Issue 40 Volume 37
Celebrating 36 Years!
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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Unexpected discrimination 150,000 Gay over makeup at Pink concert couples report marriage to census When Seattle resident Shaun Farmer heard pop sensation Pink was coming to town, he bought his sister, Michelle Wiitanen, a pair of tickets for her birthday. On the afternoon of the September 15 show, originally booked at the WAMU Theater but moved to the larger Key Arena due to good ticket sales, the two fans got ready for the show – Michelle would go dressed as a gothic baby doll, and Shaun as his drag queen alter-ego, Eva Androgyny. Nothing out of the ordinary, they thought. People go to concerts all the time dressed in makeup. “Earlier that day, Pink’s tour security people had us make signs that read ‘No Clown Makeup or Masks Allowed,’” said Key Arena Building Manager Eddie Burke. According to Burke, she was told to post the signs because Pink “is weirded-out by clowns.” When Shaun and Michelle arby Shaun Knittel to the first U.S. census figures re- rived at Key Arena, the two quickly made friends with fellow concertleased on same-sex marriages. SGN Staff Writer The Census Bureau reported to goers, many of whom wanted to Nearly 150,000 same-sex cou- The Associated Press that 27% of take pictures with the duo. Nothing ples reported being in marriage see census page 16 see pink page 14 relationships last year, according
courtesy shaun farmer
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer
Shaun Farmer and Michelle Wiitanen before and after
An injury to one is an injury to all Gay man likely Organized labor mobilizes for Referendum 71
The Washington state labor movement plans to devote significant resources to winning approval for Referendum 71. Leaders of both AFL-CIO and Change To Win unions told SGN
that their organizations are committed to keeping Washington’s new domestic partnership laws. “We’re strongly behind the initiative,” said Martin Luther King County Labor Council (MLKCLC) Executive Secretary Dave Freiboth. “It’s an issue many of our members feel strongly about.
to be new German foreign minister Guido-Westerwelle.de
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
We’re making a significant effort to help out.” The MLKCLC includes 150 organizations, representing some 75,000 workers. It is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, but also includes some Change To Win unions operating under “solidarity charters” designed to foster common action. “I’m hearing from the rank-andfile that it’s the right thing to do,” Freiboth continued. “Most people don’t believe the propaganda from the other side anymore – like they might have 10 years ago. There’s a broad sense that it’s about justice.” “We’re incorporating this into lit pieces for Labor Neighbor,” MLKCLC Political Organizer Lily Wilson-Codega told SGN, referring to the program of recruiting union members to canvass other union households. “It’s a workers’ rights issue. That’s how we message it to labor.” Wilson-Codega explained, “On statewide measures, we adopt the endorsements of the Washington State Labor Council [WSLC]. They have endorsed Approve Referendum 71. So we’re ready to go.”
Guido Westerwelle
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Guido Westerwelle, the openly Gay head of Germany’s Free Democratic Party, will probably become foreign minister when Chancellor Angela Merkel completes negotiations on her new cabinet. Merkel, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, won reelection as chancellor in an elecsee labor page 16 tion September 27.
Germany is a parliamentary democracy, in which the chancellor must have the support of a majority in the Bundestag (Parliament). Since many parties compete for seats, the result is often a coalition government in which the leader of the largest party becomes chancellor, and the leader of the next largest coalition partner typically is named foreign minister. Both Merkel’s Christian Democrats and Westerwelle’s Free Democrats are center-right parties, so the new government is expected to adopt more conservative economic polices than her first one, in which her coalition partner was the center-left Social Democratic Party. While the Social Democrats still came second in the voting, they suffered their worst electoral showing in 60 years. Merkel’s Christian Democrats also lost votes, but Westerwelle’s party gained votes – as did The Left coalition and the Greens. see minister page 16
Volunteers needed we need your help. Washington Families Standing Together is hosting phone banks out of the Equal Rights Washington Office in Seattle, every Monday thru Thursday. Many shifts are available, so please consider donating your time to make a difference in the lives of thousands of families across the state. Log on to: www.approve71.org for more details.
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Seattle Gay News
October 2, 2009
Celebrating 36 Years!
THANKS FROM SEATTLE SHANTI Thanks very much for giving us such great space to acquaint the community with our volunteer needs. Robert Lux GAY BARS For many years, Gay bars, otherwise known as watering holes, were very popular for meeting new people, extended conversations, and, hopefully, connections. People still socialize at bars, but the atmo-
sphere is somewhat different now. There are patrons who stay with their friends, watch intently, and some Gay men who very seldom talk to anybody. The past cordiality appears to be very understated now, with so many people who prefer to watch instead of participating in social amenities. I haven’t met a new Gay man in several years, whereas before it meant several conversations and phone numbers. At times I feel like I’m a member of the Foreign Legion. Buzz Flowers Callaway
Prop 8 déjà vu in Maine by Rex Wockner SGN Contributing Writer Maine voters will decide November 3 whether to veto a law passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor that legalized same-sex marriage. The law has not yet taken effect pending the outcome of the election. The TV ad war got underway September 15, and it looks and smells like the Proposition 8 ad war last year in California. Some analysts believe Gays lost marriage in California because the No on 8 campaign lost the TV ad war. In one Maine ad, the anti-Gay side even uses the same video it used in California of a horrified straight couple whose secondgrader apparently learned about same-sex marriage at school in Massachusetts. The anti-Gay side’s first ad said: “Special-interest groups got the Legislature to approve homosexual marriage and tried to prevent Mainers from voting. But Question 1 gives us our vote. Unless Question 1 passes, there will be real consequences for Mainers. Legal experts predict a flood of lawsuits
against individuals, small businesses and religious groups. Church organizations could lose their tax exemption. Homosexual marriage taught in public schools, whether parents like it or not.” The anti-Gay side’s second ad said: “Opponents of Question 1 say that legalizing homosexual marriage has nothing to do with schools. But it has everything to do with schools. ‘After Massachusetts legalized Gay marriage, our son came home and told us the school taught him that boys can marry other boys. He’s in second grade! We tried to stop public schools from teaching children about Gay marriage, but the courts said we had no right to object or pull him out of class.’ It’s already happened in Massachusetts. Vote yes on Question 1 to prevent homosexual marriage from being taught in Maine schools.” The Gay side in Maine – called NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality – has aired two response ads. The first one said: “Schools should be safe havens where children can learn and be accepted. In Maine, we protect all families, and we all want to keep our chil-
LGBTQ resource center opens at Bellevue College by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer Bellevue College opened its new LGBTQ Resource Center with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony September 30. The Center’s resources will include books and computers for use in research on LGBTQ issues. The Center will also provide a focal point for educational seminars and presentations on LGBTQ issues, as well as a gathering place for members of the campus Gay-Straight Alliance. “I’m delighted with the opening of our new LGBTQ Resource Center,” said Bellevue College Dean of Student Services Tom Pritchard. “Its educational programs will contribute significantly to our progress in providing a welcoming and supportive academic environment for all.” The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at the Center, Room 225 in the college’s student union, and was attended by students, faculty, and members of the LGBT community, and included a special performance by celebrity drag queen Miss Coco Peru. Sergey Smirnov, a former student government officer, said the LGBTQ Center was a program he helped implement and secure funding for. “Bellevue College has had a very active student LGBTQ movement in the past. However, when I got to school [2005-2008], there was little activity,” Smirnov told SGN. “When I was serving as the student government VP of student affairs and pluralism, I tried multiple approaches to starting the activities again. However, I thought, even if I was successful, what would guarantee that LGBT activity would not disappear in a few
years again? This needed to be a sustainable organization.” Smirnov said throughout his year of service, he often heard from other students who wanted a physical space for LGBTQ students and their allies and staff to use as a resource. “I’ve always thought from a ‘why not?’ perspective, and naturally thought there was no harm in trying, even if there was no guarantee to make it happen,” he said. “The best way to get a resource center started would be a student-led initiative with student money. So, literally overnight, I wrote a proposal for the creation of the LGBTQ Resource Center to be funded from the Student Services and Activities Fee.” During the budget process, he said, many people came together to express their support, and the Center was granted a modest, yet unprecedented, startup fund. “In the coming few years, many talented and passionate people carried on the vision and have grown it to where it is today,” Smirnov told SGN. Smirnov currently works at Bellevue College in Enrollment Services and attends the University of Washington. “The Center will provide a secure environment and safe environment that also provides anonymity for the people who come seeking help or emotional support or referrals to resources that they don’t feel safe looking for,” said Andres Munt, current ASG Clubs and Programs representative. Bellevue College’s main campus is located at 3000 Landerholm Circle S.E., Bellevue, at the intersection of S.E. 28th St. and 148th Ave. S.E.
