By Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer The US District Court for Western Washington has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's 2018 law banning conversion therapy for minors. In its August 31 decision, the court ruled that Washington State has a compelling interest "in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, and in protecting its minors against exposure to serious harm caused by conversion therapy." The court held that the law regulates a dangerous treatment, not speech, and therefore does not violate the ..read more

Its award-winning Black Trans Task Force launches a bold housing initiative by Renee Raketty - SGN Contributing Writer The Lavender Rights Project will celebrate its fifth anniversary on September 24. The organization has seen explosive growth as a legal and direct-services nonprofit serving gender-diverse communities in Washington. In June, it held its first virtual Pride convention, with informative sessions, panels and discussions. "We disrupt oppressive systems that lead to poverty, housing disparities, and gender-based violence against transgender, nonbinary, and two-spirit BIPOC communit ..read more

by Daniel Lindsley - SGN Contributing Writer Barcelona: Russian LGBT family hopeful about advert On August 24, Reuters brought forward the voices of a Russian LGBT family who, despite being forced to flee the country, believe the supermarket advertisement in which they appeared might bring greater normalcy to the idea of families like them. Yuma Yuma, whose partner is a woman, fled to Barcelona with her two adult daughters and her granddaughter after receiving death threats related to the advertisement, which made no reference to their sexual orientations but still aroused suspicion among anti ..read more

by Carter Hemion - SGN Contributing Writer Gaysha Starr, also known as GS Matencio, has been performing and breaking down walls in Seattle as a drag queen since 1993. Today, she continues to perform, as well as still advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights and making changes to the face of corporate work. I had the chance to talk with Starr about her experiences as a drag queen, and she shared her story, some career highlights, and what she is doing today in the community. Background Starr's parents emigrated from Manila, in the Philippines, but she grew up in Columbia City and Beacon Hill. She went to ..read more

Introducing project Inflection Point by Josephine Baird - SGN Contributing Writer With everything going on the world, it can often be hard to keep track of the issues you care about. The company Substantial, an industry-leading digital build and innovation studio, has created a project to help solve this issue, called Inflection Point, aimed at keeping track of the ongoing legal battles facing the Transgender community. According to a press release from the studio Substantial, the project, created by Substantial developer Andrew Bales, is a "data visualization story focused on the record-break ..read more

by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer Twenty Republican-controlled states are suing the Biden administration to halt its LGBTQ rights directives. Tennessee's attorney general, Herbert Slattery, filed the suit on behalf of all 20 states on August 30, in the US District Court in Knoxville. Joining Tennessee in the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. The lawsuit argues that directives from the US Department of Education (DOE) and ..read more

by Paige McGlauflin - SGN Contributing Writer Book-It Repertory Theatre is warming up for its 32nd season. The Seattle Center-based company, which specializes in bringing literary works to the stage, premieres its 2021-22 season on Oct. 12. Audiences will have the chance to enjoy five productions, two as audio dramas and the remaining ones in person. "We're finding a way to get back to being with audiences. We have a hybrid season. We are starting out with two audio productions and then switching to [being] in person in January," Gus Menary, Book-It's artistic director, told the SGN. Last year ..read more

by Lindsey Anderson - SGN Contributing Writer It can be hard not to feel the vibrations of anarchy coursing through the underbelly of the city when walking the streets of Pike Place Market. Along with the crowds, the noise, and the ever-present smell of fresh fish, a surge of energy and excitement rises into the air, and radical ideas seem a little more attainable. This is the appeal of Left Bank Books, a collectively owned bookstore situated in the very center of the action of Pike Place. The store promotes an anticapitalist agenda while simultaneously existing in one of the most bustling com ..read more

by John Dunn, St. Patrick Catholic Church - Special to the SGN Before leaving for Rutgers University in the fall of 2010, Tyler Clementi had come out to both his parents. His father Joseph was supportive, but his mom Jane had to process the information, partly because of her evangelical background. At college, Tyler's roommate found some of Tyler's communications on some Gay websites. The roommate set up his webcam to record what was going on in their dorm room when Tyler had asked for some privacy. The roommate and a friend observed Tyler and his male friend kissing. The roommate proceeded to ..read more

by Hannah Saunders - SGN Contributing Writer The Intiman Theatre - which "uses the power of story and education to activate dialogue, confront inequity, and build collective joy" - will celebrate the return of the live arts by hosting the HOMECOMING Performing Arts Festival on September 18 and 19, 2021 on Harvard Ave. between Pike and Pine. Although Intiman has put on theatre festivals previously, this will be the first time it will host a large outdoor performing arts festival. Creative directors Jennifer Zeyl and Wesley Frugé started planning for this back in the early spring. "We're really ..read more