Over 47 years, the Seattle Gay News has covered thousands of stories that still resonate today. This week we look back at Vol. 21, Issue 25, published on June 18, 1993.

HOW teams up with bar owners

Before there was Equal Rights Washington, there was the Citizens for Fairness/Hands Off Washington. Our dearly departed publisher, George Bakan, was a founding member and would talk about these years until his dying day.

In 1993, HOW was hard at work fighting the Citizens Alliance of Washington branch of the Oregon Citizens Alliance, to keep it from coming over state lines to propose an anti-LGBT referendum similar to Oregon's Ballot Measure 9, which was defeated in November 1992.

In June 1993, SGN Staff Writer Tom Flint reported:

In a stunning display of solidarity and service to the community, 24 Seattle gay and lesbian bars have coordinated a major educational event and fundraising drive on one of the busiest nights of the year, the Saturday before Pride Sunday. Timberline owner Jim Detweiler was eager about the event and felt strongly about the threat from the Citizens Alliance and other traditional family values groups. "These seemingly mild-mannered fascist hetero supremacists in their suits and ties are extremely dangerous," Detweiler said. "We've made it our mission to rise to the occasion and bring their war of hate to an abrupt halt for the sake of all freedom-loving Americans."

Seattle City Councilmember supports HOW

Flint also reported: "This is an important statement of uniform support for the civil rights of all Washingtonians", said City Councilmember Sherry Harris. "Washington Citizens for Fairness [is] doing excellent work to ensure equal treatment for all of us."

Update: HOW and other groups, such as Bigot Busters, was successful at fending of the OCA's various attempts, but after the failure of I-677 in 1997 to protect LGBT from workspace discrimination, HOW slowly disbanded and made way for the creation of Equal Rights Washington in 2004.

Sisters honored at Pride kickoff

Thursday night at Neighbors disco, the Seattle chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence was honored for their contributions to PWAs and AIDS awareness and education. Proceeds from the stunning June 17th event will benefit Bailey-Boushay House. In September an anniversary benefit by the Sisters is being planned to celebrate their six years of activism.

Mr. Drummer 1993

Seattle Generic Leather Productions announced Sunday night that Howard Miller is the 1993 Washington State Mr. Drummer and Chris Beckett is the 1993 Washington State Drummer Boy... This is the first year Washington state has held a Drummer Boy contest. The Drummer Boys appeared Saturday, June 12th at the Cuff to give a judged speech and then provided unjudged fantasy entertainment on Sunday night... The Drummer competition was held at the Off-Ramp Cafe and Lounge.

Update: According to wsmlo.org, in 2002, the Washington State Mr. Drummer title had changed its name to NW LeatherSIR and NW LeatherBoy.

Homophobes in Bellingham

SGN Staff Writer Tom Flint reported:

Kevin Tebedo, founder of Colorado for Family Values and prime sponsor of Amendment 2, held a community watch seminar at Lynden Christian High School in Lynden, Washington, near Bellingham. The seminar was titled "The Gay Agenda, Its Threat, and What Christians Can Do About It." Tebedo urged pro-family Christians in this state to launch a Colorado-style campaign here. He told his audience that there could be no compromise or coexistence with homosexuals. More than 150 people attended the workshop sponsored by Bellingham Rev. Gary Small; and state Rep. Val Stevens, a religious right-wing politician. Washington state Sen. Ann Anderson sent a letter of congratulations to the YAC (Youth Action Coalition) for sponsoring the seminar.

Val Stevens' anti-Gay rhetoric

Stevens was the new state representative in the 39th District, a Republican, and bigot. She made an appearance at the Community Watch seminar in Bellingham. SGN

Staff Writer Tom Flint reported: Stevens said Christians must be as persistent as the gay community, otherwise the gay/lesbian civil rights bill is going to pass in 1994. She explained that gays and lesbians don't have any responsibilities and therefore can give all their time to passage of the bill.

"They don't have family responsibilities, Stevens said. "They have a freedom that we don't have. They have nothing else to work out, nothing else to think about. We have responsibilities, and we generally take those responsibilities very, very seriously."

Stevens continued twisting the knife on our very own. "Cal Anderson, the homosexual representative from Seattle, asked to have a point of privilege in which he stood and spoke," said Stevens. "I was tremendously offended to sit and listen to him as he used the Book of Ecclesiastes to justify his lifestyle as a homosexual and the need for this bill."

Stevens ended her speech by warning her audience about homosexual child molesters. "This is a battle that we can't lose... They want to remove all age-of-consent laws."