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dren safe. That’s the Maine way. But outsiders are trying to harm our kids in schools by deceiving families about what’s taught in Maine classrooms. It won’t work, because in Maine all families put children first. ‘I’ve been teaching in Maine schools since 1983. We teach respect and Maine values. That will never change.’ Vote no on 1 to protect Maine equality.” The second response ad, released September 25, says: “In Maine, we’re proud of every family and every child, regardless of who their parents are. That’s the Maine way. But outsiders are trying to harm our kids and make them feel ashamed by making false claims about what’s taught in Maine classrooms. They’re baseless, untrue. It won’t work. ‘Schools should be safe havens for children, places where all children feel welcome, accepted and safe.’ Vote no on 1 to protect marriage equality.” If the shocking language of the “yes” side sounds familiar, and the mild language of the “no” side sounds familiar, it should. It happened before. In California. “The religious right is targeting marriage equality in Maine with big money and false attacks, virtually identical to the fearmongering strategies in 2008’s Proposition 8 campaign in California,” said People for the American Way. Said writer Andrew Sullivan: “The antiGay forces are pounding Maine with exactly the same scare tactics that worked in California. Most of the pro-Gay ads are as lame as they were in California as well.” Indeed, some activists are concerned that NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality is on a path to repeat the failed No on 8 campaign in California. Blogger Phillip Minton (unitethefight.org) summarized the concern September 17. “We knew [from the Prop 8 battle in California] what the opposition was going to say [in Maine],” Minton wrote. “Shouldn’t we have had an ad on the air already addressing these specific concerns before the Yes on 1 opened their lying mouths? ... We need to kill their arguments before they even voice them. We need to tell Mainers: ‘You’re going to hear that marriage is going to be taught in schools, but you have the power to decide that yourself in your districts. You’re going to hear that your church is going to be sued, but you already have protections in place by law. The other side is going to try
and confuse this issue, to state things that are not in the law. They want to mislead you. They will lie to you. This is not about curriculum, not about religion. What this is about is civil marriage for all. It’s about protecting families. It’s about being fair.’ But that’s just a start. It’s got to hit harder. Expose the lies as lies.” NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality Campaign Manager Jesse Connolly doesn’t seem worried, however. Writing at Daily Kos on September 18, he said: “We feel confident that we have the right strategy, and we’re running a Mainebased campaign. We have organized an unprecedented grassroots effort with organizers on the ground in every county, on every college campus, in towns and cities across Maine and reaching out to Maine people from Kittery to Fort Kent. Our campaign emphasizes Mainers talking to their friends, neighbors, coworkers and families to build the support we need to win on November 3rd.” If that sounds familiar, it should. That’s how Harvey Milk and friends beat Proposition 6 in California in 1978. Prop 6 would have banned Gays from teaching school. But in the intervening 30 years, the antiGay side has honed its rhetoric to near-perfect pitch. GLBT Californians watching the Maine campaign have a distinct feeling of déjà vu – if not one of dread. Same-sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont. There also are 18,000 married same-sex couples in California, though voters have banned any more same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriage becomes legal in New Hampshire in January. With assistance from Bill Kelley
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Tour de Life: The unwritten rules of bizarre masculine gym etiquette
by Beau Burriola SGN European Correspondent
DAY ONE “Mphhhhhhh,” I hissed with all my manly might, lifting with every ounce of strength I could muster and turning as bright as a radish along the way. “Grmphhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” And the bar moved about a half-inch. I was trying not to panic in a weight room full of muscled men, pushing with all my might. I wanted desperately to keep everything looking quite normal, but it wasn’t normal. My pride stopped me from doing the common-sense thing and just putting the bar down. After all, I had come marching into this gym trying to look perfectly comfortable, slapped on two banal looking tens and fives on each side, and lifted, thinking that a gym in Belgium would be just the same as a gym in Seattle. Nope, wrong. Painfully wrong. Those numbers on all the weights around here are kilos, each having about 2.2 pounds, something that never occurred to me in the month I’d been here before walking into this gym, so here I stood, heaving, trying to curl 75 pounds with arms that can do half that on a good day. “Come on,” I told myself sure that if I could do just one, I could put it down and salvage some tiny bit of my pride. “You got this. Man up!” The bar moved another half-inch, but now with an increasingly violent shake. For all my dramatic, loud mustering, heaving and grunting, I couldn’t get the bar above my belly button, and I damn near did in my back just getting it that far. Now noticing that the three guys nearest me had stopped what they were doing to look my way, I closed my eyes, slowly lowered the bar and let out a long breath, the
deep red hue of effort in my face giving way laugh and we could all just push this along to a lighter, burning red of embarrassment. to an end. So laugh I did, loudly. I closed my eyes and laughed until I felt my eyes water. DAY SIX But nobody else laughed. Not a single perI looked around the weight room for the son in a room full of men laughed. Two just missing clippy. For the uninitiated, a clippy stared. I had again broken the Sacred Rules. is a sort of metal paper clip you attach to the Without picking up my weights, I took a end of a weight bar to keep the weights from deep breath and headed for the locker room. falling off, and for the life of me I couldn’t find the one missing on my bar. DAY 31 If you’ve never looked around a weight After a month of embarrassments and deroom for something missing, it’s much hard- feats at my gym, I’ve reached some kind of er than it sounds. If the room is crowded, equilibrium. I know about kilos and clippies you have to try to look for it without looking and I know that “hartslag” on a bike means at the guys around you. My familiarity with heart rate. I’m practically local. the Unwritten Rules of Bizarre Masculine Still, I believe that you are never really Gym Etiquette tells me this is necessary to comfortable in a gym; you just become less keep anyone from feeling uncomfortable uncomfortable over time. You get used to – or worse, getting outright offended. So, I all those people in the same space, all wishwalked around the room with my eyes cast ing there weren’t so many, all throwing all upward and down, but carefully not toward their effort into the lifting and pumping and anyone, searching high and low for a clip- pulling and pushing to try to make a better py. person, all the while trying to follow unwritAfter a couple of rounds around the gym, ten rules nobody agrees with. It’s a bizarre I found a clippy and walked back to my bar. alter-universe where the never-ending war Now with a sensible knowledge of kilos, I between self-esteem and self-determination put on the right amount of weight. So far, play out in sometimes stingingly uncomso good. fortable ways. I lifted the bar, fully expecting that the And even if the language in other coundozen or so men around me wouldn’t even tries is different, I can tell you firsthand that notice me, and then in horror, disaster the Unwritten Rules of Bizarre Masculine struck. The clippy I had found slid right off Gym Etiquette are universal. We loathe and the bar went down on one side and up them and wish it were all different, but they on the other. I tried to recover, but not before are the same at gyms the world over. All you weight plates, clippies, and a pole went scat- can do is stick with it and try to maintain tering, bouncing, and rolling in all direc- a sense of humor, and if you’re stubborn tions, the crowd around me moving to avoid enough, it will all work out. as much as they could. Nobody spoke. With no other way to vent “There’s only one corner of the universe my embarrassment, I began laughing. After you can be certain of improving, and that’s all, laughter is universal, and so is humor, your own self.” right? Perhaps they might even join in the –Aldous Huxley
In Loving Memory Of Steve Foiles, Scott Roger Alpert, Cookie Andrews-Hunt, James Leland Moore, Randy Peters, Lee Richeson, Shaun Shelton, Jim Tully, James Arnold
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Seattle Gay News
October 2, 2009
Celebrating 36 Years!
