WEDNESDAY
May 2, 2007 Volume 16, Issue 9
www.stonewallnews.net
S e r v i n g t h e GLBTQA C o m m u n i t y o f t h e P a c i f i c N o r t h w e s t s i n c e 1 9 9 2
Our Final Issue
Stonewall News Northwest turns 15!
Stonewall suspends publishing Letter from the Publisher
Back issues and interactive online GLBTQA Calendar available at www.stonewallnews.net
THIS ISSUE
A dear friend reminded me recently of something I said to him a couple years ago, “If you’re not having fun at what you’re doing, you need to find something else to do”. My fun as Publisher of Stonewall News Northwest over the last two years has regularly reached euphoria. Afterall, what a privilege it is to wake up every morning with the opportunity to engage 25,000 loyal readers a month, and growing, from all walks of life, on the common ground of moving forward issues of social equality and dignity. In magazine racks, on coffee tables, and across computer screens spanning the Pacific Northwest and beyond, you have welcomed Stonewall into your hearts, minds, and conversations. On the pages of this publication, at the heart of its content, we’ve been regularly privileged by the direct contributions of Christopher Lawrence, Joyce Crosby, Catherine Willis, Tim Anderson, Joan Opyr, Bob Schout, and Graham Ames. Also assisting were Jane Bengston, Steven Sanford, and Kathy Ferguson. But the fun had become increasingly lost on the struggles of declining advertising revenue. My deepening relationship with my partner and building our lives together have also taken priority over the cost of personal time for the outreach that it takes to keep our community actively engaged with Stonewall. While Stonewall has enjoyed a circulation and readership that has tripled over the last two years, stable advertising revenue has declined. Odd, yes, given that at
the core of Stonewall’s expanding readership is the statistically documented highest disposable income minority group in America. Advertisers have only recently begun clamoring toward gay & lesbian publications after also learning that this sought after demographic is very loyal to advertisers reaching out to them. So what happened at Stonewall? Something very simple, actually. Our advertisers didn’t hear from you, our reader. The reluctance of advertisers to continue their advertising with Stonewall without feedback from the group of people they are trying to reach is understandable. But I believe our GLBTQA community is vibrant and active enough to need a voice. As the lights go out at Stonewall, the door of opportunity remains open. Perhaps someone motivated and committed to a level of outreach that transcends the insulated tendency of our community will come forward to assume ownership of this publication, despite the cost of personal time and energy. I also hold hope that our community can arise from its apathy and let advertisers who are reaching out to us know that we appreciate their support.
Mike Schultz President & Publisher Stonewall Publishing, Inc.
Domestic Partnership Registry signed into Washington State law Gay couples can register by mail
Remembering Bill Nourse Page 2
Arts & Entertainment.............................6 Business Directory . ..............................11 Glimpse of Spokane LGBTQ History.. 4 National & International........................5 OUT! in the Middle of Nowhere..........4 Pride 2007 Events....................................8 Resource Directory................................10 Reviews & Previews ...............................7 Spokane & Regional................................2
Fly your Flags on Fridays!
OLYMPIA, Wash. – On Saturday, April 21, just 14 months after signing a bill adding sexual orientation to the state’s antidiscrimination statute, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire once again addressed a large crowd of equal-rights supporters as she signed into law a measure that grants basic protections to same-sex and opposite-sex elderly couples. “Today marks the beginning of the path toward full equality. We are taking an important step in the right direction but we need to remain focused on the final goal,” said Rep. Joe McDermott (D-West Seattle), one of Washington’s five openly gay legislators. “It may take a while, but that’s just how social evolution takes place, we’ll get there.” McDermott expressed his gratitude to his partner of eight years, Michael Culpepper, and thanked those who have supported and shared their own stories to help people understand why this bill is so necessary. He underlined the importance of Charlene Strong’s testimony in committee hearings. Strong lost her life partner, Kate Fleming, during a December storm, was denied the opportunity to visit her in the hospital until legal relatives were reached, and was ignored by the funeral director. The Domestic Partnership Registry,
Rep. Joe McDermott shakes Gov. Chris Gregoire’s hand at the Domestic Partnership Registry bill signing ceremony on Saturday, April 21, 2007 in Olympia, WA.
introduced by Sen. Ed Murray (D-Seattle), will provide same-sex couples and unmarried heterosexual couples over age 62 a few basic rights including: • The right to visit one’s partner in the hospital; • The right to provide informed consent for a partner who is not competent; • The right to inherit a partner’s property without a will; and • The right to make funeral arrangements.
The bill’s sponsors made it clear that this new law is the first step in an incremental process of securing legal protections for Washington’s gay and lesbian families. In the United States only Massachusetts, and five nations, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada and South Africa currently have equal marriage laws. “We know they all had to go through lengthy discussions to achieve marriage equality; I welcome those conversations,” declared McDermott.