Gay Rights Watch » seattle

11 Seattle Gay Bars Threatened With Ricin Poisoning Via Letter

Bryan — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:59:54 +0000

Eleven gay bars in Seattle received letters today addressed to the “Owner/Manager” from someone claiming to be in the possession of ricin, a deadly poison. “Your establishment has been targeted,” the letter begins. “I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients.”

A copy of the letter is below the fold.

According to the CDC’s website, someone who has ingested “a significant amount” will develop vomiting and diarrhea within the first 6-12 hours; other symptoms of ricin poisoning include hallucinations, seizures, and blood in the urine. There is no antidote for ricin but ricin exposure is not invariably fatal.

A letter also arrived in The Stranger’s offices, addressed to the attention of “Obituaries.” The letter’s author said the paper should “be prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals all of whom were patrons of the following establishments on a Saturday in January.” The listed bars are: the Elite, Neighbours, Wild Rose, the Cuff, Purr, the Eagle, R Place, Re-bar, CC’s, Madison Pub, and the Crescent. “I could take this moment to launch into a diatribe about my indignation towards the gay community,” the letter concludes, “however, I think the deaths will speak for themselves.”

via The Slog

As a Portland resident who loves to visit Seattle, I’ve been to a number of the bars mentioned. It’s honestly pretty scary to think about this. The best way to protect yourself is to simply keep your drink on you all the time. Sort of like what they tell you at the airport, don’t let your luggage out of your possession!

Join The Impact: Tons of Videos from Nationwide Prop 8 Protests

Bryan — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:21:53 +0000

Videos covering a ton of the nationwide rallies are available all in one place. Never in my life have a seen such a galvanized movement. It’s estimated that 3.5 million people across the country gathered in their city to let their voices be heard on the blatant discrimination brought to you by the extremist religious right. Let’s hope this passion continues and we can channel it into passing legislation and beginning the process of overturning marriage bans.

Here are just a couple of the great videos. The rest have been compiled over at Good As You.

Chicago

Seattle, WA

Boston, MA

New York City, NY

Portland, OR

Seattle Lesbians Kicked Out of Safeco Field for Kiss

Editor — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:39:07 +0000

A Seattle lesbian couple says a peck on the lips nearly got the two of them tossed out of a Mariners game… Sirbrina Guerrero says she only gave her date a peck, but a mother sitting with her son complained to security and, as a result, they were told to stop or leave.

“And he (the security guard) goes ‘there’s a lady whose son says he saw you guys making out, and I did, too. And you have to stop.’ And I said ‘well, we weren’t making out, but we were kissing and I’m not going to stop,’” said Guerrero… “(The security guard said) the mom doesn’t want to explain to the kids why two girls are kissing. So I said ‘well, I’m not going to stop, so you’ll have to kick me out. So he said ’so I suggest you leave then,’” she said.

But Guerrero and her friends don’t buy it. After Guerrero was flagged at the game, they took pictures of other couples who kissed but were not reprimanded. Those couples, they said, were heterosexual.

via KOMO Head over here to see a video of the story.