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer
The Seattle Gay Softball League’s Emerald City Softball Association (ECSA) Division C team, Seattle Squadron, is trying to get to San Diego, California. Don’t worry, Squadron fans, the boys won’t be gone for good; they’re competing in the Autumn Classic, a Gay San Diego Softball Tournament, October 10-11. Seattle Squadron, formed during last year’s ECSA season, is currently raising money to make the trip possible. The Autumn Classic will be the first tournament the team will play out of town. Team Manager Art Ruiz said it will cost each player approximately $450 in order to cover airfare, registration and hotel accommodations. Ruiz says the team is in good hands with sponsorship from Julia’s on Broadway. Ruiz and other Squadron players can be seen weekly at Julia’s Le Faux show fundraising for their trip. In addition, Ruiz emcees the pre-show from 9-10:30 p.m. Seattle Squadron’s lineup consists of players ranging from 20 to over 50 years old. Ruiz told SGN playing in the ECSA is very competitive and he’s proud of the fact
that, at 475 members, the league is tied for 4th place with Los Angeles, California as the largest in the country. Which, he says, is amazing “because in L.A. it’s sunny yearround, and we play in some not-so-friendly softball weather.” The team played a winning 2009 season with an 11 game-winning streak, Ruiz said. “The league is great. You meet a lot of really nice people from every background and skill level,” Ruiz told SGN. “The Squadron is a group of friends. We prove that a group of 14 guys can be competitive and still have fun.” Ruiz says Julia’s on Broadway’s owners and management have been fantastic in their support of the team. He said the relationship between the team and Julia’s is better than what could be expected. “They give us a space and an audience to help with fundraising,” Ruiz said. “And it’s a great place to have a few beers after a game. They have a great happy hour.” On October 2, Seattle Squadron will hold a special fundraiser at Julia’s on Broadway. Beginning at 9 p.m., Ruiz and the boys will be selling raffle tickets for prizes such as concert tickets, game tickets, movie passes,
Marsha Botzer to speak at National Equality March file photo
Marsha Botzer
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer Longtime equality activist and newly re-elected National Gay and Lesbian Task Force co-chair Marsha Botzer told SGN she’s been asked to speak at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., October 11. Botzer, who is on the steering committee for the National March, said she will speak about the issues the Transgender community face, as well as demand equality for
all LGBT persons under the law. The National March will commence at noon from 15th NW & “I” (Eye) St. NW, travel via Pennsylvania Avenue and end on the west lawn of the Capitol building. A rally is set for the end of the march, with three hours of inspirational speeches and music scheduled. The purpose of the march and rally is to demand equal protections for LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states – now. “I have always felt a primary goal of all
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courtesy Seattle Squadron
Seattle Squadron bound for San Diego
Art Ruiz (r) and The Seattle Squadron
and dining certificates. Le Faux will have a special guest host for the show, and Ruiz will be standing by to help get the audience fired up for the performances while raising money for the team in hopes of taking as many Squadron players to San Diego as possible. If you cannot make it to Friday’s fundraiser but would like to donate to the
team directly, you can log in to Paypal and send money to ecsaseattlesquadron@gmail. com. For more information about Seattle Squadron, visit the team online at www. emeraldcitysoftball.org and find them under the “Teams” tab. Ruiz said you can also friend Seattle Squadron on Facebook.
our progressive work is achieving complete equality for every person,” Botzer told SGN. “I joined the Equality March project to add my voice to this great goal.” Botzer said when she saw the vast enthusiasm coming from young activists who are calling for change, it persuaded her to “join to assist the movement.” “The young activists who are interested in the National Equality March are really helping to generate enthusiasm,” she said. “This march is a call to action for everyone to be treated equally under the law.” For more information on the National Equality March visit: www.nationalequalitymarch.com Although Botzer will be in Washington, D.C., she said there are two very important goals the Washington State LGBT community need to meet: Approve Referendum 71 during the November 3 general election,
and participate in the Seattle OUTProtest and rally October 11. “Referendum 71 must be approved,” Botzer told SGN. “Lend your power to this effort and help Washington Families Standing Together.” “The Pacific Northwest’s own young activists are brilliantly at work on a local march, set for October 11,” she said. “The Seattle OUTProtest is a companion to the National Equality March. Show up and march; the organizers need you and your strong support.” She told SGN that as a member of the LGBT community who has spent many years organizing and educating people about the movement, she believes these are exciting times for the Gay movement for equality. “The time to be happy is now!” said Botzer. “The time for unity is now!”
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the right to a peaceful demonstration for LGBT people, Serbia has shown that it is not ready to become a member of the EU [European Union].” The European Region of the International by Rex Wockner Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex SGN Contributing Writer Association (aka ILGA-Europe) said the debacle means the government has lost control of the city. “Serbian authorities have given in to threats of violence from neo-fascist groups, sending a message that the center of Belgrade is controlled by a violent mob, not the government and the police,” said Program Director Maxim Anmeghichean. “The events of the last few days demonstrate that the Serbian authorities should fill the legal gap by prohibiting and punishing incitement to violence.” Following the parade’s cancellation, the Swedish ambassador quickly organized a “mini-pride” at his suburban residence. About 50 people attended. “Pride is all about the message of tolerance,” Ambassador Krister Bringéus told the group. “I am very sorry that pride didn’t take place, but welcome to this small pride event.” Belgrade’s first Gay-pride march, in what was then Yugoslavia, was attacked by hundreds of thugs from ultranationalist youth organizations, skinhead groups and soccer Twenty people staged a protest outside a “Gay conversion” conference clubs on June 30, 2001. in suburban Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 19. The hoodlums kicked and beat the marchSerbian Gay pride parade capital,” said organizer Dragana Vuckovic. ers and chanted, “Death to homosexuals.” canceled after threats Belgrade’s Queerbeograd.org denounced Police fired pistols into the air to chase the The September 20 Gay pride parade in the “lack of cooperation on the part of [the] miscreants from the city’s main square. Belgrade, Serbia, was canceled September state and police to secure the event.” Indonesian province 19 under pressure from police and the gov“This is after months of planning by the enacts anti-Gay law ernment, who said they couldn’t protect the organizing team, and repeated assurances The House of Representatives in Indomarchers from thousands of violent anti- from government at all levels, the minisGay hooligans who planned to attack the ter for minorities, and the Serbian premier nesia’s Aceh province has enacted a new event. and president, that the pride will be secured Islamic criminal code that punishes homoMarch opponents had covered walls in the and protected,” the website said. “A full se- sexuality with up to 100 lashes, Amnesty city center with graffiti that said, “We will curity study was commissioned more than International reported September 17. The code also bans gambling, drinking alget you,” “Death to faggots,” and “Blood three months ago by pride organizers and will flow,” and had spoken openly to report- executed by the university defense depart- cohol, premarital sex, adultery and fornicaers about the planned assault. ment constructing a detailed strategy for tion – punishing adultery with stoning. “The new criminal bylaw flies in the face Serbia had not had a Gay pride parade all logistical possibilities to carry out pride since 2001, when dozens of marchers and safely with full instructions for how police of international human rights law as well as police officers were injured by marauding would secure pride participants’ entrance to provisions of the Indonesian constitution,” neo-Nazis, nationalists and soccer fans. the parade, their safety during the event and said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty’s Asia-Pacific diThe decision to call off the parade came their ability to leave the event unmolested.” rector. “Stoning to death is particularly cruel after organizers met with Prime Minister The European Parliament’s Intergroup on and constitutes torture, which is absolutely Mirko Cvetkovic, who proposed moving Gay and Lesbian Rights was equally dis- forbidden under all circumstances in international law.” the march away from the city center. Orga- mayed. nizers rejected that idea. “This pride march should have been an Gays protest at Australian “The message of equal rights is transmit- important step forward for human rights in “Gay conversion” ted symbolically when a group on the mar- Serbia,” said Intergroup President Michael conference gins is able to parade in the center of the Cashman. “Instead, by failing to guarantee
INTERNATIONAL
