Articles by Bent Alaska
Bent Alaska is Alaska's LGBTQA blog founded by E. Ross in March 2008 and now edited (as of October 2011) by Melissa S. (Mel) Green.
Sara’s News Roundup 11/14/11: Antigay propaganda for Halloween
A Juneau father speaks out against antigay propaganda dropped in with his children’s Halloween candy, recent polls show public support for transgender equality, and “gay” penguins at the Toronto Zoo. That and other recent LGBT news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
1) Bipartisan group reframes case for legalizing gay marriage
Washington, USA Today, November 8, 2011
2) Second Edition: Transition and Beyond now available
Portland, Oregon, www.transtherapist.com, November 2011
3) Same-sex penguin pair fascinates zookeepers
Toronto, Canada, Toronto News, November 4, 2011
4) Letter: The scariest thing this Halloween
Juneau, Alaska, Juneau Empire, November 8, 2011
5) Intersex councillor likely to be mayor
Sydney, Australia, Star Observer, November 7, 2011
6) Houston Mayor Annise Parker Wins Reelection
Houston, Texas, Advocate, November 8, 2011
7) Strong Majorities Favor Rights & Legal Protections for Transgender People
Washington, D.C., Public Religion Research Institute, November 2011
8) NY radio station launches new voice of black gay life
New York, inGrio, November 5, 2011
9) ‘Yes’ wins big in TC non-discrimination vote
Traverse City, Mich., Record Eagle, November 8, 2011
10) Commentary: More Faith Leaders Supporting Same-Sex Marriage
Black Entertainment Television, November 7, 2011
11) More than 90 Percent of American Catholics Back Transgender Rights
Washington, DC, Equally Blessed, November 8, 2011
12) Gay Penguins Buddy and Pedro Will Reunite Once They’ve Helped Propagate Their Species!
Toronto, Canada, SheWired, November 11, 2011
Preliminary report of the Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey released
The preliminary report of a survey conducted earlier this year finds that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) residents of the Municipality of Anchorage experience significant levels of harassment, violence, and discrimination in employment, housing, education, public services, and child custody as a result of their sexual orientation or gender identity or presentation. Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey: Preliminary Report by Melissa S. Green was released today by the Anchorage-based nonprofit Identity on behalf of the Alaska LGBT Community Survey Task Force.
The Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey was conducted in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, from January through March 2011, with 268 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) respondents included in the final dataset. The preliminary report presents key findings from the survey on the incidence of violence, intimidation, and discrimination in employment, housing, education, child custody proceedings, and public services experienced by respondents in the Municipality of Anchorage because of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender presentation. Summary data is presented for the total study population of 268 respondents, as well as for the 50 respondents who had been resident in the Municipality of Anchorage for less than five years.
Results show that discrimination, harassment, and bias are experienced by lesbian, gay, and bisexual residents of the Municipality of Anchorage at levels comparable to those experienced by respondents to One in Ten, a statewide survey of lesbian, gay, and bisexual Alaskans conducted in 1985 (published in 1986), and that that discrimination, harassment, and bias are also commonly experienced by transgender residents of the Municipality of Anchorage. The 50 respondents who had lived in Anchorage less than five years reported experiencing discrimination/bias in Anchorage at only slightly lower rates than the survey population as a whole, despite of a much shorter span of time in Anchorage within which to accumulate experiences of discrimination.
More comprehensive information from the study, including methodology, complete demographic data on survey respondents, detailed analysis of the findings, and comments from survey respondents will be included in the final report (forthcoming in December 2011).
[Download the preliminary report from the
Alaska LGBT Community Survey Task Force website]
The Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey came about as a result of a perceived need for quantifiable data on the incidence of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in the Municipality of Anchorage. It represents the first effort since the late 1980s to compile rigorous data about the incidence of sexual orientation bias and discrimination in Anchorage — and the first effort ever to document Anchorage or Alaska-specific data about discrimination and bias on the basis of gender identity and expression.
The Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey is a collaborative project of the Alaska LGBT community and a coalition of Alaska organizations which serve the LGBT community, including Identity, Inc., the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s), Alaskans Together for Equality (ATE), Equality Works, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska. The survey questionnaire and overall research project were designed by members of the Alaska LGBT Community Survey Task Force in consultation with Dr. Brad A. Myrstol and Khristy Parker of the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage. Shelby Carpenter, LGBT Public Policy Coordinator with the ACLU of Alaska during the first half of work on the survey, was project manager for survey distribution and data collection, assisted by Drew Phoenix. Dr. Myrstol conducted statistical analysis on the final dataset. The principal investigator for the study is Melissa S. Green, who prepared this report and is also writing the final report. Questions about the survey can be directed to her at alaskacommunity@gmail.com.
Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey: Preliminary Report by Melissa S. Green is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.identityinc.org/.
Press release
Here is the text of the media advisory released this morning by Identity.
For Immediate Release
Identity
Phyllis Rhodes, Executive Director
907-929-4528
Report shows discrimination against lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender Alaskans.
Anchorage, AK, Nov. 10, 2011 — The nonprofit group Identity released today preliminary results of a study conducted this year about discrimination in Anchorage’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey’s initial results indicate members of the LGBT community in Anchorage continue to experience significant levels of discrimination in areas of employment, housing, education, public services and child custody as a result of their sexual orientation or gender identity or presentation. They also experience high levels of verbal harassment and physical violence.
“Unfortunately, we know discrimination within the LGBT community continues to be a problem in Anchorage as it does in other communities across the country,” stated Phyllis Rhodes, Executive Director of Identity. “The survey will help us quantify the problems we face so we can work to eliminate discrimination in our community as a whole.”
In the area of employment, 44 percent of respondents reported being harassed by employers or other employees; nearly 21 percent believed they were turned down for a job when otherwise qualified; almost 18 percent were denied a promotion and close to 15 percent said they were fired by their employer based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
In housing, over 18 percent of respondents reported being harassed by a landlord or other tenants, and more than 10 percent said they were denied a housing lease, even though they were otherwise qualified, because they were LGBT.
The Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey also shows that roughly three out of four survey respondents experienced verbal abuse, and nearly 43 percent were subjected to threats of physical violence. Further, almost 13 percent experienced property damage because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Melissa S. Green was the principal investigator for the project and authored the preliminary report released today. Green was also part of two similar research efforts in the 1980s conducted by Identity to document sexual orientation bias and discrimination in Alaska. The new study added transgender Alaskans to the survey and was conducted between January and March of this year, and involved paper and online surveys collected from 268 respondents in Anchorage who identified themselves as being LGBT. The project was designed by members of the Alaska LGBT Community Survey Task Force in consultation with Dr. Brad A. Myrstol and Khristy Parker of the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage. Dr. Myrstol also assisted with statistical analysis.
Identity is an Anchorage-based, nonprofit organization founded in 1977, and provides programs supporting equality for the LGBT community and its allies. The complete report from the Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey will be released in December 2011.
Identity
Phyllis Rhodes, Executive Director
907-929-4528
A copy of the complete preliminary report is available online at www.identityinc.org or alaskacommunity.org.
# # #
Meet Penny Arcade & drink great wine — this Saturday at Out North
Good wine, good company, good organizations!
Enjoy some really great wine, provided by our friends at La Bodega! Meet Penny Arcade, Performance Artist, before Saturday night’s show of B!D!F!W! Penny Arcade’s Sex and Censorship Show at Out North! And benefit some really great organizations — Identity, Northern Exposure, and Out North!
(La Bodega was already Bent Alaska editor Mel Green’s favorite liquor store — cool to know that it’s also supporting some of my favorite organizations!)
