SGN Nov 1, 2019 - Part 1

Seattle Gay News

Are you ready for a Gay president?

Are your neighbors?

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Half the respondents to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll said they were personally “ready” for a Gay president, but

only 40% thought the country as a whole was ready, and only a quarter said their own neighbors were ready.

Meanwhile, the only out Gay man in the race for the Democratic nomination –see POLL page 14

Jayapal statement on House vote on impeachment inquiry resolution

WASHINGTON, DC (October 31, 2019)

– U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA07), a member of the House Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus issued the following statement after the House passed a resolution

to provide a clear path forward as the House enters the next phase of its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s abuse of power.

Winning design team for the National Pulse Memorial & Museum announced

ORLANDO, FL (October 30, 2019)

– The onePULSE Foundation, the not-forprofit established to honor and preserve the legacy of the 49 killed and all those affected by the June 12, 2016, Pulse nightclub tragedy, today announced that Coldefy

& Associés with RDAI, Orlando-based HHCP Architects, Xavier Veilhan, dUCKS scéno, Agence TER, and Prof. Laila Farah, has been selected to design the National Pulse Memorial & Museum.

PULSE MEMORIAL page 12

HRC president to Congress: Anti-LGBTQ housing discrimination is “morally bankrupt”

WASHINGTON, DC (October 29, 2019) – Today, Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, testified in a hearing before the House Financial Services

Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on anti-LGBTQ discrimination in housing and lending. The hearing also addressed the inhumane and unprecedented attacks on transgender people by

see HRC page 14

LGBTQ Allyship’s House of Queer:

We are reaching out to request your attendance at LGBTQ Allyship’s 5th LGBTQ housing conference, “House of Queer: Let’s Build! Housing, Community, and Support,” to be held Saturday, November 2, at Highline College, 2400 S 240th St, Building 8 (Student Union), Des Moines WA 98198. There is no charge to attend this conference. The 2019 House of Queer is a FREE event open to the public!

Registration begins at 9:30am and the conference is scheduled from 10am to 4pm. To register in advance, visit http://allyship. org/2019-house-of-queer-conference-registration/. You can also register at the door.

As many of us know, access to secure housing is a crucial issue for LGBTQ communities as it impacts our safety and visibility as well as access to community, culture, history, direct services and political clout.

We are inviting you, as part of the community, to attend our House of Queer to support housing justice for the LGBTQ+ South Seattle and South King County community!

Join us for a dynamic LGBTQ Intergenerational Housing Panel at 10am with leaders Sarey Savey, Barbara Sehr and Mac McGregor.

Workshops include:

• Gender Inclusive UW Housing Initiative – by Associated Studenta of the University of Washington

• LGBTQ Renters Rights and Housing History – by Allyship

• Announcing a New South King County LGBTQ Affirming Housing Initiative – Josh Fike from the South King County LGBTQ Housing Committee

• LGBTQ Youth Voices Panel – by Youth from White Center CDA Youth Program

• From Service to City Hall: Frontline Providers Vital Work in Policy Change

• Take the INITIATIVE: Utlizing Voter Power in Kent (Just Cause Initiative) – by Rev. Jimmie James and the new Kent Tenants Association Leadership Team

• Organizing to Organized: Renton LGBTQIA+ Community MembershipBased Organization

We thank you so much for supporting LGBTQ low and moderate-income communities towards LGBTQ housing equity in King County. This conference is FREE because of our

amazing sponsors!

Highline College LGBTQIA Task Force, Pride Foundation, Amerigroup Washington, Virginia Mason, Multi Service Center, Nexus Youth and Family Services, Liberation United Church of Christ, Kadima Reconstructionist Community, White Center CDA, Real Change, Molina Health Care, UFCW 21, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Uncle Ike’s and Peer Seattle!

Thank you for your continued work for LGBTQ justice and for supporting our community-driven 2019 House of Queer! For more information: https://www. facebook.com/events/719591478502622/ or allyship.org

Courtesy of LGBTQ Allyship

Seattle Pride names Krystal Marx as

organization’s first executive director

Burien

City Councilmember to lead expanding organization and growing Pride celebration

As Seattle Pride has evolved into a yearround advocacy organization, and the Seattle Pride Parade – which it produces – has grown to become one of the largest in the country, the board of directors of Seattle Out & Proud (commonly known as “Seattle Pride”) has selected Krystal Marx as its first executive director.