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by James Whitely SGN Contributing Writer Robert Raketty, the executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in Washington State, recently announced that he is resigning from his position. This news comes as a surprise for many, as he has been an active member of the community for many years. Raketty became the executive director of GLSEN Washington in 2004. Since then, he says, “Combined with the hard work of many others, we changed hearts, opened eyes, and – most importantly – saved lives.” “We went to the front lines of every major skirmish here in Washington where the rights of students to obtain an education free from harassment and bullying were in question,” Raketty told SGN. Raketty has traveled all around Washington State, and says that people in Seattle would be surprised about how much work still needs to be done. “I never thought I would find myself in front of a school board arguing that the district should not ban all student clubs rather than allow the Gay-Straight Alliance the right to meet,” Raketty told SGN. “I have seen intimidation of students at the hands of school administrators to keep them from exercising their right to form a GSA.” But Raketty had a long history of working to end school based bullying and harassment 6
Seattle Gay News
long before his work with GLSEN. The current interim executive director, Joseph Bento, told SGN, “[Raketty] has been an activist for a long time. … His work with GLSEN has been a small point along a long journey of working with the Gay community and youth. … Robert has always been the kind of person that loved working with youth and has always had time for them.” In 1996, SGN covered a story about a young high school senior who had been on the Newport High School (Bellevue) wrestling team for three years and decided to quit the team after his fellow teammates had threatened his life because of his sexuality. That student was Raketty. In light of the harassment and threats, Raketty became a spokesperson for the Safe Schools Coalition, and thus began his activism career. He went on to become a founding member and the first vice president of the Gay/ Lesbian Parent Teacher Student Association of Puget Sound – the first PTA-sanctioned Gay PTA in the country. Raketty has been working with GLSEN since 1997, the year he graduated from high school. After becoming a board member, he went on to become the public relations director in 2003, and was appointed executive director in 2004. “There are hundreds of stories I could share. Most touching to me, however, are all the times I met a student who said that their
October 2, 2009
U.S. Gays married in Canada have trouble divorcing Some U.S. Gay couples who get married in Canada and then later want to divorce find themselves in a pickle, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported September 25. Forty-two U.S. states do not recognize same-sex marriage and, therefore, it is not possible for a same-sex couple to divorce in many or all of those states. A couple could return to Canada to end the marriage, but that presents its own problem: Canadian divorce law requires that at least one of the spouses has lived in Canada for the 12 months before a divorce is granted. The CBC said similar divorce requirements exist in U.S. states that recognize Gay marriage. British Lesbians win birth-certificate rights A new law that took effect in England and Wales on September 1 allows a Lesbian couple who conceive a child together to be named as the parents on the birth certificate. Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, if the couple are civilly partnered or have made use of a licensed fertility clinic, they automatically will be listed as the parents. The new law also instructs fertility clinics to stop considering “the need for a father” in determining whether to help a couple and instead consider “the need for supportive parenting.” With assistance from Bill Kelley
attendance at one of GLSEN Washington so much for our organization and is such a State’s many events gave them the courage strong leader. He works so well with volto start a GSA, become an ally, or to be hon- unteers. We’ll be sad to see him go,” Bento est with family and friends about their sexu- told SGN. ality,” Raketty told The folks at SGN. “I don’t think GLSEN Washingit can be understatton threw Raketty ed that this is the a going-away parfinest group of peoty, where they preple that I’ve ever sented him with had the opportunity a large wooden to work with. Their apple, to honor his passion in itself can effort of creating move mountains safer schools. – and I’ve seen it “I offered myself happen.” to the chapter as an Recently though, event volunteer, with the state of the and I definitely economy, things will never write off have been a bit disgetting involved heartening for Rawith GLSEN in ketty and GLSEN the future,” RaketWashington. “The ty told SGN. downturn made it Raketty believes very difficult to do that the new inmy job, particularly terim executive diin fundraising,” rector, Bento, will said Raketty. This do more than just a inevitably led to good job. Robert Raketty the cancellation of “It really feels a handful of GLSEN events. “It took a toll good to turn over the reigns to someone who on everybody, lots of youth programs had to knows the work well and I know will do the be cancelled.” job well,” said Raketty. Bento, formally the I decided to leave GLSEN Washington education and training director, is a teacher State mostly because I wanted to return to in the Renton school district. He has represchool and take a break from activism,” said sented GLSEN Washington on the national Raketty. “I’ve returned to night school. I level several times. “[Bento] is probably the want to further my education in psychology. most informed about what is happening with … I’m looking into it as a career.” GLSEN on a national level,” said Raketty. “I wish him well in all his endeavors, but “I am no champion for safer schools – just of course it’s really bittersweet. He does one of many warriors,” Raketty told SGN. courtesy robert raketty
Robert Raketty steps down from GLSEN
Twenty people staged a protest outside a “Gay conversion” conference in suburban Melbourne, Australia, on September 19. They carried signs reading “Hands off Queer kids” and “You can’t straighten me out,” and had a heated debate with conference organizers. “Teaching young people to suppress their sexuality and pretend to be straight is detrimental to their well-being,” said protester Tim Wright. “If their church won’t accept them for who they are, they should find a church that does.” “The idea that you can convert Gays to heterosexuality ... has been completely discredited by science, yet a small handful of fanatics continue to advance it,” Wright said. “It’s not likely that the conversion movement will ever gain traction in Australia as it has in the United States, but this event is a reminder that we must remain vigilant.”
Celebrating 36 Years!
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compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer
REGISTER TO VOTE DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 5 If you live in King County and are not registered to vote or need to change your voter registration because you have moved, visit the King County Office of Records and Elections website at www.kingcounty. gov/elections or phone their office at 206296-8683. There is extensive information about voter registration on their outgoing voice mail if you reach their office after hours. If you live outside of King County, visit the Washington Secretary of State’s website at www.secstate.wa.gov and scroll down to the “Register to Vote” link in the home page’s “Most Requested Info” category or call the Elections Division at 360902-4180. Deadline for mail-in registration is 29 days before the November 3 General Election. Mail-in registrations must be POSTMARKED no later than Monday, October 5 to meet the deadline. Online registration must be received no later than Monday, October 5 at 11:59 p.m. If you miss the 29-day mail-in and online registration deadline AND you are not currently registered in the state of Washington, you can register in person 8 days before the November 3 General Election at the King County Elections office in Renton. Contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division for 8-day in-person registration locations in other counties. If you have moved from one county to another and need to change your voter registration, you must revise your registration by mail, online or in-person by Monday, October 5. If you have not revised your registration by Monday, October 5, call the King County Office of Records and Elections or the Washington Secretary of State’s office for further information on how you can vote in the November 3 election. If you have any questions or concerns about registering to vote or revising your voter registration, please contact the King County Office of Records and Elections or the Washington Secretary of State’s office. RAINBOW FLAGS DEBUTS ON YOU TUBE Local Gay activist, Demian, has finished his video documentary, Rainbow Flags, in which he asked noteable participants in Seattle’s 2009 Gay Pride Parade, “Why are you in the parade?” Featuring interviews with Charlene Strong, Anne Melle, George Bakan, Greg Nickels, Sally J. Clark, Jamie Pedersen, Eric Pedersen, Ed Murray, J. Steve Mayo, Ken Shulman and Dow Constantine, Demian says “All the answers are terrific.” You may access this video from the following URL: http://www.youtube. com/777demian. MULTIFAITH WORKS SHANTI AND CARETEAM PROGRAMS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS Most of us have known people in our community who have been affected by either AIDS or addiction. Many of us have watched as acquaintances have retreated into isolation due to stigmatization of who they are or who they are perceived to be. Two local programs that excel in providing support to isolated members of our GLBTQ community are the Shanti and CareTeam programs at Multifaith Works, an agency that welcomes volunteers and clients of any cultural, sexual or spiritual orientation. Both programs are a mainstay for companionship and support in the lives of many people within the LGBTQ community. Both programs are in dire need of more volunteers to serve a growing waitlist of individuals needing support. Can you help? The CareTeam training for new volunteers is Saturday, October 10. The next Shanti training takes place the weekends of October 17, 18 and
THE ELITE HOSTS FREE ASL LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS Have you ever wanted to learn basic American Sign Language? If so, you can get some beginning ASL instruction at the Elite, 1520 E. Olive Way. The FREE lessons will be held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the loft.
