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Volume 34
Issue 12

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee / The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee / The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence
For almost thirty years, SEAMEC, the Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee, has been interviewing and rating candidates for public office to inform LGBT voters in the Puget Sound area and our allies on the level of support and understanding the candidate has for our community. "This year we are looking at additional ways to educate the community, including the importance of voting and participation in the electoral process," said Jeff Koertzen, SEAMEC Co-Chair. SEAMEC was approached by SGN publisher George Bakan with the idea of a collaborative voter registration campaign. "Voter registration and education are a great fit for SEAMEC. We believe that the SEAMEC Fairness Ratings are important to Seattle-area LGBT voters, but the Fairness Ratings are only effective if they are used. We often hear that people don't believe that their vote counts, and some of that frustration carries over into our community." This fall, Washington voters may be asked to repeal the Anderson-Murray Anti-Discrimination Act that was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Gregoire earlier this year. In addition, an LGBT favorable ruling from the State Supreme Court on the Andersen v. King County/Castle v. State suit challenging the state's Defense of Marriage Act is expected to anger conservatives statewide. "We believe that this year is a very critical year for LGBT citizens in Washington State," said Koertzen. "As a community, we need to educate the broader community on our issues, but we also need to be sure that we, as a community, encourage every eligible citizen to get registered and to vote this fall to keep the rights that we are due. "Those who oppose us believe that they have a right to fire us or deny us housing simply because we were born predisposed to a relationship with someone of our own gender or because our gender identity or expression does not match the outward appearance, and they believe that this right to discriminate should again be legitimized in state law. We should be outraged! We will need every member of our community to vote this fall, but we will also need the support of our allies and supporters of fairness and equality to keep our rights. EVERY vote will count this fall." The intention for the voter registration drive is to build a long-lasting collaborative voter education and registration campaign that will continue past the election cycle this fall. SEAMEC plans to involve several other large LGBT organizations in the Seattle area. Information on the registration and education campaign will be posted on SEAMEC's website at www.seamec.org. As the campaign is currently in the planning stages, SEAMEC is seeking financial backers and volunteers to help plan and implement the campaign. Send an email to volunteer@seamec.org or call (206) 860-7583 to volunteer.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence

The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence was founded on the proposition that all humans are created equal (though some wear high heels better than others), joy is a fundamental right, and everyone is deserving of respect and dignity, even a seven-foot nun with nipple clamps and a leather Utilikilt. But the fun and festivity that inevitably follows any appearance of the Sisters is built on a firm foundation of social activism and a tradition of acceptance and harmony, dating back to the first Sisters to don the wimple & whiteface in San Francisco 27 years ago. Not only Seattle's own Abbey Of St. Joan, but sisters the world over are on the front lines of the fight for equality not only for queer folks, but all folks in danger of being marginalized by hatred, ignorance, and just plain fear. And they know that it all starts at home: Sister Eva Destruction quotes what Erma Bombeck had to say about women's rights, and feels her sentiments can be applied to the universal GLBT community: "We've got a generation now who were born with semiequality. They don't know how it was before, so they think, this isn't too bad. We're working. We have our attache' cases and our three piece suits. I get very disgusted with the younger generation of women. We had a torch to pass, and they are just sitting there. They don't realize it can be taken away. Things are going to have to get worse before they join in fighting the battle." Sr. Eva adds: "We can't give up, we must fight, and we need to make people understand this is an issue of freedom. Otherwise it will get worse, and our freedoms will be taken away." And waaay on the other side of the literary spectrum is Albert Camus, who once wrote: "Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." Erma Bombeck to Albert Camus, and everything in between-that pretty much sums up The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence!