For Immediate Release Thursday, October 11, 2007 Contact: Dean Lynch E-Mail: chair@citizensadvancingequality.org Telephone: (509) 293-4993 FINAL DECISION: WHO WILL BEST REPRESENT THE GLBT COMMUNITY? CAE-PACE, the new GLBT-focused political action committee releases its ratings and endorsements of candidates in the upcoming general election   This Wednesday, Citizens Advancing Equality (CAE-PAC), the new political action committee for the local GLBT community, will release its ratings and endorsements of local candidates running for public office in the upcoming general election. CAE-PAC previously evaluated and rated candidates in the primary race; those ratings will be combined with CAE-PAC’s general election ratings and can be viewed at CAE-PAC’s website, www.CitizensAdvancingEquality.org. The positions for which CAE-PAC evaluated candidates include: City Councils of Airway Heights, Cheney, Liberty Lake, Spokane, and Spokane Valley; School Board positions in the Districts of Central Valley, Cheney, Deer Park, Orchard Prairie, Riverside, Spokane (District 81); and City of Spokane Mayor. A total of 15 questionnaires were completed by candidates running in the general election and returned to CAE-PAC last month. The questionnaire addressed such issues as where equal rights legislation ranks among candidates’ priorities. A committee was appointed to carefully review the candidates’ responses. Most candidates who returned a questionnaire also subsequently participated in an interview conducted by a different appointed committee. Both committees made independent recommendations of candidate ratings and reported their conclusions to the CAE-PAC board of directors. In addition to the two committees’ recommendations, the board of directors considered any publicly known information about the candidates. After thorough deliberation, the board determined CAE-PAC’s final ratings and endorsements of candidates running in the general election. Citizens Advancing Equality recognizes the importance of electing leaders who not only exhibit tolerance of people who identify themselves as GLBT or questioning, but also embrace all people as valuable citizens of the greater Spokane community. To that end, CAE-PAC provides the GLBT community—and the public at large—with comprehensive information to assist voters in deciding which candidates, if elected, will most likely be supportive of the GLBT community. # # # For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Dean Lynch by e-mail at chair@citizensadvancingequality.org or telephone at (509)293-4993. To view the official CAE-PAC candidate endorsements and ratings, please visit www.CitizensAdvancingEquality.org. For Immediate Release Friday, August 3, 2007 Contact: Dean Lynch E-Mail: chair@citizensadvancingequality.org NEW LOCAL LEADERSHIP: HOW DO THE CANDIDATES MEASURE UP? New gay rights PAC finishes its first formal evaluation of the community’s next potential leaders   Citizens Advancing Equality, the new GLBT-focused Political Action Committee (CAE-PAC), has completed its first formal evaluation of candidates running in the thirteen local races with a contested primary. The conclusions on how the candidates measure up on issues affecting the local GLBT community can be seen at www.CitizensAdvancingEquality.org. The positions for which CAE-PAC evaluated candidates included Spokane mayor and city council; Cheney and Spokane Valley city councils; and school board positions in Newport, Nine Mile Falls, Orchard Prairie, and Riverside. Early last month, CAE-PAC mailed written questionnaires to all 29 mayoral and city council candidates and all 18 school board candidates. CAE-PAC’s evaluation committee subsequently reviewed the returned questionnaires and determined whether a supplemental, follow-up interview would be conducted. The evaluation committee also investigated the past voting history of select candidates who previously held an elected position that gave them the opportunity to vote on issues especially important to the GLBT community. To determine its final endorsement recommendations to be presented to the CAE-PAC board of directors, the committee carefully reviewed each candidate’s questionnaire and, in some cases, conducted an interview and researched official voting records. After careful consideration of the committee’s recommendations, the CAE-PAC board of directors made its final decisions on which candidates, if elected, are most likely to be supportive of the GLBT community in their work as an elected official. In addition to the board’s endorsement decisions, visitors to the CAE-PAC website can also view the specific rating of each candidate and other comprehensive and candidate-specific information. # # # For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Dean Lynch by e-mail at chair@citizensadvancingequality.org. To view the official CAE-PAC candidate endorsements and ratings, please visit www.CitizensAdvancingEquality.org.

