7 HOME • CULTURE • OUT
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.
New year starts out by celebrating new body
1/4/2008 | The bulk of my adult life has been spent at two universities, either as a student or an employee. Couple that with 12 years of childhood spent in school and it's no surprise that I tend to think of time as circular.
Criticism of Moscow example of defining values
12/28/2007 | The city of Moscow made a caring decision to offer health insurance to people who might not otherwise be covered and suddenly found itself under the harsh scrutiny of the Idaho Values Alliance.
Giving to adopted family provides extra holiday fun
12/21/2007 | The presents and boxes of food fanned out from under the Christmas tree halfway into the living room. My co-workers and I, and our families, sat down to dinner in our director's home with plates piled high.
It's official, we have a bona fide nurse in the family
12/14/2007 | The snow began to fall about two hours before the ceremony we had been anticipating for years. My partner, Molly, graduated from the Intercollegiate College of Nursing on Sunday and with our two boys, she and I happily tramped through the freshly powdered sidewalks in our dress shoes.
AIDS epidemic transcends stereotypes
12/7/2007 | This time of year I think about people in other countries and wonder what they think about in December. Me, I feel like doing a little jig every time I look at the snow.
Understanding the T in LGBT takes time
11/30/2007 | For many years now I've felt I know or understand very little about the "T" in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Living the bulk of my life in a big Southern California city did nothing to further my education.
Early Thanksgiving leaves us in holiday quandary
11/23/2007 | Well, the Thanksgiving food fest has now moved into the leftover stage, marking the end of the fall holidays. This being the biggest shopping weekend of the year, all those retailers want us squarely focused on Christmas from here on out.
Thanksgiving traditions not all about the food
11/16/2007 | Many folks in the gay community celebrate this time of year with their "chosen family," that is, friends who provide the love and support that biological families often do not.