As executive director, Marx becomes the not-for-profit organization’s first paid staff position in its 14-year history, as well as throughout the 46 years of the Seattle Pride Parade. In recent years Seattle Pride’s work has grown into a year-round effort –working to create unity, honor diversity and achieve equal human rights for Seattle’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

In her new role, Marx will be responsible for advancing Seattle Pride’s mission, expanding community relationships, and providing oversight support for the organization’s signature events – Seattle Pride Parade and Volunteer Park Pride Festival –which combined attract more than 400,000 each year. She will also work with Seattle Pride’s volunteer board to steward the organization’s grants and sponsorships in support of community-based LGBTQIA+ organizations, to promote awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues, and to advocate for equal human rights for all.

Seattle Pride has an annual budget of approximately $1.1 million, and relies on support from its hundreds of valued sponsors, community partners and volunteers.

As with other LGBTQIA+ Pride organizations nationally, Seattle Pride’s significant growth – combined with the increasing complexities of producing large-scale public events – has exceeded volunteerism alone. Pride organizations in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, San

Diego and Portland all employ a year-round executive director, among other staff positions.

Marx will report directly to the Seattle Pride board, led by newly elected board president Alex Ruble, an AWS technical recruiter at Amazon.

She currently serves as a Burien city councilmember, for which she serves on the King County Board of Health and the Regional Law Safety & Justice Committee, and has held previous leadership roles with the Washington State Democrats, NAMI Washington, and She Should Run as a contracted program facilitator.

Marx, who identifies as bisexual, and her husband – a U.S. Army combat veteran – reside in Burien with their blended family of two boys and two girls. In her spare time she enjoys painting, experiencing local festivals with her family, writing her first fantasy novel set in Seattle, and volunteering as the 2019 vice chair of the King County Young Democrats and as co-founder of Washington Initiative.

In support of Krystal Marx selection as Seattle Pride’s first executive director, local LGBTQ community leaders issued the following statements:

“Seattle Pride is fortunate to have a leader like Krystal Marx as our first executive director. Her leadership skills, executive experience and community connections will provide us with the operational excellence we need moving forward as we continue our efforts to create unity, honor diversity, and achieve equal human rights for all.” – Alex Ruble, Board President, Seattle Out & Proud/Seattle Pride

ROOTS Young Adult Shelter: on the brink of a new home

SEATTLE (October 31, 2019) – The ROOTS (Rising Out Of The Shadows) Young Adult Shelter, the largest emergency shelter of its kind in the state, has announced record-breaking donations coming out of its annual fundraiser, Rise Up for Homeless Young Adults (Rise Up). The 2019 Rise Up was ROOTS’s most lavish gala to date, held at the University District’s art deco hotel Graduate Seattle on Friday, October 25, 2019.

The sold-out masquerade ball resulted in nearly $450,000 in donations in a single night. That’s over double what the organization typically sees at its annual fundraiser. “To be in the position we are today – with a new home and an unprecedented challenge to increase our operating budget to support it – the generosity from our community feels really good,” said Arthur Padilla, ROOTS interim executive director.

ROOTS has been a self-sustaining cash-flow-positive organization for 20 years; however, the loss of its current lease and subsequent purchase of its new home – with all its possibilities – is a financial challenge. Located in the heart of Seattle’s University District on 19th Avenue NE, the 18,000-square-foot space positions ROOTS to serve more unsheltered people and [offers] the opportunity to partner with other like-minded organizations.

The gala was the beginning of a capital campaign to rebuild the new space and become a hub to give wraparound services to young adults aged 18-25 experiencing life on

the streets. The evening’s emcee was Sasha Summer Cousineau, and the programming included live performances by talented individuals who have or are currently unsheltered between dinner courses. Artists included Duo Reves, ROOTS guest C., ROOTS guest RayShugga, Shawn, and Arya. Speakers included Dean Alan Architects principal Angela Gee, ROOTS interim executive director Arthur Padilla, and incoming permanent executive director Jerred Clouse.