24, 25. For information on these programs SEATTLE GAY & LESBIAN and how to become involved, visit www. BOOK CLUB AT DUNSHEE HOUSE multifaith.org or call 206-324-1520. Shanti The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club Program Coordinator, ext 228. CareTeam meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at DunProgram Coordinator, ext 226. shee House, 303 17th Ave. E. at E. Thomas St. The club is pleased to announce the folSOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL October 2-4 at Broadway Performance lowing titles to be discussed in their ongoHall, 1625 Broadway at E. Pine St. www. ing reading and discussion series: October – Wild Dogs by Helen Humphreys; November tasveer.org. – The Gifts of the Body by Rebecca Brown; December – Death in Venice by Thomas I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT – Mann. All GLBTQ folks in the community QUEER FILM AT THE are welcome to participate in this free book SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL club. The reading list is chosen and the disWITH POST-FILM GALA On Saturday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m., Tas- cussion facilitated by Nick DiMartino, pubveer and Trikone-NW, Seattle’s LGBTQ lished novelist and playwright, currently a South Asian social organization, present book reviewer for ShelfAwareness.com, the Queer-themed South Asian film, I Can’t and a 30-year employee of University Book Think Straight, at the Broadway Perfor- Store. For more information, email nickdimance Hall, 1625 Broadway at E. Pine St., martin@earthlink.net or contact Dunshee at the South Asian Film Festival. Tickets are House at 206-322-2437. $7 & $5 for students and seniors. A post-film “BLITZ” gala will be held at 611 Supreme, 611 E. CAPITOL HILL ART WALK Pine St., with wine and hors d’oeuvres. For On Thursday, October 8, from 5-8 p.m., more information, go to http://isaff.tasveer. visit over 40 participating venues at “Blitz,” org/2009 or visit www.trikonenw.org. Capitol Hill’s monthly 2nd Thursday art walk. For a complete list of participating “PASSION FOR THE CURE” venues, visit www.blitzcapitolhill.com. ART SHOW TO BENEFIT SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE SKI BUDDIES KICKS OFF Art expressing, hope, awareness and a THEIR 2009-2010 SEASON celebration of life will be on display at the WITH “NIGHT OUT” & POTLUCK C Art Gallery, 855 Hiawatha Pl. S. through On Thursday, October 8, from 6-9 p.m., Sunday, October 18. View and purchase the work of over 30 artists as they share their join Ski Buddies for a club night out at Purr, gifts and their passion to help eradicate 1518 11th Ave. Enjoy Happy Hour and breast cancer. This exhibit serves to bring Thursday evening drink specials, get excithope and awareness about early detection ed about the new ski season and meet new and celebrates the lives of women who have friends interested in joining Ski Buddies. On Sunday, October 11, from 6-9 p.m., at survived breast cancer. Proceeds from art sales will support the Puget Sound Affiliate All Pilgrims’ Christian Church, 500 Broadof Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The gallery way E. at E. Republican St., join Ski Budis open Sunday 12-5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednes- dies for their first potluck of the season. For more details about Ski Buddies and day and Thursday, 3-6 p.m., and by appointment. For more info, email c.artgallery@ their planned ski trips and winter outdoor activities, visit www.skibuddies.org. gmail.com or call 206-322-9374. SEATTLE VOLLEYBALL CLUB FALL 2009 LEAGUE SEASON The Seattle Volleyball Club Fall 2009 League Season will run from Monday, September 21 to Monday, December 7. (The Winter 2010 League Season will run from Monday, January 25 to Monday, March 31.) Seattle Volleyball Club is an organization for Gay volleyball players and their friends. For complete details, visit www.seattlevolleyball.com. MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHY DAYS AT GENE JUAREZ SALONS & SPAS On Tuesdays, October 6 (Downtown Seattle), 13 (Bellevue), 20 (University Village) and 27 (Alderwood Mall), Seattle’s Gene Juarez Salons & Spas will host Mobile Mammography Days sponsored by the Puget Sound Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Mobile Mammography Program. Participants will slip into a robe and slippers to enjoy a complimentary foot relaxing treatment along with a gift bag before their mammograms. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins will be accepted on a spaceavailable basis. For more information and to schedule a mammogram appointment, please contact the Community Health Access Program (CHAP) at 800-756-5437. Mammograms will be billable to insurance companies. No-cost mammograms are available to low-income and uninsured women through the Washington State Breast and Cervical Health Program. Women may also self-pay for the mammogram by bringing a check for $183. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-800-I’M AWARE.
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p.m., celebrate the weekend at the Generation Q MEGA Mixer, at Sole Repair Shop, 1001 E. Pike St. www.SeattleOUTProtest.org. MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE – SPARKS OF GLORY: CAMP SONGS Music of Remembrance’s concert-withcommentary series explores connections between Holocaust musicians and the Seattle Art Museum’s exhibit, “Burden of History,” featuring live chamber music performances of Paul Schoenfield’s “Camp Songs” (Angela Niederloh, mezzo soprano; Erich Parce, baritone), Ernest Bloch’s soulful “Prayer” for double bass, and Gideon Klein’s stirring “Duo” for violin and cello. This FREE concert will be held on Saturday, October 10 at 2 p.m. at the Seattle Art Museum, Plestcheef Auditorium, First Ave. & University St. SOUTH SEATTLE LGBTQ NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS & FAMILIES COMMUNITY BUILDING BBQ AND POTLUCK On Saturday, October 10, from 4-8 p.m., the South East Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S. Holly St. at Rainier Ave. S., invites Southend LGBTQ neighbors, friends and families to a community building BBQ and potluck at the Center. Meet other LGBTQ people in our neighborhood, learn about SESSC’s desire to expand its community outreach, have fun, eat delicious food, and dance, children and grandchildren are welcome. Burgers, hotdogs, vegi burgers and condiments will be provided. Bring side dishes, drinks (wine and beer are welcome) and ideas for connecting in the community. The event is FREE and open to all ages. For more information, call 206-722-0317 or visit ruthe@seniorservices.org.
SEATTLE COUNSELING SERVICE GALA DINNER & DANCE On Saturday, October 10, celebrate Seattle Counseling Service’s 40th anniversary with fun and elegance and special surprise guests, including SCS founders and other dignitaries too numerous to mention. The gala will be held at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, 1400 6th Ave. at Pike St., with reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. The celebration continues till midnight. Tickets are: $125 per person, with $25 discount for hosted tables. For more inforDHARMA BUDDIES’ mation and to RSVP, call 206-323-1768 or FALL SILENT RETREAT Dharma Buddies will be holding a three- visit www.seattlecounseling.org. day silent mediation retreat, Friday evening, WICKED WOMYN CONFERENCE October 9 through noon on Monday, OctoWicked Womyn 2009, a bi-annual leathber 12 at Camp Ramblewood, near Sequim, on the Olympic Peninsula. (There will be an er women’s conference in Seattle, will be option to leave at 7 p.m. on Sunday for those held on the weekend of October 23-25 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The event is who have to work on Monday.) The theme of the retreat is “Stepping Off open to all past, present and future women the Wheel of Suffering.” This is an invita- who can respect and honor a woman’s SM/ tion to take a deeply personal look at the na- BDSM play space, education and fun. The ture and causes of suffering in your life. The event will include a meet and greet and auccost for the retreat is $100 including meals tion, vendors, 16 workshops, and evening and lodging. For more information, call play parties with 250+ sexy attendees ex206-920-6117. Information and schedule pected. www.wickedwomyn.com. are at www.dharmabuddies.org. Dharma Buddies meets most Sundays at HARMONY HILL 11 a.m. for a 45-minute silent meditation, RETREAT CENTER WILL HOST followed by refreshments and conversation, FREE 3-DAY CANCER RETREAT at Cal Anderson House, 400 Broadway at E. FOR SEXUAL MINORITY WOMEN Terrace St., just north of Broadway & Boren. DECEMBER 4-6 Harmony Hill’s cancer retreats are weekSEATTLE LGBT EQUALITY end residential programs that help those WEEKEND IN SOLIDARITY facing cancer, and their loved ones, cope WITH THE with the physical, emotional, and spiritual NATIONAL EQUALITY MARCH challenges of cancer. The Sexual Minority On Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, Oc- Women Cancer Retreat is designed specifitober 11, join SeattleOUTProtest organiz- cally to meet the needs of Lesbian, Bisexual ers and the Seattle LGBT Community for and Transgender women in an environment a weekend of activities in solidarity with that is safe and supportive. the National Equality March being held in Harmony Hill’s twelve-acre facility on Washington, DC, October 10-11. Hood Canal, in Union, WA, offers a tranquil On Saturday, October 10, workshops fo- retreat environment of gardens, nature trails, cused around issues and topics facing our labyrinths, and spectacular mountain and community will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5 water views. Participants enjoy whole-food p.m. at Seattle University, Pigott Building, meals grown in Harmony Hill’s gardens or Broadway & E. Madison St., with an em- from local farmers. phasis on involvement. An HIV/AIDS vigil Space is limited to 20 participants and will be held starting at 6:30 p.m. that eve- is filled on a first-come first-served basis. ning at the SCCC South Plaza, Broadway & Those placed on the waiting list will be noE. Pine St. tified as space becomes available. Cancer On Sunday, October 11, the Seattle Equal- participants may have one companion/supity March & Rally will be held at Volunteer port person attend with them. All Harmony Park, 14th Ave. E. & E. Prospect St., start- Hill Cancer Retreats are offered at no cost to ing at 2 p.m. In the evening, starting at 6:30 participants. www.harmonyhill.org.
