Diversity comes in all colors ... even those of the rainbow by Bonnie Aspen Special to SNN The 11th annual Unity in the Community celebration took place Aug. 6 in Spokane’s Liberty Park. An estimated 4,000 people attended the family friendly salute to the city’s many diverse communities, which also provided an unparalleled networking opportunity. “I was able to find more community resources here in one day than I have found in two years living in Spokane,” remarked one attendee. There were 130 information booths this year. Spokane’s GLBTQ community was well represented. OutSpokane and Inland Northwest Business Alliance hosted booths; Inland Northwest Equality shared space with its non-
Vol. XIV, No. 9
Serving the GLBTQA Community of the Inland Northwest since 1992
profit partner, the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane. Allies were there as well, most notably the Hate Response Team of Spokane and Spokane AIDS Network. Organizers and attendees acknowledged the GLBTQ presence throughout the day. Not only did we hear many expressions of appreciation but we were offered immediate assistance if anyone objected to our being there. No one did, at least not within earshot. Said one woman as she approached the OutSpokane booth, “It’s about time you started being here!” Clearly the “welcome mat” was out. The event gave us a chance to educate those who don’t know much about homosexuality and the GLBTQ reality. They have heard the ignorant and hateful rhetoric of Penny Lancaster’s Citizens for Community Values, but they haven’t had many opportunities to ask questions and get honest, accurate information. Unity in the Community was born of a desire to create more visibility for Spokane’s multicultural communities.
September 2005
Getting visible in the community
photo by Pat Devine
Bonnie Aspen, left (facing away), Denise Thomas and Christopher Lawrence answered questions at the OutSpokane booth during the 11th annual Unity in the Community celebration. Inland Northwest Business Alliance, Inland Northwest Equality, the Peace and Justice Action League, Hate Response Team of Spokane and Spokane AIDS Network were also represented among the 140 information booths at the event.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Arts & Entertainment .......... 10 Business Directory ............. 15 Community ............................ 3 Community Service ............ 18 International News ................ 9 It's Your Life ........................ 14 National News ....................... 8 Regional Calendar ................ 6 Regional News ...................... 6 Resource Directory ............. 18 Reviews & Previews ........... 12 Spokane Calendar .............. 19 Spokane News ...................... 4 Tell Trinity ............................ 17 Voices ..................................... 2
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ERW leader to GLBTQ community:
‘We’re years behind’ by Catherine D. Willis Inland Northwest Equality (INWE) welcomed Fran Dunaway, recently named executive director of Equal Rights Washington (ERW), at a potluck and information exchange Monday, Aug. 15, at the North Spokane home of INWE member and Odyssey Youth Center community organizer Ramon Alvarez. “All eyes are on Washington,” Dunaway told the audience of about 20 GLBTQA activists, including representatives of Inland Northwest Business Alliance, Odyssey Youth Center, OutSpokane, PFLAG, Rainbow Regional Community Center and the Radical Cheerleaders. “We stand a better chance than any other state faced with the marriage equality issue to win.” Acknowledging the possibility that the state Supreme Court may invalidate Washington’s Defense of Marriage Act, Dunaway said, “We may be the next Massachusetts. We may have legal marriage. It could be.” She hedged her optimism with realism. “More likely, [the court] will punt to the legislature.” Either way, she said, the greatest challenge for ERW, INWE and like-
minded organizations in the coming year will be an all-out attempt by equal rights opponents to pass a constitutional amendment similar to those that won majorities in 11 states last November. Dunaway summarized for her listeners what she discussed at length with Stonewall News Northwest in an int e r v i e w preceding the evening’s proFran Dunaway gram. “I think that battling a constitutional amendment will be a million-dollar campaign. I can guarantee you that there is a lot of fundamentalist Christian right money coming into this state, and the ads that will be out there will not be pretty. The forces that we are going to be contending with are going to be really rough. It’s not going to be fun. It’s going to be very difficult work and it’s going to be really expensive.” Dunaway knows about fund-raising and community organizing. She was a
founding member of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in Western Washington, a volunteer effort that started with five people and now boasts more than 100 active volunteers. She was on the HRC’s board of governors for four years and co-chairwoman of their annual dinner in Seattle for two years. An accomplished film and video producer, Dunaway created television ads for the 2004 repeal of the city of Cincinnati’s anti-gay ordinance. Ten years earlier, she served on the steering committee for Hands Off Washington in Bellingham. Urged to apply for the first permanent paid position at ERW, Dunaway admitted initial reluctance. “Why would I do that?” she asked. “I love my life.” She relented, however, when she considered the reality of what she terms “Rovian politics.” The GLBTQ community has “become a scapegoat. We’re being used as a wedge issue – and very effectively.” In accepting the post, she declared her terms: “If we’re going to [battle for equality], we’re going to do it right. It’s the implementation and doing it right that I’m faced with now.” Time is her principal concern. “I think we’re years behind and everything needs to be done yesterday. And that’s the way I’m working.” Continued on page 5