ROOTS would like to thank the Rotary in University District for their continued support. With gratitude, [ROOTS] would like to thank all the sponsor levels, including, Shelter Level sponsors Beeks Family Legacy, Dean Alan Architects PLLC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lynn & Bruce Gibson, WSECU, and Graduate Hotels; Bed Level sponsors Merrill A Bank of America Company, J&W Residential, SMEAD Capital Management, Anne Fitzpatrick & Peter House, the Shapiro Family Foundation, the Brettler Foundation; Blanket Level sponsors

“Krystal has been a fantastic community leader, speaking out for the needs of queer people across the region and most especially as a strong voice for the bi community. I and everyone at GSBA are excited to see her take the helm of one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the country, and look forward to continuing our long and close partnership with Seattle Out & Proud.” –Matt Landers, Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs, GSBA

“Through her actions and words, Krystal shows what it is to be a champion for people and strong communities. Krystal is a thoughtful, creative leader with the ability to see and act on opportunities to do better. I’ve seen this demonstrated time and time again on issues that come before the King County Board of Health, where we both serve as members – whether the topic is preventing gun violence, environmental health, or food safety. A member of the LGBTQ community, a colleague, and someone who has celebrated years of Seattle Pride, I am thrilled that she will bring these skills as the first ever executive director of Seattle Out & Proud/Seattle Pride, and I am looking forward to working with Krystal in this new capacity.” – Joe McDermott, King County Councilmember

“Seattle Out & Proud is lucky to have Krystal at its helm. In working alongside her, Krystal has proved herself a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. I look forward to witnessing the positive impact she will make in her new role.” –Dave Upthegrove, King County Councilmember

Courtesy of Seattle Out & Proud

Google, HomeStreet Bank, Paul & Jeffry Pyatt, and University of Washington; Pillow Level sponsors Banner Bank, Nintendo of America Inc.; and in-kind-level sponsors Alphagraphics Seattle, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, MOD Pizza, and Theo Chocolates.

Founded in 1999 with the vision that everyone deserves a safe place to call home, ROOTS (Rising Out Of The Shadows) was Seattle’s first overnight shelter designed to meet the unique needs of homeless young adults aged 18-25 years. The organization’s mission is to build community and foster dignity through access to essential services and a safe place to sleep for young adults expe-

riencing life on the streets. Since its inception, ROOTS has served over 8,500 unique guests and provided them with hot dinner, breakfast, laundry, showers, clean clothing, hygiene items, and referral services. In 2017, ROOTS added on-site case management, which resulted in 87 guests exiting shelter into housing, and in 2018 showed an increase of over 100 guests placed in housing. With young adults and other low-income persons in mind, ROOTS advocates for social justice and long-term solutions for the communities it serves. For more information, visit www. ROOTSinfo.org.

Courtesy of ROOTS

Trebor Healey and Alvin Orloff to read at Elliott Bay Book Co. Nov. 9

TREBOR HEALEY & ALVIN ORLOFF

ELLIOTT BAY BOOK COMPANY

November 9 @ 7pm

Lambda Literary Award winning writer Trebor Healey, travels to Seattle to read from his short story collection, Falling (University of Wisconsin Press) in which characters confront the profound dis -

placement of modern life. “Trebor Healey has shown us in these utterly original stories how the English-speaking part of the Americas confronts the Spanish-speaking part. But in the last story, ‘The Orchid,’ he has written a masterful exploration of the inner politics of Argentina. This is a wise, brilliant story that will be read for many years to come!” – Edmund White. Also reading this evening is Alvin Orl-

off, whose book Disasterama: Adventures in the Queer Underground 1977-1997 (Three Rooms Press) is a memoir of the impact of HIV and AIDS, art and activism within San Francisco’s Queer community “Disasterama! takes us deep into the ’80s and the daily creative resistance that saved the culture’s soul during the plague years. With wit and flair, Orloff gives us a guided tour of the era’s vibrant subcul-

tures and glittering, pointed reactions to a cold-hearted status quo. Heartbreaking and hilarious, sexed-up and political, Disasterama is a deeply personal coming-of-age story.” – Michelle Tea.

Elliott Bay Book Company is located at 1521 10th Ave. FREE.

Courtesy of Elliott Bay Book Company

Adam Rippon shined at University Book Store event

Oct. 25

by MK Scott SGN Contributing Writer

Wherever former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon goes I go. I have been covering him for the Seattle Gay News since his splashy debut at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

I saw him a few months later at the GLAAD awards in LA and later at last

year’s Out and Equal Summit at the Washington State Convention Center.

This time, Rippon was the guest of honor at the book launch and signing of his new memoir, Beautiful on the Outside, at the University Temple Methodist Church, presented by University Book Store. It was truly an evening of snark and charm and Q&A with Adam Rippon!

PULSE MEMORIAL

Mayra Alvear, whose daughter Amanda Alvear was killed in the Pulse tragedy, and Pulse survivors Neema Bahrami and Brian Reagan were joined by onePULSE Foundation CEO Barbara Poma, Orlando and Orange County Mayors Buddy Dyer and Jerry L. Demings, [and] local leaders and community advocates to make the announcement during a special event at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

The winning team’s concept design serves as a starting point for discussion and a basis for the design but is not the final, finished memorial and museum. Over the next year, Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP [sic] will work to further refine the designs so they can best reflect community feedback.

“The National Pulse Memorial & Museum will honor the 49 lives taken and all those affected while also educating visitors and future generations on the profound impact the tragedy had on Orlando, the US, and the world,” said Poma. “We are excited to work with Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP and the full team, whose next step is to embark on a master plan for the project, which will include robust community engagement.”

The design concept from Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP features a reflecting pool encircling the Pulse building, which will be integrated into the memorial design. In memory of the 49 victims, a palette of 49 colors lines the basin and radiates toward a peaceful garden planted with 49 trees. The design also envisions a spiraling, open-air museum and educational center with vertical gardens, public plazas, and a rooftop promenade.

“We are very honored that our team has been selected by the onePULSE Foundation to continue this journey together. This is a deeply meaningful project that reminds us how much architecture and landscape can influence our behavior and have an impact on our community; it’s a project that already transcends our entire team in a beautiful, collective adventure,” said Thomas Coldefy, principal of Coldefy & Associés. “Together, we have an opportunity to reclaim a place from terror and darkness and create a new reality, one that brings people together in celebration of joy and love.”

A blue-ribbon jury comprising onePULSE community members, civic decision-makers, global thought leaders, and world-renowned architects selected Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP following a public viewing and comment period in early October. Informed by over 2,300 comments from victim’s families, survivors, first responders and the public, the jury felt their design best reflected the interests expressed by the community [and] demonstrated design excellence, inventiveness, creativity, and alignment with onePULSE’s core values.

“This design is the one that I personally fell in love with. It gives me peaceful memories and reflections of remembering our 49 angels. The water running calms the soul. The opening beam of light shining toward the heavens confirms to me that our angels are watching over us…,” wrote the mother of one of the people killed in the tragedy in a comment submitted during the review period.

Complementing the National Pulse Memorial, a museum and educational center will pay tribute to all those affected by the Pulse tragedy and serve as an important place for dialogue and education acting as a catalyst for positive change. It will be central to realizing the onePULSE Foundation’s credo that “We will not let hate win.”

“…The Museum has a lightness in design but captures what the Pulse museum should be: a place to educate and bring a message of hope to the world. It will show that love will forever win. The protruding light up to the sky sends a signal to the world, inviting them to come see what Pulse represented,” said the father of a Pulse victim in a comment submitted during the review period.

Additionally, the Orlando Health Survivors Walk will trace the three-block jour-

ney many victims and first responders took the night of the tragedy to get to Orlando Regional Medical Center and extend north to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

“We will never bring back the 49 innocent victims whose lives were taken on June 12, 2016, or erase the pain that the horrific act brought to so many, but the establishment of this memorial is an important part of our community healing process. Additionally, the museum will not only serve as an important place for dialogue and education but also further Orlando’s legacy of being a place of belonging, acceptance, and respect for all,” said Orlando mayor and jury member Buddy Dyer. “As this journey continues, I look forward to continuing to work with the onePULSE Foundation and our community to further ensure we serve as a beacon of hope, unity, and love.”

“Having responded to the tragedy as the Orange County Sheriff, it’s been especially meaningful to serve on the selection jury and see how the design team has captured the spirit of our community,” said Orange County mayor and jury member Jerry L. Demings. “The National Pulse Memorial & Museum will provide a place for people to reflect, grieve, heal, and honor the 49 angels, and also stand as a testament to the indomitable spirit and resilience of the Orlando community.”