- Date/time: Saturday, November 12, 6:-00-8:00 PM
- Location: Out North Contemporary Art House, 3800 DeBarr Road Anchorage (see map)
- Cost of admission: $15 per person
- Further info: see Facebook events page
Sara’s News Roundup 11/8/11
Recent LGBT news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
1) N.J. judge allows gay marriage suit
New Jersey, Philadelphia Inquirer, November 5, 2011
2) ‘Ex-Gay’ Movement: Weaker By the Minute
Advocate, November 4, 2011
3) Race, Religion and Same-Sex Marriage
New York Times, October 31, 2011
4) Church of England vetoes services of blessing for same-sex couples
U.K., Guardian, November 2, 2011
5) Gay Teen Suspended for Wearing Makeup
Lexington, Tenn., Advocate, November 4, 2011
6) IRS Formally Agrees with Historic Court Ruling for Transgender Taxpayers
Washington, Human Rights Campaign, November 3, 2011
7) RIVERSIDE: Cal Baptist expels transgendered student
Riverside, Calif., Press-Enterprise, October 28 2011
8) Conference to discuss issues for gay Mormons
Utah, Salt Lake Tribune, November 3, 2011
9) Locker room is ready for a gay player: NHL scout
British Columbia, CTVBC, November 4, 2011
10) UN Report Spotlights LGBT Rights Abuses in Iran
Iran, Advocate, November 4, 2011
11) Glee Spoiler: Gay Sex Guarantees Controversy
Advocate, November 4, 2011
12) Mormon bishop says church responsible for gays’ emotional wounds
Utah, Salt Lake Tribune, November 6, 2011
Dine Out for Equality with One Anchorage at Schlotzsky’s Deli
Join One Anchorage at Schlotzsky’s Deli (on Dimond Blvd next to the Red Robin) on Tuesday, November 8. 20% of all sales (walk-in or drive thru) will benefit One Anchorage!
The One Anchorage Campaign will place an initiative on the April 2012 municipal ballot in Anchorage to add sexual orientation and transgender identity to Anchorage’s equal rights code. This follows on an equal rights ordinance which passed the Anchorage Assembly in 2009 by a vote of 7–4, only to be vetoed by Mayor Dan Sullivan.
Help us show the buying power of One Anchorage. Spread the word — lets fill this place up!
- Date/time: Tuesday, November 8, 3:00-8:00 PM
- Location: Schlotzsky’s Deli, 321 E. Dimond Blvd, Anchorage, AK (see map)
- Further info: see Facebook events page
Healing Racism in Anchorage brings Brent Scarpo for anti-bullying film & workshop
Join Healing Racism in Anchorage (HRA) in welcoming renowned anti-bullying/anti-violence speaker and youth violent expert Brent Scarpo for his award-winning film Journey to a Hate-Free Millenium, a one-day workshop, and other events aimed at addressing bullying, violence,and racism. HRA is also offering a five-week course on building alliances to end racism in Anchorage.
Healing Racism in Anchorage steering committee member Steve Aufrecht wrote about Brent Scarpo recently on his blog What Do I Know? —
Brent was the casting director of The Shawshank Redemption
(and other movies like That Thing You Do
, Air Force One
, and Matilda
). Then he decided he wanted to make his own films and work on eradicating hate….
Brent has taken this so seriously, he dropped out of his successful Hollywood career so that he could concentrate on doing his part to help free people from hate and fear.
See Steve’s second post about Scarpo too: it includes a video of a Skype conversation the two held, in which Scarpo described a chance phone call from a college student that changed the direction of his life.
Scarpo’s focus now is on transforming people so they can deal with and de-fuse hate — particularly in the form of bullying, whether motivated by racism, sexism, homophobia, or other reasons.
Scarpo’s presentation of the film kicks off a series of events sponsored by Healing Racism in Anchorage during Scarpo’s visit and continuing through December. On Tuesday, November 8, Scarpo will conduct a “Train the Trainers” workshop on addressing racism and hate, and he’ll also be speaking at a number of local community organizations, schools and businesses, discussing the origins of interpersonal hatred and how individuals can affect change in our community.
Healing Racism in Anchorage is also offering a five-week course, Building Alliances to End Racism, which is available for credit. The course begins Thursday, November 10 at and runs every Thursday through December 15 (except for Thanksgiving).
Journey to a Hate Free Millennium (film)
This documentary looks at the subject of hate and bullying as seen through the stories of the Columbine High School student shootings, the dragging death of African-American James Byrd Jr of Jasper, Texas and gay college student, Matthew Shepard of Laramie, Wyoming. The film has won over 25 film festival awards.
- Date/time: Monday, November 7, 7:00-9:00 PM
- Location: East Anchorage High School Auditorium, 4025 East Northern Lights Blvd, Anchorage, AK (see map)
- Cost of admission: Free
- Further info: see Facebook events page
“Train the Trainers” workshop
In this single-evening workshop, participants will:
- Gain at least one important insight into how racism works in the US;
- Understand the overlap between racism and bullying;
- Gain at least one practical tool that will help them deal with racist/bullying
incidents at work or in private life; - Leave with a plan for increasing their knowledge about racism/ bullying and for having an impact on decreasing racism/bullying in the next year; and
- Understand workplace violence and how to spot the signs of a possible incident.
