Gay AK – Notes from LGBT Alaska

The US Senate voted 63-28 Thursday night to include the Hate Crimes Act as an amendment to the must-pass defense spending bill. The added measure will “provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes.” Both Begich and Murkowski voted in favor, and Begich is a co-sponsor of the original bill. The House passed a stand-alone hate crimes act in April, and President Obama supports it.

The Episcopal Church Convention approved two gay-positive resolutions: to open the ordination process to all individuals (D025), and to start the process of developing rites for blessing same-sex marriages (C056). Resolution D025 is a response to the restraint passed in 2006 on the election of gay and lesbian bishops in committed same-sex relationships. In the vote by orders, D025 passed the lay and clergy orders in the Diocese of AK, but not without dissent. Rebecca Snow, senior lay deputy from Alaska, co-authored the original version of D025 and was interviewed before the vote. Mary Ellen Harris, an alternate delegate member, describes the day the Convention passed D025 on the Alaska delegation’s blog. The national Integrity (LGBT Episcopal) blog has a news roundup on both measures.

We believe that the LGBT community has more support for the equal rights ordinance in Eagle River/Chugiak than most people assume, but we need your help to make sure that the voices of those who support equality are heard. Please join us for an organizing and strategizing meeting in the community room of Jitters Coffee House in Eagle River, 11401 Old Glenn Hwy, on Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 pm and help us create and execute an action plan to let Debbie Ossiander know that she has constituents who support LGBT equality. Invite supportive friends, neighbors, and family members to attend this meeting and learn how they can get involved. Thank you. Equality Works.

Top 4 on Bent Alaska

A big “thank you” to everyone who contributed writing, quotes, links and/or photos for these popular recent articles on Bent Alaska: Sarah Palin’s Top 10 Anti-LGBT Moments, Alaskan Celebrates Gay Pride in India (picked up by the ADN newsreader), Palin and Gays Make the Queerest July 4th Ever, and the top post of the month Kelly’s Story: A Transgender Christian Woman.

Are you in need of healing after the marathon of public hearings that have taken place this summer? Are you looking for effective ways to speak and hear compassionately in difficult circumstances? An evening introduction to Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers practical tools that help you to generate empathy for self and others, identify what’s at the heart of people’s behaviors, and create simple, profound shifts in awareness and speaking habits. NVC can be used in any kind of interpersonal interaction. Interactive learning invites participants to use their own real-life situations to experience the NVC process. Facilitated by NVC practitioner and teacher Louise Baquero Deerfield. The LGBT Workshop is Monday, July 27, 6:00-8:30 pm, 1057 W. Fireweed, Suite 102, United Way Conference Room. Please pre-register if possible. E-mail: Tiffany McClain.