October 2, 2009
Seattle Gay News
7
find the gear that you’re looking for. I guess that’s something you just kind of have to get used to. Last of all, the Jaguar XF really goes more in the genre of a four-door coupe, with the rear-seat headroom more confined than that of its competition. Of course, you can just tell those in the back seat to shut up and enjoy the ride. Okay, for an MSRP of $66,675, what do you get? The 2009 Jaguar XF is richly appointed and well equipped with all the luxury options that one would expect. Here are some of my favorites:
2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged by J.T. Hills SGN Contributing Writer Top • Beautiful contemporary design • Powerful supercharged V-8 • Jaguar ride and handling Bottom • Shift knob takes some getting used to • DVD-based navigation system isn’t all that intuitive to use • Back seat headroom is tight
The 2009 XF is Jaguar’s replacement for the long-selling S-Type. It is offered in three different trim levels: Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Supercharged, which is powered by a 420-horsepower supercharged 4.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8. All three trim levels of the XF come with a standard six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddles for manual shifting. Driver aids include dynamic stability control, cornering brake control, engine drag torque control and understeer control logic, which decelerates the car to help restore front-wheel grip when needed. After spending a week with the 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged, I’ve assimilated, corrugated, encapsulated, conjugated, and insinuated my own observations, and here they are:
is a great value. The Jaguar XF has a beautiful, fresh, contemporary design, taking a significant departure from the heritage design of the S-Type sedan that it replaces. The naturally aspirated supercharged 4.2-liter V-8 provides for some very refined, yet seriously spirited driving – all legal, of course. The ride and drive of the XF has a balance of fun-to-drive sports sedan and sophisticated luxury car. I love the fact that the new XF looks like a piece of art. It’s striking from just about every angle. There are some issues, however. For one, the DVD navigation system isn’t all that intuitive to use. There are a lot of layers to it that take a bit of time to get your head around. Going from the climate control to the audio system to the navigation screen takes your eyes off the road a lot. Also, while the shift knob looks like a piece of artwork in itself – it’s a dial that looks as though it would be a sort of mouse to navigate the navigation system – when you’re in a hurry, it doesn’t feel as natural to
Technical Features • 420 HP Supercharged 4.2-liter V8 engine • Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS • Six-speed automatic transmission • CATS active suspension • Dynamic stability control • 20” Volan Wheels • Jaguardrive winter and dynamic drive Safety Features • Antitheft engine immobilizer • Tire pressure monitoring system • Driver and front passenger dual-stage airbags • Driver and front passenger side airbags • Side curtain airbags • Remote security system Interior Features • B&W 440-watt six-CD audio satellite radio • Blind spot monitor system • Rear parking camera • DVD-based navigation system • Active climate controlled seats • Portable audio integration Optional Features • Adaptive cruise control ($2,200) • Supercharged (N/C) • Rich oak veneer (N/C) • Heated three-spoke steering wheel (N/C)
The 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged at $66k a Deal? In the near-luxury sports sedan market, the 2009 Jaguar XF has a lot of stiff competition, including the Audi A6, Cadillac STS, Lexus GS, and Mercedes Benz Eclass. When looking at price, options, and performance, the Jaguar XF Supercharged
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October 2, 2009
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Lifelong AIDS Alliance holds 23rd annual Seattle AIDS walk
The Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s 23rd annual Seattle AIDS Walk took place on Saturday, September 26 at 9:30 a.m. at Volunteer Park. Thousands of people gathered together to walk or run the 5K loop through Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with the common cause, a call to end the AIDS epidemic. Immediately following the walk, participants attended the AIDS Walk Afterparty, featuring complimentary food and music. Lifelong officials say that through the
The Navy is reviewing how it handled the case of Joseph Rocha, a Gay sailor abused by fellow servicemen in Bahrain for two years until he sought a discharge by coming out to his commanding officer, a military spokesman said September 22. Now a 23-year-old civilian, Rocha said he decided to leave the Navy in 2007 by telling his commander he was Gay, putting him in violation of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. Before his discharge from active duty, Rocha had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder from the constant hazing he says he was subjected to while he served with military dog handlers based in Bahrain in support of the Iraq war. Between 2005 and 2006, an internal Navy investigation into Rocha’s unit found dozens of examples of hazing and sexual harassment. According to Youth Radio – an Oakland, California news organization that broke the story – the result of the investigation was not clear; a copy of the report released under the Freedom of Information Act has all recommendations blacked out. Now, congressman and former Navy admiral Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) has asked Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus for information about the harassment, the service’s internal investigation, and an explanation as to why the head of the military dog unit at the time was promoted. “Without a question, it heightens and makes more salient this issue,” said Rep. Sestak. “It [DADT] highlights the loss of another good individual.”
Rocha said he found an abusive atmosphere in which he was hazed repeatedly, even though he never said he was Gay. “What made my rite of passage different is that I refused to have sex with prostitutes,” Rocha said. “In doing so, I gave them reason enough for them to think I was Gay and they took it upon themselves to punish me for it for two years.” In June 2007, he was accepted at the academy prep school in Newport, Rhode Island, where candidates build the academic skills needed for an acceptance to the four-year service academy. While there, Rocha said depression resulting from his experience in Bahrain made him decide to tell school officials he was Gay. Accordingly, he was isolated from other students for two months, then honorably discharged in October 2007. “I was faced with the idea of being in the Navy that condoned this for another decade,” Rocha said. “I wouldn’t have allowed myself to live like that anymore.” Rocha is currently a student at the Univer-
sity of San Diego and hopes he can one day return to serve openly in the military. Currently, there is a push by Gay advocacy groups to repeal the 1993 law. President Barack Obama pledged as a candidate to end the ban, but has yet to do so. Nearly 400 servicemembers have been discharged under DADT since Obama took office in January.
October 2, 2009
Seattle Gay News 13
AIDS Walk, they are able to educate the community and raise awareness about the continued importance of fighting HIV/ AIDS. The AIDS Walk also serves as Lifelong’s largest annual fundraiser to support the basic human services the organization provides to the community. Some services include free deliveries of meals and groceries, safe and affordable housing, comprehensive counseling, and insurance assistance. This year, Lifelong event officials estimate the total amount of funds raised to be between $550,000 and $600,000.
Navy reviewing 2007 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” abuse case by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer
of money the community came together to raise. That we were able to raise a substantial amount of money in this economic times is really a testament to our community,” Richart said. “But we aren’t done yet – you can still contribute to Lifelong yearround.” According to statistics about the disease, on average, someone is infected with HIV in the United States every nine and one-half minutes. Over 565,000 people have died of AIDS in the U.S. since the epidemic began in 1981. More than 14,000 people in the U.S. with AIDS die each year. shaun knittel
shaun knittel
by Shaun Knittel SGN Staff Writer
“Lifelong AIDS Alliance was really blessed with the wonderful Seattle AIDS Walk this year,” said Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s David Richart. “The weather cooperated, it was the first year that we had sunny skies in a long time, and the large amount of people who showed up to support the cause was truly inspirational.” “People came together to remember those we’ve lost in the past, support those who are living with HIV/AIDS, and to put a stop to this epidemic,” he said. “The whole day had a nice flow to it.” “We are really pleased with the amount
The Chief of Naval Operation directed Commander Navy Installations Command on September 22 to review the actions taken after the earlier investigation. Opponents of DADT say Rocha was trapped. He was unable to report the abuse because that would reveal his sexual orientation. The policy clearly played a role in the abuse; Rocha was repeatedly asked if he was Gay – which is in violation of the DADT provision – because he would not have sex with prostitutes who visited the unit’s barracks in Bahrain. In the end, due to the abuse and the PTSD he suffered from it, he told the Navy he was Gay, resulting in his expulsion. Maine resident Shaun Hogan was a former Bahrain colleague of Rocha’s. Hogan, now a reservist, said Rocha was treated worse than others who were hazed because Rocha was believed to be Gay. Hogan said sailors in the unit would blatantly ask him, “Are you Gay?” “He was one of a large number of people who were abused for a variety of different reasons,” Hogan said. Rocha’s story is one of success in the Navy, which quickly turned sour when he arrived in Bahrain. He graduated at the top of his military police training school in Texas and received favorable performance evaluations throughout his career. Rocha said he enlisted in the Navy in 2004 to demonstrate his commitment to earning an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy after he wasn’t admitted to the school. But within in a month of his arrival in Bahrain in 2005 to join the handlers and their dogs in seeking out hidden explosives,
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pink
continued from cover was said to them by security, they did not report having seen any signs warning against clown makeup. The pair was granted admittance into the venue without any problem. UNFORESEEN TROUBLE WITH PINK’S SECURITY Shaun said two security personnel, one from Key Arena and one from Pink’s tour, approached him 30 minutes after he and Michelle were let into the building. “I was told, ‘You need to take off your white makeup.’ They said if I didn’t, I would be asked to leave,” Shaun told SGN. “I told them I didn’t have white makeup on; it was pale
foundation with highlight on the top of my cheeks.” Security insisted he wipe the so-called white makeup off or he’d have to leave, saying they couldn’t have anyone looking like a clown. When asked if he could leave the rest of the eye and lip makeup on, tour security agreed. Not wanting to miss the concert, Shaun walked to the bathroom and removed the pale makeup he used to highlight his cheeks, doing exactly as security had requested. Shaun says he blended some regular foundation on his face, so as to mask the missing makeup. He then made his way back to the front of the audience, where his sister was waiting for him. Ten minutes later, he was told yet again to wipe off his makeup. This time, security told him to remove all his foundation.