Brent will engage participants interactively to help them meet their most pressing concerns. There is a limit of 30 participants.
Please contact Healing Racism in Anchorage at healingracism@gmail.com or (907) 561-3238 for information on the workshop and registration.
- Date/time: Tuesday, November 8, 5:30 to 9:00 PM
- Location: Credit Union One in Mountain View, 115 N. Bragaw St., Anchorage, AK (see map)
- Cost of admission:$50 in advance. Contact us at
healingracism@gmail.com for information and registration. - Further info: see Facebook events page
Building Alliances to End Racism (5-week course)
As part of Healing Racism in Anchorage‘s Fall 2011 event, join us for our credit course, Building Alliances to End Racism. This 5-week workshop will deepen your awareness of how racism affects you and what you can do to improve our society. You’ll learn how to be more sensitive to the experiences of others, how to unlearn racist patterns and how to move from awareness into action. This course will look closely at the topics of bullying and hate crimes and how they can be eliminated. This is a chance to build supportive relationships with other people who also care about racial justice.
Classes meet at the Anchorage School District building every Thursday between November 10 to December 15 (except for Thanksgiving!) Academic credit available.
- Date/time: Every Thursday between November 10 to December 15 (except for Thanksgiving!), 5:30 to 8:00 PM
- Location: Anchorage School District, 5530 E Northern Lights Blvd, Anchorage (see map)
- Further info: see Facebook events page
First Fridays at the Lower LA kicks off Nov. 4 with (some of) the best in Fairbanks drag & burlesque talent
The numerous talented drag and illusionist performers of Fairbanks invited you to join them every month on First Fridays at The Lower L.A. for a night of fun & mischief with cabaret, drag, & burlesque!
First Fridays will kick off on November 4 at 10 PM with a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) show featuring (some of) the hottest in Fairbank’s GLBT&A talent, the scandalously hot ladies of Cabaret Noir-Burlesque, and Fairbanks’s most popular live rockabilly band “The Avery Wolves”! DJ’d dancing &/or band after.
And of the best & hottest who aren’t at this first First Friday? We’ll see them at our other First Fridays! First Fridays will feature every month:
- Cabaret Noir — Burlesque! Fairbank’s hottest burlesque troupe of gorgeous ladies will be strutting their stuff!!
- Haus oF Fusion — Beyonca Fusion and her clan of femme fatales!
- Drag Kings – featuring the return of “Tommie Blue”
- A hot local & live band or DJ
- many more talented charmers & guest performers changing every month!!
Full bar service in The Lower L.A. — the lounge downstairs from Los Amigos Tex-Mex. Full menu food service upstairs in Los Amigos before doors open downstairs.
- Date/time: Every First Friday of the month. Doors open at 9 PM, show 10 PM to 1 AM
- Location: Lower LA ( lounge downstairs from Los Amigos Tex-Mex), 636 28th Ave, Fairbanks, AK (see map)
- Cost of admission: $10 general seating, $15 VIP table seat. Limited VIP table seating & general seating tix available at (907) 322-5242.
- Age restrictions: 21+ in bar area, limited 18+ in restaurant area.
- Further info: see Facebook events page
“Out in the Silence”, award-winning docco on bullying & discrimination in smalltown America: Sunday at Out North
The United Gay-Straight Alliances of Anchorage are sponsoring a free showing on Sunday evening, November 6 of Out in the Silence, a 50-minute documentary which addresses bullying and discrimination against LGBT youth in rural and smalltown America. This is a free, all-ages event at Out North, though a donation of $3 at the door is suggested to help Anchorage GSAs develop anti-bullying initiatives in their schools.
Special thanks to The Family at UAA, Spectrum at APU, as well as Out North Contemporary Art House for their support as well as the many youth working to make this showing a success!
The aim of Out in the Silence is to expand public awareness about the difficulties that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people face in rural and small town America and to promote dialogue and action that will help people on all sides of the issues find common ground.
This is a community event and all ages, orientations, etc. are welcome to attend! There is a suggested $3 donation at the door, with all proceeds going to support Gay-Straight Alliances across Anchorage to develop anti-bullying initiatives within their schools.
- Date/time: Sunday, Nov 6, 7:00 to 9:00 PM
- Location: Out North Contemporary Art House, 3800 DeBarr Road Anchorage, AK (see map)
- Cost of admission: Free; suggested $3 donation at the door to benefit Anchorage-area Gay/Straight Alliances (GSAs).
