Greater Seattle Business Association Outraged by Seattle LGBT Commission

GSBA demands public apology : Israel, regardless of its governmental policies,  provides more protection for LGBT citizens than any other nation in the Middle East
By Melanie Nathan, 03/20/2012

Reacting to last week’s cancellation of a meeting with Israeli equality delegates,the Greater Seattle Business Association, the largest LGBT chamber of commerce in the United States with over 1000 members, wrote a letter to the City of  Seattle LGBT Commission, to express  their outrage at the commission’s decision to “silence LGBT voices by cancelling the City Hall event with a delegation of Israeli LGBT civil rights leaders.”

The mission of the powerful business association is to combine business development, leadership and social action,  to expand economic opportunities for the LGBT community,  and those who support equality for all.

The mission of the Seattle LGBT  commission? Well of that we are now uncertain. Following the commission’s decision to boycott the Israelis it would seem they are not bound by any LGBT interest mission, but rather one that serves the political realm of outside interests, such as the anti-Israel forces who used unsubstantiated rhetoric to further their separate and divisive political agenda.

Here is the letter:

March 20, 2012

To: Seattle LGBT Commission , David W. Howenstine, Co-Chair and  Mac Scotty McGregor, Co-Chair

Office of the Civil Rights

8210 Third Avenue, Suite 750

Seattle, Washington 98104-1627

Dear Commissioners:

On behalf of the Board of the Greater Seattle Business Association, the largest LGBT chamber of commerce in the United States with over 1000 members, we write to express our utter disappointment in your decision to silence LGBT voices by cancelling the City Hall event with a delegation of Israeli LGBT civil rights leaders.  Succumbing to demands and lacking the courage to facilitate dialog with those who are our brethren in the LGBT equality movement will have far reaching consequences not only for the Commission but for the City of Seattle and its elected leaders.

As Seattleites, we are proud to be part of a City that has progressive values and is open, inclusive, engaged and a leader in equality. Thursday’s actions by the Commission have tarnished our image. The Commission was goaded into having the City take a position that is viewed by many as anti-equality, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel.  It has been manipulated into placing the City squarely in the middle of an age-old political controversy between Arabs and Jews, a position which we are confident that the Mayor and City Council do not share and did not intend for the City of Seattle.

Israel, regardless of its governmental policies, which some of us may or may not support, provides more protection for LGBT citizens than any other nation in the Middle East – and that protection is for all LGBT citizens, regardless of whether the person is Jewish, Christian or Muslim.  We are living in a time in which the LGBT Community is facing life-threatening acts of violence against their existence in Iran, Iraq, and other countries in that region of the world and there is barely an outcry. However, the one Middle East country that actually has laws in place extending equal benefits and protections to its LGBT citizens has its motives questioned. The Commission’s response to withdraw its invitation to meet and talk raises serious questions not only about the motivations of those who lobbied for cancelling the City’s event, but also about the Commission’s abilities and effectiveness as a civil rights entity.

In our view, you have turned an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and education into the silencing of voices, violating the very tenants of our democracy – the freedom of speech and right to assemble. The message sent by the Commission to the world is out of step with our City values and with the Commission’s mission. Further, your actions are contrary to the views held by the leading LGBT organizations in our City.

It is difficult to undo the damage done by the LGBT Commission. We believe our City leaders will take necessary corrective action.  The Commission and the Office for Civil Rights must also look to make amends for its actions and restore the lost confidence of the greater LGBT community.  A public apology to the Israeli delegation, LGBT community and the citizens of Seattle, which should come from the Seattle LGBT Commission, Office for Civil Rights, City Council and Mayor, is a critical first step.  Another way to start the rebuilding process is for each commissioner to reflect upon his or her actions and consider whether resigning his or her commission will foster renewed confidence, strength and leadership.

In the next couple of weeks, the GSBA will formally request meetings with the Office for Civil Rights, City Councilmembers and the Mayor to discuss the actions of the Commission, accountability of the Office for Civil Rights and address how an advisory commission is given authority to have decision-making powers with considerable and far reaching consequences for the City.

