'MO - July 2008 - (Page 6)

letter from the editor According to Merriam-Webster.com, an activist “is a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” Are we all being good activists? Are we all practicing “direct vigorous action” for equal rights? If you’re at all like me, you’ve got lots of commitments. Between work, home life, the gym, friends and family, and myriad social commitments, there’s very little time for “activism.” I mean, don’t activists spend all their waking hours with their mouths pressed to a bullhorn, pounding their ﬁsts into the air, chanting statistics and refuting biblical passages to other zealots? Who’s going to walk my dog, make my bed, buy my groceries and cook my meals while I’m off saving all of ’mo-kind? Are we too busy for equal rights? Or have some of us just not found the thing that will motivate us to take it to the next level? Sure, we’re out of the closet, and living our lives free of shame, but is it enough to change the world? And in whose hands are we placing the responsibility? Someone who has, through horriﬁc circumstances most of us will never experience, been thrust into the role of activist is Charlene Strong—this month’s cover story. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Charlene over the last few months, and I really admire her sense of humor, her sense of decency, and her “direct vigorous action” toward a cause of extreme importance. Please read the interview with Charlene on page 13. And I just loved the title of this show: Sitting In Circles With Rich White Girls: Memoirs Of A Bulimic Black Boy. Doesn’t it sound like the kind of show that will make you laugh a lot, but might also make you cry a bit? Seattle poet Chad Goller-Sojourner will be performing his solo show at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center, Friday, July 11th through Sunday, July 20th. There’s more info on page 23. Enjoy the issue, PHOTO BY ANDREA WALKER Michael Lehman Editor-in-Chief editor@moSeattle.com n Are you ready to buy a house? n Do you already own a home? n Are you considering refinancing? n Get FREE homeownership counseling FIRST! 6 celebrating seattle’s gay community http://www.homeownership.wa.gov

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - July 2008

'MO - July 2008 Contents Letter From The Editor Series 2008 Needs Volunteers Voices 'mo-BIZ: City Lights Sign Company HIV Is Still a Big Deal, The Online Video Series Instant Activist Pet Project: Wiener Takes All Charlene Strong on the Rights Fight Form & Function: Molding Your Middle Will the Economy Ruin LGBT Funding? Toronto is a Great Place to Meet Feature Film Review: American Teen Live Event Preview: Sitting In Circles with Rich White Girls Book Review: In the Eye of the Storm by Gene Robinson Capitol Hill Guide Three Dollar Bill Cinema Presents: Features from the Black Lagoon Raising Spirits: Tini Bigs Offers Five New Martinis SceneOut: People@Places

'MO - July 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.