- Further info: see Facebook events page, the Out in the Silence website, or the Out in the Silence Facebook page
B!D!F!W! Penny Arcade’s Sex and Censorship Show at Out North starting this weekend
B!D!F!W! is a powerful critique of the Christian right as well as of the politically correct Left. A blend of outrageous humor, political humanism, freedom of expression and erotic dancing, the show shocked NY’s supposedly unshakeable downtown art scene with its brazen use of strippers and erotic dancers and its huge audience dance break. 1500 international performances later, this show (like all true masterpieces) has never left the cutting edge; it comes to Anchorage, finally, to up the ante on the hot topic of “choosing respect.”
“The show was everything you ever wanted to know about censorship, feminism, counterculture and joy.” – Rolling Stone
“Arcade’s strength is that she takes issues which divide and frighten people and exposes the absurdity behind them. A wonder to behold…Beg, steal a ticket.” – Newsweek
About Penny Arcade: Born Susana Carmen Ventura to an immigrant Italian family in the small factory town of New Britain, Connecticut, she became Penny Arcade at age 17 in an effort to amuse her mentor and patron, openly gay photographer/artist Jaimie Andrews. It was Andrews, a member of The Playhouse of the Ridiculous, who introduced the young Arcade to legendary director John Vaccaro. Vaccaro, then directing Kenneth Bernard’s potent play The Moke Eater, subsequently gave Penny her theatrical debut in the groundbreaking production. Soon after, Arcade became a teenage superstar for Andy Warhol’s Factory with a featured role in the Morrissey/Warhol film Women In Revolt, but quickly found the life of an upcoming pop tart too one dimensional and fled to Amsterdam.
She has been a legendary, provocative, ground breaking performance artist ever since. Plus, she’s super cool and super kind.
Find out more about her at www.pennyarcade.tv.
What Out North does: Produces and presents art that challenges and inspires; nurtures creative space where people of all cultures, generations, circumstances and abilities can gather and learn; champions artists whose work pushes traditional boundaries of aesthetics and content.
18 and older unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Date/time: Fridays and Saturdays November 4 to 19, 8 PM
- Location: Out North Contemporary Art House, 3800 DeBarr Road Anchorage, AK (see map)
- Cost of admission: Tickets $25 general, $20 students/60+/military in advance at Centertix. Or $30/$25 at the door.
- Further info: see Facebook events page
Pedro Zamora, AIDS activist (LGBT History Month)
Pedro Zamora was an AIDS activist who appeared on MTV’s reality series “The Real World.” As the first openly gay and openly HIV-positive person on a television series, he brought national attention to HIV/AIDS and LGBT issues. Bent Alaska presents his story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.
Pedro Zamora
“As gay young people, we are marginalized. As young people who are HIV-positive and have AIDS, we are totally written off.”
Pedro Zamora (February 29, 1972–November 11, 1994) was an AIDS activist who appeared on MTV’s reality series The Real World. As the first openly gay and openly HIV-positive person on a television series, he brought national attention to HIV/AIDS and LGBT issues.
Zamora was born into poverty in Havana, Cuba, the youngest of eight. The family lived in a small house with a dirt floor.
When Zamora was 8, he immigrated to Florida with his parents and two of his siblings as part of the Mariel boatlift. The family settled in Hialeah, Florida. Zamora’s mother died when he was 13. He threw himself into schoolwork and extracurricular activities. An honors student and captain of the science club and cross-country team, he became one of the school’s most popular students.
Zamora learned he was HIV-positive after donating blood, and he decided to pursue a career as an AIDS activist. At age 19, be became nationally known focus when a front-page article about him appeared in the Wall Street Journal, with subsequent interviews by Geraldo Rivera, Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey. He testified before Congress on July 12, 1993 arguing for more explicit HIV/AIDS educational programs, telling lawmakers, “If you want to reach me as a young man — especially a young gay man of color — then you need to give me information in a language and vocabulary I can understand and relate to.”
In 1994, Zamora joined the cast of MTV’s “The Real World: San Francisco,” having sent in an audition tape after his friend and roommate Alex Escarano convinced him he could reach more people simply by living in The Real World house than through the exhausting cross-country travel. Zamora beat out 25,000 other applicants. Soon after moving into The Real World loft, he fell in love with another HIV-positive AIDS activist, Sean Sasser, whom he had met at the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. The two men exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony in the loft.