Launched in March 2019, the unique two-stage global design competition garnered 68 submissions from 19 countries and was led by Dovetail Design Strategists, the country’s leading independent architect selection firm. The submissions were narrowed down to six finalist teams who developed concept designs for a public exhibition and comment period that took place in early October.

“It has been gratifying to be part of the journey that has led to today’s announcement. The design competition – end to end – was created and conducted to generate excellence, and it delivered exceptional results,” said Dovetail Design Strategists president Susanna Sirefman. “The jury, deeply committed to imagining what the National Pulse Memorial & Museum could represent and teach future generations, has selected an inspired, forward-looking concept design that will, when fully developed, set a new, world-class standard.”

The onePULSE Foundation plans to build the National Pulse Memorial on the site of the Pulse nightclub, with the museum and education center located at 438 West Kaley Street, approximately onethird of a mile from Pulse. The memorial and museum are projected to open in 2022. The memorial will be free and open to the

public year-round.

The comment summary report is available to the public on the onePULSE Foundation website [onepulsefoundation.org].

The onePULSE Foundation is the official 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated to manage the design and construction of the permanent national memorial and museum dedicated to the Pulse tragedy. onePULSE’s mission is to create and support a memorial that opens hearts, a museum

that opens minds, educational programs that open eyes, and legacy scholarships that open doors. Its vision is to establish a sanctuary of healing and a beacon of hope by memorializing the lives taken, the lives saved, and all the lives affected by the Pulse nightclub tragedy of June 12, 2016, ensuring that Pulse’s legacy of love lives on forever. For more information, visit onePULSEfoundation.org.

Courtesy of the onePULSE Foundation

152,000 transgender adults are enrolled in Medicaid

LOS ANGELES (October 30, 2019) –

An estimated 152,000 transgender adults are enrolled in Medicaid in the US, according to a new analysis by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Eighteen states and [the District of Columbia] have chosen to specifically include coverage for gender-affirming care under their Medicaid programs or are in the process of extending coverage, while 12 states exclude coverage for such care, and 20 states have not expressly addressed coverage.

Gender-affirming care includes a range of services, such as surgical procedures, hormone therapy, and other forms of treatment related to gender transition.

Key findings

• 1.4 million adults in the US identify as transgender, and approximately 152,000 of them are enrolled in Medicaid.

• Fewer than half (69,000) of transgender Medicaid beneficiaries live in states with express policies guaranteeing coverage for gender-affirming care.

• For 51,000 transgender Medicaid beneficiaries, coverage is uncertain because they live in states where the laws are silent on coverage for gender-affirming care.

• An estimated 32,000 transgender Medicaid beneficiaries live in states with express bans that deny access to covered

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson.

HRC President David said the following:

“No one should be turned away from an apartment, kicked out of their home, or sent back to the street simply because of who they are or whom they love. LGBTQ people and our families demand fair and equal access to housing opportunities. We want affordable homes, we want quality schools, and we want to feel safe when we lay our heads down at night. These are simple things, but without them, the right to fully participate and contribute to our communities as equal members is simply out of reach. Discrimination continues to persist and, for an agency that purports to ensure housing for all, it is illogical and

frankly morally bankrupt to harm those in our community who are often closest to the edges. Explicit federal protections in statute are critical to end discrimination. That is why we need the Equality Act.”

On any given day, as many as 10,000 LGBTQ young people do not have a safe place to sleep. In some US cities, 30% of the homeless adult population is LGBTQ. The faces behind these numbers reflect our community’s most vulnerable: our youth, our transgender siblings, and people living with HIV. LGBTQ people face discrimination and rejection in every area of life: at school, at work, and at home. Distressingly, the weight of this discrimination falls disproportionately on the shoulders of LGBTQ people who are Black and Brown.

Last month, Ben Carson made horrific anti-transgender comments at a closed meeting of agency personnel that shocked many staff members and compelled one to walk out during his remarks. Under the

AHF board celebrates successful annual retreat in Chicago

LOS ANGELES (October 29, 2019)

– The board of directors for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, successfully concluded its annual retreat last week in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood for the $1.6 billion nonprofit organization, which currently cares for over 1.3 million people living with HIV or AIDS in 43 countries around the world.

