Dylan Orr is on Blabbermouth this week! He's the new leader of Seattle's Office of Labor Standards, which means he's the man in charge of enforcing this city's trailblazing $15 minimum wage. He's also a trailblazer himself as the first transgender appointee to any US presidential administration (he worked at the Labor Department for Obama) and now as the first transgender mayoral appointee to any cabinet-level post here in Seattle.
Orr grew up in this city and went to Garfield High School (at the same time as me), so we talk about all that—about the years when the Garfield High School Gay-Straight Alliance had to meet in an "undisclosed location" and about his journey since, including the recent mini-controversy over his appointment by Mayor Ed Murray and the urgent priorities Orr sees in his new job.
Stranger Art Editor Jen Graves is also on the show, talking about five new hires at the University of Washington's School of Art and some concern over their gender and racial make-up. We address the questions: "Why does it matter? Why do we need to be paying attention to the gender and racial breakdown of new hires in an art department? Should we be paying more attention to their achievement and artistic skill?" And then Jen shares the Seattle art that's on her mind right now, including these ceramic sculptures.
PLUS the music of Wimps, a "sweet 'n' sour" punk band from Seattle that's playing on Saturday, June 6, at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard.
Blabbermouth June 5, 2015
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