Very truly yours,

Louise Chernin                                                                                                  Mark Rosén

President & CEO                                                                                               Board Chair

Mona Smith

Chair, Public Affairs

Cc:          Julie Nelson, Office of Civil Rights

Mayor Mike McGinn

Council President Sally Clark

Councilmember Richard Conlin

Councilmember Sally Bagshaw

Councilmember Jean Godden

Councilmember Mike O’Brien

Councilmember Tom Rasmussen

Councilmember Bruce Harrell

Councilmember Nick Licata

Councilmember Tim Burgess

City Attorney Pete Holmes

__________________________________________________________________________________

400 E Pine Street/Suite 322/ Seattle, WA 98122

TEL 206.363.9188 / FAX 206.568.3123 / EMAIL / WEB thegsba.org

Please note that Mac Scotty McGregor was the only commissioner who voted “no” against the other commissioners.

When I asked for  comment after the event I was informed  that the Commissioners have been gagged by the Commission and told that they cannot make individual comments.

Here is a list of the Articles about the topic that I have written over the past week-

Jewish Voices for Peace and the Seattle LGBT Commission Anomaly

by Melanie Nathan on March 19, 2012 in POLITICAL VIEWS, LGBT, U.S.A., NEWS, WORLD, Africa, RELIGION, EVENTS, Conferences

By Melanie Nathan, March 19, 2012 I often wonder if advisory boards for non-Profit organizations keep a check on what they have tied their names to?  Many are apt to join for an appealing mission statement tied to common causes and very often because a friend or acquaintance pitched the importance. Although I do recognize […]

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US LGBT Academic Delegation Guilty of Pro-Palestinian Pinkwashing

by Melanie Nathan on March 17, 2012 in Conferences, EVENTS, LGBT, Middle East, NEWS, U.S.A., WORLD

Or who is Pinkwashing the Projected Projectiled Pinkwashers By Melanie Nathan, 03/17/2012 There has been a recent spate of targeted attacks on Israeli LGBT community and leadership visits in the USA.  The attempts to squash the meetings of all and any Israeli LGBT visitors, regardless of purpose and commonality has been helmed by a group […]

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Seattle LGBT Commission’s Boycott of Israeli LGBTI Guests Opens Wounds

by Melanie Nathan on March 16, 2012 in Conferences, EVENTS, LGBT, Middle East, NEWS, POLITICAL VIEWS, RELIGION, U.S.A., WORLD

By Melanie Nathan and Scott Rose, 03/16/2012 Caving to protests by a small anti-Israel and anti-Jewish contingency, using the guise of so called pinkwashing,  the  Seattle City LGBT Commission has silenced the voices of its Israeli LGBT guests  from the coalition Group AILO,  by cancelling, with less than 24 hours notice,  a dialogue event which […]

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Seattle LGBT Commission Shuts Down Israel’s LGBT Voice

by Melanie Nathan on March 15, 2012 in Conferences, EVENTS, Middle East, NEWS, WORLD

The unconscionable shutting down of gay, lesbian and transgender voices by our own community cannot be tolerated, for any reason whatsoever – I take blogger’s license – I am sad and disgusted! By Melanie Nathan 03/15/2012 Reports have come in from the Seattle commission’s meeting tonight that in an act of unprecedented cowardice the Seattle […]

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Seattle University Assistant Law Professor Attempts to Silence Visiting Israeli LGBT Voices

by Melanie Nathan on March 14, 2012 in POLITICAL VIEWS, LGBT, U.S.A., NEWS, WORLD, Middle East, RELIGION, EVENTS, Conferences

Denying dialogue is a means to foster hate … By Melanie Nathan, 03/14/2012 In the midst of a visit to the West Coast by a delegation of Israeli LGBT leaders, is a small group of anti-Israel proponents, who seem to be led by an assistant law Professor from Seattle University, Dean Spade, who was a […]

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Rick Santorum Stands by as Violence Erupts at Rally – Marriage Equality Filmmakers Attacked

by Melanie Nathan on February 18, 2012 in NEWS

By Melanie Nathan,  February 18, 2012. After an exhilarating morning at the historic signing of WA State’s Marriage Equality Bill by Governor Christine Gregoire, Kristina Lapinski of GAY USA the Movie, and I attended the Rick Santorum rally held in Tacoma, at the Washington Historical Museum’s outdoor amphitheater.  Little did we know that we would […]

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