7 HOME • CULTURE • OUT
Time to get back to enjoying true crushes
7/4/2008 | Back in the day, my high school days, that is, I started Fourth of July celebrations by rising at the crack of dawn. I'd wriggle my beanbag into just the right position and settle in front of the TV to watch my favorite tennis tournament of the year, Wimbledon.
Californians need to honor marriage privilege
6/27/2008 | The first invitation has arrived. A gay wedding in California between two of our dear friends. They've set the date for August 9, three weeks before their 17th anniversary as a couple.
Portland shows us all how to be progressive
6/20/2008 | Portland mayor-elect Sam Adams enjoyed a campaign this spring in which his being openly gay seemed to barely register in the minds of voters. Residents were more interested in his campaign issues and policy positions.
Chance meeting sets stage for meaningful awards
6/13/2008 | A friendly tap on my right shoulder prompted me to turn away from the bus window and look upon the gal sitting behind me. She was a graduate student whom I vaguely recognized from having spoken in one of her classes.
OutSpokane finding family-friendly niche
6/6/2008 | OutSpokane is thinking big. Real big. Within five years gay pride week will annually draw thousands of visitors from around the nation to the Lilac City, the organization hopes.
She didn't tell, so why did the Air Force ask?
5/30/2008 | Air Force Maj. Margaret Witt's life was forever altered by an anonymous tip that she was gay. Two years short of retirement, the Spokane resident learned she was under investigation by the military.
California decision is one for the books
5/23/2008 | Imagine for a moment a soldier serving in Iraq. His wife and children are back home, along with parents and siblings, hoping and praying every day that he is safe at his post.
Mr. Gay Washington takes pride in representing community
5/16/2008 | A couple of weekends from now, Ryan McCaskill will work his 11 p.m.-7 a.m. shift as night bellman at the Davenport Hotel, fly to Oregon the following morning, return that evening to work another shift, fly to Seattle the next day and return to work again that night.
Labels are only skin deep
5/9/2008 | Technically speaking, I'm not a lesbian. In fact, the overwhelming majority of gay women in the world are not either. But tens of thousands of straight men are, along with just as many heterosexual women.
Too many remain in dark about HIV facts
5/2/2008 | When Michael Moore of Spokane was diagnosed HIV positive, one of the first questions his mother asked was, "Does this mean we can't drink out of the same glass as you?
Dissolve my partnership? No thank you
4/25/2008 | Secretary of State Sam Reed sent me a letter earlier this month encouraging me to dissolve my partnership with Molly. Or at least that's how it felt.
Out on the Town: Reflecting on three years of growth
4/18/2008 | One of my favorite parts about writing this column is the incredulity I meet with about every three months or so. I'll have made a new acquaintance or been talking to, say, a former professor who didn't know I was writing for the paper.
News of pregnancy sparks mixed emotions
4/11/2008 | As I'm sure many of you can imagine, recent news of the pregnant man from Oregon has me filled with all kinds of competing emotions.
Fight prejudice by living authentically
4/4/2008 | The security lines at Southern California airports are maddeningly unpredictable, and I tend to err on the early side, both of which led to our arrival at the departure gate last Sunday with an hour to spare.
Hathaway's stand transcends politics
3/28/2008 | Undoubtedly, thoughtful people have put forth this notion before, but something about the way Anne Hathaway said it recently was so lovely. She stood before a crowd at the swanky Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, accepting an ally award from the Human Rights Campaign, and said: "There are people that have said I'm being brave for being openly supportive of gay marriage, gay adoption, basically of gay rights, but with all due respect, I humbly dissent."
Friend's pregnancy brings mixed emotions
3/21/2008 | Her belly must be the size of a soccer ball by now. Maybe even a basketball. My best friend is pregnant and I have no idea what she looks like these days.
Younger generation needs local gathering spot
3/7/2008 | Many people, especially those who come from larger cities, find being gay in Spokane to be challenging. There isn't a neighborhood filled with gay-friendly shops and restaurants.
Story of then and now
2/29/2008 | When David started living his life as Donna, he was just shy of 40 years old, married and had a son in grade school. He cried for the first time in his adult life. The tearful moment came more easily for David, partly because of the female hormones he was taking to aid the transition from male to female.
Fight discrimination by finding common ground
2/22/2008 | Discrimination against gays and lesbians is legal in 30 states, but that doesn't make it right. Most of us know that. Most of us believe discrimination of any kind is inherently wrong; yet, we don't do a whole lot to combat it.
Bumper-sticker theft stifles voice
2/15/2008 | To all those with declarations of hope and equality pasted to your car bumpers and windows, watch out! There's a bumper-sticker thief in town.
Glass is half full ... compared to last decade
2/8/2008 | I thought it might have been students overreacting, but it turns out Eastern Washington University is considered by many to be a rather hostile campus.
Equality will be met with marriage rights
2/1/2008 | Washington lawmakers announced last week they will seek to expand the domestic partnership law to include more than 170 new protections. Originally passed in 2007, the law allows same-sex couples and heterosexual partners with at least one person over the age of 62 to register as domestic partners and enjoy rights such as hospital visitation, inheritance and end-of-life decision making.
Local LGBT Center ready for virtual visits
1/25/2008 | It doesn't have a coffee bar or meeting rooms, but the Inland Northwest LGBT Center is now open for virtual visitors. If the Center's new Web site is a hint of what's to come when a brick-and-mortar site is finally secured, we're going to have one spiffy community center.
Calendar shows full schedule
1/18/2008 | For all the hype surrounding gay pride festivals held annually in June and October, it's easy to think those are the only times the Inland Northwest LGBTA community comes alive.
Awkward encounter shows lack of awareness
1/11/2008 | The raffle prizes stacked in one corner of the Davenport's Marie Antoniette ballroom were too alluring to keep us in our seats. Molly and I had piled our plates high at the buffet table, but left them to wait while we perused the electronics, kitchen gadgets, gift certificates and other spendy fun that would be given away later in the evening.
