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Saturday, Mar 20, 2010
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Letters |
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| LIFELONG RESPONDS
TO GAY BINGO CONTROVERSY To the Lifelong AIDS Alliance Community: On Tuesday afternoon, a decision was made by Lifelong AIDS Alliance to discontinue contract negotiations with Thom Hubert (aka GLAMAZONIA), host of our popular Gay Bingo events for the past seven years. While we planned to share this news with our community in our upcoming email newsletter, word of the impasse spread quickly when Thom contacted the media as well as his friends and supporters. We hope that the following information will help everyone come to a more complete understanding of the situation. Each year we have met with Thom to negotiate a contract for the upcoming year. This year our "official" negotiations started on October 11, though staff had a number of conversations with Thom throughout the year regarding his role as host. In the end, Lifelong decided to end the negotiations. Throughout the process Lifelong listened to Thom's requests regarding Gay Bingo, however there were a few areas that we, as an organization, couldn't overlook - primarily Thom's refusal to adhere to our harassment policy as it relates to his treatment of our staff and volunteers. Our harassment policy covers all Lifelong employees, volunteers, board members, donors, and contractors with aim to create "an atmosphere where there is respect for all human dignity." We had asked him to treat our staff and volunteers with dignity. Thom didn't feel that "GLAM" could adhere to the policy. Thom has publicly shared that Lifelong received complaints from sponsors and has made statements that the decision to end our contract was made in large part to his use of two "four letter words." In part this is true. We have received complaints from sponsors and we take them seriously. We have also received numerous complaints from attendees. But these complaints pale in comparison to the commitment we have as an organization to our volunteers and staff. The decision to end the contract was not about the use of two curse words and political correctness. As a progressive organization, we are certainly not going to say that the "F" word is inappropriate in every setting - we use the word in some of our materials for a very specific audience. The audience turning out for Gay Bingo is much more diverse. We fully understand the nature of the show, its colorful history and what it calls for from a drag queen to perform. We are fully aware of our roots and our place in the community. In no way is Lifelong trying to "de-Gay" or "de-drag" the event. We are working with other drag queens locally, regionally and nationally to fill the wonderful shoes left by Thom. But what is being overlooked in this fray is the very reason the event was born - to further the mission of Lifelong, the largest AIDS service organization in the Northwest. Gay Bingo benefits hundreds of clients that come through Lifelong's doors for case management, housing, medical care insurance, and nutrition; it helps Chicken Soup Brigade get meals to those who are homebound and feed clients nutritional meals on a weekly basis; it helps our continued outreach to those who are at high-risk in contracting HIV/AIDS; it allows us to interact with and educate youth, regardless of their sexual orientation; and it helps us continue advocating for our community. We had earnestly hoped to continue this event with Thom to help these programs and services grow. We are sad that the relationship has come to an end but are still deeply appreciative of the commitment Thom had shown over the past seven years toward Lifelong AIDS Alliance. If you have questions that remain unanswered, we hope that you will contact our Gay Bingo staff at 206-323-0069 or Gaybingo@llaa.org. On behalf of the staff and board of Lifelong AIDS Alliance, thank you for your continued support. David Richart Executive Director Lifelong AIDS Alliance DENOUNCE CURTIS AT YOUR PERIL Dear SGN, As another imperfect human being is publicly scolded (Richard Curtis), it would be refreshing if the Gay community could do the following: resist festooning said imperfect individual with the label of Benedict Arnold or J. Edgar Hoover for expecting to be entitled to a sex life that is private (like most of us desire), and, two, stop making the false equation between being Gay or Bisexual, and thus, categorically having to embrace the creation of new laws intended to eradicate discrimination of Gays. The two are not one and the same. There are downsides to regulating human behavior. There are broad political philosophies which Gay people of integrity may take because of their beliefs about the degree of government involvement they want in their personal life, or their opinions about how to reform human nature, etc. I think you aren't very unique, with your unilateral identity-politics. This is the new American way. No one can have a thoughtful opinion that happens to have nothing to do with their special group--be it Christian Right, Transgender, sports fanatics, etc. While those with this view claim to have an enviable state of liberation, their rapid denunciation of one who may have tried but failed to attain the same "liberation" doesn't speak highly of their cause. If we weren't all so inclined to practice identity-politics, maybe the American government wouldn't be quite so successful at creating world chaos right now. Sincerely, Deborah Duggan PHARMACISTS SHOULD DISPENSE PLAN B [Editor's Note: The following is a letter submitted to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The author asked that it also be published here in the pages of the Seattle Gay News.] Based upon the "reasoning" and "logic" of U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton's temporary restraining order, blocking enforcement of a Washington rule requiring pharmacists to dispense Plan B birth control pills, it would put in jeopardy the 1964 Civil Rights Act and all state and local civil rights laws. Why shouldn't a born again Christian pharmacist be able to lawfully refuse service to customers who are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc.? Why shouldn't a Jewish pharmacist be able to lawfully refuse service to customers who aren't Jewish? Why shouldn't a white pharmacist be able to refuse service to non-white customers, because he sincerely believes the Bible commands segregation of the races and commands subordination of non-whites to the white race? Pharmacists are agents of the state by virtue of their state issued license to do business for a profit. As an agent of the state, they must subordinate themselves to the Washington and U.S. constitutions. Washington's constitution has an ERA, which makes sex a suspect class requiring strict scrutiny. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled sex is a quasi-suspect class requiring an intermediate level of scrutiny. Refusal to dispense Plan B pills to women constitutes a disparate effect on a protected class, under the law, by an agent of the state. The burden of proof should be on the agent of the state to show compelling reasons why he or she should be able to refuse service. This isn't about freedom of religion. What Mr. Jim Ramseth, Covington, and other pharmacists are advocating is the license or tyranny of religion. The latter is where we're headed, if federal judge Leighton's reasoning is ultimately adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court. Finally, it should be noted Judge Leighton was nominated by President George W. Bush, in 2002. Since he's been on the federal bench he's already upheld the constitutionality of the "Don't-Ask-Don't Tell" law, which bans Gay and Lesbian people from military service. Between these two decisions it looks like President Bush and his Radicon cohorts are getting their money's worth. Sincerely, Steven L. Kendall Seattle, WA |
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| Film Festival Pictures | |
| Halloween on Capitol Hill
Slide Show photos by Joey - SGN photographer |
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