| Homophobia won’t dim the spirit of “The Sound of Fairview” Block Party 2011Bent Alaska

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Home » Anchorage, Anti-LGBT, Events, Wasilla

Homophobia won’t dim the spirit of “The Sound of Fairview” Block Party 2011

Submitted by Melissa S. Green on Thursday, 9 June 2011 – 8:00 AMNo Comment

by Mel Green

Anchorage’s Fairview Community Council is sponsoring a neighborhood block party this Saturday, and even the sudden pullout of one of scheduled bands — because its drummer can’t abide “flaming faggots” — will not dim Fairview’s spirits.

In the past few years, the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage has been shaping itself into one of the most — what’s a good word? — enthusiastic neighborhoods of the city, many of its residents working hard to instill community spirit and neighborliness in the face of often unfriendly circumstances.

Or at least that’s what it looks like to me, from my perspective some years distant from living in Fairview myself.

This coming Saturday is proof in the putting: Fairview Community Council is sponsoring a block party on the very block where I lived back in’84, at 13th & Nelchina — and even the sudden withdrawal of one of the scheduled bands on the grounds of bigotry can’t dim Fairview’s spirits.

As reported by Brendan Joel Kelley in the Anchorage Press,

If you’ve seen the flyers for the Fairview Block Party and you’re excited to see the band Ogopogo, well, you’re going to be disappointed. Although Ogopogo was booked for the 2 p.m. Saturday celebration on Nelchina Street between 13th and 14th Avenues, drummer Felix Rouse told Fairview Community Council Vice President Christopher Constant Tuesday his band wouldn’t be playing because of the “fag shit” at the block party. The Friday Night Divas — gay bar Mad Myrna’s resident drag performers — will be performing at the block party, which Rouse says he wasn’t aware of when the band agreed to play at the community celebration.

Disclosure: Christopher Constant is a member of Bent Alaska’s News Team. But for the purposes of this story, Chris’ significance is that, as Fairview Community Council’s vice president, he’s one of the folks who’s been working tirelessly to make “The Sound of Fairview” Block Party an event that will be fun and welcoming for all of Fairview’s residents — and, for that matter, anyone else who wants to stop in for a few hours for family and kids’ activities, parkour, beer garden, yummy food vendors (the food, not the vendors!), an ice cream truck-off, and great music and entertainment.

“Rouse blames Constant for not informing him up front there would be a drag show at the block party,” writes Kelly. “He says he ‘felt like an asshole’ ” — (imagine that…if the body part fits, I guess) — “for backing out of the booking, but he’s ‘not a fag guy.’ ” Neither are at least a good third of the entertainers of Friday Night Divas (we prefer the word gay ourselves) — but you don’t find them welching on the booking. Not even on a Saturday after doing a late Friday show!

I think Rouse’s perspective is pretty weird. It seems to me that it should be Chris blaming Rouse for not informing him upfront at the time of the booking that he, Rouse, is an extreme bigot. It’s a very good thing Chris found out in time to update the event posters and ads, and also to ensure that Nelchina Street between 13th & 14th will be a much happier and less homophobic place this Saturday.

Kelley writes:

We at the Press, whose World Headquarters is located in Fairview, are certainly happy not to have Rouse attending. Actually Rouse can stay in Wasilla and not grace our neighborhood with his presence for all eternity, and we’ll be happy.

Sorry, Wasilla. Something tells me Rouse is one of those guys who doesn’t appreciate “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

For my part, I think that (1) Rouse’s band Ogopogo should consider renaming itself Ohomophobo; and (2) I’m going to miss a really good time on Nelchina Street this Saturday.

But you shouldn’t.

Big kudos to Fairview Community Council for creating a fun neighborhood event that’s welcoming to everyone — straight, gay, or who cares. We at Bent Alaska hope it won’t be the last block party in Fairview. May other Anchorage neighborhoods also be so inspired! Kudos also to Brendon Joel Kelley and the Anchorage Press for fine reporting.

And kudos to the performers of the Friday Night Divas and all the other great talent that will grace Nelchina Street this Saturday — Wolf Electric, Evan Phillips of the The Whipsaws, Historian, and Matt Hopper & the Roman Candles. May you enjoy fine weather, large audiences, & a growing fanbase!