In an interview with Hal Rubenstein in the August/September 1994 issue of POZ Magazine, Zamora was asked about why he decided to join the reality show’s cast:
Hal Rubenstein: What made you want to be on MTV’s The Real World?
Pedro Zamora: I thought it would be a great way to educate people. One of the problems I face as an educator is that I can get up and tell my story about not feeling well or having fun, about getting sick or going out dancing, but people can’t really see it, and I thought being on the series would be a great way to show how a young person actually deals with HIV and AIDS. And I also thought, it’s four or five months in San Francisco, how bad could it be?
HR: Did MTV express any reservations or discomfort about your HIV status or give you any direction before they threw you in the soup?
PZ: No. During the interview process they voiced some concerns, but they were related to me and to my welfare. They told me it was going to be a very stressful situation, and they were worried about the toll it might take on my health. And we discussed that my six roommates should know that they are living with an HIV positive person. But that was about it.
HR: Knowing how much stress can compromise the immune system, why were you willing to risk that?
PZ: I thought about it knowing that just being away from my family would be hard for me. But part of the changes I started feeling when I was diagnosed was my increased willingness to take risks. That may sound kind of odd, but I acquired this desire to experience things I hadn’t before. And it’s been very stressful at points. And during the filming, my T-cells have dropped. And I got PCP.
HR: You have AIDS?
PZ: Yeah. About a year ago, my T-cell count dropped below 200, so, technically, I was defined as having AIDS then; but after the PCP, my T-cell count is next to nothing.
Zamora came into personal conflict with housemate David “Puck” Rainey from the beginning of their stay in the house. Rainey mocked Zamora’s Cuban accent, denigrated his career as an educator, and told offensive gay-related jokes. Zamora’s roommate Judd Winick described Rainey as “obnoxious” and “homophobic.” Zamora, feeling his stress from confrontations with Rainey was contributing to his deteriorating health, announced he would move out. The entire cast voted instead to evict Rainey from the house.
However, his health continued to deteriorate through the remainder of the season. The cast moved out of the loft on June 19, 1994, and the first episodes of The Real World: San Francisco began airing a week later, continuing to air through November 1994. Meantime, MTV created a trust for Zamora to pay for his medical costs, because Zamora had no health insurance. On November 11, 1994, the day after the final episode of The Real World: San Francisco aired, Zamora died surrounded by family and friends. His partner Sean Sasser, however, was barely allowed into the room, as POZ Magazine‘s Anderson Jones recounted in an article about Sasser in 1997:
Sadly, Sean did not have an opportunity to meet Pedro’s family until after Pedro got sick, so sick that he could no longer communicate to them the importance of Sean in his life. On TV, it always appeared that Pedro’s parents were in complete support of their son’s lifestyle and choices. “That wasn’t my experience,” Sean says flatly. “I shouldn’t have had to deal with a lot of the stuff that I dealt with in Miami. If Pedro and I were legally married, his family would have understood and respected my right to be there. And, of course, that was an abomination. It was just very hypocritical and unnecessary and I didn’t understand it. It caused even more turmoil around an already desperate and hurtful situation.” He raises his voice. “I was told Pedro did not need to have a lover anymore. And it was very obvious from the start, when he could communicate, that he wanted me there. I have a lot of resentment toward dealing with his family’s homophobia, as well as dealing with him dying.”
It never got any better. After the first couple of confrontations, Sean’s first instinct was to go back to San Francisco. “But whenever I’d go back, I’d go, ‘What am I doing here? I have to go back.'” Sean fought the urge to escape-as the media coverage intensified, he couldn’t walk in Miami without being accosted by bereaved fans — until Pedro’s final day. “Actually, he passed away very early in the morning… he was already gone, you know, the Pedro that I knew,” he says quietly. “Once again, I felt overwhelmed by his family trying to, like, take everything so… oh boy,” he sighs loudly. “And I was allowed to make my way to the bed… to give him a kiss. And I left. That was it.”
“A Tribute to Pedro Zamora” was broadcast on MTV, and is available on YouTube. Watch Part 1:
For more about Pedro Zamora, visit his LGBT History Month page or Wikipedia article.