The AHF board then also joined with senior AHF leadership, local and Illinois state elected officials, and others to celebrate and cut the ribbon in Humboldt Park for a new, state-of-the-art facility and offices [for] CALOR, an affiliate of the AHF and respected local Chicago nonprofit AIDS group that has been addressing the HIV/ AIDS crisis facing the Latinx community in Chicago for nearly 30 years. The board also toured the AHF’s Chicago Out of the Closet store; another AHF affiliate organization, the South Side Help Center; [and] the Hyde Park AHF Healthcare Center.

There are approximately 23,000 HIV cases in Chicago, and the Latinx community accounts for 18% of those cases. While the incidence of new infections

has dropped in the white community and is now flat in the African American community, the Latinx community is the only group in which the numbers of new infections is on the rise.

The sixteen-member AHF board, including three members from Africa as well as several Latinx members, represents nearly 300 years of combined volunteer service to the global AIDS organization.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest nonprofit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the US. The AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 1.3 million individuals in 43 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org and www.facebook.com/aidshealth, and on Twitter & Instagram: @AIDSHealthcare

Courtesy of the AHF

gender-affirming care.

“This patchwork of protections creates uncertainty for transgender people who are enrolled in Medicaid,” said study co-author

leadership of Donald Trump and Mike Pence, Carson’s agency has published potential changes that would severely undermine existing protections for transgender people. If this proposed rule is published in its current form, federally funded emergency shelters would be empowered to turn away transgender people who are homeless or displaced.

IMPEACH

continued from cover

“Today’s vote moves us into the critically important public phase of our impeachment inquiry, ensuring that the American people will hear all the facts. An impeachment inquiry is one of the most serious duties entrusted to Congress, and it is essential that we now carefully move forward with public hearings, clear rules for a fair process, and due process protections for the President.

“This is a solemn and grave moment, one that is absolutely needed based on the evidence we have gathered to date. The President and his acting Chief of Staff’s

POLL

continued from cover

Pete Buttigieg – remains in fourth place in the Real Clear Politics average of national polls, behind Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders.

The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, released October 30, sampled registered voters across the board, not just self-identified Democrats.

Fifty percent of the respondents said they were either “definitely” or “probably” ready to have an out Gay president, compared with 37% who said they were either definitely or probably not ready.

However, when respondents were asked if they thought the country was ready for a Gay president, only 40% replied in the affirmative. Forty-four percent said the country was not ready.

That gap grew even wider when voters were asked whether they thought their own neighbors were ready for a Gay president. Only a quarter of respondents answered affirmatively, while 46% said their neighbors were either definitely or probably not ready for a Gay president.

Party affiliation did not seem to matter when people assessed their neighbors’ attitudes to a Gay potential president. Pluralities of Democrats, Republicans, and

Christy Mallory, State & Local Policy Director at the Williams Institute. “Absent further policy changes in states that have bans or lack clear language addressing coverage, many transgender people in the US will continue to face obstacles when seeking health care just because of where they live.”

Additional policy changes in states that still have bans or lack clear language addressing coverage would ensure that all transgender Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide have access to coverage for necessary medical care.

Read the report [at https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/ Medicaid-Gender-Affirming-Oct-2019. pdf].

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, a think tank on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, is dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research with real-world relevance.

Courtesy of the Williams Institute

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

own words and testimony offered by officials under oath all paint a stunning picture of a President using the power of his office to further his own political interests.

“The President of the United States inviting a foreign ally to interfere in our elections – using taxpayer dollars as leverage – is a gross abuse of power and a betrayal of our Constitution, values and national security.

“As we move forward, my Republican colleagues must remember their oath of office calls on them to defend the Constitution, not President Trump. It’s our job as the people’s representatives to reaffirm that no one is above the law. The American people are watching.”

independents all said they did not believe that their neighbors were ready for a Gay president.

Buttigieg’s sexuality “may be an issue for some voters as he remains in contention for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination,” said Tyler Sinclair, Morning Consult’s vice president.

“Notably, 58% of Republicans, 32% of independents, and 22% of Democrats say they aren’t ready for a Gay or Lesbian president. The comparative figures not ready for a female president are 36% of Republicans, 15% of independents, and 8% of Democrats.”