Update: Val Stevens managed to stay in the House for two terms and in the Senate for four. She dedicated her career to "strengthening Washington's families" and was named the NFIB "Legislator of the Decade" in 2010 for her support of small business. Stevens retired in 2013.

Frank opposition in Seattle

People who remember (or met) former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank think he was our Gay champion in the US Congress. Some would be surprised that a portion of the Gay community protested his visit to Seattle in 1993, as SGN Staff Writer JR Stone reported:

Gays and lesbians believe that Rep. Barney Frank placed his head on a chopping block when he told the community he simply will accept the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' compromise on the military ban of homosexuals. Radicals turned furious and labeled him a traitor. Others stood by in dismay.... If nothing else, Frank has successfully divided the community on the issue.

Frank probably didn't have a clue when he came to Seattle last Thursday that some in the community would confront him about his politics, but Queer Nation and ACT UP showed up and... called for Frank to go "back into the closet' rather than take such a stand. "I think there is a serious division in the community," said Richard Isaac of Queer Nation Seattle.

Gay student vanishes in Bellevue

Tom Flint reported that the family of 29-year-old Caldwell Agard asked the Gay community for help in locating their missing son. Agard had been missing since May 1.

Agard's mother, Donna Adams, suspects that her son went out jogging on Sunday morning and something happened to him at that time. "I really suspect some sort of foul play. He had no history of depression or emotional problems, he didn't drink or take drugs. I seriously doubt he would pick up a stranger for sex. We are just completely baffled by his disappearance. I don't know if my son was gay. I don't think he was, but if he was, I wouldn't care. I know he had gay friends and was well liked by gay people. If anyone in the gay community recognizes him from this photograph or knows anything about him that might help us find out what happened to him, please let us know."

Update: Agard's body was found four months later in an overgrown area at the rear of American Garden and Nursery. He had gone out jogging around Phantom Lake. The autopsy was inconclusive.

Bookstores vandalized by dyke group

SGN Staff Writer Caitlin Sullivan reported that a group called Dykes against Porn ...vandalized bookstores, including Capitol Hill's Red and Black Books... [They] were spray painted "Fuck on our backs" in protest of the selling of a lesbian sex magazine called On Our Backs. The group also targeted Steve's News on Broadway by slashing covers.

One group member, Sandy, was offended by [a] cover [with] an Asian woman in body paint with flames all around her. Akiko Carver, who shouted her speech through a bullhorn last Saturday in front of Red and Black Books, said pornography is no more than eroticizing hate propaganda.

"On Our Backs glorifies and promotes violence against Asian women; what it basically says is that white dykes should be getting off on setting Asian girls on fire."

The magazine was contacted by the SGN in wake of the demonstration. Spokesperson Melissa Murphy said she talked with model Dawn Wan, who had no problem with the cover. "It's the flames added by On Our Backs to enhance the photo. She's burning alive," Sandy said.

Crossroads Learning Center hosts AIDS group

Tom Flint reported:

"There's so much denial among people with HIV," said Greg Whiting, People Curing AIDS coordinator. "Most people with HIV just don't want to think about it until they're forced to pretend nothing is happening, until so much damage is done to their immune system that they can't ignore it anymore." Whiting said people don't have to die of AIDS; many people have survived for 15 years now, but so many people accept the established doctrine about AIDS. "But the sooner you begin taking care of your immune system, the more you are you can do a maintain your health, said Whiting.

In A&E news

Signorile's war on religion

Michelangelo Signorile's visit to Seattle was reported by Tom Flint. Signorile was in town to promote his book, Queer in America and said,

"Gays and lesbians are thinking everything is getting better. We've got Clinton in there doing things, but why did this thing happen in Colorado or Oregon and now Washington and Idaho? The community is confused, and they don't understand that it's all very much related...For 20 years we've been picking a fight and the Religious Right ignored us because they thought we weren't relevant, but now they recognize that they've got an opponent [so] they're really going to give us a fight. People who think we've won were wrong. We've just reached the stage where we can fight to see who wins."

Seattle Men's Chorus on the verge of greatness

In 1993, the chorus was getting ready to perform a concert greatness. This was the concert that created an iconic, top-selling CD, plus a KCTS-TV special that was the general public's first view of a Gay chorus: "Swellegant Elegance: The Music of Cole Porter," hosted by Harvey Fierstein with special guest Diane Schuur. The special was aired on Channel 9 in September 1993 and was reaired in 2004 to commemorate the SMC's 25th anniversary.

Update: Fierstein returned to the chorus in 1999 for its "Gentlemen Prefer Broadway" concert. Joining him was Broadway star Faith Prince.