'MO - February 2009 - (Page 19)

This month, we continue our series proﬁling Seattle’s “Power Couples,” those LGBT partnerships that are setting the benchmark for advancing civil rights, fostering the growth of queer culture and providing role models for future generations. Ed Murray and Michael Shiosaki Putting the Domestic in Partnerships By R.H. Sheldon Edited and with additional research by Vincent Kovar When he arrives home, Senator Ed Murray rushes through the house like a gust of wind, going from legislator to dog walker in no time ﬂat. Moments later, his partner, Michael Shiosaki appears, coming home from his own job at Seattle Parks and Recreation, his entrance is not as harried but just as determined. After they sit down, and settle into their home, they relax quickly into a gentle and easy manner. For two people who aren’t trying to be a perfect gay poster couple, Murray and Shiosaki sure look like one. Whether it’s an art auction for the Wing Luke Asian Museum or a rally for LGBT civil rights on the Capitol steps, you’ll find Seattle’s preeminent gay couple front and center. When Murray is not in Olympia, they attend four to five events during the week and more on the weekend. As a result, they’ve become a powerful voice for the community but inﬂuence and prestige have come at a price. As their visibility has grown, so has the challenge to their privacy. In fact, it’s tough for them to go anywhere in the city without being recognized. “It’s increasingly difficult for us to carve out our own little special place that’s just the two of us,” says Shiosaki. This high profile sometimes tests the boundaries between the professional and private spheres. At work Shiosaki is known not only as a landscape architect, but also as a politician’s partner. “Just because we’re together, people think of us as kind of a unit,” Shiosaki says, “they think I always know Ed’s perspective on everything, which I don’t always.” He and Murray laugh, but then Shiosaki moseattle.com adds more seriously, “I think politics really has seeped into every part of my work and what I do, because it’s so important. I realized early on— when Ed was first elected—that there were so many things I felt I needed to be attending,” says Shiosaki, “We need to set the example. We need to be out there, making a statement.” Making that statement means Shiosaki regularly joins Murray at inaugural balls, bill signings, swearing-in ceremonies and many other political functions. This hasn’t always been easy. “Early on there were situations where I didn’t feel very comfortable,” says Shiosaki. “Politics didn’t feel like an open or welcoming atmosphere.” But he believes the situation has changed. “More people have come to recognize us as well as other gay couples and expect us to be out there.” Murray agrees. “That’s the biggest thing any of us can do as gay people, to let people know who we are. That’s what changes attitudes and minds.” Even when they can get away for a private moment, they’re rarely left alone. “In the 13 years I’ve been in office, we’ve never been on a vacation where I have not been interrupted, and usually more than once,” Murray remarks. “When we go away, some aspect of my work goes with me.” (continued on page 20) PHOTO BY PETER MORAGA Michael and Ed during Seattle’s Marriage Equality Rally at Volunteer Park on November 15, 2008. 19 issue #2 | february 2009 http://www.moseattle.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - February 2009

'MO - February 2009 Contents Letter From The Editor Voices Pet Project Gay Softball League Seeks New Players Instant Activist: Two Opportunities to Make a Difference Bailey-Boushay’s Chefs’ Dinner Pulls in More Than $285,000 GLSEN Releases Report on LGBT Students of Color Gay City Health Project: Race Relations Form & Function: Partner Workout Power Couple: Senator Ed Murray and Michael Shiosaki Montréal The ’mo Interview: Joe DiPietro New on DVD: Tru Loved Coming to CD/DVD: The Annie Lennox Collection SceneOut: People@Places AIDS Awareness & Action Day 2009 Capitol Hill Guide

'MO - February 2009

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