelphia

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD);

Immigration Equality

Lambda Legal

Los Angeles LGBT Center

National Black Justice Coalition

National LGBTQ Task Force

Our Space, LGBT Youth Center, Hayward CA

OutRight Action International PFLAG

SAGE NYC

San Francisco LGBT Center

Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund

Win or lose, we will continue to fight and will urge Congress to pass the Dream Act and codify DACA into law.

National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)

PO Box 1277 Old Chelsea Station | New York, New York 10113

917-439-3158 | info@nqapia.org

Courtesy of NQAPIA

the penal code since independence. “Carnal knowledge against the order of nature” between men carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The so-called “Anti-Homosexuality Act,” prescribing a death penalty for samesex relations, was first passed by the parliament of Uganda in 2013 and signed into law by President Museveni in early 2014. It was invalidated by the Constitutional Court of Uganda on procedural grounds the same year. According to local activists and a Thomson Reuters article, the Minister of Ethics and Integrity of Uganda, Simon

has indicated an intention to reintroduce the bill.

Every day around the world, LGBTIQ people’s human rights and dignity are abused in ways that shock the conscience. The stories of their struggles and their resilience are astounding yet remain unknown – or willfully ignored – by those with the power to make change. OutRight Action International works alongside LGBTIQ people in the Global South, with offices in six countries, to help identify community-focused solutions to promote

policy for a lasting change. It vigilantly monitors and documents human rights abuses to spur action when they occur. It trains partners to expose abuses and advocate for themselves. Headquartered in New York City, OutRight is the only global LGBTIQ-specific organization with a permanent presence at the United Nations in New York that advocates for human rights progress for LGBTIQ people.

Courtesy of OutRight Action International