The POLITICO/Morning Consult survey results come days after McClatchy published internal focus group findings indicating that Buttigieg’s openness about his sexuality is one reason the young mayor has struggled to gain traction among black voters, a major Democratic constituency.

According to a report summarizing the focus groups’ findings, undecided black voters in South Carolina viewed Buttigieg’s sexuality as “a barrier” to earning their votes, though not necessarily “a red line that they wouldn’t cross.” They also cited his age, name recognition, and relative inexperience in government as additional negative factors.

LGBTQ Loyalty Holdings announces launch of the LGBTQ100 ESG Index

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA (October 30, 2019) – LGBTQ Loyalty Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: LFAP) (LGBTQ Loyalty), a financial methodology and media company that quantifies corporate equality alignment with the LGBTQ community, announced today through its wholly owned subsidiary, Loyalty Preference Index, Inc., the official launch of its anticipated LGBTQ100 ESG Index (Index Ticker: LGBTQ100). The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) Index is the first-ever index that references LGBTQ community survey data in the methodology for a benchmark listing of the nation’s highest financially performing companies that our respondents believe are most committed to advancing equality. We believe that the news marks a significant moment in time for diversity and inclusion initiatives in financial markets and corporate America, as the index is available on the NYSE, Bloomberg, and Thomson Reuters.

“While we have made great gains in combating prejudice based on gender identity or sexual orientation, the fight is not over. The establishment of the LGBTQ100 Index is a logical next step in this effort,” said Barney Frank, former US congressman and member of the LGBTQ Loyalty board of directors.

The index, which will be reconstituted annually, [comprises] 100 LGBTQ equality-driven companies from the nation’s top 500 publicly traded companies, based on

our surveys. The LGBTQ100 ESG Index will maintain industry sector grouping whereby each sector can represent up to 25% in the weighting calculation. Details on the index composition criteria include company securities that:

(a) nurture and promote equality in the workplace for employees across genders and sexual orientations;

(b) maintain a strong track record of loyalty and brand awareness among millions of LGBTQ community members in the United States; and

(c) possess a record of consistently strong financial performance.

“We feel honored to be working alongside industry icons in this fight for equality. It was refreshing to discover what we believe is the correlation between equality and market outperformance, as shown by the LGBTQ100 ESG Index. We believe the outstanding results are sure to encourage socially responsible behavior among corporations worldwide,” said, Aashu Virmani, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Fuzzy Logix, the big-data analytics company managing the index methodology.

The survey, administered by the Harris Poll, provides the ESG Index with added significance for corporate and financial sectors by tapping a nationally representative respondent base of [self-identified LGBTQ] adults from across the United States. Adult respondents were asked

about their attitudes and behaviors toward companies as well as alignment with their personal values and issues critical to the LGBTQ community.

Featured companies in the top selection of inaugural LGBTQ100 ESG Index include: Cisco Systems, Inc.; Amazon.com, Inc.; Salesforce.com, Inc.; Boston Scientific Corporation; Microsoft Corporation; Apple, Inc.; Becton, Dickinson and Company; Coca-Cola Company; JP Morgan Chase & Co.; and Alphabet Inc. Class C. [Go to https://lgbtq100.com/fact-sheet/] for the comprehensive Index factsheet.

“The launch of the Index indicates a significant milestone for our company, as it materializes our longstanding mission in partnership with the LGBTQ community to enhance industry standards for advancing equality in the marketplace,” said, Bobby Blair, CEO of LGBTQ Loyalty. “The LGBTQ community and our allies finally have a benchmark of the top 100 companies that we believe best support equality along with our core values and principals. A benchmark of companies that we believe have earned our loyalty and dynamic spending power. I am incredibly proud to have contributed to this consequential day in LGBTQ history.”

Following the launch of the index, LGBTQ Loyalty is expected to announce and launch [its] new Corporate Loyalty Partnership programs.

Supporting LGBTQ Loyalty Board of

Directors include [sic]: former US Rep. Barney Frank; Major League Baseball Vice President and Special Assistant to the Commissioner Billy Bean; International Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova; and ESPN, CNN, and Los Angeles Times media personality LZ Granderson.

For more details and to monitor activity on the LGBTQ100 ESG Index, follow the hashtag #LGBTQ100 and visit www. LGBTQ100.com.

