Blaine Confidential

Last year, when Simon Sefzik was still an undergraduate student, he represented Patrick Henry College at the American Moot Court Association national championship. As one of the "truly elite Christian institutions of higher education...the goal of all that is done at Patrick Henry College is that of equipping godly men and women who will lead our nation and shape our culture with timeless biblical values." Sefzik portrays himself as a friendly Republican who will work collegially with Democrats, but at a time when Republicans are working feverishly to deprive women of their right to choose and LGBTQ families of equal protection under the law , how much can we trust him? After all, Patrick Henry College is closely allied with legal advocacy groups focused on blocking rights and protections for LGBTQ people and preventing access to abortion and contraception.

In bed with the military industrial complex and fossil fuel companies, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen also supported the nefarious Gateway Pacific Terminal* that showed such disdain for Lummi Nation and the treaty rights of American Indian tribes. Read more about the dirty money behind Larsen . *See Netwar at Cherry Point

While Whatcom County dodged a bullet in the 2019 County Executive race, the Christian bigotry network that includes Illuminate Northwest and remnants of Whatcom Tea Party is still present. As illustrated in my articles  On a Mission from God  and Teaching Bigotry , it isn't hard to monitor the Christian right, and exposing them makes a world of difference.   

While legislation against LGBTQ+ individuals spreads across the Deep South, we in the Northwest can support the Equality Act now before the U.S. Senate. Here in Blaine, discrimination against gays in housing and a recent hate crime against a transgender person make it clear that sexual bigotry is a community problem. Like racial and religious bigotry, it can only be overcome by community support for equality. Learn more at the Human Rights Campaign .

On May 25, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ( PFLAG ) presented the ABC's of LGBTQ+ at Blaine Public Library. In the presentation, we learned that while lesbian, gay and bisexual people have gained widespread acceptance of their humanity, bigotry toward transgender people remains particularly fierce, which explains the high suicide rate of trans teens. We also learned how important it is to trans youth to receive support from family, friends and school districts. As depicted in the documentary film The Most Dangerous Year (see Kanopy streaming video on the Whatcom County Library System website), a dark wave of anti-transgender "bathroom bills" swept across the nation in 2016. In Washington State, six of these bills were introduced in the State Legislature. The ensuing civil rights battle is captured in this film about embattled parents struggling to protect their children from laws inspired by hate and fear.