Q-Seattle Events: Tacky Tourist Clubs

The Stranger's Josh Feit reports on Slog that the new owners of the Sonics and Storm bankrolled right-wing homophobe Gary Bauer. The Times' David Postman picks up on Feit's reporting with this summary:

It turns out that in 2004 and 2005 Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward ? principals in the ownership team ? were the top two donors to Americans United to Preserve Marriage, according to records at PoliticalMoneyLine. The group is led by conservative Christian activist and former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer.

Feit points out that the contributions from McClendon and Ward kept Bauer's group in business:

[T]he controversial group doled out $1,056,962 in the 2004 election cycle, which means Storm owners Ward and McClendon basically bankrolled the whole thing. Indeed, records show that between the 2004 and 2006 cycles the group spent $1.3 million total while Ward and McClendon?s donations total $1.1 million.

Storm, the women's basketball team, not only attracts a signficant lesbian fan base, but actively markets to lesbian and gay fans. As Feit notes, the team's owners might find that market less responsive having discovered where the management team sends its money.

These are the same folks who are now asking the legislature to approve $300 million in taxpayer money to finance a new stadium in Renton for their teams. Postman notes the political implications:

But the Oklahoma group's decidedly conservative political bent is likely to be of concern to many more in liberal Seattle than just Storm fans. And that could matter at a time when the team is looking to the Legislature to approve a taxpayer subsidy for a new arena. That's the same Legislature that is expected to approve benefits for domestic partnerships this year. And the NBA is the same league that recently banished a former player from All Star weekend because of his anti-gay comments.

Labels: Gay Seattle, politics, Seattle, sports