LGBTQ Loyalty is a financial methodology and media company that quantifies corporate equality alignment with the LGBTQ community and its supporters. The company has benchmarked the first-ever US Loyalty Preference Index, which the company believes empowers the LGBTQ community to express their preferences for the nation’s high-performing corporations most dedicated to advancing equality. The Loyalty Preference Index, branded as the LGBTQ100 ESG Index, is an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) Index, offering an added perspective for those seeking to align with equality-driven ESG-responsible corporations. LGBTQ Loyalty’s leadership includes seasoned authorities in the financial industry and the LGBTQ community. www.lgbtqloyalty. com

Courtesy of LGBTQ Loyalty

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Claudia López makes LGBTQ history in Bogotá, becomes first LGBTQ mayor of a Latin American capital

WASHINGTON, DC (October 28, 2019) – On Sunday night, Claudia López made history in becoming the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major Latin American capital city when she won her election in Bogotá, Colombia. López beat her opponent, Carlos Fernando Galán – winning 35.2% of the vote compared to his 32.5%. López is also the first woman elected mayor of the city.

“A lavender ceiling was shattered in Colombia Sunday night, and its effects will reverberate around Latin America,” said

Imse,

director of

cations at the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

“More than seven million Bogotá residents will now have an openly lesbian woman leading their city, and her victory will [undoubtedly] inspire more LGBTQ people to run for office. In the United States, we dubbed 2019 the Year of the Lesbian Mayor because of the unprecedented number of lesbian mayors elected to big cities.

Claudia’s victory makes clear this trend extends well beyond the United States, and our international program will continue to

work with LGBTQ leaders in Colombia and across Latin America to help LGBTQ people run and win.”

Earlier this year, the Victory Institute convened more than 300 LGBTQ elected officials and leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean in Bogotá for the 4th Conference of LGBTI Political Leaders of the Americas, held in partnership with Caribe Afirmativo. It was the largest gathering of LGBTQ Latin American and Caribbean elected officials in history and focused on increasing the number of

The Victory Institute works to increase the number of LGBTQ people in public office and provides programming, services, and other support to ensure their success. victoryinstitute.org

Courtesy of the Victory Institute

Northern Ireland gets marriage equality by default

Abortion also decriminalized

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Northern Ireland got marriage equality by default on October 21, and marriages are set to begin in February 2020.

Northern Ireland is an internally selfgoverning part of the United Kingdom but has been unable to form a government since 2017, with the two leading political parties at odds over key policies.

The UK’s parliament stepped into the political void and passed legislation –including marriage equality laws – that were to take effect on October 21, 2019, if no agreement on a government was concluded.

As a result of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement ending the so-called “Troubles” – armed conflict between Northern Ireland’s Catholic and Protestant communities – the Northern Ireland government must be based on power-sharing between the (mainly) Catholic and Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party and the (mainly) Protestant and proBritish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

Although Sinn Fein is based mainly in the Catholic community, it favors marriage equality and reproductive choice. In 2015, Sinn Fein, along with smaller progressive parties, won a majority vote for marriage equality in Northern Ireland’s parliament.

The DUP blocked the law from taking effect, using a parliamentary maneuver. Failure to resolve the standoff was a major factor in the government’s collapse in 2017.

In the subsequent parliamentary election in Northern Ireland, the DUP found itself in the minority for the first time. The parties were unable to agree on a speaker

for the newly elected parliament, however, so the body never formally elected a new government.

The UK parliament stepped into the breach this year, with the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act, establishing deadlines for the formation of a new Northern Ireland government and consequences if the parties failed to reach agreement.

They did fail, and one of the significant consequences was that marriage equal-

ity became the law of the land. Northern Ireland is now the final piece of the UK to legalize same-sex marriages.

The new legislation requires the UK government to issue regulations providing for same-sex marriage by January 13, 2020.

Because couples have to indicate their intention to marry 28 days before doing so, the first Lesbian and Gay weddings are expected to be held in the week of Valentine’s Day.

In addition, the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861 – which made abortion a criminal offence – has been repealed for Northern Ireland by the UK parliament. Abortion was legalized in Britain in 1967. Under the provisions of the new law, Northern Ireland must begin to provide abortion services by March 31, 2020.