Shaun began to feel that something very wrong was going on. He knows the difference between white makeup and foundation; he is a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence. Additionally, while calling a drag queen a clown is mean-spirited, making a drag queen wash off makeup or “get out” is plain wrong. Still, Shaun maintains he kept his calm and didn’t want to get kicked out of the concert. He once more made his way to the bathroom and began to remove the makeup – only this time, he had company. “I removed all of the foundation on my head and face,” he told SGN. “A security guard came in, laughed, and said, ‘Yeah, you’re doing all right, man,’ and left.” Determined to have a good time with his sister, Shaun made his way through the crowd and returned once more to where Michelle was. Pink’s opening act, the Ting Tings, finished their set and within minutes, tour security was again demanding Shaun remove even more makeup. “This time, they said my sister and I had to remove all makeup, including lashes and my colored contacts,” Shaun said. He reminded security that they had told him he’d already taken off the so-called clown makeup, and nobody had ever mentioned his sister before. Plus, he said, they wanted to know why. What was this all about? Tour security told them that Pink has a problem with clowns and they’d been instructed to not allow anyone around the stage who is dressed in makeup and costume. They were given the ultimatum once more: comply or leave. “I’D NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING SO RIDICULOUS” This time, both brother and sister went to the bathroom and spent 15 minutes scrubbing their faces to remove all makeup. He said his eyes began to burn and his face felt raw because he had to use hand soap and paper towels in order to do what security demanded. Michelle emerged from the
bathroom in the same condition and said she would refuse to remove any more makeup. Shaun said he asked a security guard to get the head of security so they could be inspected, so as to avoid being kicked out or told to take more makeup off. That’s when the building manager, Eddie Burke, saw them. “I asked them why they were in the hallway,” Burke told SGN. “They told me security was making them take off their makeup. I could understand why they were angry. I’d never heard of anything so ridiculous. I can understand asking someone to remove a mask, but not makeup. People go to concerts dressed up all the time.” Burke said she would never tell anyone to take off his or her makeup. “I didn’t get this, and I didn’t like it,” she said. “I personally went to the tour and told them they would have to explain themselves, because this was not the policy of Key Arena.” Fearing this may be happening to others in the audience, Burke says she put out a mandate to Key Arena security that if the tour asks them to do anything, to send that person directly to her. Shaun says that he and Michelle remained respectful during the whole ordeal, and overheard Burke telling security, “We can’t ask people to take off their makeup.” At that point, Shaun said he began to cry. He said he couldn’t believe they went through all of that for no reason. Burke said she believes that Shaun and Michelle had every right to be angry. She summoned Pink’s head of security and had him explain the tour’s policy to them. “I told them that making us go back and forth, approving and disapproving over and over was not right,” Michelle told SGN. “We were being humiliated in front of the crowd surrounding us, and we were obviously victims of discrimination.” Shaun said he was in shock. They were told they couldn’t be led back to their place in the crowd. Michelle told management that she was going to file a complaint and managed to get back to their original spot.
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Shaun said the crowd was forgiving because many people saw what was happening and let them pass. Pink began to perform five minutes later. “The show was really good, but throughout it, I kept worrying about being thrown out, how I looked, and my eyes and skin burning,” Shaun said. “It was hard to fully enjoy the show.” Afterward, Shaun waited until most of the crowd was gone because he didn’t want to walk out in full drag without any makeup on. He said he was “embarrassed to be seen” and that Michelle gave him a pair of sunglasses to wear as they left the venue. KEY ARENA SYMPATHETIC, PINK’S MANAGEMENT
ISSUES VAGUE STATEMENT Burke told SGN she wanted to make it clear that Key Arena does not condone discrimination. “The building does not support this,” she said. “I, [representing] the building, do not have a problem with drag queen makeup. I certainly don’t think drag queens are clowns.” “So many times during tours, people speak for the artists out of turn,” said Burke. “I really don’t think Pink knew anything about this, her security people went overboard.” Still, Shaun does not understand how something like this could happen in Seattle, a city known for its progressive values. What is even more perplexing is that Pink has droves of LGBT fans – surely Shaun
isn’t the first man to show up to one of her concerts dressed in drag. Pink’s management released the following statement to SGN: “For security reasons, we have had a long-standing tour policy of not permitting concertgoers to wear masks or full face paint inside a venue. Many venues also have the same policy. We work with venues to post signs advising everyone of the policy and we and the venues apply this policy on a non-discriminatory basis. Pink is and has always been a very strong supporter of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community, and has great respect for all of her fans.” “We never got an apology that night for how we were treated,” Shaun said. “We were just given excuses and sent on our
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minister
continued from cover Merkel’s CDU won 194 seats in the 622-member Bundestag, the CDU’s Bavarian franchise CSU will have another 45, and Westerwelle’s FDP will have 93, giving her a majority of 21 votes. The SDP will be excluded from the new government. Merkel is the first woman chancellor of Germany, and Westerwelle will be the first openly Gay German foreign minister. Westerwelle’s sexual orientation did not become an issue in the campaign, although one local official did have to apologize for an anti-Gay remark made on election night. Social Democrat Peter Langner, the city treasurer of Duisburg, reportedly blurted out, “I don’t want a Gay foreign minister!” Westerwelle is not the first prominent German politician to be openly Gay. Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, a Social Democrat, came out in 2001, declaring, “I’m Gay, and that’s a good thing.” Westerwelle has been out since 2004, when he brought his partner to Chancellor Merkel’s 50th birthday party. “I can only tell all young Gays and Lesbians to not be disheartened, if not everything goes their way,” Westerwelle told the Berlin Gay magazine Siegessaeule. “This society is changing for the good in the direction of tolerance and respect ... though slower than I would wish.” “I’ve never been hiding my life,” Westerwelle said. “I just lived it.” Westerwelle’s partner, Michael Mronz, met Westerwelle in 2003, according to Bild newspaper. Mronz recently joined the Free Democrats, telling Bild that after listening to 120 speeches by his partner, “I am completely convinced.” Westerwelle became chairman of the FDP in 2001 after 21 years as a party activist. He joined the FDP in 1980 at the age of 19. He was a founding member of the par-
ty’s youth organization Junge Liberale (Liberal Youth) and was its chairman from 1983 to 1988. He became a member of the FDP Executive Board in 1988, and became party secretary general in 1994. Westerwelle has been a member of the Bundestag since 1996. During the campaign, Westerwelle spoke out for stronger civil rights laws, and has complained that German law does not give complete adoption rights to Gay couples. The Lesbian and Gay Association in Germany welcomed Westerwelle’s victory and hoped his election would advance Gay rights in Germany. “We think it’s awesome that it has become so normal that an openly Gay man becomes foreign minister,” said Klaus Jetz, the head of the Association, adding that the Gay community expected him to advocate for Gay rights in Germany and abroad as well. “It’s important that as foreign minister he will openly talk about human rights and the persecution of Gays and Lesbians in other countries,” Jetz told Bild.