For Immediate Release Friday, June 29, 2007 Contact: Dean Lynch E-Mail: chair@citizensadvancingequality.org EQUALITY: THE QUESTION FOR LOCAL CANDIDATES New gay rights PAC sets off on its first formal evaluation of the community's next potential leaders   Formed last February, Citizens Advancing Equality, a local political action committee (PAC), takes on its first endeavor to evaluate political office seekers in Spokane County. Tuesday, CAE-PAC mailed questionnaires to 29 candidates, in the seven races with a contested primary, running for city council and mayor in Cheney, Spokane, and Spokane Valley. Questionnaires will also be sent to candidates running in contested primaries for school board positions in various school districts. Tuesday’s mailing marks the committee’s first of many undertakings to provide the community with an analysis of each candidate regarding issues concerning the local gay community—particularly the issue of equality. Following the return of the questionnaire, separate follow-up interviews will be conducted by a panel of three or more individuals appointed by the CAE-PAC Board. Although the initial questionnaire is already available to the public, the topics addressed in the supplemental interviews will remain confidential until after the committee compiles and analyzes the candidates’ responses to the interview questions. The supplemental interviews for city council and mayoral candidates will be scheduled after receipt of the initial questionnaires which are to be postmarked by July 6. The formal candidate endorsements will be issued around August 1 and will be published on the CAE-PAC website (www.CitizensAdvancingEquality.org). CAE-PAC will also use other avenues to distribute its recommendations to the public. # # # For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Dean Lynch at chair@citizensadvancingequality.org. To view the initial candidate questionnaire, please visit the CAE-PAC website at www.CitizensAdvancingEquality.org.

For Immediate Release Wednesday, April 11, 2007 Contact(s): Leaders of Spokane’s GLBTQA Community are listed below and available for comment. DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP BILL PASSES STATE HOUSE Spokane’s GLBTQA Community One Step Closer to Gaining Protections   Spokane’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning and allied (GLBTQA) community celebrated the passage of the domestic partnership registry bill by the State House on Tuesday afternoon. Same-sex couples in the state of Washington now only have to wait for the Governor’s signature to have critical health and inheritance protection made available to them. Governor Gregoire, a longtime supporter of equality for all citizens of Washington, has said she plans to sign the bill. This legislation will give gays, lesbians, and unmarried heterosexuals age 62 some basic rights that married couples already have. Among other things, the bill would allow domestic partners to give consent for health care if a partner isn't competent, authorize organ and tissue donation, make funeral arrangements, and inherit when there is no will. Spokane’s GLBTQA community would like to extend their deep appreciation for the efforts of Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, Senator Ed Murray and Representatives Joe McDermott, Jim Moeller, Jamie Pedersen and Dave Upthegrove for championing this legislative milestone. Local LGBTQ PAC Forms Community Service Announcement By CAE-PAC Executive Committee Reproduced from Stonewall News, Volume 16, Issue 9, Wednesday, May 2, 2007 » View Entire Stonewall News Issue » Visit Stonewall News Website Do you believe our elected officials adequately respond to the needs of their LGBT constituents? Do you sometimes feel that candidates court our community, but once elected, offer only tepid support for LGBT civil rights? Do you want to hold politicians accountable for their positions on issues related to the LGBT community? If you’re ready to speak up on political matters, there’s a new organization in Spokane that’s ready to be a loud and proud voice of the LGBTQA community. Formed by a group of community activists this pastwinter, Citizens Advancing Equality (CAEPAC) is a membership-driven political action committee devoted to educating and fostering relationships with elected officials and increasing voters’ awareness of issues affecting our community. CAE-PAC’s charter members have laid the foundation for exciting political engagement, but success will depend on your involvement and support. To join this change-making effort, send an e-mail with your name and contact information to info@CitizensAdvancingEquality.org. And look for our web page, www.CitizensAdvancingEquality.org, which will be online soon. Together, we can ensure that our friends, family and community have the information they need to make good decisions at the ballot box.