The Anchorage Assembly voted to end testimony on the equal rights ordinance at 11:15 p.m. Tuesday night, after everyone on the speakers list either testified or failed to respond when their name was called. The Assembly has held 6 public hearings on the ordinance since it was proposed on May 12, and over 600 people signed up to testify.

On August 11, Assembly members will debate the ordinance without public input, and will vote on the ordinance when the debate ends, possibly on the same night.

Please write a letter to Mayor Sullivan and the ADN in support of the ordinance, and plan to attend the Assembly meeting on August 11.

Tuesday’s testimony represented a mix of arguments for and against the ordinance. Many opponents spent three minutes displaying their ignorance and fear of homosexuals, sometimes in pornographic detail, then said they were not homophobic.

Supporters spoke of families and friends, discrimination and inequality, history and progress. Chrissy said, “I, like the majority of Anchorage heterosexuals, support this ordinance.” The tolerant majority has spoken.

Bent Alaska would like to thank the many brave supporters who testified during the weeks of hearings, as well as those who attended the hearings and wrote about the ordinance. Your words give us hope and your attendance shows that this is a community effort.

To share that hope, several of the ordinance testimonies will be posted on the blog, along with letters to the Mayor and the newspaper. If you want your letter posted, please send it to Bent Alaska.