adoption and other legal rights. The Obama administration, under pressure from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, agreed to make an official count of same-sex unions and partnerships for the first time in the 2010 head count. According to the census report, nationwide, about 56% of the 149,956 total samesex marriages in last year’s survey were Lesbian couples. Same-sex spouses were reported in every state. In the latest report, the figures provided higher, previously unreleased numbers for the three previous years. In 2007, 341,000 out of 753,618 total same-sex couples reported being in a marriage relationship, even though only about 11,000 marriage licenses had been issued in the country. The numbers were even higher for 2005 and 2006; about 390,000 each year reported being in same-sex marriage out of nearly 780,000 reported Gay couples.
census
“For phone-banking, we need to have our affiliates give us the OK to call their members,” Wilson-Codega said. “There have been far fewer exclusions on this issue than we’d usually see.” “For example,” she continued, “the machinists [IAM 751] OK’d a phone and mail contact. That’s 11,000 members in King County alone, and most of them outside the core Seattle districts. Very few machinists live in the 43rd.” WSLC Political Director Benjamin Lawver told SGN, “What we are doing is providing assistance to Central Labor Councils [like the MLKCLC] that are doing internal campaign work, encouraging affiliates to mail their members for No on I-1033 and Approve Referendum 71, and helping issue campaigns directly.” “We’re also working with [UFCW 21 Director of Governmental Relations] Sarah
continued from cover the estimated 564,743 total Gay couples in the United States said they were in a relationship parallel to “husband” and “wife.” That’s compared with 91% of the 61.3 million opposite-sex couples that reported being married. The Census Bureau estimated there were roughly 100,000 official same-sex weddings, civil unions and domestic partnerships in 2008. Analysts report the disparities as being a reflection of same-sex couples in committed relationships that would get married if they could in their states. The numbers are also an indicator of the count to come in the 2010 census, a total that’s expected to stir a stateby-state fight over same-sex marriage, Gay
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Cherin on how best we can leverage our limited resources for politics to help with the campaign,” Lawver added. UFCW 21 – representing retail and grocery workers – has made significant commitments to the campaign. “UFCW 21 has a long history of standing up for people’s rights, and this law is one more way of expanding those rights,” UFCW 21 Communications Director Tom Geiger told SGN. “We represent 35,000 workers across the state and will send mail and phone-bank to ask them to approve Referendum 71.” UFCW 21 has also put its spanking new phone-bank facility at the disposal of the campaign to approve Referendum 71. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a Change To Win union not affiliated with the MLKCLC, is also going all out for Referendum 71. SEIU Washington State Council contributed $10,000 to the campaign. Including contributions made by individual locals, SEIU has invested $17,000 in the effort to keep the state’s domestic partnership law. “We have 38,000 members,” said SEIU 775NW Vice President Adam Glickman, “one of the largest locals in the state. We’re phone banking them, including a message on Referendum 71 and we tabled for [Referendum 71] at our state convention [in September].” SEIU 775NW represents long-term care and home healthcare workers. “It’s confusing,” Glickman continued, “because you have to vote Yes even though we didn’t want the initiative to happen. But people believe in equal rights, people want all families to have rights. At the end of the day, people will vote to approve.” “The response from our members has been overwhelmingly supportive,” he concluded. SEIU 1199NW Public Sector Vice President Marcy Johnson told SGN, “1199’s Executive Board endorsed [Referendum 71] unanimously. It’s a working families issue.
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We recognize there’s been discrimination, and we want to protect families.” SEIU 1199NW is also one of the state’s largest locals, with some 22,000 members, including nurses and other hospital staff. “We plan to talk to our members face-toface,” Johnson said, “and it’s also going up on our website. We’ve always been working for social and economic justice.” UNITE HERE Local 8 represents large concentrations of LGBT workers in the hospitality and food service industries. In 2007, at the Westin in downtown Seattle, they won the first hotel contract in the country that explicitly protects Transgender workers, and in 2008 the UNITE HERE Executive Board endorsed marriage equality. “The LGBT community and hospitality workers continue to face similar struggles in their quest for fair and equal treatment of all individuals,” said UNITE HERE’s Sarah Warren. “Our union strongly supports full civil and marriage rights for LGBT people – many of whom work in the hospitality industry – in Washington state and nationwide.” “It is imperative that voters approve Referendum 71 to protect the civil rights of all Washingtonians,” she concluded. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) – an AFL-CIO union affiliated with the WSLC – has made a $2,000 contribution to the Referendum 71 campaign, and a commitment to take the issue to their members. AFT Washington Political Director Richard Burton told SGN, “We represent faculty and staff of all two-year colleges, and some four-year colleges. Most of our members come from the world of higher education, so we have an opportunity to urge faculty to vote to approve, and also we have contacts with students.” “That means we can also encourage students and student organizations to take an active role, to do events, and to help get out the vote,” Burton added. “We have among the highest turnout of voters for labor-endorsed [candidates and ballot measures].” “We’re excited to be part of the effort,” he concluded, “so many of our members and their families have their rights on the line.” Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) Local Council 16 President Ty Tufono told SGN, “We want to really organize around [Referendum 71]. We are a unique union. We’re willing to stand up for these rights – to fight for them – not just put our names on an endorsement list.” “Education is the key,” Tufono said.
“Many of our members fly all the time and they’re not necessarily in tune with what’s happening in their state.” According to Tufono, AFA 16 will take up the issue at its Council meeting on October
7. There are some 2000 AFA members in the Seattle area. Union members and their families who want to work on the Approve Referendum 71 campaign can contact their locals, the
MLKCLC’s Political Action Committee at 206-441-8510, or Pride At Work – the LGBT labor group affiliated with the AFLCIO – at 206-261-8110 or OutFront.PrideAtWork@gmail.com.
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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer
Openly Gay D.C. Council member David Catania debuted his marriage equality bill September 30 at a Marriage Equality Convocation attended by some 300 activists. Catania said he would be joined by nine other Council members – out of a total of 13 – in formally introducing the legislation on October 6. Titled the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, Catania’s bill would legalize same-sex marriages, while explicitly exempting religious institutions from having to perform them. “Marriage is the legally recognized union of two people,” the bill says in part. “Any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements … may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender.” Under the proposed legislation, D.C.’s domestic partnership laws would be phased out by January 1, 2011. No new domestic partnerships would be registered after that date. Couples who are now registered domestic partners would be allowed to apply for and receive a marriage license free of charge “provided that the parties are eligible
to marry.” While D.C. enjoys limited “home rule” – meaning its Council and mayor can enact local legislation – Congress has the final say on all legislation passed by the Council and signed by the mayor. Opponents of marriage equality have threatened to call on Congress to kill the bill if it is passed by the D.C. Council. In his speech to the convocation, Catania acknowledged that the prospect of Congressional intervention might make some community members reluctant to call for marriage equality at this time. “So just don’t rock the boat,” he imagined them saying. “So just not now … but from what we know about that message, ‘not now’ means ‘not ever.’ We are going to do it now.” “I decided for myself when I wanted to introduce this,’ he added. “And I decided for myself that the sixth of October was the day I wanted to introduce it.” One of Catania’s allies, Council member Phil Mendelson, noted that if D.C. public opinion turned against marriage equality, Congress would be much more likely to intervene.
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“We pretty much know what the Council is going to do,” Mendelson said. “That’s the first decision-maker. The second decisionmaker is the people. … The people are an important decision maker, and if we lose them, then for sure we’re going to have trouble with the third decision-maker … Congress.” D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Norton Holmes had said earlier this year that she wanted the D.C. Council to hold off on potentially controversial legislation until Congress had acted on her proposal to give D.C. full voting rights in the US House of Representatives. So far, however, the D.C. voting rights bill has been blocked by opponents. Rev. Eric Lee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference also addressed the convocation on September 30. While expressing strong support for marriage equality, he warned that some LGBT leaders were late in seeking to engage the African American community and “all communities, in-
cluding the straight white community,” in a personal, face-to-face dialogue on marriage. Lee, who is African American and a resident of Los Angeles, cautioned D.C. leaders not to repeat the mistakes of the Prop 8 campaign in California. The D.C. Council voted 12-0 on April 7 this year to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. As required by D.C. legal procedures, the legislation was passed a second time by a vote of 12-1, and signed into law by the mayor. The legally required review period – during which Congress could strike the new law – expired on July 7. Domestic partnership benefits were first passed in 1992. Between 1992 and 2002, Congressional Republicans added a rider to the D.C. Appropriations Bills forbidding use of federal funds for domestic partnership benefits. The benefits finally went into effect in 2002, and since then they have been expanded several times.
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Seattle Gay News 19